Tuesday June 30

Another short one! Zeke and I ran around for a few hours together getting appliances and paint for the kitchen! It’s moving in the right direction! Kye’s doing awesome! He got his oxygen tube off today!! Here’s a picture of his adorable little face, OxyTubeless! One more tube to go! Yeaaaa

They have also bumped up his feeding to 8 ml every two hours. They were shooting for 9ml every 3 hours but changed that today. Not sure why but, it ends up being more as a whole. He gained a little weight too! He’s 2.8lbs now!
He’s also smiling a lot! Here’s one of his grins…


Oh daddy and Kye....

And here's our sweet little Kye throwing a fit!!!

Monday June 29

Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday! I came up to the hospital for a few hours then went home to help Zeke work on the kitchen. It was pretty hard for me. I hated the idea of Kye being here all alone. I know he's well taken care of though. I miss my hubby and I need to spend some time with him, even if it's working. He can't come here as much because the house is in pieces...so I'll do what I can. Of course I just have to find Balance...well we have to find balance! He's constantly going and trying to find time to spend with Kye. He's going to burn out soon.
Well this is gonna be short, this room closes in a few minutes. Kye's doing good. He did have to go back on the oxygen. In a few days they'll take it off again and see how he does. They have increased his feedings to every 3 hours (from 4 hours) and they're giving him more milk and less IV. He weighs 2.76ish now. So, now we must fatten him up! The doctor said for him to go home he has to maintain body temp, eat and breath on his own. Weight has nothing to do with it. I'm sure he'll gain plenty before any of that can happen. Well thats it for now

I haven't mentioned much about his weight. Just slipped my mind I guess. He lost a little in the first few days after birth, he went down to 2.375. He's now gaining and up to 2.4ish. We'll weigh him again tonight so we'll see...
The drop in birth weight is pretty normal for any newborn, so nothing to be concerned about.
He's doing really great, doing everything he should be to move forward. His breathing is still good and his oxygen saturation is still holding steady with no dips in his heart rate. They may take the other tube off before long. I don't think I explained the saturation level/heart rate correlation yet...Since he's so young he forgets to breathe, when that happened it's not unheard of for preemies to forget for so long thst their heart rate drops. For him normal is 145 or so. They have an alarm set to go off if it drops to 70. Yesterday his alarm went off 3 times. Don't freak out, he corrected it on his own before if became dangerous. Completly normal! If you think about it he's not suppose to be doing any of this yet, I'm suppose to be doing it for him. He's should be concentrating on gaining wreight and that all. But he was in such a rush to get here!! Now he's gotta work a little harder! Anyway, today he's had no incident's. If he continues that they'll remove the tube. The monitors will still be hooked up and the alarm will be set higher.
Last night he had a little of the green stuff from his stomach. It was much better then before but, still there. They did an x-ray to see if there was a problem, there wasn't except he needed to poo! The doctor explained it to me like this, fully developed babies have 'contractions' that push things (poo) in the right direction. His are not strong enough to push the poo that was left from before birth-a very sticky, dense substance. So they gave him glycerin (poo making stuff) and he gave a gloriously huge poo this morning:) Hopefully his little body will push the poo now! Heard enough about poo yet??
So the doc didn't order any changes for tonight, he said tomorrow they'll bump up his food (boob juice) and lower his IV nutrition intake. All good things! The nurse said he would probably be the next to go the South side..HOLLA!! Can I hear a 'Hell yea!'?

Here's a few pictures... Daddy saying goodnight last night. He gets to give him a bath (AKA wipe down) and kangaroo with him tonight.

And here's a picture of me the last time I kangarooed...

Grammy got to hold him yesterday

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and Grandma

<---------------

got to hold him today!!! -

They were both pretty excited about it too!! Grammy had to hold back a few tears, like me she can't see crap with tears in her eyes! And Grandma couldn't take her eyes off of him! And of course Great Grandma was beside herself with how adorable he is, and how tiny! He doesn't look THAT small on the blog! She brought in a few new hats for Kye and some friends here in the NICU. Thanks G-DOG!! ;)

No he's not going to be SPOILED!!! Not at all!!!

Not to much is going on today. Well, his oxygen saturation level is still holding strong so they turned him down to two!! That's great news considering he'll be on his own completely if he can hold his own for a day or so more! Hes back under the light though, with the ZORRO! mask...poor guy. It's not a huge deal though. A day or two and he'll have that off. It's just nice to be able to see his eyes.

I got to hold him for almost three hours today!The doctor had just ordered the light so the nurse told me I could hold him for as long as I wanted before we turn it on (when the lights on he can only be out for about a half an hour or so). Anyway I milked it for all I could!

So I'm lying there with him all warm and cuddle. Half dozing with a little grin on my face when all of a sudden I feel a trickle run down my side, what the hell......little shit just peed on me! Even worse...I though, oohhh how cute! Wow! He sure has me, huh! I decided it wasn't so gross and left him where he was for another half an hour! Who am I???

Thur June 25

I'm at the hospital, using their computer so, unfortunately I can't upload any pictures. I wish I could because I have a few cute ones of daddy kangarooing and today I got to do it!!!!! Wow, what a feeling. I usually have to have complete silence to sleep but, with him on my chest I went out without trying! It may have been the best hour of sleep I've had in at least a month. I don't think I've ever felt that good about anything in my life. What a feeling! When they say it's therapeutic, they are not lieing! When I came in to see him today he had squirmed his way half out of his little prop. He had been on his side with a 'roll' behind him to keep him from rolling back. Well his top half was on the other side of the prop on his back while his legs were still in the same position. He was crying and just looked all twisted up. I called the nurse but didn't wait for her to straighten him out. I was pretty bothered by the whole thing. The nurse, which I like a lot, she said he must have just done it because she just took his temp. Seriously he stretched and fell back a little, it just looked bad to me. Plus, they are not near as fragile as we like to think!! Anyway, it was no big deal but, he was pretty upset so I decided to kangaroo him then to see if it would calm him. As soon as I got him situated he was instantly calm...amazing! He did the same thing last night with dad but he was more upset this time. I didn't expect it to be so instant!
More good news! He just got the overhead light turned off! His jaundice is under control! His oxygen is also getting better, they turned it down to 3. His oxygen saturation level (how much his body is maintaining) is at a 21, which is the same air we breath! That's why they are able to turn it down, he doesn't need as much help. If we get to 2 his tube can come off!!! He's eating again, although not completely without the green stuff but it's ok. If he continues this way they'll send him to NICU South, another step in the right direction! There they have private rooms and we can do most of his care. So another good day in the life of Kye!!...and mommy and daddy!!

Wed June 24 (actually Thursady)

Well I’m at home. It’s bitter sweat. Saying good night to him wasn’t so bad….walking out that front door was heart wrenching and it got worse as we drove farther away. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. We’re supposed to be bonding right now. I hated that he wasn’t with me before; this is like a part of me has been left behind. My heart hurts right now. It’ll get easier I know. I also know he’s in good hands and he’s been doing great. I’m not at all worried about him. I just miss him, which is weird because I’d be in my room at this time anyway. It’s a strange thing, this motherly thing…
Anyway, today was another good day. Zeke got to do the kangarooing thing…really it’s more or less cuddling! He slept on Daddy’s chest for an hour! I think daddy may have gotten some sleep too. It was awesome! He could hardly contain himself! We decided to go eat first. Zeke was so excited it was like he was racing to the cafeteria and he had this sweet little grin on his face the entire time. I can’t really walk that fast yet so I had to keep reminding him to slow down. If I would have let him I think he would have gone through the halls dancing, skipping, and whistling with a big goofy grin on his face! This was an experience that rates pretty high up there for him I’m sure. I have some pictures but, they’re on my camera and it’s really late. I need to get some sleep I’ll post them later. I am going to add one from the other day. I love this picture but I felt weird putting a full frontal picture of my son on the web so I had it edited! Lol
Here’s my little monkey boy!!

Wed June 24

He Smiled at me today!!!!! Man do I love this little trouble maker!!! They let me change his diaper and hold him this afternoon. He was just as content as he could be. Eyes wide open and ‘looking’ around. I was telling him how adorable he is when all of a sudden he looked up and smiled from ear to ear, gums and everything! WOW!! My heart nearly exploded, it brought a tear to my eye. I could hardly believe it. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen in my life. I wanted nothing more then to squeeze him and kiss him all over his entire little body! I wish I could have gotten that on film, you would just die!
His breathing is going great! Oxygen level is awesome; he is still having trouble with the green stuff in his stomach. When I went to see him he spit some of it up. The nurse said it’s nothing to worry about. When they get the oxygen turned down, which they did one notch today, it’ll blow less into his lungs and will help the situation. They held off on feeding today to. Really though that’s just normal for a preemie so he’s doing fantastic!!!

Oh and he’s doing so well we get to Kangaroo him-it’s where they get skin to skin contact with the parents. We wear a button up shirt and open it so that they can lay him, in a diaper only, on our chest. It’s very therapeutic for both baby and parent. I think Zeke’s gonna get to do it tonight. Only one person can do it per night. I got to see a smile so it’s only fair. We won’t have to toss a coin to see who gets to go first.

Tue June 23

Today was a pretty fantastic day! I managed my time much better and felt decent throughout the day. I’m not feeling the dread I know I’ll feel tomorrow when I have to leave. I really don’t know how I’m going to go from being able to walk downstairs and see him to having to drive to see him. Here at least I know he’s just 3 min away. I’ve tried not to dwell on it to much, there isn’t a thing I can do about it. I am feeling my ‘boo boo’ more today then ever. I think it could have something to do with my moving around so much. It’s bearable but, I do need to chill out some. The doctor said I could probably drive within a week if I didn’t take pain meds. So, I need to work on that.


As far as Kye goes he had a damn productive day! Here’s a picture of him this morning….






Poor little thing

He’s doing well with his breathing so hopefully, he’ll be able to get rid of the pump that’s using pressure soon. Then if that works out maybe the whole headgear thingy can go and be replaced with a small oxygen tube. Wouldn’t that be nice???!!!

Well later on in the day we were told he threw such a fit that they decided to try taking it off! They just couldn’t calm him so I order to make him more comfortable they gave it a shot. His breathing has been good so there’s no harm!!!
Kids already getting his way by throwing a fit….Momma’s gonna have to nip that in the bud…later

So we got to help clean him up and hold him for a little bit…..

He was not very excited!!

Daddy got to wipe him down..

Then the big bad nurse took over to wash his hair!!!

He looks horrified doesn't he!!! My poor baby!

Gotta make sure all that hair gets washed!!!

Hell on an impressive Mohawk!!!

Then last but not least lets get him all wrapped up so Mommy and daddy can hold'm.

Now he's happy!

!

OUR FIRST FAMILY PHOTO














Oh and by the way we have much cuter hats at home but, we didn't know we were going to use them yet! I'm bringing them up

A FANTASTIC DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday June 23

Just got back from taking Kye his breakfast, it’s so nice to have a name to call him! They moved him to the next room, which is a good thing. It means they needed a bed in the ‘tiny baby’ room and he was the strongest. Last night they told us this might happen. I completely forgot and almost had a heart attack when I walked toward his bed. There were 3 nurses, a doctor in scrubs, surgical equipment, and people with clip boards all pressed in close around. I started to shove my way through when a nurse asked who I ws looking for. It dawned on me then that they had moved him. I think I died a little inside.
He’s on the other end of the 3 room facility. His nurse said he’s been pretty good all night, not to fussy. He is having some issues with eating though. When the pull back on the syringe to see how much digested they’re getting this yucky green stuff, his body is turning the milk into whatever this is. There are a couple things that are probably causing it, his age is for sure one of them, the breathing apparatus is pushing air into his lungs and some is getting into his belly causing irritation, and he was pretty aggravated yesterday. They’ll see how the day goes, they may try again or they may hold off till tomorrow. Don’t worry though; he’s getting nutrition through an iv regardless. Good night for a couple hours!

Monday June 22

Kye Bradley Arcobasso Knight

We couldn't make a choice(and agree) between the two we were going between (Cooper and Layne) so we came up with a new one. I'm so happy with it and I’m thrilled that we've finally decided! He has two middle names, Bradley, because it’s Zeke's and his dad's middle name and Arcobasso, because we know it would make my daddy happy and extremely proud. For all intended purposes he's Kye Knight. If he needs to use his middle name he can just use Bradley or he can use the initials ... I never put my full middle name on anything until I got older and decided I liked it. So there you have it. ‘THE BABY’,’BABY BOO’,’JR’, BABY ZEKE', 'ROSCO'and ‘THE KIDDO’ can now be referred to by name!

Monday June 22

I have to say breast feeding (pumping) is exhausting! Of course I’ve also had to have my blood pressure and temp taken every 3 hours during the night. I feel like I’m running on fumes right now. We’ll see how tonight goes; I’m not on an IV so I should be more on my own. Anyway, I’m feeling pretty good considering what my gut went through Saturday morning! I am taking pain medicine, although not as much as they are offering. I’m pretty proud of that one! When they took out the epidural that was feeding me my pain meds I was prepared to feel awful...so far it’s tolerable. My legs have swollen up like crazy though because I’m always up and I’ve been told to slow down. SOOOOO I’m going to take a nap before my hubby gets here. I just wanted to post a few pictures of our little John Doe and let you know how he’s doing. Yes we’re trying to agree on a name. We’re both stubborn though and neither of us wants the other to be unhappy! O-well we have to figure it out before Wednesday!

I know you can’t see his face but, isn’t he frick’n adorable! He’s holding my finger with both hands in one!!!

He’s doing ok today. His breathing is a little fast which means he’s working hard to get the air he needs. Because he’s a preemie his lungs aren’t fully developed. They don’t expand and contract like ours do. Meaning his lungs are kind of stiff and that’s why he’s working harder. He’s getting enough oxygen, he just has to take shorter breaths to get it. If this continues they will have to put him back in the ventilator. They’re trying something else before going that route though. The machine they’re using adds extra pressure to his existing oxygen (the mask thingy is his regular oxyger), you can’t see any difference but, it’s there. What it does is add a constant pressure to help ‘stretch’ his lungs and also another, higher pressure when he inhales. Hopefully this will make his lungs more flexible and therefore less work on him to fill.
The black mask is to protect his eyes from the light therapy he receiving due to jaundice. It’s very common in preemies apparently. They light breaks down the bilirubines (a component of red blood cells that’s also present in brusis) and helps it safely pass through the liver. Weird huh
The little orange tube on his right is his feeding tube. It runs into his nose and down to his stomach. He’s much to young to suck, swallow and breathe at the same time! Plus his digestive system isn’t fully prepared for it yet. What they do is put some breast milk into the tube every 3 hours. What’s strange is that before they do that they pull back on the syringe to see if he’s digesting it. Whatever is still in there gets tosses and replaced with fresh. So far he’s been ‘processing’ the milk well!
Well it’s nap time!!!

June 21...well 22nd actually

Here’s the scoop on what happened.
Friday the 19th at about 11:45pm I started to bleed. Zeke and I rushed to the hospital well, ‘rush’ is what we were trying to do but, the weather was horrible! It was storming so bad we could barely see at times, even hydroplaning at one point. So we got here as soon as we could. Anyway, I wasn’t having contractions or pain, and the bleeding seem have stopped or slowed considerably so I wasn’t being ambushed like the first time I came in. They did some tests and poked around, then sent me to Labor and Delivery for further assessment. They hooked me up to the stress test to monitor the baby. By this time I was having contractions, they weren’t regular or painful though. What they decided after about an hour or so was that, in hindsight they don’t think I ever ruptured. They believe that the placenta had pulled away from the amniotic sac and that’s what caused the bleeding then and now. The difference between then and now is that the baby’s stress level stabilized before. This time, his stress level went down but didn’t go away completely. See, when I had a contraction the last time, his heart rate would slow down significantly, this meant he was stressed. If that had continued they would have taken him then. Well this time he did mellow out but, not completely. He was still decelerating slightly every time I had a contraction. My doctor explained that with the placenta partially detaching and his low decelerations he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. The placenta supplies everything to the baby, and this time it must have detached enough to hinder the supply. She said we were going to take him by c section in about a half an hour. This was at about 4:27am. So after Zeke and I stared at each other for what seemed like 30 minutes we called out parents, signed papers, cried and stared at each other some more. A lady covered from head to foot in blue paper came in with an epidural. It was pretty weird; they had me sit up while she shoved a needle into my back. I swear she went into a patch of nervous because my whole leg felt like I hit its funny bone. You know that feeling? Imagine in running down your entire leg. It was pretty intense, as was feeling my legs slowly getting heavier and heavier till I couldn’t lift them anymore. I could still somewhat feel them, I just couldn’t lift them.
It all went pretty fast from there, until I was in the white room under the lights getting prepped. Wow, did time slow down there. All I had to do was think of all the reasons I didn’t want to do this right now. Mainly, and besides the obvious, I did not want them to cut me. I know nobody wants this but, lying there on that table I could taste how bad I didn’t want them to actually put a sharp object to my skin and pull it across. I could feel how bad it was going to be, numb or not. Just the idea made me cringe. AND what if they didn’t get me numb enough? AND they weren’t even going to put me out completely…well at all! Yea I was awake for this! I was screaming NEVER MIND! FORGET IT! I QUIT! inside. I’d much rather just wake up with it all over with but, no, apparently it’s safe this way. Anyway, they let Zeke come in after they had me draped and all the horror that was about to ensue safely out of sight. He sat with me, about a foot away, holding my hand as they literally gutted me. Seriously, took my uterus out of me and set it on my stomach. Or so they say…I did not witness this and neither did Zeke. It felt odd to have my body moved like that. I could feel yanking, pulling and pressure, not really much pain. When I did feel something, like when they were pulling me inside out from my ribs, they gave me some medicine and it stopped pretty quickly. It was still gross but at least it didn’t hurt. So at 5:24am our little baby boy was born. NO we haven’t settled on a name yet. I sure wish we would though!
That’s it for now. I’ll post some pictures tomorrow. It is Fathers Day so I’ll post this one before going to bed…

Happy Father's Day Babe. I love you, you'll be great.

sat June 20

Well I feel like crap! This is going to be short and to the point. I haven’t slept since 8am Friday morning and I’m not thinking straight either..
I’ll explain in more detail tomorrow.
Zeke and I became parents at 5:24am this morning!! He weighs 2.9 lbs and he’s 14 in long. He’s doing fantastic! Here’s a couple pictures…

Right now he needs help breathing but they say he may be on his oun by tomorrow...

Here's daddy's finger..

Friday June 19th

Not much going on today. There’s a lot less action here at home! No doctors to update on, no fluid check, no stress test…well not on the baby anyway! Ha! No I’m not stressed, I’m actually pretty good. It’s nice to be at home.
The baby is moving around like a madman! I do miss hearing his little heart beat though. I thought about getting one of the at home Fetal Doppler’s. I know I don’t NEED it but going from hearing him 2-3 times a day to being at home at not having that security…well it would be nice. Not necessary but nice. Anyway, it’s quiet around here today. I sent BJ and Maria out to get a few things for the invitations I’m making. That’s frustrating to, I hate having people run errands for me. Plus, I like to be able to see the choices myself…o-well. I’m grateful they are willing! So far it’s been a task for them! They’ve been to about 5 different places…if it were me I’m sure I would have just settled on something that would suffice, probably not what I really wanted but would work in a pinch. They don’t seem to mind running around so, I’ll just say THANKS!!!

Still Thursday the 18th

Here are a few pictures of what my hubby has been up to. He did the floors in the baby's room and refinished

the armour-->

Isn't it beautiful!!! I really love how it turned out!

He aslo went and picked up the rug and set everything up. Grandma Cheri ironed the curtains last weekend for us. We've ordered our baby bed and dresser, which he got for an amazing price, it'll be here in about 2 weeks...

Oh and here's a picture of the other wall. I haven't been able to get a good one, the sun washes it out usually.

Here's the beginning of the kitchen redo. I figured I could show all the steps...he does not play around! When he does it he does it good! Bet he kinda wishes I was still at the hospital! lol

Thursday June 18

Well I’m at home! Yeaaaaaa It’s an adjustment to say the least but, the important thing is I’m in my own bed! Everything went so fast, we’re making the best of the situation. It’s a little stressful on both of us. He’s so worried about me and not stressing me out that he’s overwhelming himself! We’ll figure this out! I have to say the room service here sucks though!! I mean, I have to make my own lunch! What kind of facility is this anyway! Seriously though, I asked the doctor about getting up to make food, let the dog out etc…he said that’s fine, just be smart about it. Most moms’s who bleed will probably bleed again, so I need to take it easy. I can go up and down steps, as long as I go down, spend time down there and come up later. Not that I plan on going down there, I just wanted to know if it was off limits. So for now, I’m in bed making some invitations, watching t.v and listening to BJ use the belt sander on the kitchen cabinets. All is well. I have a doctor’s appointment on Monday…yes I can drive myself (doctor said) so we’ll find out what’s going on then. The one thing we’re concerned with is, if I have ‘resealed’ or have never ruptured, will they still need to induce at some point?

Wed June 17th even later

I am NOT mad at my hubby!!! I didn’t mean to give that impression. I was shocked that he was working on the floor, I didn’t expect it al all. Of course I didn’t expect to go home today either….lots of surprises. Anyway.. He’s the best, most thoughtful husband I know. I wasn’t supposed to be home for another month so he decided to surprise me with a new kitchen floor. How could I be upset at that? How many guys would do that for their wives? Not many. Most would probably take the time to sit around, play video games, not do any cleaning, have buddies over and wreck the place. My guy is the exact opposite. That’s why I married him. The kitchen is a mess, right now. I’d be lieing if I said it didn’t affect me. I’m not mad though. It’ll be fine. It’s awesome I get to go home but, it put a crimp in his plans. It’s also awesome that my floors will be pretty!!!
Anyway, my Momma’s here to help me go home!! YEAAAAAAA I’m still nervous but, I know they would not jeopardize my baby. So I trust them!!

Wed June 17th ..test is done!

Well it's the fluid is 11! Awesome right?? I'm freaking out! Yea, I wanna be at home, for sure but, what if, what if, what if!!!
Plus my darling husband decided to surprise me by doing the kitchen floors.....ohhhh I haven't been in my house construction-less in a LONG time! O-well I wasn't suppose to be home for another month! This kid is already causing issues! lol Honestly I expected nothing less. he's always doing something sweet for me. I'm just putting a crimp in this plan! Everything will be fine. This is just so sudden, We're not exactly prepared for it. Well, there ya go. I'll be on bed rest at home! My own bed, my doggie, my hubby...for more then 2 hours a night!!!

Wed. June 17th

Today my doctors have thrown me for a loop. Well it started last night. Dr. Bartelsmeyer mentioned that with my progress and no incidents I may get to go home. I haven’t mentioned anything yet because I’m not so sure how I feel about that or how much stock to put into it. Usually I’ll hear something similar from a few doctors before I start asking questions. So today Dr. Webb came in and we discussed this possibility.
First they need to determine if I’m still ruptured. They do this by inserting a blue dye into the amniotic fluid and ‘checking for leaks’. There are risks with this, It could cause rupture…which he said if I’m already ruptured there’s no harm. It could cause me to go into labor….hhmmmm. So why risk it right? Which is what I said. I also told him I trusted his recommendations. He said they will only do the dye if there’s enough fluid. I go down for that at 1:30 today. He said he wants to talk to Bartelsmeyer and Hugge (my personal dr) before settling on anything; also he wanted to re-read my chart. He came back and said I may not have ever ruptured OR it may have sealed up. From looking at the chart I haven’t had any issues for the past 2 weeks. That being said and discussed with the other doctors, they have decided that doing the dye would be causing unnecessary risk. They feel it’s safe for me to go home and continue bed rest IF my fluid level is stable. So at 1:30 – 2pm I’ll find out if I get to go home or stay here.
I’m really actually freaking out. I’ll still have to come up here and get fluid levels checked a few times a week and continue bed rest. I think this is so sudden I’m having a hard time being happy about it. I know we’re safe here. The baby is fine and if something did happen I’m here and they are ready for anything. At home…..he said if I have any issues I need to come back…..
Well that’s it for now…Grandma and Aunt Doris are here to eat. I just wanted to update quickly. I’ll let you know what going on…
I ‘m sorry for spelling etc… no time to proof read!! lol

Also sorry I haven't had time to make phone calls yet....I will after the ole fluid check!

Tuesday June 16th

It’s a pretty uneventful day here at ole St. Johns. Fluid is at 8!! He’s a good boy! Doctor Glass, AKA Matthew McConaughey, came by to check on me. No changes, everything’s great!

Monday June 15th..a little later

All is well! Talked to Dr. Moore, she's impressed with my very progress, and my diaper cake! Oh I think I have a picture of that!

I do!!!!!

Isn't it cute!

here's my cake to...

Anyway, I must be doing something right!! Fluid is at 7.9 today, breath a little easier.

Well thats all for now. It's a rainy, dreary day. Great day to spend lying around...lucky for me...

Monday June 15

The shower was pretty awesome!! It was held here at the hospital in the Board Room. I felt pretty important at the head of that table! I’m really fortunate to have such great family and friends; it’s actually a little overwhelming. To have that many people show up for ME was mind-blowing! I’m a very lucky person. I do wish I wasn’t chair bound though; I’d like to have been able to mingle a little more. O-well it was still fantastic! I got to see people I haven’t seen in years! Here’s a picture of my oldest and best friends. Even though we haven’t seen each other in to many years to mention, we didn’t skip a beat.

Elaine, Mary, Diana, and Me

I had a lot of fun and got a BUTTLOAD of stuff for the baby. Unfortunately, I don’t have many pictures on my camera to post. People are going to email me some of what they took. I’ll post some more then.

I’ll post later what the stress test and levels are……..

Heres a picture of me and Zeke I thought was cute...

Sat. June 13

I had a great time with my hubby last night. We went to dinner and then he took me outside!! Seriously it’s the first time I’ve inhaled fresh air in 12 days! It wasn’t very pretty where we went, the front parking. Not much to see, cars, people smoking on the no-smoking bench (wish I had a camera, if was funny)…then the Krispy Kreme truck drove up. We contemplated robbing him and making our getaway on my wheelchair, you know run as fast as you can then riiiiide, push, push, riiiiide. Then we though maybe if we just offered to ‘help’ and shoved a few into our pants…but who would wanna eat that. In the end we decided to go to the cafeteria and buy some, we’re not such rebels anymore. It was fun though, we always have fun together, laughing about silly things we’ll never do but would be hilarious if we did! I miss being home, I miss being with him. Anyway, he rearranged the room and pushed the beds together, I slept better then ever! A nurse came in sometime during the night and my doctor came is at 7:30 to check on me, I wonder what they thought of our little sleep over!
Today, I’ve had a lot of company; Zeke’s family came into town for the shower tomorrow so they all stopped by. It was nice to see everyone! We chatted and talked baby stuff. Great Grandma (AKA G-Dog) is making these adorable little knit skull caps for the baby and decided to make some more for the hospital. They are SUPER cute! I can’t wait to dress this little guy!!
I’m pretty excited for the shower, a little nervous about being the focus of everyone’s attention though. Looking forward to seeing a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time. Bye for now!

Just got back from stress test and fluid check (AAMCO!!), fluid is 6.4! Whatever, I’m done stressing about it. I could actually see the umbilical cord cutting through a huge pocket of fluid. That means they can only count the level above the cord….So all is fine!
Here’s a cute picture we took at ultrasound. It’s kind of amazing to me. I can see him clearly but, I’ll explain it to you…maybe it’s a face only a mother can see…
He’s lying on his side facing the ‘camera’. On the right is his face, on the left is a knee pulled up to his chest… Can you see it??

I’ve been here for 12 days…well really nine days because I don’t remember the first three. I’m getting restless, to say the least. It’s getting harder and harder to stay still. As most of you know I’m kind or fidgety so, I really have to make a conscience effort to stay in one spot. Luckily I have my computer, books, magazines, and t.v. to keep my mind occupied. Sadly, I have resorted to watching crap t.v. I’m not proud to admit Jerry Springer is on right now and later I plan on watching Days of Our Lives. (The T.V. is muted so, I feel a little less guilty!) I used to watch Days a million years ago; I decided to see how long it’ll take me to catch up.

I spoke to one of my doctors yesterday and she told me that our goal is 35-36 weeks. Previously I mentioned they would induce at 32 weeks. I’m a little confused and trying to get it cleared up…

I have at least two different sets of doctors, my OB and her group of four, and the fetal Medicine doctors here at the hospital. They work together to decide what’s best for me and the baby. Anyway, I may have heard one of the Fetal doctors wrong, I though he told 32 weeks was as far as they wanted me to go. I mentioned this to one of my doctors, who said if that’s what they recommend that’s what they’ll do. I’m in the process of getting this cleared up. Dr. Stein (my ob’s office) said she doesn’t see a reason to induce unless there is sign of infection or distress…SO today I’ll see Dr. Morrison (Fetal Med) and ask the question again…

Zeke’s coming to spend the night tonight! I’m so excited!! Dinner and a movie with my hubby!!

Thusday June 11

Just got back from the stress test and fluid check… sounds like I took my car to the shop! The fluid level is at 9.3!!! I’m pretty happy about that!! So, I think I drank approximately 160 oz of water…plus milk and an OJ. At least we know I’m hydrated!!

Anyway, in other news…
They moved me to a private room down the hall! Apparently they’re pretty full around here and I was in danger of getting a roommate…so they moved me. They tell me it’s because I’m ruptured and I’ll be here the longest. I think its because they like me better then the other women and are treating me special!
I was pretty excited about being moved to a ‘private room’ but, as it turns out this is just another hospital room. No pretty drapes or fancy lighting. No extra frills at all really. It’s just like the one I left…actually a little more cramped BUT, it’s mine and I’ve never been great at sharing so I’ll take it! I do however need to complain about the view….this is from the last room…


Being able to see the sunshine is kind of important to me, especially since (if all goes well) I won’t be going outside for a few months.





Well the view from my new room leaves a lot to be desired.


AHHH owell…

Ok So I love hearing from all of you and I wondered why you weren’t leaving comments. I didn’t know it required a profile…SO I changed the settings and you can now leave me a comment without a profile!!
Where is say’s ‘Comment as…(select a profile) Choose ‘anonymous’ …be sure to ‘sign’ your name though!!

Wednesday, June 10

Well Fluid level is at 6.8, which they are telling me is no different then 7 and not to worry. I’m still worried. I honestly don’t know where it’s going though! They assure me his position and angles factor into the equation and not to worry but, that’s tough. If I reach a 5 it’s not good for him, the umbilical cord doesn’t have the room it needs and the stress could possibility cause labor again. I’d have to go back downstairs to labor and delivery and be to be monitored constantly. So, I’ve decided that today I’m going to do as much laying down as I can. Particularly on my left hand side…this increases blood flow to the uterus and helps fluid level. That and drink water, a lot of it! I think the better the news the doctors give me the more lenient I am regarding bed rest. Don’t get me wrong I’m in bed but, sitting up and not asking the nurses to get EVERYTHING for me. It’s hard to ask for a magazine that’s just out of reach….
Well gonna catch up on my girly movies, bye for now.

Really don't worry! The doctors tell me everything is great. Fluid level is fine!

Tuesday June 9th

I can’t describe how much I love feeling this little boy move inside of me!!! WOW!!!

I have to admit, not only am I worried about him coming early but, I’m sad that I won’t get to experience this feeling for much longer. I have loved being pregnant so far and was looking forward to growing with him. I’m going to miss the annoyance of his elbow in my ribs and his little foot skimming across from the inside. That makes me a just a little bit sad…

Tuesday June 9th

The Shower will be in the GILLIS BOARD ROOM on the main floor of the hospital at 1pm (same day Sunday the 14th)
Go through the main entrance, (by the flags), straight down the hall. The Board room is on the left hand side, right before you get to the information desk. I’ll have my phone on me if you need to call. The hospital would like to get a head count so will you please let me, Cheri, my mom, or Ninfa know if you can make it? You can leave me a message here to. Whatever is easiest for you! I’m sooo excited!!!!!!

I’ve been released to take, a, one, single, solitary, lone wheelchair ride a day.
Yippieeeee
I can’t tell you how happy this makes me!! I would jump up and down if I didn’t think I might drop a baby!!!
I’m sitting here right now trying what to decide how to use it. Do I want to go to the waiting room…tempting…dare I say, down stairs??? Maybe the cafeteria, date night with my man? Tour the floor? Get crazy and tour another floor? I wonder if any other mom wants to race... I know, I know, pull it back! Relax!

So nothing has changed. Stress test went well. He’s a very active baby apparently!

Monday June 8th

********************Sorry about any confusion!*************************

I didn't mean to panic anyone regarding the shower! There are two scheduled, thrown by different people. So far, the 14th is still on. There are a lot of guests expected for this one so they are trying to find a room to accommodate everyone. One of the hostesses should have some news tonight and will contact you.



Stress test went well! The nurses are amazed by how active he is at such a young age!! Feisty little shit!! Surprised? Not really…..

The fluid is holding steady! All is well in the womb...

So I have to admit that it just now really HIT me that we will have a son in 30 days or less. I know, I know, I’ve been pregnant for awhile and yada yada yada. The realization just hit home. I’m going to be a mommy, Zeke's gonna be a daddy.....Chunk's gonna be a brother! We'll have a baby in our arms (so to speak)! Strange feeling!

June 7th part 2:)

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY!

The doctor said, “The way things look, I can’t see a reason you wouldn’t stay pregnant for another month.” YEAAAAAA

Because my amniotic sac is ruptured (puts us both at a higher risk of infection), they’ll induce labor at 32 weeks if it doesn’t come naturally. They do this because, right now, being pre mature is more dangerous to him then the risk of infection. At 32 weeks the table turns.

SHOWER!!!!! (Shower number 1 of 2 you guys didn't miss it!!!)

Shower was awesome! It was so nice to laugh out loud…with other people!! Carolyn and Breeah adapted very nicely to the hospital rec. room. We had cucumber sandwiches, fruit salad, cupcakes, and games! I had a blast! Being showered with gifts for my son was much easier then accepting gifts for myself!! My little boy deserves it all!!! Here are a few pic’s…

Heading to the festivities!






You can get me out of bed but, you can't make me wear real shoes!!!






Oh my mommy!!! A.K.A. Grammy

My loving hostesses!!!!!!!

Ohh Monkeys!!!!

Two pregnant girls.... By the look on our faces, you'd think there was food in that card!!!

Sunday, June 7th

Well it’s Sunday…Shower Day(I have 2 showers scheduled,, so don't panic you didn't miss it!! Next one is set for the 14)!! I’m really excited! Under usual circumstances I would be a little anxious on top of that but, not today. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and getting out of this room for a few hours. My doctors have released me from bed rest from 12-3…FIELD TRIP around the corner! Wheeee I have to admit I’m a little apprehensive about being out of bed. My doctors are great though, and I trust that they would not jeopardize my progress. I will however be taking it very easy any paying close attention to what my body tells me.

By the way, I’ve had a few people ask what may have caused this. When we first arrived Zeke and I were trying to make sense of all of this, asking that very question. We were worried because the previous day was pretty active for me. We refinished our floors and were moving everything back into the living room. Although I didn’t not pick up anything heavy or strain myself, I was in constant motion. I was concerned that I triggered this. Every doctor I’ve spoken to, that includes the experts in high-risk pregnancies, have assured me I did nothing to cause this. It just happens. Not age, level of activity, there is nothing I could have done to prevent it…he just simply decided to escape early.
We’ve decided he’s grounded right off the bat!


Hospital tip- When getting temp taken, bite down on the thermometer to prevent the nurse from slowly shoving it through to the back of your head.

June 6th

Ahh Saturday, what to do, what to do… Oh I know, a stress test! FUN So for 20 minutes they hook me up and monitor the baby. This is the apparatus I was hooked up to 24/7 before. The machine records his movements and how his heart reacts to that movement. Ideally, his heart rate will rise for 15 seconds when he moves and go back to resting. Which it does… Normal is 110-160, he’s at 140 typically. He’s actually moving like a mad man! A nurse actually called him a ‘Dynamo’ ha! I think he’s trying to uncork his head. Seriously, he’s head down and the doctors believe he is plugging the tear with his head! GOOD BOY!!!


If you plan to visit, be sure to call first. That way I can tell you where I am and if I’m actually in my room. They take me for testing and there’s really no schedule for it!You can call me, Zeke, or any of our mutual friends they can tell you which hospital I’m in.

June 1st (catch up)

So by popular demand I’ve decided to write a blog describing what our little guy is going through…and uhhh...putting us through ;)
This way you can check in here and get accurate information whenever you want it! Feel free to call though, we love hearing from all of you! You can also leave message here, whatever you wanna do!

On Monday June 1st as I’m getting ready for a class, I feel some tightening in my abdomen. I’ve had Braxton Hicks (harmless contractions) for a few months, so this is what I assumed it was. I was concerned when they came at regular intervals; about 4 minutes apart… give or take. I still thought they were harmless because there was no pain. I called my mom on my way to the class and asked her to do some research online and call me back. The contractions had subsided at this point so I was content going to the class. When I got there I went to the bathroom, there was a rush of blood…so I drove myself to the hospital. My mom was the best, I called her on my way and she acted like it was no big deal, “Just get to the hospital,” she said “and they’ll stop labor.” Later I found out she was a complete mess, she just kept her cool for me. J
Everything went fast from that point. My amniotic sac had ruptured and I was having contractions. I’d lost a lot of amniotic fluid. They had me hooked up, stuck, probed, analyzed, and in a labor/delivery room within half an hour! They were ready to deliver this little guy! I didn’t have time to think it was so fast! Zeke was just standing in the corner all tensed up, trying not to take up any space. He watched wide eyed and confused as about half a dozen people worked on me. My mom arrived somewhere in the mist of all of this and Cheri and Joe were on their way from Osage Beach. Finally things settled and stabilized.
It was touch and go for 2-3 days. I was put on Magnesium sulfate, an all over muscle relaxer, to stop contractions. They monitored the baby’s heart rate and frequency of contractions constantly, took my vitals every hour. Needless to say I didn’t sleep! The drug was HORRIBLE! The first day, I tolerated pretty well. After that the full effect really kicked in, flu like symptoms, extremely weak, impaired vision. I literally could not look at anything or anyone, pick anything up without concentrating, couldn’t talk or walk at all. I can’t believe I used to do that to myself on purpose. I don’t think I would have made it through without Zeke. He was everywhere, doing everything, making everything flow as best as it could. I don’t remember much during these foggy days but, he was always there making sure I was comfortable and taken care of.
When I first came in they checked my amniotic fluid, it was at a 1. It’s dangerous at 5 and under. Thursday it went up to 11! With both of our vitals holding steady they moved us up to the 5th floor. So far everything is good. Today, Friday, the fluid is at 7.9. Still above 5, which is whats important. I asked about the decrease and they said fluctuation is normal. Plus his bladder and stomach were full and they can’t actually count that as fluid.
I’m on bed rest, baby’s doing great, all is good for now. I’ll be here till he’s born. Ideally he’ll stay in there till I’m into week 34 (I’m at 28 right now). If we can get into the 30’s his lungs will be better developed, so everyday is a step in the right direction.
He weighs 1lb 15 oz as of Wednesday. Such a little boy for such a big attitude!!