Bed Rest

I am ending my 30th week of pregnancy.

For the last several days I have noticed I have been getting braxton hicks a little more frequent, I have been expereincing an agonizing pain in my abdomen, and I just have not felt well. I have suspected it is fatigue, adjusting to Jims new schedule and being alone with the girls more, along with trying to continue working. I went back to work last week as I felt it was better for me. No lifting, climbing stairs ect..I could actually relax at work and have those eight hours to sit. With my pelvis issues, this was better on me and the baby...

last night at 5:00 a.m., I was wakened by pain going through my stomach and around my back. I took two tylenol, but could not get comfortable the rest of the evening...I woke up went to work, and throughout the day I consistently felt this stabbing and felt a migraine in the works....Stress? Fatigue? the pressure of trying to get all of my holiday shopping done? I had no idea what was going on..I had to stop at Target on my way home, and it was then that I almost burst into tears at the pain I was having..I called the doctor.

It appears I have begun to dialate, I am at 1 centimeter. Although the monitor picked up mild contractions I was able to go home, on bedrest..30 weeks is no time to have a baby...Traces of protein were found in my urine along with 3 seperate blood pressure readings of 140/80 which is high...If my contractions become more frequent, and I continue to dialate I will have to spend some time in the hospital, which we all know I have no time for..We also know with two small children at home and a husband who works full time and sleeps during the day, rest is going to be a chore as well. However, something has to give so I can protect this little baby...

Bedrest...hmmm

The Meaning of the babys name:

Young fighter who is like God

LOVE THIS, Thanks Leigh!

Shifted Pelvis

HOLY CRAP!

A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with this condition, very common during pregnancy. I have been home resting and seeking relief through occupational therapy as well as prenatal massage. Last night I was feeling very good, better then I have in weeks and so..I used poor judgement. I moved furniture to get room for my Christmas decorations, I took the kids to their cousins basketball game and today I attempted to put up my Christmas decorations. BIG MISTAKE.

Around 1:00 p.m. my body gave out. For hours I screeched in pain, could not care for the girls and relied on Jim more then ever. For hours I cried when I tried to walk, roll over, sit, stand..anything that relied moving my lower extremities. This is the worst pain I have ever felt, well aside from labor pain. Finally at 9:00 pm, Jim called my doctor. Of course we did not tell them about my poor judgement, just stated that I was a little more active then I have been in weeks..They prescribed vicodin, and rest. No more activities or lifting for 24 hours at least.

As nervous and unwilling as I was to take the medication, I did..I am hoping to be able to sleep..We will see...

Agh..the joys of the third trimester ...

28 weeks

Wow...I cannot believe I have made it this far with very few setbacks!

For the most part I feel amazing! This little guy makes me smile everyday. He is very, very active. I love this beacuse I never have to worry if he is doing O.K. I am beginning to think that God has had a very big role the past seven months in keeping my mind at ease. I truly believe that all of the kicks and pokes is my gift from above. He is telling me everything is going to be O.K....
There has not been one appointment where his heartbeat has been under 160 beats a minute! So much for a high heartbeat to be a sign of a girl!! Three ultrasounds has confirmed, a penis!

My belly is measuring much larger then it should. My gestational diabetes test was negative, so I am pleased...My doctors have told me on several occassions that this baby is going to be a big baby. I also think that the more pregnancies you have the bigger the belly gets! I have gained 18 pounds which my doctors say is very good, although we all know that at this point of my pregnancy, the weight begins to pile on. I am O.K. with it though...I am enjoying every part of this pregnancy!

Just last week the Linea Nigra appeared on my belly..I screamed in joy as I was worried that I have not had it as of yet. I had this with me for seven months after Emsley was born, and cried the day it disappeared. This was the last thing that keeps you and your baby physically intwined...

How easily you forget...

Here I am..only six months pregnant and lately I have found myself complaining..
I have been exhausted, so I constantly wish for more sleep...I find it difficult to find clothing that suits me, my growing body, and pieces that I like..I find myself frustrated most mornings...my legs and feet are killing me by mid-afternnon and I find myself wishing I did not have so many obligations to fulfill...I can go on and on..and yet this morning I woke up remembering where I was a year ago...

As I was brushing my teeth, I observed hanging on my mirror my Marc Jacobs "I love you" necklace. I had purchased this necklace last year in memory of my "Ten". It was at this moment I remembered where I was a year ago today..I was in the hospital grieving and wishing I could be with Olyvia on her birthday.

I find it odd how easily I have forgotten the feeling of "loss" and the sadness that broke my heart through every "disappointment". I forgot how many prayers were sent up to Heaven wishing for Emsley and praying she would be O.K.

I am embarrassed now to admit that I wish I could sleep a few more hours, or wishing I had more time for myself..I forget that for three long years I waited for my sweet "Olyvia"...

Though a tuff road I have walked, God has blessed me with more then I have prayed for. The gift of life in two amazing ways, the joy of motherhood, a "friend" for a husband and a life I never thought I would have. My complaints I am sure will never fully go away, but I hope that before I speak in any negative manner, I stop and think what I have lost and remember what I have gained.

And so it begins...

And so it begins, a little bit of everything all at once.

I am exhausted, not tired..exhausted..As any women in my shoes feels, caring for two small children and almost six months pregnant while working, well...this can really take alot out of you. There are nights when I literally cannot lift my arms or get myself to the bedroom. Where I land is where I remain for the evening..A few minor ailments have also surfaced. For one, my legs and feet go numb regurarly. If I sit too long, if I am on my feet too long, if I cross my legs, no matter what position I am in a tingling sensation comes first followed by pins and needles all the way down to my feet...Every step is also a little more painful as the baby is sitting very low. With all of this, I think back to the day we found out I was expecting, the first time I saw my baby, and the daily ritual of listening to such a sweet heartbeat..

I smile.

To keep me motivated I shop..I have already purchased the bedding, diaper stacker, mobile and pillows...you can take a peek here:
I envisison painting the top half of the walls a greyish blue and the bottom half a brown...Oh, I cannot wait to begin the nursery! I have also bought sleepers, blankets, his coming home outfit and a few odds and ends...shopping for a baby boy isn't that bad at all...

So it begins...the pregnancy aches and pains...the joy of the first purchases...and the never ending ache in my heart to hold this precious baby....

Two girls and a BOY!

Overjoyed! Thrilled! Nervous!

For the last several weeks I have found it difficult to write. My feelings and anxieties have been all over the place. I found my mind so blocked that I simply could not find the words to write. As you can tell from my blogs their has never been a time I could not find the words to express my feelings, especially when it comes to my children. However, I suspect "fear" was overpowering my sense of "trust" and "faith"...

Today all of this disappeared.

I kindly informed the Ultrasound Tech, who had read my medical history beforehand and was very sympathectic, that I could not look at the screen until she gave me the O.K..I needed to know this little person I have fell in love with was still my "little person". I needed to know when she saw the pulsing beat of a heart...

............."And there is the heartbeat Jennifer".....

Tears of relief..happiness...

The brain...perfect, the heart...perfect, the hands, feet, lips and ears, perfect! And then at a an angle looking up from the baby's bottom...A scrotum and a penis!!

IT"S A BOY!

At this very moment Jim fell apart, and his overly evident emotions made me aware of how this one question that has been lingering in our minds, boy or girl, was weighing on him so deeply...I gave him a kiss, and together we sobbed..

Our family is complete...