Update

Had my weekly NST today.  She was a bit sleepy today and needed some stimulation from this weid buzzer thingy to get going.  My blood pressure was a bit elevated, and there was a bit more protein in my urine than last time.  So, with all those factors not in my favor I do get to get a glimpse at her on Monday.  They are going to do a "growth ultrasound" to make sure she is at the appropriate size for the # of weeks I am (36 weeks Monday).  I am told by the Maternal Fetal Specialist that he wants this done in case they have to deliver me early.  He just wants to make sure she is big enough.  I delivered Macie at 37 weeks and she was 7 lbs. so I am hoping that we are in the same ballpark there!  I get a little excited at the prospect of delivering early, but of course I want her to be healthy and cook as long as needed.  I am very uncomfortable- having frequent contractions cramping, back hurts, no sleep, etc., but I know that the end result is what's important and wonderful and that's what matters.  "Short term pain for long term gain", right???  I have to keep repeating that right now. 
Guess more waiting.....ugh.  I will know more on Monday, and maybe have an idea when we get to meet the little one. 

Onto other things:  Phil is coming home tomorrow night and Macie and I could not be more excited.  He's been gone almost a week and we miss him terribly.  Macie and I have been pampered and spoiled at my parents house for the past week.  We have had awesome home cooked meals every night, a nice cozy bed, relaxation and some very nice family time.  We want to thank Grandma and Papa for pretty much giving up their home and their daily routine for us for the past week.  I know it wasn't easy having a crabby pregnant lady waddling around complaining.  Macie has had such a good time.  She has been going to bed earlier every night since all she does is run around all day long!!!!  Thanks Mom and Dad. 

35 Week Appointment

Had my 35 week appointment yesterday. Nothing new to report. I gained a pound so my total is 21 lbs. so far. I am starting to swell so am sure the pounds will really start coming on now!!! Still protein in my urine, but my blood pressure has actually been fairly low. I will still have my weekly NST's on Thursdays at 11:00 until I have her.

Phil left for Cleveland on Saturday and Macie misses her daddy so much. She is enjoying hanging out with Grandma and Papa, but still looks around for Daddy and is constantly saying "Dada". Poor thing, has to be very confusing for her. Phil REALLY hates being away from her. This is the longest he and I have been away from eachother and it has to be extra hard now that he's away from his baby girl!!! I send him a picture of her everyday so I think that helps a bit. I tried to get her to talk to him on the phone, but the minute she heard his voice, she had a major meltdown!!! No more of that.

Blogger is not cooperating with me AGAIN.  I can't find spellcheck so my apologies for any misspellings!

16 Months

I am still only doing letters every 3 months now, but wanted to post some cute pictures.
You are walking/running now, and it's so cute, and soooo much easier on Mommy!!! You insist on carrying something at all times when you are walking, must help with your balance (or at least you think it helps).

15/16 Month Check up

Macie had her 15 month check up today (really ended up being at 16 months due to us just having her there not too long ago for illness).

Her stats:

Weight: 26 pounds (90th percentile)
Height: 31 inches (95th percentile)
Head: 19 1/2 inches (95th percentile)

Diagnosis: Healthy, tall, and super smart!!! At least that's Mommy's diagnosis.

Seems our "healthy, tall, and super smart" kid has some stinky pits. We've tried different things to help with it, but nothing is working. The Dr. is going to call an Endocrinologist tomorrow to see what/if he recommends anything. Probably do some blood work to rule out diabetes, thyroid issues, and metabolic problems. We'll know more soon. Yes, we have a stinky kid.....poor thing.

Today was the day of Dr.'s appointments. I had my first NST today. Seems everything went good since the baby was reacting appropriately to stimuli, and just normal movement. I also had an appt. with my OB- blood pressure was good, baby's heartrate was 130 and I am measuring 34 weeks. Not much to report....a good thing!

34 Weeks

Had my first of two 34 week appointments today. My blood pressure was nice and low this time. I am still spilling protein in my urine unfortunately. I will now go in for a weekly Non Stress Test until I deliver. I am waiting for a call back from the Maternal Fetal Specialist to see what day this week they can do my first one.
How is one supposed to rest with the following orders:
1- Drink tons of water. I spend most of my time trying to get my tank ass off the couch to go pee 500x a day.
2- You will have two appointments every week with the OB office, and now 1 appointment weekly with the Maternal Fetal Specialist. That requires me to get ready and get out of the house 3 days a week. Granted, it's not strenuous, but it's not RESTING!

That's all for now, sorry about the bitching. I just want to be "normal" again....whatever that is.

Update

I went over to the hospital yesterday to turn in my "jug o' pee" and to have some blood work done. Today was my follow up appointment for blood pressure and the test results.
My blood pressure was still elevated, no shock there. I also am spilling a fairly large amount of protein in my urine. This is an indicator of the beginning stages of preeclampsia. Here is some info. I found. Much better than me trying to explain it.
What Is Preeclampsia?
Also referred to as toxemia, preeclampsia is a condition that pregnant women can get. It is marked by high blood pressure accompanied with a high level of protein in the urine. Women with preeclampsia will often also have swelling in the feet, legs, and hands. Preeclampsia, when present, usually appears during the second half of pregnancy, generally in the latter part of the second or in the third trimesters, although it can occur earlier.
How Can Preeclampsia Affect My Baby?
Preeclampsia can prevent the placenta from receiving enough blood, which can cause your baby to be born very small. It is also one of the leading causes of premature births and the difficulties that can accompany them, including learning disabilities, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and hearing and vision problems.

What Is the Treatment for Preeclampsia and Eclampsia?The only real cure for preeclampsia and eclampsia is the birth of the baby.

Mild preeclampsia (blood pressure greater than 140/90 that occurs after 20 weeks of gestation in a woman who did not have hypertension before; and/or having a small amount of protein in the urine can be managed with careful hospital or in-home observation along with activity restriction.

If the baby is pre-term, the condition can be managed until your baby can be safely delivered. Your health care provider may prescribe bed rest, hospitalization, or medication to prolong the pregnancy and increase your unborn baby's chances of survival. If your baby is close to term, labor may be induced.

The treatment for more severe preeclampsia (having vision problems, lung problems, abdominal pain, fetal distress, or other signs and symptoms) may require more emergent treatment -- delivery of the baby -- irrespective of the baby's age.

So, what does this mean for me and the baby? I have been instructed to "not do much of anything". I am to lay on my left side most of the time, drink lots of water, and relax. Oh yeah....and not lift Macie. I did explain to the Dr. that that was nearly impossible. I understand why they don't want me to do it, and I understand the instructions but they also understand that I am going to have to lift her from time to time. Phil has been awesome in helping me with a lot. He brings her up for her naps, brings her down, puts her in the highchair, gives her baths,etc. Unfortunately, he can not be here all the time...one of us has to work!!! My parents have been a huge help too and have been taking her for a few hours and/or days if I need to go to the Dr., or just need to "rest". I can't express enough how grateful I am to all of them for their help. I also am very grateful that Macie is walking now. That makes things a bit better in the lifting department.
I got a little off track there. I go back to to the Dr. on Monday and I will be scheduled for a Non Stress Test. They hook me up to the monitors for about an hour and record the baby's heart rate and my contractions. They want to make sure that the baby's heart rate is reacting properly to stimuli and movement. It helps them determine if the baby is getting enough oxygen, or if the baby is under any stress.
So...more waiting, and worrying, and wondering. I'm not good at any of those, and can't imagine it's good in this situation. Obviously the main goal is to keep all this under control so that she can bake a little bit longer.
I am so bummed, frustrated, nervous, etc. This pregnancy was going along very well, and so much different than with Macie and then all this came about! I don't have the swelling and rapid weight gain that I had with her, but I am told to keep an eye out for it so it must be in my future.
That's all for now...I am off to go lay on my left side. I have so much to do with the nursery, etc. Guess it can wait!

33 Week- Headless belly shot

I haven't done a belly shot in a while. I am HUGE!!! It's a 20lb baby in there you know.....

Now that I am off work.....

I should probably be doing all that laundry I have been putting off for so long.





Say CHEESE!!!!

Follow up appointment- 33 weeks

Where to start? How about the good news? Only gained 1 pound.....that's all I got for good news.
When I got home from work on Friday my back was killing me, but I didn't think much of it since my back hurts even when I am not working. I decided to come home and take it easy for a little bit. While I was laying down I decided to check my blood pressure and it was 150/100- yikes! Shortly after that I started cramping and the back pain was awful, and I was noticing somewhat of a pattern. I was having contractions about 6 minutes apart...oh crap. I finally broke down and called the Dr. He told me to take two Tylenol, drink a bunch of water and lay down for 2 hours. The contractions went to 12, 15, 20 min. etc., and then went away.....phew!!!
I went in today for a follow up on my elevated BP last Tuesday. It was elevated again today, but I got the added bonus of having protein in my urine. This didn't happen when I was pregnant with Macie until the day I was induced with her. Needless to say, I was a little surprised since this pregnancy has been so different. I have minimal swelling, minimal headaches. There really hasn't been much going on to concern me. After the physician's assistant did all her "stuff" she said "I am going to go talk to the Dr.". That can't be good....I don't see him very often right now. He came in and proceeds to tell me that he's concerned about the protein and I am to stop working ASAP. Say what??? I tried to bargain with him for a bit, but he wasn't going to change his mind. I only work two days a week for crying out loud! I am supposed to "rest"....HA....he doesn't know me.
Anyway, now I have to pee in a jug for 24 hours and go to the hospital Thursday for some tests. And I also get to go to the Dr. two times a week now. So, guess it's the waiting game now to see what the results tell us.
BUMMER....big, big bummer. We need this baby to bake longer!

I think we can finally say.....

Macie is a walker. I've been trying for a week to get her on video and this is the best one I have.

32 Week appointment and a HUGE thanks.

Had my 32 week appointment today. This is the part where I say "all is well". Yeah, not this time. Nothing horrible, just not as "well" as the other appointments have gone to this point. My blood pressure was high- 140/90. We are hoping it has something to do with the HORRIBLE cold I have right now that was passed on to me from my little sweetie. I haven't felt this crappy in a very long time, and not being able to medicate myself is making it very difficult to cope with. Poor me.....So, now I go back in a week instead of two to check the BP again.
Baby's heart rate was 135, I gained one pound in two weeks....REALLY? With everything I ate over the holidays???? I LOVE the scale at the Dr.'s office.
I want to send out a HUGE thank you to my parents and my brother. My Dad and brother came this morning and picked Macie up and watched her all day so that I could rest. It took some persistence on my moms part to convince me it was a good idea, and I am so glad she did. I got a nap in and some serious couch time. Thanks Mom, Dad and Mark for helping out the crabby, sick, pregnant chick.

Happy New Year!!

We went out for a very nice dinner with Susie, Nelson and Jaden this year for New Years Eve and to celebrate Phil's birthday. Thanks for celebrating with us!!! I didn't get any pictures since it didn't really seem appropriate at the restaurant. We were home pretty early since Macie has been fighting a cold for a few days, and we sadly didn't even make it until midnight....god we are old!!!

Macie is now ringing in the new year with a nasty cold. I did manage to get a picture of her looking rather pathetic, it's so sad. My poor baby!