34 week belly pic!

Look at that cute little (okay, it's kinda big!!!!) belly. It is so round and cute! I feel like I have a beach ball in shirt. I carried alot lower with Gavin and I think I just looked fat! The best part is that this time around strangers are actually asking when I am due. That didn't happen with Gavin!

Bring on the contractions!!!

Scott came home on Saturday without a pic line, without steroids for his itching, and w/o anibiotics. Only with pain meds!!! He is glad to be home but in a lot of pain. He sees the surgeon next week to see if he will have to have anything removed. So far things look promising.

I had another visit to the doctor. My amniotic fluid is a bit on the high side, not sure what that means but they are keeping an extra eye on it. She sounds great, but I am contracting regularly. When I mentioned this to my doctor she said "Bring on the contractions. She'll be fine." I'm not sure what that was supposed to mean, but Scott feels like Mia will be here between July 5-16th. I wouldn't be surprised, although I really would like her to stay put as long as possible. I do have to say that I HATE the pains that come with pregnancy. I feel huge, and I hurt 24/7.

Good Job Momma!!!!

Yesterday I had another growth ultrasound to see how big Mia has gotten. My last one at 30 weeks she was at 5 pounds and the 93rd percentile for her weight. This time at 33 weeks she now weighs 6lbs and is 82nd percentile. Her head is HUGE though, 94th percentile. We got to see her face, Scott got to come down from his hospital room. I've worried that she was deformed because she always looked funny. This time you could see a perfectly round cute face, and lots and lots of hair floating! I just hope she has red hair!!!! The doctor was pleased that I got her weight to slow down and said "Good job, momma!" It made me happy. My next and final growth ultrasound will be in 4 weeks, 2 weeks before she is due to come!

Updates on scott! He doesn't have MERSA, nor did he have cellulitus (a form of staph) under the skin. He just have a severe reaction to spider venom. He then got a rash from head to toe from the antibiotics. They started him on a steroid to relieve him from the itch which caused him to get nauseous. Because of all that he had to stay one more night. They plan on putting a pic I.V. on him tomorrow and send him home with an I.V. so he can continue to get the meds he needs. He plans on being at work on Monday, and taking a day off next week to have the surgeon look at him to see if he needs surgery to have the dead skin removed and skin grafts. We are praying that won't be necessary.

Not for the feint of heart! Scotts Spider Bite

Scott woke up Saturday when he felt a little pinch on his arm. He went back to sleep thinking nothing of it. Woke up two hours later, and asked if it looked like a bite mark. I said it might. He went upstairs and immediately came down and said "Gen, look at me, I'm red all over and I itch like crazy" He quickly got himself dressed and went to Urgent care. The doctor heard his story, took a look and said "that isn't a spider bite, I get those. It is a histimine flare up!" He gave him a steroid shot and some meds to take to stop the histimines. Scott took the meds, the rash on his arm grew. Fast forward to 1:30 Am Monday. He wakes me up and says "Gen, I don't feel right. I'm going to the ER." Two hours later I get a call from him. As soon as a nurse looked at me she called the doctor in right away. The doctor is admitting me to the hospital. I will be here for at least the next 24 hours." At 7:30 he calls back. "I will be here until the end of the week." The next day the doctor finally admits that he has a spider bite, but it could be compounded with a staph infection. We are still waiting on the test results. I was at the hospital last night, the red part of his rash was growing but the center was still white. He sent me a picture today, and I'm SCARED!!!!! Look at what it looks like! It reminds me of pictures I have seen on brown recluse spider bites! I just hope it doesn't get to the point where he needs skin grafts! If you don't want to see the picture of what his bite looks like don't look past the space!!! It isn't too yucky, but it isn't pretty!

Bit of a scare.

A normally 45 minute appt lasted nearly 4 hours!!! I went in on Thursday for my twice weekly Non stress test. While listening to the beautiful heart rate of my daughter and feeling her kick I noticed the number for the contraction side of the monitor stay at about 5 for about 5 minutes or so and then rise to 30. I thougt that was curious, then looked at the swooping pattern on the paper. I thought to myself, "Am I having contractions?" I paid attention the next time I noticed the numbers going up and noticed that my asthma was kicking into high gear (I was wondering why I would have a tightness in my chest about every 5 minutes or so) and I felt a very slight cramp. I'm used to the cramps, considering they've happened all throughout my pregnancies. The nurse came in and you could see she was concerned. They sent me to Labor and Delivery for more monitoring. They gave me water and a shot of some medicine to stop the contrax. They also checked me internally. I am long, closed, and thick. Which was a relief. They then came back in after talking to my doc and said your good to go home. No explanations, no reasons why I was contracting nothing. I asked "Did the contractions stop?" Yes. "Is there any special instructions?" No, not really. Okay!!!!!! Now that I think about it I am a little frustrated!!! I did like the hospital doctor though. He was an older Englishman. He kept calling me little one! Which was funny since I'm about 227 pounds!!!!

Exhausting, but heavenly day!

I had my 32 week appointment today, as well as the fist of my non stress tests and modified biophysical scans. The tech said there was quite a bit of fluid and my placenta looked beautiful, which really relieved some of my concerns since that was an issue with Gavin. She is bum first and facing into my spine so I didn't get a good profile shot. I did however see a chin, and chunky cheeks (no surprise there). She was super active during the nst and I ended up being late to my regular doc appt. The good news about the non stress test and biophysical scan is that I get to see and hear her 2x a week now!!!

I delivered Gavin at a different hospital w/a different OB. When I was pregnant w/Gavin we toured the center, which is at a different hospital then Mia will be delivered at. I was extremely upset when they told me that for nurses convienience that they would take the baby away from me, wash him, weigh him, measure him and then give him to me (about 30 mins directly after giving birth) I told them that I wanted to bond with my baby first. They told me that this was procedure. This would have been if I had delivered vaginally. It was MUCH WORSE when I gave birth to Gavin. Scott and I had discussed that if anything went wrong with him that he would stay with the baby. I didn't realize that would mean me alone in a corner until I could feel my feet move! I couldn't have any visiters, NOTHING!!! I felt sooooooo alone, especially since I didn't know what was going on with my baby. It was an hour before I was wheeled out of there, and they were packing my son into an incubator and rushing him via helicopter to another hospital. I got to touch his head and that was it before they took him away. (I know I've probably shared this before. Sorry for those that are reading it again) I HATED my birthing experience! It was HORRIBLE!!

Today my OB told me that I would walk from my recovery room (which would be the room I would stay in for the entire stay except for delivery) to the or. I would get my spinal block and then Scott could come into the room. As soon as they are done stitching me up that will immediately push me to my recovery room, and I can be holding Mia (once I'm stiched up) while we are being pushed to the other room. Once we get there my mom can be in the room (in case something is wrong with Mia and they have to take her to the nursery and Scott stays with her - at least this time I won't be alone). I get to IMMEDIATELY start breastfeeding they won't even give her her first bath yet!! I will get her for about an hour (unless she needs to be taken in early because of blood sugar issues) and then Scott gets to take her to the nursery for all the mearuring, weighing, first bath and such! I will have my mom right there (and if not my mom than a dear friend from school who is like a surragate mom to me). I'm so excited! This is how I wanted things to go with gavin.

Later, after naps Scott and I took the boys to the local swimming pool. Scott surprised me with family passes to the Civic Center in the town next to us. It has an indoor and outdoor pool. We took the boys. When Gavin saw the pool he seemed excited, but as soon as we walked in the door he completly freaked out! Scott and I spent the 2 hours there holding him as he clung to our necks. The HEAVEN part was being able to walk at a normal pace and not feeling the back pain I've been in for months. I LOVED IT!!!! I however HATED coming out of the pool. I couldn't believe how gravity just pulls down on you. Mia felt 10 times heavier!!! We go back tomorrow!!! The good part is that after she is born I can go to the gym and work off some of my weight!!!

Look at those jowls!!!

I've already mentioned in my previous post that last week I had an ultrasound and Mia is weighing in at 5lbs. Well, I got a 3d pic of her, I don't think my docs 3d pics are very good next to some I see elsewhere. Anyways, here is the u/s pic of her. The line across her eyes is her arm. You can see that she has a big nose! Just like her momma and daddy. Her chin is almost nonexistent, but I think that is because her cheeks are just HUGE!!!!

first week off from school

I can't believe it has been a week since I gave my last final! There are two traveling teachers that work at the High School. I, of course, am one of them! The other is this really sweet woman that teaches Personal Finance. There was a Language Arts teacher (which is one of the subjects I happen to teach) that they did not rehire and her classroom is now sitting vacant. It has tons of Language Arts books in it and it is on the same floor and general area as the rest of the Language Arts AND foreign Languages sits. It made sense to me, and my department chair that I would get the room. However the school makes decisions about classrooms depending on the needs of the students, so I did not get that classroom. I love the finance teacher, but I also know that she has a deep rooted history with the district and I was not surprised at all when she told me she got the room. I'm fine with it. I loved sharing my room with Mauri, and I wouldn't mind sharing with her again. My main concern is traveling six weeks after major abdominal surgery!!!! My principal told me that they are working on getting another classroom set up for teaching and if that happens than both of us traveling teachers can retire our carts!!! I hope I get my own room. It is difficult having to share a room, even with someone that you admire and love! Can you imagine with someone that can't stand the site of you?

Anywho! It has been a good week. Found out that at 30 weeks Mia already weighs 5 pounds. My diabetic doctors are really concerned. They told me all the worst case scenarios, the only one I walked away with was "stillborn". I left their office and went to my regular OB. She calmed me down and said, that does happen but not as often. I was imagining a 20 pound baby, but she reassured me that Mia would be a hefty 9-10 lb baby. No newborn clothes for her! Thank goodness I only have 2 NB outfits!!!!

At church on Sunday as soon as the music started Gavin grabbed a hymn book and sang along at the top of his lungs. After the first song he said "More, more" and got frustrated that they didn't sing some more. The second song he clapped after the song ended (As he finished another soulful performance at the top of his lungs). After he once again joined in for the final song he loudly proclaimed "AMEN!" I just couldn't stop smiling.

Today I was getting the boys ready for bed as Scott was leaving for work. Gavin got away from me stark naked (Except for his socks and shoes). I struggled to get up from the couch - (jeez, I don't remember being this round and huge with Gavin) and went in search of him. Scott and I found him at the same time. He was sitting on his potty chair (which he has ignored for the past couple of months) and was reading a book. I wish I had taken a picture. Scott said "Hmmm, he takes after his mother!" I have books in both bathrooms!

Donovan really made me smile today. He held my hand as we were walking into Arby's and he said "I will get you safely to the door. Don't worry ma'am, you won't fall!" He can be such a sweet boy. I've really seen a softening in our relationship this summer that hasn't been there in the past. I've always felt he would be fine if I just disappeared from his life. He loves his dad and mom, and he just always treats me with lack of interest. He has his parents, I'm just an extra thingy! Since taking my anxiety meds I find myself less "paranoid", calmer, and I'm letting Scott do more of the disciplining. I still do some, but I don't have to be the bad guy all the time. I think I am coming to see that that has been the problem. I've been the bad guy, and now I am a calmer person.

Well, the dryer is about to signal its end. I'll be able to switch out the laundry and head for bed!