Things have been a great deal calmer since last weekend. I had a good week and got a great deal of rest. I am starting to have terrible Migraines again, but we are controlling them with Fioricet and Phenergan. Yesterday, on Saturday, I started having contractions, but THANK GOODNESS they stopped before Dr. Collins shipped me back over to Labor and Delivery for more Magnesium! I just hate that stuff so very much, but I would hate having Grayson come way too earlier even more.
I am working hard to keep a good attitude, but to be honest... I am getting very tired of being here. It is getting a little harder everyday. Tonight will me the 34th night since the end of October that I have been here and 21st night in a row this time.
Ben is doing all he can to make me feel better. He brought me snacks today and bought Monopoly and we played while we watched the Jets and Steelers play. I just don't know what I would do without Ben. He has gone above and beyond anything that I ever expected of him. I know how lucky I am that he is my husband.
We decided to get a new car for Christmas. Ben went on Friday and traded one of our Accords for a new Honda Pilot. He wheeled me out in my wheelchair to see it on Friday night and I like it very much! It is so exciting to get a new car that we can bring the baby home in and then have plenty of room to take him back to Mississippi to see our family! Traveling with Grayson, all of his things and our two sweet dogs should be no problem now! Ben will be responsible for installing that carseat! :)
Tomorrow is a big day! The doctor ordered another Full Anatomy Ultrasound. I look forward to seeing our little man and finding out how much he weighs! He is kicking so much, and although sometimes it doesn't feel so great, it just makes me happier than I can say to feel him. I still wake up amazed that God is giving us a baby! I want him more than anything!
The doctor is concerned about my weight gain (and I will be HONEST... it is A LOT).We are going to weigh in the morning and talk about it. It is SO HARD not to gain extra weight when I can't do anything at all on bedrest. I miss JUST WALKING! Ben tells me that it will be alright and not to worry. He still makes me feel like he thinks I am pretty and he is being very supportive about helping me get it off when the baby comes. I have never weighed what I weigh right now. This, like all other things, will work out- I am sure of it.
I will update again after the ultrasound and I hope that we will get a few good pictures of our sweet baby boy!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
I needed to laugh today and BOY DID I GET TO!!!!
It is so nice to be able to write about something FUNNY. I had to post this. It makes me feel better...
So... today, my sweet friend, Roseanne posted on Facebook that you should "keep your heart open and let love in." Now, while that is all inspiring and sweet and all that jazz... it made me think of those STINKIN Jane Seymour commercials, which I think play TOO MUCH and Kay Jewelers just needs to STOP breaking into my TV time up here in this hospital. OKAY... we've seen the necklace now... and we KNOW that your mother said we should "keep our hearts open"... BLAH BLAH BLAH... take your million and design something else Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman!!!!
I decided that if she could get rich with that idea, then I should design a line of jewelry for Mothers of Promiscuous Daughters. I am going to call it the "Keep Your Legs Closed Collection". I think I can get this line out just in time for Christmas, but I am going to market mine through Jarrod!! Trashy girls all over American can say, "My mom went to Jarrod!" I think it is AN AWESOME IDEA!!!!!!
Next:
My friend, Heather, is an AMAZING photographer and today she decided to post a link onFacebook of TERRIBLE pregnancy photos. (LET ME SAY RIGHT AWAY... THAT THESE ARE NOT HER PHOTOS. She did NOT ruin the world with such trash!) This link cracked me up beyond words! There have been a few times since I arrived at this hospital that I have felt sorry for myself because I am missing out on things. One of the things I sort of wanted to do was have pregnancy pictures done... WELL AFTER SEEING THIS.... I AM OVER IT!!!!!!!! MY GLASS IS ONCE AGAIN HALF FULL, PEOPLE!!!!!
I have laughed harder in the last 30 minutes than I have in MONTHS! This just cracks me up and I wanted to share!
PLEASE VIEW: http://pregnantchicken.squarespace.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2010/12/10/awkward-pregnancy-photos.html
I thought this blog needed something a little lighter, so here ya go! I hope you all enjoy!
Love,
Brandi
So... today, my sweet friend, Roseanne posted on Facebook that you should "keep your heart open and let love in." Now, while that is all inspiring and sweet and all that jazz... it made me think of those STINKIN Jane Seymour commercials, which I think play TOO MUCH and Kay Jewelers just needs to STOP breaking into my TV time up here in this hospital. OKAY... we've seen the necklace now... and we KNOW that your mother said we should "keep our hearts open"... BLAH BLAH BLAH... take your million and design something else Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman!!!!
I decided that if she could get rich with that idea, then I should design a line of jewelry for Mothers of Promiscuous Daughters. I am going to call it the "Keep Your Legs Closed Collection". I think I can get this line out just in time for Christmas, but I am going to market mine through Jarrod!! Trashy girls all over American can say, "My mom went to Jarrod!" I think it is AN AWESOME IDEA!!!!!!
Next:
My friend, Heather, is an AMAZING photographer and today she decided to post a link onFacebook of TERRIBLE pregnancy photos. (LET ME SAY RIGHT AWAY... THAT THESE ARE NOT HER PHOTOS. She did NOT ruin the world with such trash!) This link cracked me up beyond words! There have been a few times since I arrived at this hospital that I have felt sorry for myself because I am missing out on things. One of the things I sort of wanted to do was have pregnancy pictures done... WELL AFTER SEEING THIS.... I AM OVER IT!!!!!!!! MY GLASS IS ONCE AGAIN HALF FULL, PEOPLE!!!!!
I have laughed harder in the last 30 minutes than I have in MONTHS! This just cracks me up and I wanted to share!
PLEASE VIEW: http://pregnantchicken.squarespace.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2010/12/10/awkward-pregnancy-photos.html
I thought this blog needed something a little lighter, so here ya go! I hope you all enjoy!
Love,
Brandi
UPDATE: 25 Weeks and 5 Days
Today, we are 25 weeks and 5 days along. The last few days have been pretty tough.
On Saturday night, close to midnight, I started having terrible cramps and then came the contractions. The doctor came in and gave orders to move me from Antepartum back over to Labor and Delivery where I started Magnesium treatment again. I HATE that Magnesium. It made me feel horrible. The first time I had it, they ordered it for 12 hours, but this time the doctor gave me 32 hours of it. They administer it constantly through an IV. A lot of people say that Magnesium treatments make you feel like you have the flu times ten and it does! On Sunday I had the most horrible headache, nausea, vomiting, I was burning up one minute and chills the next. Luckily they were able to give me medication to help me sleep. We stopped the treatment around 10am on yesterday (Monday) and then the doctor allowed me to come back to Antepartum. It takes several days to get out of your system, so today… I still feel a little lousy, but MUCH BETTER! One thing is for sure… MAGNESIUM STOPS THE CONTRACTIONS! I just keep telling myself that this is all a small price to pay for our sweet little boy who will join us. I just hope he joins us LATER than SOONER!
Before I was transferred back to Antepartum, we did an ultrasound. My amniotic fluid is still a little low, but what the doctor says is still a "safe zone", so we are too worried about that. I am drinking LOTS of water and we are keeping an eye on it. I have a couple of pictures to share of him from the ultrasound. It was hard to get a good profile shot of him because he had his feet and arms in front of his little face.
In the picture below, he was biting on his little arm. Of course, it was easier to see on the ultrasound, but I wanted a picture of it. I thought it was cute....
Several times during the ultrasound, he was waving his little hand back and forth... and although I am going to sound so cheesy saying this... I think he was waving at me saying, "HIIIII, MOMMMYYY!" I look forward to the day that he wraps those little fingers around mine. He is going to be such a sweet, sweet boy- I just know it.
We did a long monitoring of the baby again this morning and once again he was lying on his umbilical cord and sent all kinds of alerts to the nurses! When he does that, his heart rate and blood pressure drop. The doctor says that a lot of babies do that from time to time, but it is not known because they the mothers are not on continuous monitoring. They are watching him carefully because if he does it too much and doesn’t get blood supply and oxygen, they will have to take him early. HE NEEDS TO STOP THAT! The doctor feels like we are in a good place right now so all in all, I feel good about things today!
Thank you all again for the nice words of encouragement. Ben and I appreciate it so much. We are doing well and Baby Grayson is HOLDING ON, so IT IS A GOOD DAY!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
25 WEEKS TODAY
I am thrilled to reach 25 weeks today. It feels WONDERFUL. We still have quite a ways to go, but this is certainly progress for sure!
Yesterday was a little rough. During our monitoring sessions, the baby's heartbeat and blood pressure dropped a few times. The doctors think that he was either wrapped in his chord or was laying on it. It is common for babies to do that from time to time during this stage of pregnancy, but he was doing it more than they liked. Things eventually settled down and we are continuing to monitor him. Today's readings were great.
It seems that my amniotic fluid is a little low, also. This can cause contractions and the baby to wrap himself in the cord too, so we are having another ultrasound tomorrow in order to get a better look at things before the weekend. I swear, I feel like it is always something. I lay here all day long, but I feel worn out from all of this.
Good news for today:
1. The baby is doing MUCH better today.
2. I have had work to do today for HT Staffing. I got a new job order and I interviewed a candidate on the phone. I also made some marketing calls this morning and it just feels great to feel productive in here!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. I had a nice lunch with my new friend, Lori, who is down the hall from me. She has been here for a while and it turns out that she actually lives in my neighborhood. I like her very much and it makes me excited to have a new friend here who understands how frustrating this all is. She is having a baby boy too!
4. Ben got A FABULOUS permanent offer with his company. He was on a contract to hire basis and things are working out so well. He is very pleased with his position there and the offer made. I am proud of him.
It just seems like things are going to work out. I can never look at my life and all that we are going through during this difficult time and ever doubt that there is a God and he is looking after us.
That is pretty much the update for the last few days. Again... I just thank all of you who call and send me messages. I look forward to it everyday. It helps more than I can say!
Yesterday was a little rough. During our monitoring sessions, the baby's heartbeat and blood pressure dropped a few times. The doctors think that he was either wrapped in his chord or was laying on it. It is common for babies to do that from time to time during this stage of pregnancy, but he was doing it more than they liked. Things eventually settled down and we are continuing to monitor him. Today's readings were great.
It seems that my amniotic fluid is a little low, also. This can cause contractions and the baby to wrap himself in the cord too, so we are having another ultrasound tomorrow in order to get a better look at things before the weekend. I swear, I feel like it is always something. I lay here all day long, but I feel worn out from all of this.
Good news for today:
1. The baby is doing MUCH better today.
2. I have had work to do today for HT Staffing. I got a new job order and I interviewed a candidate on the phone. I also made some marketing calls this morning and it just feels great to feel productive in here!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. I had a nice lunch with my new friend, Lori, who is down the hall from me. She has been here for a while and it turns out that she actually lives in my neighborhood. I like her very much and it makes me excited to have a new friend here who understands how frustrating this all is. She is having a baby boy too!
4. Ben got A FABULOUS permanent offer with his company. He was on a contract to hire basis and things are working out so well. He is very pleased with his position there and the offer made. I am proud of him.
It just seems like things are going to work out. I can never look at my life and all that we are going through during this difficult time and ever doubt that there is a God and he is looking after us.
That is pretty much the update for the last few days. Again... I just thank all of you who call and send me messages. I look forward to it everyday. It helps more than I can say!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tough Day with a Migraine
Today was not the best day, although I know it could certainly have been worse. This morning I woke up with a headache that turned into a terrible Migraine... NOT FUN! I spent most of the entire day sleeping it off.
The good news for the day is that my brother, Marty, and his wife, Allana, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Peyton Kennedy today. She weighs 8 pounds and has the cutest little cheeks I have ever seen on a newborn! It makes me sad that I couldn't be there to meet her. I look forward to having our babies meet and thrilled that they will be so close in age. I am an Aunt for the first time and it feels so neat!
So far, because of this difficult pregnancy, we had to miss Thanksgiving with our family, I missed the birth of my neice and we won't be able to go home for Christmas either. I have also had to give up sharing all of the fun pregnancy things with family and friends. Looks like there will be no baby showers, no shopping (other than online) and I won't be home to get the nest all ready for our little man to join us.
Ben's family is coming to Austin for Christmas, which I am SO EXCITED about. We will be able to have a little Christmas in my hospital room.
When I am sad about these little things... I just remember how very blessed we are to be having a baby at all. Ben and I were told at the end of 2008, that we probably just couldn't get pregnant and if we did, I probably wouldn't be to carry the baby. Well, I believe that God provides for us and things really do happen in HIS TIME. I use to hate when people would say that to me, because it hurt so much when Ben and I would try and try and do all that we could with fertility doctors and NOTHING WORKED. I just know in my heart that God has a special plan, whatever that may be. All of the little things I mentioned, do bother me... I won't lie, but they don't matter as much as they use to.
Our baby will be at 24 weeks and 6 days tomorrow (on Wedensday, Dec. 8th). So on Thursday, we reach 25 weeks!!!! It feels like another birthday! I am grateful for every hour that we monitor Baby Grayson and get a good report. Despite the hard time I am having keeping him in there, I think he is going to be such a strong baby boy! I haven't met him yet, but my heart is full of joy and I fall more and more in love with him everytime the doctor tells me he is a little fighter! He is growing, kicking, developing and making room in my uterus, despite the fact that there is a large septum there taking up his space!
I have wanted to be a mother for the longest time. Although this journey seems miles and miles long... I know it is just begun. We still have a long road ahead of us to get this baby here- and if God chooses to allow him to be born to us, I promise to be the best mother I can possibly be and I have no doubt in my heart at all, that Ben is going to be an amazing father. He is already a wonderful husband, who is just as excited about Grayson as I am.
The good news for the day is that my brother, Marty, and his wife, Allana, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Peyton Kennedy today. She weighs 8 pounds and has the cutest little cheeks I have ever seen on a newborn! It makes me sad that I couldn't be there to meet her. I look forward to having our babies meet and thrilled that they will be so close in age. I am an Aunt for the first time and it feels so neat!
So far, because of this difficult pregnancy, we had to miss Thanksgiving with our family, I missed the birth of my neice and we won't be able to go home for Christmas either. I have also had to give up sharing all of the fun pregnancy things with family and friends. Looks like there will be no baby showers, no shopping (other than online) and I won't be home to get the nest all ready for our little man to join us.
Ben's family is coming to Austin for Christmas, which I am SO EXCITED about. We will be able to have a little Christmas in my hospital room.
When I am sad about these little things... I just remember how very blessed we are to be having a baby at all. Ben and I were told at the end of 2008, that we probably just couldn't get pregnant and if we did, I probably wouldn't be to carry the baby. Well, I believe that God provides for us and things really do happen in HIS TIME. I use to hate when people would say that to me, because it hurt so much when Ben and I would try and try and do all that we could with fertility doctors and NOTHING WORKED. I just know in my heart that God has a special plan, whatever that may be. All of the little things I mentioned, do bother me... I won't lie, but they don't matter as much as they use to.
Our baby will be at 24 weeks and 6 days tomorrow (on Wedensday, Dec. 8th). So on Thursday, we reach 25 weeks!!!! It feels like another birthday! I am grateful for every hour that we monitor Baby Grayson and get a good report. Despite the hard time I am having keeping him in there, I think he is going to be such a strong baby boy! I haven't met him yet, but my heart is full of joy and I fall more and more in love with him everytime the doctor tells me he is a little fighter! He is growing, kicking, developing and making room in my uterus, despite the fact that there is a large septum there taking up his space!
I have wanted to be a mother for the longest time. Although this journey seems miles and miles long... I know it is just begun. We still have a long road ahead of us to get this baby here- and if God chooses to allow him to be born to us, I promise to be the best mother I can possibly be and I have no doubt in my heart at all, that Ben is going to be an amazing father. He is already a wonderful husband, who is just as excited about Grayson as I am.
Monday, December 6, 2010
My Tiny Rosemary Christmas Tree from Ben!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Today is Monday, December 6, 2010. I am 24 weeks and 4 days!!!!!!!!!!!
I had some contractions on Friday evening, but had a good weekend and this has been a good day so far.
This morning, we monitored the baby for one hour on the monitor and he is doing well! At noon, the ultrasound tech came in and did two ultrasounds. One was of my cervix and the other was of Baby Grayson! My cervix has thickened just a little from .33cm to .54cm. Although that sounds like good news, the scary thing is... it can change from day to day. Unless there are complications, we are going to check every Monday. The cerlage is still in place, so we are hopeful that I will be able to carry him for a few more weeks, at least.
My amniotic fluid is a little low, but she said it is not in a danger zone, so we will just keep an eye on it. Her words were, "It is a little lower than we would like to see it, but not enough to make us very concerned." Therefore, I am not going to worry too much about that at this time. We will be able to see it again next week on the next ultrasound.
During the ultrasound to look at the baby, he looked great! His kidneys, heart and other organs look as if they are developing quite well! He is just over 11 inches long and we think he weighs somewhere near 1 pound and 4 oz! We did get a VERY GOOD look at one organ... his little winkie! We couldn't get a good profile shot of him this time, but BOY DID WE SEE THAT?! There is NO DOUBT in this world that we are having a BOY! He was shining all of his business today! (That's our little man!!)
Grayson had the hiccups, so that was funny to see!
All in all, things are going well. Last Thursday, my coworkers, Lisa, Becca, Corey and Mike came to see me. They brought me Japanese food from Kobe (Oh my gosh... I could eat that again RIGHT NOW)! YUM! My friends, Shannon and Todd Liles visited on Saturdayand we had a great visit! Today, Cheryl from work came and brought me Tino's Greek food! SO GOOD!!! I love having visitors. It breaks up my day and makes the time go by. I look forward to Ben's visits in the afternoon. He takes me OUTSIDE, and although it is getting cold... I LOVE IT!
My room is looking a bit brighter and festive! Ben got me an adorable Rosemary Tree and put mini christmas lights on it. Todd and Shannon gave me small wooden ornaments I put on it and I got a HUGE poinettia from the ladies at Capitol Staffing. It looks very Christmas like in here now! Emily and Jim Sesser sent me the LARGEST box of cookies from Tiff's Treats I could ever imagine and they came in a Christmas box with JINGLE BELLS!!! (For those of you who don't know about Tiff's Treats in Austin... LOOK IT UP!) OH MY GOODNESS! They deliver fresh baked cookies to you and they are STILL WARM!
Hope all is well with everyone and I will continue to keep you all posted! Thanks again for the good wishes and prayers! We are still just taking things ONE DAY AT A TIME!
I had some contractions on Friday evening, but had a good weekend and this has been a good day so far.
This morning, we monitored the baby for one hour on the monitor and he is doing well! At noon, the ultrasound tech came in and did two ultrasounds. One was of my cervix and the other was of Baby Grayson! My cervix has thickened just a little from .33cm to .54cm. Although that sounds like good news, the scary thing is... it can change from day to day. Unless there are complications, we are going to check every Monday. The cerlage is still in place, so we are hopeful that I will be able to carry him for a few more weeks, at least.
My amniotic fluid is a little low, but she said it is not in a danger zone, so we will just keep an eye on it. Her words were, "It is a little lower than we would like to see it, but not enough to make us very concerned." Therefore, I am not going to worry too much about that at this time. We will be able to see it again next week on the next ultrasound.
During the ultrasound to look at the baby, he looked great! His kidneys, heart and other organs look as if they are developing quite well! He is just over 11 inches long and we think he weighs somewhere near 1 pound and 4 oz! We did get a VERY GOOD look at one organ... his little winkie! We couldn't get a good profile shot of him this time, but BOY DID WE SEE THAT?! There is NO DOUBT in this world that we are having a BOY! He was shining all of his business today! (That's our little man!!)
Grayson had the hiccups, so that was funny to see!
All in all, things are going well. Last Thursday, my coworkers, Lisa, Becca, Corey and Mike came to see me. They brought me Japanese food from Kobe (Oh my gosh... I could eat that again RIGHT NOW)! YUM! My friends, Shannon and Todd Liles visited on Saturdayand we had a great visit! Today, Cheryl from work came and brought me Tino's Greek food! SO GOOD!!! I love having visitors. It breaks up my day and makes the time go by. I look forward to Ben's visits in the afternoon. He takes me OUTSIDE, and although it is getting cold... I LOVE IT!
My room is looking a bit brighter and festive! Ben got me an adorable Rosemary Tree and put mini christmas lights on it. Todd and Shannon gave me small wooden ornaments I put on it and I got a HUGE poinettia from the ladies at Capitol Staffing. It looks very Christmas like in here now! Emily and Jim Sesser sent me the LARGEST box of cookies from Tiff's Treats I could ever imagine and they came in a Christmas box with JINGLE BELLS!!! (For those of you who don't know about Tiff's Treats in Austin... LOOK IT UP!) OH MY GOODNESS! They deliver fresh baked cookies to you and they are STILL WARM!
Hope all is well with everyone and I will continue to keep you all posted! Thanks again for the good wishes and prayers! We are still just taking things ONE DAY AT A TIME!
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