An Introduction...

I can not believe my little guy was 2 months old on Sunday!  How is that possible?  Where has the time gone?  Oh yah a lot of it is spent with me just sitting and staring at him!  I still can't believe he is ours!  I am just so in love! I thought I would share a little about how he got here...better late than never right?

Dr. R had made arrangements for me to be induced and have my cerclage removed on Sunday, July 24th because he was on call that night. 



Me and Mr.K's Count Down Clock!

After a day full of visitors, some fun some not so fun...we called in to L&D 6pm, thinking it would be several hours before we were to go but L&D said come on in! That is when it really got real for me and I got super excited/nervous/emotional! 

My Mom and I just before we left for the hospital! 

We got to the hospital and settled in to a new room (we were originally assigned the room I delivered The Girls in so in tears I asked for a new room and the nurses were so nice and understanding and not only did we get to change rooms but we got a VIP room!!)

Shortly after they hooked me up to the monitors we learned that I was having contractions every 4 or 5 minutes and I had no clue!  Dr. R came in and took out my cerclage around 9:00pm.  I was not at all prepared for the pain/discomfort of that!! But when it was out he said things looked good, that I was about 4cm and he suspected little man would arrive some time after midnight and that he would see us then too.  Yippee!

But midnight came and went! Then 3am came and went! Dr.R calling every hour or so for updates. Then at 7am, after Dr.R had delivered 3 other babies and done 2 c-sections, he came to check my progress (or lack of) for himself! I had made it to 6/7cm but my water still had not broken!  So after some decission we all agreed braking it would be best. This is when I actually started feeling the contractions and they went from "oh I  feel them now"(7am) to"Oh I can do this"(9am) to "Oh MY GOODNESS this is intense" (11am)! This is when I asked for the epidural, I'm not sure everything that went on t that point but I do know there was some trouble placing it but they finally got it rightand when everyone came back in the said I was a whole new person. 

Some where around 2pm Dr.R came back and after a quick check said it was time to push!  YAY!  To this dismay of the nurse, he sat down next to me and watched the monitors while I pushed, apparently this isn't normal and it made my nurse pretty uncomfortable...but she got over it!  After about an hour and a half of pushing and numerous checks from Dr. R and the nurse they determined that a) I was not making enough progress and b) Little man was posterior and a c-section was necessary. Bummer! 

Turns out Little Mans head was stuck in my, apparently small, pelvis...he had a bit of a cone head. The OR nurses all commented on it and it made me cry even more than I already was!  It was so unbelievable when Dr. R moved him around the curtain and I saw him for the first time! 





 It was such an unbelievable moment.  I was so in love before he even arrived and then it was like the whole world just stood still.  

Our First Family Picture...

Mr. K introducing him to his grandparents...

 



His First Bath!

We had some wonderful visits from family and friends at the hospital especially one very excited little boy who now has a cousin and told EVERYONE all about it!  Baby Horse (he needs a new name) was so in love from the moment he saw him!

And we were very happy to come home, even if the first few days were a little crazy (more about that later)!!

Our very jaundice Little Man on the way home!

Life is still so surreal and running in slow motion for he and I.  I suspect that will stop in a few weeks when I go back to work.  But until then I am enjoying the slow pace and just getting to know him. 

This wasn't much of a two month post...I will do my best to get that up tonight along with a few other things I have been working on! 

Wordless Wednesday...

I am totaly in LOVE with this little guy...

and sometime in the next day or two I will have an acutall update, I just can't pull myself away from him long enough to type an actual post!! 

He is Here!

Just a quick update to let everyone know our little guy has made debut.  I am pleased to introduce

Andrew Wyatt - 7lbs 2ozs - 20 inches long

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and prayers these past few months, they have meant the world to us, we could not be more happy!
I will get all the details up just as soon as we get settled in at home for those interested.  

36 Weeks

How Many Weeks?
Yippee!  Thirty Six Weeks! YIPPEE!! It has definitely been a rough week!  I have been on bed rest for a week now and I have a new found respect for those that have spent months and months on bed rest!  It is unbelievably tiring.

How am I feeling?
Tiered, my hips ache even though I swap sides all of the time.  Any suggestions on that?  I am also increasingly nervous!  I mean I wished and prayed for this little guy for years now, but I never actually thought we would get here!  I have gone threw all of the motions of this pregnancy but in the back of my mind preparing for the worst.  I'm not saying we are all clear but still I am starting to realize that it will be.

Doctors Appointment?
Yesterday afternoon (when I first started this post) my blood pressure got a little high, so I called in to the on call Dr. and she had me come on in.  So off Mr.K and I went to the Drs office, where we waited!  For TWO hours!  I never EVER wait that long for Dr. R!  So by the time I got to actually see the Dr. my bp was 161/108 and that automatically got me sent right over to Labor and Delivery so they could monitor me and BabyH and do some blood work.  When we got there my bp was still high but after lying in the bed for a while it went right down to 130/80. Plus my blood work looked great and the little guy was happy as a clam!  So back home we came!  Dr. R come back on duty on Sunday and is planning on taking out my cerclage and inducing me on Sunday. It is possible that I will get bumped but we shall see! 

Weight Gain?
They didn't weigh me at the Dr. yesterday, so I don't know if I have gained anything but at this point I really don't care.  I see the end and I know that I have alot of extra weight I have been caring around for way to long now and I just plan on getting it all off! 

Baby Preparation?
Everything but ironing his coming home outfit is done and I hoping to have Mr.K do that in the morning!  It feels so weird that there really isn't anything left to do before he gets here! 

I will leave you with a picture of someone who has rarely left my side in over a week...

Bed Rest

So as of yesterday afternoon I am officially on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy with Andrew.  When I went to see Dr. R yesterday my bp was pretty high, 152/90 and then 148/89. So Dr. R suggested bed rest at home for now, but if my bp goes up any higher that the 152/90 I am to call in and he is most likely going to admit me. The other tricky part is that Dr.R is on vacation next week and I could he tell he was not keen on something happening while he is out and the truth is, neither am I!  I am very close to him and to his nurses and at this point I'm not prepared for much change. Next week they have me all lined up to see another Dr in the practice and her nurse called to check on me today (even though Dr.R and staff are still in the office) and just to let me know that they will be there for what ever I need next week. So that made me feel a LOT better!  Now to just entertain my self from the comfort of my bed for the next few weeks!  Wish me Luck!!

The Help

Have you heard of this book?


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 The Librarian at school, who is just amazing and I love, recommended it MONTHS ago and I finally got around to reading it last week!   It is based in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi and the African American maids working in white house holds.
It really hit home for me for a few reasons but one thing that really got to me is the that one of the characters has, from my best guess, an incompetent cervix!  I won't give anything away because I really think you should read it!  But what I will say is; as much as women today suffer after losing a child, I can not imagine being in my position in 1960!  It just brakes my heart over and over again to think about what those women must have gone threw every day, the hell that it must have been.  What I took from it was everyone made it all out as the woman's fault!  I can only imagine how much worse that would make losing a child, especailly because they couldn't talk to anyone about it or tell anyone how they felt!  And don't even think about celebrating the child that you lost or doing something to honor them! 
The good thing is that it has made me thankful for the support and love I have gotten from my friends and family in real life (even though I complain about them from time to time) and from all of you, my wonderful friends in blog land. 

Oh and I realized today it is has also been made into a movie!

Weeks 34 and 35

The last two weeks have been crazy busy, but I'm not sure what I have been doing! 
I have had lunch with friends, we had family in from out of town and I finished washing all of the bedding and blankets!  Now to finish the clothes!
Oh and did you notice I changed my Blog Title? I thought it was about time! And I got a GREAT make over from Fran at Small Bird Studios!  Thanks again Fran! 

How Many Weeks?
34/35!!  Tomorrow I am technically 36 weeks, so I am way behind!  But I'm trying so hard to catch up! 

How am I feeling?
I feel pretty good. Some days I have horrible acid reflux, but it tends to get back under control if I eat several small meals during the day, so I have been doing LOTS of snacking! 

Doctor's Appointment?
We saw Dr. K last Friday and to my amazement and excitement BabyH has managed to turn and is now head down!  Yippee!  The appointment went really well and Dr.K estimates that on the small side this little guy is around 7 pounds!  Yes, I said SEVEN on the SMALL side!!  He also said that he thinks it would be fine for Dr.R to take my cerclage out when we see him this week.  I don't know if he is going to, but I guess it is a posabillity!  Mr.K HATES the idea because Dr.R is on vacation next week and he is afraid that means I will go into labor!  Dr.R did tell us he will be in town and could come to the hospital for an emergency, but I really think this little guy will stay put! 

Weight Gain?
Last week at Dr.K's office I got weighed and I had gained 1 more pound, so I am at a whopping 10 pounds gained! 

Baby Preparation?
His Room is all in order and mostly situated.  I am just waiting on the decal to come in to go over the crib, when that happens I will make sure to post a few pictures!  Tomorrow I am going to have the car seat installed!  I know we could do it ourselves but we wanted to make sure that we knew how to do it and there are places all over town that you can go and they will do it for you...for FREE!
One other thing that I ordered did arrive this week...


Gyboree

This is what I am planning on BabyH coming home in!  I saw it online and just had to have it!  We tried a few of the local stores but I couldn't find it, so I finally broke down and ordered it!  And if possible I love it even more than I did online!

33 Weeks

How Many Weeks?
Holy Cow!  THIRTY THREE WEEKS!! 

How am I feeling?
I have gotten some of my energy back this week.  I am not sure how but I have been all about the organizing and laundry doing and just getting stuff done, lets just hope this stays around for a few more weeks! 

Doctor's Appointment?
We see Dr.R tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it, I am hoping he will do an ultra sound even though it doesn't normally.  But I just have this urge for him to do one tomorrow...but I guess only time will tell! 

Weight Gain?
I weighed myself this morning on my home scale and I am still only up the 9 pounds, I am curious as to what the scale at the Dr.R's office says tomorrow!

Baby Preparation?

I have started washing ALL of Andrews things today, who knew one little baby could have so many things!! Now if I can just get it all folded and put away! I have been thinking about ordering one of these for the wall over the crib, I just don't know which one I want yet!   





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See...it is really hard to decide!  But I have to figure it out this week!!

32 Weeks

How Many Weeks?
THIRTY TWO!!! I can not tell you how excited I am that we have made it to this milestone!  And BabyH will be here in less than 8 weeks!

How am I feeling?
I feel pretty good, my Granny gave me quite a fright last week and it made for a stressful few days, but things are settling down again.  I have started noticing how quickly I get worn out, so I take lots of short brakes!  If only we would get some rain before my yard completely dies!

Doctor's Appointment?
I saw Dr.R on Thursday, Mr.K couldn't make it because of work and was not a happy camper about missing it!  Dr.R said things are looking good and to just keep taking it easy.  He also mentioned that BabyH has quite a big head and that even if he manages to turn in the next few weeks I still might have to have a c-section.  I got a little worried about him having such a large head but Dr.R assured me it is proportional to the rest of his body size. 

Weight Gain?
9 pounds, yes somehow I managed to lose 7 pounds in the past two weeks!  I don't know how but Dr.R said not to worry that it would be fine.

Baby Preparation?
We finally got the drapes for the nursery figured out over the weekend!  Today my cousin and I managed to get them hung!  I am so excited, they make a HUGE difference!  Mr.K and I have also been going to a child birth class at the hospital.  The first week did not go as I had planned and I ended up crying about half way into it and continued to do so most of the way home!  It was much more difficult than I had imagined to tour labor and delivery, even though the hospital has been remodeled I still new exactly where we were and exactly which room we had been in.  But the instructor was so understanding and spent some time talking to us after the class and even connected us with a case manager at the hospital to help us make sure that everything is just right for BabyH's birth!  And after that the classes have been much easier for me to handle!  This week I am planning to get the art and shelves up on the walls in the nursery.
Over the weekend the lovely Janet at Tenaj Photography took our maternity pictures and here are just a few from our fun shoot...

Baby Shower

We have been very blessed to have an amazing group of friends and family. And I say this because we have had 3 Baby Showers and each time we are more in awe of everything that has been done for us!  Last Saturday BabyH's 3 Aunts hosted an amazing shower for us and here are some of the pictures...

 

31 Weeks

I know, I know I am behind!  The last 6 weeks of the school year was CRAZY and I when I would get home I could never find the time to write!  So now I am so behind it is not even funny. So here is a proper baby post and fingers crossed I might even have time for a regular update today or tomorrow! 

How Many Weeks?

THIRTY ONE!!! It is so surreal, I don't even believe it half the time...until I realize I can't see my feet anymore!!

How am I feeling?
I feel GREAT, I am all about the cleaning up/out and decorating!  The weather is EXTREMELY Hot and Dry in our area right now and if I get out in it am exhausted in just a few minuets! 

Doctor's Appointment?
We saw Dr.K this past Friday and we see Dr.R on Tuesday! On Friday, BabyH had no desire to have his picture taken but we did find out several important things. First, his head and leg measurements are what they would expect to see at 37weeks and weighs just over 5lbs!  Dr. K said that he is just going to be a big guy like his Daddy and that it isn't anything to worry about at this point.  The only down side is that he is still breech and because of his size they really don't think he is going to turn so it looks like I will have a c-section some time in the next 6-8 weeks and we are going to get that all worked out with Dr. R this week!

Weight Gain?
15 pounds. And most of that has been in the past 2 weeks, I don't know if it was from the end of the school year or just his crazy growth spurt, but I really did put on the pounds all of the sudden!

Baby Preparation?
We are in full baby prep mode around here!  We have had three baby showers thanks to our AMAZING friends and family!  The nursery is all painted and the furniture is here and in place.  Now we are just working on getting the last few "big" things and washing all of the clothes and baby things!  I just keep working and working on organizing in the nursery I just can't get enough! 

Gender?
 A BOY who is going to be named Andrew Wyatt H.  Now we just have to decide if we are going to call him Drew or Wyatt!  Because I just don't know yet!

I will leave you with a picture of our little guy from about 3 weeks ago...

24 Weeks

How Many Weeks?
24!!!  Yippee!  It is such a big milestone.  I was 23 weeks when TheGirls were born and I really never thought we would get here.

How am I feeling?
I am feeling really good this week and I have been much more active!  It was state testing week here in Texas so work kept me very busy!  And some how I took it all in stride and seemingly handled it really well.

Doctor's Appointment? 

We see Dr.R this week and Dr.K next week!  I can't wait to see BabyH again! 

Weight Gain?
Still just the 8 pounds.  Although I have done A LOT of eating this week!  So I'm sure when I get to the Dr this week it will be much more than that! 

Baby Preparation?
We went and registered because invitations to one of the showers that our friends and family are hosting went out this week and I did not want people to get an invitation that said we were registered to only find out we were not.  So we bit the bullet and did it. Other than that, not much.  I resisted the urge to buy a few outfits when we were out today...only because the Dr's have me convinced that BabyH is going to be a very VERY large baby and to stop buying newborn clothes.

Gender? A BOY and he has a name but I am not sure if I am ready to share it with the world just yet...but I will let you know when I am.

Wordless Wednesday...

22 Weeks

How Many Weeks? 22, I can not believe that I am already 22 Weeks! Time is going bye so quickly! It is hard to believe that I am half way there.

How am I feeling/Doctor's Appointment? This week we saw our first little scare and I ended up being on bedrest for a few days. On Tuesday night after dinner I started having some cramping/contraction like pains but once I laid down on the sofa they stopped, I chalked it up to my extra long day. But then when I got up on Wednesday morning and got moving I started having them again but they weren't so bad so I put in a call to Dr.R and went on in to work. Not to long into my day he called and wanted to see me in his office ASAP, so off Mr. K and I went. After a little poking and prodding Dr. R didn't love what he saw so I got some Terbutaline and went home to enjoy the rest of Mr.K's Birthday and the rest of my week on Bedrest! As of yesterday I can go back to work on Monday but I will just being going to see Dr. R every week for a while and I have to take it easy, like glueing myself to my chair!

Weight Gain? 8 pounds, I know it doesn't seem like much but I did the same things with the Girls, I lost weight at the beginning and then around the 18 week mark finally started gaining! Dr. R keeps telling me that there is nothing to worry about because the Baby H keeps right on growing.

Baby Preparation? Not to much this week, for obvious reasons but thanks to some very loving and excited family members and their shopping genius we did end up with a few things! Next week we are going to be all about the cleaning out and getting rid of. (Hopefully!) The crib should be here at the end of the month and I can't wait!

Gender? Because I know I way past due for an update I am pretty sure that I never announced that BabyH is a BOY! And we could not be more excited!

The best good news we got this week is that after two surgeries and 3+ months on crutches Mr. K can finally walk hobble without them! Which is a HUGE help! And I promise it won't take me so long to update next time!

Crazy Week...

The past week was a doozy, and I only went to work two days! On Monday, I took the day off to finish recovering from Friday. I returned to work on Tuesday, it was in the mid 60's here! But Tuesday was when the temperature started dropping, DRAMATICALLY! And Wednesday the high was in the 20's! So as to save my still recovering body from anguish, I stayed home because the last thing I wanted was to get cold and have all of my muscles tense up! It did not go as planed because we had state mandated rolling blackouts! We were lucky and were only without power for about an hour total! Thursday came and all anyone was talking about was the snow that was coming that night and Friday! But the temps were in the 30's so I went on back to work. It was an odd day seeing as schools all over the area were closing mid day and canceling school on Friday and I had dozens of calls from parents about weather we had school on Friday! We finally got the word just before lunch and well that was that!

Friday I had big plans of sleeping in and staying in bed all day! But that did not happen because Mr.K can't walk! Let me be the first to tell you, that makes the life of a pregnant woman tough! Plus whoever said men our bad patients was talking specifically about Mr.K. He has gotten to that point where he is just unhappy, and I'm not very good at dealing with him when he is unhappy, he is not generally an unhappy person so it is really hard to know what to do! Plus we did not get one flutter of snow...not ONE and that is disappointing even for an adult!

We spent Saturday and Sunday running errands, because it was in the 60's, that's Texas weather for you, and we really needed to get out of the house before we both lost it! We managed to pick out baby furniture with out either of us getting upset and do a few other things that we kept putting off! Now we just need to order the furniture, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet!

It's back in the 30's tonight and apparently we have another round of cold weather headed our way! Yippee! Let's hope that both mine and Mr. K's Dr.'s appointments on Thursday will do wonders for both of our moods!

Cerclage

The cerclage placement was done yesterday morning...And well I'm tired and sore!

We were told to arrive at 6am, but because I HATE to be late we got there at 5:45 and the doors were locked and they wouldn't let us in until 6!!! So we went and sat in the car until 5:59 and walked the three feet back to the door...and they still wouldn't let us in!!! At 6:03 the woman finally opened the doors and told us to have a seat and she would be right with us. Let me just say it was not a first come first serve and I was not a happy camper! But in the end it didn't matter...Dr. K was late and I had to wait! It wouldn't have been a big deal but I was nervous and when I'm nervous I am horrible at waiting!

Dr. K arrived at 7:40 and I was in the operating room at 7:50 and apparently Dr. K was in the waiting room talking to Mr. K at 8:15 letting him know that everything thing went well and that I would be in recovery soon.

The first thing that I remember is three nurses standing over me and commenting on how much SnowPea was moving and how funny they thought it was! And truthfully that made me so happy...all along I was worried that something would happen to SnowPea during the surgery and that was reassuring!

By 9:30 we were on our way home! I really wanted breakfast from a little bakery on the way home from the hospital but by the time we got half way there I was in so much pain all I could do was cry and Mr. K understood from my motioning that I just wanted to go home, so we did. I love the OldMan (My Father in law) but he was not thinking about how bumpy the drive was and I did NOT like it! But we made it home and I went straight to bed! And for the most part I haven't moved!

And I plan on staying this way for at least the next few days and catching up on some reading and the million things on the DVR! Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Specialist Appointment...

This is not what I had thought I would post...

Today we had our first appointment with the Specialist, Dr. K. I have to say I really do like Dr. K and he spent a lot of time with us and he took a lot of time looking at SnowPea (Lola Decided that is what we are calling BabyH for now)! All of which made me very happy. He did some talking about the different things that he was looking at and for, then he checked my cervical length and he stopped talking...which made me worry.

He did a couple of other things all the while not saying a word...more worry.

Then he abruptly said I'm going to do a pelvic exam...more worry that I could almost handle!

Turns out my cervix is very short already! Only measuring 1cm! After he said that I'm not sure if I heard much else. I tried the best I could to pay attention but I just couldn't get past the 1cm! I thought it should be like 3 or 4cm, not 1!!!!!

We have scheduled for the cerclage to be put in next week and until then I am on light duty. No bending, squatting, prolonged standing, exertion of any kind, ect.

The problem is, Mr. K broke his ankle two days before New Years! He had to have surgery the Monday after New Years! He is on crutches! And will be for another 7 ( yes I said 7) weeks! He can't walk or take care of Maggie or do anything around the house! Getting dressed to go anywhere is an ordeal in itself, and going well that is even worse!

So tonight I find myself calling friends and family and cashing in on favors so that we will have all the help we need for the next however long. I'm just not good at asking for help! And I'm not good at being the patient! But I have no choice, I will be the patient and I will be a good one!

I will do what ever I have too for SnowPea to be safe!

On a Happier Note...SnowPea looks really good and is measuring a week ahead! And also moved around when Dr. K poked (really hard) on my belly!!!

I said Good Things Were Coming...

Did you see this yesterday?

As of yesterday, I am 9w5d! (I can't believe I just typed that!) Mr. K and I are completely over the moon, most of the time it does not even seem real! We told our parents on Christmas Eve with a little onezie and a framed ultrasound picture. And to my surprise it went better than I could have ever hoped for! My mom was calling some of her closest friends before Mr.K's Dad even figured out what it meant!

But along with all of the excitement there is also a lot of fear, if I wake up and don't feel sick I start panicking and I worry about every little tingle and pain! Every time I talk to Dr. R he is encouraging and makes sure that I know it is ok and normal for me to be worried. I am beginning to think that this is just part of why I have always liked Dr. R.

And if you are reading this and still struggling after a loss, please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I know how hard it is to log on every day and see tons of new post about subsequent pregnancies and all the stuff that you want and just wanting to scream and run away...I have been there and I can tell you it is NOT fun at all, but remember I am thinking of you and wanting the best for you!!!

Wordless Wednesday...

I will tell you all about it...tomorrow!

Very Merry Christmas

Although it is incredibly late!
I know...I am so behind it is not even funny! But we had a wonderful 2010, although Mr. K fell and broke his leg(I will tell you more later)! Even more wonderful things are coming in 2011...