Tuesday, October 28, 2008

lame-o

I had my 35 week appointment yesterday with a REAl doctor, rather than the nurse I've been seeing who thinks I am gaining too much weight. (I need to let that go huh? ;)

And it was lame. I had my group b test and that was it. No checking my progress. Nothing. Here's how it went:

Jason drove me in to my 840 appointment and I checked in, then headed to the potty. We were a few minutes early, but they were apparently running on good time because when I stepped out of the potty the nurse was already waiting for me. I gained about a pound and a half in the last two weeks, so that's good. She took me around the corner to a room where Jason was already waiting and checked my blood pressure. Next she stepped out into the hall to check my chart and saw that it was test day, and brought me back one of those thin sheet like things and said that they needed my bottoms off and the doctor would be in shortly.

So I comply, and wait. I sat half naked in the cold covered by a thin not quite big enough to even wrap around my sides sheet thing for forty minutes waiting for him to come in. And to make it worse, I could HEAR the doctor, nurse, and pa student in the hall talking about colonoscopys and mammograms the whole time.

When he finally came in, he didn't introduce himself, but he did introduce the pa student (who I said could come in, not a big deal since I was already dealing with new people looking at my bits.) He listened to her hear beat for about four seconds, measured me (I'm about a week big) then talked to me for a minute about the giant Qtip that he was about to swab me with. He did my test, then felt the baby to make sure she is head down (and thank God she is, FINALLY.) And the pa student got to feel her too, though she had more trouble because Emma got a little wiggly after the doctor had poked at her.

And that was it. Five minutes, tops. He asked me, as he was washing his hands to leave with my chart if I had any questions, and he gave Jason information about when to go to the hospital and all that... I had to stop him and say yes, actually. I do have a question. I told him I had heard from Anstine that he had a great reputation for being able to accurately predict the baby's size, and I wondered how big Emma was. He laid me back down and felt her for a minute again, then dropped this: shes about seven pounds, four ounces. Oh, and she has a pretty big head.

Great.

Michael and Amber just had little baby Ava Noele on Friday, and she was born at seven pounds four ounces. I have at least two more weeks until Emma is allowed to come out, which means two more weeks of getting plumper.

Overall, the appointment was lame. I had to meet a doctor after waiting forty minutes cold and pants less, then get no news about progression, and have to stop him from leaving to even get my one question answered. What sucks is that he was nice, just seemed disinterested in doing his job. And I want to like him, in case he ends up delivering for me!

So pray for my patience. I thought that there was no one else ahead of me, and that the next exciting baby news would be mine, but now there is yet another baby in my church/ small group who is due in just a week and a couple days that will be ahead of me. I want to have her already. I want her out of my tummy and I don't want to wait much longer. I'm cranky. Mostly I am getting a bit hormonal and being at home alone after spending the whole day with Jason yesterday makes me bored and lonely.

That's my story, lame as it is, at least we know I will not be having a skinny bald baby.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

sleep

I took two and a half naps yesterday. The first was around noon, while jason loaded the truck to mow the lawn at the old house, then while sitting on the step in the back I leaned up against the door and let the lawn mower lull me into a semi sleep. I was still so tired that after pulling tags off and unloading gift bags that I curled up with one of Emma's new blankets from her great gramma and her little lamb and napped in the recliner in her room.

I have done something to my shoulder last week that makes it impossible for me to sleep. Or talk on the phone, or cut up anything for dinner... I feel useless. In addition to this, Emma has turned again (which is good, but painful) so that she is head down rather than sideways. It has been about a month since she was head down and she has grown quite a bit since then, so now she is all toes in my ribcage. When I am standing, or sitting up straight she settles down lower. When I try to sleep she stretches out and keeps me awake.

So my point is that I am tired, and slightly cranky, and would do unimaginable things if it enabled me to take loads of Aleve and Benedryl. I am 34 weeks, 3 days pregnant, and have 19 days to full term. Emma should start packing, because I dont know if I can handle her for much more than those 19 days and retain my sanity.

Monday, October 13, 2008

tweedle dee

My latest comparison was made by our pastors wife. I was wearing overalls helping them prep for the patio, and she looked up at me and said I reminded her of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. Then, just giggled. :) Jason thought it was the best thing he had ever heard. He nearly died.

This morning I had my last appointment with Jill Tracey. I want to like her. But i dont. At all. Durring my appointment today we went over my blood preassure, iron pills, back ache, and weight. Everything was good, (even my weight, but not to her...) She asked me if Ive been walking, and eating much salt, and if I was aware of the total I had gained thus far. I am very active, I eat well (and throw up often, still.) My weight is FINE. I am still within the regular amount of gain, and if Dr Anstine had been there, she wouldnt have said a word. I gained just over a pound since my last appointment. I am supposed to gain one a week untill Emma's out, and my last appointment was a little over a week ago. I did exactally what I was supposed to.

I dont have to deal with her again. In two weeks, I will start weekly appointments with all the different doctors in the practice, and will hopefully have positive news to share. In general, I feel good. Emma has been driving her knees to the outside of my tummy and causing me to cry out in pain suddenly. I bought new jeans today that I LOVE. They are so comfortable, and cute on top of that. I am stealing Jason's long sleve shirts to wear and they are perfect for this weather. Things are going well. And to top it off, I dont care how much weight Ive gained, as long as Emma is doing well. And she is.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

another update

Jason talked to his dad again two nights ago, after Larry had visited with Gram, and some of her doctors. Jason also called and talked to his granpa for a few minutes. He was at home taking a nap to rest up and go sit with Gram all night. Jason said he sounds older now, and that he cant sleep in the hospital. He was glad to talk to Jason for a few minutes, even though the conversation woke him up. I think Jason is one of his favorites.

Larry said that Gram is talking, she has had lots of visitors, and her doctors are considering doing the freezing procedure on her liver still, and posibly looking at her kidney later. She is not ready to come home yet, but she will come home.

Monday afternoon when jason came in from the garage and told me he had just talked to his dad, I thought the worst. That we were making an unplanned trip that we cant afford to a funeral that no one expected. After an evening of pulling all the prayer strings we could think of, we got another message that she was talking, and all her tubes from surgery were removed. Now, she is recovering normally. They are talking about different procedures that are still possibilities and looking forward.

Every time I feel Emma kick I have a moment with God about how much my baby needs her great gramma. We all appriciate your prayers, and I will do what I can to keep you updated about Gram.

One more thing, my next appointment with Emma is on Monday. It is my last one with Jill Tracey, then I will start seeing the Doctors in the practice again.

Monday, October 6, 2008

update

After small group tonight, Jason checked his messages and we were very warmed by one from his dad. The bleeding has been stopped, and for a few minutes, Gram was awake. The doctor explained to her what they found and she and Grampa were very shaken. In the course of several more hours she recovered enough to be breathing on her own, her heart rate has stabilized, blood pressure is good, and the bleeding has not returned. It looks like she will recover from the surgery, though, it was not a sucessfull one. We still dont know if they have any plans to go ahead with the later surgery on her kidney or not- either way, it will be a while from now. Her job now is to recover. Larry said it would be okay to call them tomorrow, so tomorrow night Jason will get a chance to talk to his gram and gramps and let them know about all the people praying and how much we love them.

Thank you for your prayers.

emmas great gramma

Today, Jason's Gramma Fitch had surgery scheduled to remove a part of her liver and biopsy her kidney. We found out while we were in Guatemala from his mom that gram had leukemia. Then, that the leukemia was very slow moving, and her diabetes would end her life before the leukemia ever got that bad. Then, the doctors changed their mind. It was liver cancer. It had spread to her kidney.

Surgery was planned to remove the cancerous part of her liver, and to biopsy her kidney, because a specialist did not think it was cancer on her kidney. Last night as she was in the hospital prepping for this morning's surgery with the family and pastor Marvin with her she was not in a good place. Her brother died from liver cancer. Her mother had one surgery, and never came out of it. She was saying her goodbyes, as her husband, and kids, and grandkids, and pastor stood around her. Jason and I are the only part of the family that couldnt be there last night, and cant be there now.

Katie called this morning to let us know about last night, and that she had gone into surgery this morning. When Jason called this afternoon and asked his mom if she was there at the hospital, she gave the phone to his dad. When they opened her up- they saw that her liver is completely deteriorated, as if shes been a life long alcoholic. It is from the medicine she takes for her diabetes. Larry takes the same medicine for his. They couldnt even pick up her liver, it just started bleeding, and they did what they could to get her closed up and stable.

Now, the family is waiting for her to stabalize, so they can talk about "options." She isnt waking up from surgery without an incredible miracle. One similar to the one growing in my tummy right now, that at this point, she will never get to meet. Katie told her she had to make it to her wedding, and that she wasnt getting married last night, so she needed to make it through surgery. I wish I could tell her that I have a greatgrandbaby who wants to meet her, miracle for miracle.

Please pray for Jason (he has never lost a family member close to him before. This is the gramma he grew up with.) and for his family. His grandpa and dad are taking this especially hard, for seperate reasons. His grandpa is afraid of life without her, and his dad sees his own mortality because the drug he is taking is doing the same thing to his liver right now.

We need lots of prayer.

Friday, October 3, 2008

thirty two weeks

So, I had a doctors appointment yesterday. It was actually pretty lame, I drove into Boise for a thirteen minute appointment with Jill Tracy. Those thirteen minutes included peeing, and waiting in the lobby.

I was weighed (I am up four more pounds in the last two weeks) and that still looks pretty good. Then my blood presure was checked, it is staying right where it is supposed to. I measured a little big, but she was measuring me at thrity two weeks, thinking it was closer to thirty one. Emma's heart rate was right at 150 bpm, she held still just long enough to get all my tummy stuff over then started her wiggling again.

Jill asked about my back pain, I told her it is feeling a bit better. I told her that the only change for me this week is that my colostrum came in on Tuesday, and she didnt really seem to care. It was a little traumatic for me, considering that I still have eight weeks to go I didnt expect it quite this soon. I have started taking my iron, and will probably have another blood test in two or three weeks to make sure it is working.

I have one more appointment with Jill, then I start seeing doctors and will know if I am progressing at all.

Elko, NV

Evidence that I am in fact pregnant. :) I am begining to feel enormous, and here are a few pictures of how I actually look. Also, Heidi and Cassie (who is about tenty four weeks in these photos). We had a great trip, despite the long not really exciting drive.