31 Week Update ... A Little Late

I realize this is past due, but I had a pretty busy weekend and didn't get a chance to update this. Then I went to do it yesterday and I decided to wait since I had an ultrasound today. So, let me back up and start with my appointment last Friday.

My doctor was happy with how I've been handling the bed rest. My cervix has shifted a little forward since being in the hospital, but it's still long and closed. I was measuring ahead of the 31 week curve. Because of measuring ahead, she ordered an ultrasound so we could find out approximately how big the baby is and so we could get a better idea of how long my cervix is.

The ultrasound appointment was today. Our little one is measuring 4 lbs 8 oz and is currently breech. The cervix was measuring at 3.5cm long which is good. That's a pretty average length. The ultrasound tech did say that the cervix might be starting to dilate a little bit, but she couldn't tell me for sure that it was. So, I'm not worrying about it right now.

I have another doctors appointment this Friday and we'll get to discuss all of the results of the ultrasound. I think I'll have quite a few questions by the time I get in there. I'm hoping I'll only have two more weeks of this bed rest stuff.

Other than doctors appointments, our baby shower was this past Sunday. For everyone who was there or sent gifts, thank you SO much for everything! I hope everyone had fun. It was wonderful seeing everyone together!

I will try to remember to update on Friday after my appointment, but if I don't get around to it, I hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!

God Bless

Happy 30 Weeks!

Hi everyone!

I had my first doctors appointment since being the hospital and I like to think that we got good news. I am going to be on my "modified" bed rest for the next four weeks.. That's kind of crappy news.. But, I know it's all for the best.

Basically, since we don't really know what caused the contractions last weekend, we need to err on the side of caution. At this point in my pregnancy my cervix should still be hard, closed and long. Right now I've got two of those three points. The one that I'm lacking is hard.. So my cervix has softened. It's not the end of the world, but since it is soft, I have to be careful not to do too much and put too much pressure on it. Meaning little standing and sitting if I can help it. I'm basically allowed to be up and moving for about three hours a day. So I can shower, fix myself food and go to the bathroom.

So, the goal is to keep the baby in for at least four more weeks. I was told that 34 weeks is a big milestone for the baby and if I can make it that long, our little one won't have to spend TOO much time in the NICU. When I hit 34 weeks, assuming I'm doing well and am not dilated at all, I'll probably have some restrictions removed for the next two weeks. If I don't go into labor in those next two weeks, I was told that at 36 weeks I can start doing cart wheels on my front lawn (don't worry, we'll sell tickets for you all to see that!).

Obviously this is mostly guess work right now. There's no telling how fast I may start to dilate or anything, but it sounds like there is a really good chance we'll end up with a June baby instead of a July baby.

I'm not really sure how Josh is feeling about it, but I'm starting to feel quite overwhelmed by everything. I was really hoping that I'd be doing wonderfully enough at my appointment today that they were going to tell me I was fine and didn't need bed rest. I was definitely disappointed... So there's a good chance that in 4-6 weeks we'll have a baby and I'm not allowed to get out of bed to help get ready for it! I'm just going to keep praying that we have more than 6 weeks. Six weeks.. It sounds so close!

So that was basically my appointment today. I'll be going back every single week from here on out and they'll be checking my cervix for any changes. I am allowed to drive myself to my appointments (it's also the only time I'm allowed to drive.. but hey- at least it'll save on gas!) but since my mom is off on Friday's I made the appointments then. It's helpful to have someone else at the appointments to help remember questions and answers. I'll try to update every Friday or Saturday to let everyone know how things are going.

I am going to leave you with a belly shot tonight. In the last week the baby has definitely gone through a growth spurt. I certainly feel huge! (Seriously, compare this to the last pictures I posted... um.. HELLO BELLY!)

Hope this finds everyone well!

My Mother's Day at Troy Beaumont

For those who haven't heard, I spent the last two days in Labor & Delivery. Little Baby Tenney is still currently cooking, but is being a little stubborn.

Saturday evening I had noticed that I was getting quite a few contractions. At first I thought they were Braxton Hicks, but as they started becoming more regular and stronger, I called our on-call doctor. I was getting contractions anywhere from 2-6 minutes apart and over 15 an hour. So he told me to go straight to L&D to get checked out.

We started out in triage where we got good news and bad news. The good news was the fact that I wasn't dilated at all and my cervix was still hard and closed. Bad news was the fact that I was going to have to stay at the hospital for at least 24 hours for monitoring and to stop the contractions. So they ran a bunch of tests and then moved me over to a real room to get me started on treatment.

I had a rough first night there. Evidently I was dehydrated (which none of us can figure out how that happened because I drink 70+ ounces a day) so they were having trouble finding my veins to hook me up to the IV. After busting one of my veins and poking me two more times, they eventually put the IV into the inside of my elbow. I guess that's not an ideal spot for them because they use a thicker IV than most other areas of the hospital so if you bend your arm at all and cut off the medication, machines start going crazy with beeping. So for the first 6 hours at the hospital, I'd have to call in the nurse to reset everything at least twice an hour. Once they got the IV in me, they started me on magnesium to stop the contractions. It's a 24 hour drip and the first half an hour they triple the dosage to get things started. It's quite an uncomfortable medication to have in your system. It's basically a muscle relaxer so for 24 hours I wasn't allowed to get out of bed. They also gave me a steroid shot in the butt to help progress the baby's lung development in case I did go into labor. So the first night was rough, especially with sleeping. I finally kicked Josh out of the hospital at 1:00ish while I tried to get some rest. At 1:30 they brought in a CRNA to see if she could find a better vein for my IV since it kept going off so much. After half an hour and 4 more pokes, they still couldn't find one to use so they just tried to adjust my current one. Thankfully, that did the trick and I didn't have any more problems for the rest of the stay. I did sleep about 1-2 hours the first night.. It was my first ever over night hospital stay and between having to call the nurse for the bed pan every two hours to pee and all of the different noises, it was difficult trying to rest.

Josh came back up in the morning around 8:00. My doctor came in probably about half an hour later. My cervix was still hard and closed, about 2-2.5 cm long, which is really good. He went over all of my test results, and the biggest one was the Fetal Fibronectin test and that came back negative. This was a major relief for us because when the test comes back negative, it means you have a less than 1% chance of delivering in the next two weeks. So our biggest concern was just getting the contractions to stop. The doctor okay'd a clear liquid diet for me while I was on the magnesium, which was pretty good. It was nice to get something besides ice chips in my stomach.

After that, we had a pretty quiet day. Both of our parents (and my sister) came up to visit with us. Thanks to my sister, she brought up the Mother's Day gifts I had for our mom's, so we did get to celebrate a little bit, even if I was stuck in the hospital.

About 5:00pm the magnesium was really starting to bother me. It was causing chest tightness and I was getting hot flashes. The nurse turned the temperature down to 55 degrees in the room and they still had to put wash cloths dipped in ice water to try to cool me down. They ended up stopping the magnesium about an hour early since I was struggling with it so much. On top of the symptoms from the magnesium, I was also dealing with extreme heart burn from the lack of solid food. Once I got off the magnesium, I did start to cool off, but I also started shaking really badly. After an hour I was allowed to try to eat solid food and allowed to use the bathroom with assistance. Getting up the first time was rough - I was quite dizzy and not very steady, but quite excited about being able to use the toilet! Hahaha. It took me almost two hours just to eat a little bit of fruit, half a yogurt and half a ham sandwich. The shaking did subside after a few hours, and with the help of an antacid, while I was sitting the heartburn went away. Although when I did lay down for the evening I still had some of the effects of the magnesium so my chest was still tight. At 11:00 I got another steroid for the baby. Around 11:30ish they gave me a fairly strong pain killer that was safe for the baby but would also help with the remaining contractions that I was having and help me sleep. Unfortunately it made me incredibly dizzy, but I was able to sleep most of it off. Josh went home right after I got the pain killer since it was obviously knocking me out, plus he had to work today. So I finally got to sleep last night. I slept for about two hours a time, only waking up to go to the bathroom. Throughout the night my contractions got a lot better. I was only having one or two an hour and they didn't even wake me.

And that brings us to this morning! My doctor came in around 9:00 and did a quick exam. While she said that my cervix felt a little soft, it was still closed and long. I was discharged and I am on modified bed rest. Basically I have to be laying down at least one hour every morning, afternoon and evening, and the rest of the time I can be sitting with my feet up. I'm not allowed to do any chores (poor Josh) but I am allowed to get up to make myself meals and go to the bathroom. I'm also allowed 5 minute showers. I have to make an appointment for later this week where I'll get an ultrasound to check the baby and cervix (although the baby did quite wonderful throughout this whole thing - s/he never got stressed at all). I'm sure there will be lots to discuss at my next appointment - I've already started a list of questions to ask. I'm sure I'm going to be watched carefully from here on out.

So there's the latest news. While I would have rather not have all this happen, we really did have a great experience with the hospital. Everyone there were all wonderful and we were never out of the loop. I've already even met the lactation specialist and we discussed what would be expected for nursing if I do in fact have this baby early.

I think I've covered all of the big stuff - And since I'm home for good now, I will try to update this more frequently, especially as we start getting more news about what will be happening with the baby.

Hope this finds everyone well.

29 Weeks

So, Erin pointed out that I hadn't posted any new belly pics recently... So here they are! We've only got 11 weeks to go!

In the black shirt, I'm 25 Weeks.

In the purple, I'm 28 weeks, 5 days.

Hope this finds everyone well.

God Bless.

Happy Tuesday!

I apologize for letting this go so long without an update. These past few weeks have just flown by and we've been quite busy.

Our birthdays were at the beginning of the month, which most of you know. They were pretty quiet compared to some previous years, but still wonderful. Thanks to many relatives, we were able to purchase a video camera. We're both excited about being able to capture the little one in the future.

Josh starts his new job next Monday. He's definitely ready for something new. And thankfully, just last week we found out that Beaumont found a way to keep us on their insurance so we won't be having to pay for COBRA for those first five weeks. We are both so relieved about that. His first five weeks of training will be unpaid but that isn't such a scary thought anymore since we'll have insurance.

About a month ago, my company moved my location again. I'm now in our Saint Clair Shores office. It is a little closer to home, and is all expressway so I'm not on the road so long, which is nice. Unfortunately, they cut my hours again. I'm back to three days a week with no benefits, which means if I have to go on bed rest early or when I have the baby, I won't be paid. Kind of sucky, but we're trying to make the best of the situation.

Speaking of baby, we're only three weeks away from the third trimester already. It is amazing how quickly the time goes. We've been busy figuring out our registry and deciding how to decorate the nursery. I've been rapidly growing over the last few weeks, as well as the baby. My belly button is nearly flat, which I find fascinating for some reason. It's quite an experience so far. Josh has been able to feel the baby kicking a number of times already, but the little one doesn't want to cooperate around the grandparents at all. I've also been able to see the baby moving around and kicking which is just awesome. I've been feeling great... I even think that whole nesting thing might be starting to kick in a little bit... And I say that because I have never had the desire to scrub our bathroom floor (sure, I've used the wet jet on it, but I've never gotten down on my hands and knees to scrub it).. I just haven't pulled the motivation to actually do it. I figure it's right around the corner. Haha. :)

I'll leave you with some pictures, I took some today just for you! :)

23 Weeks, 4 days

Our Little One!!!

Here is our baby's first picture!!! :)

Happy Almost March!

Hi everyone!

I know it's been a while since I've been on here. I'm officially terrible at updating this thing!

We've had a busy week or two here at our house. We're quite excited because Josh was officially offered the IOM job that he had interviewed for back in November/December. He starts that job in April, which is a little later than we wanted, but we'll make do.

The baby is doing well. I am officially 18 weeks today! I saw my doctor on Tuesday and he is super excited for us and told me that so far I have a perfect pregnancy! Hopefully that stays the same after our first ultrasound this coming Tuesday! We're so excited to see our little one! :)

In other news, Josh's brother Nick proposed to his girlfriend last week! (She obviously said yes!) We are so excited to be gaining an awesome sister!

Also, my little cousin (though he's not so little anymore), Mark, has joined the Army. We are so proud of him! He will be going off to boot camp at the beginning of July and coming home for a couple of weeks in September.

I guess that's it as far as big news goes. Our birthdays are right around the corner now. I'm actually kind of excited about turning 25... I'm not sure why, but I am!

I caught a cold on Tuesday night and I think Josh is now getting it... So needless to say, I'm exhausted and off to bed. I'll leave you with a belly pic that I just took today. I promise that I'll try to start taking more and posting!

Hope everyone is well!

The First One

I can't believe I'm doing this, but here are two baby bump pictures. I guess I'm growing more than I though I was.

This is at 14 weeks, 5 days:

And this is today at 15 weeks, 6 days:

So there you have it. Two belly bump pictures. I'm still quite amazed that I'm showing as much as I am.. I really thought it would take longer.

I hope that if you had to travel in the snow today you made it everywhere safely. And if you were one of the lucky ones like me, I hope you enjoyed the day off! (I spent my day reading and napping!)

It's Facebook Official

All of our family and close friends have known that we are expecting since Christmas. A special few got to know before Thanksgiving. And now it's facebook official, and to be honest, it's scaring the crap out of me.

I never really expected to get to a point in pregnancy that I actually could share it with the facebook world. It was just safer in my mind to prepare myself for the worst while hoping for the best. But here we are, into the second trimester, a little past 14 weeks along and everyone knows.

Besides being terrified about everyone knowing, I'm doing pretty well. I'm not feeling nearly as sick anymore, which is a blessing. The all day sickness was really wearing me down. And I am finally getting my energy back. Although, if I do too much I immediately need a nap. Thankfully I married a wonderful man who has been nothing but understanding from day one.

I have been thankful that for the most part, I can at least eat whatever I want. Some days it may not taste good, but if I wait a day or two, no problem. The only thing I can't eat is Italian food. I'm not sure what it is, but it makes me feel so sick. I can handle pizza sauce, so it must be something in the herbs and spices or something. I was hoping it would be a first trimester thing and I'd be back to normal by now, but it's not looking promising. :(

I finally got my Christmas decorations down today. I know, total slacker, right? I always have my decorations down on New Years Day, but with being exhausted and feeling sick, it just wasn't happening. After taking down the decorations, I got to take a two hour nap while Josh cleaned the house. Did I mention how wonderful my husband is?

Outside of pregnancy news, Josh spoke to the lady who would be hiring him for the IOM job at Beaumont. They are now hiring three new people and Josh is still their number one choice. She pretty much said that he'd have the job which is fabulous. The only down side is the fact that the new start date would be the first Monday in April. I feel like this is cutting things really close to when the baby is due, especially since we'll be going those first five weeks of training without pay and insurance. Obviously, we'll go on cobra for the month and we do have lots of time before then to save for the no pay part, but that won't make the situation any less stressful. We will get through it, obviously, but it's just difficult for me because I feel like everything is up in the air. I'm a planner, I need everything planned. This being so far away does not allow me to be able to plan.

My job is going okay. Kind of the same as always. I hate the drive, but I'm at least starting to enjoy it out there a little more. Maybe it was my lack of energy that had me hating it, but it's definitely getting better. I still haven't made any decisions about what I'm going to do after the baby comes. Ideally, I'd love to go part time, but as I work four 10 hour days, I'm not sure what the bosses would say to that. That's something I'm hoping I won't have to worry about though for another couple of months.

Sydney turned three at the beginning of the month. I can't believe we've had her for three years already (okay, almost three years). She's finally calmed down a lot.. Not sure if it's because she's just getting older or if the pregnancy has anything to do with it. She's definitely noticed the changes in me and she has become a lot more cuddly (I really didn't know this was possible). Don't get me wrong though, she's still a little turd when she wants to be. Just like a child, right?


I hope this finds everyone well.
Until next time-
God Bless.


PS - Our due date is July 22, 2011!

Happy New Year!

Well, I've finally had some time to sit down and update this properly, instead of just whining about how my blog isn't pretty. (Sorry, it was a weak moment)

I hope everyone had a great New Year! We had our 2nd Annual New Years Eve party and I like to think that it was a success. :) When the clock struck midnight we had 15 of our closest and best friends and family with us (though we were missing a few who couldn't be there!). We spent the evening playing some Rock Band, eating, drinking and catching up with everyone. It's really nice seeing people together who we haven't seen in months since they live 500+ miles away.

I had a lot of people asking for the recipes of all the snacks I had out, so this post will include those! (I know, finally, right? It only took me two weeks!) If you have trouble reading them, just let me know and I can help clear things up. I think they're pretty easy to read, but I grew up reading my mom's writing, so I'd understand if you couldn't read it real well.

And again, just because I've been lazy, I apologize if you haven't gotten our Christmas card yet, I swear it's in the mail as we speak! (Or read. Or whatever.)

Anyway, enjoy the recipes and I hope 2011 treats everyone well! I know it's been kind to us so far. :)

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Chicken Dip

Cheesy Nacho Dip