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Monday, December 5, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Happiest Place on Earth
Didn't win the contest, oh well. At least we were finalists!
About two weeks ago, we took Lily to the Magic Kingdom for the first time. I was so excited for this trip. We hadn't been to MK in almost a year. Last time, I was about 10 weeks pregnant and we stayed for about 3 hours and I needed to leave...and that was after a sit-down lunch and visit to the Hall of Presidents - not the most strenuous of days! Anyway, I was just so totally ecstatic that we were actually taking our baby to Disney World. Every now and then we would talk about taking our kids there and what rides we would go on with them, and omg what if they don't like theme parks?! But eventually there were times in the last couple of years where I wasn't very hopeful that we would ever have a baby to take with us. So even though it was just a little day trip, it was a incredibly significant visit for us.
About two weeks ago, we took Lily to the Magic Kingdom for the first time. I was so excited for this trip. We hadn't been to MK in almost a year. Last time, I was about 10 weeks pregnant and we stayed for about 3 hours and I needed to leave...and that was after a sit-down lunch and visit to the Hall of Presidents - not the most strenuous of days! Anyway, I was just so totally ecstatic that we were actually taking our baby to Disney World. Every now and then we would talk about taking our kids there and what rides we would go on with them, and omg what if they don't like theme parks?! But eventually there were times in the last couple of years where I wasn't very hopeful that we would ever have a baby to take with us. So even though it was just a little day trip, it was a incredibly significant visit for us.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Top 15! Now where is Ryan Seacrest?!
Ok, this is total craziness.
A few weeks ago I entered some pictures of Lily's room into a contest on thebump.com. Yesterday, I saw a link that said voting had started so I clicked on it...and there was her room, right there under "top nurseries"!
It took a little bit to really believe that we are actually finalists in this contest! Right now, it's the top 15. In two weeks, the top three are announced and then people vote again for a couple of days. I guess it just seems totally amazing to me because I know what this room used to look like! But if you are one of the three people that reads this, please vote for us as often as you can!
A few weeks ago I entered some pictures of Lily's room into a contest on thebump.com. Yesterday, I saw a link that said voting had started so I clicked on it...and there was her room, right there under "top nurseries"!
It took a little bit to really believe that we are actually finalists in this contest! Right now, it's the top 15. In two weeks, the top three are announced and then people vote again for a couple of days. I guess it just seems totally amazing to me because I know what this room used to look like! But if you are one of the three people that reads this, please vote for us as often as you can!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Zoom Zoom
So, maybe about 2 weeks ago I drove Mark's car to the gym, since my car had a tire issue and couldn't go on the interstate at the time. His car was a 99 Accord that we got before we got married in 2004 and had about 141K miles on it. He had been driving it back and forth to Bradenton for work, much to my displeasure. The check engine light was on, it needed new tires and a decent amount of maintenance work in the near future to keep it running. The steering wheel vibrated substantially and it was in desperate need of an alignment. Until I drove it on the interstate, I didn't realize just how much we needed a new car. With 12-year old safety features and no side air bags, I was afraid to have Mark continue driving it down to Bradenton, 25 miles each way. In February, I witnessed a car accident where a driver pulled out right in front of another car that was going about 45mph, and got T-boned. Being a nurse and all, I hobbled my pregnant self over to make sure she was ok. The car looked totaled, but the driver of that car was FINE. Side air bags are awesome!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
I haven't gone to work in almost 4 months. That's a third of a year, people! Sadly, this week is my last week that I get to stay home with my girl. I can't believe how fast these last 2 months have flown by - if only my pregnancy could have gone this fast! Lily turned 2 months old yesterday and they have been the best 2 months of my life.
Here is a little Lily growth progression:
I am not exactly looking forward to going back to work. This is the longest I've not worked since I started my job six years ago, and there have been a few changes at work since I've been gone, so I'll have a little adjusting to do. I love staying home with my baby, and I don't know how I am supposed to leave her for 13 hours a day, 3 days a week. I feel like I will miss so much. Unfortunately, we have a mortgage and now we have 2 car payments, so not working will never be an option for me, unless we win the lottery. I need to start buying some tickets.
Here is a little Lily growth progression:
Brand new
1 month
2 months
I am not exactly looking forward to going back to work. This is the longest I've not worked since I started my job six years ago, and there have been a few changes at work since I've been gone, so I'll have a little adjusting to do. I love staying home with my baby, and I don't know how I am supposed to leave her for 13 hours a day, 3 days a week. I feel like I will miss so much. Unfortunately, we have a mortgage and now we have 2 car payments, so not working will never be an option for me, unless we win the lottery. I need to start buying some tickets.
Monday, May 16, 2011
First Mother's Day
May 8th was an awesome day for me because it was my first Mother's Day. I still was in somewhat disbelief that I actually had my baby so this day was just incredible for me. I got to sleep in and I woke up to flowers, presents and breakfast cooked by my wonderful husband. We hung out for a bit and then got ready to go out to dinner downtown with my family. The weather was great and we sat outside and had a nice, long meal at a great restaurant, where I had my first white Russian in almost a year! We got home and had a minor freak-out though, as we realized that the flowers Mark bought for me are super poisonous to cats. So, I took a picture of them and they got thrown out. Mark went to bed early, and then I spent several hours taking pictures with Lily, using my tripod and remote for some of them. I'm high-tech!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Hot Mess
So I decided I felt well enough to go home about 2 days after my surgery. Besides sleep deprivation, I had been feeling pretty awesome and I thought I was ready to take my baby home.
The weather was terrible that day - there were even some tornadoes in the area, so we went home and I didn't send anyone out to get my percocet script filled. I thought I would be fine with the vicodin I had leftover at home. The first night home was definitely an experience. We were both so sleep deprived at that point but at first I was totally afraid to go to sleep. We got a little more confident after each feeding and finally did get a little sleep. My dad called around 11am and I remember being so mad that he called and woke us up. Physically, I was feeling really bad at this point and I had taken quite a bit of vicodin and motrin, but it didn't seem to be doing anything. Usually after a c-section, your second day is supposed to be your "worst day", and I remember thinking that I must be an exception because my bad day was day 4.
Ready to go!
The weather was terrible that day - there were even some tornadoes in the area, so we went home and I didn't send anyone out to get my percocet script filled. I thought I would be fine with the vicodin I had leftover at home. The first night home was definitely an experience. We were both so sleep deprived at that point but at first I was totally afraid to go to sleep. We got a little more confident after each feeding and finally did get a little sleep. My dad called around 11am and I remember being so mad that he called and woke us up. Physically, I was feeling really bad at this point and I had taken quite a bit of vicodin and motrin, but it didn't seem to be doing anything. Usually after a c-section, your second day is supposed to be your "worst day", and I remember thinking that I must be an exception because my bad day was day 4.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Unbelievable
I can't believe it's the middle of May.
I can't believe how crazy my delivery ended up being.
I still can't believe my pregnancy resulted in a the birth of the most awesome baby ever.
I have some catching up to do!
...
2 days after my last post here, I went to my weekly OB appointment. First, we went for an ultrasound to check on Lily's status. She got measured for the first time in a month and was estimated to be about 7 and a half pounds. Then I saw my doctor and we talked induction and I said, "get her out". Before I ever got pregnant, I was totally anti-induction and wanted to try for a med-free natural birth. But now with my history of losses and my anxiety about 3rd trimester stillbirth, plus the fact that my pregnancy was high-risk, I just did not trust my body to keep her safe for much longer. I needed her out. Less than 30 minutes after I left my appointment, someone from the office called back and said my induction would start at 8pm on March 27th - 12 days away, at 39 weeks. It felt totally surreal to have an official end date in sight, but I still think I was in some kind of denial or somewhat detached that this was actually finally happening. I somehow survived those 12 days doing pretty mundane activities - I had a few more doctor's appointments and we took the dog to the vet. On the 26th, my mom and I went to the Aveda Institute to get pedicures, and then went to Target. Since I was gigantically pregnant, that exhausted me and I went to bed relatively early that night, so I woke up at 10am on the 27th. We spent the day packing and getting the house ready for us to leave. I had the St. Pete Grand Prix on TV in the background, and since it was happening only a few miles away, we could hear the cars racing if we listened closely. Around 6:30 we were packed and the dogs were on their way to my parents' house via my brother, and we headed down there too to grab dinner with them before heading to the hospital. I knew that would be my last meal pre-baby. Dinner took forever even though the restaurant was empty. It took almost an hour to get our food and I was finally getting anxious about this whole process. And by then it was 8pm and I was late.
I can't believe how crazy my delivery ended up being.
I still can't believe my pregnancy resulted in a the birth of the most awesome baby ever.
I have some catching up to do!
...
2 days after my last post here, I went to my weekly OB appointment. First, we went for an ultrasound to check on Lily's status. She got measured for the first time in a month and was estimated to be about 7 and a half pounds. Then I saw my doctor and we talked induction and I said, "get her out". Before I ever got pregnant, I was totally anti-induction and wanted to try for a med-free natural birth. But now with my history of losses and my anxiety about 3rd trimester stillbirth, plus the fact that my pregnancy was high-risk, I just did not trust my body to keep her safe for much longer. I needed her out. Less than 30 minutes after I left my appointment, someone from the office called back and said my induction would start at 8pm on March 27th - 12 days away, at 39 weeks. It felt totally surreal to have an official end date in sight, but I still think I was in some kind of denial or somewhat detached that this was actually finally happening. I somehow survived those 12 days doing pretty mundane activities - I had a few more doctor's appointments and we took the dog to the vet. On the 26th, my mom and I went to the Aveda Institute to get pedicures, and then went to Target. Since I was gigantically pregnant, that exhausted me and I went to bed relatively early that night, so I woke up at 10am on the 27th. We spent the day packing and getting the house ready for us to leave. I had the St. Pete Grand Prix on TV in the background, and since it was happening only a few miles away, we could hear the cars racing if we listened closely. Around 6:30 we were packed and the dogs were on their way to my parents' house via my brother, and we headed down there too to grab dinner with them before heading to the hospital. I knew that would be my last meal pre-baby. Dinner took forever even though the restaurant was empty. It took almost an hour to get our food and I was finally getting anxious about this whole process. And by then it was 8pm and I was late.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Nesting
I have been bad about updating!! I've also been really bad about my Project 365...thing. There are only so many things in my house that are even remotely interesting enough to take pictures of, and I'm really not supposed to drive anywhere, sooo...yeah. I did just get a new lens though, so there will be more pictures of random stuff soon!
Anyway, what have I been doing? I don't even really know. I'm not working and the time is kind of flying by. I am now 37 weeks - full term! Hopefully this baby has her tray table up and is preparing for landing. I still have weekly OB appointments with a biophysical profile (ultrasound) at each appointment. On Tuesday, they'll measure her again. It's been 4 weeks since she was last measured, and I'm guessing she's probably about 6.5 pounds right now. My doctor is going away for a week after this week...so I'm guessing that is when this baby will decide to make her grand entrance.
One thing I have been doing is working on her room. Even though she'll be sleeping in our room at night, I've wanted to have her room ready for naps and playtime. Plus we needed a place to put all of her stuff! I'd say it's about 80% complete at this point.
Here is the fun part:
The curtains were custom made by moi. This is the third edition of curtains for her room. The first ones were way too pink and immediately were returned to Target. The second set came from ebay, and I hemmed them and decided they really didn't "go" with the room. I'll have to make pillow cases or something with that fabric now. And this third set is actually pink sheer curtains from ebay over white sailcloth panels from Target that I sewed together.
So, that is basically what I've been up to. I'm sure it's some kind of nesting behavior. I've heard some people scrub their floors on their hands and knees - I can guarantee that will not be happening here! Instead, now I'm working on getting all the laundry done, and getting our room cleaned and organized. I want a new quilt or comforter for our bed...I know people will be seeing our room since she'll be in here and I want it to look nice. I'm sure that is some kind of nesting thing too.
Anyway, what have I been doing? I don't even really know. I'm not working and the time is kind of flying by. I am now 37 weeks - full term! Hopefully this baby has her tray table up and is preparing for landing. I still have weekly OB appointments with a biophysical profile (ultrasound) at each appointment. On Tuesday, they'll measure her again. It's been 4 weeks since she was last measured, and I'm guessing she's probably about 6.5 pounds right now. My doctor is going away for a week after this week...so I'm guessing that is when this baby will decide to make her grand entrance.
One thing I have been doing is working on her room. Even though she'll be sleeping in our room at night, I've wanted to have her room ready for naps and playtime. Plus we needed a place to put all of her stuff! I'd say it's about 80% complete at this point.
Here is the fun part:
Before: When we bought the house, there was gross carpet that we ripped up to find gross terrazzo underneath. This shot is after we took down the window coverings (those blue cloth things on the floor) and shelves from the wall that were also present when we bought the house.
After!!!!
We got our stroller (thanks, Mom!) and it is a-mazing. It's a Britax B-Ready, and we got the bassinet for free! Can't wait to take her places! We will soon be stroller people at Disney!
Both cats are somewhat obsessed with the room and attempt to gain access whenever someone goes in.
Cloth diapers! I have more...need to prep them still. Waiting for the others to come in the mail so I can do them all at once. Now that I have my awesome dryer, I'm super excited about cloth diapering again!
So, that is basically what I've been up to. I'm sure it's some kind of nesting behavior. I've heard some people scrub their floors on their hands and knees - I can guarantee that will not be happening here! Instead, now I'm working on getting all the laundry done, and getting our room cleaned and organized. I want a new quilt or comforter for our bed...I know people will be seeing our room since she'll be in here and I want it to look nice. I'm sure that is some kind of nesting thing too.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Liz Lemon says hi.
Jack says, "Halp me!!"
Bought a new dryer yesterday. Now I can actually get laundry done! Our old one was taking forever and a day to dry stuff, to the point where we could not keep up with our laundry mountain. Since we'll be using cloth diapers, and also washing baby clothes, we needed something more efficient. We found a slightly damaged Samsung steam dryer at Lowe's for 50% off. They delivered it today and so far, so good! I may actually be able to turn the mountain into a molehill!
Not going back to work til after I have the baby. Foot doctor wants me to have physical therapy three times a week! We'll see how long that lasts. Meanwhile, the pregnancy edema has started, and of course my injured foot is severely angered. +3 on the left, +1 on the right. Gross. My hands are swollen too and I had to pry my wedding ring off before I cut off the circulation in my finger. I ordered a cheap blingy replacement on eBay several ring sizes bigger. My finger doesn't like being naked.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Baby shower!
Considering I am not supposed to be walking, I have been very busy in the last week! My foot feels (and looks!) so much better. I don't see the specialist again til next week and I'm assuming he will clear me to return to work. Joy. I've only had ONE doctor appointment this week and that has been a nice change of pace!
Over the weekend, Mark's family came to town formy our baby shower! It was nontraditional in the sense that it was coed. His friends came up from Naples, so it was nice that he got to visit with them for a while. We got some great stuff and it was nice to have the baby be celebrated! Mark's mom bought our crib, his dad got our crib mattress, and my parents bought our baby bedding, car seat, mini crib for our bedroom. We are almost all set with "big" purchases!
This week, we really got to work on Lily's room. It is finally painted and we will be installing the wood floor tomorrow! As soon as the floor is done we can assemble the crib. The crib sheets are on back order from PBK, but the crib skirt came and it is super cute! I've painted her name letters to go on the wall in the room, and the curtains are coming tomorrow from Amazon. I also finally ordered a dresser! Is it sad that this is one of the things I am most excited about? I can't wait to start putting her clothes away! I have been looking for a dresser forever and I have been concerned about off-gassing of formaldehyde and other chemicals. I never actually looked at the matching furniture that goes with the crib until last night, as I hadn't heard anything good about it, but they claim it is free of formaldehyde, pthalates and lead and has a non-toxic finish! So I ordered it from Amazon, of course, and it will be arriving next week.
I really want to get rid of some stuff (plus make some extra $), so I found a few things to put up for sale on eBay, and started taking some pictures so I could list them.
No, he's not for sale, he just decided he wanted to get in my way! He got right up on the table and made himself at home. Typical Jack!
Over the weekend, Mark's family came to town for
This week, we really got to work on Lily's room. It is finally painted and we will be installing the wood floor tomorrow! As soon as the floor is done we can assemble the crib. The crib sheets are on back order from PBK, but the crib skirt came and it is super cute! I've painted her name letters to go on the wall in the room, and the curtains are coming tomorrow from Amazon. I also finally ordered a dresser! Is it sad that this is one of the things I am most excited about? I can't wait to start putting her clothes away! I have been looking for a dresser forever and I have been concerned about off-gassing of formaldehyde and other chemicals. I never actually looked at the matching furniture that goes with the crib until last night, as I hadn't heard anything good about it, but they claim it is free of formaldehyde, pthalates and lead and has a non-toxic finish! So I ordered it from Amazon, of course, and it will be arriving next week.
I really want to get rid of some stuff (plus make some extra $), so I found a few things to put up for sale on eBay, and started taking some pictures so I could list them.
No, he's not for sale, he just decided he wanted to get in my way! He got right up on the table and made himself at home. Typical Jack!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Fuck
I went to a sports medicine doctor on Monday in an attempt to obtain a sexy walking boot. Unfortunately, I got more than I bargained for: my sexy boot, extremely evil crutches, and a note essentially barring me from work for THREE WEEKS: "Must remain non-weightbearing on crutches at all times until seen for re-eval".
I will admit I am completely non-compliant with the crutches. I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant and I honestly think giving them to me was some kind of cruel joke. As evidenced by my injury, regular old walking is extremely dangerous for me, so throwing crutches into the mix is a recipe for (even more) disaster. On the positive side, the boot helps tremendously and I do attempt to stay off of it as much as possible, though that gets boring really fast.
I was only going to take off 8 weeks with the baby, so being forced out of work for 3 weeks really complicates things. If I had the money, I would have taken the full 12 weeks with Lily that FMLA grants me. Now I lose those 3 weeks, so even if I realized I could have taken them, they'll be gone. This is one very shitty aspect of America. I'll probably see if I can get my foot re-evaluated after 2 weeks though. Hopefully he would clear me to work.
Yesterday as I was on my way home from the doctor, I watched a car accident happen literally right in front of me. A car was T-boned trying to cross a main road from a side street. I'm not sure she stopped at the stop sign, but it was her fault regardless. Both cars ended up in my lane right in front of me, so I am very happy I hadn't been going even a tiny bit faster, or they could have hit me too. I stopped and let one of the drivers use my phone. Everyone seemed ok for the most part. Sooo freaking glad it wasn't me though.
I will admit I am completely non-compliant with the crutches. I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant and I honestly think giving them to me was some kind of cruel joke. As evidenced by my injury, regular old walking is extremely dangerous for me, so throwing crutches into the mix is a recipe for (even more) disaster. On the positive side, the boot helps tremendously and I do attempt to stay off of it as much as possible, though that gets boring really fast.
I was only going to take off 8 weeks with the baby, so being forced out of work for 3 weeks really complicates things. If I had the money, I would have taken the full 12 weeks with Lily that FMLA grants me. Now I lose those 3 weeks, so even if I realized I could have taken them, they'll be gone. This is one very shitty aspect of America. I'll probably see if I can get my foot re-evaluated after 2 weeks though. Hopefully he would clear me to work.
Yesterday as I was on my way home from the doctor, I watched a car accident happen literally right in front of me. A car was T-boned trying to cross a main road from a side street. I'm not sure she stopped at the stop sign, but it was her fault regardless. Both cars ended up in my lane right in front of me, so I am very happy I hadn't been going even a tiny bit faster, or they could have hit me too. I stopped and let one of the drivers use my phone. Everyone seemed ok for the most part. Sooo freaking glad it wasn't me though.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sad Foot Saga
Working Friday night was apparently a bad idea. When my shift was over, my foot looked like this:
I couldn't believe the bruising at the base of my toes. Where did that come from?! Not sure what I'm supposed to do about working this week. Because walking really sucks, and my job = walking, a lot. I want to get one of those walking boot things, I figure that might make it hurt less? I'm guessing that obtaining one will require another doctor visit though.
In cuter news, here's Jack.
I couldn't believe the bruising at the base of my toes. Where did that come from?! Not sure what I'm supposed to do about working this week. Because walking really sucks, and my job = walking, a lot. I want to get one of those walking boot things, I figure that might make it hurt less? I'm guessing that obtaining one will require another doctor visit though.
In cuter news, here's Jack.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Keeping with the trend of WTF ultrasounds this week, I had my first repeat AFI this morning, and the tech got 19 for her first measurement, which technically is polyhydramnios (excess fluid, and the opposite of what my supposed issue was on Weds). She redid it (Lily was really active and that can skew the measurements) and got a little lower (in the normal range) but essentially, she was totally wrong on Wednesday with everything she told me. She also redid the fetal weight estimate and got 3lb12oz, down from 5lb2oz!! So now, I have my next repeat on Tuesday and we'll see how things compare. But right now it's looking like everything is fine and my baby is not a giant quite yet. Hopefully she will get to wear some newborn-sized clothes after all!
Now I get to take a nap and go to work for the first time in...6 days? It's hardly felt like time off. And now I have my gimpy foot that will make work soooo much more pleasant. :/
Now I get to take a nap and go to work for the first time in...6 days? It's hardly felt like time off. And now I have my gimpy foot that will make work soooo much more pleasant. :/
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Hospital Week
Well it's been somewhat of a craptacular week. Of course when shit actually does happen, it takes a while to post about it!
So, Sunday I actually got canceled, and that was fine but in the end it is kind of what sparked Monday's incident, as Sunday night I got bored and went to bed early. Mark and I got up early on Monday and decided to run some errands together. We were going to stop at my work so I could go to HR and get my FMLA papers, and then go to Home Depot and also finally quit my freaking gym that I've not gone to in almost a year. For our first stop, we went down to the hospital, and I started to walk toward the HR entrance, slipped on the curb, sprained my ankle and fell on my side on the concrete. :( I was a crying mess and we went right over to L&D so I could get the baby checked on. I was monitored for several hours and they did an ultrasound and some bloodwork, and everything checked out fine with the baby. We were there for about 5 hours, but at least everything is ok.
Tuesday, I debated all day whether or not to get my foot looked at. For reasons past my understanding, they couldn't get a portable x-ray done during the 5 hours I was in the hospital on Monday. I figured it was most likely just a sprain, but it was pretty blue and swollen, and I was a little concerned that I might have a small fracture somewhere. My PCP couldn't see me and they recommended I go to a walk-in clinic for an x-ray. I wasn't a fan of that idea, but eventually I decided to go for it, and we went at the worst possible time. We waited there in the tiny, hot, packed waiting room with a bunch of sick people for over an hour. Finally I got taken back, got it x-rayed, and it's fine, of course. The doctor recommended I not work for a week, but I really can't afford to do that considering I'm about to miss 2 months of work pretty soon.
Yesterday morning, I had a regularly-scheduled appointment for an ultrasound to check on how big the baby is. The ultrasound tech spent quite a while looking at things, and then said she said my fluid looked really low. She also said the baby was over 5 pounds. I got pretty concerned about the low fluid. Where did it go and why?? I didn't have an appointment to see my doctor, but they called her and she asked another doctor to "check me" to make sure I wasn't leaking fluid. Luckily, it didn't look like I was, but since it was really low, she sent me to the hospital for more testing and IV fluids. I was absolutely ok with this plan as I would much rather err on the side of caution. Low fluid could be just dehydration, or a problem with the placenta or issues with the baby's kidneys, and a complication of it can be compression of the cord, reducing or even stopping bloodflow to the baby. However, I really was not a fan of this doctor. I am so thankful for my doctor who essentially has taken me on as a private patient. Anyway, we left the office and Mark and I stopped at home quickly, grabbed a few things and headed to the hospital.
After I got into a room, the first thing they did was another ultrasound to check the bloodflow through the umbilical cord (cord dopplers) and a biophysical profile that basically assesses fetal wellbeing. Part of that includes looking at fluid levels, and she found plenty! This ultrasonographer got my level to be 12.6cm which is absolutely, completely normal (essentially exactly what it should be right now) and a huge change from the 4cm the first person got 2 hours prior. Everything else looked great with the baby, and she also did a quick fetal weight since I was really not believing the 5lbs (totally gigantic) the other woman told me, and she got 3lbs14oz (completely normal). My doctor was notified of the correct fluid level, she came over to see me and sent me home!
So, that is 2 trips to the hospital in 3 days. Thankfully, everything looks good. I'm supposed to have repeat ultrasounds tomorrow and Tuesday and I'm waiting for my doctor's office to call me with the appointment times. Hopefully they will actually do that today, as you know, Friday is tomorrow.
So, Sunday I actually got canceled, and that was fine but in the end it is kind of what sparked Monday's incident, as Sunday night I got bored and went to bed early. Mark and I got up early on Monday and decided to run some errands together. We were going to stop at my work so I could go to HR and get my FMLA papers, and then go to Home Depot and also finally quit my freaking gym that I've not gone to in almost a year. For our first stop, we went down to the hospital, and I started to walk toward the HR entrance, slipped on the curb, sprained my ankle and fell on my side on the concrete. :( I was a crying mess and we went right over to L&D so I could get the baby checked on. I was monitored for several hours and they did an ultrasound and some bloodwork, and everything checked out fine with the baby. We were there for about 5 hours, but at least everything is ok.
My foot is sad. And puffy. That bruising has faded, but also spread to the base of my toes. Awesome.
Tuesday, I debated all day whether or not to get my foot looked at. For reasons past my understanding, they couldn't get a portable x-ray done during the 5 hours I was in the hospital on Monday. I figured it was most likely just a sprain, but it was pretty blue and swollen, and I was a little concerned that I might have a small fracture somewhere. My PCP couldn't see me and they recommended I go to a walk-in clinic for an x-ray. I wasn't a fan of that idea, but eventually I decided to go for it, and we went at the worst possible time. We waited there in the tiny, hot, packed waiting room with a bunch of sick people for over an hour. Finally I got taken back, got it x-rayed, and it's fine, of course. The doctor recommended I not work for a week, but I really can't afford to do that considering I'm about to miss 2 months of work pretty soon.
Yesterday morning, I had a regularly-scheduled appointment for an ultrasound to check on how big the baby is. The ultrasound tech spent quite a while looking at things, and then said she said my fluid looked really low. She also said the baby was over 5 pounds. I got pretty concerned about the low fluid. Where did it go and why?? I didn't have an appointment to see my doctor, but they called her and she asked another doctor to "check me" to make sure I wasn't leaking fluid. Luckily, it didn't look like I was, but since it was really low, she sent me to the hospital for more testing and IV fluids. I was absolutely ok with this plan as I would much rather err on the side of caution. Low fluid could be just dehydration, or a problem with the placenta or issues with the baby's kidneys, and a complication of it can be compression of the cord, reducing or even stopping bloodflow to the baby. However, I really was not a fan of this doctor. I am so thankful for my doctor who essentially has taken me on as a private patient. Anyway, we left the office and Mark and I stopped at home quickly, grabbed a few things and headed to the hospital.
After I got into a room, the first thing they did was another ultrasound to check the bloodflow through the umbilical cord (cord dopplers) and a biophysical profile that basically assesses fetal wellbeing. Part of that includes looking at fluid levels, and she found plenty! This ultrasonographer got my level to be 12.6cm which is absolutely, completely normal (essentially exactly what it should be right now) and a huge change from the 4cm the first person got 2 hours prior. Everything else looked great with the baby, and she also did a quick fetal weight since I was really not believing the 5lbs (totally gigantic) the other woman told me, and she got 3lbs14oz (completely normal). My doctor was notified of the correct fluid level, she came over to see me and sent me home!
So, that is 2 trips to the hospital in 3 days. Thankfully, everything looks good. I'm supposed to have repeat ultrasounds tomorrow and Tuesday and I'm waiting for my doctor's office to call me with the appointment times. Hopefully they will actually do that today, as you know, Friday is tomorrow.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Score!!
Return and rebuy totally worked. This might just be one of the best Target deals of my life!
The CS rep didn't even bat an eyelash. After she finally understood what I wanted to do, she rang it up for me immediately, right at the customer service desk. I put it on my Target card, so I got an extra 5% off. Regular price: $379.99, plus tax. With tax, I paid $96.55!
And then for fun, I bought these too:
Lily is due at the very beginning of the season...maybe she'll even come on Opening Day! So she definitely will be needing lots of Rays gear.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I've missed another 365 day. I seem to miss them around days I work, as work these days totally wears me out. I wish I could take pictures at work, but I have a feeling it's frowned upon. Anyway, here are my last few shots that made the cut.
Toby is getting accustomed to our new office. It's easy to take pictures of him since he sits right next to me almost all the time.
I ordered something off of Etsy a few weeks ago and I was wondering why I hadn't received it yet. Well, this would be why. Its long journey is complete.
And finally, another picture of my furry shadow. She is a fan of my new flannel sheets. These are the softest freaking sheets ever, and unfortunately, the fitted sheet in the package turned out to be a queen instead of king. Le sigh. I crammed that sucker on to my memory foam topper anyway.
So, I worked Monday night, and there was a brief period when I first got up on Tuesday that I literally could not walk. That sucked, and it's not the first time it has happened. If I am in charge at night, generally I am still able to move the next day. If I am scheduled to take patients, it ends up breaking me and then my hips just decide to stop working. I don't recommend it. Later in the evening we were under a tornado warning, with actual tornadoes spotted in the vicinity, so I'm glad my hip function returned in the event that I would need to cower in my closet.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Well, I've had a few days off and I managed to break and then subsequently fix my desktop in that span. Right after my last post, we set up our new printer and I attempted to install it on my desktop, which is not a "normal" computer. I built it in June and put OSX on it, so yes, it is a "hackintosh". It is totally awesome, 99% of the time. I somehow "broke" it trying to get the printer to work, and then I went crazy and decided to update my OS, and then that began about 2 days of reinstalling things, taking the hard drive out, putting it in Mark's computer to get my stuff off it, putting the hard drive back in, adding another hard drive, ram out, ram in, lather, rinse, repeat. Finally, I am back up and running, with a 100% awesome system!
We also managed to FINALLY move our computers out of our dining area and into our office, exactly 13 months (to the day!) after buying the house! We aren't nearly done, and we have to clean and re-assemble our dining room now, but it is definitely a start!! The broken computer saga kind of put a damper on my quest for the best breastpump deal ever, but I've not exactly given up yet - I've just changed my game plan. Will let you know if it works!
And here are a couple more pics of Liz Lemon, for good measure. Both the cats are somewhat confused by our move into our office.
Computer Intestines
And here are a couple more pics of Liz Lemon, for good measure. Both the cats are somewhat confused by our move into our office.
Back to work for me tonight, unless I'm lucky enough to finally get canceled! I feel like it's been forever, as I was sick last time. :(
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thrill of the Hunt
Well, here is Monday's pic of the day:
Jack: a new Macbook Pro accessory from Apple.
Of course, I missed Tuesday's picture, as I've been very busy. When I got up, I saw that someone posted online about a super-expensive breast pump on clearance at some Targets for about 75% off. So, that's an almost $400 pump for $94, plus I would get an extra 5% off for using my Target card. I love a good deal!!! So, I went hunting. Only a few stores in the area claimed "limited availability". The rest were sold out. The first store we went to had it, but not on clearance. The second store had a space for it, with clearance tags on the shelf, but no actual pumps. We called a third store as we started heading that direction. It was crazy far away. They said they didn't have any and I hope they were correct about that. We stopped at a fourth store that said "sold out" per Target.com, and yep, they were sold out. I'm off again Wednesday, and I'll go down to Sarasota since there are 2 stores that claim they have it. Not sure how much further I'd be willing to go unless I absolutely know they have one. Would it make me crazy if I drove to Naples for it? Possibly.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
MTHFR
I'm in the middle of a medium-sized freak out. Due to my history of unsuccessful pregnancies, when I found out I was pregnant this time, my doctor ordered some blood work to check for clotting disorders. I have crappy veins, so it involved 7 sticks at 2 locations (my doctors' office (3) and LabCorp (4)) and 15 vials of blood. Everything came back fine, except that I am homozygous (2 copies) for the C677T MTHFR mutation. It's somewhat common among people of European descent and doctors aren't exactly sure it is really a type of clotting disorder or not. Anyway, as a precaution I take baby aspirin, though some doctors prescribe low molecular weight heparin like Lovenox - in fact, the doctors (not my actual doctor) that said I didn't need it used to prescribe it routinely. Sooo...yeah. Plus, I have trust issues with them to begin with.
Unfortunately, this 2x C677t this is the worst kind to have. And Dr. Google has not been my friend this morning, as I got to reading about horrific third trimester losses possibly caused by blood clots in the placenta or cord, the risk for which is theoretically increased with the mutation I have. I really don't need anything more to worry about. My job already gives me a complex about bad things happening, as I see it happen all the time. Every time I see someone's name on the L&D computer "chalkboard" typed over a gray background (meaning they had a fetal demise) I panic on the inside. Now I'm considering essentially insisting on Lovenox for the rest of the pregnancy. The prospect of something happening to this baby and me "what-ifing" myself for the rest of my life is basically incomprehensible.
Unfortunately, this 2x C677t this is the worst kind to have. And Dr. Google has not been my friend this morning, as I got to reading about horrific third trimester losses possibly caused by blood clots in the placenta or cord, the risk for which is theoretically increased with the mutation I have. I really don't need anything more to worry about. My job already gives me a complex about bad things happening, as I see it happen all the time. Every time I see someone's name on the L&D computer "chalkboard" typed over a gray background (meaning they had a fetal demise) I panic on the inside. Now I'm considering essentially insisting on Lovenox for the rest of the pregnancy. The prospect of something happening to this baby and me "what-ifing" myself for the rest of my life is basically incomprehensible.
Friday, January 14, 2011
California Re-Do, part 4
Ok, so we got up early on Saturday, May 15th. We got everything packed up, went to the gift shop to buy a hoodie I liked, and went outside to take some pictures around Union Square.
Full Circle
I suck at this. So, I didn't take any pictures yesterday either!! I need to buckle down! I just took a couple today...I've not done any of Stanlee yet. He's not really a fan of the camera and it's usually hard to get him to look at it. Today, I bribed him.
Yesterday, Mark and I went down to Bradenton so he could pick something up from work. We then went over to the outlets - bad, bad, bad! I got new shoes for work, so I suppose you can call them a necessity. But since we were down there, I went in the Carter's outlet. I got out after only having spent $50, but found a lot of clearance stuff, and bought some things in bigger sizes (like 2T) for later. It's hard to beat $20 items marked down to $3.99. We are definitely set on tiny clothes though. And I have a load in the wash right now!
After, that we drove up 75 to Brandon to Buy Buy Baby. This was solely an educational field trip and we didn't buy anything there. We needed to test 2 different car seats to see what fits in our car. They both fit, but the one I've been wanting is a pretty tight squeeze. I think we're still gonna go for it though, but through Amazon since it's cheaper.
It's a freaking tank. I know that some car seat people will say that all car seats are "equally safe", but I just don't buy it. They all must meet minimum standards, just like cars. And yet, some cars are rated more safe than others, so why can't a car seat be considered safer if it has additional safety features?
After BBB, we stopped at Publix and stocked up on some food, and drove back to St. Pete via the Crosstown/Gandy. So, this was our route yesterday:
I've lived here for 28 years and I think this is the first time I've ever made a loop like that!
I exchanged my dysfunctional glucometer for one that works. So far, everything is fine. Fasting in the 80's and postprandial from 80's-low 100's. Odds are I would have passed my GTT if they actually had run the test! I'll keep a little log, show my doctor in 2 weeks and I think that should be it.
I got paid today and unfortunately, I didn't have enough PTO to cover all of the days I missed when sick. I'm short like $700 and that totally sucks.
Yesterday, Mark and I went down to Bradenton so he could pick something up from work. We then went over to the outlets - bad, bad, bad! I got new shoes for work, so I suppose you can call them a necessity. But since we were down there, I went in the Carter's outlet. I got out after only having spent $50, but found a lot of clearance stuff, and bought some things in bigger sizes (like 2T) for later. It's hard to beat $20 items marked down to $3.99. We are definitely set on tiny clothes though. And I have a load in the wash right now!
After, that we drove up 75 to Brandon to Buy Buy Baby. This was solely an educational field trip and we didn't buy anything there. We needed to test 2 different car seats to see what fits in our car. They both fit, but the one I've been wanting is a pretty tight squeeze. I think we're still gonna go for it though, but through Amazon since it's cheaper.
After BBB, we stopped at Publix and stocked up on some food, and drove back to St. Pete via the Crosstown/Gandy. So, this was our route yesterday:
I've lived here for 28 years and I think this is the first time I've ever made a loop like that!
I exchanged my dysfunctional glucometer for one that works. So far, everything is fine. Fasting in the 80's and postprandial from 80's-low 100's. Odds are I would have passed my GTT if they actually had run the test! I'll keep a little log, show my doctor in 2 weeks and I think that should be it.
I got paid today and unfortunately, I didn't have enough PTO to cover all of the days I missed when sick. I'm short like $700 and that totally sucks.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Ginormous
Well, I've been a bad photographer and have missed a couple of days of my project. 12-hour shifts can really put a damper on things! There's really no time do to anything but eat, sleep and get ready to go back to work! Then, I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday afternoon so I only got 4 hours of sleep before that. I came back home after, had some food and essentially passed out on the sofa. For 7 hours. Oops!
Baby girl seems to be looking good. I had an ultrasound and she is quite chunky - approximately 3lb4oz - an entire POUND more than average right now (currently 80-something percentile). However, I'm 5'9" and Mark is about 6 feet, so it's not terribly surprising to me, and as long as she's growing, I'm happy! Plus, she is head down and hopefully she stays that way!
I asked what my blood sugar was from my diabetic screen last week. I assumed I passed since they never called to tell me I needed the 3 hour test. The nurse started paging through my chart and couldn't find it! Unfortunately, they sent the blood to the lab, but never ordered the test! So, that really sucks. Instead of repeating it, my doctor is going to have me do some accuchecks at home, which apparently is more accurate anyway. So I stopped and bought a meter on the way home from my appointment, and of course we got a dud - it won't turn on. So tomorrow I'll exchange it and we'll see how things go! Going to really try and be "good" with my diet, just in case - that is going to be hard! I guess I'll have to go grocery shopping today.
Baby girl seems to be looking good. I had an ultrasound and she is quite chunky - approximately 3lb4oz - an entire POUND more than average right now (currently 80-something percentile). However, I'm 5'9" and Mark is about 6 feet, so it's not terribly surprising to me, and as long as she's growing, I'm happy! Plus, she is head down and hopefully she stays that way!
I asked what my blood sugar was from my diabetic screen last week. I assumed I passed since they never called to tell me I needed the 3 hour test. The nurse started paging through my chart and couldn't find it! Unfortunately, they sent the blood to the lab, but never ordered the test! So, that really sucks. Instead of repeating it, my doctor is going to have me do some accuchecks at home, which apparently is more accurate anyway. So I stopped and bought a meter on the way home from my appointment, and of course we got a dud - it won't turn on. So tomorrow I'll exchange it and we'll see how things go! Going to really try and be "good" with my diet, just in case - that is going to be hard! I guess I'll have to go grocery shopping today.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Lets Build Something Together
Well, we finally made it to Lowe's and got paint for Lillian's room. It had been on the agenda for quite a while! I am usually a Home Depot kind of girl, but Lowe's has a zero-VOC (colorant included!) version of their Olympic brand paint that comes in 1200+ colors. It's decently priced around $20/gallon, compared to $60 for Benjamin Moore, and Home Depot doesn't even have a similar option available. The color we (um, I) picked is Blue Dusk and it's kind of a robin's egg or maybe a lighter version of Tiffany blue.
So, we need to paint, put flooring down, change the ceiling fan and either get new closet doors or hang curtains in place of closet doors. Then I just might order a crib!
The bedding is picked out...will have to buy it one day. We can get 10% off everything though since I made it into a registry. The plan is to get the Brooke bed skirt and then Hayley sheets and valences. Skipping the bumper in place of a breathable one since it's safer, and we'll probably never get the little quilt since they're hardly ever used. We are planning on having her in our room while we sleep, but I'd like to have her room done so that it will be her napping place. It's right next to the computer room, and we know that's where Mark will be once we actually move the computers in there.
So far, I've managed to not screw up or cheat at my Project 365 thing. Here are my contributions from the weekend.
This is my inspiration.
So, we need to paint, put flooring down, change the ceiling fan and either get new closet doors or hang curtains in place of closet doors. Then I just might order a crib!
The bedding is picked out...will have to buy it one day. We can get 10% off everything though since I made it into a registry. The plan is to get the Brooke bed skirt and then Hayley sheets and valences. Skipping the bumper in place of a breathable one since it's safer, and we'll probably never get the little quilt since they're hardly ever used. We are planning on having her in our room while we sleep, but I'd like to have her room done so that it will be her napping place. It's right next to the computer room, and we know that's where Mark will be once we actually move the computers in there.
So far, I've managed to not screw up or cheat at my Project 365 thing. Here are my contributions from the weekend.
Liz Lemon still doesn't agree with the notion that she's an indoor-only cat. She scratches at the blinds/door daily, and assists the dogs in breaking the blinds.
Paint, finally!
Baby shoes! This is the first pair I bought her, and actually the only pair she has so far. What you can't really tell is that they're on my belly. I had some technical difficulties. :/
California Re-Do, part 3
Friday, May 14th was our last full day in the San Francisco area. We got up earlyish and attempted to find Mark a hat to block the sun. Despite visiting a dedicated hat store and a drug store, we weren't successful due to his giant head, LOL. So we were hoping to find a Target before our vineyard trip, but we got stuck in traffic and had to nix that idea. So, around Petaluma we got off the freeway, got some Subway (so much better than Florida!!) and drove through some small towns on our way to Napa.
More after the jump!
More after the jump!
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