Harrison's Birth Story

I checked into the hospital on Wednesday, July 2 at about 6 PM.  I was taken to my room and changed into a gown and got into bed to get hooked up to the monitors.  The day nurse was finishing up her shift and she worked on getting all the paperwork filled out.  Once the night nurse, Megan, came in, she started my IV and got me hooked up to the monitors.  Thankfully, the IV was less drama than last time!  I told Megan that Harrison was not a fan of the heartbeat monitor and that he would probably be a pain to monitor and keep running away from it.  I was right, and Megan spent the majority of her shift in my room trying to keep him on the monitor.

Pitocin was started at about 8:15 PM.  It was gradually increased every half an hour, but only as long as Harrison stayed on the monitor long enough to watch his heart rate.  At one point, Megan asked another nurse to come in and try to find his heartbeat.  She succeeded, but it was short lived.

At around 1 AM, my contractions began to intensify to the point where I had to focus and breathe through them.  I was surprised at how quickly they escalated.  Before then, I wasn’t feeling much in terms of contractions.  All of sudden, they came strong!  I ordered the epidural at 1:30 AM, and the anesthesiologist came in to administer it at around 2:00 AM.  Once he was finished, I laid flat on my back and waited for it to take effect.  My toes were very tingling and I commented that I didn’t feel like that last time.

Megan checked my progress once the epidural had taken effect.  I was a “loose 1”.

Harrison was still running away from the heart rate monitor, and now that I had both the Pitocin and the epidural going, it was even more important to keep him on the monitor.  He wasn’t cooperating.  After Megan had spent a great amount of time trying to find him, she asked another nurse to come in.  This nurse decided to move the contraction to the bottom and the heart rate monitor to the top.  She found his heartbeat and I commented that it was weird that it was so high.  He said that sometimes the machines pick it up in weird sports.  She left, and I laid there and rested for eyes for a little bit.

Shortly after 4 AM, Megan came back into the room.  She told me that she hated to ruin the surprise, but that we would get to witness Dr. Manas’ awesome bedhead.  We had been joking earlier in the night that it was too bad that I wouldn’t be delivering overnight because Dr. Manas comes in with awesome bedhead.  I asked why I would get to see him and she said that they called him and he wanted to come in and scan me because he thought that Harrison was breech given where the heart beat was found.  My heart sank!

Dr. Manas arrived around 4:20 AM and immediately did an ultrasound.  His suspicions were confirmed and Harrison had indeed turned breech.  Dr. Manas ordered that the Pitocin be stopped and let me know that we would have to do a c-section.  I was heartbroken, and everybody could see it.  Dr. Manas said that he couldn’t send me home because of the meds, and he didn’t want to risk turning the baby and rupturing my bag of waters and causing complications.  I, of course, agreed to the c-section and once everyone had left the room, I cried.

There were c-sections already scheduled for the morning, and since it wasn’t an emergency, I was told that I would go back at about noon.  Drew and I called everyone that needed to know, and filled them in on the situation and that I would be having a c-section.  Dr. Manas said that Dr. Holden would be in for the surgery too.  He came in to see us and we chatted with him for over an hour about what he was doing since he was no longer practicing at ARC.

It was around noon that I began getting prepped for the surgery.  Nurses came in to fill out paperwork, Drew was given his scrubs, and I was given a nasty drink to drink that would help lower the acidity in my stomach.  Once Dr. Manas ordered the c-section, I was no longer allowed to have any sort of liquid, even ice chips.  So, I was actually a little glad for the nasty drink because I was very thirsty.

I was wheeled back to the OR and entered at exactly 1:00 PM.  I remember seeing the clock on the wall.  I moved over to the operating table and everyone in the room began to get prepared for surgery.  There were three anesthesiologists; one main one, an intern, and a student.  The main one basically stood back and supervised the other two.  Once they had dosed up the epidural, Dr. Manas asked if I could feel anything.  I told him no, and he called for Drew to be brought in.  Then, he asked for a knife and I started crying.  I was completely overwhelmed and still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that I was having a c-section.

The rest of the surgery was a bit of a blur.  I felt nauseous and threw up a few times.  The anesthesiologists were very kind and helped to reassure me, especially since I was crying.  I remember it being very hard to keep my eyes open and I felt extremely tired.  I later learned that my blood pressure was very low and the main anesthesiologist was keeping a very close eye on it.

I heard Dr. Manas call out that there was extra fluid, and then I heard a splash on the floor.  Harrison was born quickly later at 1:17 PM and he was immediately taken to the warmer.  I heard him cry and I felt awful that I couldn’t comfort him.  I kept looking over to try to see him, but I couldn’t see anything and it was still hard to keep my eyes open.  After just a few minutes, he was wrapped up and brought over for me to see.  Before surgery, I had been told that I could hold him if I wanted to and do skin-to-skin.  I wasn’t stable enough, so Drew took him out to the nursery.  Harrison weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 19 ¾ inches long.

Dr. Manas finished up with the surgery.  A benefit of having the c-section meant that he could look at the endometriosis.  He cleaned up the endo from my uterus, tubes, and ovaries, and then sewed me up.  I was taken to recovery.  My blood pressure was still very low, so I was being monitored closely for that.  It was still hard to keep my eyes open.  Drew came in and told me that I needed to breastfeed Harrison soon because his sugars were low.  I could tell that the nurse was a little concerned because my blood pressure was still low.  I told them to bring him in so that I could nurse him.  Drew left, and returned a little bit later with a lactation consultant who brought Harrison in.  Harrison latched immediately and did a great job nursing.  I was finally allowed to have some ice chips!  Ice never tasted so good.

I stayed in recovery until about 4:15 PM and was then moved to my room.  Once I was all set up in there, Rachel brought Annelise to the hospital to meet Harrison.  She loved him and kept kissing him and hugging him and wanted to hold him.  

Even though the birth didn’t turn out how I imagined it, I was so happy that Harrison arrived safely and he was healthy.


All images compliments of Photography by Kristen.

38 Weeks - Induction Set

I haven't blogged any pregnancy updates, or blogged at all for that matter, since the middle of May.  Boo.  So, lots to catch up on.

The gestational diabetes has been the biggest thorn in my side.  My glucose numbers have been awful and my OB has continued to increase my insulin to figure out where I need to be to manage my sugars effectively.  At this point, I am now on 20 units of NPH insulin at night, and 5 units of regular and 15 units of NPH insulin in the morning.  This combination has finally seemed to get my numbers where my doctor is happy with them.  I'm praying that the baby is healthy and doesn't have any issues with all of this once he's born.  And, I'm also hoping that I can put all this behind me and don't have to worry about it anymore once he's born too.

I've had two ultrasounds since my last update.  At the one at 36 weeks, he was measuring 7 pounds.  Today, he's measuring 7 pounds 11 ounces.  I know that it's not completely accurate, but it's a good base to judge.  Basically, he's huge!  My OB thinks that I should still be able to have a vaginal birth, which makes me happy.  I really want to avoid a c-section if possible.  Of course, if the baby's health or my health is in jeopardy, then I understand.  I also have extra fluid.  Drew and the doctor sat and compared what I was with Annelise and what I am this time after the 36 week u/s, and I have double the fluid that I did with Annelise.

I've been doing twice a week NSTs and, let me tell you, they are boring!  Baby looks absolutely perfect though, and that's all that matters!

Physically, things have started to take an uncomfortable turn.  My feet are usually sort of swollen all the time now.  They get worse if I'm on them for a long period of time, or if it's very hot outside.  For the past four weeks or so, my hands and wrists have really started to hurt.  They will fall asleep in the middle of the night.  They also seem to hurt way worse during the night.  When I wake up to use the bathroom, it's very painful to try and bend my fingers.  My OB said it's carpal tunnel.  I'm hoping that it goes away quickly after delivery!

I'm up about 42 pounds now.  Yikes!  My poor belly is huge, and my skin is so stretched.  With Annelise, I just got stretch marks on my sides.  Now, I have them all above my belly button too.  It's pretty gross.  The other day, I got out of the shower and Drew took one look at my belly and said, "You will never be the same again".  Thanks pal, love you too!  He's also made some other fantastic comments that have made me feel quite heifer-ish.

He still moves around a ton.  I'm so amazed at how much he moves.  It's comical to watch because my entire belly will move and shift when he does.  I can usually feel his knees or feet run along my skin.

His room is coming along.  Drew and I have been working on getting things organized and hung up and arranged.  We just have a few small details left.  Everything else is basically ready for him.  I've washed the car seat, but we probably won't install it until we bring him home from the hospital.

As of right now, we are scheduled to go to the hospital on Wednesday the 2nd to start the induction process.  He'll probably then be born on the 3rd.  I'm nervous about being away from Annelise for all that time.  I'm afraid that she's going to have a rough time with me being gone and not able to come home.  We are planning on having her come up to the hospital right away after he's born so that she can meet him.  I can't wait to see my two children together!

32 Weeks - Growth Scan

Basically, I'm huge!  And, I still have 8ish more weeks of growing to do!  A lot has happened in the four weeks since I've last done an update.

First, I failed the one hour glucose test.  I was not a very happy pregnant lady.  I failed it by a lot too, around 30 points.  I went the following week to take the three hour test and was pretty optimistic going into it.  I drank the drink through a straw, which helped, A LOT!  Good news?  I didn't feel pukey at all!  Bad news?  I failed the three hour test too.  So now I have gestational diabetes and scheduled an appointment with the diabetes care center.  The hope was that I could control the diabetes with a diet plan.  I met with them, received a glucose meter and was given instructions to test my sugars four times a day, when I first wake up, an hour after breakfast, an hour after lunch, and an hour after dinner.  It was quickly apparent that my morning numbers are the ones that are causing all the trouble.  In the three or so weeks that I've been doing this, I've only had one fasting number that has been where it is supposed to be.  I had another OB appointment and meeting the diabetes center today and I've been put on insulin.  I take five units of NPH insulin at night before bed.  Hopefully, this will be the answer to get my blood sugars where they need to be.

At my appointment today, I also had a growth scan.  Little boy was head down and I hope that he stays that way!  Also, he's huge!  He measured in at 4 lb 10 oz.  I know that the measurements can be a little off, but that's pretty large at this point.  I think the tech said that was in the 70th percentile.  I also had a little extra fluid.  When I met with my OB, he's a little concerned that I won't be able to have him vaginally.  Doc knows how much I really don't want a c-section, so we're going to be watching his growth.  I also measured at 36 cm today.  And I feel like it!  The bump is huge and my skin is starting to feel very stretched.

My OB wants to do weekly NSTs now because of the gestational diabetes.  Every Thursday, I'll be at his office doing the boring non-stress test.

Oddly enough, my weight has stayed about the same for the past couple of weeks.  I'm hanging right around the 30 lb mark.  My feet hurt if I'm on them for a long time, and I've developed some cankles that I noticed while we were in Florida.  They've been better since we've been back.  Occasionally, I'll get a little heartburn, which will usually go away on its own.  Very rarely do I have to take anything.

Drew and I set up his crib and dresser yesterday.  I bought the fabric to make some decorations for his room, but now I have to sew it.  We're going to be working very hard over the next couple of weeks to get things finished up.  I need to order the crib skirt and some fabric guard rails, and purchase some sheets.  I'd like to get things finished up by the beginning part of June in case he decides to make an early appearance.  And also because the bigger I get, the less I'll feel like doing things.

This kid moves constantly!  It's very reassuring to feel him move as much as I do.  However, I'm a little worried that his lack of sleep in utero is going to mean a lack of sleep once he's an outside baby.  Since he's getting bigger, his movements are starting to hurt.  I find myself wincing often when he moves around.

Easter Celebrations

Our Easter festivities were small this year because Drew had to work both the night before and the night of.  Our morning started out as usual since Drew was sleeping.  Once he woke up, we brought Annelise's Easter basket out to the living room so that she could see what the Easter Bunny brought her.

I went fairly small this year since she just received gifts from her birthday and there isn't much that she needs.  The water shoes and coloring book will be brought with us when we go on vacation, books are always a good idea, and then I bought two new pairs of pajamas.

She really wasn't too impressed with any of it.  She quickly tore it all out of the basket and then moved on to open the gifts from Eric, Jess, and Wes.

She really wasn't overly impressed with that stuff either.  Honestly, I think that she was just hungry and ready to go eat.  (She has since played with practically everything.)

Drew, Rachel, Annelise, and I loaded up in the car and went over to Drew's parent's house for lunch.  I snapped a few pictures while we waited for the food to be ready.

Isn't her outfit adorable?  It was absolutely gorgeous here today and was probably around 80 degrees!  After the winter that we've had, I couldn't be happier to finally have some warm weather.

After we ate, we went outside for a family picture.

It's so weird to think that these holidays that we are celebrating are our last holidays as a family of three.  Next year, we'll have a little boy in our family.  I almost feel like we didn't have enough with just us three.  But, I know that Annelise is going to be a great big sister and will love having a brother.

28 Weeks - Feeling Large

I know that I'm going to look back and be so upset with myself that I didn't write more weekly updates.  I've done well actually doing my pictures, even though they usually don't get taken until Saturday and my weeks change on Thursday, but at least they get done.  It's just strange how much is different this time around, yet, still the same.

Physically, I haven't had nearly the pregnancy symptoms that I had with Annelise.  The only real complaints that I've had lately are the round ligament pain, which still is pretty bad, and I'm really starting to feel huge.  I think that the little boy must have had a growth spurt in the past week, because suddenly I feel ginormous.  I hoisted myself into the van the other day and thought, "Good grief, I still have 12ish weeks of growing to do".  I'm definitely much larger at this point than I was with Annelise.

I did notice that when I put my wedding rings on the other day, that they are starting to feel tighter.  I want to say that I was well into the 30some weeks before my rings felt tight.  My feet are also starting to hurt a lot quicker lately.  That could be because I've gained 27 pounds already.  It blows my mind how quickly the weight piles on at this point.  I'm anxious to see how big the baby is, but we don't have another ultrasound until May 15th.

His movements are so much different than Annelise's were.  I feel like he moves much more frequently and for longer stretches than Annelise ever did.  His movements seem more rolling and wavelike, where Annelise's were some stretches and jabs.  Annelise would be quiet for most of the day but have spurts where she would wake up and move especially after I ate.  I feel his movements all day long.  There have only been a handful of days where he's been pretty quiet during the day.  He also moves very high up on my belly, right at the top.  I can usually feel some body part of his right at the top of my belly.

I went to the hospital lab and did my one hour glucose test today.  I had to go by myself since Drew was home with Annelise.  It was too bad, and I only felt pukey for a few minutes while I was drinking the nasty drink and then shortly afterwards.  The drink isn't too awful, it's just a lot of liquid to down in five minutes.  And, drinking it that quickly makes it taste even worse.  Hopefully I'll hear back soon that I passed.  Fingers crossed that I passed because I really, really, REALLY do not want to do the three hour test.

We haven't made any progress in the baby's room.  His crib and dresser are still in the boxes.  The mattress has arrived and is sitting in the box in the room.  His walls are all painted though, so that's a plus.  I need to start working on some decor for the room.  And, it probably wouldn't hurt to get the crib and dresser set up.  We'll probably do that when we get back from vacation, which is in a little over two weeks.  We need to finish cleaning out his closet also.  I have a ton of clothes for him, but they are all still in bags until Drew cleans out the clothes of his that he's left in there.

As far as names go, we think we have it narrowed down to two.  I sort of want a three syllable name since Annelise has a three syllable one.  Weird, I know.  As soon as we land on one for sure, we'll share, but not until we know.  Hopefully, that will be soon since I need to order his baby book and I want it personalized.

Annelise is still infatuated with my belly and will constantly point to it and kiss it.  She doesn't really want to put her hand on it and wait for him to kick anymore, but she will rub my belly.  She also will growl at my belly sometimes.  Weirdo!  I really do think that she is just going to love him to pieces when he comes out.

Birthday Fun

Drew and I thought that we would take Annelise over to Nicholas Conservatory to see the butterfly exhibit as a fun activity to do on her birthday.  We've never been there, so I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I thought that she would at least have a little fun.

The Conservatory is kept very warm and humid, much like a tropical climate.  There are lots of plants, flowers, and trees that thrive in those conditions.  Everything was gorgeous and there was so much to look at.

The butterfly exhibit was in a netted enclosure that was decent sized, but not too large.  We opened the door and walked inside and the butterflies were flying all around.  Most were perched on the walls or flowers.  One landed on me and I bent down to show Annelise, but she was not too sure about it.  I tried to tell her that it wouldn't hurt her and even put the butterfly on my finger, but she wasn't a fan.  She just wanted to get out of the enclosure and go explore more.

Here she's checking out the koi fish in the pond.  She bent down to get a closer look, but she was a little unsure of those too.

She soon discovered these natural stone stairs and went up and down them about a gabillion times.  Meanwhile, I tried to not hyperventilate that she would trip and end up in the pond.  Thankfully, she didn't.  After letting her roam and explore for a bit, we coaxed her outside to go look at what was out there.  We walked around the paths and she got to see some ducks in the pond that was still a little frozen.

After we got done exploring the Conservatory, we came home so that she could take a nap.  Once she woke up, we went and got some ice cream, which is her favorite, and some dinner.

I just can't believe that my little girl is two years old now!

Two Years

Dear Annelise,

This yearly letter is much harder to sit down and write compared to your first year letter.  I honestly can't believe how fast your second year has flown by.  It went much faster than your first one.  I'm scared to think of how fast this next year will go.  You have grown and changed so much; more than I could ever imagine.

You have started to explode verbally.  I've been so worried about your speech because you really didn't talk much.  You babble an awful lot, but nothing is really any comprehensible English.  In fact, I'll usually look at you when you start babbling and jokingly say, "Why don't you start babbling some English?"  You either laugh at me, or shake your head no, and continue to babble.  You've started saying some two words phrases.  Your most favorite is "thank you".  I love to hear your sweet little voice say thank you without any prompting.  And, you usually do say it without having to be prompted at all.  At least, as far as close family or friends go.  You are a more hesitant to speak when you are around people that you don't know very well.

We still go to Kindermusik every week and you still love it.  You've started to sing along to some of the songs that you know.  You also have grown quite independent while we're there and you rarely sit with me.  You would much rather run around and play.  I've been contemplating adding in another type of class, like a tumbling class.  I don't want to stop going to Kindermusik because I know that you love it, but I also feel like you would really enjoy and benefit from a more physically active class.

One of the biggest changes that has happened is that you are going to be a big sister!  We told you very early on, and you came with me to many of my doctor's appointment.  I don't know if you fully understand it, but you point at my belly and say "baby", and give my belly kisses.  You know what outside babies are, so I'm hoping that you understand that soon the baby in my belly will be outside and here to stay.  You absolutely love babies and love to see them and touch them gently.  I hope that you continue to love babies, and especially your little brother, once he comes out and is home.  I know that you are going to want to hold him all the time.  I'm excited for you to become a big sister  and I think that you are going to do great in your new role.  I'm working very hard to treasure the time that we have left where we're just a family of three.

You have also grown into a very independent little girl.  You insist on doing a lot of things yourself.  You like to buckle yourself into your high chair and car seat, feed yourself from a bowl and spoon when we allow you to eat without being in your high chair, walk from the car to wherever we are going and back again, throw things away, and many other things.  If you can safely and easily do it yourself, you want to and you let us know it if we try to help.  However, you can recognize when you do need help and ask for it.  You are usually pretty good about asking nicely and not throwing a fit.  Sometimes I'll have to remind you to ask nicely.

And since we're on that subject, you have a nasty habit of whining to ask for things, such as a bite of food for example.  I always tell you to ask nicely and you quickly correct yourself and ask in the proper manner.  However, I'm not a fan of having to remind you all the time.  I'm hoping that soon you'll understand and always ask without whining.  I'm sure that part of it is because you're still working on your communication.  I really hope that as your communication continues to improve, the whining will decrease.

Almost all of your teeth are in.  We're just waiting on your top two year molars, which I'm sure will be arriving very soon.  The bottom molars just sort of seemed to appear.  You came down with a runny and stuffy nose and a small fever, which I thought was a cold since I had just checked your gums about a week prior.  Daddy suggested that it might be your teeth, and when I went to feel your gums, the bottom molars were working their way through the gums!  It was crazy how fast they appeared.

Daddy and I took you for your first haircut in January.  The back of your hair had grown so long, and your front was still working on catching up, and I just couldn't handle your little baby mullet anymore.  You did a great job!  You sat in the chair and watched very seriously and didn't fuss or squirm at all.  I was so proud of you.  We trimmed your hair into a cute little bob, and now we're still just waiting for the front to grow out.

There have started to be days where you nap strike.  Some days you handle it like a champ, and some days you very obviously needed that nap that you insisted on skipping.  Naps can range anywhere from two to four hours.  You usually go to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 PM and usually wake up in the morning between 7:00 and 7:30 AM.  Some days are a little earlier, some days a little later.  I wish that I could get you on a consistent schedule of waking up.  Ideally, I'd prefer 8 AM!!

We took you to a Wilderness Resort Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells in January when you were 20 months old.  We stayed overnight with some friends and their two kids.  You did a great job, and once we found some water that was actually warm, you had a blast.  You love going down slides and riding rides.  In fact, once you realized that we could go down some of the bigger slides as a family, you wanted nothing to do with the smaller, more age appropriate things.  I knew that would happen though.  You've loved being adventurous for a while now.  You really enjoy the rides at fairs and always ask for more.

Daddy and I have started working with you on potty training.  We aren't pushing it too hard, but we're slowly introducing it and letting you figure it out.  You've peed in your potty seat once.  You don't like to sit down and be patient and wait for yourself to go.  You usually hop up and sit down quite a few times before I get annoyed and tell you that we're done playing.  Even giving you a book won't calm you down for long.  Hopefully you'll relax soon and start using the potty more.

You weigh almost 29 pounds and are 35.5 inches tall.  I just recently transitioned all of your clothes to size 3T and you still wear a size 4 diaper.  However, you are wearing 2T in jeans.  You are wearing a size 6 shoe.

I can't believe how much you've grown and changed and I'm excited to see how much more you will grow and change in the next six months.  Even though we definitely have our challenges, I can't believe just how much my heart swells with love for you.  You bring me so much joy and laughter.

Love you forever,
Mommy

A 2nd Birthday Party

We decided to have Annelise's 2nd birthday party the Sunday before her birthday this year because it worked out better for Drew's schedule.  This year, her party was smaller, but really just in the fact that I didn't go crazy decorating like I did for her first birthday party.  This year, I just bought some balloons and strung up a banner.  I sort of figured that next year she will have an opinion and want a themed party and I can go crazy then.

We were so blessed to have so many family and friends come.  And, while gifts were completely unnecessary, our little girl was showered with many gifts.

Last year, we had mini cupcakes for all the guests to eat.  This year, Drew insisted that we have a cake. Absolutely insisted!  And, he requested ice cream too!

The birthday girl LOVED her cake and ice cream!

Drew created his own little version of "Up" with all the balloons!!

We had such an amazing time celebrating with our little girl.  It's so hard to believe that another year of her life has flown by.  I tell people all the time that this second year has gone so much faster than the first.  It's just crazy!

23 Weeks - Finally An Update

Boy oh boy (pun intended), have I been a slacker the past few weeks with the updates.  Things keep chugging right along with not a lot of things being different.  The bump is growing, as is evident in the picture.  A new edition?  The belly button.  Yes, my belly button has popped out this time and it really skeeves me out.  I don't know why, but I'm not a fan of it.  I'm wondering if it popped out this time because of the anterior placenta.

I'm up about 18 pounds now.  I'm also pretty sure that a good chunk of that is in my boobs.  :/  Overall, I feel pretty good, minus the round ligament pain.

I had an ultrasound and an OB check today.  I asked my OB about the pain and he said that it's common for the pain to be worse each time.  The little boy was breech with his legs folded up by his head.  Weirdo!  I'm not sure how that's comfortable, but he was seeming to enjoy it.  We even got to watch him drink some fluid, which was really neat.  My OB said that I'm measuring almost a week ahead.

I've started having a little heartburn every so often.  I've had to take a Tums once, but mostly it's just annoying at this point.

Drew and I are still talking about names, and we have not come any closer to deciding on one.  I'm sure, I hope, that we'll land upon something one day, much like we did with Annelise.

The baby's crib and dresser have arrived and are sitting in our dining room waiting for his room to be cleaned out and painted.  We've already installed the closet organizer.  I have bought a few items of clothing, but I have a shopping trip planned for this Saturday with a friend and plan on buying lots of new things for both Annelise and the new baby.  The only other big thing that we need to buy is the mattress for the crib.  I also plan on doing that soon.

I ordered some new sibling and big sister books for Annelise to help her get ready for the baby.  I know that we still have quite a few weeks, but it's a good idea to work on getting Annelise prepared, even though I know that nothing will truly prepare her.  I'm honestly really glad that this baby is due in the summer when it's going to be nice out.  I think that it'll be very important for Annelise to get some one-on-one dates with both Drew and myself and that will be a lot easier when the weather is nice.

Overall, I'm just moving right along over here.  It really is crazy how different everything is when it's not the first baby.  I felt like there was so much I had to do when I was pregnant with Annelise.  And there was!  This time is so much more laid back and almost less stressful.

20 Weeks - Half Baked

Half way to 40 weeks!  Although, if I'm being honest, I really hope that this one comes without an eviction and sooner than Annelise did.  Not too much sooner, but a little bit sooner.  It will be July after all!

It's been a quiet week after the events of last week.  Thankfully, the bleeding stopped on Monday and hasn't returned.  Praise the Lord!  I have had an incredible amount of pain; what I'm assuming and what my OB has told me is round ligament pain.  There are times when I can barely get off the couch it hurts so badly.  When I do finally manage to make it up, I walk all hunched over.  I definitely don't remember being in this much pain last time.

Drew and I ordered the crib yesterday.  We absolutely love it, and it's completely different from what we picked for Annelise.

It's a blackish, brownish, grayish color, sort of rustic in a way.  It converts to a toddler and a full size bed.  We also plan on ordering the long dresser that matches it, probably tomorrow when my coupon becomes valid.  Our hopes is that the furniture that we've bought Annelise and this baby will last them until they decide to buy furniture of their own.  Annelise's is still in great shape, minus some animal claw scratches on her bed.

I have felt movement like crazy since my appointment last week.  It amazes me how I've gone from feeling practically nothing, to movement all the time.  It's definitely reassuring.

I'm up about 14 pounds at this point.  I was starting to think about walking on the treadmill some before all these problems came up, and now I'm scared to do anything.  I have another ultrasound on March 13th, so hopefully I can get the okay to do some light walking, maybe some yoga.  I'm not totally against gaining weight, I know that happens, I just want to be healthy and not look like a swollen blimp come July.

Drew and I laid in bed the other night and began discussing baby names.  The conclusion?  There isn't much we agree on.  I have a feeling that this kid might be nameless until the birth certificate lady walks into my hospital room!  There are names that I like that Drew is mulling over, but I'm not really crazy about anything that he's suggested.  I'm not trying to be difficult, they just aren't anything I love.  We probably need to write names down and see how we like them on paper and let them sit with us for a little bit.  I'm sure that we'll eventually land on the perfect name.  We did land upon Annelise out of nowhere!

19 Weeks - Good News Bad News

Hitting 19 weeks have proven to be quite eventful!  Last night, I was complaining to some friends about some belly pain that I was having.  It was right around my belly button, and it would hurt more if I pushed on it, but occasionally, it would hurt without any pressure.  Most of them said that it was probably some round ligament pain, wasn't that big of a deal, but to call my OB in the morning.  I didn't think it was RLP, because I know what that feels like and this pain is different.  Regardless, I knew that I'd be calling my OB in the morning.

I woke up and made my way to the bathroom (of course) and discovered that I was bleeding.  Cue slight panic.  This was right around 8:30 AM.  My OB's office didn't open until 9 AM, so I hopped in the shower and began getting ready.  I called the office as soon as they opened and informed the receptionist that I was bleeding.  She asked how far along I was, and after I told her 19 weeks, she put me on hold to grab my chart and the nurse.  Once the nurse got on, I informed her that I was bleeding, but it was only brown, which isn't as alarming.  Still something to be concerned about, but not horribly alarming.  She told me to relax for the rest of the morning and to come in at 1 PM, where I would have an ultrasound and my OB would check me.

Once I got there, Sue, the u/s tech, took me back to the u/s room.  Since I was there, and I was 19 weeks, she went ahead and did the anatomy scan that was scheduled for two weeks from today.  Baby was in a great position.  The good news is that the baby looks perfect.  Heart, brain, bones, kidneys, everything looks just as it should.  Even my placenta and cervix looked great.  So, what's the deal with the bleeding?

The bad news?  I have an intrauterine synechiae.  This is scarring on my uterus that may or may not be what's causing the bleeding.  This scarring can pull on the placenta and cause a placental abruption.  Some complications can arise during delivery if the placenta doesn't detach and deliver properly.  If that's the case, my OB will have to do a D&C to remove it, and possibly a hysterectomy if the situation gets very complicated.  This has deemed me high risk.  We will have ultrasounds at least every four weeks to monitor this synechiae and the placenta.

I have been instructed to take it easier.  That is complicated with a toddler.  But, I have been trying to not lift her unless absolutely necessary and to rest as much as I can.  At this point, if something were to happen to the placenta, it would be a miscarriage.  The baby is still too little to be saved.  We have to make it to 24 weeks, which is Viability.  I'm assuming that if things continue to look precarious, then more precautions will be enforced then.  At this point, it's lots of prayers and rest to make it at least 5 more weeks without any issues.

Other than all of that, everything else is good.  I did find out that I have an anterior placenta, which explains why I haven't felt much movement.  That was reassuring.  Baby was moving like crazy during the scan.  Then, almost as if to rest any fears that I was having, I felt outside kicks tonight.  It was like my baby was trying to reassure me that everything would be ok.

I did find out the sex of the baby during the scan.  I called Drew as soon as I left the office to let him know how the appointment went since he couldn't come because Annelise was napping.  One of the first questions was whether it was a boy or girl.  I want to tell a few more family members in person before we share here or on social media.  I promise that I'll spill the news in a week or two.

To make up for it, here's an adorable profile shot of our little one.

Date Night with ZBB

One of Drew's gifts for Christmas was tickets to the Zac Brown Band concert that I discovered was happening at a local concert venue.  He loves ZBB and he was beyond excited when he opened the tickets up.  Tonight was the concert and so we got to have a little date night.  Annelise had fun with Nana and GG who came over to watch her.

We were able to get a decent parking spot since we arrived fairly early and only had a short walk into the venue.  Once inside, we got some drinks, then sat down and waited for the concert to start.

The first opening act was a band that was from Georgia and had an amazing guitar player as the lead.  Not quite sure what his name was.  The second opening act was Levi Lowery and he was ok.  His beginning sounds were a little slow, so Drew and I left for a bathroom break.

When Zac Brown Band came on, they were amazing!  I haven't been to a lot of concerts, but I have to say that this one was great.  He played for over two hours!

The stage had a small little runway, with a circle at the end of it.  When he sang "Colder Weather", he walked all around that part of the stage where people were and shook their hands.  Then, when he sang "Keep Me In Mind", he came off the stage and walked around the entire venue.  I think it was really cool that he interacted with the crowd like that.

The lady sitting in front of us quite literally rocked out the whole concert.  The band actually did a cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" (which one of the guitarists sang), and she lit up some weed.  Again, I haven't been to many concerts, so I was shocked to see this.  Drew was shocked that I was shocked.  I could understand if it was an outdoor venue, but I totally was not expecting that in an indoor venue.

I really liked how the band sat up some stools and had some hand percussion instruments and did a small set in a sort of intimate manner.

Drew and I had a great time!  He kept asking the whole night if the baby was ok.  Ha!  Towards the end, I was feeling sort of crummy from all the bass and it being so loud.