Any Day Now

Dear Bebe G,

Your family is ready to meet you. Please come any day now so that I do not have to be induced in 11 days or end up with a RCS. Don't worry if you're holding out because we don't have a specific name for you yet. We have 3 to pick from (sorry readers no hints) so you will not be nameless forever. :) I do think we'll still call you Bebe G on occassions though, because we've been calling you that for almost 20 weeks now.

Sincerely,

Your loving and not so patient mommy

Home Sweet Home

Whew, what a busy but fun weekend in Nashville with some great friends! I am so glad I was able to make it and enjoy one last girls weekend away before Bebe G arrives. We were in for some severe weather, but thankfully it pretty much missed us in Nashville and here at home in Huntsville. Sure there was thunderstorms and a lot of HEAVY rain, but overall nothing serious. Some other towns did not fair as well though.

We arrived in Nashville around 11 or so and did the lunch thing and then started some shopping. I scored about 15 outfits for Bebe G for less than $80 from Carters & Osh Kosh B'Gosh. Sooo cute, their clearance was an additional 30% off the lowest ticket, so I couldn't pass up the deals...though I have tons of baby stuff here lol. Later that evening we got together with some of the girls and had dinner and some yummy desserts along with more shopping (see a theme here?) before heading back for the night. A few of us stayed up quite late (around 2 am ) chatting and laughing. Though  I was tired on Sunday, it was so worth it. Before heading home on Sunday, we all decided to try to get a haircut, but no one could get all 5 of us in, in a reasonable time frame without us staying until 5 or so.  We were not thrilled with that idea lol so we just went to lunch  at Logan's and finally headed home.

Overall I did pretty well, there were a few times I had to stop and rest, due to some contractions and/or getting over heated.  It seemed REALLY hot at times inside Opry Mills.  Saw quite a few interesting characters while people watching and resting.  On Sunday I noticed my ankles were quite swollen, my guess from all the walking on Sat and some Sunday too, so once home I propped them up for the night.  They have gone down some today but not all the way. 

Today is my day of rest and my 37 week doctor appointment.  Here's hoping for some change!

Progress Update

This week & weekend has been prep work time for Bebe G.  We've done quite a bit and still have more to do but I feel we're moving in the right direction. Guess that nesting instinct is starting to kick in lol.

Accomplished 
*Bedroom rearranged
*Car Seat purchased
*Stroller purchased
*Swing purchased
*Basinet found/washed

To Do 
*Put crib together
*Put changing table together
*Buy dresser
*Buy baby essentials (diapers, wipes etc)
*Buy new bedding set
*Pre-register at hospital
*Pack bag
*Decision on Vbac or RCS
*Finalize name list and/or pick one

There is more to add to the lists but I can't locate my "to do list" sheet right now hehe!

We went shopping this weekend at BRU since I had a coupon for $20 off a car seat and $20 off a stroller, and we did end up buying there, since the coupons expired yesterday. We choose a neutral color stroller (light tan) but it's girly with some pink and flowers without being over the top! I looked at the crib sets they had, soo many to choose from and soo many cute ones! I think I've pretty much decided to go with a pink/brown theme, and thankfully there is a lot of those to choose from too.  The downside, stomaching the prices! Holy cow they are expensive. I do have a 20% off one item coupon, so I may still buy from there. I've been looking on Amazon and Ebay too.

The girls are getting more excited about it getting closer to time for Bebe G's arrival, and so am I. I am trying to really enjoy this part of the pregnancy, though  I am having a hard time with aches and pains.  However I tell myself this is likely the last time I'll ever be pregnant so even tough it's been rough,  I need to stop and smell the roses. I really enjoying feeling her move around quite a bit these days, she's quite active in the mornings when it is time to get up and at bedtime.  This has to be my favorite part of the pregnancy!

On to week 33!

32 Weeks Down...8 To Go

Time is trucking along, or so it seems when I think I only have 8 weeks or less to go.  Then when I think of all the millions of things I need to do before Bebe G's arrival, well then it seems like we are speed walking to the end. 

I went in for my 32 week check up, all is well.  Blood pressure was in the "normal" range and her heartbeat was good.  Though she was moving quite a bit, every time the dr found it, she'd move again lol. I asked her about my swelling left ankle and feeling of it 'falling asleep' but not really. It just has been getting numb off and on and only that leg. She said it could be the baby just sitting on a nerve just right and to keep an eye on it and my salt intake and let her know if it continues.  Glad to know it didn't sound like I should be overly concerned as of yet. 

She asked if I still wanted to try for a VBAC...which at the moment my mind is on yes. However there are doubts in my head about it.  I labored with J for about 16 hours but had her vaginally, but I never got past 4 cm on my own, they had to induce. H was an emergency induction, labored hard for close to 20 hours and ended up with an emergency c-section since I didn't progress past about 4 cm.  So now I have to choose which route to go.  I've been reading up on VBAC's vs a repeat c-section...and am so torn.  I know some ladies who have had VBAC's and it's gone great and I know others who have tried (and had previous c/s) and ended up with a c-section anyways. I just don't want to go thru another long and tiresome labor to only end up with a c-section, which could very well happen.

There are pros and cons to both...but I feel so lost and torn.  

More decisions to be made....

Sleepovers, Painting, Couponing & Swelling, Oh My!

Whew what a busy and exhausting week & weekend I have had. I think the title gives it away, that's been my life since Thursday afternoon.  J has been begging and I mean BEGGING for a sleepover with her Girl Scout friends for months now.  It seems every time we tried to plan it, something came up or someone was sick.  So finally during Spring break she got her wish. I had 4, 9-10 yr olds and a 5 yr old that partied non stop for just about the next 24 hours.  Half of them were up til about 2 am and the other half til about 4 am..which means little sleep for mom and dad lol. They all seemed to have a great time though, dinner, movie, popcorn, nail painting, talking and game playing.  Glad it's done and they have all gone back home though :) 

Friday night was my much needed girls night out with 5 other friends.  We had signed up for an art class at a place called Spirited Art. It was a lot of fun, yes I was trying to be a perfectionist on this painting lol but I did manage to put the brush down and walked away.  The great thing about it is, it's not supposed to be "perfect", everyone in class is painting the same thing and yet they all looked different.  My picture is growing on me as the days go by lol but still not sure where and if I will hang it up for others to see. I'll post a picture tomorrow, I haven't had time to take one yet. 

Somehow I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for an "extreme couponing 101" class the next morning.  Umm what was I thinking? I was exhausted from no sleep on Thurs. night, then stayed up late for the painting night and still got up early for Sat morning??? Yes it's quite obvious I wasn't thinking.  ;) However I am glad I went to the class, it was great.  I learned much more than I already knew and feel more confident about couponing and soon will start CVS'ing. If you are interested in learning more, the class I took was held by Jenny, who is the owner & coupon guru of Southern Savers.  In my opinion it was worth the $10 for the class, especially  if you are new to couponing or just want to learn more ways to save money on groceries. 

So this brings me to my final topic, swelling.  First however let me tell you, sitting in a plastic chair for 3 plus hours on Friday night plus another 3 plus hours on Sat morning is NOT good for a 32 week pregnant person. OUCH, I am still sore and it hurts to sit down. So take my advice, don't do it. EVER. Seriously. Listen to me.      So the last day or so I've had some swelling in my left ankle and my leg/foot feels kinda of numb.  It's been that way for several hours this evening and it's driving me nuts. I plan to ask my dr about it tomorrow when I go in for my appointment.  I've also had some contractions, getting a little stronger here and there but not really painful nor radiating from my back...so I am hoping it's nothing as well.  I'll update tomorrow after my appointment. 

28 Week Update

Today I have my 1 hour glucose test, which thankfully I passed.  :) I was so nervous, not sure why, I've only failed once and that was with H, but it was only by 1 point.  I think I've just been stressed out this entire pregnancy, worried about one thing or another. Tomorrow morning I have to go get my 2nd Rhogam shot, so not looking forward to this. Not because of the shot, but because it takes SO long.  Blood draw, wait, shot, wait and finally get to leave, seems to be about a 4 hour process. I wouldn't mind as much if I didn't have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to get there by 8 am. 

I am at the point in my pregnancy where I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks now. The next one is my 30 week check up, hard to believe I've gotten this far this fast. My blood pressure was pretty good today as well, which I was sure it was going to be up today due to the test lol.  

Weight wise I am still doing great. I did gain 2 lbs this past month, that's a total of 12 however I am still down 5 lbs from my initial visit, therefore haven't gained any.  Hmmm wonder if I can get by and only gain about 12 once I break even? Would love that and to drop down to less than my pre-pregnancy weight was after the baby is born. Wishful thinking I am sure. 

Still playing the name game, she may end up as Bebe' G lol 

Baby P's Ultrasound Results

Dh and I went to the doctor on Tuesday morning bright and early for my 20 week ultrasound.  I was still quite nervous, because I was worried something would be wrong with the baby.  We knew we would be happy no matter if it was a boy or girl, but we  were both leaning towards wanting another girl.

We were called back pretty promptly, which was good, since all the water I drank in preparation was urging me to run to the restroom LOL. The tech explained there were things she couldn't tell us and what she could, she would.  She pointed out body parts as we went along, and it was so cool to see the baby's heart actually beating.

She took a lot of pictures and here's one of the baby's face.

After 20 minutes or so, she began trying to find out Baby P's gender and it wasn't an easy task! The baby was moving around like a little Frog! Finally she got a picture, paused and turned to us and said calmly:

It' a Girl!

We were of course happy and came home with quite a few pictures of  baby girl, but now it's on to the name game!!

Christmas & Baby Updates

Christmas has come and gone but it was wonderful. :) Stress free, enjoyable and spent quality time with our family. It really doesn't get any better than that. My favorite gift this year was definitely the time spent with family I had not seen in over a year. They arrived on Tues. night very late and we spent four days with them. They were good to the girls, Santa was good to the girls and we are just very blessed.

The girls love all their presents and can't make up their minds which ones to play with more often. Some of them still have not been opened up yet....we still have the rest of this week before school starts back. I told them to spread it out, enjoy what you have now and play with something new later this week. The house is a disaster with toys all over, but I don't care.. today anyways!

Went to my 20 week appointment today, so far so good. I have lost a couple pounds since my last visit, which actually makes me not have gained anything since I got pregnant. Good I suppose, since I am still wearing my same clothes. I think I weigh less than I did before I got pregnant actually. I am sure it will show up and will probably be overnight! I was like that with J, didn't really start gaining until about 6 to 7 months. Thankfully the doctor gave me some antibiotics for this cold I can't seem to get rid of. I've had it for over a month now, so once I start the meds, I hope to feel better soon.

Tomorrow is the big ultrasound at 9 am. Still nervous and anxious, but so far everything is good. The heartbeat is strong, my blood screenings all came back normal, and I think I am starting to feel the baby move around occasionally. I will feel alot better when I feel him/her move constantly.

Stay tuned for the big announcement tomorrow....or I hope to anyways! Let's pray baby cooperates :)

Christmas Time, Christmas Time

It's almost Christmas time! Hard to believe in 4 days it will all over, well the presents opened and the kids begging to open up all the boxes so they can play with said toys. Christmas dinner will be cooking and hopefully we'll be able to relax and enjoy! This year has flown by and soon it'll be the New Year.

I am done shopping for the kids and hubby but still have a few more gifts I need to buy and soon! I am dreading going to the store, I know it'll be insanely busy. I have went the last two weekends and it's not been bad.... but we now in the week of Christmas. Hubby and I bought each other new cell phones, Blackberry Curves. They were on sale at Best Buy and he knew I had been wanting one for almost a year now. I love it, it's violet and pretty! He's pretty in love with his too. :)

I love the holiday season, getting Christmas cards in the mail and sometimes the kids get unexpected gifts, like today. I have a dear friend, and she knows who she is, who sent my girls a package for Christmas. They opened it today when J got home and they are so excited to read about your home state. :) It brought some tears to my eyes, because I miss you bunches and because across the miles you are wonderful to us all. Thank you for brightening their day! Loved the Christmas card too. :)

Family will be arriving on Wednesday, to say we are excited is not enough lol. The girls can't wait to see their Nana, Papa and Aunt L. It's been a year and half, since we were in Hawaii, so it'll be a nice visit . Also, as long as things go well and as planned my mom will be back in the mainland by March. Super excited about that, she'll be here for the baby to be born!

On the baby front, I seem to be feeling better most days. Still having a few issues in the evening but not nearly as bad as before. Our big ultrasound is scheduled for the 29th of this month. I am ready... but nervous as well. Just praying that everything is good with the little bean!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!

14 days and counting

Until the "big" ultrasound....that's right two weeks from today, hopefully we'll know that we are having a healthy boy or girl. It doesn't seem possible I am 18 weeks pregnant and almost halfway there. As much as I hate to admit it, I have not really enjoyed this pregnancy thus far. There has been alot of issues off and on, being sick the entire time, and dead tired, not exactly the picture perfect final pregnancy I was hoping for.

In most recent news, I came down with a stomach bug, that lasted 12 hours last Thursday. Oh I was soo very sick, and could not keep anything down. Hubby was worried so he called the dr and they sent me straight to labor & delivery. I was very dehydrated, so much they had trouble finding a vein to give me the IV. After several unsuccessful attempts they finally got it in, my arm is now bruised in several places and it hurts. My dr decided I needed to stay overnight, so I was admitted. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I know it was for the best. Thankfully once I was admitted I no longer was sick, but wasn't allowed anything but ice chips that night and clear liquids the next morning. I was able to progress to jello and soup by mid morning and finally a real lunch and was released around 3.

The rest of the weekend I spent at home trying to recoup and feel better for work this week. I did manage to get a little Christmas shopping done on Sunday, but was exhausted and not feeling well by the time we were done. I am 95% done shopping, just need to get the stockings done for the girls and buy something for some family members. However I still need to wrap it ALL. Well I have 10 days left lol :)

Not much else is going on, just getting ready for the holiday and the last 2 days of work. Then I will be off for two weeks and enjoy some family time. Thankfully when I return to work in Jan, I will only be working two days a week. I am looking forward to it!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Wishing you a Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here at home, the four of us plus my dad and my father in law. Surprisingly it went off without a hitch! Had alot of yummy foods, made my first sweet potato casserole, it was not to bad. The girls had a nice time visiting with their two grandpas. Today we are heading over to my sister in laws for our next turkey dinner, ummm can we say turkey overload?! Though I think they will have ham too, so maybe I'll have some of that instead....oh who am I am kidding, I love turkey.

I just can't believe we are already at the end of November and Christmas will be here in less than a month. A month? um hello, I have way to much shopping and prep work to do for that to happen! The good thing about it though is my mom, sister and stepdad will be here for Christmas. So excited, it's been a year and half since we last saw in them in Hawaii. It'll be nice to spend the holiday with them.

Baby update, things seem to be going ok at this point. Morning sickness still comes and goes, which has worn out its welcome, but I am surviving. I'll be 16 weeks on Monday, and go back to the dr then. I am hoping they will schedule my 20 week appt and ultrasound as well, and just maybe we'll be able to find out what gender this little bean is. :) Though knowing our luck in the past, they will not be able to tell.....ugh. I thought it would be a nice Christmas surprise to tell our families, so we'll see. Just about everyone knows now I am pregnant, though I still have a few friends who do not know, because I haven't seen them yet.

On the work front, it's going ok. I am getting more and more tired already...I thought the second trimester was the energy one??? I am missing that lol. I did tell them though I wanted to drop to two days a week as soon as possible. I am so behind on things I really need to cut back so I can get caught up, both playgroup and girl scout wise.

Not much else to report here, just busy getting ready for Christmas already. The tree is up and decorated as well as the stockings and a few indoor decorations. I want to do some outside stuff, but we'll see if I can get hubby to agree!

November Rain

Well not really.....yet. However I am sure the rain is coming soon enough, because the weeks and weeks of rain we had was not enough. I was beginning to think we had relocated to Seattle. :)

October has come and gone and it went by pretty fast, though for the most part I was sick and not feeling well. I managed to work as much as I could but still am not sure what I am going to do as far as staying or dropping down some days. I am so exhausted now, even at 12 weeks, I just don't know that I can continue working 5 days, keep up with meetup (which I am way behind on) and continue doing Girl Scouts as well. I need some sanity and it doesn't seem to be anywhere.

The girls had a good Halloween, J was a vampiress and H a cute witch. Our neighborhood doesn't seem to do the candy thing, maybe the lack of kids, so we went to one down the street. We only went on the outer road around it and it took 2 hours and they came back with loaded bags of candy! Needless to say they were excited. We tried to go downtown earlier in the day for some event that was "supposed" to be fun, but we were not impressed and left after about 10 mins. It took longer to get there and back than they had stuff to do. Two thumbs down from us.

This past Monday I had my 12 week checkup at the doctor. I had been worried since the couple weeks before when I had to go to L&D and be put on bedrest for a week. However the dr was able to find the heartbeat, it was around 155. She also is putting me on some blood pressure pills since it seems to be high every time I go in. Sigh, I need to find a new family dr too, but our insurance changes in Jan, so I am worried about finding one. I go back in 4 weeks, I'll be at 16 weeks then, and then in another 4, I'll be able to get my next "big" ultrasound! :)

Other than that I have just been battling a head cold for about a week now. Having issues sleeping since I can't breathe well and even during the day hasn't been great. I have been going to bed at 9 pretty much every night this week, which has helped but I hate going to bed so early, because that is the time I use to get caught up. What's another week, when you are already 2 weeks behind anyway?

Overdue for an update

Sometimes I do not realize how long it's been since I have last posted and then other times I am just to lazy lol but that doesn't help my few readers I do have. :) So this post will be updates a plenty because last time I posted was over a month ago, eek!

Where do I start? Do I tell you how work is doing, school, Girl Scouts or the fact I am a little over 10 weeks pregnant? As you read that sentence, I can hear you saying duh lol so we'll start with the pregnant thing. ;) Baby #3 is on the way, edd is May 18 a few days after my 33rd birthday should we make it that far. This was kinda a surprise, not a surprise as in we haven't been TTC, but as in it's been over a year and half of trying and after a miscarriage in Feb, just surprised it finally happened. We found out early in Sept (right after I started working) and it's been a couple issues here and there since morning sickness has been kicking my butt in the first 8 weeks. Then on top of that I have had some spotting issues and landed at the L&D floor last Thurs. night for 5 hours. Thankfully everything seemed OK and the baby's heartbeat was around 180. My next appointment isn't until Nov 2, so I really don't have anything else to add, except keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a healthy 9 months. :)

Work is going OK, but I am in a bind on trying to figure out what to do. I have missed quite a few days to being so sick, and then my Dr put me on modified bed rest this week so no work. I really don't know how much longer I can do it, I am so tired all the time, it's hard for me to get up and moving at 6 am right now and plus the spotting issues. I am trying to figure out if I will just drop to a few days a week or quit...I really need to decide so I can let them know. DH is supportive either way, which is great, but also makes the decision harder to make. Thoughts?

The girls are still doing well with school. J is in drama club, she had "auditions" Tues. this week, so we'll find out in a couple weeks what part she got. I hope she enjoys it, whatever it ends up being. H loves her teacher and going to school and she's learning so much, I am glad we decided to put her into a MDO program. She misses her playgroup friends (as I do too) but overall the adjustment has gone well.

Life is busy as normal, we are gearing up for our annual group Halloween party, it should be fun. It's alot of work for us organizers but the end result is always awesome and the kids love it. We haven't made it to the pumpkin patch this yr, yet.... I am still hoping to fit a trip in before Halloween, somehow. I think we'll go one afternoon, since it's a little cheaper then. The girls have both chosen something different for Halloween costumes this year, kind of surprised about that. Normally they want to be girly, princess type things but this year H is going to be a witch (cute) and J a vampiress. I'll be sure to post pictures soon.

So that's us in a nutshell for now, will try to do better about posting!

Avoidance

I think I am trying to avoid the inevitable, being around people with babies or that are pregnant. I don't think I am doing it on purpose, but it happens and maybe it's subconsciously. I am tired today but I could have went to the lunch meetup we had...but there would be someone there with a newborn. I could have gone to many playdates last week but babies and/or pregnant people were there.

Interestingly enough I had a parents night out at my house this past weekend to benefit Relay For Life and had several little ones plus a pregnant mommy. It wasn't bad, I thought it would bother me, but it didn't. However we were really really busy so there wasn't much time to sit and dwell on it. I found out yesterday a good friend is expecting a baby, due in Dec. I am truly happy for her and told her so by email. She's the only one I think I have told since Feb when I miscarried. That's a good sign right? I hope so but we'll see.

I think hubby and I have decided we'll start trying again seeing as how we haven't been to careful recently. I hope that I am choosing to go forward for the right reasons and not because of the hurt I have from hearing/seeing/reading about others being pregnant. I think that plagues we quite a bit right now. We knew we wanted a third child, we tried for over a year and I feel we are back at square one again. Trying to figure out if we are doing the right thing.....for me though I just fear another miscarriage. I don't know how I would handle it.....

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On the good news side, we only have 1 month, 2 weeks and 2 days til our Family Disney Vacation. I am trying to stay pumped up and think of this when I get down. Like today. I have our dining reservations done, we have the hotel booked and everything is paid for. I do need to buy the girls some summer clothes soon along with hubby and I too. I am excited we get 8 days/7 nights this time around. We'll actually be able to relax too and that will be much needed!

Empty

That is how I feel right now. This month started off pretty good, but turned out to be not so great. Most people I know do not know this but we have been TTC for about 13 months now, we finally did conceive in Jan. I tested Feb 2 and it came up positive right away...so happy and scared because it had taken so long. We didn't have that issue with the girls, so the fact it took more than a couple months really threw us for a loop.

The first two weeks I was miserable feeling, morning sickness, tired, achy and grumpy. ALL of the things you really want to be when you are pregnant after trying for so long. A week after I tested positive, I had LIGHT one time spotting, though ok no big deal, probably implantation. Went to my ob/gyn on Feb 12 and told her, she also mentioned she saw some pink when doing the exam. Ok but she didn't really seem worried but did want me to go get my hcg levels checked out 2 times.

So on the 13th I went up and had my blood work done, the weekend progressed and the spotting started.....by Sunday it was more red than pink or brown. This is not normally a good sign, but I was trying to remain positive since I had read alot online about how people spotted even red and still things turned out fine. Called my dr Monday morning and they said to go straight in and get my blood work done, plus I ended up having to go a 2nd time that day so I could go back Tues morning and get a Rhogam shot, since I am A negative. Well Tues cramps started up and pretty much put me in bed, hubby had to come home from work and call the dr. They got my results back and it wasn't good. My levels on Friday had been about 1000 (which is not great for 6 weeks) and then on Monday they were down to 634. The dr asked me to come in first thing Wed morning.

Basically it was just a visit for her to tell me I was miscarrying unfortunately. She gave me some meds to help speed up the process, some pain meds in case the cramps worsened plus some antibiotics. Then told me I had to get my hcg levels checked again this week, to insure they were continuing to go down. If not then I guess a D & C would be scheduled....the pills seemed to have " worked" I am guessing. The bleeding has stopped and I just feel empty now.... hard to believe just a short couple weeks ago I was excited about our little one to complete our family. Now it's over.

Last week was awful, I literally stayed in bed everyday all day long, luckily dh was able to work from home and really didn't miss to much work. I was very depressed and sad and cried alot and still do at times when I let my mind dwell on it. Some days are better than others, and on Oct 9 this yr, I know that I will be sad and it will take time to heal.

I am thankful for the support from my family and friends because they truly helped me get through this all. So the next question is, are we going to try again, soon, later, months from now etc....to this I have no answer. Time will only tell.