Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Doctor appointment

I went to the doctor yesterday (Tuesday) and was given a prescription for the medication Brethine (commonly called Terbutaline). This medication is supposed to keep me from having any more contractions, which I am still having (only 3-4 per hour). I didn't know much about the medication, so I looked it up on the internet. Apparently, it is a medication typically used to help treat symptoms of asthma in that it relaxes the bronchospasms that occur with asthma attacks. It works the same way on the uterus in that it relaxes the uterine muscles and reduces the strength and frequency of the contractions. The bad thing I found out is that there are a lot of law suits against the makers of the drug because it has been known to cause developmental delays, speech problems and autism. I have not been able to find out what the prevalence of these problems are and how frequently they are noted to have been caused by this medication. At this point, all I know is that I would rather have her early than expose her to problems like I mentioned above. I work with children who have developmental and emotional delays on a daily basis. I do not want Cecilia to be at risk of experiencing these problems because of a medication I chose to take while pregnant with her. I am sure that there are many children who are products of pregnancies where this drug has been taken and they have no problems. I, however, do not want to expose her to the risk if I do not have to. At this point, if she were born, her brain would be fully formed and she would have a good chance of going home after a few days of monitoring. Maybe I am over-reacting but I do not think I will take the medication, especially if by not taking it I can avoid exposing her to the above disorders.

On another note, when I was seen, I was told that I have not progressed any further and am still at 1cm and 50% effaced. This is a plus because she needs to stay inside and grow a little more before she is born. Don't get me wrong...I am ready for her to get here, but I also know that she needs as much time in the womb as possible! I go back to the doctor on March 11. Say some prayers that she keeps growing and doesn't decide to come this early!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Starting the nursery



Yesterday, we got started on the nursery. After much preparation, it seems that the time is near and we could possibly be using this stuff much sooner, rather than later. We are 59 days away from the due date and people are already taking bets on when I will "pop". We were fortunate enough to have friends who came over yesterday to help us do the improvements and the moving. Mr. D installed a new ceiling fan and new blinds in the room. Mrs. D and I put together a storage unit (to be used in the closet) and divided up all of the clothes that we already had (from Charlie). We found that there was a sufficient amount of starter clothes, like onesies and sleepers, but that we were lacking in the area of actual day-to-day outfits. The crib was a challenge and it was actually just finished today since both mine and Mr. D's drill died yesterday. It seems that we have a lot of furniture, some of which I would LOVE to get rid of (i.e. the pair of old blue chairs and the huge desk chair). I am not sure where all of this stuff is gonna go because my goal was to get the garage cleaned out enough that we could actually put a car into it. BIG ASPIRATIONS, I know, but that is what I want. Hopefully, I can get Jesse to actually help with the moving of the stuff in the basement because it seemed that yesterday, all he wanted to do was stand around and watch Mr. D do all the work. Anyway, I am including pictures of the beginnings of the nursery. I will update with more later after we have finished.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Another trip to the hospital...UUUGGGHHH

Tuesdays are usually our nights for Lamaze. This week, we went to Lamaze and had a whole class on the benefits of breastfeeding. Class was informative but by the end of the night, I was ready to go home. Jesse and I decided to go to Moe's for a quick dinner. As we started to eat, I began to feel very nauseated. This didn't surprise me because, I had been having waves of nausea for the past several days (never getting sick). We left the meal abruptly and headed home. Once we got home, it was downhill from there. We got home around 9:15 or so and by 11pm, I was experiencing vomiting and upset stomach approximately every 20 minutes. Needless to say, I slept on the floor of the bathroom with my pillow and the duvet from the bed. After this continued all night long, I was completely drained and had started cramping (after that night,who knows if it was the baby or my intestines at that point). I couldn't keep down water and was feeling very puny. Around 6:30am, I finally gave in and called my OB's answering service. The doctor told me that I needed to go to Labor and Delivery immediately and that I would be admitted for IV fluids and observation. I started to cry because I didn't want to be admitted, but I knew for Cecilia's sake, I probably needed to go. Jesse and I got some things together and headed to Brookwood. They took me up to the perinatal unit and started an IV (which was difficult considering how dehydrated I was). I was hooked up to a fetal heart monitor and to a contraction monitor. At that point, I was having some mild contractions (no more than 4 an hour) and they wanted them to stop. All in all, I was given 5 bags of IV fluids, Immodium, Zofran (for nausea & vomiting) and Regland (for the acid reflux). I was also "checked" for the first time and was told that I am 1cm dilated, 50% effaced and minus 2 station! This is exciting because that means that things are happening to prepare for Miss Ceci's arrival! 24 hours later, things were better. On Thursday, I was sent home around 10:30am to rest and attempt to recouperate. Today, I am much better, although still a little tired. I am trying to save my strength for the nursery organization that is scheduled for today! So, from now on, I will be monitoring myself and making sure that I have no more than 6 contractions in 1 hour (fewer at this point is very normal considering my body is preparing for birth!). Today I am exactly 60 days away from my due date! If we can keep Miss Ceci in the oven for about 3-4 more weeks, we will be golden! I go back to the OB on Tuesday and am excited to see if there has been any more progression-YIPPEE! Slow and steady wins the race! At least if she did decide to come sometime soon, we would know that things would be fine!

2nd Annual Tailgate in the Mountains



So, last weekend, we went to Cashiers, North Carolina for our 2nd Annual Tailgate in the Mountains. Last year, we started this tradition of a weekend getaway with our tailgating group. This year, we returned to Fern Bank Cottage, nestled on Lake Glenville, in Cashiers. The night we arrived (Valentine's Day), we all had dinner at Paoletti's (Italian Restaurant) in Highlands, North Carolina. This was a very romantic dinner and was enjoyed by all. At dinner, one of the couples announced that they were expecting their first child--Congratulations Abbie and Jonathan!! Then the boys all announced that they had arranged a day at the Hampton Health Club for all of the girls! Friday, the girls arrived at the Spa, which was opened just for our group and is usually only available to members of the High Hampton Inn and Country Club. The guys paid for the services and then took off for a day of golf at the High Hampton Inn. Jesse even paid for smoothies for us all since we were going to be there during lunch! (how sweet!!! Gotta love the big man!) Following the day at the spa, we all returned home and got ready for dinner at The Brown Trout (a restaurant in Sapphire, North Carolina). Dinner, again, was fabulous! We then returned back to the cabin for a night by the fire. Sleeping in on Saturday morning was not an option for Jesse and I. We cooked a big Country Breakfast for the entire gang! After that, we went our separate ways-the boys went to the store and the girls went shopping. Dinner that night was cooked by the men (minus Jesse, who was asleep)-we had steaks, twice baked potatoes, Feta topped tomatoes and green bean bundles--YUMMM!! The rest of the evening was spent by the bonfire at the edge of the lake. I am including pictures so that you can all see the beauty of Lake Glenville and the cabin where we stayed. I can't wait to go back next year!

If you are interested in staying in a great cabin in Cashiers, check out: www.cashiersnc.com

Monday, February 18, 2008

Finally done with the cleaning

So, the air duct and carpet cleaning went pretty well. Of course, I was upsold on extra treatments, but I think that when I bring Cecilia home, I will be glad that I did it. In addition to the regular air duct cleaning, we had the air ducts sanitized with a hospital-grade antibacterial treatment. This killed any remaining dust mites, germs, allergens and/or mold that stuck around after the vents were all sucked clean. I also opted for the permanent air filters, which you never have to replace. All you have to do is take them out and vacuum them once a month and shoot them off with a hose once every three months. And-whenever we move, all we have to do is call Sears and they will send us brand new permanent air filters for our new home at a $10 shipping charge (no charge for the new filters). I think that this was a pretty good deal. When the carpet cleaning guy came, I did have to get the pet enzyme treatment, which was an additional charge, but again, the pet stains would not have come up without it. I feel much better knowing that things are getting closer to clean so that Ceci can come home to an allergen-free (or at least reduced) house. I am looking forward to this weekend, when I have friends coming to help with the nursery assembly. I just wish that it was all done and we had a baby to put in it! 65 more days and counting!!!!!

Let the fun begin

Well, we made it back from the mountains and our "babymoon" (as some have called it). Now, let the real fun begin. The floors are almost completely clear of obsticles and I am anxiously awaiting the air duct cleaners to be here any minute. Following the air duct cleanings, all of the carpets in the house will be deoderized, shampooed and cleaned. This whole process is supposed to take about 4 hours. I have confirmed my order like 3 times with Sears and am ready to get started. After the cleaning is complete, I will trek across town to stay with my friend, Debbie, and her new baby, Sophie---but just for a few hours so that the carpets can dry. Today should be very interesting. I am wondering if they will be able to keep to the 4 hour time constraint, as I know I will be extremely hungry by 12 noon. Now, if I could just figure out what to do with the dogs for the next 4 hours.....

Friday, February 8, 2008

A rough start

Well, I guess I should have expected there to be some kind of fallout at the Main office after my transition here. On Tuesday, I had my first day. The day went fairly well, with very few bumps and bruises (figuratively) as I got adjusted to the procedures at the new office. Today, however, has been horrible. Here is a run-down of my first 2 day's events:

On Tuesday, I had come in to an office filled with random blank forms and other extraneous paperwork strewn all over the office. It looked like a tornado had hit. I consulted with several peers and all agreed that it would be fine for me to organize the paperwork (that both of us would use on a daily basis-think billing sheets and medical history forms, etc.). So, I went to work. I got manilla folders and labelled them with the names of the forms and put them in hanging file folders in alphabetical order in one of the empty desk drawers. I then tidied up (dusted and straightened) the rest of the office. Before leaving, I wrote a note to my new officemate and told her where I had put all of the commonly used forms and that I had left her personal stuff untouched (b/c it was her personal stuff and not mine). I left feeilng very good about myself and hoping that my new officemate would appreciate the small bit of organization that I had done.

When I came in to the office today (day #2), I arrived to find that the office had been ransacked and totally destroyed. All of the paperwork that I had filed and organized had been taken out of the file folders (which had been torn up and shoved into a drawer) and had been again strewn all over the desk. Along with the mess, there was a nasty note from my officemate, saying how I had invaded her "personal boundaries" and how she could "leave her stuff whereever she wanted". She also said that she was angry I had change the computer password (which I wouldn't know how to do if my life depended on it-By the way, an administrator has to do that). She had ripped the information off of the walls that I had put up and she had torn up the current phone list that I had taped to the desktop (over the one from 2004 that had been there). I was devistated. Seeing as how I haven't slept well this week and this has been a stressful change for me too, I started to cry. I NEVER cry at work. I was told that she was mad that she had to share an office and that it was no reflection on me by multiple staff members. Apparently, she was so mad on Thursday that she resigned (giving a 30 day notice). This woman is 64 years old and she was so incredibly childish that she ransacked her own office because she didn't want to share. Needless to say, one of the administrators heard about the issue and came to get the copy of her mean note to me. I was told that she is a mean woman who has been unhappy for years and that they are hoping she quits before she works out her 30 day notice. All I have to say about it is "SERIOUSLY?!" I really hope that when I am 64 years old that I am not as petty and passive aggressive as she. Keep me in your prayers, I need sanity to keep working in this kind of environment.

I just can't wait to see what will have happened next week when I come in and she realizes that the administrator changed the security code for the phone so that we can both access the voicemail! This is going to be interesting.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

4-D ultrasound!





































Yesterday, we had the 4-D ultrasound with Cecilia! I am totally exctied even though we only got a few good shots. I am impressed b/c the pictures look like a clay mold of a baby's face. She is going to be beautiful. In the pictures, she has her head against the placenta, which is why couldn't get a real clear picture of her entire face. There are some where there is a line going down her face-that is not actually on her face, it is where the sonographer pulled back the image of the placenta and got the rest of the image of Ceci's face. Pretty neat I think! Well, without further ado-Meet Cecilia!!!!!

Monday, February 4, 2008

New Things

So today there were several new things that happened.
1. Today, my grandmother, "mimi", had to do a stress test at her cardiologist's office b/c they think she has a blockage in her heart. Sweet Mimi! I just heard from her and she said that things are ok and that they are hoping to hear from the doctor tomorrow with the results. Hopefully, things will be ok with her b/c I would hate to lose her (I know it will happen eventually, but I want her here as long as possible).
2.My friend, Jeanne, gave birth (finally-2 weeks overdue) to a baby boy-Tanner Phillip! I am so incredibly excited for her. We have been friends since college and I know that a baby is all that she has ever wanted!! Yeah, Tanner Phillip!
3. I learned from Mimi that my cousin, Tatum, got engaged last night. She is a doctor here in Birmingham and has been dating her boyfriend, now fiancee, for several years. They are totally cute together and I wish them all the happiness in the world.
4. Tomorrow, I start my new job-working part-time at our main office in Birmingham. I am still with Eastside Mental Health, I will just be working out of both the Oneonta office and the Birmingham office. I am a little nervous but think I will probably be fine. (At least my schedule isn't packed tomorrow!)
5. Tomorrow, we go to the doctor again and get to have the 4-D ultrasound!!!! I am totally excited about this because I will get to see Cecilia's face for the first time!! This ultrasound is supposed to look like a photograph-it combines 3 dimensional imaging with real time, movement. I have seen several of my friends' 4-D ultrasounds and they are truly amazing! I can't believe that medical technology will let us get a glimpse of our our babies in such detail, before they are born!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Things I have realized

I have come to realize that altough I have several lofty plans for the house, I can't do most of them because I am pregnant. Talking about moving furniture and hanging blinds and ceiling fans is great, but when you are married to a man who is less than handy around the house and you are pregnant, things just don't get done. I have a friend at work who volunteered her husband to come and help with the furniture moving, blinds and fan but there is still a lot of stuff to be done BEFORE those chores can be completed. I have learned that when you are pregnant, your energy gets Zapped very quickly and then you just sit and look around at the chores, wishing you could get up and do them. I have decided that I am going to have to rely on several other people to help get this stuff done b/c for once, as independent as I am, I can't do it by myself. This is not to say that Jesse won't help, it is just to say that he doesn't know how to do some of the tasks and others he would need help with. We have one more weekend before we go to the mountains and return for the carpet cleaning. I am hoping that we can get some friends over here to help out between now and then because at this point, we are at a standstill. UGGHHH!! How frustrating!

Friday, February 1, 2008

Bought out the store

Well, I just got home from Brookwood Mall with my mom. We went in search of a cocktail dress for the wedding I am attending tomorrow night---we came out with half the store! We found some great deals and got some stuff for me to wear to work, bum around in and to wear to my shower! I am really pumped! I just hope that others like the choices as much as we did because this is probably the last maternity clothing we will buy.

We are officially on the countdown and only have 81 days left to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am hoping that tomorrow will be a fruitful day and we can finish cleaning out the office/nursery so that next weekend, we can just relax. We will see though. There is still a lot to be done and there is only so much I can do before I am completely exhausted. If anyone has any spare time on their hands---we would love company or assistance with this project. Needless to say, tomorrow, I will need to eat my Wheaties! Hey, at least I know I will look good doing it though now that I own all of that new clothing!