Surprise Baby Shower!

Well- the fun part about this week was that my work TOTALLY surprised me with a baby shower on Tuesday afternoon! I was totally shocked as you can see in this picture, I honestly had no idea-- and normally I figure things out like that- but it being on a Tuesday was pretty sneaky too- who would have expected a party on a Tuesday! I had no idea that some of them were whispering about it around me and a bunch of them went downstairs to get the party stuff and I didn't even notice them come up the stairs until my desk was covered with presents! I was just shocked!!



So after I sat on display and opened up all kinds of wonderful gifts we had some very yummy cake and punch!




It was a huge surprise and I so shocked and so Thankful for such wonderful co-workers! I love my work! :)

Another Hospital Trip

YES, I had to go the hospital AGAIN yesterday! I hardly had any contractions all last week- which was GREAT! Then they started in again on Monday and Tuesday, Tuesday night before I fell asleep I had a pretty strong one- well stronger then what I had been having- and they were off and on all night long. Woke up and started working at 6:30am downstairs and they were 15-20 minutes apart- then all of a sudden at 9 they were coming on quick, I laid down on my left side- drank water and timed them out- they were every 3 minutes and I didn't even want to think about moving.

I called the hospital and they said its still to early for her to come out- please come in right away and we'll see what's going on. Cervix is still closed, no change, but I was having contractions 3-5 minutes apart. They hooked me up to an IV to super hydrate me and gave me another shot of terbutaline and 4 hours later I got sent home. They said they don't really know what's really going on either- they said its not common but some women just deal with this on and off until they are full term and as long as my cervix was still closed they were plenty happy with that. They also ran the FFN test again and it was negative, so technically it means no baby in the next 2 weeks.

SO- our journey continues and she is keeping us on our toes!

34 Weeks

First off, I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. It's actually hard to be pregnant over the Holidays, this baby doesn't leave much room in there for all the yummy food!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, which, for some weird reason, my contractions decided to come back yesterday, I had them off and on all day long and even some in the doctor's office, which was kind of nice for them to yet again confirm with me that yes, what I'm feeling really are contractions. She was going to check the heart beat and asked me if I was having one, I said yeah, kind of, and she said- well- you're hard as a rock! I'm not very good at telling when my stomach tightens, this whole thing is still confusing to me- contractions but still no dilation... I don't get it.

Anyway- she did a very quick ultrasound and her head is down! Yeah! And her butt is on my left side. She did check me again because I was contracting and still no real dialation, cervix is still pointing towards my tailbone, 50% effaced, and softening (I think is the term) to a -3 (not sure what that figure means) So, I'm changing, but at a good pace right now. She was going to do another FFN test but consulted with another doctor and they said that the results don't come back right after 34 weeks and I'm 34 1/2 so- she opted to not do it- she was satisfied with checking me.

So- now its time for the countdown, I go every Monday until she decides to come into this world. And let me tell you- I'm ready whenever she is! Taylor thinks differently- he said he isn't caught up with lesson plans yet- so he needs more time, so hopefully she'll listen to her Daddy and stay in for a little while longer so he can get prepared at school! :)

Us by our freshly cut tree at 34 weeks!


OH-- and side note--we just switched our cell phone service to Alltel- so whoever has Alltel- we can now talk for free!

33 Weeks........ Deer Camp

Well- first off- Had a doctor appointment on Friday, she didn't want to check me because she didn't want to stir anything up. She said that if with what I'm doing with work and making sure I just take it easy is helping with the contractions then to continue with that plan of action. It's all in finding what works for each individual as each pregnancy is different and this seems to be working for me so far so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I measured 32cm which she said is fine, I had been measuring right on up until now, but for the last two weeks I've been measuring a week behind, she could be sitting differently or hopefully it just means that she'll take after her mommy and only be about 7 pounds at birth and not 9 pounds like her daddy! My next appointment is on the 26 and we get to do an ultrasound and I'm guessing at that one they will check to see if there has been any changes.

I do have to mention, I had my last labor and delivery class on Thursday and I left feeling more brave then when I started this whole process. From the beginning I said- give me drugs right away, but now after learning things and seeing the different techniques I think I'm going to try out some other methods before I go straight to the drugs. Each of the hospital suites have nice big tubs with jets and also birthing balls to use and I think I'd like to try to go as long as I can trying out these two methods, along with walking around until I get put up on my back with an epidural. They say if you get an epidural right away when you get there it can really slow down the birthing process and I think that if, depending on how far along I am when I go in, I would like to try to see how strong I am to hopefully help the process not be SOO long, so maybe try to get further along on my own at first and then once they start to get too strong and I can't handle them then ask for an epidural- that's kind of what I'm thinking now. With my brother my mom was in labor for 10 hours and was three weeks early, so I might take after her. So- we'll just have to see what happens, but I am open to trying out other ideas now and feeling a little bit more brave then I was.

This weekend also started Taylor's Deer Hunting season- he hunts for meat as we both love venison so he usually just shots deer that look good, weight wise that is, well- this year he got his very first "Buck"!!! He has gotten doe but never a Buck so he was very excited! He was out for around 1 hour on the first day when he got it, that's a new time record for him! His first shot was through a whole bunch of brush and twigs, about a 70 yard shot, and some how he missed the big target of the deer and hit him right in the antler and shot one side of them off! So he was a 6 point and ended up being a 3 point! LOL! The deer did a complete back flip, laid on the ground for awhile and when he got up he look pretty out of it, I'm sure he had a killer headache! He started walking right towards Taylor and he was about 20 yards away and he missed! Then he shot again and got him right in the neck. The best part about this story is that it was Taylor and Ben Bakken out in the woods hunting- neither of them knew how to gut a deer nor did they have a truck as Ben's truck kind of broke down the night before! When Taylor called me to tell me the good news I couldn't help but laugh when he said- well- we need to call someone to see if they can come show us what to do with it! HAHA! But now they both got a lesson and should be able to handle the next one on their own!

Taylor and his deer....

Cutting up the meat- we got some great looking steaks and roast from this guy!

What is left of the antlers

Joey and his brother Walter-- they just looked so cute on the couch I had to take a picture, they were pooped after playing with each other all day long!


And- From our Family to Yours- We wish you a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Quick Update

My work is being VERY nice, we have worked it out so that I work the mornings at home and the afternoons in the office. I've only done it for 2 days so far but so far it seems to be working out well. I basically roll out of bed and at 6ish and grab a bowl of cereal to help wake myself up and then go straight downstairs to the office and start working usually around 6:30- then I work through the morning and since I start a half hour early it gives me the chance to take that half hour in the later afternoon to take a shower- that way I can start my mornings slow and not so much activity like getting up, showering, breakfast, pack lunch, rush out the door, get to work, haul in all my bags, etc. Now I can just take my time and Baby seems to be appreciating that.

I guess we'll see on Friday at my next appointment if things have changed or not to see if this system is working. Until then... have a nice week and dress warm!
Taylor is spending the next 3 days and 2 nights down at Eagle Bluff with the school so he'll be having a lot of fun- he was pretty excited to go... don't worry- he drove seperate and I have a list of every teacher's cell phones and Eagle Bluff's number if I have to get a hold of him! He told this little girl this morning that she needed to stay in mommy's tummy for at least 3 more days until he got home- she gave a little kick back as to say- gotcha Dad! :)

32 Weeks

Well- 32 weeks brought on some answers. I had a Dr. appointment on Friday with Dr. Saul and he really explained the whole picture to me. I left my appointment with no more questions. Basically what he told me is that what I am feeling are true contractions but they just aren't strong enough right now to do anything. I may be one of those mothers who just is more sensitve to the changes going on with my body and I just need to keep an eye on it. I haven't dilated any more, my cervix is still facing down towards my tailbone instead of out, I am 25% effaced and softening to a negative 2. So- things are changing- but at this point not drastically enough to be TOO concerned, but I will have to be checked every single week until the end to make sure things are changing gradual as they should.

So- I am suppose to take it easy. If I start getting contractions I need to lay down and rest, I need to have plenty of fluids and just watch myself. If the contractions start getting stronger then what I have been experiencing right now then I need to call in but for now- just basically lay low to keep this little chicka baking for a while longer. I'm not on "Bed Rest" I am just on "Rest" so- I'm not suppose to be driving myself all over the place alone for a long period of time or up and running around like I normally would. Taylor has to help with all the chores, no more carrying laundry up and down the stairs and for work- its kind of going to be trial and error. He recommends me not going but I told him I may have the option to work from home and maybe just going in for a few hours of the day and he said that would be perfectly fine. That way I can lay down when I need to and if it takes me from 7am to 7pm to get in 8 hours or work- then so be it. I seem to be having good days and bad days, Saturday was a really good day- not a single contraction, Sunday is a so-so day- so far, I had some wake me up from my sleep last night and several more this morning but after laying down and relaxing they have seemed to have quieted down for now.

So- it's just a waiting game- She could come soon or I might be one that they end up having to enduce because she changed her mind and doesn't want to come out- only time will tell. And I suppose I should appreciate this time right now, being able to rest often, I better stock up on that rest because before long- "Rest" will be a foreign word to us!

We just realized a few things the past week that I thought I'd share- In just a few weeks we will have a child for the rest of our lives- it's kind of a weird thought. We were talking about when to take our Christmas Card picture and realized- this will be the last Christmas card that we'll take just the two of us for a very long time! And on Friday we decided to go out and have a nice dinner just the two of us because with the holidays coming and our weekends filling up fast with events and hunting- honestly- that was probably the last dinner we'll have out just the two of us before we have a child to worry about either taking with us or finding a babysitter. So- here we go- taking the leap into Parenthood!

32 week Photos! She's a basketball!

Quick Update- More contractions

I just wanted to post an update for those that may be looking here hoping for one.

I ended up going to the hospital again last night- Tuesday- I had lost my mucus plug at 2:30pm and shortly after that started having contractions. So I went down and got hooked up again- I was contracting every 4.5 minutes but still no change in my cervix and my FFN test came back negative again, no baby for at least a week and a half. They gave me the terbutaline again and then an oral medication that I can take around the clock every 6 hours and then sent me home.

I woke up at 5:30 this morning with more contractions and went to work- my oral medication made me slightly light headed- which is a normal side effect- I worked up until 11:30 and decided to come home and take a bath and try to lay down to relax. This got the contractions to stop- but then I started having a shortness of breath and my heart was racing- a normal side effect to terbutaline but not the oral medication. I looked at the paperwork that came with my perscription and it said to contact your doctor right away if you experience that. I finally got to talk to Dr. Gruenwald and she told me to stop taking the medication around the clock and only take it if I start contracting. She wants me to stay home for the rest of the week to see if rest will get these contractions to stop and be stopped more consistently instead of being stopped for only a few hours at a time. I have an appointment on Friday so I will go to that and hopefully have some more answers and a plan of action for the rest of this pregnancy. But for now- I'm laying low because this little chicka needs to bake a little longer.

So- I'll be home all night tonight, all day tomorrow- I have a labor and delivery class tomorrow night that I better go to- need to get more familiar with that because all of that is still so foreign for me- but then I'll be home until 2 on Friday-- if anyone wants to come over and visit feel free!

31 Weeks and Pre-term Labor!

Well- first off I'll start with the regular check up. Thursday I had an appointment and everything was looking good. I am measuring exactly 31 weeks and had been feeling great! I asked the doctor if she could tell if she was head down- and she is, and her heart rate was 140bpm. The most exciting part about this appointment was I scheduled the rest of my appointments until the end! Now I can really see the end in sight!

Then came Friday EARLY morning- I had a very restless night and at 3 am woke up to what felt like period cramps. I assumed maybe since she was head down that my uterus was changing again so I tried to get comfortable in bed again and get some more sleep. Then the alarm clock went off- I hadn't really gotten any sleep because these cramps kept coming and going. Let me state one thing here first- First time Mom- I have no idea what is going on so I had no idea what these "cramps" really were.

So- I got ready for work and in my Zombie state made it there safe and sound. I basically sat in my chair all day long and only stood up when needed because these cramps were still coming and going and my body was aching. Finally at 2:00 I decided to call a nurse and see what she thought about it. She told me to go home and lay down and continue to drink fluids (which I had been- a lot- that day anyway) and to call back once I had laid down for awhile if these cramps still hadn't gone away. At 6:00 they were still coming and going and some were worse then others and by this time I was just scared and confused as to what was going on because having these cramps since 3am couldn't be normal.

I called the hospital and a nurse told me that what I was feeling could be contractions- WHAT!?! I thought.... she told me to time them out for an hour and call back- so there I was- 31 weeks along and timing out Contractions! In that hour I had 4 in 25 minutes- they ranged from 1-5 minutes long and then 1 more noticable one after that. OK- now I was really scared and HAD to call Heidi to see what the heck was going on. She told me that this could be something serious- it could very well be pre-term labor contractions and if I can catch it early enough they can get them to stop- so I called back down to the hospital and told them I wanted to come in. In that hour I had 4 in 20 minutes and then 3 more stronger ones on the drive down there- side note- that road is NOT going to be a fun one when I'm in active labor- the contractions I was having were VERY mild and it was bad enough!

Anyway- I got to the hospital and they took me up to the labor and delivery floor and hooked me up to the monitors, I was having actual contractions every 3 minutes! I was just shocked that something like this was actually happening. They checked my cervix and I am only a finger tip dilated- which is a good thing- and they did another test- the FFN test to see if I could possibly have this baby really early and it came back negative- so no baby in the next two weeks. So they gave me a shot of a terbutaline, a medication that can stop your contractions. At first it made my heart race- which is normal- I felt very out of breath for a good 5 minutes, and then it made me a little shakey but it stopped my contractions! It was successful! So they sent me home with strict orders to take it easy- if I start getting them again to lay down or take a hot shower or bath- and if they become more frequent to time them out again and call the hospital if needed. Saturday I had some throughout the day- but nothing of what it was on Friday- and Sunday I only had one noticable one early in the morning and taking a hot shower fixed that.

It was a scary thing but thanks to a little medication she is going to stay put for awhile. She needs to bake for at least 4 more weeks- then if she wants- she can come into this world. But making it to 37 weeks is really what I'm hoping for, at least. So- I am going to be taking it easy from now on, my biggest fear is to have this happen again and then get put on bed rest, we can't afford that, so hopefully I can keep them under control with rest, relaxation and some hot running water.

Thanks to Super Mom- she helped me get my house good and clean this weekend. We got the carpet shampooed upstairs and all the rugs washed and everything just good and clean- having that all done really makes me feel a lot better and much more relaxed, it is hard to sit and relax when you have a long list of To-Do's before this little Miss comes. And also Thanks to Super Taylor for fixing my bath tub! I would NEVER take baths here before because something has been wrong with our drain- when I take a shower it doesn't go down right away, it pools up and then slowly drains itself throughout the day- so I was cleaning my shower every single day because it would have this soap scum in the tub part. SO- finally- after many times of trying to figure out what the heck was wrong, Taylor found the problem! And let me mention we've been trying to figure out what it was since February- so finding the problem was SUPER exciting to us, and it was an easy fix- so now my tub drains like a champ and Super Mom got it call clean and sparkling so I can actually take baths now to ease my aching back! So- the weekend started off rough- but ended satisfying.