Well, I can't think of the right word that can capture the wealth of emotions that we've experienced over the past couple of days. I guess I should start this post off with a disclaimer that reminds everyone that postpartum emotions are pretty strong. SO....
This morning, I woke up to the sweetest thing. I almost cried. I woke up to a hospital tray set up with a diet coke bottle on ice, a milk carton on ice, some cheerios, a spoon, some ice water, my cell phone, my blood sugar meter, and a jello cup. Really, what more could I ask for? Kyle (who has been spending the night at the hospital with me despite my efforts to keep him - and my mom- at home during the night) got up this morning to get to mom and dad's to help pass Vivi (and car seat) off to Jason and Fonda (our good friends...Kyle and Jason have been friends for 25 years) for the morning. But, before he left the hospital, he got a tray situated for me with all the essentials. It was just too sweet. But seeing this tray got my emotions going.
First, it made me sympathetic towards all the strong women I know that are currently pregnant and will have babies while their husbands share cigars with their buddies in a foreign country. If you are reading this, just know that I am so proud of you. Your strength is inspirational.
Second, it made me so grateful to know that my daughter has been taken care of the best possible way while I've been in the hospital and even before, when my 9 pound son was inutero, preventing me from being in my best possible physical condition (for playing with a 2 year old). She was able to participate in a new preschool and have an entire years worth of grandparent playtime. This is on top of all of our Birmingham friends who have offered to take her to dinner, the mall, the zoo, the park, watch her during nap time, while I was at the doctor, bring dinner over for us, take her to the urgent care center, etc. I cannot express how blessed we've been during the past few months with her care and well being.
Third, it made me grateful for all of the helping hands that have been outstretched while I've been in the hospital; either with caring for Vivi, sending flowers to the hospital room, bringing outside food to me, coming to visit, offering to come visit, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over Bryton, offering magazines, company, etc. And all I did was hand the baby over to the doctors, relieving much joyous discomfort. There's nothing to cure a backache like having a 9 lb baby.
Fourth, it made me so sad for all the babies in the NICU who are so tiny, but so loved...and in the best possible place they can be. What a start to life. We are SO fortunate that our son will be able to come home with us soon...I ache for the mothers who will know no touches of their infants other than those through the incubator holes for days, weeks, months longer. I ache for those babies who are conceived to those who don't necessarily want to experience pregnancy and motherhood; and I ache for those who want nothing else but pregnancy and motherhood. My prayers go for those who hurt and my heart rejoices for the babies and mothers that God has matched up in so many ways. Kyle and I will never take for granted how blessed we have been to be able to make it through 2 high risk pregnancies.
God has given us Vivian and Bryton....and to Kyle and I, each other. We could not be better matched. Our marriage is so strong; probably partly in part by Kyle's absences and our moving so much. God has made us depend on each other in so many ways, and even though the suffering isn't nice at the time, it has definitely increased the strength of our marital foundation. Which is why I woke up this morning...to the perfect bed tray.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Any Guesses?
Well, it's been a busy few weeks. Since my last post, Vivi and I came to Birmingham, she started school with her new class, has had lots of playtime with all of her grandparents, I started seeing my new doctor (the dr that delivered Vivi), and we got into our new routine here in AL. She is fully potty trained; she's had 2 daytime accidents since we arrived here over 3 weeks ago (too busy playing or not knowing where the potties are)! She's dry at night and during nap most of the time - she'll get up and let us know if she has to go potty during the night. Kyle and Lexie arrived in Bham a week ago - since then, Vivi hasn't wanted mom or Granna to do anything with her - it's all about Daddy! I guess that's what happens when Dad comes and goes so much. He enjoys all the attention and it's really helped me be able to rest with her going to him with her needs and wants. She's enjoyed seeing Cotton and Lexie 'play'.
I've had several doctor appointments over the past 3 weeks. Everything was going ok - baby's heartrate looks strong and movements look good. They did an ultrasound when we first got to town; they estimated him to be 6 lbs 15 ozs....3 weeks ago. Anyway, my blood pressure has been okay - a little higher than normal the last week, but we were still mentally prepared to go another week or two. But at my appoinment today, the doctor thought that we needed to go on and deliver; SO, we'll be going in tomorrow morning! My blood pressure was 137/82...again, not 'bad' (especially compared to last time), but I had started retaining fluid this past week (7lbs in 7 days) and was spilling an increased amount of protein. The dr. took this as a sign that we were headed towards some kidney function problems and blood pressure would start to be an issue. So, we're going in tomorrow. I'm 35 weeks and 4 days. Almost 36. So, in about 7 hours, we'll head to the hospital and hopefully have some good news soon after. The baby will likely be in the NICU for a few days. But, the same doctors staff the NICU now that did when Vivi was born. They do a supurb job taking care of all the babies!
Anyway, sorry if there is any inconsistency in this blog; it's been a busy day and my mind is a little scattered. SO, we would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers over the next few days. When we are able, we'll post pictures and blog updates to let you know how things progressed. So, keep checking!!
Anyone want to guess what the baby's birth weight will be?
I've had several doctor appointments over the past 3 weeks. Everything was going ok - baby's heartrate looks strong and movements look good. They did an ultrasound when we first got to town; they estimated him to be 6 lbs 15 ozs....3 weeks ago. Anyway, my blood pressure has been okay - a little higher than normal the last week, but we were still mentally prepared to go another week or two. But at my appoinment today, the doctor thought that we needed to go on and deliver; SO, we'll be going in tomorrow morning! My blood pressure was 137/82...again, not 'bad' (especially compared to last time), but I had started retaining fluid this past week (7lbs in 7 days) and was spilling an increased amount of protein. The dr. took this as a sign that we were headed towards some kidney function problems and blood pressure would start to be an issue. So, we're going in tomorrow. I'm 35 weeks and 4 days. Almost 36. So, in about 7 hours, we'll head to the hospital and hopefully have some good news soon after. The baby will likely be in the NICU for a few days. But, the same doctors staff the NICU now that did when Vivi was born. They do a supurb job taking care of all the babies!
Anyway, sorry if there is any inconsistency in this blog; it's been a busy day and my mind is a little scattered. SO, we would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers over the next few days. When we are able, we'll post pictures and blog updates to let you know how things progressed. So, keep checking!!
Anyone want to guess what the baby's birth weight will be?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
More Baby Stuff
Well, baby boy has a name! Kyle definitely wants to keep it a secret until he arrives, but in my progressive pregnancy state (aka survival mode) I'm going to have to try hard not to give into the pressure. I don't blame Kyle for wanting to keep it a secret. He just doesn't want to have to hear any criticism or negative thoughts that might come around (not that it's a weird name, but it's amazing how everyone has opinions that they feel the need to share). It's easy to say something negative about a name you don't like for a baby that hasn't been born. On the other hand, after the baby arrives and the parents introduce people to Jim Bob Buchina (for example only) with big blue eyes and bouncing blonde curls, it's harder to critique. So, he wants to keep it a secret. I, however, don't think that we'll have to wait more than a couple of weeks for the big reveal either b/c he's going to come early, or I'll be too exhausted to defend his wishes anymore. That, and Vivi knows what he'll be named...she might spill the beans, Kyle (but no fair bribing her to get the info anyone!). Also, on our last blog, I asked for suggestions for names and didn't get any comments....SO, if you didn't have any comments, you have no room to criticize, right?
Since we've picked a name, I've been dying to have some white onesies monogrammed, but the shop here in Havelock wouldn't have had them ready before Vivi and I head to Birmingham. We'll be boarding a plane on Tuesday. We've gotten everything packed to take with us, and all the baby's things ready for Kyle to throw in the car. I'm drying the last load of laundry now. Vivi is very excited to see everyone back home! However, I don't know how much running around I'll be able to do. So, no promises on doing much of anything social while we're in town.
I went to the doctor again this week. At the ultrasound, baby looks to be doing good. He's estimated to be about 5 and a half pounds (at 32 weeks) which is 95%. I'll be going 2 times a week from here on out. I also went to the ER this week for what I thought to be pre-term labor, but it wasn't. They said that the baby is in good shape and heart rate was great.
So, for Valentines Day, Kyle and I went to dinner with two other couples. One who lives here now, and one who was here house hunting over the weekend that will be moving here in the summer. One of the couples we've known since we lived here in 2004 (knew them in Yuma, too). The other couple we knew our whole time in Yuma. So, it was nice to connect with everyone and get an evening out (it will probably be months before Kyle and I go out alone for months...not a complaint, just a fact).
Today we went to Jacksonville, NC. It's about 40 minutes away, but a much bigger town than New Bern. So, we made a couple of stops to get stuff for our trip. We also drove by a Chuck E Cheese. Vivi hasn't been to one since August, but recognized the mascot on the side of the building. We weren't able to stop there today, but told her that we'd go after we got to Birmingham. I'm assuming there's still one in Vestavia. She had a great time the last time we were there; you don't really even have to buy anything b/c she isn't into video games yet (no, Kyle hasn't taught her how to use Flight Simulator yet) - just likes all the buttons that there are to push. Next week we'll go, Vivi. She's doing really well with her potty training - wearing panties every day. She's still in a pull-up at nap and night time, but it's been several days that she's had any night or nap accidents - she'll wake up and come tell me that she's got to go potty. The only time she has trouble is when she's in a new situation; either at a friend's house during nap, or at a play gym (Playdate - drop in hourly child care) where she's not sure where the potty is or who the teachers are, etc. But, when she's with Kyle or me, she's great. We're so proud - such a big girl!! We'll have to get a sticker chart up at Granna and Pop Pop's so she can earn a trip to Chuck E Cheese. :-) (I'm sure I'll take her anyway..but new situation needs new incentives, right?)
Poor Kyle has not really been a pilot this week (some of you other pilot wives are thinking, "what else is new?"). He's come home with random 'arts and crafts' projects - cutting pieces of paper to put into reference books to use when he flies (why are they printed on paper that just a little too big for the sleeves they are supposed to fit in?) or taking the patch plates off his uniform (b/c the new flight suit manufacturer didn't put them on according to USMC regulation) and resewing them in the correct location. It might not sound like a big deal, and I guess it really isn't. But, it's taken him about 10 hours for these projects. Ridiculous, right? I helped some with the paper cutting on the way back from the doctor this week. It still took forever. Good luck, Kyle. Maybe Vivi will be skilled enough with scissors by the time he has another one of these projects. It can be a family night activity.
Well, I should probably sign off. I have some clothes to fold before heading off to bed.
Have a great week!
Since we've picked a name, I've been dying to have some white onesies monogrammed, but the shop here in Havelock wouldn't have had them ready before Vivi and I head to Birmingham. We'll be boarding a plane on Tuesday. We've gotten everything packed to take with us, and all the baby's things ready for Kyle to throw in the car. I'm drying the last load of laundry now. Vivi is very excited to see everyone back home! However, I don't know how much running around I'll be able to do. So, no promises on doing much of anything social while we're in town.
I went to the doctor again this week. At the ultrasound, baby looks to be doing good. He's estimated to be about 5 and a half pounds (at 32 weeks) which is 95%. I'll be going 2 times a week from here on out. I also went to the ER this week for what I thought to be pre-term labor, but it wasn't. They said that the baby is in good shape and heart rate was great.
So, for Valentines Day, Kyle and I went to dinner with two other couples. One who lives here now, and one who was here house hunting over the weekend that will be moving here in the summer. One of the couples we've known since we lived here in 2004 (knew them in Yuma, too). The other couple we knew our whole time in Yuma. So, it was nice to connect with everyone and get an evening out (it will probably be months before Kyle and I go out alone for months...not a complaint, just a fact).
Today we went to Jacksonville, NC. It's about 40 minutes away, but a much bigger town than New Bern. So, we made a couple of stops to get stuff for our trip. We also drove by a Chuck E Cheese. Vivi hasn't been to one since August, but recognized the mascot on the side of the building. We weren't able to stop there today, but told her that we'd go after we got to Birmingham. I'm assuming there's still one in Vestavia. She had a great time the last time we were there; you don't really even have to buy anything b/c she isn't into video games yet (no, Kyle hasn't taught her how to use Flight Simulator yet) - just likes all the buttons that there are to push. Next week we'll go, Vivi. She's doing really well with her potty training - wearing panties every day. She's still in a pull-up at nap and night time, but it's been several days that she's had any night or nap accidents - she'll wake up and come tell me that she's got to go potty. The only time she has trouble is when she's in a new situation; either at a friend's house during nap, or at a play gym (Playdate - drop in hourly child care) where she's not sure where the potty is or who the teachers are, etc. But, when she's with Kyle or me, she's great. We're so proud - such a big girl!! We'll have to get a sticker chart up at Granna and Pop Pop's so she can earn a trip to Chuck E Cheese. :-) (I'm sure I'll take her anyway..but new situation needs new incentives, right?)
Poor Kyle has not really been a pilot this week (some of you other pilot wives are thinking, "what else is new?"). He's come home with random 'arts and crafts' projects - cutting pieces of paper to put into reference books to use when he flies (why are they printed on paper that just a little too big for the sleeves they are supposed to fit in?) or taking the patch plates off his uniform (b/c the new flight suit manufacturer didn't put them on according to USMC regulation) and resewing them in the correct location. It might not sound like a big deal, and I guess it really isn't. But, it's taken him about 10 hours for these projects. Ridiculous, right? I helped some with the paper cutting on the way back from the doctor this week. It still took forever. Good luck, Kyle. Maybe Vivi will be skilled enough with scissors by the time he has another one of these projects. It can be a family night activity.
Well, I should probably sign off. I have some clothes to fold before heading off to bed.
Have a great week!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Names?
Well, baby boy has no name...yet. We haven't actually sat down and discussed anything; just tossed names back and forth...but nothing we can agree on. SO, if anyone has any suggestions for cute (but manly) boy names that are unique but pronouncable upon viewing, we are open for suggestions. Any thoughts?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Weekly Events
Well, we had another good week. Vivi is doing really well with potty training, my photography class got another teacher, I had an uneventful doctor's appointment, I bought plane tickets for Vivi and me, and Kyle didn't have to go to work all weekend.
As for the potty training, she's getting there; I'm just hoping it will be far enough along before our trip to Birmingham so that the change of scenery doesn't throw her off. She hasn't had any accidents for 3 days and is getting up and telling us that she needs to sit on the potty in the morning. So, even though it makes for early mornings at times, it's well worth it. The time we are working with now is naptime. She is dry after nap most days, but some days she isn't. I'm not sure if she's going while she is asleep or waking up and then going. We are just trying to make sure that she goes as soon as she wakes up. But, for that to happen, I have to be awake - usually I'm resting while she is! She enjoys her potty treats - stickers, Smarties, Yogos, and M&Ms. If she makes it through the rest of the evening with no accidents, then she'll get a piece of pink heart cake (thanks to the dollar spot at Target, I have a pink heart shaped pan). I made a strawberry cake for her in it. So, hopefully the rest of the evening will be successful and she can get her cake!
I've been taking a photography class (intro to digital photography) here at one of the local colleges just so that I can master my camera. It has so many settings and I want to learn how to make the most of it. So, thanks to my friend Kelley (who looked up all the info on photography courses offered in this area), I'm in a class a couple of nights a week. The original teacher (first 4 classes), was very artsy minded, but didn't possess many personal or teaching skills. I'm not sure what she did for a living. It was very slow going during those 4 classes. Our definition of what an SLR camera was "It's the kind that goes 'clunk' when you press the button." But, she got another evening job and had to resign her position, and we got another teacher; a very interesting man who has his own photo business. He's been in the biz for over 15 years; portraits, weddings, special events, etc are what he does. After 2 classes with him, I've learned so much about photo composition as well as camera uses. I'm looking forward to the rest of the class!
I had another doctor visit on Thursday; everything looked good. I asked them to go on and deliver, but they wouldn't do it. Maybe I'll have to be a little more creative next time. I wonder if the doctor would like some leftover strawberry cake for my next visit...? I'm almost 31 weeks now...whew (I look and feel like I'm 50 weeks though...maybe the due date calculation was wrong...). Kyle and I did some furniture rearranging this weekend in the baby's room. I got most everything washed, folded, and organized. I think we are in good shape. We got a couple of things today; waterproof pads (to put between crib sheets...layer one crib sheet, then a waterproof pad, crib sheet, waterproof pad, etc) and a bottle drying rack. Bottles will be a back up, but with Vivi, they were such a nice back up to have! I kept several bottles in the fridge at all times. We had several wasted gallons of milk, but it was still nice to have an option for Kyle to give her a bottle if I wanted to head out during a feeding time. Anyway, I wanted another bottle drying rack, so we got one while we were at Babies R Us today (in Jacksonville). Vivi got a deck of Care Bear playing cards while we were there - for going to the potty.
I bought plane tickets for Vivi and me today - we'll be arriving in Bham on Feb 17th. I'm not sure when Kyle will join us; hopefully he'll be there the first of March to help me with her during the day. Granna was able to get her a spot at the church's Mother's Day Out program, so she'll have some play time three days a week. But, I know I'll have a hard time keeping up with her the further along I get with the pregnancy. So, Vivi will get a lot of Daddy time after he comes to town.
Kyle was off all weekend! We went to the aquarium on Saturday. Vivi was excited about going to see the sharks! She asked at one point if we could see a goat....hm...not at the aquarium Vivi. It was really cute when she asked. We took a few pictures, but there wasn't a whole lot to see. On Sunday, we went to Jacksonville to Babies R Us to look around and get the above mentioned items.
Other than that, I can't think of anything else that we did this weekend; just lots of laundry and lots of playing Candy Land.
Other exciting events that happened this week were that my good friend in AL, Melissa, had her baby girl this week!! I can't wait to meet her! I'm sure she's a little doll! Congratulations Melissa!!
Also, I received a few things from UPS this week - a little sailboat bubble for baby boy (that I got on ebay), and thanks to Kyle's sister Renee, the kids now have their first set of matching outfits! She sent two really cute fall outfits for the kids - a longall for baby boy, and matching dress for Vivi - they are too cute!! I can't wait for the fall (they are fall/winter sized) to dress them up! Thanks so much! Kids clothing boutiques are hard to find around here; there is one within 40 miles.
That's all the news I have for now...maybe I'll think of more to say later! Have a great week.
As for the potty training, she's getting there; I'm just hoping it will be far enough along before our trip to Birmingham so that the change of scenery doesn't throw her off. She hasn't had any accidents for 3 days and is getting up and telling us that she needs to sit on the potty in the morning. So, even though it makes for early mornings at times, it's well worth it. The time we are working with now is naptime. She is dry after nap most days, but some days she isn't. I'm not sure if she's going while she is asleep or waking up and then going. We are just trying to make sure that she goes as soon as she wakes up. But, for that to happen, I have to be awake - usually I'm resting while she is! She enjoys her potty treats - stickers, Smarties, Yogos, and M&Ms. If she makes it through the rest of the evening with no accidents, then she'll get a piece of pink heart cake (thanks to the dollar spot at Target, I have a pink heart shaped pan). I made a strawberry cake for her in it. So, hopefully the rest of the evening will be successful and she can get her cake!
I've been taking a photography class (intro to digital photography) here at one of the local colleges just so that I can master my camera. It has so many settings and I want to learn how to make the most of it. So, thanks to my friend Kelley (who looked up all the info on photography courses offered in this area), I'm in a class a couple of nights a week. The original teacher (first 4 classes), was very artsy minded, but didn't possess many personal or teaching skills. I'm not sure what she did for a living. It was very slow going during those 4 classes. Our definition of what an SLR camera was "It's the kind that goes 'clunk' when you press the button." But, she got another evening job and had to resign her position, and we got another teacher; a very interesting man who has his own photo business. He's been in the biz for over 15 years; portraits, weddings, special events, etc are what he does. After 2 classes with him, I've learned so much about photo composition as well as camera uses. I'm looking forward to the rest of the class!
I had another doctor visit on Thursday; everything looked good. I asked them to go on and deliver, but they wouldn't do it. Maybe I'll have to be a little more creative next time. I wonder if the doctor would like some leftover strawberry cake for my next visit...? I'm almost 31 weeks now...whew (I look and feel like I'm 50 weeks though...maybe the due date calculation was wrong...). Kyle and I did some furniture rearranging this weekend in the baby's room. I got most everything washed, folded, and organized. I think we are in good shape. We got a couple of things today; waterproof pads (to put between crib sheets...layer one crib sheet, then a waterproof pad, crib sheet, waterproof pad, etc) and a bottle drying rack. Bottles will be a back up, but with Vivi, they were such a nice back up to have! I kept several bottles in the fridge at all times. We had several wasted gallons of milk, but it was still nice to have an option for Kyle to give her a bottle if I wanted to head out during a feeding time. Anyway, I wanted another bottle drying rack, so we got one while we were at Babies R Us today (in Jacksonville). Vivi got a deck of Care Bear playing cards while we were there - for going to the potty.
I bought plane tickets for Vivi and me today - we'll be arriving in Bham on Feb 17th. I'm not sure when Kyle will join us; hopefully he'll be there the first of March to help me with her during the day. Granna was able to get her a spot at the church's Mother's Day Out program, so she'll have some play time three days a week. But, I know I'll have a hard time keeping up with her the further along I get with the pregnancy. So, Vivi will get a lot of Daddy time after he comes to town.
Kyle was off all weekend! We went to the aquarium on Saturday. Vivi was excited about going to see the sharks! She asked at one point if we could see a goat....hm...not at the aquarium Vivi. It was really cute when she asked. We took a few pictures, but there wasn't a whole lot to see. On Sunday, we went to Jacksonville to Babies R Us to look around and get the above mentioned items.
Other than that, I can't think of anything else that we did this weekend; just lots of laundry and lots of playing Candy Land.
Other exciting events that happened this week were that my good friend in AL, Melissa, had her baby girl this week!! I can't wait to meet her! I'm sure she's a little doll! Congratulations Melissa!!
Also, I received a few things from UPS this week - a little sailboat bubble for baby boy (that I got on ebay), and thanks to Kyle's sister Renee, the kids now have their first set of matching outfits! She sent two really cute fall outfits for the kids - a longall for baby boy, and matching dress for Vivi - they are too cute!! I can't wait for the fall (they are fall/winter sized) to dress them up! Thanks so much! Kids clothing boutiques are hard to find around here; there is one within 40 miles.
That's all the news I have for now...maybe I'll think of more to say later! Have a great week.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Retail Therapy
Well, probably half (the male half) of the population will disagree with me on this, maybe even more, but I'm posting today to prove my case that retail shopping (not even necessarily buying anything) is in fact therapy. I was able to enjoy 2 hours of this much needed therapy today and feel revived. Here's why:
Well, if you've seen our photo site, we started our week celebrating Kyle's 30th birthday. We went to Pump It Up, an indoor inflatable bouncy gym. We had a great time and were exhausted at the end of our hour and twenty minutes there. Good 'party' for him. The next day, the weather called for SNOW! We celebrated Tuesday of this week with 2-3 inches of snow! Being near the coast in NC, this area doesn't see snow often, so pretty much everything shuts down with the threat of the white precipitation. So, everything was shut down, Kyle didn't have to work Tuesday, so I thought it would be a good time to start potty training Vivi (again) with my new information. It went okay. Also, we went outside and played in the snow! What fun! We don't have too much cold weather gear, so we weren't able to stay out too long. But none the less, it was very exciting to see big white snowflakes falling. Vivi had a great time watching it all and playing out in it; until she realized she was co-co-cold!
Anyway, Kyle went back at work on Wednesday (drove 10 miles on black ice to get there...safely though) and Vivi and I trudged on through the potty routine; still having accidents, but still doing okay. By this time, we've been in the house for 2 days and were starting to get some cabin fever. But, wanting to promote the potty-ing (not to mention Kyle not wanting us to go anywhere b/c of the bad road conditions), we stayed put yet another day. So Thursday comes and goes and our 2.5 year old attitude combined with potty accidents and cabin fever was really getting to us. Vivi's been pretty good at listening and obeying most of the time. I've never felt like if she was running towards the street full of fast cars and I told her to "Stop!" that she wouldn't. So danger-wise, I felt like we were okay. But, the past month or so she's been pushing things further and further. SO, the stress of her not listening (not necessarily for the naughty factor, but for the safety factor) has really been an issue that has come to a head with the compoundedness of cabin fever and potty training (maybe some pregnancy hormones, too....you'll have to ask Kyle about that one though...he came home yesterday to find all the 'junk' on top of his chest of drawers - 2 toboggans, random receipts, old alarm clock that was not in use, spare socks, Ipod Home accessories, etc - that had been compiled for months shoved in his sock drawer. I didn't care that that's not where the 'junk' went, I was just in a mood and tired of looking at it. Problem solved, right?). Well, Thursday night was an interesting one. We went to Quiznos for dinner (I guess I did leave the house this week after all) after Kyle got home. It was worth it (at the time). I got a grilled chicken salad, Kyle got a club sandwich, and Vivi ate some of our food and a bag of Cheetos - and I didn't care one bit that that was her dinner. Again, it had been a long week. So, we got home, praised Vivi for having dry pants while we were out, put her to bed, and settled in to watch The Office, a comedy on NBC that we thoroughly enjoy. Again, great evening during a stressful week.
Sitting on the couch watching our show, I started having some upper stomach pain. It didn't really concern me until I noticed that the pain was coming in waves every 3 minutes, lasting for about 30-60 seconds each time. I didn't want to concern Kyle (he was doing work stuff at home), I started looking up 'preterm labor' info online, with no definitive info found. But over the next hour as the pain got more intense, I decided to call the doctor (and tell Kyle). Now maybe I'm the only woman who doesn't know 'labor pains' or uterine contractions from normal old stomach pain. But, having a history of IBS and a somewhat easily irritated digestive system, I think I've felt every pain in that region that could felt. So, again, I didn't know what was happening, just knew I was in pain and it was getting worse. Anyway, the doctor called back; I described my symptoms and he said that I needed to take some Tylenol and a warm bath. He didn't think that I was contracting at all. That was good. But come on, Tylenol isn't going to cut it. Oh well - can't take anything else. Well, I took the Tylenol, but no bath. It was almost 11:30 at this point. I went to bed and tried going to sleep, with no avail. I got up an hour later, threw up a couple of times, and then slept all night. Felt great this morning. I guess it was something I ate. Still a little scary though. I'm only 29 weeks, it's the middle of the night, think I'm having contractions every 3 minutes, and the hospital and NICU is over an hour away, with Doogie Howser on call.
Well, today, Friday, we had a good morning, played, read, cleaned, did laundry, pottied, etc...and around noon I knew that we still had some time before I could put her down for a nap. So what did I do? I took her to Playdate, an hourly drop off child care play center. I really wanted to get out of the house, (haven't left since Tuesday), shop (for nothing in particular) and wanted a break from the constant attention that is needed during the first part of the potty training process. So, I took her to the experts at Playdate. I dropped her off and headed to JCPenneys where I found some things on clearance. I got a couple of maternity tops (I know, I know, it's a little late in the game to buy maternity clothes) and some hospital pajamas. I felt very revived at this point. Most moms, especially full time stay at home moms, can probably understand the beauty of 2 hours in alone in a store with no real 'list' of things to look for and no little 'helper' by your side. It was great. After that, I went to Target (the other store in New Bern..not a lot to choose from). Target just got their spring clothes in, so their winter items were on big time clearance. Not just 50% off...but big time! (and their clothes are pretty inexpensive to start with, if you can find things you like). So, I left Target with 3 plain ol' navy sweaters (thick zip up sweaters) in 3 sizes (for little bit. They were 2.98 each,and will be perfect for layering!!! How could you not get one for the next couple of seasons!), 2 striped sweaters for Vivi, a couple of shirts and jeans for little bit (size 3T), some Clorox 2, another set of pajamas for me (I remember living in lounge clothes for a week or two or three after V was born) and some Valentines Day items for Vivi (located in the dollar spot). Oh - and I got myself a treat today - goldfish pretzel crackers and diet dr. pepper for lunch - nothing better! So, I felt a huge sense of relief, accomplishment, and renewal as I was driving from Target to Playdate to pick up Vivi. This feeling of accomplishment was heightened by the fact that Vivi had dry pants when I picked her up. Big girl! She tee-teed as soon as we got home, and thus got 5 of her 'pink treats'. The 'pink treats' are really Yogos - small round sweet bits of something, not sure what really. Anyway, while I was putting my treasures from Target and Pennys away, I saw Vivi putting her Yogos in the 'gas cap' of her little red play car. Too funny! Well, we read a story and she went down for a nap. And, I'm writing this blog trying to convince everyone that today, I was emotionally healed and revived from some Retail Therapy. With all the 'therapies' that are available through health insurance companies, maybe we can try to push this one through? It really worked.
Well, if you've seen our photo site, we started our week celebrating Kyle's 30th birthday. We went to Pump It Up, an indoor inflatable bouncy gym. We had a great time and were exhausted at the end of our hour and twenty minutes there. Good 'party' for him. The next day, the weather called for SNOW! We celebrated Tuesday of this week with 2-3 inches of snow! Being near the coast in NC, this area doesn't see snow often, so pretty much everything shuts down with the threat of the white precipitation. So, everything was shut down, Kyle didn't have to work Tuesday, so I thought it would be a good time to start potty training Vivi (again) with my new information. It went okay. Also, we went outside and played in the snow! What fun! We don't have too much cold weather gear, so we weren't able to stay out too long. But none the less, it was very exciting to see big white snowflakes falling. Vivi had a great time watching it all and playing out in it; until she realized she was co-co-cold!
Anyway, Kyle went back at work on Wednesday (drove 10 miles on black ice to get there...safely though) and Vivi and I trudged on through the potty routine; still having accidents, but still doing okay. By this time, we've been in the house for 2 days and were starting to get some cabin fever. But, wanting to promote the potty-ing (not to mention Kyle not wanting us to go anywhere b/c of the bad road conditions), we stayed put yet another day. So Thursday comes and goes and our 2.5 year old attitude combined with potty accidents and cabin fever was really getting to us. Vivi's been pretty good at listening and obeying most of the time. I've never felt like if she was running towards the street full of fast cars and I told her to "Stop!" that she wouldn't. So danger-wise, I felt like we were okay. But, the past month or so she's been pushing things further and further. SO, the stress of her not listening (not necessarily for the naughty factor, but for the safety factor) has really been an issue that has come to a head with the compoundedness of cabin fever and potty training (maybe some pregnancy hormones, too....you'll have to ask Kyle about that one though...he came home yesterday to find all the 'junk' on top of his chest of drawers - 2 toboggans, random receipts, old alarm clock that was not in use, spare socks, Ipod Home accessories, etc - that had been compiled for months shoved in his sock drawer. I didn't care that that's not where the 'junk' went, I was just in a mood and tired of looking at it. Problem solved, right?). Well, Thursday night was an interesting one. We went to Quiznos for dinner (I guess I did leave the house this week after all) after Kyle got home. It was worth it (at the time). I got a grilled chicken salad, Kyle got a club sandwich, and Vivi ate some of our food and a bag of Cheetos - and I didn't care one bit that that was her dinner. Again, it had been a long week. So, we got home, praised Vivi for having dry pants while we were out, put her to bed, and settled in to watch The Office, a comedy on NBC that we thoroughly enjoy. Again, great evening during a stressful week.
Sitting on the couch watching our show, I started having some upper stomach pain. It didn't really concern me until I noticed that the pain was coming in waves every 3 minutes, lasting for about 30-60 seconds each time. I didn't want to concern Kyle (he was doing work stuff at home), I started looking up 'preterm labor' info online, with no definitive info found. But over the next hour as the pain got more intense, I decided to call the doctor (and tell Kyle). Now maybe I'm the only woman who doesn't know 'labor pains' or uterine contractions from normal old stomach pain. But, having a history of IBS and a somewhat easily irritated digestive system, I think I've felt every pain in that region that could felt. So, again, I didn't know what was happening, just knew I was in pain and it was getting worse. Anyway, the doctor called back; I described my symptoms and he said that I needed to take some Tylenol and a warm bath. He didn't think that I was contracting at all. That was good. But come on, Tylenol isn't going to cut it. Oh well - can't take anything else. Well, I took the Tylenol, but no bath. It was almost 11:30 at this point. I went to bed and tried going to sleep, with no avail. I got up an hour later, threw up a couple of times, and then slept all night. Felt great this morning. I guess it was something I ate. Still a little scary though. I'm only 29 weeks, it's the middle of the night, think I'm having contractions every 3 minutes, and the hospital and NICU is over an hour away, with Doogie Howser on call.
Well, today, Friday, we had a good morning, played, read, cleaned, did laundry, pottied, etc...and around noon I knew that we still had some time before I could put her down for a nap. So what did I do? I took her to Playdate, an hourly drop off child care play center. I really wanted to get out of the house, (haven't left since Tuesday), shop (for nothing in particular) and wanted a break from the constant attention that is needed during the first part of the potty training process. So, I took her to the experts at Playdate. I dropped her off and headed to JCPenneys where I found some things on clearance. I got a couple of maternity tops (I know, I know, it's a little late in the game to buy maternity clothes) and some hospital pajamas. I felt very revived at this point. Most moms, especially full time stay at home moms, can probably understand the beauty of 2 hours in alone in a store with no real 'list' of things to look for and no little 'helper' by your side. It was great. After that, I went to Target (the other store in New Bern..not a lot to choose from). Target just got their spring clothes in, so their winter items were on big time clearance. Not just 50% off...but big time! (and their clothes are pretty inexpensive to start with, if you can find things you like). So, I left Target with 3 plain ol' navy sweaters (thick zip up sweaters) in 3 sizes (for little bit. They were 2.98 each,and will be perfect for layering!!! How could you not get one for the next couple of seasons!), 2 striped sweaters for Vivi, a couple of shirts and jeans for little bit (size 3T), some Clorox 2, another set of pajamas for me (I remember living in lounge clothes for a week or two or three after V was born) and some Valentines Day items for Vivi (located in the dollar spot). Oh - and I got myself a treat today - goldfish pretzel crackers and diet dr. pepper for lunch - nothing better! So, I felt a huge sense of relief, accomplishment, and renewal as I was driving from Target to Playdate to pick up Vivi. This feeling of accomplishment was heightened by the fact that Vivi had dry pants when I picked her up. Big girl! She tee-teed as soon as we got home, and thus got 5 of her 'pink treats'. The 'pink treats' are really Yogos - small round sweet bits of something, not sure what really. Anyway, while I was putting my treasures from Target and Pennys away, I saw Vivi putting her Yogos in the 'gas cap' of her little red play car. Too funny! Well, we read a story and she went down for a nap. And, I'm writing this blog trying to convince everyone that today, I was emotionally healed and revived from some Retail Therapy. With all the 'therapies' that are available through health insurance companies, maybe we can try to push this one through? It really worked.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Coming Along
Well, another few days have gone by, and I don't really have anything exciting to say. Vivi has used either really good or really challenging behavior. One minute she'll be so sweet, helpful, and grown up, but later that day she'll forget the 'rules' and act like..well..a two year old. She started eating a new cereal this week - Kix! I loved that cereal as a child, and she does too. She calls it "Chix" though...too funny. Her love of peanut butter on raisin bread sandwiches has gone from a love of eating to a love of finger painting the counter with the peanut butter. She hasn't had much of an appetite for the past 5 days or so, so mealtimes for her require more supervision than normal (so that she doesn't play with her food). Oh well. Her appetite will pick up again soon.
I had a doctor appointment today. They did an ultrasound to get an estimated fetal size. They measure the baby's head circumference, femur and humerus bones, and belly circumference to get an estimate size. He's estimated to be around 3 and half pounds now, and the measurements indicate that he's pretty big - 95th percentile for other babies at this gestational age. They aren't concerned though (Kyle and I are larger than the average person, plus, even with very well controlled diabetes, I'm still likely to have a larger baby due to blood sugar spikes - the excess sugar crosses into the placenta and sugar makes things grow) but the doctor I saw today said that they wouldn't take action (by induction or c-section) until the baby was 11-12 pounds. I didn't tell her a couple of things when she told me that. I didn't tell her that I was going to Birmingham to have the baby; and that there was no way I was going to birth a 6 month old. She's new to this (I see one of about 18 residents at each appointment), so I let it slide. I'll just see my pals at Brookwood Medical Center in a few weeks. During the ultrasound they also did a Doppler to check the arteries that feed the placenta. There are things they look for in the Doppler wave that can indicate upcoming blood pressure problems, and we got the all clear. Whew! I was glad to hear that he's growing well. The doctors are too - they say everything looks great. So, 28 weeks down and a few left. Anyone want to take guesses as to baby's birthday? Dr. R. in Birmingham said that 37-38 weeks would be all he'll let me go, even if everything is fine. I might be able to talk him into 35-36 depending on how big I feel that monster truck baby is getting. Oh yeah - that's my new name for him - monster truck - because he's so big and bulky feeling. Don't worry, we'll have something better picked out by the time he's born. Hopefully.
I had a doctor appointment today. They did an ultrasound to get an estimated fetal size. They measure the baby's head circumference, femur and humerus bones, and belly circumference to get an estimate size. He's estimated to be around 3 and half pounds now, and the measurements indicate that he's pretty big - 95th percentile for other babies at this gestational age. They aren't concerned though (Kyle and I are larger than the average person, plus, even with very well controlled diabetes, I'm still likely to have a larger baby due to blood sugar spikes - the excess sugar crosses into the placenta and sugar makes things grow) but the doctor I saw today said that they wouldn't take action (by induction or c-section) until the baby was 11-12 pounds. I didn't tell her a couple of things when she told me that. I didn't tell her that I was going to Birmingham to have the baby; and that there was no way I was going to birth a 6 month old. She's new to this (I see one of about 18 residents at each appointment), so I let it slide. I'll just see my pals at Brookwood Medical Center in a few weeks. During the ultrasound they also did a Doppler to check the arteries that feed the placenta. There are things they look for in the Doppler wave that can indicate upcoming blood pressure problems, and we got the all clear. Whew! I was glad to hear that he's growing well. The doctors are too - they say everything looks great. So, 28 weeks down and a few left. Anyone want to take guesses as to baby's birthday? Dr. R. in Birmingham said that 37-38 weeks would be all he'll let me go, even if everything is fine. I might be able to talk him into 35-36 depending on how big I feel that monster truck baby is getting. Oh yeah - that's my new name for him - monster truck - because he's so big and bulky feeling. Don't worry, we'll have something better picked out by the time he's born. Hopefully.
On another baby note, it's so much harder finding cute baby boy clothes than it was finding baby girl clothes. Maybe it's because there are only 3 stores in New Bern that have child sized clothes, or maybe my tastes have changed. Maybe I'm too picky. I think that when I had Vivi I knew that everyone would know that she was a sweet little girl, so she didn't necessarily have to have 'sweet baby girl clothes' - I just let her smile do all the talking. But with a baby boy, I want to dress him more on the sweet side than the 'scary' side. I mean, have you noticed that they have tiny baby boy clothes with dinosaurs roaring on them? I'm going to opt for the sweeter stuff; at least for now. So, clothes shopping has been challenging. But, I've found some things so far. Plus, I'm probably not going to take him out and about until he's at least 4-6 weeks old, maybe longer depending on if he comes early and needs special NICU treatment, etc. So, most of his beginning clothes will be for at home use primarily. Plus, if he's born on the larger side, he won't need 'newborn' sized clothes, and won't use the 0-3 month ones for long. We'll just have to see.
SO, here are some of the things that I've either purchased or received as gifts as well as some pictures of the baby preparation that we've done in his room. There are picture captions on our picture site - www.dropshots.com/kyleandleannabuchina. We've gotten some Auburn and Navy game watching outfits for football season, all as gifts from football enthusiast friends/family. All of the other items are 0-3 month or 3-6 month sizes.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
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