Roller Coaster Baby :)

If there is one thing I have come to learn about our little Kaitlyn Marie, it's that she likes to keep me guessin! This entire pregnancy has been a roller coaster. Some parts of the pregnancy have been so much fun and we are cruising along with our arms raised high enjoying the ride. Then other times, we have been nervous and worried about the next corners we are taking and holding on tight to whatever we can grab onto. Kaitlyn must think she's pretty funny. :)

Last Thursday, the fluids were at a 7. Dangerous levels for any unborn baby. Being only 32 weeks at a time, delivering her wasn't our best choice (nor was it even an option!); we both needed more time. Neither of us were ready. So I was put on a strict bed rest and was told to drink plenty of fluids. I started drinking TWO gallons of water a day (more than the recommended amount, but I wanted to be extra sure she would be ok). I rested pretty faithfully most the week, and at my non stress test and ultrasound Tuesday our efforts seemed to pay off. I had 15 cm of amniotic fluid. Today I had 12, a little on the low side of normal, but still normal so we're happy.

So it seems like the ride is getting more fun again. Especially now that we are getting into the "waiting for baby stages", and not "getting ready for baby stages." After last week we realized that we need to be prepared for anything. Shayne has been a big help getting the girls room ready. He set up our nursery, did baby laundry, and together we organized the room and put everything in it's place. All that needs to be done now is to put the car seat in the car, stroller too, and Kaitlyn needs a going home outfit. It is such a GOOD feeling to be waiting for her and relaxing during these last few weeks.

Ellie is taking the bedroom change better than we thought. She was a little bothered when we took out some of her toys to make room for the baby's things, but she adjusted quickly when we told her that she can play with them again when we move to a bigger house hopefully this summer. Once the room was decorated, Ellie got excited and started to put her baby dolls in her bassinet and cribs and playing "mommy." She seems to be getting excited to know that the baby is coming soon, and is actually saying now how happy she is to get to share a room with the baby.

I can't wait to see them together!!! It will be such a wonderful sight! I always wonder how the two girls will be similar and different. I wonder if Kaitlyn will look like her big sister when she was a baby, or completely different. Ellie was born looking a lot like me when I was a newborn, and she had thick long hair for a newborn. I loved that about her! I hope and wonder if Kaitlyn will have hair.

I also hope we stay on a nice path for a while. I will be watched closely until the baby comes. I have my regular appointments, and once weekly a non stress test and ultrasound to check on our progress. As always, I will keep the blog updated.

The Latest

Normally right about now, I would be posting pictures of sweet baby Kaitlyn. However, with all the craziness that happened at the hospital today, I left them behind by accident. Today we went in for a normal, run of the mill, ultrasound. I didn't expect anything but a good outcome. For the most part, Kaitlyn's outcome was very good. She is a healthy 4 pounds 1 ounce so far, and everything seems to be growing just as it should. Strong heart rate, and she is FINALLY head down! Yahoo! I was so excited for this fact because I was starting to realize that in about 8 weeks or less, we will be right on target to meet Kaitlyn....not even thinking it could be less.

It wasn't until they started doing ultrasounds on the baby's umbilical cord that I started to wonder, "is this normal?" They were measuring the blood flow in the cord itself. I wondered what they were watching for. My first thought being that the cord was wrapped around her neck or something worse. The tech's didn't say a word. When the ultrasound was over, and we waited to find out the news about our little baby.

A doctor came in and informed us that everything looked good anatomically with Kaitlyn. I was relieved to hear that. But, they said the fluid was measuring low. I was measuring at a 7, when 11 - 20 is "normal." Then the questions started flying in; did I notice a gush of water, or any trickle or water at any point? Well, I have had something of a trickle, but being pregnant everything seems to "trickle" in the 8th month, and I don't know what is considered normal. They said that they needed to do a pelvic exam and run some tests to find out if I had unknowingly ruptured my membranes. I would also need a non stress test.

I was worried sick. They mentioned that low fluids can cause cord compression. During the non stress test, I was relieved to find that Kaitlyn seemed to be reacting normally to the test. The amniotic fluid test came back negative which I have to assume is what we wanted to hear seeing as I am typing this blog at home and not rushing off to have the baby. I will have non stress tests twice a week with ultrasounds to measure fluid from now until the end of this pregnancy.

Everything at this point is flashing right before my eyes. I realized today that although we seem more prepared than we were around this time Ellie was supposed to be born, that we aren't ready nearly enough. I have a list of things for Shayne to take out of storage, we need to get the girls room ready, baby clothes out, and just get things ready if she comes earlier than planned. I even decided to pack my bags now just in case something unexpected happens during one of these tests.... Now we're saying, "lets just make it at least 5 more weeks Kaitlyn," which is not something I thought I would EVER hear myself say with Ellie being born at 41 weeks!!!

Her birth feels closer than ever. I hope we are ready when she comes. My fingers are crossed for our next visit to Maternal Fetal Medicine on Tuesday for more tests. I hope the numbers go up and our baby Kaitlyn will be back on track. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, I know we will be praying hard for our health, and if you are reading this and have a prayer to spare I hope you will too. So - that's the latest. We'll keep our blog updated as we go along.

Our "Patrick's" Day (As Ellie would Say)

Family Photo Time!!!

32 Weeks!

Leaving my 32 week appointment the nurse said, "see you in two weeks!" I have to admit that just hearing and knowing that - I'M ON EVERY TWO WEEK VISITS now - made everything seem right around the corner. After 36 weeks, I start seeing my doctor every WEEK. This pregnancy has flown by faster than I ever thought it would. Mostly out of distraction of having my daughter who is almost 5 year old, and of course having the extra stress we've been under with Shayne being out of work.

We had a rough start to this pregnancy, but so far since the "problems" went away, this pregnancy has been great (knock on wood of course). At 32 weeks, I have gained just over 25 pounds (a number I am very satisfied with), and my blood pressure and measurements seem to be right on for where I am at in this pregnancy. I have to admit that the thought of being considered full term in 5 weeks amazes me. I can tell you already that as crazy as it sounds, I am actually going to miss being pregnant with Miss Kaitlyn when she comes out.

At 32 weeks also, I started seeing another doctor; Dr. Bret Chipman of Stone Creek Family Clinic. I'm not his newest patients. In fact, I was one of the first patients to come to the clinic back when it opened in 2006. I've always been impressed with him and felt that not only did he know what he was doing, but he had excellent bedside manner. He's the doctor that caught my heart condition when no other doctor had before also (and I had told other doctors what was happening). All in all, I am very comfortable with the switch and felt like it was necessary because of some concerns I've been developing towards my Certified Nurse Midwives at New Beginnings.I know I will be in good hands, and am happy to be his patient again after 3 years away.

I took a tour of Mountain View Hospital's Labor and Delivery Rooms, and Mother Baby rooms. So far I am quite impressed with the hospital. The new renovations really make it a beautiful hospital. Also, because the Mother Baby rooms were meant originally for double occupancy, they each have an extra bed they said the father may sleep on (a nice bonus)! I'm liking the new arrangements already, even though it has been hard to "shift gears" and start imaging something different than what has been familiar to me during the past 8 months of pregnancy.

I have an ultrasound on Friday. I'm hoping they'll take some 3-D pictures of Kaitlyn for me. Fingers crossed. I hope that she's doing as well inside as she seems to be doing looking from the outside. I'm so excited to meet her and hold her in my arms. Everything that has happened over the past 3 and 3/4 years leading up to this moment will be worth it. I can't wait!!!

Let the Good Times "Roll"

We had some fun last week going bowling with Evan and Monyka, my brother and sister in law. Ellie loves bowling and being with her Aunt Kyka and Uncle Evan so much! We're going to miss having them living right around the corner from us when they move the last week of March. It's been fun seeing them more often and having our "game nights" and dinners. I'm glad they are moving to Spanish Fork though because hopefully we can live closer to them again perhaps by the end of the summer!

I also had some fun on my own as I decided to STOP growing my hair out after two years. I realized it was too long for me to straighten easy and that I would probably need to grow it another YEAR to get it to my goal. I tried to dye it to my natural color (which I think it's actually darker, but I think it will fade somewhat so I'm not worried). Oh and dying it again isn't an option at this point! I'm worried that my poor crippled hair will fight back with a vengeance!

This week, I will be seeing my new doctor, Dr. Brett Chipman. After much thought, I have realized that I feel more comfortable seeing an actual OB-GYN instead of a certified nurse midwife as I was before. CNM's are trained well for a normal delivery, but cannot deliver by C-section and aren't as prepared for emergencies. Considering how delicate this pregnancy has been (and some small pushes from my side of the family) I have made the switch at 8 months pregnant. I will be delivering Kaitlyn in Mountain View Hospital. I am also scheduled for my 32 ultrasound. This week also my friend is taking some family pictures of us. Our whole family looks forward to a day of GREEN on St. Patrick's Day. I'll have to post pictures of our green meals. Until then - I hope you have a good week!

March. "In like a Lion.... out like a Lamb?"

We just had a crazy first week of March.

Our week actually started out great. Fifty degree weather. We loved it so much. Ellie and I spent a few dollars at the dollar store getting some "supplies;" bubbles and sidewalk chalk. We loved playing out in the warm air. I brought out my old lawn chair and soaked up some sun. It was great to get out in jacket weather, and sometimes warmer than jacket weather.

Ellie and I had our first picnic of the year too. We brought a lunch to the park on Center Street and 500 West in Provo. It seemed we weren't the only ones with that idea. We had a lot of kids to play with. I enjoyed our time together. Just as we were leaving, the gray clouds set in... and you guessed it - we went from jacket weather that morning to coat weather that night. It was snowing.

The next morning our fun week turned into a crazy one. Ellie jumped on our bed, and said, "Mommy, my eyes are really itchy." I opened my eyes to look at her. To my surprise, she was covered in eye goop and she definitely had an eye infection that would need treatment. I made her an appointment, and that afternoon we found out that not only did she have the eye infection, she also had an ear infection! She's tough. She never said a word about it. Of course once she was diagnosed, she started "playing the part." Ellie is on antibiotics for 10 days for the eye and ear.

Being the "nice Mommy" I am, I decided to run off and rent Ellie a movie or two during her down time this weekend. After getting her prescription, some Children's Tylenol, and a few other groceries, I pulled up the Redbox machine to look through the movies. I was standing by the doors with my cart off to the side to let people by. Just then, I felt like someone had punched me right in the stomach! WHAM!!! I looked up and saw a bagger/cart collecter Smith's worker pushing in a load of carts.

"Are you ok?" he said. I didn't know what to say, "Are you ok?" he said again? I held my belly, and said, "I think so - I don't know" and left the store feeling kinda dumb that I was just hit by the guy pushing the carts. As soon and I got in the car, I started to feel pain on the right side of my pregnant belly where he had hit me. I took home everything for Ellie, but I went straight back to make a complaint with Smiths.

Not really knowing what to do, and worried about my tender placenta issues, I knew that I would feel much better if I saw a doctor. I went to the Insta-care Center in Provo where they told me they can't help me - I needed to go to the hospital. Once in, the emergency gave me a ride up to the labor and delivery floor which surprised me. They treated it as such too; within no time, I was in a gown, strapped in to machines, being "checked," and having my blood drawn. I had an ultrasound too.

I was there for three hours. After some time, they told me that the baby does not seem to be under any stress from the trauma to the stomach. As far as they can tell, there was no abruption of the placenta (which was a relief - the reason I was so worried). I was told to watch for bleeding this weekend, and to follow up with my doctor. Luckily we were both alright.

Being in the hospital sure brought back memories, and also made me realize how hard to believe it is that in no time at all, I'll be back there for the real thing. It's an exciting thought to think that in two months time, I will be meeting Kaitlyn face to face for the first time. I can't wait to meet her!

Anyway - our first week of March was like they say, "in like a lion," and I hope "out like a lamb." I used to think that expression referred only to the weather, but it seems to be true all around.