11/7/07

Hello everyone!

I'm the mother of two beautiful children ages 12 (Elijah) and 14 (Skylar). This one is a huge surprise for me but I'm excited to have the opportunity to be a mommy again nonetheless!

I have a son and a daughter already so the sex is not important to me. My due date is July 4, 2008. I already have my little one's name picked out- Reilly if it's a boy or a girl! If anyone has any suggestions for a middle name, drop me a line!

I hope to have the chance to get to know you all!

Kelly

11/14/07

I had my first ultrasound today! The baby looks like a little bean with a butterfly for a heartbeat! I showed my kids the pictures but they weren't too enthused...I guess they thought I was excited enough for us all!

Cheers!

11/19/07

Dang! I don't remember feeling woozy and sick like this with my first two so I'm going to attribute it to my advanced maternal age! I must say it sucks that it's so close to Thanksgiving because the normally yummy smells have me hiding out in my room (even the sweet potato pie)! Hopefully by Thursday it'll be better because I'd hate to upchuck all that food if I can even get it down. Other than that everything's peachy. I set up an appointment for first trimester screening but am feeling a bit scared about it. The "what if, what if" thoughts, you know? That's not for another month though so I'll get used to it I guess.

See y'all!

1/23/08

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Got a little caught up in the kids, school and work!

Well, I'm just about to leave week 16 behind and I can't believe how big I am! I mean, I'm a big girl already but dang! My uterus has pushed my stomach up so it's hard to breathe and getting from one end of campus to the other and standing up for hours at work is a major workout for me- sometimes I can actually hear my heart thumping!

The first trimester screen went well. I got back the results and my odds are excellent that there are no developmental or congenital issues, so that's a load off my mind.

No weight gain yet but I'm doing my best. The all-day sickness has not gone away, it's just stronger so I'm forcing myself to eat. I can't stand the sight of meat, shellfish or poultry but fish is ok, along with raw veggies and fruits.

I felt my little fella move really early, at 13 weeks. Despite what people say, there's no mistaking that feeling for gas for me. I still can't feel him all the time, but ultrasounds confirm that he's extremely active. Oh, and yes, it's a boy! I had an elective ultrasound last week because I couldn't wait anymore! His name isn't Reilly after all...seems more like a Tobias to me.

Later, ladies!

2/15/08

Hi Everyone! I can't believe I've made it to week 2o! I had my doubts plenty of days about so many things, but getting to the halfway point definitely makes things easier for me. It'll be over before I know it! Little Tobias is very strong- so strong in fact that I sometimes wonder if my dates are off. His kicks are so hard that I'm sometimes startled and I seem to feel them up higher than they should be. I have another ultrasound Monday though, so I'll be sure about the date then.

The nausea is not subsiding at all. I'm now on 2 anti-nausea meds (which only make me tired). I weighed myself yesterday and found that my total weight loss is 18 pounds! I was so scared I called the nurse. She told me not to worry, although it sounds bad, the baby will get all his nutrition first from what foods I eat, then I'll get mine. Also since I was overweight to begin with, the weight loss will have less of an impact than if I were of an average weight.

Other than that I have decided to proceed with paternity testing for the baby once he's here. I'm still considering child support. It was a hard decision to make since I'm the type of person who doesn't want to force anyone to do anything against his will, but when I tried to contact my ex-bf about his family medical history for my records, I found that he had changed all his contact info. Well that just made me angry that anyone would be so self-centered and uncaring about his child, so I decided to at least do the paternity testing (just in case he's convinced himself that it's not his child he's abandoned). I'm still holding off on the idea of child support because I was accused of being a gold digger. Things are tight, yes, but I don't want to give anyone the impression that I cannot do for my family, myself. I really envy all you women whose men are strong and supportive, and I'm so happy that everyone doesn't have to deal with this drama!

Till next time!

3/9/2008

Hello Ladies!

After trying Reglan and Phenergan for my extreme nausea and vomiting and both of them failing to work, my doc prescribed Zofran. It works like a charm! I had been on it for about a week when I started to get some of my appetite back and have so far gained back 1 of the 18 lbs that I've lost. I'm so happy because I was concerned that little Toby was going to suffer because of my lack of nutrition. At one point I even ended up in the hospital on an IV drip for dehydration so things are definitely looking up.

At my last doctor's appointment (about 3 weeks ago) I had my mid-point ultrasound and the u/s tech found a small cyst on my baby's brain. The doc came in and described it as a choroid plexus cyst, which could be indicative of some chromosomal abnormalities. However, my first trimester screen indicated that all was well with the baby and the u/s picked up no more problems. The doctor thinks that this is something that will resolve itself by my 32nd week with no lasting effects on the baby's health so we will be repeating the u/s at week 28. I feel that this will not be an issue at that point.

I finally have purchased all of my layette. I got a cute bassinet from Babies R Us and my son set it up for me...it's so cute! Everything is laundered and I packed my hospital bag (very premature, I know). Now my only concern is getting enough rest to function during the day. My belly is ridiculously heavy already and it seems to pull me over onto my tummy at night. I wake up in the mornings thinking my baby is squished but he kicks pretty vigorously after I have my morning juice.

Time seems to be slowing down; I anticipate the next 17 weeks will drag by but I'm doing my best to stay active and upbeat. I'm going insane wanting to meet my little boy now!

Bye for now!

4/14/08

Hello Moms-to-Be!

Just got back from my 28 week appointment. We started off with me drinking that nasty ass glucose solution (which gave me hot flashes). I know it's supposed to taste like soda but it has a gross after-taste. Then we moved on to my u/s. I let my kids miss their morning classes because they really wanted to be there. They were soooo excited- my daughter even said she would never forget this day!

First, the good news: there was no evidence of the cyst on my boy's brain so that's cool beans! Then the sucky news: can you believe the placenta has not budged! It's still very low but the doc thinks we can probably still have a vaginal birth- if the baby is not breech, which he is at present. At least that part was not a surprise, because he's always laying stretched out with his head on the right side of my abdomen so he can kick me just right on the left, in the same spot. Right now the baby weighs around 2 lbs, 12 oz which is about average and I've lost another 3 pounds despite getting my appetite back with a vengance. I haven't been at this weight for about 7 years, but since doc is not concerned, I'm not. All I can do is continue to eat right. And I must say, I haven't eaten this healthy in a long time.

I started physical therapy last week because the ligaments in my thighs have evidently loosened too much, making it painful and sometimes impossible to lift my legs. The therapist is actually pregnant- two weeks ahead of me, but so tiny I didn't even realize lol! Her tiny little belly is sooo cute! Anyway, she showed me some excersises that really helped me almost immediately.

My nephew purchased and sent me my carseat. I LOVE it! He got the Chicco Keyfit 30 off my registry. I had already noticed that baby gadgets have gotten pretty fancy since I had my son 13 years ago, but seriously, I had my carseat installed in 7 minutes flat! The LATCH anchors are awesome so no seatbelts, and the seat just clicks in and out of the base at the push of a button! I remember carseats being such a hassle back in the day so it was really awesome- I just hope someone buys the matching stroller lol!

That's all for now, I'm pooped!

4/28/08

Hey peeps!

Just got back from my 30 weeks doctor's appointment. All is going well with little Tobey. Lost two more pounds despite eating like it's going out of style. I think my issue is WHAT I'm eating- not a lot of protein or carbs but boy can I fill up on fruit and veggies! My measurements are good and I don't have GD, though i have been advised to watch it with the simple sugars and carbs. I actually don't eat many carbs anyway but I'll have to do some pushbacks on the grape Kool-Aid. I re-discovered that stuff about a month ago and it's like crack! Now I see why my mom stopped buying it when we were kids! I tried to pin doc down on a firm date for my induction but he's a pretty slippery guy. The most he would give me was 39 weeks- maybe 38 depending on how my cervix is behaving. So I'll have to be satisfied with that- for now!

The baby's father seems to be coming around a bit. We've talked a couple of times the past two weeks and he seems to be seeing reason somewhat, but I am actually afraid to trust what he says as the truth. We'll see, time will tell I guess!

Bye!

5/16/08

Hi Ladies,

Had an appointment with the midwife yesterday. All is going well, but I did find out from my doc that because I'm considered high risk I won't be seeing her (the midwife) again...it was sweet while it lasted! She monitored me for a while because I was having various pains and said I seem to have an irritable uterus (to go with my irritable personality lately)...I did have it confirmed that Tobey is head down which is a relief because that was the only thing standing in the way of a vag birth, so Yay! My next appointment is at 35 weeks at which point my doc will check my cervix and set a delivery date. He's still saying week 39 but I'm dearly hoping for week 38 because I'm so tired of being knocked up I could honestly scream!

I started work Monday at a children's group home. It's much more difficult than I expected. I feel so bad for the kids...most of them have behavior and emotional problems because of various unfortunate events in their lives. I'm still in training now but will actually be assigned to individual houses where the kids live next week. I hope that I can really help to make a difference in someone's life...and I really hope no one gets physical with me while I'm still pregnant!

That's all for now, next appointment is in 2 weeks so I'll write then and keep you updated.

Ciao!

6/2/08

Had my 35 week appointment today. Tobey is doing well, he's head down but not engaged and kicking up a storm. I'm even 1 cm dilated but not effaced yet! Lost 2 more pounds too...which didn't really bother me until I saw a nutritionist at my specialist appointment last week. She really scared me, said it's totally abnormal to lose weight while pregnant and suggested I eat all those things I just cannot eat...and worst of all implied that I am dieting or otherwise losing weight on purpose! Like I told her, I lost with my previous two kids as well and was assured both times that it was not unusual for overweight women, so I have decided not to worry about what she says as long as the baby is doing fine, which he is.

I am happy to say that the baby's dad and I are talking on a daily basis now. I'm excited to think that we could get past all the horrible past months and concentrate on sharing and planning parenting, but also to be truthful I'm having trouble trusting him fully after he left because he couldn't deal...what's to stop him from doing it again? Also he is very interested again in restarting our relationship but the thought totally terrifies me...I don't want to be hurt again, and also he's still on the east coast while I am in Wyoming for at least another year so I can't imagine how it might work. But I'm jumping the gun here, thinking too far ahead...I'll just be cool and concentrate on Tobey for now.

Work is ok, I'm thinking about taking off at the end of next week due to the incredible pressure in my pelvis. If it doesn't get better I probably will since I have a bit saved up now. My family in Chicago and North Carolina are pressuring me to let them raise the baby for the first six months since I still plan to continue with school as well as work in the fall. How odd of them to think I would agree to such a thing but I know they mean well so I'll just keep smiling and nodding.

Till next week!

7/18/08

OK, so it's not actually next week, it's about six weeks later lol...but I'll finish up anyway. My last month was, simply put, a horror. The pelvic pain returned but luckily not to the same degree as it was initially, so it was difficult to get around again. The kids were out of school so they actually helped out a lot and I survived! Quite an accomplishment at 36 years old, wouldn't you say?

About two weeks before Mr. Tobey arrived, when I would go to the doctor for my NSTs, the results would be non-satisfactory. The docs didn't like the way the baby's heartbeat would not accelerate above a certain point when he moved. The NSTs were also aggravating because the baby would not keep still so it was difficult to track him. This necessitated a trip from the clinic to the hospital for more monitoring...another NST and a biophysical profile to be exact. The biophysical profile measures five things: fluid level, baby's practice breathing, baby's heart rate, and large body movements and muscle tone. During the last two weeks, I was monitored approximately three times per week. The baby would invariably fail the NST but pass the BPP. VERY time consuming and tiring, but necessary. During one of these tests, I found out the baby was no longer head down which concerned my doctors. At that point he said that we were probably looking at a c-section as the safest option for getting the baby out since the difficulty of monitoring and the baby's heartbeat really concerned him. I was disappointed and scared since of course I knew no one in Wyoming and c-section recoveries are difficult. The day I went for my last test, the doctor decided it was time to end things he wanted me scheduled in two days...I immediately went home and asked my neighbor and her husband if they could help me by taking me to the hospital and picking me up when it was over. They agreed, thankfully. I started cleaning my house, doing laundry, went grocery shopping so the kids would have plenty of food and snacks since my hospital stay would be at least 3 days. In the midst of my cleaning fury, the phone rang. It was the hospital. asking me if I could come in early...that night! So I agreed and reported to the hospital that evening....and the next morning I had little Tobey in my arms for the first time! The more complete summary of the birth is in his birth story so you can read it there if you're truly interested.

In other news, Eric (the baby's father) seemed ok with everything up until about a week before the birth, then he started to seriously withdraw. A big disappointment considering that he seemed to have come around such a short time before. The baby is now three weeks and he says he still doesn't know how he feels about everything...which I can understand on one hand, but on the other I'm the type of person who deals with whatever comes along, and I feel he's over thinking things...he's a father now, I want him to face that fact and get to know his child. However, I'm not going to force it. If it happens I'm happy and if it doesn't I'll move on. For Tobey's sake I hope it works out.

That's it folks! I'll probably start blogging soon so I'll catch ya there!