Here's the scoop people. I try not to force my opinions on Facebook. Every day there are posts about how Obama is horrible, people suck at driving, this man deserves jail because of doing this, guns don't kill people - people kill people, the government should have zero say with what I do with my body, etc., etc., etc... There are some things I agree with, some things I just shake my head at, and some things that occasionally I'll put in an opinion. I try not to do the third because it ends up being a debate, and I don't enjoy doing that on social media. I've learned over the years that it doesn't matter how logically, eloquently or delicately you try to say something, someone will look at it as an attack and tell you that you're wrong and start arguing.
That being said, I'm not trying to start a fight when I say this, but I feel like it needs to be said.
Please, please, PLEASE stop judging parents you see out in public!!
Trust me, I get it. There are parents out there who aren't really being parents. They let their children make the rules and we're creating a generation of selfish children who expect everything to just be handed to them. I get it. But that being said, you have NO idea what that parent is going through. Yes, maybe that kid throwing a temper tantrum in Walmart really is spoiled and doesn't like that his mom said he couldn't have a chocolate bar. Or maybe, their kid is like mine and usually very well mannered but is just having a bad day. We ALL have bad days, children included. We, as adults, usually find someway to fix a bad mood, whether it's through exercise, venting to a family member or friend, punching a wall... whatever. Kids don't know how to do that. All they know how to do is cry and scream. And yeah, maybe the bad mood is caused from Mom having a bad day and not paying enough attention to her kid. But maybe she just lost her job and has no idea what do next. Maybe she's been talking on her phone for an hour because someone close to her is going through cancer. Maybe her kid is autistic and she just needs a break. Or maybe she really is just an oblivious mom and doesn't realize the damage she's doing to her child. Or maybe she really doesn't care. Even if you know the reason, does that give you any right to get on Facebook and complain about it?
There are so many parents out there going through so much crap. Josh and I are lucky because despite all the crap we've gone through over the years, we've only gotten stronger. We are a minority, though. We have a wonderful boy who 95% of the time is perfect out in public. But he's still a kid. The first time we went to a small group down here in Savannah, Jack was having an off day. We were new to the area, to the church, and were so looking forward to meeting new people and hopefully making new friends. And Jack ended up running around our new friends' backyard, tipping over plates of food that had been left on a table. That is absolutely not our kid, and we barely even recognized the faces we were with at that point. It. Was. Embarrassing. Mostly because I know, thanks to Facebook and other websites, what society thinks when they see a kid misbehaving. "That kid is wild." "They have no control over their child." etc., etc., etc... We know all those families pretty well now and considering it's never been mentioned, I like to think if there were any ill thoughts, they've been wiped from that awful experience..
Since then, I've changed the way I look at children behaving poorly in public. Are there times where it's obvious it's not just a bad day and there are some issues with parenting? Absolutely. But has anything been solved by complaining on Facebook about it or being vindictive about it? Absolutely not. If you know my family and saw Jackson acting like a brat out in public, what would you think then? Would you still hold the opinion that we're horrible parents? Probably not. So why is it okay to judge a parent you don't know when they could be exact same as us? How about next time you're sitting next to a table in a restaurant with a screaming kid, instead of shooting daggers at the family for ruining your meal, you smile at them or just ignore it. Maybe say a small prayer for the family. Pray that the child is having a bad day and things will get better. Just please stop judging parents you don't know!
(And also, if you see a parent out in public with children and no wedding ring, don't just assume they aren't married and have had kids out of wedlock. I can't tell you how many times I've gone out in public without my wedding ring on because I took it off to bake bread or something of the sort and forgot to put it back on... For days! You don't know their story, you have no right to assume anything!)
Thanks for listening to me rant. I hope if anything, it let you see another side of the story..
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Disney World!
As I'm sure y'all saw, Josh and I took Jack to Disney World this past weekend. We decided that we just live too close to Orlando to not spend at least one day there before Jack turns 3. For those who don't know, children under 3 get into Disney for FREE! And while we wanted to spend a full week there and really do Disney "the right way", it just costs too much money, and we're hoping to get into a house soon. So we got a cheap hotel and spent 1 full day in Magic Kingdom.. And we're SO glad we did! We had a really great time and Jack LOVED meeting Mickey! He loved all the rides and it was definitely the little family vacation that we needed. :)
That being said - as we were walking around the park I kept saying "Next time we go back we need to remember..." I probably said it about a dozen times or more. So, I'm writing down everything I can remember about our trip and all the tips I want to remember for next time! Some of them will sound kind of silly, like why didn't you think of that before you went, but I'm just going to chalk it up to being such an impromptu trip that I didn't have TIME to think of the little things (seriously, we booked the hotel two days before we left!). So here we go:
We stayed in a motel just outside of the Disney parks, and it was a decent motel. I wasn't grossed out to be sleeping there or anything, but next time, I'll definitely be planning our trip on the down times and staying in the park. The motel I found on hotels.com had a base price of $35. After all the fees and taxes, it was $55. Add in the $17 it cost us to park and it probably would just be better to stay at one of Disney's economy hotels and have the constant shuttles to and from the park for free. I know most of the surrounding motels/hotels offer shuttle service, but I don't know the frequency of how often and how late/early they travel. I know the Disney hotels offer shuttles until after the parks close (which depending on the season and the park, can be after midnight).
We packed a lot of snacks and sandwiches for the park, which was great because we spent a minimal amount on food at the park.. but next time, I'm making the sandwiches ahead of time, because in the end my loaf of bread got completely smashed and it was kind of a hassle to make them in the park.
Find out if there are any activities going on in the parks, and go to a different one.. Unless of course you really really want to be there for the activities and you don't mind crowds. This past weekend was one of their Star Wars Weekends, so it seemed like the park was empty just because lots of people were going to Hollywood Studios (or what used to be MGM for those who haven't been there in a while).
It took Jack a couple rides before he really figured out that waiting in line would get him on to this really fun ride, but once he figured it out, he was wonderful waiting in line. He'd just hold our hand or play with the stickers that you'll see employees handing out in the gift shops. But... if you sense a meltdown coming soon, don't take your kid into a line that has cool stuff to play with while you wait (Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh) because they will have a complete temper tantrum when you pick them up and move forward in line. Now, it's really awesome if you kid seems to be getting bored, to go to these rides because they have some freedom to really play. Dumbo was the best because the put you in this giant play room that looks like a circus and give you a buzzer. You let your kid play until your buzzer goes off or they're ready to be done playing.
Park tickets are now plastic, like a credit card, and they have a fancy little code thingy you can scan with your cell phone and it will open up the My Disney Experience app. From there you can connect everyone's card in your group and register for the Fast Passes without even going to the rides. You automatically get three different rides, and then you can check out a station (they're everywhere around the park, just look for the FP+ signs) to get more. We barely had to wait to go on Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, and it's a small world... Which is obviously great with a toddler. The longest we stood in line was probably half an hour, and I definitely think that was Jack's max. I ended up holding him a lot and entertaining him by singing songs and playing silly games. Over half an hour of that and we probably would have had several meltdowns.
Use the rider swap and have a plan of when you're going to use it. I had briefly read something about the rider swap on a pinterest blog, but couldn't really remember the details about it... So when Jack finally fell asleep, Josh and I kind of were in a "what do we do now?" mode.. And when we get into that kind of a zone, it's hard to make a decision. We weren't really sure how it worked, and if it was really worth it.. But finally about half an hour into Jack's nap, we decided to pick a ride and try it out. Josh really wanted to ride Space Mountain, so of course we were directly across the park from it.. All you have to do is walk up to the line with your kid who isn't big enough for the ride, ask for a rider swap, and one person waits in line. Once that person is done with the ride, the next person gets to go through the Fast Pass line instead of waiting again. And the best part is, if you have more than one kid, say ages 6 and 3, the 6 year old can ride the ride with the person waiting AND the person switching. Win-win for the 6 year old! I wish we had started doing that earlier, because we probably would have been able to do 3 rides while he was napping instead of just 1.
Going to Downtown Disney first. The plan next time is to drive in the morning, check into the hotel, and hit up Downtown Disney. There are TONS of huge gift stores, and we figure it'll be better to get the souvenir shopping out of the way so we're not wasting time in the park doing it. One of my things is always buying a Christmas Tree ornament on every vacation we take, and I spent a good 15 minutes in Magic Kingdom trying to decide which one to buy. Turns out I could have bought the same ornament at Downtown Disney. Everything you can find IN Disney (seriously, EVERYTHING), can be found in Downtown Disney - and if you're not staying IN the parks, parking for Downtown Disney is free, so it's perfect if you arrive later in the day and don't want to go into the parks for the evening but need something to do. Next time, since Jack will be older, I'll buy something for the characters to sign there instead of waiting until we get to the park.
Sunscreen. Seriously, sunscreen. I know, this is a given, right? But seriously, know your skin and understand Florida.. And DON'T try a new product. Use what you KNOW works. All summer I've been using Jack's 50+ sunscreen. Granted he was mostly covered in the stroller for half the day, but he only slightly got darker in his legs. He didn't even get red or pink. He just has a short line from his legs sticking out of the stroller. Me, on the other hand, have these incredibly attractive blotchy spots from the sunscreen not working. Why? Because I tried something new. I bought (at Josh's request) "regular" sunscreen (aka non-baby sunscreen). It came with a free small spray sunscreen bottle. And I thought "Hey! That'll make applying quick and easy for us!" Besides the fact that you really have no idea if you've gotten even coverage, that crap doesn't stick to your skin if you are physically sweating. Seriously, it was 90+ degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Let me tell you, my shoulders look awesome. I should have just used the baby sunscreen and I would have saved myself a lot of pain. Oh, and bring aloe. Even if you think your sunscreen will properly protect you.
In the next week or so, I'm going to make a complete list of items to pack for a Disney trip. That way, whenever our next Disney trip is, I can just pull up a list, make a few adjustments if necessary (like Jack is out of diapers so we need underwear instead, etc) and just go from there. I'm a list person, and because this trip was so quick and unplanned, there ended up being a lot of miscommunication between me and Josh. Like, I didn't realize I had to pack his tennis shoes. He didn't pack them, either. He walked the park in Adidas sandals. Not ideal, at all.
Next time, if we want to stay for the fireworks, we're going back to the hotel in the middle of the day to nap and rest. We left the park around 8:30, 9:00. Fireworks are at 10. And I so badly wanted Jack to see them, but he was getting so exhausted, (as were we) I don't think he would have made. And since we left before the fireworks and night parade, we had a heck of a time getting out the park. People started sitting and getting comfortable for the parade and fireworks around 6:30, 7:00. That meant to get out, we were weaving between crowds and people who didn't care that they were blocking walkways. That being said, if you're going to stay to watch the fireworks, stay toward the back of the park. Besides the fact that the lines were getting shorter and shorter the closer the time got, it was way less crowded.
Oh! If you buy your tickets online (totally not necessary unless you're doing some sort of package and it makes more sense to), be sure to go up to the ticket window and let them know if it's your first visit or your kids first visit or someone's birthday, etc., because they give you adorable free buttons! I'll be writing on Jack's and sticking it in his baby book! :)
That's all I can think of right now. If I realize I've missed something, I'll be sure to update this and let y'all know.
That being said - as we were walking around the park I kept saying "Next time we go back we need to remember..." I probably said it about a dozen times or more. So, I'm writing down everything I can remember about our trip and all the tips I want to remember for next time! Some of them will sound kind of silly, like why didn't you think of that before you went, but I'm just going to chalk it up to being such an impromptu trip that I didn't have TIME to think of the little things (seriously, we booked the hotel two days before we left!). So here we go:
We stayed in a motel just outside of the Disney parks, and it was a decent motel. I wasn't grossed out to be sleeping there or anything, but next time, I'll definitely be planning our trip on the down times and staying in the park. The motel I found on hotels.com had a base price of $35. After all the fees and taxes, it was $55. Add in the $17 it cost us to park and it probably would just be better to stay at one of Disney's economy hotels and have the constant shuttles to and from the park for free. I know most of the surrounding motels/hotels offer shuttle service, but I don't know the frequency of how often and how late/early they travel. I know the Disney hotels offer shuttles until after the parks close (which depending on the season and the park, can be after midnight).
We packed a lot of snacks and sandwiches for the park, which was great because we spent a minimal amount on food at the park.. but next time, I'm making the sandwiches ahead of time, because in the end my loaf of bread got completely smashed and it was kind of a hassle to make them in the park.
Find out if there are any activities going on in the parks, and go to a different one.. Unless of course you really really want to be there for the activities and you don't mind crowds. This past weekend was one of their Star Wars Weekends, so it seemed like the park was empty just because lots of people were going to Hollywood Studios (or what used to be MGM for those who haven't been there in a while).
It took Jack a couple rides before he really figured out that waiting in line would get him on to this really fun ride, but once he figured it out, he was wonderful waiting in line. He'd just hold our hand or play with the stickers that you'll see employees handing out in the gift shops. But... if you sense a meltdown coming soon, don't take your kid into a line that has cool stuff to play with while you wait (Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh) because they will have a complete temper tantrum when you pick them up and move forward in line. Now, it's really awesome if you kid seems to be getting bored, to go to these rides because they have some freedom to really play. Dumbo was the best because the put you in this giant play room that looks like a circus and give you a buzzer. You let your kid play until your buzzer goes off or they're ready to be done playing.
Park tickets are now plastic, like a credit card, and they have a fancy little code thingy you can scan with your cell phone and it will open up the My Disney Experience app. From there you can connect everyone's card in your group and register for the Fast Passes without even going to the rides. You automatically get three different rides, and then you can check out a station (they're everywhere around the park, just look for the FP+ signs) to get more. We barely had to wait to go on Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, and it's a small world... Which is obviously great with a toddler. The longest we stood in line was probably half an hour, and I definitely think that was Jack's max. I ended up holding him a lot and entertaining him by singing songs and playing silly games. Over half an hour of that and we probably would have had several meltdowns.
Use the rider swap and have a plan of when you're going to use it. I had briefly read something about the rider swap on a pinterest blog, but couldn't really remember the details about it... So when Jack finally fell asleep, Josh and I kind of were in a "what do we do now?" mode.. And when we get into that kind of a zone, it's hard to make a decision. We weren't really sure how it worked, and if it was really worth it.. But finally about half an hour into Jack's nap, we decided to pick a ride and try it out. Josh really wanted to ride Space Mountain, so of course we were directly across the park from it.. All you have to do is walk up to the line with your kid who isn't big enough for the ride, ask for a rider swap, and one person waits in line. Once that person is done with the ride, the next person gets to go through the Fast Pass line instead of waiting again. And the best part is, if you have more than one kid, say ages 6 and 3, the 6 year old can ride the ride with the person waiting AND the person switching. Win-win for the 6 year old! I wish we had started doing that earlier, because we probably would have been able to do 3 rides while he was napping instead of just 1.
Going to Downtown Disney first. The plan next time is to drive in the morning, check into the hotel, and hit up Downtown Disney. There are TONS of huge gift stores, and we figure it'll be better to get the souvenir shopping out of the way so we're not wasting time in the park doing it. One of my things is always buying a Christmas Tree ornament on every vacation we take, and I spent a good 15 minutes in Magic Kingdom trying to decide which one to buy. Turns out I could have bought the same ornament at Downtown Disney. Everything you can find IN Disney (seriously, EVERYTHING), can be found in Downtown Disney - and if you're not staying IN the parks, parking for Downtown Disney is free, so it's perfect if you arrive later in the day and don't want to go into the parks for the evening but need something to do. Next time, since Jack will be older, I'll buy something for the characters to sign there instead of waiting until we get to the park.
Sunscreen. Seriously, sunscreen. I know, this is a given, right? But seriously, know your skin and understand Florida.. And DON'T try a new product. Use what you KNOW works. All summer I've been using Jack's 50+ sunscreen. Granted he was mostly covered in the stroller for half the day, but he only slightly got darker in his legs. He didn't even get red or pink. He just has a short line from his legs sticking out of the stroller. Me, on the other hand, have these incredibly attractive blotchy spots from the sunscreen not working. Why? Because I tried something new. I bought (at Josh's request) "regular" sunscreen (aka non-baby sunscreen). It came with a free small spray sunscreen bottle. And I thought "Hey! That'll make applying quick and easy for us!" Besides the fact that you really have no idea if you've gotten even coverage, that crap doesn't stick to your skin if you are physically sweating. Seriously, it was 90+ degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Let me tell you, my shoulders look awesome. I should have just used the baby sunscreen and I would have saved myself a lot of pain. Oh, and bring aloe. Even if you think your sunscreen will properly protect you.
In the next week or so, I'm going to make a complete list of items to pack for a Disney trip. That way, whenever our next Disney trip is, I can just pull up a list, make a few adjustments if necessary (like Jack is out of diapers so we need underwear instead, etc) and just go from there. I'm a list person, and because this trip was so quick and unplanned, there ended up being a lot of miscommunication between me and Josh. Like, I didn't realize I had to pack his tennis shoes. He didn't pack them, either. He walked the park in Adidas sandals. Not ideal, at all.
Next time, if we want to stay for the fireworks, we're going back to the hotel in the middle of the day to nap and rest. We left the park around 8:30, 9:00. Fireworks are at 10. And I so badly wanted Jack to see them, but he was getting so exhausted, (as were we) I don't think he would have made. And since we left before the fireworks and night parade, we had a heck of a time getting out the park. People started sitting and getting comfortable for the parade and fireworks around 6:30, 7:00. That meant to get out, we were weaving between crowds and people who didn't care that they were blocking walkways. That being said, if you're going to stay to watch the fireworks, stay toward the back of the park. Besides the fact that the lines were getting shorter and shorter the closer the time got, it was way less crowded.
Oh! If you buy your tickets online (totally not necessary unless you're doing some sort of package and it makes more sense to), be sure to go up to the ticket window and let them know if it's your first visit or your kids first visit or someone's birthday, etc., because they give you adorable free buttons! I'll be writing on Jack's and sticking it in his baby book! :)
That's all I can think of right now. If I realize I've missed something, I'll be sure to update this and let y'all know.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Well, hello there!
It's certainly been a while, hasn't it? I've thought about updating so much, but as usual, there are just other things that I should be doing.. Like dishes and laundry. Let me back up for a bit, and catch everyone up.
We'll go back to last August. Josh and I celebrated 6 years married by moving to Savannah, GA. Admittedly we were not excited about the move at all, but weren't given a whole lot of choice in the matter. It was either move to Georgia, or move back to Michigan... And well, we figured we'd give Savannah a shot. Best. Decision. Ever.
A month after we moved we started church searching. I started doing searches through Google & Google Maps, picked out a few, wrote them down with their service times and just picked based on their statements & reviews. So Sunday came around and I went back to the computer to make sure I had the correct address for the one we were going to visit.. And I somehow didn't notice that the church we had picked was located in Florida. So... I scrambled to find the list and find church #2. Instead I popped back on Google and just picked the first one that came up. Turns out, Relate Church was doing their 2 year anniversary service, so not only did we learn what the church was all about, but Josh was sitting in one of the random seats with a free movie ticket. Score! They were exactly what we were looking for, so needless to say, we immediately got involved and haven't looked back since.
Shortly after that, I drove up to Michigan. Mom was finally getting her port out and I wanted to be there. While I was there, I was feeling .... off. So, I got a pregnancy test and discovered that I was in fact pregnant. This was pregnancy #5 and I figured it had to be some sort of sign. Josh and I were finally living in the same state again, we found a wonderful church, and now finally, I was pregnant again. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. This was our first experience with what they call a chemical pregnancy. It kind of depends on what doctor you see, but some consider it a miscarriage, some don't. The only difference I've found is that a lost pregnancy is considered a chemical if it was early enough that there wouldn't be a heartbeat. Many women will have these but never realize it unless they're actually TRYING to have a baby, because they'll put off the symptoms as PMS and they may just start their period a few days late. Anyway, that pregnancy ended as a chemical. It was disappointing, but not the end of the world. We hadn't really been trying, so we figured we'd give it a few months and discuss our options then, especially considering I didn't have a doctor down here yet.
Skip to November, it happened again. I couldn't believe that only two months later I was getting another positive test. I think in my head I was convinced it wasn't real, so we didn't tell anyone. A few days later it proved to be another chemical. So there went pregnancy #6.
At this point, I just wanted to get through 2013, find a doctor and figure out a plan. Because I NEED a plan. I couldn't just keep doing this "winging it" thing. I finally went to a doctor at the end of January and ended up getting an ultrasound to check on my PCOS (polycsytic ovarian syndrome). We discussed a "plan" and went from there.
At the end of February, I got another positive pregnancy test. Pregnancy #7. It was incredibly difficult to handle the anxiety that came with that test. Something in my gut wasn't sitting right, but I worked very hard on not worrying about it, praying about it and trying to find peace with it. So I went to the doctors, got some blood work done and my numbers came back very, VERY low. They thought I was having another chemical. For the next week, I was a mess. In my head, all I heard was "it's over", yet my body wasn't doing anything. If anything, I was still feeling pregnant. So I went back to the doctor the next week and found out all my numbers had gone up. I was in fact still pregnant. We were shocked, to say the least. And if there was ever a moment when you realize you really just need to blindly trust that God is in control, that was the moment.
I went back to the doctor two days later to get an ultrasound to make sure things were progressing appropriately. What I thought was going to be a wonderful, happy day quickly turned into a nightmare. It turned out the pregnancy had implanted in my fallopian tube. For those who don't remember from health class, that's not where it's supposed to implant, and it ends up putting the mother in danger due to internal bleeding that will happen if it isn't caught in time.
Needless to say, hours later, I went into surgery to have the baby & hopefully just a portion of my tube removed. Thankfully, Relate Church stepped up for us and were there immediately. They came and picked Jack up from the hospital, they arranged babysitters for the next day since I stayed over night, they brought us meals, they prayed over us.. It still makes me tear up thinking about how wonderful they were and are.
The pregnancy had progressed further than the doctor anticipated. My tube had started rupturing and I did in fact have internal bleeding. He ended up taking my entire right tube out, so I am now officially lopsided. Recovery was rough physically. My mom flew down first thing the next morning and stayed a week. My mother in law flew over for the next week. Both ended up being a tremendous help and blessing.. If anything just because our toddler can be exhausting for a healthy person, forget someone who is struggling to get out of bed.
Emotionally, I've actually been doing really well. While I was in the hospital, I had a lot of time to just meditate and read the Bible. I won't say that it's been easy, because it hasn't been, and I don't think it ever will be, but I have found peace with everything. I have my "why me?! this is so unfair!" moments, but there is something that I'm learning from this, and somehow going through all this, it's going to help someone else. I haven't figured out how yet, but I know I'll get there.
I'm not sure we'll ever have more kids. It may be because my body isn't cooperating or because we decide to not try again. The reality is, no matter how okay with this I am, the thought of possibly going through it again seems too difficult. We've got a lot that we've decided to focus on right now instead of more children. Josh's sister is getting married in a few weeks, so we've got that we're looking forward to, we're hoping to start training for the Rock N' Roll Half Marathon in November, I'm trying to figure out how to set up a support group for infertility/miscarriage/pregnancy loss, we're hoping to have the money to buy a house by September, I'm trying to get my Mary Kay business off the ground here in Savannah, Josh is trying to get more people hired down here so he doesn't have to spend multiple 12+ hour days at the hospitals, etc., etc., etc.
In the end, despite how depressing some of this undoubtedly is, we're happy right now. We've been through a lot in the last 3 years, but through it all, I know we've gotten stronger.. All these trials have brought us here, and we know we are right where we're supposed to be.
I'm going to end this now, as Jack is just waking up from a nap. I hope this finds everyone doing well. I'll try to update soon. :)
We'll go back to last August. Josh and I celebrated 6 years married by moving to Savannah, GA. Admittedly we were not excited about the move at all, but weren't given a whole lot of choice in the matter. It was either move to Georgia, or move back to Michigan... And well, we figured we'd give Savannah a shot. Best. Decision. Ever.
A month after we moved we started church searching. I started doing searches through Google & Google Maps, picked out a few, wrote them down with their service times and just picked based on their statements & reviews. So Sunday came around and I went back to the computer to make sure I had the correct address for the one we were going to visit.. And I somehow didn't notice that the church we had picked was located in Florida. So... I scrambled to find the list and find church #2. Instead I popped back on Google and just picked the first one that came up. Turns out, Relate Church was doing their 2 year anniversary service, so not only did we learn what the church was all about, but Josh was sitting in one of the random seats with a free movie ticket. Score! They were exactly what we were looking for, so needless to say, we immediately got involved and haven't looked back since.
Shortly after that, I drove up to Michigan. Mom was finally getting her port out and I wanted to be there. While I was there, I was feeling .... off. So, I got a pregnancy test and discovered that I was in fact pregnant. This was pregnancy #5 and I figured it had to be some sort of sign. Josh and I were finally living in the same state again, we found a wonderful church, and now finally, I was pregnant again. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. This was our first experience with what they call a chemical pregnancy. It kind of depends on what doctor you see, but some consider it a miscarriage, some don't. The only difference I've found is that a lost pregnancy is considered a chemical if it was early enough that there wouldn't be a heartbeat. Many women will have these but never realize it unless they're actually TRYING to have a baby, because they'll put off the symptoms as PMS and they may just start their period a few days late. Anyway, that pregnancy ended as a chemical. It was disappointing, but not the end of the world. We hadn't really been trying, so we figured we'd give it a few months and discuss our options then, especially considering I didn't have a doctor down here yet.
Skip to November, it happened again. I couldn't believe that only two months later I was getting another positive test. I think in my head I was convinced it wasn't real, so we didn't tell anyone. A few days later it proved to be another chemical. So there went pregnancy #6.
At this point, I just wanted to get through 2013, find a doctor and figure out a plan. Because I NEED a plan. I couldn't just keep doing this "winging it" thing. I finally went to a doctor at the end of January and ended up getting an ultrasound to check on my PCOS (polycsytic ovarian syndrome). We discussed a "plan" and went from there.
At the end of February, I got another positive pregnancy test. Pregnancy #7. It was incredibly difficult to handle the anxiety that came with that test. Something in my gut wasn't sitting right, but I worked very hard on not worrying about it, praying about it and trying to find peace with it. So I went to the doctors, got some blood work done and my numbers came back very, VERY low. They thought I was having another chemical. For the next week, I was a mess. In my head, all I heard was "it's over", yet my body wasn't doing anything. If anything, I was still feeling pregnant. So I went back to the doctor the next week and found out all my numbers had gone up. I was in fact still pregnant. We were shocked, to say the least. And if there was ever a moment when you realize you really just need to blindly trust that God is in control, that was the moment.
I went back to the doctor two days later to get an ultrasound to make sure things were progressing appropriately. What I thought was going to be a wonderful, happy day quickly turned into a nightmare. It turned out the pregnancy had implanted in my fallopian tube. For those who don't remember from health class, that's not where it's supposed to implant, and it ends up putting the mother in danger due to internal bleeding that will happen if it isn't caught in time.
Needless to say, hours later, I went into surgery to have the baby & hopefully just a portion of my tube removed. Thankfully, Relate Church stepped up for us and were there immediately. They came and picked Jack up from the hospital, they arranged babysitters for the next day since I stayed over night, they brought us meals, they prayed over us.. It still makes me tear up thinking about how wonderful they were and are.
The pregnancy had progressed further than the doctor anticipated. My tube had started rupturing and I did in fact have internal bleeding. He ended up taking my entire right tube out, so I am now officially lopsided. Recovery was rough physically. My mom flew down first thing the next morning and stayed a week. My mother in law flew over for the next week. Both ended up being a tremendous help and blessing.. If anything just because our toddler can be exhausting for a healthy person, forget someone who is struggling to get out of bed.
Emotionally, I've actually been doing really well. While I was in the hospital, I had a lot of time to just meditate and read the Bible. I won't say that it's been easy, because it hasn't been, and I don't think it ever will be, but I have found peace with everything. I have my "why me?! this is so unfair!" moments, but there is something that I'm learning from this, and somehow going through all this, it's going to help someone else. I haven't figured out how yet, but I know I'll get there.
I'm not sure we'll ever have more kids. It may be because my body isn't cooperating or because we decide to not try again. The reality is, no matter how okay with this I am, the thought of possibly going through it again seems too difficult. We've got a lot that we've decided to focus on right now instead of more children. Josh's sister is getting married in a few weeks, so we've got that we're looking forward to, we're hoping to start training for the Rock N' Roll Half Marathon in November, I'm trying to figure out how to set up a support group for infertility/miscarriage/pregnancy loss, we're hoping to have the money to buy a house by September, I'm trying to get my Mary Kay business off the ground here in Savannah, Josh is trying to get more people hired down here so he doesn't have to spend multiple 12+ hour days at the hospitals, etc., etc., etc.
In the end, despite how depressing some of this undoubtedly is, we're happy right now. We've been through a lot in the last 3 years, but through it all, I know we've gotten stronger.. All these trials have brought us here, and we know we are right where we're supposed to be.
I'm going to end this now, as Jack is just waking up from a nap. I hope this finds everyone doing well. I'll try to update soon. :)
Monday, June 10, 2013
An Overdue Update!
I've been staring at this blank screen for several minutes now and have no idea where to start... I think I'll issue a small warning here, this will probably be slightly depressing. God is good, life is good, but that doesn't mean life has been all sunshine and rainbows.
So I'm going to start in the middle of 2012. Looking back, I should have realized that I couldn't stay on the top of the world forever. At the time, our boy was just about to turn 1 and doing wonderful (still is!). We had just gotten back from a family vacation to Charleston with my parents and sister (and my aunt & uncle joined us for a bit!). We had finally found a new church home. Things were great. And then 3 weeks before Jack turned one, someone very close to us was diagnosed with cancer. Time seemed to drag during treatments, but things are looking up now. We now have a Survivor in the family. :)
In the middle of chemo treatments (early November), Josh and I found out we were pregnant. And hilariously, we were due July 15 (Jack's birthday). It seemed perfect. Some brightness in an otherwise crappy time. And then I miscarried during the week of Thanksgiving. For those who don't know, or don't remember, this was my second miscarriage, as I had one before Jackson. Statistically, you have a 20% chance of having a miscarriage with no known problems. So the fact I had two is not really rare, just unlucky. So I tried to stay positive and wait out the recommended amount of cycles before we started trying again.
Chemo ended a few weeks before Christmas, and radiation started New Years Eve. During that time, Josh's job at Beaumont had taken a bad turn. He was miserable, which in turn made me miserable. For the last several years though, my parents, sister and I had been dreaming and talking of moving to Charleston, SC. We all love the area, and since we all hate the cold and snow, it was a perfect dream. Our biggest hold up was Josh, because the man doesn't hate the cold and snow the way we do.. And he absolutely hates humidity and heat. That was part of our plan when we vacationed there earlier in the year... To see how well Josh would handle it and if he would be interested in the move. And he loved it! We were thrilled! So back to him being miserable ... We all knew that it would be hardest for Josh to find a job in that area. Katie being a teacher means she really could go anywhere once she's ready.. And Mom and Dad were planning it when they retired. So we discussed moving now, just because there were plenty of jobs available down in North Carolina and we figured, we may as well start sooner than later trying to get there. Plus, who knew how long the jobs would be available, and we didn't want to be stuck in Michigan with everyone else down south. If he never found anything in SC, then at least we'd be closer in NC then MI.
Josh started applying for jobs on New Years Day and started interviewing that very next week. Everything went much quicker than I had anticipated, but we soon realized we were doing the right thing ... Because this company he's working for right now, when the CEO called Josh to interview him, said that he needed someone in Salisbury for a couple years until he got the business going in Charleston... !! We were so excited! So now, (it may be a few years longer than we anticipated) we know we'll eventually end up in the same place as everyone else. :) Things were finally looking up again, for the entire family (although, admittedly, they're still upset that we're so far away, but knowing this will bring us closer in the end is worth it!). 2013 was definitely going to be our year!
Radiation was scheduled to end on Valentine's Day. So we all had a special day planned, though not together. Since the last 8 or 9 months had been so hard, Josh and I decided to have Katie babysit (and who would she rather spend Valentine's Day with??? She'll tell you Jack!) and enjoy an evening out. I had been sick for the previous month before this, and was excited to finally be able to relax and have a nice glass of wine (I was on all kinds of medication, and one that I was told if I drink at all on it, I'd be violently sick). So looking at the calendar, I realized I should probably just take a pregnancy test to make sure I could have a glass of wine. And the test came back positive. I was absolutely in shock. Statistically, it should not have happened. The chanced has been so tiny.. So naturally I felt good about this pregnancy. We were going to have a little Halloween baby!
Due to my previous losses, we were monitoring this pregnancy closer. I got the first couple blood draws, and they were fantastic numbers! Then we got an ultrasound. We found a sac, but no baby. But it was still a little early, and quite possibly were just a little off on our dates. Went a week and a half later for another ultrasound and found a heartbeat! This put us almost into the middle of March, only days before Josh and I flew down to Salisbury to look for housing. We spent the weekend down here, then on Sunday I flew back to Detroit and Josh flew to Oaklahoma City for his training. I had another ultrasound that Monday. Everything came shattering back down when we found out we there was no heartbeat. I'm not sure I would have been able to handle it if my mom hadn't been there with me. It was an absolutely horrible week, and I got to throw in a funeral for a boy I grew up with in the middle of it, all with my husband being half way across the country. Since we were moving in two weeks, I was given one week for my body to naturally take care of the miscarriage, and thankfully, it did only a couple days later. Again, I was lucky my mom and sister happened to be over at the time, because I'm not sure how I would have handled it one my own.
I ended up having my check up on the day we moved. Talk about stress... Since it was miscarriage #3, I ended up getting blood work done, looking for any blood diseases. That wait is one of those conflicting waits.. Where you don't want anything to come back positive, but at the same time you do so you can understand why this has been happening to you. Well, one of the tests came back positive. I won't bore you with all details, but it turns out I have a blood clotting disorder where my blood clots too well... Which could mean that when the umblical cord is forming, because the vessels are so small, that my blood could be clotting and cutting off circulation to the cord. So now I'm taking 5 different daily meds/vitamins. It's exhausting, honestly.. But I know it'll be worth it in the end.
On top of that, Josh has been working in Savannah, Georgia every week since we moved here. So Sunday through Thursday I get to experience what it would be like to be a single mom.. And I have the utmost respect for the women who do it.. It's an incredibly hard job. Thankfully, it looks like he'll be working in NC by the end of the month. We'll be looking forward to that. :)
Now we've got so much to look forward to... The cancer is gone! In just 5 weeks our little boy turns 2... I know I'm not supposed to say this yet, but I feel old! I'm looking forward to enjoying a summer with my boys. We've got so much to explore down here.. We have a wedding to celebrate in October (that had I kept the baby we wouldn't have been able to go to).. We will be planning a vacation to Kentucky in March to celebrate some 30th birthdays.. And hopefully, somewhere down the line, a successful pregnancy.
I think that's where I'm going to leave things today. I need to get moving. I've got some Mary Kay product to mail out and grocery shopping to do before nap time. I will try to keep this a little more updated in the future. :)
So I'm going to start in the middle of 2012. Looking back, I should have realized that I couldn't stay on the top of the world forever. At the time, our boy was just about to turn 1 and doing wonderful (still is!). We had just gotten back from a family vacation to Charleston with my parents and sister (and my aunt & uncle joined us for a bit!). We had finally found a new church home. Things were great. And then 3 weeks before Jack turned one, someone very close to us was diagnosed with cancer. Time seemed to drag during treatments, but things are looking up now. We now have a Survivor in the family. :)
In the middle of chemo treatments (early November), Josh and I found out we were pregnant. And hilariously, we were due July 15 (Jack's birthday). It seemed perfect. Some brightness in an otherwise crappy time. And then I miscarried during the week of Thanksgiving. For those who don't know, or don't remember, this was my second miscarriage, as I had one before Jackson. Statistically, you have a 20% chance of having a miscarriage with no known problems. So the fact I had two is not really rare, just unlucky. So I tried to stay positive and wait out the recommended amount of cycles before we started trying again.
Chemo ended a few weeks before Christmas, and radiation started New Years Eve. During that time, Josh's job at Beaumont had taken a bad turn. He was miserable, which in turn made me miserable. For the last several years though, my parents, sister and I had been dreaming and talking of moving to Charleston, SC. We all love the area, and since we all hate the cold and snow, it was a perfect dream. Our biggest hold up was Josh, because the man doesn't hate the cold and snow the way we do.. And he absolutely hates humidity and heat. That was part of our plan when we vacationed there earlier in the year... To see how well Josh would handle it and if he would be interested in the move. And he loved it! We were thrilled! So back to him being miserable ... We all knew that it would be hardest for Josh to find a job in that area. Katie being a teacher means she really could go anywhere once she's ready.. And Mom and Dad were planning it when they retired. So we discussed moving now, just because there were plenty of jobs available down in North Carolina and we figured, we may as well start sooner than later trying to get there. Plus, who knew how long the jobs would be available, and we didn't want to be stuck in Michigan with everyone else down south. If he never found anything in SC, then at least we'd be closer in NC then MI.
Josh started applying for jobs on New Years Day and started interviewing that very next week. Everything went much quicker than I had anticipated, but we soon realized we were doing the right thing ... Because this company he's working for right now, when the CEO called Josh to interview him, said that he needed someone in Salisbury for a couple years until he got the business going in Charleston... !! We were so excited! So now, (it may be a few years longer than we anticipated) we know we'll eventually end up in the same place as everyone else. :) Things were finally looking up again, for the entire family (although, admittedly, they're still upset that we're so far away, but knowing this will bring us closer in the end is worth it!). 2013 was definitely going to be our year!
Radiation was scheduled to end on Valentine's Day. So we all had a special day planned, though not together. Since the last 8 or 9 months had been so hard, Josh and I decided to have Katie babysit (and who would she rather spend Valentine's Day with??? She'll tell you Jack!) and enjoy an evening out. I had been sick for the previous month before this, and was excited to finally be able to relax and have a nice glass of wine (I was on all kinds of medication, and one that I was told if I drink at all on it, I'd be violently sick). So looking at the calendar, I realized I should probably just take a pregnancy test to make sure I could have a glass of wine. And the test came back positive. I was absolutely in shock. Statistically, it should not have happened. The chanced has been so tiny.. So naturally I felt good about this pregnancy. We were going to have a little Halloween baby!
Due to my previous losses, we were monitoring this pregnancy closer. I got the first couple blood draws, and they were fantastic numbers! Then we got an ultrasound. We found a sac, but no baby. But it was still a little early, and quite possibly were just a little off on our dates. Went a week and a half later for another ultrasound and found a heartbeat! This put us almost into the middle of March, only days before Josh and I flew down to Salisbury to look for housing. We spent the weekend down here, then on Sunday I flew back to Detroit and Josh flew to Oaklahoma City for his training. I had another ultrasound that Monday. Everything came shattering back down when we found out we there was no heartbeat. I'm not sure I would have been able to handle it if my mom hadn't been there with me. It was an absolutely horrible week, and I got to throw in a funeral for a boy I grew up with in the middle of it, all with my husband being half way across the country. Since we were moving in two weeks, I was given one week for my body to naturally take care of the miscarriage, and thankfully, it did only a couple days later. Again, I was lucky my mom and sister happened to be over at the time, because I'm not sure how I would have handled it one my own.
I ended up having my check up on the day we moved. Talk about stress... Since it was miscarriage #3, I ended up getting blood work done, looking for any blood diseases. That wait is one of those conflicting waits.. Where you don't want anything to come back positive, but at the same time you do so you can understand why this has been happening to you. Well, one of the tests came back positive. I won't bore you with all details, but it turns out I have a blood clotting disorder where my blood clots too well... Which could mean that when the umblical cord is forming, because the vessels are so small, that my blood could be clotting and cutting off circulation to the cord. So now I'm taking 5 different daily meds/vitamins. It's exhausting, honestly.. But I know it'll be worth it in the end.
On top of that, Josh has been working in Savannah, Georgia every week since we moved here. So Sunday through Thursday I get to experience what it would be like to be a single mom.. And I have the utmost respect for the women who do it.. It's an incredibly hard job. Thankfully, it looks like he'll be working in NC by the end of the month. We'll be looking forward to that. :)
Now we've got so much to look forward to... The cancer is gone! In just 5 weeks our little boy turns 2... I know I'm not supposed to say this yet, but I feel old! I'm looking forward to enjoying a summer with my boys. We've got so much to explore down here.. We have a wedding to celebrate in October (that had I kept the baby we wouldn't have been able to go to).. We will be planning a vacation to Kentucky in March to celebrate some 30th birthdays.. And hopefully, somewhere down the line, a successful pregnancy.
I think that's where I'm going to leave things today. I need to get moving. I've got some Mary Kay product to mail out and grocery shopping to do before nap time. I will try to keep this a little more updated in the future. :)
Monday, March 4, 2013
Furniture for Sale
Hi everyone!
Since we're moving in a few weeks, we're selling the majority of our furniture instead of moving it down south. Let me know if you're interested in any of these pieces. All prices are as marked OR BEST OFFER! (So don't be afraid to negotiate!)
Since we're moving in a few weeks, we're selling the majority of our furniture instead of moving it down south. Let me know if you're interested in any of these pieces. All prices are as marked OR BEST OFFER! (So don't be afraid to negotiate!)
Loveseat: $150
Cushions are slightly worn and probably need to be scrubbed a little bit (we do have a toddler!).
Rocker: $100
In good condition
Glass Bookshelf: $50
(Sorry for the mess with it - We haven't gone through this room yet!)
Glass kitchen table + 4 black chairs: $150
In great condition
Couch + Storage Ottomans: $250
Corner desk: Free
(You would need to come and take this apart yourself - and it was slightly broken when we bought it so we can't guarantee how well it would hold up)
Black wood bookshelf: $30
50" 1080p Panasonic Plasma TV: $400
5 Speaker Surround Sound + Stands: $100
TV stand: $100
Curio Cabinet: $50
CD Spinning Rack (solid oak, holds 200 CDs): $50
Side Glass Table: $25 (This matches the bookshelf)
Message me on facebook or call/text me if you're interested in any of this!
Monday, June 27, 2011
The ECV...
Unfortunately did not work. The doctor actually tried much longer than I was told they would, but I guess I was a really "good sport" about the whole thing. It really didn't hurt at all, so he tried for almost 10 minutes. We did get the baby to spin about 90 degrees, so now it's laying in me side to side. Hopefully the baby will just get the hint and flip the rest of the way on its own!
In most cases, I'll be scheduling the c-section on Friday at my doctors appointment. I will try to update Friday or Saturday with the latest news!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
9 Months!
Well, we made it! I hit the 36 week mark on Friday which means I'm officially 9 months pregnant! I can't believe we made it this far. I thought for sure I wasn't going to make it this far!
I had a doctors appointment and an ultrasound on Thursday. The ultrasound went great! The first thing the tech told us was that the baby has a full head of hair already! I was amazed that you could see it on the ultrasound, but sure enough (once she pointed out what to look for), it was there!! I can't say I'm really surprised about it though, Josh and I both had full heads of hair when we were born, so it would have been a shock to have a bald baby. The baby weighs approximately 7lbs, 3 oz already! If I make it to 40 weeks, we have the possibility of having a 9+ pound baby! Unfortunately, the baby is still breech. It's still possible of the baby spinning on it's own, but the likely hood of that happened are much smaller now.
So, since I don't really want to risk it, we're going into the hospital tomorrow to have an External Cephalic Version done. We have to be there at 7:00am and they'll get me all prepped for it. The procedure will be done around 9:00am, assuming the doctors don't have some sort of emergency. I'll be getting medication to relax the uterus and then I'll have two doctors come in and try to spin the baby! The first doctor who told me about the procedure when I was 34 weeks, Dr. Love, told me that there is a 50% chance of it working. On Thursday, when I saw Dr. Wallace, she told me the chance was as high as 60-70% of success. While those are pretty good odds, I'm still trying to prepare myself for it not working. I was told that the doctors will only try to spin the baby for about 3-5 minutes. I guess it's one of those it's going to work situations, or it isn't. So they don't try for very long because it is uncomfortable (from what I'm told). After they try, whether it is successful or not, I will have to be monitored for an hour or two before I'm allowed to go home. I guess there is a less than 1% chance of the procedure putting me into labor. So while we won't be expecting it, we will be taking the hospital bag with us tomorrow just in case. Speaking of... We should probably install the car seat...
So, what happens if the procedure doesn't work? In most cases, I'll have a c-section done the week of July 10th. But I'm trying not to think about that yet.
I will try to update this tomorrow once we get home and let everyone know how we're doing. Though with my super slacker skills, don't be surprised if I don't update until Tuesday or Wednesday.
Please pray that our baby flips for us! :)
Monday, June 13, 2011
34 Weeks & Counting!
I know it's been a while.. I'm so bad at updating this. I know this is long over due and I'm going to apologize because I know it's kind of going to be all over the place. I'm so scatter-brained right now!
We hit the 34 week mark on Friday! I had a doctors appointment and I got the okay to come off bed rest!!! At 34 weeks, they expect the baby to be developed enough to be delivered, so if I go into labor they won't try to stop it. I was told I still have to take it easy but I can resume all normal activity. I've been slowly trying to get the nursery ready. We've got some baby clothes and sheets washed already, they just need to be folded and put away! Our mounds of baby stuff is slowly disappearing from our living room. I'm hoping I'll be able to fly through the rest of my shower thank yous now, too.
I'm starting to get a little anxious just knowing how much needs to be done before the baby gets here. We've got less than six weeks until our due date, assuming that we make it that far. Of course, I'll be pissed if I end up going past the due date after spending five weeks in bed! But I still need to pack a bag for the hospital.. I really should have done that five weeks ago. At the same time I'm trying to clean some of the house, too. It's a little weird WANTING to clean the bathroom, but since I'm allowed to do stuff, I'm dying to do it.. I just don't physically have the energy to do it. It's amazing how much muscle you loose. My back definitely is not used to carrying all this extra weight in the front of me!
So medically, I'm only 1cm dilated, which is good news. Baby is still being stubborn (I'm sure it's the Italian blood) and is still breech. My doctor said if I make it to 37 weeks then I'll go in the hospital and try a procedure to spin the baby. I would be given a medication to relax my uterus and they would physically try to turn the baby from outside my belly. It only has a 50% success rate, but I figure that's a 50% chance of me being able to deliver vaginally. If I go into labor between now and then, I'd have to have a c-section. I've been praying hard the baby will flip on it's own, but I'm pretty sure I'm already starting to drop so I don't think it'll actually do it on it's own. Hopefully I'm wrong. :)
In non-baby news, Josh and I have decided to sell his car. (He's got a 2003 Focus, if anyone is interested.) We plan on using the money to pay off the rest of my car and get rid of/lower some monthly bills since I'll be home with the baby. So even though I'm allowed to leave the house, I've been trying to mentally prepare myself for being a one car family.
Josh's job is going well. He's really enjoying the work. I'm loving his hours (7-3:30). We finally get to have dinner together at a normal time! It's still taking some adjusting!
Well, I can't think of much else to write. I'll post pictures once we have the nursery complete.. Hopefully in the next week or two. Hope this finds everyone well!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
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
Friday, May 13, 2011
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!
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