A lot has happened - Delivery Day - getting to the hospital

I had expected to wake up as normal around roughly 6:50, get the kids off to school, print out some paperwork that I needed, get the car loaded, get dressed, fix my hair and make up, you know a lazy kinda day with enough distractions that I didn't realize I couldn't eat until sometime after lunch. 

HA! Was I wrong. Instead, I woke at 4:30 to water between my legs. I jumped up "oh Crap!!" to run to the bathroom and by the time I got there it was down to my toes. As I was running, Ben kinda drowsily asks, "what?" I respond with a "My water just broke". I am sitting on the toilet, trying not to make any bigger mess, and I kinda yell out, still thinking he is in bed, to grab me a towel and some clean panties. Nope, he is up and mostly dressed, looking a little more than a little frazzled. He runs to get me a small towel so I can start mopping up the mess down both my legs, and then brings me a clean pair of panties. I continue to clean myself up and get dressed. By the time I make it out of the bathroom and then my bedroom, I come out to the living room of chaos. He has already awaken the boys and has the car loaded, with the exception of 1 bag. Aaron has already taken LuggNutt out, who I must say I didn't think about again until around 5 that evening. I am trying to get my shoes on while Ben is running circles around me. It hurt to bend over and get those sneakers tied. Instead of looking all fresh and fixed, I leave my house with my hair barely brushed, in my sleep pants and large t-shirt. I can't remember if I brushed my teeth or put on deodorant. I do remember pulling out my phone as we are pulling out of the drive to post on my facebook page that my water had just broke. It posted before we lost signal. 

Ben is still almost frantic. As we jump on the interstate, he asks how much time we have. I calmly, and with out laughing, tell him probably a couple of hours, but I would like to make it in the next 30 minutes if possible. When we get to the hospital, Ben drops me off at the door while he and the kids find a parking spot. I tell him to wait on bringing anything in just yet. I walk up to the front desk to find out how I need to proceed. They ask me to sign in and have a seat, then I explain that I am due for a c-section that day and my water has broke. They redirect me to the labor/delivery wing. On my way I have to stop off for a bathroom break real quick. I just start to sit in the waiting room, when the gang comes around the corner. Oh yes, did I mention, we brought the boys along since it was 4:30 in the morning and really didn't know who to call that wouldn't have taken too long to get to the house. I am still a little worried of the possibility of my uterus rupturing, but since I didn't have any show until I got to the hospital, I was trying to stay calm and patient. 

To get into the Labor/Delivery wing, you have to be buzzed in. We push the button and are allowed in. As I sign in and explain the situation, the nurse looks a little take off guard, but wastes no time in starting to get me set up in a room.

A lot has happened - November 29th & More

Since so much has happened in the past 2 weeks, I am going to divide these up into mini segments.

November 29th was my last visit with Dr Henry. At that visit he told me that I was about 50% effaced and was dilated to about a 2. He tried to guess at Lexington's weight and guessed that at delivery he would be 8lbs 4 oz. He talked me through what would happen once I got to the hospital and how I would be prepped for surgery (c-section). He explained that even though I had my appointment scheduled for several months that depending upon his patient load, there was a good chance that Baby Lex would not actually be born until sometime afternoon possibly closer to 1, since he was most likely not going to get to the hospital until 12:30. That bummed me out, but I did appreciate him being honest and walking me through all the steps like my epidural. At my visit I still had only gained roughly 14lbs. This also made me happy. My blood pressure was a little higher than normal, but I attributed that to my lunch for the day, not to the possibility of my body gearing up, like I normally would have. Doc also put me on 4 hour work days for the rest of the week and had me off work starting Monday the 6th, the day before I was due to deliver. 

I don't think people at work appreciated my extra time off, but I was having some HORRIBLE back pain and just couldn't seem to push through the day. It seriously felt like Lex had broken a rib, or was trying to spread them apart from lack of room. The same spot hurt every day and the only time I could get mild relief from it was if I chose not to wear a bra, not something acceptable in the work place. I did try to take one afternoon on Wednesday to get some Christmas shopping done, wrong idea. I went to 3 stores and was out maybe 3 hours and by the time I was done, I hurt so bad that I couldn't move. All I could do was go home and crawl up in bed. I decided that I was just going to have to do as much as I could online and finish up the last of it the few days before Christmas. I hate being out during that time. 

On Thursday evening, I started having contractions, but because I do not have normal labor, I could not seem to get a good read on how far apart they were. From my best timing they were 8 - 9 minutes apart and lasting 1.5 minutes apiece. They continued through the weekend, but I was so afraid of Braxton Hicks that I didn't go anywhere to have it checked out. I was off on Monday and felt that I could visit my Dr Office then if they were still regular. Unfortunately, I ran out of time on Monday and never did get checked out. 

Aaron had his band concert Monday evening at 7 but we needed to be at the school at 6:30 to get a seat and for Aaron to check in. I was trying to have dinner done before left. I had gotten up that morning and was going to help out a friend so I waited around for someone to stop by and pick something up before running to get my errands completed. Unfortunately, the person called me at the time they should have been at my house to tell me they were going to be late. I was so frustrated. I had so much still left to get done before d-day. Aaron they called right after and needed me to drop off something at school for him, no I was aggravated big time. I dropped off what he needed and tried to run my errands but as soon as I got to the store the girl called to tell me she was on her way to my house, -URRGGHHH. So I turned around, completed the favor, and went back to town to finish up what I needed to get done. Then I ran home to try to start on dinner. Unfortunately, I had wasted too much time and it was off to the concert we went. 

We got home and had dinner. I stayed up and finished packing to get everything I needed for my stay away from home. Garrett went to be around 9:30, Aaron around 11, and Ben and I went to bed at roughly midnight.

Nov 27th, only 10 days left to go

Wow!! It's right around the corner. I am surprised that I made it this long. Then again, I really don't have time to go into labor early so maybe it is mind over matter in the fact that I am willing myself to last until the end. ?? Who knows. 

I have had 3 doctors appointments since my last blog. I had a visit on November 11th with Dr Henry who reassured me that he apparently spoke out of turn at the previous appointment. He would NOT allow me to go into labor and have a natural birth. I will be going in for a c-section. But I had to be careful and make sure to get to the hospital if I did start to go into labor. I was measuring 37 weeks. I still was not dialating. My weight gain and blood pressure were both great. Lex's heartbeat was stronger than ever. I started having really bad back pain. 
My next appointment was on November 17th with Dr Jones. At that time I was measuring 38 weeks, had not had any further weight gain, and my blood pressure was still great. According to Dr Jones my cervix was softening and I was dialated between a 1 & a 2. She also informed me that Lex's head was right at where she was "checking" me, meaning he was turned, and in position and had dropped, although my stomach still does not look like it.  She put me on 6 hour work days to allow me some rest to keep from going into labor. 

On November 22nd I had another appointment with Dr Henry. At that time I had only gained during pregnancy a total of 14lbs. I was measuring 39 weeks. Lex's heartbeat was super strong. My blood pressure still awesome. According to Dr Henry there had not been any change in my dialation. 

I go back in for an appointment on Monday the 29th. It will be my last appointment before I go in for delivery on Dec 7th. 

Also since my last post I had an awesome baby shower. I had about a quarter of the people I invited show up. I got a lot of great things from those who did show up. My awesome co worker/friend bought my diaper bag for me and I just love it. An ex co worker/friend bought me a beautiful memory book. My crazy TC ladies all went in together and got me a ton of things from my registry. And another close friend got my bath stuff for me. Ben's family went in together to get us a gift card for our crib. 

Last weekend (or the following weekend of the shower which was on the 13th) my awesome neighborhood ladies came over to help me get the house organized. The came over on Friday night and again Saturday afternoon after I came home from getting my hair chopped off to donate for locks for love. Our room is ready for baby Lex. Now I only need to finish getting everything put away in the living room as well as get the counters in the kitchen cleaned off once more. I am still working on my office. I think I have all the essentials that I will need to bring Lex home from the hospital now.
On Friday Nov 19th the same evening the ladies came over, my employer held a baby shower for me. It was great. Again, I got a lot of great stuff and enough gift cards to buy our car seat. 

Now I am just busy packing to go to the hospital. Since I will be there longer than I was with the last 2 deliveries, I am trying to be prepared to be comfortable and have some extra entertainment. I can't wait to meet the newest member of my family. I will miss my boys while I am in the hospital since I am looking at 3 -4 days away from home. 

Thanksgiving was a nice celebration with just us and the kids at home. Since I am not allowed to travel more than an hour away from Little Rock and I probably couldn't handle the ride anyway, we stayed home and cooked our own dinner. We had all 3 kids, Aaron, Garrett, & Kimberly. Ben fried a turkey despite the rain. It started out warm(74) and overcast and ended cold(38) and rainy. We ate dinner around 4. Later that evening after dinner, we went to the movies and watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. 

I will try to update after my appointment on Monday. 

 
 

Nov 27th, only 10 days left to go

October 28th - busy day

October 28th = the day of doctor appointments. 
The boys and I started the fun off in Little Rock at 8:15 am with an appointment with ultrasound. Dr Henry (or rather Karen) set up my appointment at my previous OB appointment since I am measuring so far ahead of schedule. I did not get any super cute pics, nor did I get to see baby Lex's sweet little face. I was a little bummed about that. As of that morning, he is measuring roughly 6 lbs 10 oz. I have a little over 5 weeks left and at this stage it is said that most baby's gain on average 1/2 lb a week. I don't think I am going to have a newborn, he will just be too big. I had hopes of having a smaller boy this time, oops. Also, since he is measuring so much bigger, the ultrasound is predicting my delivery date to be around Nov 27th, instead of the Dec 7th date we currently have set. This meant plenty to talk to my doctor about. 
We then headed back to Conway for appointments for Aaron and Garrett for well child checks and Aaron's basketball physical. Both boys checked out great. Aaron was little embarrassed by his physical when they had to do the hernia check but all and all, they are doing well. The doctor just told Aaron that he needs to get more active and eat more veggies. 
After we finished there we  headed over for vision exams. This was so awesome. Our new vision doctor has some of the coolest technology. Garrett is in prime vision, he has almost perfect vision and the slight vision imperfection the doctor could find would normally never be predicted if it weren't for the new technology he has. Aaron's left eye has gotten stronger since his last vision appointment but it seems he has a stigmatism in both eyes. We ordered him a new set of glasses. And for me, well, I was told that I need to go back in after Lex is born so that he can make sure where my vision is, since pregnancy causes vision changes. I was told I pretty much wasted my time coming, but better to come now than not at all. 
After vision was the dental exams for Garrett & myself. Aaron's dental  appointment had been during my previous doctor appointment. Again, Garrett passed with flying colors. We are going to see about having him fit for a "Crib" since he is still a thumb sucker. This should help keep from needing braces later. We need to make appointments to have his impressions made for the crib device, an appointment to have Aaron's filling done, and I (like with my vision exam) need to make an appointment for after Lex's arrival, however so far on me, no cavities, which is always good. 
By this time it was close to 2:30 and we still had not eaten, so we ran through a drive thru and headed back to Little Rock for my OB appointment. 
Dr. Henry did not seemed concerned about the new "due date" the ultrasound had given me and I was too tired at that point to make sense of it. After 2 years and especially 8 months of telling me that I can't go into labor naturally or risk the chance of rupturing and bleeding out, he told me this last visit that if things happen to progress naturally that they will just let me have a vaginal delivery. Seriously???!! This now makes me nervous. My weight gain is still going well, with only 1 lb gained during the last 2 weeks. My measurements are still 3 weeks ahead of where I am, and apparently Lex was tired of being poked and prodded since every time they tried to find the heart beat he would turn or kick the device away. My next appointment is Nov 11th. This is almost comical to me.Since both boys were early, I am more likely to deliver early with Lex. Even more comical since Garrett was 5 weeks early and Nov 9th would be 5 weeks early for Lex from my original due date of Dec 14th. I guess nature will decided. Dr Henry decided against putting me on oral meds to keep me from going into labor. My question, what happens if I do go into labor and I rupture? How much time will I have? With where I live it's a good 15 minutes to the nearest hospital, and a good 30 minutes to a hospital where my doctor practices. Yes, this is a little scary to me.

On a lighter note, today is Halloween. The boys are ready to go walk the neighborhood tonight and beg for candy. Aaron tried to have a Halloween party last night but it kinda fizzled. Maybe next year will be better, we didn't have much planning time this year. His friend TJ did get to come over and stay the night. This year for Halloween we will have a "Jason" and a "L". I hope the pictures turn out well.

October 14th visit

I had another doctors appointment on Thursday, October 14th. 

That morning, I got up, got the boys off to school, got dressed and went to work. Aaron was scheduled to have an appointment with his FINS officer and a dentist appointment that afternoon right after lunch but before my appointment. Unfortunately, his officer called me mid morning to tell me she would have to reschedule since she was not feeling well. I left at lunch anyway to pick Aaron up from school since I told him I would be picking him up around noon and knew he would not be eating lunch at school. We stopped by and grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to my office so I could finish up some work before heading to the dentist. The dentist office visit went well. I was amazed at some of the gadgets they had. We are trying a new dentist in Conway.
After the dentist we headed to Little Rock for my appointment. We arrived about 15 minutes late but I had called in advance to let them know I was running behind. I forgot my schedule of blood sugar checks, and Dr Henry wasn't happy about that. I have to fax them over to him. We measured my belly which is measuring almost 4 weeks further along than what I am. I was just 31 weeks, but my measurement was over 34 but just shy of 35. This coupled with the contractions I had been having, Dr Henry asked Karen to make sure she faxed my chart over that day to St Vincent in case I go into labor before my next visit. He did do a cervix check on me to see if I had started to dialate, and so far so good, everything is normal, no progressing at all. Although he did seem concerned, after doing the check, Dr Henry decided to wait once again before putting me on medication to keep me from going into labor.

Karen has scheduled an ultrasound appointment for my next visit on Oct 28th. I will go in that morning for my ultrasound, then the boys and I will have another full day of appointments as we head to their well checks, vision and dental exams, after which I will go back in and see Dr Henry for my OB exam. In less than 2 weeks I will get to see my little one on the screen again and bring home new pics. After that, I will have only 5 weeks until I get to hold him. It is getting down to crunch time. This is a little intimidating. I realized the other day that if I work up until I have him, I have only 31 actual works days left. 

My baby shower is scheduled for Nov 13th at 2 pm in Conway. My friend Gena is hosting it for me. She told me last weekend she would have the invites out this past Tuesday. I hope she did get them mailed. 

Oh and here is a picture that Aaron took of me Wednesday morning I believe. See how big I am getting.

Busy weekend with Aaron home

I was finally able to get Aaron. He is home and I couldn't be happier. He seems to have adjusted well while he was gone. I couldn't ask for a better son since he's been home. It has been less than a week, but still, he seems to have made awesome advancement in so many areas.

I have been busier than busy since he has been home. Friday was graduation day and they asked that we be there by 9 although the ceremony did not start until 10. After which, we went out to eat lunch. Lunch included Razorback Pizza in Maumelle with my loving husband, Aaron, Aaron's best friend, Garrett, Aaron's father (aka the ex), his fathers wife, her daughter, her sister and my ex mother and father in law oh and my neighbor (aka Aaron's Mentor). To many this was a very interesting experience. To me, this is not really anything out of the norm. After lunch, we (Aaron, Garrett, myself and the best friend) came home to change and then we headed out to Aaron's school to get him registered for classes. After registering, we then ran to do grocery shopping. Friday night consisted of sandwiches for dinner followed by a movie that Aaron has been wanting to see, Resident Evil 4, Afterlife. Once we came home, it was time for unwinding and bed.

Saturday morning we woke up, I made french toast for everyone, then we headed out to the Jacksonville Airshow, Thunder over the Rock. I got some pretty cool pictures and we were able to see the inside of some of the big plans and sit in a helicopter.

Once we arrived home saturday afternoon, Aaron had friends come over. We bbq'd burgers and after eating all the "boys" sat around and played Halo.

Sunday we got up and went to church, but since I wasn't feeling well, we did not stay for the full service.

Since then Aaron and I have had a lot of talks. We have watched movies together as a family and he and Ben have spent time playing video games. Aaron is loving being back at school.

Tomorrow will be another busy day for us. He and I have to go meet with his FINS officer, and then he has a dentist appointment after which I have another 2 week check up.

Looking forward to an afternoon spent together. 

Ultra Sound Picture from 8.5.10

October 1 Visit

I had my appointment at 9 am on Friday October 1, 2010. I met with Dr Jones, Dr Henry's new partner. She is very sweet, quiet, reserved, but very smart. She is young I would say close to my age, but then some people are hard to age. 

I started with my weigh in, blood pressure, and basic info with Karen, Dr Henry's nurse. Karen is super sweet and I adore her. My weigh in again I had not gained any weight. I am seeing this as a good sign. My blood pressure was great as always. Both Karen and Dr Henry have been very impressed with how well I am taking care of myself. 

Dr Jones came in and reviewed my chart. We discussed several things. I have been having a lot of pain due to extra stress at work. And since with both Aaron & Garrett, I had back labor, I had to ask about some symptoms I have had over the last few weeks, which apparently are "normal" contractions. I have to monitor these and keep track of them. Dr Jones is unsure at this point if they are Braxton Hicks or true contractions since I have a history of preterm labor. We also discussed again the weird spells that I have where it feels like I can't breathe and my arms and legs go numb as well as my head starts to spin. I am to track these as well. It is believed that it is normal issues with my blood pressure and the pregnancy but I almost don't feel like that is the case. She was a little concerned about a few very high sugar readings that I have had over the past few weeks but I chalk it up to mostly stress. I was measured again and am right at 31 weeks. So not too much growth since last visit. Dr Jones thinks the baby must have gone through a growth spurt. The heart beat was good and strong. 

I will meet with Dr Henry again on Oct 14th. Dr Jones decided to let him see about placing me on medication for keeping me from going into labor. I believe it will be at that time that I will set up another ultrasound to track the development and growth of the baby. We are calling him "Lex", but since Ben is still somewhat in denial, we try not to use the "he" word. After this next ultrasound we will definitely know if this is a boy or girl. Lex is safe since we had picked out Alexis for a girl of which I would have called her Lex and Ben would have called her Lexi. 

As I was leaving Karen did confirm that we are scheduled for delivery on December 7th, 2010 at 11:30. It did take me a while to confirm the hospital but I was able to get that accomplished. Dr Henry had not yet scheduled with the hospital. I wanted to deliver at St Vincent so his office manager called over and it is confirmed with the St Vincent that we will deliver there on Dec 7th. I will need to be there by 9am. And they have me scheduled for a 4 day stay. This is where all the tricky stuff starts coming into play. I have to find out who is going to help out with the boys as well as with me once I come home. Ben does not have time off to be able to take, so this scares me a little. 

I think that brings everything up to date. Maybe next visit will bring "new" news, or something more exciting. Tuesday, Oct 5th, I will be 30 weeks along. I am delivering at 39. Time is going too fast. Only 9 weeks and 3 days from today.

End of September

I have my next doctors appointment on Friday. There isn't really anything to look forward to, just the typical measurements, weigh in, listen to the heartbeat and discuss the possibilities of new medications and my current blood sugars. I am still looking forward to it.
More than my doctor's appointment, I am really just looking forward to Friday. Next week we get a new fiscal officer at work which I hope means some of the stress from work will be removed off of my shoulders. I will still be responsible for my normal duties and helping train the new payroll person, and yes, it will take a little while for this new person to learn what they need to know to start shifting back some of the responsibility that has fallen upon myself and my co worker, but there is still an end in sight and it is not a train coming to run us over.
I am also excited since Friday means only 1 more week until Aaron comes home. I have missed him. I must say that I am very disappointed in his letter writing since I was able to go visit him. I had more information and longer letters when he was away at Scout camp for less than a week.
Not much else is new. I do need to upload some pictures of the blanket(s) I am working on. My first class is over next Tuesday and I will have a week off between classes. My next class is an ethics class, so excititing!

Above is the baby blanket I am currently working on. I also have 4 other blankets in the works. I will post pics of them later.

Baby Update Sept 16, 2010

I am 27 weeks. Woo Hoo. Not to many more to go. I was put on oral medications at my last appointment to help control my gestational diabetes. After looking at my glucose testing chart for the past two weeks, my doctor is very pleased with my sugar levels and wishes me to continue to on the same medication I am on. We had talked about putting me on an oral medication this visit to keep me from going into labor, since I am unable to go into labor for fear of rupturing my uterus, and also since I am prone to preterm labor. Last visit he had decided to put me on that this visit, but today decided he wanted to give me another 2 weeks before putting me on them. 

He seems to think everything is progressing normally and that I should not have any fears of preterm labor, however I am still nervous and even more so after today's visit. Last visit I was 25 weeks and measured 25 weeks along. This visit I am 27 weeks and measuring 30 weeks. To me that is a little abnormal and is starting to show signs of what I went through with both Aaron & Garrett. Not only has the baby grown that much in that little time, I have not put on any more weight. (This I am proud of). I try to eat healthy and have to with my sugars, so I am very happy to have only gained 11 lbs for my whole pregnancy. 

In other news, we discussed some upcoming events. My next doctors appointment will be in two weeks but he has recently taken on a partner, so I will get to meet with her, just to meet her in case we don't make it to the scheduled delivery date and my doctor is out of town. The next visit after that or possibly the following visit at the end of October, I will have another ultrasound. They will check to see how big our little guy is getting. The date has also been set for the c-section. I will be going in on Dec 7 at 11:30 for surgery. Exciting news. Also a little scary, since December is really not that far away. But maybe with going in on the 7th, I will be more healed to be able to enjoy Christmas some.

I believe that hits all the high points for my update. I am looking forward to the mid to late October visit and my next ultrasound. I have a lot to prepare for in the mean time.

So, I really don't like posting pictures of myself. I am NOT THAT vain...hahaha. But since the corner pic is so tiny I thought I'd post it a little bigger. Hoping to have some newer pictures of my growing belly soon.

The first baby blanket I started making. Think this will be come a Christmas present for Kimberly instead. Ben was REALLY wanting a girl, so much so, that I started to believe it would be. After 2 boys, I should have known, I just know how to do boy. Hope to post pics soon of my newest baby blanket.

Various

I am in my 3rd week of school. I am also in my 26th week of pregnancy. I am really starting to feel my little mover. Don't get me wrong, I felt him move when I was around 12 weeks, and started feeling hiccups and kicks at around 17 weeks, but now I feel almost every movement. This is time of pregnancy I love the most.

I have horrible heart burn and have issues where I feel like I really can't breath, so it's not all pickles and ice cream, but I still love it. I am starting to get the pregnant woman waddle. Aaron is so big into penguins that when I really feel myself waddling, I don't remind myself of a duck so much as a penguin. It cracks me up. It helps me feel closer to Aaron while he is gone.

Aaron will come home sometime in October. I get to go see him this Sunday and can't wait. I got to talk to him finally on the phone tonight. His voice is getting deeper and he told me in one of his letters from early last week that he had to shave for the first time. I am wondering if I will recognize him when I go. I fear that he will have grown 5 inches and really start looking like a young man instead of my "boy". I will deal with that if it is so, but as a parent you never want to miss out on any of those milestones.

Garrett had to do his first school project. It is due on Friday and we finished it tonight. I feel like Super Mom. I am hoping to take pictures before he runs out the door with it tomorrow morning, but first I have to find my camera. He is liking school a lot this year. As long as he continues to like school, I am happy. I dread him coming home and never wanting to go back. Even Aaron is looking forward to heading back to middle school this year. I am excited that both my boys are loving school.

We made a trip to Batesville on Monday to visit friends. It was amazing how so much had changed up around that area. Some for the better, and some for the worse, but still amazing. I guess I get amazed that we haven't been gone that long and it's been even less since we last went for a visit and it's changed so much yet when I go back to where I spent most of my childhood, nothing has changed at all. I've been gone from there for over 5 years, and where I actually grew up for over 14 and it never changes.

I am glad that somethings can stay frozen in time, but I am also excited by change. I am at awe of watching my children grow and learn, and become molded into the people they will one day be. I am amazed by my ever growing abdomen and how fast that transition from nothing to a newborn baby happens. I love and cherish every tear I cry over my children, every scare they throw at me, every bandaid I have to apply, every kick from the womb, and every milestone they reach.

Baby Update Sept 2, 2010

Yes, I know that today is actually September 3rd, but my doctor appointment was yesterday, September 2nd.

Update from the doctor:
I am right on target for weight, which is good. I have gained another 3.5 pounds. My stomach measures right on date with my week, which is 25. Only 15 more to go. Past the half way point. All down hill from here, right?! I wish anyway. The heartbeat was very strong. At this point I go in for visits every 2 weeks.

I started my day with my glucose testing. They drew my blood and had me wait. After about 30 minutes I was given that strong sugary drink which I had to drink in front of them and was told to be back in 1 hour. I was already 15 minutes late to my dr appoint directly across the road. I ran over to my doctor appointment.

I have been doing my own glucose testing at home by pricking my finger 4 times a day and have been on a special diet for the past 6 weeks +. My doctor reviewed my glucose chart since my last visit 4 weeks earlier and decided with my still erratic sugars that he needed to put me on an oral medication. I am to keep a close eye on my sugars in the next two weeks and keep them documented, so we can see if we need to increase the dosage or decrease it. Also, in two weeks, since I can not go into labor, he will put me on an oral medication to keep me from going into labor. I will continue to see him every two weeks at this point until I bump up to my once a week appointments.

I then went back over for my testing. A little while later my doctors office called to let me know that I did not need to finish my glucose testing since it was just a waste of time for me since they already had me on an oral medication to help with my glucose levels.

All and all it was an good appointment. I will be ready with more updates once I get them.

Oh and thinking about the name Lexington. Just not sure if it will be used as a middle or first name. Still trying to come up with unique baby boy names.

First few baby posts (from Facebook) with narative

I found out on April 14th 2010 that I was going to be a mom for the 3rd/4th time. This will be my 3rd birth, but my 4th child to welcome into my home. Below are the updates that I emailed out to various friends and family to bring them up to speed on where I was in my pregnancy and how I was doing:


July 17th, 2010
If anyone does not want to hear updates on the progress of the baby, let me know and I will take you off the list.
I prefer to keep it in a more private mass email than to post on my wall.

Yesterday July 15th was appointment #3. So far so good. Dr is very pleased with my weight gain since I had only gained 3lbs over 5 weeks and 2 lbs since the beginning of my pregnancy.

I did have some sugar in my urine. He will not send me for my glucose testing until 24 weeks. I was a gestational diabetic with both Aaron & Garrett. He is sending me to meet with a Diabetic Manager/Nutritionist. My appointment for that will be next Friday the 23rd.

I am measuring right at 2 weeks further than I am right now, but that is on target as 2 weeks under or over is the norm. The heartbeat was strong.

The big date most want to know....I will go for my ultrasound on Aug 5th. I will have my dr appt right after my ultrasound to discuss the findings and keep me in check.

All past appointments/ultrasounds look to be right on target for a Dec 14 due date.

So this post 1 of my monthly baby check up. Again, if you don't want me to include you, let me know, I won't be offended.

Talk to you again in 3 weeks if not before.
~Cheryl
August 5th, 2010
Update: I am currently checking my blood glucose 4 times a day. Bounces around. I have 3 dr appt tomorrow. One with my diabetes management, another with my ob, and of course the ultrasound. Maybe we will get to find out. But for now, I challenge you: I want your predictions....boy....or....girl????

Most everyone said it would be a girl. Ben was hoping for a girl very bad, and I can't say that I wouldn't have welcomed a little more female in my home instead of being surrounded by all these men. However.....



August 6, 2010
Back to back doctors appts today. Ultrasound was first....for those who don't know yet....it's a boy (again). Ben is a little bummed as he was hoping for a girl. I didn't have a preference, but it would have been nice to not been overrun with men at my house. :) At least I have plenty of practice with boys. Baby Boy Tullos is measuring 10 inches and weighs in at 1 lb. 21 weeks down 19 to go. He is VERY active and the ultrasound tech kept commenting on the fact.

Appt 2 was a check back with my diabetes management. I had a few abnormal readings, but they were quite pleased. Depending on my glucose screening I may or may not have to go back.

Last was my appt with my OB. He was extremely happy once again with my weight gain. Hope I can keep it there. He was very happy with the measurements from the baby. Everything looked normal and growth was on target. I am measuring a week further along this visit. I have my next visit 4 weeks away, the same day as my glucose testing. Due to a history of preterm labor, he said after my next visit I will be going in every 2 weeks.

To summarize: it's a boy. Mom is doing great & baby is doing great.

If anyone wishes me to take them off the updates, please let me know. I will not be offended. I have heard that it is clogging up some peoples email due to all the emails that are received from the comments I receive from you responses. Just let me know if you want me to take you off.

Thanks! Looking forward to next month. I hope to have some cute profile ultrasound pics loaded soon. I have a ton of them now.

~Cheryl

This is my first post. I am using this blog to keep up with what is happening in my life as well as my pregnancy milestones. I do have those profile pictures that I need to upload as well as some really great ultrasound pictures. I just need to make time to do it.