It's Been Awhile!

Sorry I haven't posted in quite awhile! I am still here. About 2 weeks to go to my due date. So here is an update in a bulleted format.

1. I had my synthroid increased 4 weeks ago and will get my blood levels rechecked today.


2. I have been feeling some braxton hicks contractions about 5-6 times a day. They just feel like pressure in my back or menstrual cramps.


3. Baby is head down.


4. I am measuring on time.


5. I am very swollen. Not much helps.


6. I was monitored at the hospital last Saturday, drs. thought maybe I was getting pre-ecclamptic. We were there for 5 hours, my BP was fine, had ketones in my urine. Baby's heartrate was fine. The monitor showed I was contracting a little but I didn't feel it. I think I had some sort of reaction to the heat and/or the food we ate out the night before. I have been drinking way more water and eating every 2 hours. Feeling much better.


7. My restless legs get the best of me. Some nights I only sleep 3-4 hours. I have increased my iron and b-vitamins and last night I slept 7 hours!


8. I am feeling hormonal. When I think of this beautiful miracle we have, it is a waterfall of tears!


9. I had 4 showers in one week. Three of them were surprises! It was a little overwhelmed but has helped me really see how excited our friends are and how they were really concerned for us during our infertility.


10. DH has been amazing, doing laundry, going to the grocery store, keeping the house picked up. He is nesting, too!


11. I fluctuate between being anxious about giving birth and being really excited. A huge part of me really can't believe that she is almost here.

6 weeks to go

Sorry I haven't posted in quite awhile!

We are getting ready for baby, nursery is almost ready! We have attended all our classes at the hospital and I am reading a book on breastfeeding. I really can't believe I only have 6 weeks left!

I feel tons of movement, our baby is very active. However, I have been experiencing a lot of edema and yesterday at my appointment I had protein in my urine. So, I got some blood work done and was told to lay off the salt. I am wondering if it was the Mexican food I ate the night before...

Last week I was also screened for preterm labor. I was negative for fetal fibronectin and other infections. However, my T4 was a little low so one of my doctors increased my synthroid.

I am still so overwhelmed by this gift of life we have been given. I fluctuate between being so happy and crying for my friends who haven't been able to experience this yet. Those of you still waiting, please know I am always praying for you!

Joy and Sorrow

This week has been quite busy. Monday I had my progesterone level retested and I am staying in high zone 2 so my doctors are comfortable with me discontinuing drawing levels and staying off the progesterone! Yay!!

On Saturday my great Aunt Eileen died at the age of 89. She is my maternal grandma's older sister. My grandma is one of 6 siblings (actually 7, but the first died in infancy). My grandma is the last one living.

I headed home for the funeral viewing and mass. This was the first funeral I have been to that I haven't really felt sad. Aunt Eileen wrote her own obituary, planned her funeral mass and even had planned what she would wear in the casket. She really lead a life of joy and was always a pleasure to be around. A family friend who is a deacon delivered the homily and it was so personal. The whole 2 days were really a celebration of her life and it was all so hopeful. The deacon had some powerful words about life after death and what it really means to do the Lord's will and love the catholic faith. It was so uplifting.

During the mass, I couldn't keep my hands off my growing belly. Aunt Eileen had told her daughter-in-law about my shower next weekend and that she was excited to come. I will truly miss her laughter and smile. The baby was so active during the mass, I think that she really loves being in church!

Another good part of the funeral was seeing tons of extended family. My mom has 32 first cousins, so I probably got to see about 20 or so of them and that isn't including spouses and children. I really love being a part of a big Irish Catholic family. Most importantly, I am beyond joyful bringing in a new life to our family!

Pregnancy Related Update

A little hodge podge...

I had a repeat ultrasound last week and the placenta has moved from the previa (covering my cervix) to just a low lying placenta. Good news! Not so good news...still on pelvic rest. Looks like DH's high testosterone levels will have to wait another 4 weeks. Oh, the sacrifices of Lent!

Progesterone is up in the 50's. So, I am off all progesterone for 2 weeks until I retest again.

I have been sleeping mostly through the night. Thank God! It is amazing what sleep does to my mood. I know that once we have our little one, sleep will be far away, but I want to enjoy it while it lasts.


We bought a crib and a bedding set! Actually my mom bought us the crib and mattress and my MIL bought us the crib set. I am so excited! It was so fun shopping for the crib. We went to a mennonite owned furniture store and go this great crib for $150 when it was originally $600!! We used the book, Baby Bargins, to research the crib companies and also read about mattresses. We got a foam mattress so it will be easier for me to change the crib sheet in the middle of the night.


Next weekend we have our hospital childbirth prep class. I think it will be really good for us to spend time mentally preparing for baby. I have also been reading some books on breastfeeding and labor. I am still looking forward to learning more.


Yesterday I was 25 weeks. I am feeling better about this pregnancy in terms of the baby surviving. I have a hard time knowing how worried I can be in the moment and I was really worried early on. I also felt like I was being tested in the beginning and have survived the test (so far!). Please continue to pray for me and the baby and I always pray for my sisters in infertility land.

Here is a picture of what our crib and bedding look like...

Lent

This morning I attended mass and was inspired by our pastor's simple homily. Lent is about fasting, almsgiving and prayer. After mass I went to the pool for a laps and reflected on what I could do in these categories during Lent.

Fasting
I plan on giving up TV for one day a week, on a day that I am not working and am home alone. This will not be easy! The main room I sit in is the one with the TV and I usually have it on when I am computing or for company. I hope this will lead me to read more and devote myself to completing chores that will make our homelife easier. I am also going to really try hard to not talk badly about a few people in my life that really press my buttons.

Almsgiving
This one is a tough one since my DH pays all the bills and we tithe and also send a monthly donation to the building fund of our parish activity center. I am going to talk with DH tonight about maybe donating the amount of money we would spend on eating out one night a week to a different charity throughout Lent.

Prayer
I subscribe to the Magnificat and would like to say that I will say the morning and evening prayers everyday. It is lofty, but a goal. I also plan on getting to daily mass at least 3 days a week if not more. I would also like to find time to say at least one rosary a week, but need to link it to a certain time. A good idea would be on my fasting from TV day. I also commit to remembering my Lenten Prayer buddy during my daily prayers and attendance at daily mass.

Valentines Day Significance

Exactly 10 years ago my husband and I went on our first date. It was actually a "anti-valentines day" date with a group of other friends. None of us were dating anyone but we all wanted to go out.

We went to one of our favorite hang outs and drowned our sorrows in a few beers. We all had a great time and even went back the the boys house after to watch some TV. My DH and I talked the entire night and realized that we had so much in common. At the time, I didn't want anything serious. He was going to graduate from pharmacy school in 3 months and I had no idea where my life was going.

I didn't hold out real long, we started dating in March of that same year and the rest is history. Looking back to that time in my life, everything was so uncertain. I was spending a year serving in Americorps and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I had been kicked out of school to by a physician assistant the previous year and my life dreams had to be re-done. I did get a college degree but knew I needed additional training. I did end up getting a master's degree in health education, which I don't think I would have finished without the support of my DH.

What a gift he has been to me. Sitting at that bar that night, I had no idea what the Lord was giving me. My DH is so supportive and understanding. There is no one else in the world I would have chosen to ride the roller coaster of IF and now parenthood with. He is amazing and I thank the Lord everyday for my DH.

Here is a picture from a wedding we attended in 2002. I don't have any digital pictures before that!

Cardiologist and Friends

Yesterday DH and I went to see the cardiologist for these heart palpitations I have been having. My EKG was normal and he didn't hear any murmurs. So, I got a lovely holter monitor to wear for 24 hours. I just took it back. Of course, I didn't have any palpitations while I had the monitor one. Oh, well! The cardiologist thinks that I have sinus tachycardia which means that at times my heart beats fast. He said there isn't anything that I can take to help that would be safe for the baby. My next idea is to talk with Dr. S about it possibly being my thyroid. If that isn't the answer, then I am just weird.

I think the reason the reason I had no palpitations was because I got to spend the last 20 hours with LifeHopes, Sew, and This Cross I Embrace. I got to hold LifeHopes' baby and just relax with my friends. It was a glorious time!

Today when I went to return the monitor I stopped to see my MIL. We chatted about the ultrasound and told her about the placenta previa. She had exactly the same thing when she was pregnant with my DH. She had some bleeding at about 24 weeks and was on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. I just wonder if infection plays a role here...