The Journey Continues



Our little Squirt has changed into our beautiful Addison, follow our new journey here... Addison Angeline







She's HERE!!!; Wednesday, April 1, 2009



We proudly announce the arrival of our daughter;

Addison Angeline

March 31, 2009

6 pounds 6.6 ounces

20.25 inches long

Born at 7:57 PM

Addison is of course the best thing we have ever seen. We so in love. I'll share her full birth story some day, but for now pictures will do. :)









39 Weeks, Induction DAY!!!; Tuesday, March 31, 2009



This is Josh again with an evening update at 5:45pm: Chrissy has dilated to 8 cm and she is in the transitional stage of labor. She is feeling lots of pressure which the nurse is telling us is great because that is the baby trying to push her way out. Chrissy is in moderate pain as her epideral is trying to keep up with harder contractions and the pain of baby pressure. Hope to add to this a little later with a new baby in my lap!

This is Josh updating the page at 2:40pm: We are at 5 cm and the baby's head is dropped to minus 2. The nurse is to be back in a few minutes to recheck to see if Chrissy has dilated any further. I will try to keep this as updated as possible, and thanks to all of you that are checking on us throughout the day!







39 Weeks, Induction TOMORROW!!!; Monday, March 30, 2009



My FUCKING LAPTOP JUST BROKE!!! Seriously! We have to be at the hospital in 6 fucking hours and instead of sleeping I'm up taking my laptop apart. UGH!!! I'm so fucking pissed. I'm going to borrow Josh's parent's laptop tomorrow during the day and my dad is going to try to get mine fixed. I'm so damn pissed. I'm posting this from our ancient desktop. DAMNIT!

39 week belly shot without fancy wording since my laptop is being a deuche bag.

---------------------------------------------------------------

TOMORROW!!! I'm sooo excited!!! We check in to the hospital tomorrow morning at 5:30 am. I was 2 cm dilated today so my OB said there was no need to go in tonight for cervidil, we'll just start with pitocin tomorrow morning, then break my water, and let things progress. AH, SHE'S COMING TOMORROW!!! YEAH!!!

I'm making a list of shit in my head I want to do today now. Most of it is not that important, but might as well since we have the time. I'm glad we'll get to sleep in our bed tonight. I probably won't sleep much, but at least I can be comfy and not hooked up to stuff.

Until today I had mixed emotions about being induced. On the one hand, my body has really taken a beating these last 9 months and I feel like we need to get her out. I've been through more than my fair share of shit. But on the other side, it would be kind of cool to go into labor on my own. Although, I've gone into labor 2 times before; once after Munchkin died and once with Addison at 24 weeks so I'm obviously not good at going on my own. Today though when the OB said tomorrow, I felt nothing but excitement. I know I'll get nervous later, but for now, I'm just READY AND EXCITED!!!

I'll post my last belly pic later tonight. I did a weigh in this morning and I'm now 165.5 pounds, 44.5 pounds from my starting weight. It's more than I had hoped for, but I'm not upset about it. My body has frustrated me and caused me lots of grief, but it has carried my precious girl this far and every pound helped in some way.







Damnit Willy, You Pissed Yo'self; Sunday, March 29, 2009



Anyone recognize what movie that is from?... Think... Got it?... Bad Santa! So yeah, I'm Willy and I pissed myself. Sure I've had a tinkle here and there throughout this pregnancy, but yesterday I sneezed and pissed myself, a nice big spot. Was I upset, NOPE, I laughed so hard I almost pissed myself again. Josh got a good laugh out of it too. It's a sign of a nice big healthy baby so whatever, piss happens.

My OB appointment is at 9:30 am tomorrow and we should hopefully have a detailed plan then. We are anxious to see what she says.

It's been a good last (probably) weekend together. We spent a ton of time laughing, which is our favorite thing to do. We talked a lot too and both feel the same about this adventure we are about to take on. Neither of us are scared of taking care of her, but we are both scared of taking care of each other still. It's been us for so long now that it will be really weird to have someone else around. Wonderful, but weird.

Good night!







Quiet Crotch; Saturday, March 28, 2009



I have some annoying period type cramps and the runs, but other than that nothing is going on. And before anyone sends me a "the runs is a sign of labor starting", I get them all the time.

I gotta run, it's time for Josh to rub my back. :)







Nuttin' Honey; Friday, March 27, 2009



Nothing going on today in babyland. Just a few irregular contractions, that's about it. I just wanted to check in. Josh and I are going to try to enjoy our last child free weekend. I wish we could enjoy it with a bottle of wine!!!







Still Pregnant; Thursday, March 26, 2009



Last night Josh and I went to Olive Garden for dinner while I was having contractions about every 10 minutes. The food was yummy and then we headed to the mall to do some walking and look for Addison a bathing suit. While at the mall I started having sharp stabbing pains in my belly. Most of it was concentrated on the lower right side of my belly, then in my back on that side, and my right ribs. It started hurting so bad I could barely walk. I was still contracting every 10 minutes during all this. We rushed out of that damn mall.

The second I got home I puked. That was nasty. Olive Garden is not pretty the second time around! Then I laid in bed for a while and the sharp pain got better, and the contractions got to 6 minutes. I got up and walked around and then the sharp pain was back and the contractions slowed. Crazy ass body.

I was finally able to fall asleep and then in the middle of the night I had one of those gushes while sitting on the toilet again. It was similar to last time I thought my water broke so I ignored it and assumed it was piss. But this morning when I got up I was wet. I called and they had me go to L&D, but my water did not break. Another trip to L&D, yeehaw!

I haven't felt too bad today. I've puked a couple of times in my mouth, that's pretty nasty, but contraction wise it's been a prettye asy day. That sharp pain on the lower right is gone so it must have been how she was sitting or a turd or something.

I feel a little more content today about still being pregnant. My BP is still holding steady, it's 116/74 so that makes me feel better about mine and Addison's health. I'm hoping to just enjoy the weekend with what should be the last one without a baby in our house!! It was a shock last night when I realized I only have 4 more kick counts to do at home before she is out. Made me a little weepy actually. Stupid hormones.

My list of current symtpoms is long and keeps getting longer. After getting away with zero swelling I woke up Sunday morning with terrible swelling in my face, hands, and feet. My back is finally giving out and hurts like hell. My BP has been quite erratic, going from high to low very easily, and I've had a ton of dizziness and headaches. But, all is still well with Addison so mama will make it. :)







UGH!!!; Tuesday, March 24, 2009



My OB is out of town this week so I was put on with another doc today. Well after 1.5 hours of waiting I asked if I could just see some other doc, they agreed and we finally got in, 2 hours after my appointment time, ugh.

I am now 1.5 cm dilated, WHOOPITY-FUCKING-DO! So all this pain I'm going through is useless. The contractions, the shooting pussy pains, the walking, the sex, ALL USELESS!!! FUCK IT! I'm done trying. She can just stay in there and continue to cause me pain. I'm done done done and getting depressed. I can take discomfort but PAIN I am just DONE with. DONE!!!

The OB today didn't want to schedule on induction for me since I'm not her patient. I'm supposed to call my OB's office Monday morning and get on her schedule. I've never been so frustrated before in my life. Useless fucking contractions. I hate contractions, I hate hate hate them and I'm pissed pissed pissed.







38 Weeks!; Monday, March 23, 2009



The contractions have been picking up, like crazy! I'm tired of having them and being in pain without a baby. I'm tired of people telling me how to feel. In fact, I'm tired of people talking to me period. If you don't have food to hand off, leave me alone.

This is so frustrating!!! Fucking contractions!!! I've had a terrible backache today. First on my right side that I was able to walk out, and now it's on my left and in the center and nothing will help. My damn contracionts every 7 minutes for an hour, then every 5 minutes, and then slowed again. UGH! Shit or get off the pot uterus!!!

Josh is really sick, poor guy. I hope he feels better before Addison arrives because I want him to enjoy it and have energy. My appointment is tomorrow at 10 am and I'll check in after that. My guess......... I've undilated, am no longer effaced, and they have discovered I'm not due for another year. Oh, or maybe there is a new shiny band of painful tissue in there. Yeah, that's more like it. Oh, or maybe I'll pass out again... SCORE!

I just noticed my pregnancy ticker mentions the runs, how joyous. Every day I spent half my time in the bathroom shitting my guts out. FUCK!

Pictures...

38 week belly shot...

Installing the car seat...

Few shots of me actually wearing clothes last week...

Sidney snuggling me when I was having painful contractions...









Annoyed; Friday, March 20, 2009



I hated everything today. It's one of those "I'm 9 months pregnant, go to hell" kind of days. I'm very frustrated for one! I spent 12 weeks medicated so much that I puked my guts out, literally, in order to keep from having a preemie, and now that I'm full term, nothing. The doc said that could happen but I just didn't believe it and it's bullshit!!! I've had enough pain for 5 pregnancies and now that I want/need the pain, it's gone. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!!!!!!!!! Stupid fucking body, stupid fucking band, stupid fucking contractions.

Kiss my big fat pregnant ass world!!!







Yuck!; Thursday, March 19, 2009



Proceed reading this with caution. Consider yourself warned!!! Last night and all morning I have continued to lose pieces of my mucus plug. Ewww, ewww, ewww. It is quite nasty, but way cool because it is progress!!! Last night Sidney was really up my butt. She was panting constantly and staring at me. I was beginning to think she was sensing something coming, but today she is chilled out so who knows. Quentin sensed when I was pregnant with Munchkin. He became very protective and weird the first few weeks. Animals are so cool.

My strep B came back positive so now I have to have a stupid iv of stupid antiobiotics running while I have Addison. Bleh!!!

I'm going to head to the mall and walk around for a bit. I'm hoping gravity will help this kid get lower.







Progress; Wednesday, March 18, 2009



We had a good appointment!!! We talked to the doc about everything that went down this weekend. She was steaming pissed to hear they sent me anywhere but labor and delivery after the ER. Pissed! We were glad to see it. Josh was very stern when telling her what happened and how scared we are, etc, and we both really felt like she listened and took it all seriously. Thank goodness!!! She is pissed they haven't gotten my heart results back to her yet either. She said she isn't a cardiologist, but she isn't too worried for a couple of reasons: 1) I was in great physical shape when I got pg so this is most likely just pregnancy induced symptoms, 2) I don't feel this weird shit in my heart all the time, it comes and goes, and 3) I was monitored for about 12 hours at the hospital this weekend and they didn't see enough arrhythmia episodes to talk drugs so that is good. She also said the big problem with arrhythmia meds is they tank your BP, and with me, that would be really badly. So as long as baby keeps doing well she isn't too worried. It's nice to finally have some explanations!

Then she checked me and I am 1 cm dilated!!! She was up in there and said "now I'm going to be really mean, big deap breath" and she stripped my membranes. It was very uncomfortable, but not horrible, just a lot of pressure. I immediately started bleeding, which she said was normal. I've since passed some "stuff" that I'm thinking might be part of my mucus plug, sweet.

We then did an non-stress test and I had 2 contractions while on it and then one MONSTER contraction. It was long and went all the way to the top of the page, I hadn't seen one like that before on the monitor. When I had that one I wasn't really feeling the contraction but started feeling really dizzy and weird again like I was going to pass out. She came in and said she has seen one other patient during her residency respond to contractions that way. She is wondering now if these episodes are actually contractions and my poor overly sensitive body just reacts in that way. Weird. Either way the outlook is still good and we are hoping the heart issues clear up after the baby is born. If not then it's off to a cardiologist.

Addison passed her NST just fine and now we wait to see if anything is going to happen.







37 Weeks, Full Term!!!; Monday, March 16, 2009



What a glorious day to finally be full term. After everything we have been through I am amazed and thankful we are to this point. It's awesome!!! Thank goodness!!! Here is my 37 week belly shot...

I've felt good and bad today. I had a really rough afternoon health wise, but have now had a good evening. It's crazy. My heart feels like it's going to explode, then it's fine for a while, then it wants to explode, and then it's fine again. So crazy!

I forgot to share the only bright spot that came from the hospital stay this past weekend... diamonds! That's right, my sweet husband gave me a heart shaped necklace with diamonds. He had planned to give it to me when Addison was born, but after I was so upset on Saturday he decided to give it to me early to cheer me up. It worked, I love it!!!

Here are some pictures we took at the hospital Sunday while waiting to go home. We were bored.

Addison's clothes hamper.

Bags packed and ready for delivery!









Hospital Stay; Sunday, March 15, 2009



This post coming to you from the hospital, bleeeh!!! Did we have the baby you ask? NOPE! So here is the deal.

Friday night we ate at Captain D's, which we do often, but I guess this time some shelfish got into my meal. We were at Target after dinner when all of a sudden I couldn't swallow my spit very well. I told Josh what was going on and headed to the front of the store to get some water. I took a benedryl and we sat in the car waiting to see what was coming next. Then I started getting worse and having more pains so we went to the ER. When I got there I was moving oxygen just fine so they said they would give me more benedryl, observe me an hour, and then let me leave. Yeah right!!!

I got my IV put in and about 10 minutes later I told Josh I was feeling hot. Then I started feeling horribly sweaty and had beads of sweat running everywhere on my body. It just kept getting worse. About 5 minutes later the dizziness hit and Josh got the nurse. When she got in there I was pale and my pulse ox down to the low 80s. That's when I started to go. Everything was fuzzy and I could hear lots of people's names being yelled and people were rushing in everywhere. I heard "look at that BP!", which I later found out was 46/23!!! I kept muttering "what's wrong with my baby, what's wrong with my baby". They laid my down on my left side and my BP went back up to 82/52 and my oxygen was in the low 90s. I slowly came around, it was all really weird. About 10 minutes later they gave me some benedryl in my IV and crash, there I went again. My pulse was 174 and I was passing out again. It was awful. I just kept thinking what all that was doing to poor Addison and was scared I would never meet her. It was such a horrible feeling.

So after all that they admitted me for observation to the cardiac unit where they could monitor my heart due to "unstable vitals". We didn't get to a room until after midnight. There were people in and out all night then and I was kept on a constant heart monitor. Whenever I got up to pee my heart rate would go to the 150s and people would come rushing in again. I still have no explanation from anyone as to why!!!

Early Saturday around 6:30 am I started contracting every 3 minutes. The nurses were all excited because they said they never get fun stuff on that unit. After 100 phone calls and an hour later I was being moved to labor and delivery by 7 nurses!!! They were all so funny. I got all hooked up at L&D and things slowly tapered off. Shit. The on-call OB checked me and no dilation so they said I could go home, but when they called the other docs that were taking care of my unstable vitals and they said no, one more night. Blah!!! Oh, the OB could feel her head getting lower though which I just think is so cool.

We spent Saturday afternoon trying to rest since we had only slept about 2 hours the night before. Thanks to diarrhea I only napped 30 minutes the whole damn afternoon. We were kept on the L&D floor though, which means a nice big room and Josh has a full length couch to sleep on instead of a nasty little chair. I had irregular contracts all afternoon. Close to dinner time my heart started acting up again so they monitored my heart rate. It would shoot up to 110 just sitting in bed not moving. I sat up to fix my hair at one point and it shot up to 133 and alarms went off. Just sitting! WHAT THE FUCK??? In the evening though I finally settled down and was able to get my IV out, heaven! I took a shower and we went to bed for an awesome 8 hours of sleep.

They monitor Addison off and on and she has not shown any issues at all from all of this. Thank the Lord!!! I haven't had any painful contractions today yet and I'm ready to go home. The nurse is working hard to get ahold of the doc to let me outta here. The staff has been great. As far as OB is concerned I can leave, we are just waiting on the internalist to let me go home.







Crazy Heart; Wednesday, March 11, 2009



My chest keeps feeling heavier and heavier, I'm short of breath, and last night both hands were tingling like crazy, especially when I was up and moving. WTF??? I called the after hours OB line and my OB was on call so I talked to her. She said how the baby is doing is a good indicator of how I am, which is good because she was moving normally and her heart rate was good. It's just so damn weird. Why do I keep getting these weird symptoms? I said to Josh that I thought maybe I was just getting sick, but he pointed out I've been saying that for 2 weeks now and still haven't gotten sick.

I woke up this morning coughing my head off, wheezing a bit, and hurting in my chest when I inhale. I guess I'm sick, poo. I have a nasty history of respiratory illnesses including several years in a row of pneumonia, bad wheezing, and months of steroids and breathing treatments. I've got to watch myself and make sure this doesn't go downhill fast! There isn't much I can do though besides resting as much as possible and keeping up with my fluids. If the wheezing gets bad I'll go on my advair again, but hopefully it will pass on its own.

I had my weekly OB appointment today. I am 50% effaced but still 0 cm dilated. Darnit. My OB ordered an non-stress test to make sure my crazy heart isn't affecting Addison and she passed beautifully. She also ordered a 24 hour heart monitor for me so I'm wearing that now. It's uncomfortable, but it's only for 1 day so I can deal. Glad I showered last night though since I'm not allowed now for 24 hours. Yucko, sweaty preggo ass! We talked a little about when the hell to get this kid out and she still wants to wait until 39 weeks. I'm frustrated she has changed her tune since a month ago. Before she said she would get her out sooner if I was still contracting without going into labor, but now she wants me to just keep suffering and I'm getting really pissy about that. I'm trying to chill about it for now though because this isn't the week anyway. We'll see how this week goes and if I need to throw a hissy fit next week, I'm not above that!







36 Weeks!; Monday, March 9, 2009



Yeah, 36 weeks!!! We are so close to full term now. That is so awesome. It's been a shitty day, but I was due I suppose. I didn't sleep worth shit and woke up this morning horribly nauseous. I had the loose poops and nausea/gagging all dang day. Then in the afternoon contractions started. It went a little something like this...



Start Time ; End Time ; Duration ; Frequency

6:09:16 PM ; 6:09:46 PM ; 29 secs ; 2 mins, 22 secs

6:06:54 PM ; 6:07:34 PM ; 39 secs ; 3 mins, 33 secs

6:03:20 PM ; 6:03:52 PM ; 31 secs ; 4 mins, 24 secs

5:58:55 PM ; 5:59:34 PM ; 38 secs ; 2 mins, 12 secs

5:56:43 PM ; 5:57:21 PM ; 37 secs ; 3 mins, 8 secs

5:53:34 PM ; 5:54:12 PM ; 37 secs ; 3 mins, 27 secs

5:50:07 PM ; 5:50:30 PM ; 22 secs ; 7 mins, 35 secs

5:42:32 PM ; 5:43:23 PM ; 51 secs ; 1 mins, 56 secs

5:40:35 PM ; 5:41:08 PM ; 32 secs ; 1 mins, 17 secs

5:39:18 PM ; 5:39:56 PM ; 37 secs ; 1 mins, 46 secs

5:37:32 PM ; 5:38:02 PM ; 29 secs ; 4 mins, 13 secs

5:33:18 PM ; 5:34:23 PM ; 1 mins, 4 secs ; 10 mins, 20 secs

5:22:58 PM ; 5:23:21 PM ; 23 secs ; 6 mins, 21 secs

5:16:36 PM ; 5:17:22 PM ; 45 secs ; 2 mins, 57 secs

5:13:38 PM ; 5:14:32 PM ; 53 secs ; 4 mins, 18 secs

5:09:20 PM ; 5:10:05 PM ; 44 secs ; 1 mins, 33 secs

5:07:47 PM ; 5:08:29 PM ; 41 secs ; 4 mins, 46 secs

5:03:01 PM ; 5:03:45 PM ; 44 secs ; 6 mins, 3 secs

4:56:57 PM ; 4:57:38 PM ; 40 secs ; 3 mins, 51 secs

4:53:06 PM ; 4:53:52 PM ; 46 secs ; 2 mins, 35 secs

4:50:30 PM ; 4:50:55 PM ; 24 secs ; 2 mins, 52 secs

4:47:38 PM ; 4:48:09 PM ; 31 secs ; 2 mins, 46 secs

4:44:52 PM ; 4:46:03 PM ; 1 mins, 11 secs ; 2 mins, 36 secs

4:42:15 PM ; 4:43:16 PM ; 1 mins, 0 secs ; 2 mins, 54 secs

4:39:21 PM ; 4:40:00 PM ; 38 secs ; 5 mins, 53 secs

4:33:28 PM ; 4:33:56 PM ; 28 secs ; 2 mins, 29 secs

4:30:59 PM ; 4:31:43 PM ; 43 secs ; 1 mins, 49 secs

4:29:09 PM ; 4:29:35 PM ; 25 secs ; 7 mins, 38 secs

4:21:31 PM ; 4:21:57 PM ; 26 secs ;

I contracted until 7:30 pm and then they petered. Damnit! All that work breathing through those bitches to end up still pregnant. It's still a little early for her arrival, but I hate all these contractions. ENOUGH!!!

Since I spend a lot of time watching tv now, I've found some new things to hate. "My Baby Can Read" infomercials for one! Why in the sam hell would I WANT my baby to read? That is just so damn stupid to me. How long do kids get to keep their innocence? Let them enjoy it for crying outloud! I want my toddler to play, eat, poop, giggle, and mess things up, not learn to read. How damn dumb. I didn't read until they taught us in school and I think I turned out just fine. I spent my childhood playing, pretending, and picking my nose, the way a normal kid should. So damn stupid. Let a kid be a kid!

I forgot to share too that I don't know when Addison flipped, but I have spent the last few weeks playing music and shining lights at my crotch. Maybe it actually worked. I read to play classical music, blah, my girl likes classic rock and country. :)







AWESOME!!!; Sunday, March 8, 2009



Something really weird happened last night. I went to the bathroom about midnight and peed. When I got done I was reaching for the TP when I felt a big dropping movement in my belly and whoosh, a huge forceful gush of liquid came out of me and into the toilet. So of course I thought "omg, my water broke", but then I had no trickle afterwards. It had been 12 hours with nothing else going on so I wasn't too worried, but thought I better call the doc anyway. I called the on-call OB and she said to get to L&D right away. She said usually there is a trickle, but if the baby's head is low then it can stop up the trickle and you won't have any. So off we went, again.

They did a pH test and a swab thing with the microscope and both were negative for amniotic fluid. She also ordered an ultrasound to check the fluid level and it's still 11 something so that is perfect. But there was another surprise though...

Addison is HEAD DOWN!!!

They never expected her to turn with that stupid uterine band I have, but my little super star did!!! I'm so paranoid she'll flip back now of course. I'm super excited though, I get to actually give a vaginal birth a shot!!! It might not still work out, but at least I have a freaking chance!!! YEAH!!! I have an OB appointment on Wednesday so we'll talk to her about the new plan.

Pictures...

Addison's dresser all ready for her.

Her going home outfit from Munchkin.

Bouncy seat.

Pack n play.









Not Too Shabby; Satuday, March 7, 2009



I've had lots of ups and downs this past week. The first couple of nights off my meds I had crazy contractions in the middle of the night. They were every 3 minutes and lasting a full minute, but they were not very painful. I used benedryl to get some nice drug induced sleep, heaven!

My heart continues to be an issue at night. As soon as I lay down to sleep my heart rate increases, I feel like my chest is being crushed, and I can't breath. It's very weird and having your heart feel like that is not comforting. I've figured out a method for sleeping now. I have to fall asleep sitting up in bed using my travel pillow and then after my first of many pees, I can lay down and sleep. It sucks but it's working. I get that heart crushing feeling randomly throughout the day too.

Yesterday was a really good day. I felt great all day and had a ton of energy! It was very weird but such a nice relief after 11 weeks of contractions. I only had a few throughout the day. I would love to have more days like that before the baby arrives, but I won't hold my breath. We all know how touchy my stupid body is.

We have decided to have Addison's picture taken in that green and blue polka dot dress, and then to either take her home in that if she leaves right after her pic, or in an outfit my parents bought for Munchkin. The day I found out I was pregnant with Munchkin my mom and dad went out and bought a pj ensemble and a robe. It would be pretty cool to take Addison home in that. :) NOT because she is a replacement for the baby we lost, but because it would be special to include his memory in that moment. He will always be part of our family.

I didn't think it was possible for miss thang to be more active, but she is now! I think if this house had no walls the neighbor could see her moving. Crazy kid!!! I love my wild woman. I still detest weeks on end of contractions and gall bladder pain (which has been decent lately), but I sure love her.







No More Meds, Holy Crap!!!; Tuesday, March 3, 2009



I'm officially off the procardia. HOLY CRAP! My OB thinks that it is causing these heart and head symptoms too. She said my baseline BP was low to begin with and now that I've been on that a bit she thinks it is just tanking out way too low. Thank goodness for a real explanation at last! If I go into labor in the next week, then great, but if not and I have to be in horrible pain for the next 4 weeks I won't survive so this is all a little freaky. We'll just take it one day at a time and see how things progress.

She also ordered an EKG to make sure my heart is okay so I feel better now about it. They said they would send the results to my doc, but I'm sure if they saw anything alarming they would not have let me walk out of there. I've been having a burny shooting pain in my belly lately and she is pretty sure it's just how Addison is sitting now. She has her ass jammed really low into my pelvis. She could feel the baby's ass when she did the internal, that is so weird. She said the movements sound like she might be trying to flip but can't. Poor baby. The plan is to do an ultrasound right before my c-section to confirm her position, but we both are pretty sure right now she is still breech. You can feel her hard little noggin very easily above my belly button. I also had my strep B test today. Oh, and my weight gain finally slowed down! I only gained 0.5 pounds this last week so I'm up 36.5 pounds now. Still more than I had hoped, but you don't burn many calories on bed rest.

I could go into labor any day now and have a baby. AHHH!!!

The past few days around here have been crazy. Today I went off my meds, I had to take Quentin to the vet for eating Cracker Barrel butter containers (freaking containers!), yesterday I was at the ER all afternoon with Josh for chest pains (they didn't find any reason for them), my grandma is having major heart issues and still in the hospital, and this baby moves for hours and hours every day. It's just been a crazy whirlwind around here and is only going to get crazy when this little girl gets here. That's okay though, I like crazy. :)

This past Saturday we went to Target and Babies R Us and bought pretty much everything else on our registry. We had our 10% off coupons so bought stuff we really won't need for a while, but wanted to save some loot on. We are pretty set for months. YEAH!!! Her dresser is now in the house and all set up too, and her clothes washed and put away. I'm so glad we did all that this past weekend since I'm drug free now. EEEK!







35 Weeks!; Monday, March 2, 2009



It's March!!! YEAH!!! It's been a hell of a day and I'm exhausted so all I'm posting is this...









Stupid Bitches, Listen!; Friday, February 27, 2009



Yesterday was not a great day. I had a lot of contractions in the morning. The afternoon and evening were okay, but at bedtime again I was hurting. Plus the stupid milk of magnesia I took thinking that I was constipated gave me the runs. I can't get it right I swear!!!

This morning sucked again. I woke up having contractions so took my drugs and they stopped. My BP was 79/45 already though so I hated to take it, but I did. I had to call the doc today because the last couple of days I've felt like someone is squeezing my heart. Like literally squeezing it. I'm also feeling really weak in my legs like I was the other day, and I keep getting head rushes, like I stood up too fast, but I'm just sitting here. It's really weird feelings. I don't like getting head rushes when I'm just sitting still, it makes no sense. So I called and they had me go to labor and delivery to be checked out.

I'm really annoyed at the visit!!! I wasn't worried about the baby. She's been moving fine and acting normal, it's my heart I was worried about. Well all they did was monitor her, tell me she is fine (which I already freaking knew), and sent me home. No one even listened to MY freaking heart! Ugh!!! It was just very frustrating. My OB was gone by the time they had my urine and monitoring done so the on-call OB told me to go off my procardia, it is probably what is causing these symptoms. Ummm, no! I will not stop taking it without talking to my doctor who knows my full history. Plus, I've been on it 10 fucking weeks but now all of a sudden I have new symptoms from it. I don't think so. They could have at least listened to my fucking heart, done something, anything!!! A blood draw to check iron, cell count? ANY FUCKING THING???!!!???!!!???

Josh and I decided that I'm going to stay on my meds for now and we'll see how the next couple of days go. If my heart gets worse, I'll go to the regular ER to be monitored. If it stays the same I'll just wait it out and talk to my doc at my appointment on Tuesday. I'm not going to have a pre-term baby whos lungs aren't ready yet because they are stupid and couldn't figure out to check me as well. Stupid bitches.







Jello Legs; Wednesday, February 25, 2009



Good afternoon. Today has been probably my worst day in a week, but that's okay because this last week wasn't bad at all. I didn't wake up today until 10:23 am and my OB appointment was at 11 am. I made it at 11:02, pretty damn good.

My OB said Addison has dropped. I was wondering because yesterday as I was going to sleep I was having these terrible shooting pains really low in my belly. It's cool she has dropped, but totally not cool it's her ASSHOLE jammed down there and not her HEAD! Silly, confused baby. My cervix is still closed up tight though so she ain't doin' much damage there.

I gained 3 pounds in the last WEEK!!! HOW THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN??? I have no clue. I'm up 36 pounds now from my pre-pregnancy weight. My BP today was 132/80. The top number is high for me so we'll keep an eye on that. I totally forgot to mention to the doc that I've been having fuzzy vision. I think it is dry eye, but I should have said something. These three symptoms together could be not good, but we'll just keep an eye on it. I wanted to put it in here more for myself to remember dates. I've been wheezing the last three evenings too. I've had major issues in the winter/spring with wheezing in the past so it's something we need to watch closely. I can't let it get out of hand or I'll be in trouble. For now it is just annoying and let's hope it stays that way!

My OB and I agree that if I have another week like this last one, then we'll keep me on the meds until 36 weeks. Really if I keep feeling like this, I can totally make it to 39. Not that I want to, but I feel like I at least can. Well, today sucks, but the last week has been bearable. I've only taken 3-4 procardia a day instead of the 6-8 I was taking in the previous weeks.

After my appointment Josh and I had lunch in the hospital cafeteria and then I went to see my grandma (same hospital as my appt) and he went back to work. While I was visiting her the contractions started coming closer and getting more intense. I was getting really sweaty with each one and felt so weak. I pooped a pill and left. I didn't make it far though before I had to sit down, then walked a bit further, then sat down, repeat, repeat, and finally about 15 minutes later I was at my car. It was not much fun!

Nap time.







34 Weeks!; Monday, February 23, 2009



I can't believe we have made it to 34 weeks, that is so awesome! Our first trip to labor and delivery with contractions was 10 weeks ago. I've been holding this baby in, with the assistance of powerful drugs, for 10 weeks, go me!!!

Belly shot...

This weekend has been a bit trying, but we've survived again. Friday my grandma got sick and we've spent a lot of time at the hospital with her. She is improving thank goodness. Being on my feet a lot wore me out though.

Sunday we went to see the house, and it looks great! You can tell what all the rooms are now because they are framed and it's so exciting. Then we drove around looking for brick, which took for-damn-ever. After that is was off to my baby shower, yeah!

My shower was very nice. It was good to see everyone as well. We ate yummy snacks, played baby bingo, and then I got to dig into presents. We got some good stuff. Let me think... tons and tons and tons of diapers and wipes, baby sling, boppy cover, clothes, pack n play, lots of bathtime items (soaps, lotions, shampoos, etc.), wash clothes, baby tub, towels, blankets, bibs, and toys. We got things we will certainly use. Here are some pics from the shower...

A funny story to share from Sunday. We were waiting for our table at Olive Garden in the car because I wasn't feeling too great, and I had a jug of water on the floor of the van. I kicked it over and sat up real fast saying "water, water, water" because I couldn't reach it. I look over and Josh is putting his keys back in the ignition because he thought MY water had broken. HA! It was so damn funny. He goes "oh my god, you scared the shit out of me!" I really need to watch what I say right now! I didn't even think about him thinking that. Poor Daddy almost had a heart attack. It's good to know though when the time comes, he'll be on it.

I've had more leakage issues in the upper region. I guess it's good because Addison's food will be plenty ready, but it isn't too fun when you don't expect it to happen. It's quite random so scares me I'll be in the store with a wet spot on my shirt. Well, it's not really like I get out these days anyway so I guess that doesn't matter.

I spent an hour or so this morning organizing Addison's stuff. It was fun, but it made me really sore and crampy. I laid down the rest of the afternoon and I'm not doing too bad. My feet are swelling here and there now. They were really swollen yesterday. Blecky!

Addison's stuff semi-organized...

These are her 0-3 month clothes with all the tags cut off ready to wash. This is just HER stuff, not including any of the clothes from our nieces, which is a ton too! It's hard to tell in the pic, but that is a big old bag of stuff!



3-6 month clothes on the left, 6 months and beyond on the right.



Bath stuff



Bag with washclothes and towels ready to be washed.



I think this is her new going home outfit. The PJs I had planned for are probably going ot be too big. It's definitely going to be her photo outfit at least, assuming it fits, it's a newborn size so I think it will.



Size 1 diaper stack



Newborn diapers



On top her box of toys and on bottom wipes and wipes warmer









Uh Oh!; Friday, February 20, 2009



Last night I was looking up what Addison's zodiac sign might be and found evidence she may not be arriving until after March 20.

If she arrives between today and March 20, she will be a Pisces...

Traditional Pisces Traits

Imaginative and sensitive

Compassionate and kind

Selfless and unworldly

Intuitive and sympathetic

On the dark side....

Escapist and idealistic

Secretive and vague

Weak-willed and easily led

If she arrives after March 20, she will be an Aries...

Traditional Aries Traits

Adventurous and energetic

Pioneering and courageous

Enthusiastic and confident

Dynamic and quick-witted

On the dark side...

Selfish and quick-tempered

Impulsive and impatient

Foolhardy and daredevil

Judging from her activities in the womb, she sounds much more like an aries than a pisces, meaning I must suffer until after March 20. The good news... I don't believe in this voodoo crock of shit.







C-Section Scheduled, Big Freaking Whoop; Thursday, February 19, 2009



My c-section has been scheduled for March 31 at 9 am. The nurse said "we'll talk about specifics later but you'll have to be there two hours early." I told the nurse not to worry about giving me details because I was NOT going to still be pregnant then. I'm NOT damnit!

I was excited when I first found out my baby was due in April because of the diamond birthstone and now she won't have that, maybe by one stinking day. ONE DAY! It's not a huge deal, especially given evertyhing we have been through, just something I felt like bitching about today. I don't want her born on April fools day though, what a crappy birthday to have.

I had a pretty decent night last night! I was only having mild contractions, nothing too painful, and I was able to fall asleep pretty quickly. I did my normal 4 time night pee, but went right back to sleep everytime! I'm having a few contractions this morning, but still nothing too painful that my meds can't control.

I emailed the baby class lady and told her we are not coming on Saturday. She said we can get a refund too so that is nice. No way in hell would I be able to sit there for 8 hours and listen to a bunch of crap I probably won't be using anyway. I'd hate to miss out on how to BREATH THROUGH CONTRACTIONS!!! HA! My ass! That would have been useful in December!

Josh's car is being fixed from the deer incident this week, and he has a rental mini-van!!! The REALLY funny part... he likes it!!! NERD! That really isn't important, but any chance I get to point out that Josh is enjoying his mini-van I'll take!!! HA HA HA!!!







I Don't Think So!; Wednesday, February 18, 2009



This mornig was my weekly OB appointment and it was interesting for sure. I need to ask lots and lots more questions next week, but here is what she said this week. The new plan is to take me off my meds at 35 weeks and see if I go into labor on my own. If I do, then they will take her out, and if I don't, she is putting me back on my meds and on the schedule for a c-section at 39 weeks. Yup, that's right, 6 more weeks of horrific pain!!! WHAT THE FUCK??? I DON'T THINK SO LADY!!! I started bawling when she said that. I can't do this that much longer unless stopping work makes things WORLDS better. Otherwise I will just die, I know it.

The 35 week "test run" is to see this... are the contractions just because my body wants to kick into labor, or are they a result of the band. If my body wants to go into labor then that is one thing, but if I'm just having contractions as a result of that band, then she sees no need to take Addison early. I see her point, in theory, but I'm dying here woman!!! She did also say that she would be really shocked if I even made it to 39 weeks. Well I can be pretty shocking sometimes so that doesn't exactly comfort me. She also said it was time for me to stop working and I said "done". She recommended I take benedryl for nights when I can't sleep and the contractions are really bad. Actually she suggested Ambien first and Josh yelled "no!" Last time I took that I hallucinated and saw elves dragging walls around the room, thought the bed was sinking, and the clock talked to me.

So questions for next week: (1) If I'm feeling decent enough, can we wait for 36 weeks to take me off my meds? There is just something that makes me feel better about her coming at 36 vs. 35. (2) If I'm doing really horrible and the meds are not controlling my pain anymore, can we do an amnio at 37 to see if Addison is ready and take her? (3) If not, PLEASE TAKE HER AT 38 weeks!!! My mom is off that week and it would be nice, plus, I can't take much more.

After my appointment Josh and I went to lunch and I spent most of it crying. Then I headed to work to try to get things wrapped up. After tomorrow I *think* I'll have everything wrapped up at work and I will not have to go anymore.

I had to drug up good but made it to water aerobics tonight. It feels so good to float in the pool. I don't work very hard there anymore, but enjoy bobbing in the water and chatting with the other mamas.







Can't Work Anymore; Tuesday, February 17, 2009



I had to tell work today that I can't work anymore. I'm just too damn exhausted and contracting too much. I can't make it through an entire class anymore so it just isn't working. I was up and down all night again last night. It sucks to be sleeping nicely and then wake up in horrible pain. It does not make for good rest for me or Josh! Hopefully now things will settle down again that I'll be resting, but I'm not counting on it. I have an OB appointment tomorrow and I'm hoping we can figure out a plan. I feel like I'm dying with all this pain. I'm going through prescriptions of procardia like crazy!







33 Weeks!; Monday, February 16, 2009



We made it another week, YEAH!!! First up, belly shot...

Things are getting REALLY tough. The contractions have been insane. After my last entry on Friday they got horrible and Josh had to call the after hours OB. I thought we were going to have a baby that night. The contractions were coming and man did they hurt. Josh called the on-call OB and she had me take an extra dose of procardia. Of course being that drugged up made me feel horrible, but the contractions did ease enough where I was able to rest. Damn was it scary there for a bit though. I think it is a probably a blessing Addison is breech because if she had her head jammed down on my cervix during all these, I would no doubt be dialating. I guess everything happens for a reason.

Saturday morning I was hurting still so my mom came over to make sure I didn't get too bad while I got ready for our breastfeeding class. Of course while she was here she did dishes and vacuumed, she just won't sit down! I'm not complaining, but I feel bad when she comes over and cleans. Our breastfeeding class went very well. It was really great and so informative. I didn't even get the urge to giggle one time! Go me, I'm an adult now, or maybe not. There was no creepy videos this time to watch though so that helped. Just a younger lady showing us different holds and talking about stuff. I feel much more prepared now.

For Valentine's Day we had dinner at my parents since they were cooking a beef roast and it sounded so good to me. Josh got me tulips, chocolate covered strawberries, and girl scout cookies. He knows how to please a pregnant wife! I got him 3 personalized onesies for Addison that have his favorite sports teams. He said it was one of the best presents he has gotten in a long time, so sweet. Here they are...

Sunday we went to Tim and Angie's to pick up baby stuff. It's so cool to see the house filling up with stuff. It's totally freaking Josh out, but he'll be just fine. We got the co-sleeper, baby swing, glider and ottoman, 2 boxes and 1 tub of clothes, some disposable diapers, cloth diapers for burp clothes, and a playmat. Our house is now too full for another human. Where are we going to put HER! HA! Here is the stuff in our house...

I told you all we have a ton of clothes coming - the tub and 2 boxes in this shot are full of 0-3 month clothes!!! That is just the 0-3 month stuff!!! CRAZY! This kid is set for clothes for a long while. We have a whole tub of stuff ourselves already!

I think I mentioned this outfit but didn't share the pic. Cheryl got it for Addison, how perfect is that?!? Our little Squirt.

Here is the glider. It was my grandma's, and then Tim and Angie had it for a while, and now we have it. There is an ottoman too. The folded up thing in front of it is the co-sleeper.

Baby swing. Addison will be the 4th baby girl to swing in it, pretty cool.

Something else happened Sunday, how to say this nicely... um... Addison's, uh, food supply has started. If you are still confused, I'M LEAKING!!! I was sitting at my brother's house watching some old family videos with him when Angie walked in the door with Savannah and... bam, out came the milk. Holy shit! It was such a weird feeling. I went "holy crap, something is wet!" and ran to the bathroom. Sure enough, my milk has started. Crazy!!! The good thing is I was there and not out in public. Angie gave me some booby pads to put on. Weird, weird, weird. We learned in breastfeeding class this past weekend that the same hormone that causes contractions helps push milk out when the baby eats. I guess my body has no problem making that hormone. At least SOMETHING finally works right on me. Ha ha ha.

Finally an update on today. It has not a great day again. I think my body is really beginning to collapse on me. I had to pop lots of pills again last night to get the contractions to chill, and then this morning I woke up hurting again. We drugged me up with my zofran and procardia and ran a couple of errands. We had to drop Josh's car off to be fixed from the deer incident and then pick up his rental car. When we got back home I ate lunch and then started puking. I was still hurling at class time so had to cancel my class.

I think I'm done working now. Last week I had to end 3 of my 5 classes early due to contractions, and then today I had to cancel my class. It's just not working anymore. My one class I'm giving a lab exam and regular exam this week so I'll do that, it won't require much effort, but I think I'm done with the other one, if that works for them. I need to talk to my boss tomorrow, but I think it won't be an issue at all.

It really bites I feel like this. Right now I feel like I have the flu, but with no fever. I don't think I really have the flu, it's just a good way to describe how I feel. I'm achy all over, have a headache, nausea and vomitting, plus contractions, ugh! What a nasty way to live. :( For some reason though my spirits aren't too down right now. Josh has been really sweet and caring for me well and that is helping keep me feeling mentally okay.

And I have GREAT news... Sidney's results showed NO signs of cancer!!! I'm soooo happy!!! We could still have a serious issue, but it isn't cancer and that is AWESOME news!!! She basically has infected chronic inflammation. The question is, why? Further testing needs to be done now. She needs a CT scan and a rhinoscopy to get a better look. The issue is either from something she is inhaling, a fungus, or a tumor. The sooner we catch whatever is causing it, the better. To get those tests done though we'll have to travel to Purdue University, which is about 4.5 hours away from here. Then Sidney will need to stay 2-4 days, depending on how she does and what tests they do. So the bitch is, we have to wait a bit because I can't travel right now, and Josh can't go away and leave me behind with me like I am. We are going to start Sidney on antibiotics to at least treat the infectious part, and then get her up there ASAP. My mom has the last week of March off for spring break so if Addison is here and I can travel, she can take us up there. Otherwise we'll have to wait until her summer vacation begins and I just hate to wait that long because if it's a tumor we need to get it out before it gets bigger. We'll get it all figured out I'm sure. For now the great news is that it isn't cancer. YEAH!!!







Too Much Worry; Friday, February 13, 2009



I have way too much to worry about right now. I'm such a mess. Yesterday Sidney had x-rays of her nasal cavity. Over the last few months she has had strange nose bleeds and other nasal symptoms. When the vet showed us her x-rays, you could definitely tell that there was more density to the side that she's been bleeding from. He also looked up there while she was knocked out, not expecting to be able to see anything without an endoscope, but he said about 1.5 inches in was a large, bloody mass. :( They did a biopsy and we'll know more in 4-7 days, i.e., is it cancer, if so what type, or is it some weird fungus or something. Josh and I just didn't get a very good feeling about it when we were chatting with the vet. It almost seemed like he wanted to say he thought it was cancer, but didn't. Josh is usually Mr. Optimistic too, so it's extra scary when he is worried. My poor sweet baby girl. Sidney means so much to me, I'm terrified.

She was bleeding a good bit when we got her home that evening and chasing her around cleaning up blood and trying to get her to stop bleeding started up some painful contractions. I go to take my meds and they aren't in my purse! At this time I start heaving HARD because of the stupid food I had just eaten, which only made them even worse. Thankfully my dad came and got my office keys and after 30 minutes of explaining where to go on the phone (I got him so lost), he found my pills on a table next to my wheelchair.

All of the day's drama had worn on me and I called my sister bawling my eyes out. About 30 minutes later there is a knock at my door and she was there! She went by the store and got me lots of gall bladder friendly foods like a veggie tray, fruit tray, potatoes, crackers, vanilla wafers, and gatorade. She's so awesome, I was so happy to see her. Then she did our dishes and sat down and chatted with me for a while. What a great sister she is!!! I'm so lucky. My family is amazing and I really hope they all know how much I appreciate them. I'm so glad I'm bringing Addison into a family that really will do anything for each other. What a rare gift.

Last night got real crazy, not a surprise after such a stressful day I guess. I woke up at 3:21 am (I remember looking at the clock ) having REALLY painful contractions every 3 minutes lasting about 45 seconds. There was a shit-ton of pressure in my back too, it freaked me out good. I had taken my last procardia about 4.5 hours before so could only take 1. Josh got me some crackers and milk and I sat up in bed eating them in between contractions so my meds wouldn't screw with my tummy too much. Finally about 4 am they had settled. They were still every 3 minutes but not lasting near as long and were not as painful. I fell back asleep and about 20 minutes later woke up to the biggest most painful contraction I've ever had. I couldn't do anything but try to breath. When it was over I peed, laid back down, and went back to sleep. Such a weird night.

Today I've been having them pretty frequently, but they weren't really painful until 30 minutes into my class. They were every 3 minutes again, but this time 55 seconds long. I dismissed my class, left all of my stuff, and stumbled back to my office. I took another pill and they are slowing down again. I'm getting REAL damn nervous about all this. It's nothing regular enough yet to rush off to L&D, but man, things just keep getting worse and worse.







Failure is NOT an Option Miss Addison!; Wednesday, February 11, 2009



Eventful morning again. I was at the doc from 9:50 am to 12:30 pm. Addison is just determined to make me a ball of nerves. Since I've started doing kick counts (you count how long it takes the baby to kick you 10 times and track what is normal for your baby), she's taken anywhere from 3-10 minutes, with 10 being a rare occasion. Usually it takes between 5 and 7 minutes. Well the last 2 nights it has taken her 20 minutes, and the kicks haven't been very strong. I had a scheduled OB appointment today so mentioned it while I was there and she ordered a non-stress test. A non-stress monitors the baby's heart during movements to help assess her well-being. Well, Addison did not pass that. She was "non-reactive". I found this on americanpregnancy.com: "A nonreactive non-stress result requires additional testing to determine whether the result is truly due to poor oxygenation, or whether there are other reasons for fetal nonreactivity (i.e. sleep patterns, certain maternal prescription or nonprescription drugs). " She moved an approrpiate amount of times, but the doc was not happy with what her heartrate was doing. I don't know exactly what though.

So we had to do a bio-physical to better assess her. Here is some info on that if you are interested... http://www.enotes.com/nursing-encyclopedia/fetal-biophysical-profile. Basically it was an ultrasound where they look for certain things and then give her score, each thing being worth 2 points. She passed that just fine, WHEW!!! I'm very thankful we dodge another scary moment. This kid I tell you is going to mentally drown me!!!

The little booger is still breech of course. She has both feet and both hands up by her face. Her head is above my belly button and still super easy to feel. She is facing to the side. My OB said today "Honestly Christina, I think you are going to end up with a c-section." I told her I thought so too and that it really pissed me off to face 13 weeks of contractions to only have a c-section. She started laughing and said "yeah, that is pretty crappy." Can't do a damn thing about it though so my focus now is to just come to terms with it. I'm thinking of cancelling our childbirth class on Feb. 21. What is the point now?

Here is an ultrasound pic from today. The quality sucks because I scanned it on the copy machine at work and emailed it to myself. You can see her face and one of her hands up by her face on the top right of the photo. She's a cutie!









32 Weeks!; Monday, February 9, 2009



It's so exciting that we've made it to 32 weeks now. A few weeks ago it seemed like just getting this far was going to be impossible, but here we are. Today was not a great day, but she's still in there so I'll take it. I've had quite a few contractions and aches all over my belly. Stupid stupid stupid contractions.

Belly shot...

It's crazy to think that 2 weeks from today I'll be 34 weeks, the minimum my OB wanted me to get to before I went off my meds. If I keep feeling the way I am now then I'll make it past that, but it's good knowing if things go to hell here soon that it's getting so close.

I had to call a dentist today about my swollen gums from biting on that damn glass in my salad. I am concerned I may have a piece of glass in there still. I talked to Turoni's too and their insurance is supposed to contact me. They better hurry up because my poor gums are swollen and sore.

Oh, and I ordered a diaper bag, yeah!!! I am SUPER picky and it took me forever to find one, but I finally did...









More Shower Pics; Sunday, February 8, 2009



We got all of Addison's things organized today. Josh cleaned out the office and rearranged things so we'll have room for her dresser and glider. The rest of the furniture will have to wait until we get into the new house.

The little stinker teased mommy today. She has been transverse (sideways) all day and I thought for sure she would flip on down... nope. After spending the day with her head jammed into my side she has flipped her little self right back to breech. Stinker!

I got the pics from my mom's camera today, here they are...









Showered and All Smiles; Saturday, February 7, 2009



The shower was awesome!!! Everyone had such a good time and most of all us! I was so excited too that we had so many out of town guests. Most of the guests had to travel to get here and I appreciated it so much. We got some great loot too! We have the best family and friends, I feel so happy and blessed right now. I can't settle down and go to sleep. I haven't been up this late in months!

The shower started off at a yummy local pizza place/micro brew. There were 24 people total there, it was a good crowd! We ordered and then got to catch up with everyone for a bit. During dinner I got really sick though, that sucked. I started feeling awful. I was really sweaty and nauseous and having pains all over. I had to leave and go sit in my car. My mom brought me out a salad to eat and while I was eating it I bit into glass. The plate had a chip and was in my salad. My luck is just scary sometimes.

After pizza we ran by our house so I could change into more comfy pants since my tummy was hurting and take some meds. Our friends from Nashville (Brian, Anna, Daniel, and Mary) stopped by our house with us. It was nice they got to see our place, even if it is temporary and microscopic. We all then headed out to Tim and Angie's for festivities.

The place was decorated so cute. Lots of lady bugs around and everything was red and pink. They did awesome! You will see in the pics. :) We played 3 games and they were all a lot of fun. The first was we had to write down the baby name for animals, as in kitten for cat, etc. My Dad won that game with 21 out of 22 correct and got a box of chocolate turtles, yum.

The next game was hysterical!!! All the men lined up against the wall and had to chug 2 oz. of beer from a baby bottle. It was such a riot to see them all sucking on their bottles. My brother won and received a bottle of Crown Royal. Yum! The men said it gave them a buzz trying to suck the beer out of a bottle. So dang funny. I can't wait to watch the video from that.

Josh was tortured in the next game, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He was blindfolded and had to taste baby foods that I fed him and guess what they were. He got 6 out of 7 correct! He did very well. The one he missed was mac n cheese, but he got carrots, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, applesauce, and squash. Good daddy.

After games we opened presents and man did we get some good loot!!! Let me see what I remember, preggo brain will make me forget most stuff: Travel system, crib bedding set, extra carseat base, Bumbo and tray, outfit that says "Squirt", lady bug outfit, lady bug basket, LOTS of care items (like lotion, soap, butt paste, boob relievers, medicine givers, diapers, wash clothes, towels, thermometer, etc., I can't even remember it all), Boppy, first Aid grooming kit and medical care kit, extra fitted sheet that matches bedding, diaper cake, photo album with cute cover, lady bug pacifier that snaps shut when dropped, and a couple of outfits.

I'm sure I missed stuff in that list. I was so happy with our gifts. We have such generous people who love us and Addison. I feel now like she could come tomorrow and we would be fine. We can get her home safely and take care of her with all the stuff we got today. I was sooo glad we got the travel system we wanted because it has been discontinued now! I was so upset last week to find that out, but my siblings and parents had bought it 2 days before it went unavailable! That was perfect timing and I'm so happy.

Tomorrow Josh is going to get our extra bedroom cleared out for Addison. Now that our fish is dead we are going to take down the tank and have that space, which we hadn't planned on. Poor fishy. We have a few items to pick up from Tim and Angie's this week: the co-sleeper, glider, and a tub of 0-3 month clothes. We are going to get the dresser out of lay-away in the next few weeks too so we'll be all set up!!! It's so freaking cool to have stuff in the house for her now.

Here are some pics. I don't have too many because obviously I was a little busy, but I know other people have more so I'll get those. I haven't gotten a pic of the shower invites yet either and need to do that. They are so cute, they look like tickets to a game!

First, here is my 31 week belly shot I never got to share because of the ice storm...

And now for shower pics...

At home with our stuff and playing with the travel system

I forgot to mention something that happened last night, I got my first pregnancy charlie-horse. Holy shit did it ever hurt!!! It was freaking awful. I was screaming my ass off, which totally freaked Josh out. It was in the right arch of my foot, oh man was it awful. Josh rubbed it until I was able to stand and stretch it out. I'm terrified now of getting another one. My foot feels sore today and a couple of times it's felt like another was coming. I probably wasn't too hydrated yesterday and maybe that triggered it. Oh please don't let that happen again!!!

Finally off to bed.







Yeah!; Friday, February 6, 2009



Our coed shower is TOMORROW!!! WOOHOO!!! I'm so excited. I'm ready to see everyone first of all. We have lots of family and friends coming into town, which in itself is very exciting. You throw on top of that food and presents and you have made for one exciting day!!! I can't wait!

We are STILL without cable and internet at home and my days have just been crazy busy lately with work and such. Here's what's been going on...

Wednesday - I had my OB appointment in the morning. My cervix is still high and closed! My OB did tell me to start mentally preparing for a c-section though. Pooo. Addison is still breech and my OB is wondering if that band is making it hard for her to turn. She said she isn't sure yet she would try to turn Addison because of that band. She is afraid the baby will get tangled up in it, or we could snap it and start me bleeding, etc. She said if in the next 2 weeks she doesn't turn then we are going to talk c-section for sure. Gosh my kid is a brat!!!

Thursday - I had a dentist appointment and I was so nervous because my brushing and flossing through this pregnancy has been horrible. I don't think I've mentioned it but I still either dry-heave or puke bile about 1-2 times a week in the morning. I've gotten used to it, but it prevents me from brushing good. Anyway, teeth looked great, no cavities!!!

That evening we had our mama and baby care class. It was okay. Josh got a few things out of it, I think, but it was pretty boring. We laughed a lot at the other people and the video though. They showed a ghetto daddy with a gold toof calling the pediatrician, so funny. Oh, speaking of, Addison has a doc all lined up now, yeah!

Today - I got my hair all fixed up because my shower is TOMORROW!!! I'm so excited!!!

Health-wise the last few days have been pretty good. As long as I stay consistently on my procardia I feel decent enough to survive. My gall bladder is getting worse though. It isn't horribly painful (yet), but aches ALL THE DANG TIME!!! I think that may be another reason for an increase in nasuea I have had lately. But, as long as it doesn't get excruciating, I'll be alright. I'm feeling more cheerful and optimistic these days. We've almost made it to 32 weeks and I'm thankful for that. Now if the little booger would just turn. I mean seriously, she needs to do her part.







31 Week Mess; Tuesday, February 3, 2009



What a freaking week!!! Last week the nasty ice storm hit Evansville and shortly after my last post on here, we lost power. We finally got our power back on Saturday, but we are still without cable and internet. I would say it's been horribly boring, but I've been so busy during the day that I just pass out when I get home anyway. Let me see if I can remember last week...

We stayed at my parents house since they thankfully had power! They even gave us their nice big comfy king size bed. Thank goodness or I would have really been an uncomfortable mess. I had a lot of shooting pains in my low belly last week mixed in with my regular contractions. It was weird and sent me to labor and delivery on Friday. The conclusion was it's that damn band again. That stupid thing needs to stop causing me so much damn pain!!! UGH!

We had an ultrasound while we were there since we had one scheduled for tomorrow anyway to check growth. Addison is measuring a week ahead and was 3 pounds 9 ounces as of Friday! That's awesome!!! With her likely to arrive early it makes me feel so much better to know she will have a little meat on her bones. The little booger is still frank breech. It's starting to make me more nervous. It would be damn ridiculous to go through 12 weeks of contractions to end up with a scheduled c-section. Whatever gets baby here safe I will deal with, but seriously, can I catch a freaking break here? We are currently at 7 weeks of contractions. 7 freaking weeks!!! AH!!! Some days are okay, some days are awful, I just never know what kind of day it's going to be. It doesn't seem bed rest helps too much either because days I stay home I don't feel any worse than when I work. I obviously feel awful if I walk alot, but just being up instead of laying down doesn't seem to make much of a difference, for now.

I had a weird, nasty episode yesterday. I was feeling okay all morning and then bam, all of a sudden started sweating buckets. And I mean BUCKETS!!! It was running down in between my boobs, down my back, and even soaked through my clothes. I got one of those fat-man asscrack sweat marks, it was crazy. I was bright red, hotter than hell, and just felt really off. I was at the hospital with my sis so the nurses took my blood pressure and it was 133/85. That is quite high for me, not normal people, but for me really high. I chugged a sprite and ate some crackers and it cleared up so my guess is I just had a low blood sugar attack. I don't really know, that has never happened before. I see my OB tomorrow so I'll talk to her about it.

Speaking of blood pressure, I had an awful time keeping it up last week. At one point it was 75/35 and I hadn't even taken my procardia yet. Other than that I was running 85/45 a lot and getting into the 90's and 100's only once in a while. I talked to my OB on Friday at L&D about it and she said if I don't pass out and the baby is still kicking, then don't worry about it. Works for me.

We did take my belly shot last night but I don't have it with me at work so I can't post it. Booo, stupid wowway needs to get our internet back up!!!

Oh, and did I mention I'm having a BABY NEXT MONTH!!! YEAH!!!







Sludge, Ewww; Tuesday, January 27, 2009



I just returned from my OB. So it turns out I have several small gall stones and sludge in my gall bladder, ew. My OB said the small stones are worse in many ways than a large one because they can get trapped in the tubes easily and cause more problems. So we have to watch me closely and if my pain changes at all or increases we'll have to talk surgery, pregnant or not. Bleh. It's good to know what the hell is going on though.I told my mom on Sunday "I swear something is wrong with my gall bladder, I have every classic symptom." I'm not crazy!!! YEAH! It's silly to be excited over gall stones, but I'm just glad that I have an answer, you know? I hate suffering with no explanation. My OB told me to be aware of the pain and symptoms even after the baby arrives. She said this isn't something that clears right up with delivery and I could get into trouble weeks after the baby is born. Yuck.

My OB wants to do another growth scan. My weight gain has slowed quite a bit and I'm measuring small still. They were going to do it today, but couldn't get me in for another 1.5 hours and Josh needed to get back to work. She wanted to see me next week anyway so said we could push the ultrasound back to next week as well. I hate to wait, but she said it was fine to wait another week. Addison's heartbeat is still nice and strong.

Her guess on that tugging feeling is that stupid uterine band being an asshead again. She also suspects, but there is no way to confirm, that it is the cause for my contractions too. She said it is likely that it stretches and tugs, which triggers my uterus to start contracting, and it all snowballs from there. Lovely. It's hard to hear that sometimes because it all takes me back to Munchkin. If we hadn't lost him this wouldn't being going on. It sucks to still have that in my face.

We talked again about the game plan to get this kid out. Unless things change we are going to keep me on my meds until 34/36 weeks and then see what happens. If at 37 weeks I'm still contracting with no baby, then we'll do an amnio to check the baby's lungs, and if she is good we will induce. If her lungs aren't ready then we'll wait another week and then get her out of there! Again, that is assuming I'm still contracting. If for some reason they stop, we'll just wait and let her come on her own. The likelihood of the contractions stopping at this point is slim though. I'm so relieved to hear she won't make me suffer for weeks without my meds, it will be damn painful.

Looks like we'll have a March baby for sure. Crazy!

She didn't want to do an internal today since I was having a good day. I have only had 5 contractions so far today, which is awesome, so she said no use in bugging things down there and risking triggering something.

We are going to talk next week about work. I told her I was using the chair now and teaching sitting down so she is pleased about that. She said if doing those things helps calm the contractions then I can keep on working, if not though, we'll have to talk about it. I am not ready to sit around the house!!!







30 Weeks!; Monday, January 26, 2009



Happy 30 weeks to me and Addison, yeah! Since I got most of my psycho-ness out yesterday, this entry can be a bit more pleasant. First things first, the belly shot, dun-dun-dun...

Shutterfly so cruelly pulled up my 2 week shot first. Damn was I skinny. Will I ever be that way again? I think I can get thin again, hell, I lost 30 pounds once before, but I don't think my muscles will ever be the same. They really can't be, it's a physical thing. As long as I can look good in clothes again then I'll take that. I don't think my belly shots are changing week to week much anymore. It's more of a gradual change now. (*Cancel that, I just looked at the belly shots page to compare 29 and 30 weeks, um yeah, you can see a change. I didn't realize it until seeing them side by side. That kid is hanging low. Does your gut hang low, does it wobble to and fro, can you tie it in a knot, can you tie it in a bow, can you throw it over your shuoulder like a continental soldier, does your... gut... hang... low). My weight gain as slowed a bit too. I had several weeks in a row of 2-3 pounds gains, and now I'm back at 0.5-1 pound gains per week.

The wheelchair today at work was just damn funny. I ran into so much shit. I'm not sure it was any easier on Addison being slammed into shit all day. It was hysterical though. At one point I slammed into my office door so hard that two other professors shot out of their offices to see what the hell was going on. I had a student outside my door too who came running in to see if I was okay. I also backed into a shelf in my office, and my chair went under the shelf so the shelf went right into the back of my neck. Ouch. Opening and closing doors is a real bitch too. I'll get better at it. I had my usual absurd about of contractions, but lots of laughter between them by ramming shit. Fun.

My transparency lectures are going better now. I started using fine tip sharpies instead of transparency markers and it's much easier. They dry faster so I don't make a mess on myself and the fine tip makes it easier for the students to read. Actually today they said they could read it better than my white board writing. I've always been a messy writer, poor bastards are lucky to be able to read anything I write!

All in all, not a horrible day.







Ugh; Sunday, January 25, 2009



I'm very frustrated right now. The contractions are kicking my ass today. The only time I have stood today was to pee and shower, that's it!!! I didn't even get up for food today, I had everything delivered to me. Yet the contractions just keep getting worse. I feel like this pregnancy is defeating me. I'm doing nothing and I still can't get my uterus to calm down. WTF am I going to do?

I can't get this feeling that something is wrong to go away either. I feel so irrational for thinking like that, I just can't stop feeling like something is not right. Is that hormonal craziness, a result of too much bedrest and nothing to think about, the medications I'm on, or my instincts kicking in? My gut is just screaming something is wrong, but I don't know what. Her kick counts are fine, her hearrate is good, so what the fuck is wrong with me? I'm losing my damn mind, that's what is wrong.

I have this weird tugging in my lower left stomach area. Anytime Addison moves, I feel a pull there. Even if her movements are not anywhere near that area, it feels like something pulls. It's so hard to describe. It's not really painful, just uncomfortable and concerning me.

It's been 5 weeks now of contractions. 5 fucking weeks. It is fucking exhausting!!! My entire body has been aching today and I have no doubt it is just worn the fuck out. It's just not meant to handle contractions for this damn long. I'm so tired of popping pills. I went through 40 in 2 weeks, 40 fucking pills. And I am STILL contracting. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

And while I'm bitching, things I do not want to hear from people: (1) "I know how you feel." Unless you have had contractions for weeks on end (those of you that have know who you are and I love you for your support), no you fucking don't, shut up! (2) "You're almost there." Let's do some math... I have at LEAST 5 more weeks of this shit so I'm half way, at the BEST. Nope, not almost fucking there, half way or less. (3) "The third trimester is tough." I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have regular third trimester discomfort. I would take that in a fucking heartbeat, it would seem like a damn cake walk compared to this shit. (4) "It'll be worth it." Well no shit. Do you really think I would keep on taking my drugs if I didn't think it would be worth it. If I didn't want this little girl to get here safely I wouldn't be putting my body through hell. Dumbass.

Note: if you have said any of the above to me, chances are I still love you. I'm just getting realy damn pissy in my current state. If you don't like it, you know damn well you can go fuck yourself.

Things you can say to me: any lie that will make me feel like I'm doing great and I'm not a big muscle detoriating pile of mush. My weight gain is only slightly higher than I would have hoped at this point (27 pounds), but the loss of muscle is scary. I've never seen cottage cheese like this on my ass before! EW EW EW!!! I can't wait to run again. Run off my stress and frustration AND the cottage cheese.







Furniture, YEAH, Fun Stuff!!!; Saturday, January 24, 2009



I'm so way excited right now, we found Addison's furniture. Well, my parents technically found it, but it is just what we wanted and we are so pumped. We were planning to use Madeline and Makenzie's crib, which I think is lovely, but when we went shopping for dressers we had a hell of a time matching it. The only set we found to match I wasn't thrilled with. So instead of the matching headache, we are just going with a new crib for Addison. It's going to look awesome with her bedding too. I can't wait for our house to get done now!!!

The pics I can find online will take some imagination to piece together, so put your thinking caps on folks.

This is the color and the chest...

This is the crib (in the above color of course)...

And this is the dresser and hutch (again in the distressed black)...

The crib is convertible and the awesome thing about that is they make a full size bedding set in the same pattern as her crib set. So when she moves to a big girl bed, we can buy the matching bedding and her room will be all done up to match already. No repainting the walls or buying new accessories and curtains (at least for a few more years until she gets all sassy and demands new things). I don't think her bedding is too "baby" either so she can have it for quite a few years. As a reminder, here is the crib set...

And here is the big girl set, it shows a twin but they make it in a full as well.

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!! I didn't think I would ever get my dream nursery and now I am getting it. WOOHOO!!!

Now she just needs to behave herself and stop trying to get out early. I'm doing better now that I'm taking more of my procardia in a day. It makes me feel so awful to take the higher dose, but I gotta do it so I'll suck it up.

Work has been great about making adjustments to accomodate my needs. They got me a handicap parking sticker to use on campus so I can get close to the door. I also have a place in a supply closet close to the door to store an electric wheelchair, which I will start using on Monday. I've also began teaching on overheads instead of writing on the board. It's a lot harder and going to take some work to figure out, but whatever keeps me off my feet. The wheelchair is kind of embarassing, but again, whatever keeps baby girl in there, I will do and do willingly. She needs to get here safe and sound and see her awesome new furniture. YEAH!







Not Much Better; Wednesday, January 21, 2009



Today has been rough too. I started contracting as soon as I woke up. I had to cancel my class this afternoon, which sucks. I'm sure the students didn't mind, but I do! I spent most of my day laying down. If I was laying down with procardia in my system then I did okay. The problem was when I got up to eat lunch, pee, get a drink, etc. I would contract every time without fail. This really sucks. Bedrest seems to be looming, but if baby girl is okay I'll keep toughing it out, I guess.

It's amazing how tired contractions make you. I would really use a break from them for a few days!!!







Very Rough Day; Tuesday, January 20, 2009



I've had a tough day contraction wise. I'm sure it is all the stress of the last few days and being on my feet so much shopping that did it. This morning I was okay, just having a few here and there and they weren't painful, just uncomfortable. I watched Makenzie while Cheryl went to an appointment and then I headed to work at lunchtime. I took my procardia as usual to cut the contractions off before class. No luck on that today though!.

During my class I started to get really intense contractions. I was feeling nauseous with each one and sweating like crazy. I told my class to hold on a minute and asked our staff engineer to go to my office and get my procardia. Before I even asked him anything he said "you don't look so good, what the hell is going on? Send those kids home and go lay down!" I took the meds though and ended the lecture and moved onto lab. I managed to get through lab, the contrax slow about 20 minutes after taking my meds. That damn class is 2 hours and 15 minutes though, it was torture!

About 10 minutes after class the contractions started again, EVEN WORSE!!! I was helping 2 students with homework from my other class and doubled over in pain. I got up to my office and they were coming every 2 minutes. They hurt like fucking hell too!!! I chugged water and took another procardia (too soon but I needed it) and called Josh. He got there and helped me get out to the car. I was going to head to L&D but decided to go home and try laying down.

Something worked, either the laying down, the extra pill, or the water finally kicking in, but something got them slowed to 15 minutes apart. Whew! It's been rough!!!







29 Weeks; Monday, January 19, 2009



First, the 29 week belly shot...

Practicing my labor stance, ha!

Addison update: She's doing well. I think she is head down again because I feel her head in my lower left belly. She is such a crazy flipping baby! She gets the hiccups still 3-4 times a day. Saturday night at the hockey game we could see my belly jump with every hiccup. It was so cute. She is active as always and kick counts take anywhere from 4 to 15 minutes. Wild child!!!

Mommy update: I'm hanging in there still. The contractions haven't changed. My back is aching a little more these days, but that is to be expected. I've got a mild case of carpal tunnel. It hits me real bad when I'm on the computer and when I'm teaching and writing on the board. It'll get better though when this kid gets out.

I've been having a lot of panic attacks lately. It sucks, but something I've had to deal with before. After we lost Munchkin they were horrible, and they are creeping back in. It really sucks to feel crazy and out of control.

We spent the day shopping for Addison a dresser. We found a couple of okay things, nothing awesome, but a couple of options that will work well. It's exciting to look, but I'm ready to find something and be done with it. This weekend has been too full of stress and I need something to go right.

I'm exhausted and stressed right now, and I know when that happens the contractions get worse so I need to watch it. This weekend in Nashville our hotel had a water line burst, which set off the fire alarms and caused us to stand in the cold at 1 am for 30 minutes.

Then Sunday night out by our new house we were hit my a deer. It was scary as shit. Two ran across the road that we avoided and then a third came out of the woods and smacked right into us. It hit my side and crushed the side mirror, dented and warped the passenger and back door, and dented the rear fender. It's no small damage, but thank goodness the window didn't break and we are all safe. Tomorrow is exactly a year since our big wreck in Evansville. January is not our month!







Puke, Gas, and the Runs, Oh My!; Friday, January 16, 2009



I've spent the week fighting a flu bug, and I'm winning. Take that germies! My flu shot is doing its thing and keeping me from getting very sick. I've gagged many times, but only fully puked once. The runs suck, but they aren't terrible. I only had a fever one day too. Ain't doin' too bad.

I'm feeling okay. The procardia is still working so this week hasn't been too bad with contractions. I've really figured out the schedule that I need now and that helps so very much. My low back is bothering me on and off. The nerve pain has been better since Addison flipped breech again. But I think she may have flipped head down again. I feel her head low again. It's weird how I can feel body parts through my belly now. It really freaks Josh out, which is even more fun.







Another Ultrasound!; Tuesday, January 13, 2009



My appointment today was looong. When I got there I drank the orange stuff for my glucose test. It tasted like Sunkist so wasn't bad, but I haven't been able to drink carbonation lately so it made me really sick. I kept burping up foam and then having to swallow it again so it wouldn't mess up the test. It sucked! I saw the OB and we talked about lots of stuff. She said that my contractions will most likely get worse as I get farther along, greeeat. I can take my procardia every 4 hours if I need it instead of waiting 6. That is good because many times I'm ready for it after 4 hours. She said I can go off my meds at either 34-36 weeks, we'll have to wait and assess how baby girl is. I may go into labor right away after stopping the meds, or it may take weeks. That is crazy!!! We could have a baby in 6 weeks!!! The longer she stays in the better, but also if my body is under too much stress that isn't good for her either. So it's kind of a shit situation. If I can physically hang in there until 36 weeks that would be best. That would be March 9, crazy!!! 34 weeks would be February 23. My childbirth class is Feb. 21 so we'll make that one, but our mama and baby care isn't until March 5. We may have a baby to take with us! HA!

I've been having a lot of pain in my right ribs in the morning and after dinner so tomorrow I'm having an ultrasound to check my gal bladder. It's probably okay but they want to be darn sure.

After seeing the doc I had my blooddraw and then had to wait about 40 minutes for an ultrasound. My OB wanted to check my cervical length again and it was over 5 cm so that isn't a concern which is great! The tech made me nervous though because she talked to the doc after my ultrasound, which she usually doesn't do. She said I was good to go home though so it was either nothing serious, or nothing at all. I don't know. They didn't do growth today because she said since my last one was Dec. 30 it wouldn't tell us much. We need 4-5 weeks between checks to really make it worth while.

I just left feeling uneasy. I should have asked more questions but didn't for whatever reason. I see my doc again on Jan. 27 so I'm sure if there is a question on something with the baby they will look again then. I'm probably being a paranoid pregnant chick. I'm not exactly rational these days!!! I cried for an hour last week because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to eat and I was hungry.

At today's ultrasound we got to see Addison practicing her breathing, that was cool! Oh, and the little booger is BREECH, AGAIN!!! What is this kid doing to mama? She was breech at 24 weeks, head down at 26, and now breech again at 28. Fickle child. We also got a cool 3d profile shot. I know I haven't uploaded my last 3 ultrasounds now. I'll try to get to it this week, but with school now I'm just so damn tired at night. I have to go to bed EARLY tonight because I have to be at my appointment tomorrow at 7:45 am and I'm used to getting up at 9, yuck.







28 Weeks; Monday, January 12, 2009



I'm exhausted as always. My low back and hips are killing me today from trying on clothes yesterday. Sounds silly, but 2 hours of putting pants on and off and bending over really got to me. Yeeeouch!!! I've been terribly thirsty lately too. It's been for a while actually. It could be a side effect of the procardia.

Here is the belly shot...

I'm up 25 pounds at 28 weeks. I'm hoping I start to slow down. That kid has enough fat reserve in my thighs and ass now. Oh well, it'll be what it will be and as long as we are healthy, I don't care. I'm still not quite to my "fat weight" (my heaviest point a few years ago before I started exercising). I'm getting damn close though!

Tomorrow we see the OB again and I have lots of questions. Hopefully we'll get some answers.

Oh, and Addison says hi. She has been kicking and flipping in circles the entire time I have been on here. She's so cute.







So Damn Tired; Thursday, January 8, 2009



This week has been rough contraction wise. I know it is because I'm not resting anymore, I'm running around working. I've had to take my meds every 6 hours, which has totally fucked my stomach up again. But I have to keep that baby in there!!! I thought I was going to puke during my class today, not pretty. I think after this week I will be off my feet more though. Right now I'm running around getting things ready. The admin assistant for our group has been awesome helping me out though! She keeps reminding me to sit down and doing things for me so I won't have to get up. I'm lucky to have someone to help look after me because you all know my stubborn ass, I'm not good at sitting.

Off to bed. It's 10 pm, the latest I've been awake all week and I'm exhausted. My days are busy, my nights are restless, and I can't wait to sleep all weekend!!! Seriously, ALL DAMN WEEKEND!!!







Third Trimester!!!; Monday, January 5, 2009



Finally, the home stretch! I swear this is the longest pregnancy in history. I got pregnant in July, JULY, that was FOREVER ago!!! Maybe that is why Addison is trying to get out already, because she has been in there for what feels like a year already. Here is the 27 week belly shot...

I started at UE today. Growing life and prepping for classes is a lot of work, but it went pretty well. I was very bad about staying off my feet, but so far I've felt decent. I'm hoping I don't pay tomorrow though, sometimes there is a day delay. I only had a few contractions today, nothing I could time at all which is awesome! The last couple of days I've taken 1 of my contraction pills before bed and that has been it. I seem to get more at bedtime. Maybe it's just quiet and I actually notice them more, not sure, but they have definitely improved so I'll take that.

My nerve pain is on and off. It's waaay worse when I carry anything, even just my purse. Makes it a little hard to get around campus with stuff, but I'll manage. Water aerobics started back up tonight, finally, which I'm hoping will help too. It feels so good to bob around in the water. I could tell we had 3 weeks off though, my legs were burning. The other mamas were feeling the same way too. They shouldn't make us take that long off. Darn holidays.

Here are a few images from New Year's Eve I never posted. Tim and Cheryl have more they need to email me since our camera batteries died early in the die, booo.

Addison's aunt Angie and cousin Savannah

Madeline and Makenzie









Dumb, Dumb Daddy; Friday, January 2, 2009



Happy 2009!!! We celebrated at Cheryl's by eating ourselves silly, playing Wii, and I chugged an entire bottle of sparkling grape juice. Not a good idea by the way for the colon the next day. Ew!

Last night Josh was arguing with me that Addison should be spelled with 1 'd'. Um, no, dumbass. All us girls at my mom's agreed it was 2 d's and the boys thought 1. Sorry boys, vagina trumps penis, 2 d's it is. Seriously, Adison, that just looks stupid!!!

I spent yesterday with a pinched nerve on the left side of my low back. It hurt so fucking bad. It got worse as the day went on and started locking up totally by the end of the day! I couldn't move my left leg at all. Stupid fucking nerve. I had an awful pain behind my right knee too. She was definitely pinching some sort of nerve. She's on another nerve today, but not in my back. Instead this one is straight down to her exit point. Why does this kid insist on being such a pain, literally?

I keep forgetting to share too that she has been having hiccups the last week or so. She is so dang low that I swear someone could hear them out my ass if they tried. It feels like a little kick but with a rhythmic beat. It is kind of fast, like almost one beat a second, but it lasts for several minutes and has such a rhythm to it. It's very strange. It's been about the same time every day too. It's good because it means she is practicing breathing and swallowing, which she will need to be an expert at before she gets out here.







Ultrasound Number 12; Tuesday, December 30, 2008



The appointment today took FOREVER!!! I got there at 2:30 and waited, and waited, and waited. At 3 Josh said he was on his way so I waited for him to get there and then at 3:30 finally asked if I had been forgotten. Yup! The ultrasound tech said she didn't know I was there and felt very bad. She checked my amniotic fluid and it was good. She did measurements on Addison and she averaged out to 26weeks 5days, so a couple of days ahead so that is good too. She was 1 lb. 15 oz. today, in the 48% percentile. Her head and legs measured 28 weeks though! My guess she is tall and lanky, with a big old noggin just like her daddy. Oh, and the lady did some 3d shots and she had her mouth gaped wide open again! Josh ALWAYS watches tv, plays on the computer, etc. with his mouth wide open and I'm constantly making fun of him for it. Well, my daughter got the fly catching gene apparently. Then she checked my cervical length and my cervix is abnormally LONG! What? I didn't know that was possible. It isn't a bad thing at all, it's good, but really long. It was almost 6 cm. Addison's head is shoved REALLY far down too. Crazy kid. With all of the contractions I've been having I am very lucky, and thankful to know it hasn't caused any dialation. I'll keep being good and taking my pills and hopefully we won't have to worry about that for at least 10 more weeks.

After my ultrasound we waited ANOTHER hour before seeing the doc, blah! Luckily we had a tv with People's Court on to pass the time. That and my loud farting in the waiting room kept us plenty entertained. :) The OB we saw today was not my regular one, but I really liked her. She is actually the one I saw the first time I went to the hospital with contractions. We talked about how shitty I feel when I take the procardia and she said that was normal and not harming the baby. I can live with it then, especially since it seems to be working. She also said since my cervis is nice and long But I can do my water aerobics still when it starts back up next week! YEAH! The contractions get pretty intense when I move around too much so I still have to take it easy, but at least I shouldn't have any trouble starting work.

I'm really freaking tired so no scanning ultrasound pics tonight. Now I have 2 sets to scan in. I'll get around to it eventually. Right now I have to work on my syllabus and get some damn sleep.







26 Weeks; Monday, December 29, 2008



First things first, belly shot...

Now for today's drama, ugh!!! I had two MONSTER contractions in the wee hours of the morning. The first was sooo much pressure I felt like my entire ass was going to explode. It was odd. The second one was painful, but the pressure was not quite as bad. When I woke up was doing well though, until about 4:30 pm when they started again, but were spaced pretty far apart.

I was talking with Josh in the living room when I got dizzy and fell backwards on my ass! A pain shot up my tailbone and I tried to catch myself with my right hand so that wrist and elbow were throbbing. I think Addison and I are okay though, I will just be a bit sore tomorrow I'm sure. She was rolling around in there like a mad woman afterwards and her heartrate was fine so that was comforting.

After dinner though, more drama... the contractions went to 2 minutes apart!!! It only lasted about 30 minutes, but still, that is a lot of contractions in that time. I was not pleased and they were hurting like hell. I took my prescibed dose of 2 pills instead of trying to get away with 1 since they were so bad. It did the trick and they slowed to 8 minutes, then 11, and then stopped completely. Whew, scary! I probably should have gone to L&D, but they stopped so that would have been a waste. It's so hard to know when to go and when not to. Having the doppler at home helps. When the contractions are painful or close I check baby's heart beat and make sure it is okay. I caught it dipping yesterday during contractions, but was recovering quickly when the contraction stopped so I wasn't too worried.

I'm very glad the medicine did the trick tonight and I hope it keeps working so I can start teaching next week. NEXT WEEK, AHHH!!!







Not So Bad; Sunday, December 28, 2008



Today wasn't too bad, I've had worse. I had more normal morning contractions, but then they quite and didn't start again until about 2 pm. That seems to be my magic contraction time the last few days. I was able to get away with only 1 pill again though so that is nice! It makes me feel loopy, but not near as bad and I usually don't puke on 1. Sweet. Addison has been plenty active today. Actually, even more than normal for her, which is just insane!!! She has her foot jammed up under my rib. I don't know if she is stuck and trying to move it, or just enjoying having it jammed there, but she needs to move it and quit kicking me! It's sweet, but mama needs a rest every now and then.

Today we went to the Mass of the Innocence at church, a special mass in rememberance of those lives lost too soon such as Munchkin. There was a candle lit for every baby/child being remembered there, and all the candles were burning calmly, expect Munchkin's. Addison was bouncing in my belly and Munchkin's candle was bouncing. I guess all my kids are wild, on earth and in heaven. ;)

I got out of the house quite a lot today and that really helped my spirits! We went to the mall and I walked into JC Penney's and tried on bras. I was hurting after that though so back into the wheelchair I went. Even that way it was nice to be out too. Josh wheeled me around Target too and piled me up high with stuff. Then we had dinner at my parents and now I'm home with my feet up, on drugs, chugging my water like a good girl.

I was just looking back at the beginning of my pregnancy and saw I ran two 5k races while pregnant. I was also running about 15 miles a week for the first several weeks. Then the spotting got worse and I had to rest. Once the second trimester hit I was free to exercise again. I had finally got to 4 days a week again and now blah, I'm on bedrest. If I follow my normal pattern though, I'll be back to doing stuff in a few weeks! *** FINGERS CROSSED ***







Addison's Presents; Saturday, December 27, 2008



Addison sure was spoiled this Christmas and she hasn't even been born yet! Mommy enjoyed unwrapping everything though and she will be here soon to enjoy it too.

Addison's Presents!!!

Addison with her present from Santa

Outfits from Cheryl and Lance, this one matches her room!

Outfit from Tim and Angie

Picture frame from her cousin Savannah, it matches her room!

Outfits from Nana and Pappy (my parents)

From Josh's aunts and uncles, she also got a rattle but I didn't get a pic

Outfits from grandma and grandpa Howe (Josh's parents)

From mommy and daddy

Contractions are coming and going still. My medicine is making me puke now so I'm trying to take as little as possible. I feel like crap when I take my meds, but when I don't I contract. It's a no win situation and I'm BORED!!!







Merry Christmas Still; Friday, December 26, 2008



Today is Christmas with my immediate family so for me, it's still Christmas, yeah! Therefore... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I hope everyone had a good one. I'm doing pretty well. I have been extremely diligent about staying off my feet. We've had three Christmas celebrations so far with one more today, and at each I layed on a bed or couch. I even went to church in a wheelchair so I didn't have to walk from the car and stand during the ser