here ya go...

37.5 weeks - although I feel bigger than this - I think its the shirt!

Went back to the doctor today and no change. They ran a new set of blood work, which I should have the results of tomorrow. Also I should know the results of the rest of the lab work the hospital did last week. For whatever reason, some of the tests got canceled and they were going to re-do them today. My blood pressure is seemingly back to normal, although they don't want to take me off of bed rest yet. They still can't figure out why I'm getting such bad headaches that won't go away. The doctor I saw today suggested maybe they were sinus or allergy related, but I have had allergies all my life, and this is not allergies! So, I'm here on teh couch for at least another day. At this point I'm just trying to look at it as 1 day at a time instead of the week or so its gonna be!

Bedrest...

I'm on bedrest...I HATE BEDREST! It makes me bitter. I feel useless and vulnerable, like I'm not doing my job. Maybe that's because I like my job and I want to be doing it!

Ok, background...this week was our first week back after spring break and it was rough for me. Being back on my feet and not being able to stop for a rest or snack wnever I wanted did bad things to my blood sugar and my poor feet. I came home Monday and Tuesday so swollen that my feet looked and felt like they were going to explode. My husband forced me to sit and not do anything, which was nice, but irritates me because I want to be doing things! Wednesday was a half day at school, so I wasn't up that much and my awesome co-workers through me a shower in the afternoon. I was supposed to have a dr's appt, but my doc was gone for a delivery so they had to cancel it. Thursday at work I had a meeting and noticed that I was crazy swollen already and it wasn't even noon. As the day progressed I realized that my head had constantly been aching and every now and then my vision would go blurry. So I went into the nurse at school and had her take my blood pressure, which ended up being 160/90 - WAY TO HIGH! So I called my doctor. Of course I didn't have my cell phone with me, so never heard back until I got home. The message on my cell phone - go to the hospital immediately! So, Josh and I turned around and left. I took all my stuff with me because I was really hoping that this might be it. Well, finally at midnight they let us go home...my blood and urine work all came back within normal ranges and my blodd pressure returned to normal the longer I stayed in bed. My doctor was leaving Thursday evening as the doctors talked to her, and she had decided that I wasn't sick enough to force me to deliver, but that my staying home I should be able to avoid getting that sick while she was gone. So, here I am stuck at home...and every day I'm here is a day that I can't use to stay home with baby girl once she gets here. So, my plan is to sneak into work tomorrow morning to get some planning done and then try everything I can to get this baby to come. Jackson says that once she gets here is I have to be on bedrest that will be ok, because I will have someone to play with!

To L&D and back...

So, Wednesday I had a dr's appt and I am already 1cm dilated! That is exciting since I never went into labor naturally with Jackson.

Today however we ended up taking a trip into labor and delivery because baby girl had stopped moving on us! She had gone almost 24 hours and hadn't made more than 8 or so movements total. I tried everything I could to get her to start moving, but nothing was working. Finally I called my doctor who said I should head to L&D just to get checked out. She figured that more than anything it was not a big deal, but because it had me worried and it was such a drastic difference in typical movement I should go anyway. So, we made the trip into the hospital and she didn't move once in the car or when we first got into the hospital. Surprise surprise though, that as soon as they hooked me up to the monitors she got the hiccups and then started moving like crazy! They watched me for about an hour and did an ultrasound to check fluid which was normal. I was a little upset and annoyed that we had to go all the way in for nothing, but relieved that she's doing great! Apparently she wasn't getting enough attention!

St. Baldricks

So, my little man is a baldie...

There is an organization called St. Baldricks' that raises money for children's cencer research and every year they do this big thing where people go get donations and then shave their heads in 'solidarity' with children who have cancer. Well, Jackson's cousin Taylor was diagnosed with Leukemia almost 2 years ago and he has a friend in his class who's sister was diagnosed last school year; so he volunteered to be a 'shavee'. My dad and uncle told him they would give him $100 dollars if he would do it, so Jackson set a personal goal of $140 and we signed up. Today was the big event and by the time he turned his money in he had raised $570! Here are some pictures of my shaggy little man going bald! (His cousin Taylor actually got to do some of the shaving which was pretty cool!)

Baby Update...

Ultrasound today...baby girl is weighing in around 5 pounds and 13 ounces!!!! That puts her in the 84% already! She's big, but not so big that they are really worried. I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks and hope all is still going smoothly. I had only gained about a pound or pound and a half after these 2 weeks, my BP was low, swelling was down, etc...so at this point they are putting thoughts of pre-ecclampsia on the back burner, YEAH! I will have another ultrasound on April 1st though, at 38 weeks and my doctor told me to be prepared then to induce or schedule a c-section. With Jackson I had a 'compound presentation' (head and elbow) and 4th degree tearing, so we have known all along that a c section was a big possibility. The doctor doesn't want me trying to deliver a baby that is any larger than Jackson was. Being that Jackson was only 7lbs 15 oz (but what a huge head!), there is a chance she will out weigh him by 38 weeks. If that is the case we will just schedule a c-section. If her size is still within a safe range then we will schedule a quick induction so that she doesn't get any bigger. So, it looks like she will probably be here in about 4-4.5 weeks instead of 6. That freaks me out JUST A LITTLE!!!

Sucking spit and flipping babies...

Fun title, huh?
Jackson had a dentist appointment on Friday for a regular cleaning and to get a cavity filled. It was his first filling, and he handled it like a champ...no medicine needed. By far though, his favorite part of the whole experience was that they let him be in charge of the thing that sucks up your spit. He thought it was the coolest thing in the world!!


Today Jackson had a 'sibling' class at the hospital where we are having the baby. Like I thought, it was mostly kids younger than him, but he's been a little nervous/anxious so we went ahead and did it. He had a lot of fun and made me 'quiz' him the whole way home about everything he learned. Although, he was a bit shocked/embarrassed when they showed pictures of a baby breastfeeding and I told him that was what I meant by mommy feeding the baby...he actually blushed!

So, they had each 'big' sibling practice holding the baby and then wrapping it back up. Jackson of course insisted he didn't want my help to wrap the doll up. This first picture shows the super gentle job he started doing...

He wasn't really sure what to do next, and even though its blurry, I want you to notice that his next action was to start flipping the baby over on the table to wrap her up. Each time the little doll's plastic head was thumping against the table. Guess thats one to work on!

His finished product...

The 'super big brother' picture the hospital took of him (mom helped with the re-wrap!)