"Seriously, I was not planning on bein' here all day, y'all."

I had an OB doc appointment today at around 9:30 this morning. I didn't leave the hospital (where my doc's offices are) until around 3 p.m.

Why was I there that long?

High blood pressure. Ugh.

At first my bottom number (diastolic) was high...then my top number (systolic) started creeping upwards, too. Next thing I know, I'm getting the preeclampsia speech, sent waddling down to the lab, and then making my way to the labor/delivery triage area for the baby and I to be monitored. Thankfully the jerk that I encountered at my last visit -the one who went on a Tylenol tirade last time I was there- was no where to be seen. I was surrounded with competent and caring professionals for the duration of my stay. This was great for keeping the blood pressure down...'cause going postal on that guy, if he'd have been there, would not have been ideal. I'm just sayin'.

The bp did eventually go down and the baby's heart rate was fine. I was contracting a bit, but they weren't coming at regular intervals. I was sent home with lots of advice and cautionary tales....and an obnoxious looking container to put my 24-hour urine collect in. Too much info? So sorry! Bein' prego ain't an elegant thang, y'all.

The Hubby and I don't think we're going to make the April 11th due date. Heck, my doc doesn't even think I'll be much longer, either. She says this wouldn't be a bad thing since the baby looks like he's fully developed from all the info she was looking at. We'll just have to wait and see....

Close but no cigar...

Or should I say, close but no baby. I called the clinic today about the contractions, swelling and headache (preeclampsia symptoms) I'd had the last few days thinking my blood pressure might be too high. I was immediately told to come in to the hospital and head up to the labor and delivery triage area so they could figure out what was what. So like the good little girl that I am, I went in....

Only to be made fun of.

I swear I have an internal magnet of some kind that attracts all the jerks in the medical profession right to me. *sigh*

As I was trying to tell the female doc behind the counter what was going on, some other doc rudely interrupted us and basically told me that I was an idiot for not taking more Tylenol. I'd been told by my, admittedly ditzy doc, to go easy on med dosages and I had been trying to honor that advice. I reigned in my temper at first -not easy for a stressed out prego woman- and tried to continue talking to the doc that was doggedly trying to get things sorted out. The jerk persisted in harrassing me even after he was roundly ignored! I just kept talking right over him like he didn't exist....looking back, this is prob'ly why he wouldn't leave me alone. I mean, who was I that I would be able to ignore such a wonderful specimen of medical and manly competence, after all?

Ha! My baser self really wanted to give him a double barrel flick off, but I resisted...proud of me?

I will admit that after I was settled in the little exam room and hooked up to the different monitors, my bravado faded and all I wanted was the Hubby to be there with me. He was ready to come in at a moment's notice if something was wrong, but I told him to stay at work until we knew something definite.

I was having some minor contractions, but I wasn't dilated. My blood pressure was within normal range, the baby's heart rate was strong and I was out of there within an hour. In a way I felt like an overreactive idiot for going in at all, but then I knew that we needed to be sure that nothing was wrong.

And nothing was.

A nice visit with the Mother In Law...

Well.....I'm not screamin' in relief that the MIL's visit is over. It was a surprisingly pleasant visit despite some pretty gnarley winter weather. It was the height of irony that she came down to the South hoping to escape the winter blahs and what does she get? She got more snow, ice and frigid winds! There's a silver lining in all that, though. Because of the icy roads, the Bubs had a 3-hour school delay on her last day here so they were able to hang out for that entire morning. They were very happy about that, let me tell you.

My Hubby was relieved that his mom and I had a better visit than we've had recently. She was her more laid back self and I think that I'd had enough time between visits to recover. I was also too tired and super uncomfortable to get tense before she came down. Blessing in disguise, I guess!

The joys of pregnancy....hmmm, maybe not.

Alrighty, folks. I have reached that very fun stage of the prego journey where I've morphed into the annoying child in the back of the van that asks ad nauseam, "Are we there, yet?!" Yes, I could sit here and romanticize the not-so-fun (or pretty) aspects of pregnancy as it's nearing its end but, frankly, I'm too sore to try. Sorry.

The cute baby bump has exploded into something which I have a hard time even getting a loose nightgown around. And it's itchy. Old ladies in the grocery store are always making the comment that I look like I'm gonna pop. *sigh*

I thought my hips were wide enough already, but apparently I thought wrong as they are constantly aching these days from spreading. This, of course, means that I'm looking more and more like a duck with all the waddling I'm havin' to do. Quack!

Bending over for any reason is a thing of the distant past. The Bubs has been such a good helper when it comes to picking up after me when I drop things, which is frequently. Talk about a role reversal, y'all! I get aggravated with having to ask him for help all the time, but I think he's learned about empathy, cooperation and patience in the process. It's also training him to be an awesome big brother.

Well, I think I've moaned long enough...besides, you do NOT want me to talk about all the gas that's been happenin' around here! Yet another fun and thoroughly undignified side effect of being prego. At least it's a side effect that never fails to entertain my two guys. Yep, I live to bring a smile to their faces.....

Assumed the Position

Hallelujah! The baby is head down! I had another OB specialist appointment yesterday and they did the usual growth ultrasound to make sure the placenta hadn't gotten any thicker (it hasn't). The first thing I asked was if the baby was still breech. Come to find out, he was head down and face down. That last bit made me realize that I've prob'ly been rubbin' on his lil' tushy through my stomach these last couple of weeks...that could have interesting ramifications once he's born!

Prego check-up

I had my 29 week check up with my ditzy doc yesterday. Thankfully, she wasn't as ditzy this time around and the check up went well. Hubby was even able to be there with me. The baby's heartbeat was nice and strong and the belly measurement was right on target. Then I was even complimented on keeping my weight fairly consistent throughout the pregnancy so far. Yes, I did let loose with a snicker at that one as I haven't the slightest clue how I'm not huger than I am! Let's just say that the cravings have not all been for fresh fruit and veggies, y'all.

The subject of what to do if the baby continues to be in a breech position did come up. The doc assured me that the baby still had room to turn, but if he continued to be breech after the 36 week mark, that we'd have to decide if we wanted to try an external cephalic version (ECV), where they would turn the baby, or just wait to see if a c-section was the way to go. Seeing as everything I've read about an ecv indicates that it's only 50% effective, can cause bleeding a premature labor and that the baby could just turn back to a breech position anyway....well, I'm leaning towards just waiting to see about a c-section if the baby hasn't turned on his own.

Do I want a c-section? Not so much.

Will I do it for the baby? Without a moment's hesitation.

However, there's still time for everything to work out naturally. We'll handle whatever needs to be done when it needs to be done. Save that worry for another day!

The curious case of the changing due date~

Yeah, so I go to my OB specialist appointment today whereupon I was promptly informed that my April 1st due date was wrong. It is, instead, supposed to be April 11th...and where did I get the idea that it was the 1st?

I had gotten the idea from my regular doc who, I think, was having a ditzy day. I reapeatedly asked if she was sure about the date change at that stage in the pregnancy since ultrasound pics can be misleading (which was what she was going by). Oh, no! She assured me that she was right and, in a ditzily condescending way, let me know that I was mistaken. Yeah, okay lady!

Sooo...now I'm back to an April 11th due date. Even though it feels like things are further along than that. During the anatomy scan today - to check on the thickness of the placenta which was in normal range - the baby was relatively quiet in his breech position. He looked much more filled out than he did a month ago. He's a little over three pounds and I already wanna squeeze him and get all of his sugar!

Well, I'm off to change my baby ticker over there on the left sidebar...again.

29 weeks down and how many days to go?!

Yay, I'm 29 weeks prego...well, give or take. With all the kerfluffle about my due date, I'm not carving the April 1st due date in stone!

I've officially entered the "nothing-is-comfortable-for-long" stage. My hubby patiently watches me waddle from chair to chair in our livingroom most evenings....in between watching me waddle to and from the bathroom. I'm sure it's a bit like watching a tennis game on crack! The Bubs has started looking for me in the bathroom first when he has a question. *chuckling* Thankfully, the Hubby has kept himself available to the both of us and that's prevented any rough spots or lapses with the Bubs.

Hubby and I were finally able to agree on a name for the baby a few months ago and I think that's gone a long way in helping the Bubs adjust to our new addition. He talks to him through my belly and gives him "belly kisses". The other day, he came in and let me know that he'd cleaned up the floor of his playroom so that "baby's name" could have room to play, too. Cute! And he really had!

No, I haven't come up with a suitable bloggy pseudonym for the new baby. I've had suggestions that the baby's title rhyme with Hubs and Bubs....I don't know that I can do that! There are a limited sum of nicknames that rhyme with those two words and, Honey, none of them are decent. I just refuse to use "tubs" or "nubs". I think I'd rather wait to meet the lil' guy and see what happens...when I've had enough sleep to be semi-lucid, that is!

Like an episode of E.R.

Well, this week has been an interesting one for our family. Medically speaking, that is. Mom is back in the hospital because she's retained a lot of fluid (again). Hopefully, while the fluid is being dealt with, they can also do something to keep it from happening over and over again. I know she hates being in the hospital even though, logically, she knows she needs to be there right now. Needless to say, when Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. We're prayerful, but tense. Tbe Hubs is also going through something, but out of respect for his wishes, I'm not going to post any specifics.

I'm still having contractions at odd moments, but nothing overly worrisome. Nothing is comfortable for any length of time...sitting, standing or lying down. I wasn't this uncomfortable when I was prego with the Bubs until a few weeks before he was born. The Hubs' understanding and frequently given back rubs have gone a long way to making things more bearable. I love that man!

Well, there are dishes in the sink crying out for attention and more water for me to chug down so I'm gonna run...

Gettin' ready for baby...

Between the few contractions I had the other day and the fact that every time I see a doc, my due date is bumped up by several weeks I'm feelin' the need to get my tush in gear and get ready for our baby's arrival (which is in around 3 months!). I'm nowhere near as frantic in my planning as I was when we were expecting the Bubs, but I know that some prep and pre-baby shopping will go a long way to cutting out some unneeded stress after our lil' love is here. Especially when the mom-in-law's here.....*ahem!*

Anyway...

I've looked at different articles and such and have picked up a few things. Most of them say the same things like taking help when it's offered, not stressing over housework, get as much ready ahead of time as possible, etc. I know for the first little while Hubby, Bubs and me will prob'ly forget the world around us and stare at our new bundle of joy. Not to mention, me and the Hubby will also be introducing the Bubs to his new role as big brother. So if the dishes don't get done right away, so be it. (My family's laughing at that last statement, by the way. They know I hate doing the dishes anyway!)

So far, I'm not that concerned about a nursery theme or a crib. Hubby and I have decided not to worry about getting a crib right now and, instead, get a co-sleeper to put in our room. We like the co-spleeper idea because it would put the baby within arm's reach and make those middle of the night eating and comforting sessions a lot easier. I found one that has storage underneath, too. Yay!

I may just be in a phase here, but for now I'm a little more concerned about making sure we have the essentials rather than the cutesy nursery stuff, etc. (Well, except for the clothes!) This could be because this is our second baby so we know what to look for, what items helped/didn't help, and a tiny bit about what to expect. So as Hubby and I work out what we really need and a few things that we want, I'm sure we're both thinking, "How long before we get our tax return money?"

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Y'all! Whether you welcomed the incoming year in your jammies and slippers or a little black dress and heels, I hope it was fun....and safe! As for me, I'll be in the jammies, slippers and flat out asleep crowd when the ball drops. I know. It's a barrel of wild fun at my house *chuckling*, but I did get to hang out with family today and chill which is always nice. Oh, and did I mention that I had a few contractions? Yes, I said contractions!

The Hubby's voice went up a couple octaves when I called him at work and told him what was going on. They were happening every twenty or thirty minutes for a while, but then seemed to ease off. I was kinda tense for a while there. I put my feet up then downed some water and that must've done the trick... In any case, the baby is still his mobile self, kicking away in my tummy. What a relief!

I really don't have a New Year's resolution. I've never been one for those....mostly 'cause I know I won't stick with it. What can I say? I'm honest! The only things that come to mind are things I strive for all the time like being a better mom, wife, daughter, etc. This year comes with a unique twist. I'll be a mom to two little boys in a few months instead of one. I won't be perfect, and am expecting to make a few goofs along the way but I think I need to go into it that way. Realistic expectations take a bit of the stress out of things, don'tcha think?

To dream a little dream...

I've always had dreams that were vivid and realistic. So vivid and realistic, in fact, that even when I woke up it was hard to tell whether or not I was really awake. If I was eating in the dream, I tasted it. I smelled, felt, saw and heard things as if I was walking around in a fully concious state. Trippy, to say the least!

I know that dreaming increases when one is pregnant from all the medical info I've glanced through recently. Sleeping more increases the oppurtunities to dream and those lovely middle of the night bathroom trips ensure a better recall of them. Every. Little. Detail.

Lately my dreams haven't been restful in the least. Nightmarish would be the better term. It started a couple of nights ago and hasn't let up since. One such nightmare featured me dying in a horrific car accident and the other featured the Bubs being hurt and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I've been having flashbacks of the dreams during the daytime. My husband had to lay down with me today in an effort to get me to take my usual nap. I didn't want to have another dream. I eventually drifted off after he laid his hand on my tummy/baby and quietly prayed for me.

It dawned on me earlier this evening that both dreams, if I could look past the horrific nature of them, highlighted the fact that, in both, the situations were out of my control. I couldn't stop the car or protect Bubs. Telling fact, isn't it?

I must remember that even when it feels like my life, or facets of it, are out of my control that I have a Heavenly Father who is holding my life and the life of my loved ones in the palm of His infinitely capable and loving hands. I haven't been endowed with a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. I can't let the nightmares overtake my peace and my day-to-day life.

Y'all know my life is a soundtrack...well, there's a Fernando Ortega song that goes along with how I'm feeling called Jesus, King of Angels. The melody is reminiscent of a lullaby, but the words are so very powerful. I invite you to have a listen and revel in the sense of peace it evokes.

Good gracious granny...More bloodwork?!

Thank heavens that the lab at the naval hospital is chock full of peeps who are great with needles. They don't come at me angry, in a hurry, or insensitively....'cause what's worse than one of those traits when they come at me with a needle and several empty vials in their hands for me to fill?

I'm used to having to become a human pincushion during pregnancy. It's just the way it goes and I'm okay with that. It's a wonderful thing to be able to screen for problems, etc. An ounce of prevention and all that jazz. So I get a call yesterday evening from my doc about the anatomy ultrasound findings. The sono lady was a little concerned about how low the placenta was and the thickness along the bottom. This is apparently indicative of something, but so far the doc is a little famisched (I love my Yiddish dictionary!) as to what that something could be. This was even after she and others from the OB/GYN clinic "cracked open the text books". She went on to say that the baby itself looks great, but they just want to make sure that there's nothing going on that will affect him later in the pregnancy or even after he's born. Oy.

Soooo, I went in to the lab this morning for another glucose test with a blood draw instead of, um, "giving a sample" (that's an hour wait for that one) and gave another vial of blood for a TORCH test. The TORCH test is to screen for antibodies which would indicate the presence of certain infections that could potentially cross the placenta to the baby. Double oy.

Next on the doctor given to-do list was to make an appointment to see the OB specialist who only comes down once a month to their clinic. Done. Unfortunately, the appointment is on the last day of school before Christmas break begins for the Bubs. I hope I can still help out with their little festivities. It's always so much fun and the Bubs always gets such a kick out of me being there. I'm enjoyin' that while it lasts!

Meanwhile, we can only wait for the results of the tests to come in. One of them they have to mail out and we won't know those results until 7-12 days from now. 7-12 looooong days. Well, at least it's December and there's never a shortage of things to do to keep me occupied and not thinkin' about it!

What?! Well, dang. These fit last week!

Today I'm 16 weeks pregnant and today was my first day in maternity clothes. Well, the pants anyway. Even though the pair I wore were comfy, I was in shock at how quickly I needed them. Ever since we found out that I'm further along than I thought -almost a month further- it feels like someone has hit the fast-forward button. I'm not complaining one bit, I just have to catch up!

I've been so concerned with getting the Bubs into clothes and school uniforms that fit him after his latest growth spurt that I completely put off getting maternity clothes...I know, I know. How silly of me, right? The only reason I have the one pair of pants that I wore today is because Mom spotted some decently sized items on clearance at the JCPenney website and I was able to get them. So now the baby is pokin' out and I need to get some things that fit....fast.

I've been price-shopping different stores online (the brick and mortar variety don't carry a lot of plus-size maternity clothes) and have actually managed to find a few things that might work. I just need a few basics at the moment. My going to church clothes will just have to be unusually casual for a while. With the Bubs's b'day, Christmas and a possible move in the near future I have to be mindful of what we spend on extras. For right now all I want is a pair of knit pants and a nice shirt, something C.O.M.F.Y.!

Other than a rapidly expanding waistline, this pregnancy continues to be nothin' like my first one. For a while there, I was always faintly nauseous but would only worship the porcelain god occasionally. With the first pregnancy, I felt like I was always hanging over a toilet or trash can -even at work. The last few weeks, hot flashes have been coming on more frequently and out of nowhere. Even when I'm sitting down, all of a sudden I'll break out into a full sweat. Gotta love all these hormones runnin' amuck! Is that how to spell "amuck", by the way? I have not a clue....

"We need a clean up on aisle 3!"

I don't really like to go grocery shopping, however, now that the Bubs is in school I can browse in relative peace. This is a great thing! No arguments, begging or temper tantrums....and that's just my behavior, never mind how the Bubs acts! *snicker, snort*

So there I am meandering through the aisles with my handy list at the ready when I start to feel, um, odd. Odd as in my ham and cheese sandwhich that I had for lunch is 'bout to take flight! Yuck. I must have turned a little green and had, I'm sure, a weird and desperate look on my face, cause a few people gave me "the eye". I didn't care one bit. Let 'em take a long look....better to be lookin' at my weird expression than a funky puddle on the floor.

I try to keep moving (anything to get away from that darn dairy section!) and focus on other things. This isn't easy for a nauseous pregnant woman to do when there's literally food everywhere. Anyway, I'm thinking about Hubby and Bubs.....this works for about a split second, but then I start to feel sorry for myself that they're not with me. Oooookaaaaay. Movin' right along. As I'm wracking my brain for another safe thing to think about, my stomach starts to churn even more. Forget distracting thoughts, Honey, I'm beggin' Jesus at this point, "Please, Lord. I really don't feel like throwing up in the middle of Wal-Mart! Help!"

At that very moment, I rounded a corner and heard, "Jeeessuuuus. Mm."

It was a short, older black lady who, even though she was shaking her head, had a smile on her face. We made eye contact and each started smiling at the other. She laughed and said, "When you can't call on anyone else, you can call on Jesus."

"Amen. That's exactly right!", I enthusiastically agreed with her. What I really wanted to tell her was, "Preach to me, Baby! Tell it!" like a friend of mine used to do when the pastor was imparting a word that spoke to her. I didn't loose that smile that she gave me.....but I did loose the nausea! Hallelujah and Thank Ya Jesus!!

When I couldn't call on anyone else, He was there to answer me in the midst of my need, no matter how big or small. It's been that way all of my life. Ain't He good, Y'all?!

Fall Weather and Gettin' Real

It's a cool and overcast day down here and I'm lovin' it! This is my kind of weather. I love this time of year when things begin to cool down a bit and the leaves are changing. This is also one of Hubby's fave times of the year, especially since he hasn't had a fall or winter in, oh let's see....about 3 years! The poor man, however, isn't here to enjoy the lovely weather. He'll be home in another week or so when his current assignment (in the desert) is over. The Bubs and I are missin' him something fierce!

On another subject, I think the "realness" of being prego is beginning to sink in. With all the major changes going on in our family, I allowed it to get bundled up and confused with all the stresses that were happening. Not to mention, I was in shock. I mean, I knew we were trying for another child but I don't think I was expecting things to happen so very quickly. Don't missunderstand me, I'm grateful that concieving went so well because for many other couples it doesn't. Again, it just happened so fast.

Yet, as I browse through baby sections, listen to the many excited exclamations over our news, and go through the day to day bodily changes that come with carrying a baby.....it's becoming both real and even more of a joy than I was previously seeing it as.

We're hoping for a girl. Well, I should say that I'm hoping for a girl and that my two guys are hoping for one of each! The last time that Hubby made a twin joke I think I tossed a shoe at him. If, by some quirk, we have twins I'll do my best to handle everything....but, honestly, one would be perfectly wonderful for me. ~I say, "by some quirk" because, as far as I know, twins don't run in the family.......I hope!~

Ridin' the pine and not feelin' all that fine...

I've been contemplatin' whether or not to start a pregnancy blog....you know, so y'all won't get bored with my blathering on about getting impossibly round, my many and varied food aversions/cravings, and how findin' decent maternity clothes for a plus-size gal is a pain....just to name a few reasons. I'm on the fence about it. I'm not sure I have time to keep up with both blogs but, on the other hand, a lot of my readers are related to me and a prego blog would be a great way to keep them in the know despite the distance between us.......or I could just include it all on this blog. Oy! See what I mean? That fence is givin' me some serious splinters.

I'm thinking a poll may be just what the proctologist ordered. Nothin' faincy, just leave me a comment letting me know what your opinion is.

I'd stay and "talk" a little longer but the Hubs is home and the Closer is on!

A "Positive" Note, Cont'd

As most of my readers have figured out from my Wordless Wednesday post (below), I am indeed pregnant! If my math is correct I think I'm about a month along, give or take. I'm excited, slightly shocked and nauseous. The Hubs is, of course, delighted (a little on the smug side, too). The differences between the beginning of this pregnacy and my first have left me bemusedly confused (sorry...I think I just went a little Dr. Seuss-y). The differences being that I've had very little morning sickness this time around and have, instead, been nauseous in the afternoon/evening. And dizzy! Oy, I'm fine one moment and feeling like I'm on one of those dang tilt-a-whirls the next. Maybe all these differences means it will be a girl this time....?

I'll be going to the doctor next week to confirm and make sure everything's progressing like they should be....and because the Bubs will be in school and I won't have to worry about finding a babysitter. Oh, speaking of the Bubs being in school, he's totally stoked about school starting next week. He's even started a countdown for himself! Yesterday when he called his Poppi on the phone, he happily told him that there were only 4 days left until the first day of school and he was right on the money! Now if I could just get him to understand that the first week of school for kindergarten is a staggered enrollment, meaning that the class is divided to come on different days, we'd be good. He's a smart little guy so I'm sure he'll understand.

Recently the Bubs has also been very excited about babies. Any baby he sees, he makes a big deal over and usually earns smiles from the tiny tot's parents and squeals of delight from the baby, too. All this before we knew I was prego. Funny how things kind of work themselves out, isn't it? The Hubs and I were both concerned how the little guy would react but, for now, he seems happy. I don't think the news is completely real to him just yet, but we'll get there. Right now I think he equates a baby with a puppy......he thinks babies are pets. That's okay, though. At least he's trying to reason things out for himself. We can work with that!

Wordless Wednesday.....on a "positive" note