Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Deluge Begins

Today, we drove home from Atlanta (from visiting my dad's side of the family) and unloaded a mound of baby stuff. Then abotu 3 hours after we got home, mom and dad came by and unloaded another mound! I don't know what we are going to do with all this stuff! Who knew that babies needed this much!? I guess it is ok though since the majority of it is going to Jesse's mom's house for her to have duplicates of everything. We are pretty lucky because even though I have to go back to work after 6 weeks, Cecilia will not have to go to daycare. Jesse's mom will be keeping her! This is a huge relief because that way I know she will be getting excellent care and she won't be exposed to all those germies! Well, I need to go start weeding through all the stuff so that I can decide what is staying here and what is going to Mrs. Billie's. Hopefully, this won't take long!

I will be uploading pictures from our many Christmas adventures during the next couple of days, so check back!

Friday, December 28, 2007

My trip to the UAB ER


Well, I know I said I wouldn't go but after a good threatening from my parents, I gave in and went to the ER at UAB. We chose UAB because we figured that they would have the most comprehensive care for someone pregnant and sick. What we didn't know however, is that even at the ER, they don't treat pregnant people!

Here is the run-down of how it went:

7:20pm-We walked in to the ER and were asked if I needed to see a doctor. I said yes. The man at the desk then asked what my problems were and I told him about having a sinus infection and not being able to get seen by any other doctors since I am pregnant. At that point, a blank stare came over his face and he called over a supervisor. They told me to have a seat in the triage room and the nurse would be with me ASAP. A nurse came in and did the triage and then said that they would more than likely be transferring me to "MEU" (Maternity Evaluation Unit) since I was past the 16 week mark. I was then immediately moved into another room and was set up with a fetal heart monitor and a doctor came in within 15 minutes. (I have to say this was the speediest I have ever been seen and dealt with at any ER!! ---especially since the waiting room was completely packed-probably 100 or more people in there) The doctor came in and listened to my chest and said I would definitly be transferred to the MEU. Within about 10 more minutes, I was being wheeled through the corridors of the hospital. 2 skybridges and 3 elevators later-We ended up in the MEU approximately 2 BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE ER. How we got there I do not know. I was seen by 2 nurses who didn't know why I was there and then I was seen by a resident. During the exam by the resident-more fetal heart monitoring, etc-she was paged to go catch a baby, so she left. About 1 hour later, I was seen by the Fellow and the Resident again, who said that I needed a shot of steroids and then I could go home. At this point, mom showed up--I have no idea how she found us b/c we didn't have a clue where we were in the hospital and all Jesse had told she and dad was that they were moving me to MEU. We waited for about 1 more hour and then the nurse came in and gave me a shot. I packed my things and we headed for home. 12:00am-total time in ER/MEU-4 hours 40 minutes.


What I learned from my experience:

1. Hospital beds are not comfortable

2. Bring your own pillows-1 is not enough for a pregnant person who can't lay flat on her back

3. Dropping the word "pregnant" in the ER actually got us seen faster!

4. Steroids make it very hard to go to sleep at 12:30am

5. Jesse is a great bedside nurse-he went and got mom and I milkshakes while we waited on the shot and discharge papers! (he obviously knows the way to my heart-Milkshakes & French Fries!!

6. Cell phones don't get good reception in the MEU


Now, if we could just get Jesse well, we would be good to go!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

so incredibly pissed!

Ok, so most of you know that I was sick about 2 weeks ago and was feeling horrible. Well, its baaackkkk. I am again sick and this time with a sinus infection. But guess what-I can't get a doctor to freaking see me because I am pregnant! I mean what do they go to medical school for if not to treat people who are sick? I am sure that I am not the only person with some other pre-existing condition that comes into doctors' offices sick with something as common as a sinus infection. I mean seriously!!! So, my OB said that sicne the Z-pack didn't completely heal me the first time, she wants me to be seen by an internist. Well that is all fine and good and all but my internist who I have been going to for the past 3 years won't see me because I am pregnant. So I decided to go to the next best thing-American Family Care. Let me re-iterate American FAMILY Care. Guess what, not only did they have a 2 hour wait (and they don't accept appointments) but they won't see me either because I am pregnant. You know what they told me---Go see your OB or go to the ER. Really---THE ER FOR A SINUS INFECTION????!!! Do you know that it would cost me $150 to go to the ER? Not to mention the fact that THIS ISN"T AN EMERGENCY!!! I just have a freaking sinus infection. I have had 100 of them in my lifetime and know that I just need an antibiotic so that it doesn't turn into Bronchitis or Pneumonia. There has to be another option other than a Z-pack for someone who is pregnant. I mean, pregnant people get sick all the time right?! They tell you your immune system is lowered when you are pregnant so that your body doesn't reject the baby. If that is the case, then why won't anyone treat me when I am pregnant?!

I am on the search now....if you know of a doctor that will see me-please let me know. Just email me or leave me a comment on this page. Either way, I have to do something because I can't go on being miserable and snotting my brains out like this!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Two Things

Ok-so while Jon & Kate Plus 8 (shown on TLC and Discovery Health) is on commercial, I thought I would post my two great discoveries of late.

1. Silpat's are GREAT!! A silpat, for those who don't know, is a non-stick sheet that you put on your cookie sheet when you are baking something. This sheet keeps everything, and I mean everything, from sticking. It also creates perfectly crisp bottoms and cooks very evenly. A great invention and possible gift idea for those cooks out there.

2. I got the best thing ever at Target! It is a red velour jogging suit that is maternity!!! It is so cute and SOOOO incredibly comfortable. It even has a little bow that ties over the top of your tummy to show that you are pregnant and not just fat. I love it and am considering wearing it to work this week.

So, those are my two things for today. Too bad it isn't Tuesday and then this could have been titled, Two for Tuesday. Maybe I could start a trend and do that every Tuesday. Oh, and I couldn't take a picture of me in the jogging suit b/c Jesse is working late and the batteries in my digital camera are dead. Hopefully, I will get new batteries this week so I can take Christmas pictures of the family.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Babies R Us

So, this afternoon (after much begging and pleading) Jesse and I went to Babie's R Us and tried out strollers. We had a good time but let me say---We are TOTALLY CLUELESS when it comes to strollers. It took about 4 different people to show us how to collapse, unfold and attach the baby seat to each of the strollers. At one point, it became comical and Jesse said outloud, "Are you sure we are qualified to have a baby if we can't figure out the stroller?!" I am guessing that we are not the only ones to have this happen though because there were several other couples doing the exact same thing as us. Now, this was supposed to be a fact-finding mission on my part but half-way through Jesse asked me a question he should not have, "Are you going to get the gun (also known as a zapper or price scanner) so that we can register or what?" Amazed that he would even be interested in this, I said "of course" and we headed over to the registry table. The woman was very nice and Jesse was more interested after I said he could use the "gun" to scan everything. We were given a book with commonly scanned items and their barcodes so that we didn't have to walk around the entire store. Our first stop was in the feeding section, followed by the safety section. Jesse picked out the tub, some bottles, a drying rack and fireplace edge covers (for the safety of the baby at his parents' house and ours). We then scanned the stroller, pack-n-play and the swing we wanted. Jesse even asked if we should register for formula! I told him not to though since we don't know about the whole formula breastfeeding thing yet. Anywho, we were there for about 1 hour and it was actually a pleasurable experience. On the way home, we stopped at ColdStone Creamery and got treats for ourselves. Now, all we need to do is to have several of our friends/relatives, etc look over the registry and tell us if we forgot anything.

So-here is the registry number-for some reason there are 2 under our names but only one has items on it-#69962788. Feel free to check it out and let us know if we missed anything crucial! www.babiesrus.com is the website. Have a good week!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

He finally gave in

Jesse called me yesterday at work and said something that he never says-"I'm sick." I think that in the 8 years that we have been together, he has only been sick about 3 times. I mean he gets the occasional short-lived cold (by short-lived I mean a couple of hours max) but other than that, he just doesn't get sick. According to him, he has a "superior immune system" and this means that even when exposed to the most random teratogens, he never catches anything. He actually left work early yesterday, beat me home and was in bed asleep when I got home at 5:30. This was surprising! I attempted to get him to take some medication-Benadryl, Tylenol, Robitussin, etc. but he refused. The only thing that I did get him to take was a glass full of Alka-Seltzer Cold. I tried to tell him that he had a temperature but he refused to take anything, saying that his immune system would recover more quickly if he let it do its job without interference. To that I said, "whatever" and left him to sleep in the bed. Amazingly enough, he was up and at-em this morning at 6:45 am for 2 appointments he had with prospective clients. He sounded better and looked better, saying that he thinks he's probably "over it". Needless to say, I will be impressed if he makes it through the rest of the evening without starting to feel crappy again.

So, this leaves us with another question: Who's immune system will Cecilia get? Mine-I get every virus and bacteria and have the most random ailments-or Jesse's-who never gets sick. Let's hope that she leans towards Jesse's side on this one!

On another note, I have been checking out various types of baby things-strollers, car seats, monitors, etc. I would appreciate suggestions from other mom's out there as to which brands and items they like the best. I have been asked several times if I have registered yet, which I have not, so I am assuming that I probably need to start thinking about that kind of stuff. Leave me comments on what you like/dislike so that I can make informed decisions!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Finally getting better

So-after 5 days of being sick, I am finally getting better! I called my OBGYN on Tuesday and told them I needed something other than Tylenol to help speed my recovery. They called in a Z-pack, which is a MIRACLE drug. Now, don't get me wrong-I am still very tired and am coughing all the time, but that is better than feeling like complete poop!

Also, I went to the doctor today for my regular checkup. She measured my fundal height (the size of my uterus from the outside) and then listened to Cecilia's heartbeat. She said that things look and sound great! She also said that I don't have to come back for 4 weeks!!! This is the first time I haven't had to go back in 2 weeks since I found out I am pregnant. I am also going to start the rotation between all the doctors at the practice. I saw Dr. Sparks on Monday (for my sinus/throat thing) and I am scheduled to see Dr. Favor on January 11. Maybe, if I can get to feeling better, I can actually get the point that I can "enjoy" the pregnancy. We'll see though. I still think I won't be completely reassured until I am holding Cecilia in my arms. 18 more weeks!!!

Jesse is working late tonight, so I plan on reheating leftovers from last night and crawling in bed to watch TV. Will continue to update!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

The Greatest

It's official-Jesse is the best husband in the whole world! The last two days have been so crappy. As you all know, I have been sick with a sore throat. Well, last night around 2am, things got pretty bad. My throat had gotten progressively more sore throughout the day and at 2am, it was so sore that I couldn't sleep or swallow due to the pain. Jesse was so concerned that he called two different 24 hour nurse lines to try to make sure I was ok. The nurse at the Mayo Clinic Line did a complete assessment over the phone and came to the conclusion that I needed more fluids and Tylenol for the pain. I have been drinking hot tea like it is going out of style. Jesse's dad, Mark, had even brought a new can of it for me from the store (Panda Berry from Republic of Tea-carried at Barnie's Coffee and Tea). I broke down last night and took 2 Tylenol and a Benedryl which knocked me out for a few hours. This morning, however, I was not any better. Today, I called my OBGYN's office (answering service) and spoke with the doctor on call, who said I probably have Strep and need to come in tomorrow morning for a culture. He called me in a prescription of Tylenol 3 with Codeine and said if the Strep test is positive, they will give me antibiotics. All I care about right now is being able to swallow without gagging and being able to sleep. Jesse is gone right now to pick up the Rx and to get me some saline nose spray and Gatorade. He has been so attentive and has even brought be orange juice and rubbed my back. It is moments like these that you really appreciate those who love you. I think he is the best (and no, this isn't the Codeine talking) and he is taking wonderful care of me. Think about me tonight when you are sleeping and wish for me a more restful night. Also, be glad that you aren't the poor nurse or doctor that has to take calls at 2am from frantic husbands!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

It finally all caught up with me

Well, I think that all of the activities of the week have finally caught up with me. I have been in bed sick all day. I have very little voice and am congested. The sucky thing about it is that I can't take my favorite remedy-Zicam and Theraflu. Instead, I am relegated to Hot Tea (don't worry-it is Black Tea not labor inducing green tea) and plain white bread. I have watched about 50 hours of tv it feels like and now I am checking all of my favorite sites on the internet. Here is a snapshot of what my week looked like:

Monday-work then doctor appt then christmas shopping
Tuesday-work then Dirty Santa Ornament Swap
Wednesday-work then possum hunting then Auburn Basketball game with the fam.
Thursday-work then crashed out in bed
Friday-work then Jesse's office Christmas Party (which went REALLY WELL by the way)
Saturday-woke up with sore throat, no voice and congestion

For those who know me, you know that if I get thrown off my routine and miss more than a few hours of sleep a week-I get sick. So, here I am wondering how my body will adjust when we have Cecilia around!? I guess we will see....19 1/2 weeks and counting!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Same old Same Old

Well, not much has happened in the past couple of days. Mom came over and tried to rid us of the possum but he/she never showed its ugly face, so that was a wasted trip. She did however find the nest....just no possum in it. I have gotten several suggestions ranging from shooting it to poisoning it to calling animal control. The problem is that it only comes out when no one expects it to-hence the reason it hasn't yet been disposed of.

Tonight is Jesse's work Christmas party at Open Door Cafe. I am a little nervous since I haven't ever met any of his new co-workers. I am sure that things will go well, I just hope that they have more than cocktails b/c it is being held during my dinner time. Food is of EXTREMELY HIGH PRIORITY to me right now.

Also, today marks the 20 week 2 day mark of my pregnancy. As of now, things are going pretty well. I have felt Cecilia move a lot today, which is reassuring considering this is the exact time in my last pregnancy that I was delivering Charlie. I am looking forward to going to the doctor on Thursday and getting yet another ultrasound. I counted the other day and I have had exactly 12 ultrasounds to date. Keep us in your prayers as we continue to progress through this.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

R.O.U.S.'s

Ok-so have you ever seen the movie, The Princess Bride? Well, if you have, you know what the above abbreviation means-Rodents of Unusual Size. About twice a day for the past several days, I have been noticing that there has been a possum on my front porch eating all of the cat food. Well, today when I came home, there he/she was again! I calmly walked up to the front door and attempted to climb the two stairs when I was hissed at! That stupid creature hissed at me and wouldn't let me get to the door. Stupidly, I stomped my feet and told it to "get", which didn't work. The possum has complete control of my front porch. I called my mom and asked her what I should do and she said that possums are dangerous because they tend to be rabid and they will attack you if you challenge them (just as I had done). Well, mom told me that I didn't need to bother it because it would "tear up" my cats and dogs (and me too) if it felt threatened. She suggested that she be the one to come to the house and shoot it. Now, I am not usually one for killing animals, but this is one of the most disgusting creatures I have ever seen----and IT HISSED AT ME! So, I agreed. The deed hasn't been done yet but mom plans on coming over the next time I spot the damn thing so that she can "take care of it". This scares me a little b/c I don't want my mom to be going to jail for discharging a firearm in the city limits...but if it means I can get to the front door without being harrassed, then maybe I am ok with at least a warning from the police. I called my neighbor and she has had possums in her attic 2 times in the past month! She was totally ok with mom coming to "take care of" the dirty little varmit. So, now, I guess I just need to notify the other neighbors so that I can try to keep my mom from getting in trouble should she come and discharge her gun in an attempt to make me safer!

On another note, my grandmother-we call her Jackie, just called and said that my aunt is no longer using the dark cherry glider and ottoman in my 2-year-old cousin's room and that we can have it!!!! This is HUGE news b/c we thought we were going to have to shell out several hundred dollars to get one on our own! YEAHHHHH!! Thanks Aunt Anne!!!! (PS-her son, Eli is the one with Santa in the picture from a couple of days ago)

Monday, December 3, 2007

Fetal Anomaly Screening




Well, today I went for the Fetal Anomaly Screening at the Kirklin Clinic at UAB. We got there right before 2pm and only had to wait like 15 minutes. The ultrasound took about 30 minutes and they got detailed measurements of Cecilia's organs. They looked at her bladder, kidneys, stomach, 4 chambered heart, size of her ventricles, both sides of her brain, the circumference of her head, the circumference of her abdomen, the length of her femur, counted all 5 fingers on each hand and counted her toes on each foot. It was amazing! The only thing that I am disappointed about is that they couldn't record it on the DVD for me. You see, this is like my 12th ultrasound and I have pictures from each and DVD recordings from 5 of them. Jesse was pretty amazed at the detail you could see. After they finished taking a complete history from me, they told us that Cecilia is doing very well. She is in the 28th percentile of size, which they said is within the normal range. She is still measuring 1 week behind (I am 19 weeks 5 days and she measures 18 weeks 5 days) but they aren't worried about that. The recommended that I continue to receive ultrasounds regularly throughout the pregnancy so that we can closely monitor her growth. I go back to my normal doctor, Dr. Brown, on the 13th! As of right now, it looks like we don't have to have an amniocentisis either!




So after my day at the doctor, Jesse and I headed to the mall to get some coffee from his dad. We met with him for a little while and then we parted ways. I continued to shop, to finish the last of the Christmas list-only 2 left!! And, now, I am updating the blog. Thanks for the concerns and prayers---Keep them coming---we still have 20 more weeks left!




Oh and I picked out the bedding I like for Cecilia's room-check out the pattern at the following link:
http://www.babysupermall.com/main/products/ban/banbub0066.html
Our room will look a little different though since we have dark cherry furniture!


Sunday, December 2, 2007

couldn't wait


Ok-so I just checked my email and there was a super cute picture of my two cousins on Santa's knee. I am going ot upload it so that y'all can see just how cute they are! Last year's picture was filled with many tears from Eli's side, so this is a great one-no tears! I can't wait until I get to see them in person! Watching them open gifts is so incredible.

A regular old Sunday

Well, today was a regular old Sunday. We slept in, some of us later than others (Jesse), and then we ran some errands. I got up early (later than weekdays but early for the weekend-8:30) and then went on my merry way trying to buy dog food and pick up breakfast. I was under the impression that Pet Supplies Plus would be open at 9, like they are every other morning of the week-but alas, they do not open until 11am on Sundays. So, instead of getting dog food, I picked up McDonald's for breakfast and headed back home. After a couple of hours catching up on my TIVO recordings from the past week, Jesse finally got up and we headed to Petsmart with Kramer. We took him with us b/c he really needed a bath! While waiting for him to be coifed, we headed to Costa's BBQ for some lunch. Mine was HORRIBLE! Our bill was like $22 (before the tip) and we each only had a sandwich. They had run out of turkey, so they couldn't make the "ultimate club sandwich" that I had ordered (originally $12). Being accommodating like I am, I chose to have a BLT for my lunch. Well, they forgot the fries and the bacon was only half-cooked and they attempted to charge us the full amount for the original sandwich. We ended up with a $5 discount on the bill, which left us at $22. The food was mediocre and the prices were WAY TOO HIGH for such simple meals (not to mention that we waited almost 30 minutes for our sandwiches after they had been ordered). I guess that is the price we paid for learning never to eat there again! Naps were on the menu when we got home. Followed by picking up Kramer, who smelled 100% better. Then I cooked dinner and watched TV. This is last on my list of to-do's today, so I am now updating the blog-then it's off to bed for me.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at UAB for my Fetal Anomoly Test, which I am kind of nervous about. Friday will be the 20 week 2 day mark, which is when we lost Charlie. My hopes are that everything goes perfectly well tomorrow and this week will pass without incident. Although, nothing will ease my fears, not even the kicking I feel in my stomach at this very moment, until I have at least passed that mark and know everything is ok. I know that people say "everything happens for a reason" but I just can't help but wonder if those "things" can happen multiple times, even when everything seems to be going "ok". I will update tomorrow so that y'all can all stay abreast of the latest information. Have a good Monday.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

dinner with friends

Tonight, I am having dinner with some of my best girlfriends in the whole world. This is an annual get-together and the first one where one of us has a baby. Three of us are pregnant right now, so it should be an interesting night! We are having an ornament swap withi $5 ornaments instead of swapping gifts. We also decided as a group that instead of swapping gifts, we would "adopt" 2 angels from the angel tree at Trinity UMC. I have a whole slew of stuff in my car and can't wait to see what the other girls have purchased. I am making chicken spaghetti for my part of the pot luck dinner. I think we will probably have enough food for an army! I will update later since I need to get Jesse up from his nap so we can leave.