My little girl is 5 today! It is so hard to believe that time has passed so quickly.
Sweet Girl
12.22.2008
12.21.2008
Brownie Points
This morning we were awakened by a ringing phone. Immediately after taking care of the call, Tim looked at me and said, "Happy Anniversary!" I laughed and said, "I totally forgot!" So, he's earned some bonus points for that one! :)
Truth is, I didn't forget... not really. And once I'd had a chance to wake up a bit more I would certainly have remembered. I was thinking about it quite a bit yesterday, and it was one of the last things to cross my mind before falling asleep last night. On the other hand, my mind is really preoccupied with my upcoming delivery (which I want SOOOO badly!!) and with Christmas, and Victory's birthday (tomorrow - she'll be 5!!!).
So, even though I did say it this morning...
Truth is, I didn't forget... not really. And once I'd had a chance to wake up a bit more I would certainly have remembered. I was thinking about it quite a bit yesterday, and it was one of the last things to cross my mind before falling asleep last night. On the other hand, my mind is really preoccupied with my upcoming delivery (which I want SOOOO badly!!) and with Christmas, and Victory's birthday (tomorrow - she'll be 5!!!).
So, even though I did say it this morning...
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, TIM!
I love you with all my heart.
I am so thankful to God for giving us a second chance.
When I think of the coming years, I just can't wait
to see what God has in store for us.
I LOVE YOU.
12.18.2008
Resignation
Levi has some sort of oral fixation and often chews on things. His favorite thing to chew has been the tassels on his blankie. It's (they -- there are 2) are fleece and really disgustingly damp if they touch you. After getting after him several times (read "for weeks on end") I finally gave an ultimatum... stop chewing or the tassels would be cut off. This week, both blankies lost their tassels. The first I simply serged. Because of this, the tassels came off in one long line. Tim brought it upstairs and said, "Here buddy, this is all that's left of your blanket." Levi took a look, sighed, and said, "Okay..." and reached his hand out to take it. Tim assured him that I would be bringing the real blankie up in a minute, but it was cute that he was going to be okay with just the scraps. LOL
Today when I cut the tabs off the second blanket (it was already stitched) he gladly stood and watched and took piles of tabs to the garbage can until I was done.
He's still chewing... but it's not as bad as it was...
Today when I cut the tabs off the second blanket (it was already stitched) he gladly stood and watched and took piles of tabs to the garbage can until I was done.
He's still chewing... but it's not as bad as it was...
12.04.2008
35 weeks!!!
Where has the time gone?? I had my 35 week appointment with Joy (my midwife) yesterday. It went well. No weight gain for me since my last visit 2 weeks ago. This is a pleasant surprise for me :) At the beginning of my pregnancy I lost 5 pounds. From that point, I'm up only 20 pounds. So, only 15 pounds from my actual pre-pregnancy weight. This is DEFINITELY the least I've ever gained during a pregnancy. I'm hoping that my post-delivery weight loss will remain about the same as usual (in the 10-15 pound range) and that I'll be able to lose more following that. It would be good if I could lose another 20 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.
Enough about me... LOL Jericho is a busy little girl. I feel movement often, and it's strong! Joy says she still feels a bit scrawny (actually she says she has a bony butt - LOL) It's so hard to believe that in only 2 weeks she'll be considered full term! We are all looking forward to meeting her. The older boys remind me on a fairly regular basis that I HAVE to have dad wake them up if Jericho arrives in the middle of the night. They really want to be there for the delivery. When I had Shiloh all the kids slept through everything (she was born around 3:00 in the morning).
I guess our Christmas plans are a little bit up in the air... the current plan is spending time at my mom and dad's in Pillager. My aunt and uncle from Colorado Springs, as well as my aunt who is a missionary in Ethiopia will be there. It's my brother's family's year with our family, so he will also be there with his wife and son. Wow... it sounds hectic just typing it out! Of course, if Jericho arrives earlier than her due date we could have a new baby to introduce! And, I guess beyond that it really depends on how I'm feeling. Based on previous pregnancies as well as how I've felt through this pregnancy, I'd say we'll be in Pillager for Christmas :)
So, there's my update... hope you're not too bored! :) I'll try to update again soon.
Enough about me... LOL Jericho is a busy little girl. I feel movement often, and it's strong! Joy says she still feels a bit scrawny (actually she says she has a bony butt - LOL) It's so hard to believe that in only 2 weeks she'll be considered full term! We are all looking forward to meeting her. The older boys remind me on a fairly regular basis that I HAVE to have dad wake them up if Jericho arrives in the middle of the night. They really want to be there for the delivery. When I had Shiloh all the kids slept through everything (she was born around 3:00 in the morning).
I guess our Christmas plans are a little bit up in the air... the current plan is spending time at my mom and dad's in Pillager. My aunt and uncle from Colorado Springs, as well as my aunt who is a missionary in Ethiopia will be there. It's my brother's family's year with our family, so he will also be there with his wife and son. Wow... it sounds hectic just typing it out! Of course, if Jericho arrives earlier than her due date we could have a new baby to introduce! And, I guess beyond that it really depends on how I'm feeling. Based on previous pregnancies as well as how I've felt through this pregnancy, I'd say we'll be in Pillager for Christmas :)
So, there's my update... hope you're not too bored! :) I'll try to update again soon.
11.20.2008
My Weekend (or, Why I Hate Hospitals)
On Saturday, Tim had to work for a while. He took Alex and Chase with him so I was home with the three littles. Things weren't going too bad, but my back was a bit sore. I just figured it was because I spent Friday night in the very front row of the theater watching "Fireproof" (excellent movie, btw). As it turns out, it was something more...
By 1:30 I was really in pain. I couldn't get comfortable, and if anyone touched my belly it about sent me through the roof. I finally laid down on Chase's bed and hoped for the best. I dosed off and on, but if I moved at all the pain was excruciating. Finally, I called Joy (my midwife) to see if she had any ideas for me. Her advice? "Head for the ER." I knew that... but I was hoping against hope she'd have some miracle cure for me.
I called Steph and she came (after calling Mitch and telling him he needed to come home with the older kids) and took me to the hospital. When you are pregnant, the hospital policy is to send you to L&D. They want to make sure the baby is okay, and that you aren't in labor. At 32+ weeks I couldn't really pretend I WASN'T pregnant...
When I arrived in L&D they wanted me to put on a gown. I refused (politely) saying I would much rather keep my own clothes on. Anything they needed to do could be done easily enough whether I was wearing a gown or street clothes.
After monitoring the baby and making sure I wasn't having contractions, checking my cervix (dilated to 1cm), drawing some blood, and taking a urine sample, and left me alone. At this point, other than confirming that I was in pain, and the location of the pain, there was no attempt to diagnose or treat me.
The tests showed no real reason to suspect an infection but did suggest that I was somewhat dehydrated. I was presented with a cup of water at some point, but no pitcher to keep it filled. Steph filled it for me a couple times... Still, no attempt was made to evaluate my pain. It seemed that since I was not in labor, there was no problem! But let me tell you, I have never experienced prolonged pain like this!! After talking to the dr. (via phone) the nurse came to let me know I could go home and should just make sure to stay well hydrated.
WHAT?!!? I was really not comfortable with that! I was in an immense amount of pain (have I mentioned the pain??) and no one had made any attempt to evaluate that. You know the "...on a scale of 1 to 10"? I was a solid 6 - maybe 7 - when I was lying perfectly still. When I moved, I hit a solid 10, and it stayed there until I'd been still for at least a couple minutes, at which point it lessened once again to a 6 or 7. (Keep in mind here that I have delivered 3 babies with no pain meds.)
After another call to Joy, I asked Steph to do something for me that is completely out of her comfort zone... I asked her to speak up, and let them know that I was NOT in any shape to be sent home. She did -- and did a GREAT job, I might add.
The nurses returned and we asked that they call the doctor and have her evaluate me in person. About 30 minutes later, the dr. arrived. She chatted with me the same way the nurses had. She explained that the baby's heart rate was good, and she was reactive so they weren't concerned about her, and I was not contracting, so I wasn't in labor. At that point I mentioned that I sure felt like I was having contractions because I had regular intervals where my pain would increase and then it would back off again. I asked if perhaps they could put the contraction monitor back on me... and also asked them to take my temp since I really felt like I was getting a bit feverish.
[I’m really fuzzy about the order of things here, but at some point the nurses started to get really rude (about the time we requested the doctor be called in). The doctor also got rude (snotty) after I refused to accept her repeated claim that what I was experiencing was “general pregnancy aches and pains”.]
Although the nurses and doctor had agreed to take my temp and hook me back up to make sure I wasn’t having contractions, Steph had to step out in the hall and remind them after they all left the room. From that point on, we were BOTH treated poorly. As it turns out, I did have a temp… the nurse blamed it on the fact that I was still wearing my sweatshirt and made me take it off (another trigger for a solid 10). I felt pretty - well - cocky when they took my temp later (again at my request) since it’d increased another degree.
Since I see a midwife, and deliver at home, they have no prenatal records on me. That means, I get whatever doctor they assign. Never mind that we’ve determined I’m not in labor and the baby is fine. Never mind that I have a family practice doc that I love at another clinic. Finally, Steph and I decided that I needed to see either MY doctor or another doctor from St. Cloud Medical Group.
The call was made, and eventually, Dr. Danielson arrived. FINALLY, someone took the fact that I was really in pain seriously. I was able to rate my pain. Dr. D went through all the possibilities of what it could be, and eventually had me admitted.
I was given an IV bolus and then a constant drip for the entire night. An ultrasound was ordered to check (among other things) my kidneys and gall bladder to make sure there were no stones. I was given Tylenol for my pain.
Slowly, over the course of the night, I began to feel better. By morning I was still experiencing lingering discomfort, with minor amounts of pain when I moved, but was feeling much better. Dr. D came to check on me in the morning (after reviewing the labs from the blood draw they took at 6:45 am). He was still at a loss as to what had caused me so much pain, but felt that I was okay to go home (and this time I was comfortable with that as well).
Overall, what I took from the experience was this:
*I WILL NOT go to St. Cloud Hospital unless I’m dying and there is ABSOLUTELY NO ALTERNATIVE.
*I love my midwife, and am so glad to have made the decision to homebirth my babies where I and my family and my baby will be treated with love and respect.
*I am scared to death at the thought of ever needing to go to L&D at SCMC ever again.
*Dr. Danielson is great.
*Stick up for your rights! and don’t go alone -- take someone with you that will also stick up for you when you are in too much pain and crying too hard to stick up for yourself.
By 1:30 I was really in pain. I couldn't get comfortable, and if anyone touched my belly it about sent me through the roof. I finally laid down on Chase's bed and hoped for the best. I dosed off and on, but if I moved at all the pain was excruciating. Finally, I called Joy (my midwife) to see if she had any ideas for me. Her advice? "Head for the ER." I knew that... but I was hoping against hope she'd have some miracle cure for me.
I called Steph and she came (after calling Mitch and telling him he needed to come home with the older kids) and took me to the hospital. When you are pregnant, the hospital policy is to send you to L&D. They want to make sure the baby is okay, and that you aren't in labor. At 32+ weeks I couldn't really pretend I WASN'T pregnant...
When I arrived in L&D they wanted me to put on a gown. I refused (politely) saying I would much rather keep my own clothes on. Anything they needed to do could be done easily enough whether I was wearing a gown or street clothes.
After monitoring the baby and making sure I wasn't having contractions, checking my cervix (dilated to 1cm), drawing some blood, and taking a urine sample, and left me alone. At this point, other than confirming that I was in pain, and the location of the pain, there was no attempt to diagnose or treat me.
The tests showed no real reason to suspect an infection but did suggest that I was somewhat dehydrated. I was presented with a cup of water at some point, but no pitcher to keep it filled. Steph filled it for me a couple times... Still, no attempt was made to evaluate my pain. It seemed that since I was not in labor, there was no problem! But let me tell you, I have never experienced prolonged pain like this!! After talking to the dr. (via phone) the nurse came to let me know I could go home and should just make sure to stay well hydrated.
WHAT?!!? I was really not comfortable with that! I was in an immense amount of pain (have I mentioned the pain??) and no one had made any attempt to evaluate that. You know the "...on a scale of 1 to 10"? I was a solid 6 - maybe 7 - when I was lying perfectly still. When I moved, I hit a solid 10, and it stayed there until I'd been still for at least a couple minutes, at which point it lessened once again to a 6 or 7. (Keep in mind here that I have delivered 3 babies with no pain meds.)
After another call to Joy, I asked Steph to do something for me that is completely out of her comfort zone... I asked her to speak up, and let them know that I was NOT in any shape to be sent home. She did -- and did a GREAT job, I might add.
The nurses returned and we asked that they call the doctor and have her evaluate me in person. About 30 minutes later, the dr. arrived. She chatted with me the same way the nurses had. She explained that the baby's heart rate was good, and she was reactive so they weren't concerned about her, and I was not contracting, so I wasn't in labor. At that point I mentioned that I sure felt like I was having contractions because I had regular intervals where my pain would increase and then it would back off again. I asked if perhaps they could put the contraction monitor back on me... and also asked them to take my temp since I really felt like I was getting a bit feverish.
[I’m really fuzzy about the order of things here, but at some point the nurses started to get really rude (about the time we requested the doctor be called in). The doctor also got rude (snotty) after I refused to accept her repeated claim that what I was experiencing was “general pregnancy aches and pains”.]
Although the nurses and doctor had agreed to take my temp and hook me back up to make sure I wasn’t having contractions, Steph had to step out in the hall and remind them after they all left the room. From that point on, we were BOTH treated poorly. As it turns out, I did have a temp… the nurse blamed it on the fact that I was still wearing my sweatshirt and made me take it off (another trigger for a solid 10). I felt pretty - well - cocky when they took my temp later (again at my request) since it’d increased another degree.
Since I see a midwife, and deliver at home, they have no prenatal records on me. That means, I get whatever doctor they assign. Never mind that we’ve determined I’m not in labor and the baby is fine. Never mind that I have a family practice doc that I love at another clinic. Finally, Steph and I decided that I needed to see either MY doctor or another doctor from St. Cloud Medical Group.
The call was made, and eventually, Dr. Danielson arrived. FINALLY, someone took the fact that I was really in pain seriously. I was able to rate my pain. Dr. D went through all the possibilities of what it could be, and eventually had me admitted.
I was given an IV bolus and then a constant drip for the entire night. An ultrasound was ordered to check (among other things) my kidneys and gall bladder to make sure there were no stones. I was given Tylenol for my pain.
Slowly, over the course of the night, I began to feel better. By morning I was still experiencing lingering discomfort, with minor amounts of pain when I moved, but was feeling much better. Dr. D came to check on me in the morning (after reviewing the labs from the blood draw they took at 6:45 am). He was still at a loss as to what had caused me so much pain, but felt that I was okay to go home (and this time I was comfortable with that as well).
Overall, what I took from the experience was this:
*I WILL NOT go to St. Cloud Hospital unless I’m dying and there is ABSOLUTELY NO ALTERNATIVE.
*I love my midwife, and am so glad to have made the decision to homebirth my babies where I and my family and my baby will be treated with love and respect.
*I am scared to death at the thought of ever needing to go to L&D at SCMC ever again.
*Dr. Danielson is great.
*Stick up for your rights! and don’t go alone -- take someone with you that will also stick up for you when you are in too much pain and crying too hard to stick up for yourself.
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