I can't believe today is the last day of 2010. Insane! It's been quite a whirlwind year. Lots of ups and a couple downs for us.

~Fertility treatments til March
~Lost my job in April :(
~Found out I was pregnant in April :)
~Went to Florida for our one year anniversary in May
~Struggled with pretty bad "morning" (all day) sickness til 22 weeks of pregnancy
~My 25th birthday in June ...kinda a milestone :) quarter of a century old!
~Alan & Cassie's wedding in August!
~Baby is a BOY!! in August
~Andy took over as head teller in October
~Accepted my new job in November
~Andy's 30th birthday in November!
~Andy got a raise in December and will soon start taking some classes to become a loan officer by April 2011
~Austin made his arrival December 16th!! :)

Looking forward to what 2011 has in store for our family. :)

I've missed blogging and I bet my readers (all 10 of you) have missed me. :) Or so I hope! We've been very busy!

I can't believe 2 weeks have already gone by since Austin was born. Things have been more busy than I thought they would be. I, naively, thought I would give birth, breastfeed on demand and lounge around with my baby boy all day. :) I wouldn't change being a mother for anything though. I love it!

We were told that every baby loses weight and I learned in school that up to 10% is ok. Austin never got that low but lost weight after he came home which is a no-no in the Pediatricians eyes so we had to make some adjustments to our feeding schedule on the 4th day of life. We've have to breastfeed every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night and then give 1 oz of formula afterwards. This takes a lot of time! My sink fills up with bottles fast! We had 3 weight checks to monitor him and go back on Monday for his 2 week well baby visit. Hoping to be able to stop the supplementing at that time or at least cut back on doing it after every feeding! He is doing much better breastfeeding which makes his momma happy. :) It's amazing how a mother can sustain her infant's life just by doing that.

In addition to the weight loss issue Austin developed viral pneumonia which was diagnosed on Christmas Eve. :( No  matter how careful you are and how much hand sanitizer you have people use your baby can still get sick very quickly! Not fair! So we've been more stingy on who holds him this past week. He seems completely over the pneumonia but we certainly weren't expecting our baby to get sick in the first week of life. Hopefully the continued breastfeeding will give him more antibodies during this cold/flu/RSV season.

So that's why there has been a lack of blogging! That and the disrupted sleep pattern is catching up with me. I will try to blog more so that I can keep a record of what's happening in our lives and keep everyone updated. Makes scrapbooking easier if I stay on top of blogging/picture posting.  :)

Austin's Birth Story!

Woke up with pretty intense back pain/labor at 5:45 am on 12/15 which steadily progressed to contractions in the front around 12pm. Back and front labor contractions got intense enough to where it was hard to walk around by 2pm so we put our stuff in the car and headed to Dupont Hospital praying that this was for real and not false labor!! Andy had a half day so he had been home since 12:30pm. :)

We were admitted into Labor & Delivery triage at 2:14pm and I was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. The monitor showed contractions every 2-4 minutes apart and Austin was tolerating them well. Dr. Lorenc was called and updated on my status (he wasn't on call that night :( . The nurse decided to have us walk to see if I would continue to progress. This is standard...but was it was hard to walk while having such bad back labor pain! (hopefully the second baby doesn't do that to me) So we walked for 30ish minutes and then I was checked again and found to be still 2cm so they left me on the monitor for 15 minutes to monitor Austin's heart rate and my contractions and then I had to get up and walk for another 25 or so minutes. After this Dr. Lorenc was called again to be updated and he decided to let the on call doctor come in, examine me, and determine what to do since it was after hours. She (Dr. Thomas) decided to admit me since my contractions continued to be 2-4 minutes apart and I was in quite a bit of pain.

I was admitted into my room at 5:30pm. An IV was started. I got my epidural at 6:30pm. I did not do as well with the epidural going in even though they numbed the spot. You can still feel it or at least the pressue of it. It was very hard to stay still and I was crying quite a bit which didn't help matters! Then I had to lay on one side for a few minutes and then the other side to spread out the medication. Also had to keep rotating sides every hour or so to keep the epidural effective. Didn't know that you had to do this with an epidural but it makes sense.

The nurse then broke my water at 6:45 pm...which was painless but kinda weird since small amounts of amniotic fluid would leak out with contractions! I was 3cm when they broke my water and 70% effaced. My parents were then allowed to come in and visit. :) My mom couldn't believe I was about to talk through my contractions and text people. Texting was a nice distraction because I still felt a lot of pressure! At 9pm I was 4cm. At 10pm I was 5cm.

Sometime after 10pm I was feeling increasing amounts of pain but didn't say anything because I figured it was part of the labor experience. Finally asked my nurse about it and they called the anesthiologist back into my room. My epidural had been turned off by accident! Yikes. So he got that all taken care of and gave me a large dose of pain medicine. At first I was worried about the effect of pain meds on Austin but epidurals only numb nerves so Austin was quite protected and safe. :)

At 11:15pm I was 8cm. So...3 cm progress in one hour!! Woohoo!! At 12:30am I was 9cm. This is when we started really trying to guess when Austin would make his debut! :) At 1:30am I was 10cm! Time to push. My parents, Andys mom, and Andy's sister were cleared out of the room and a bunch of stuff was brought in along with an extra helper for my nurse.

I started pushing at 1:45am and the nurse said I was doing great but then I started to get scared of the burning pain! That hindered my pushing even though she tried to talk me through it. The on call OB, Dr. Hanson, came in and gave that area a couple shots of lidocaine to help me and then decided to just stay in the room until I delivered. Normally the OB doesn't come in until you are closer to delivering. After that it was a little more bearable to push but still an unreal kind of pressure. I was able to reach down and touch his head when it was partway out. Andy looked just once and decided that was all the more looking he would do! lol! Austin's head was facing to the side so after they delivered his head Dr. Hanson delivered one shoulder and then the other. That's when I tore..boo! He really didn't think I would but oh well...Austin is worth that extra amount of pain. Andy was an AWESOME coach and did a FABULOUS job!! I pushed for an hour and 20 minutes.

Austin came out screaming at 3:03am! Andy cut the cord! They placed Austin on my chest for a minute before taking him to the warmer bed to be assessed and dried off. He weighed 8lbs 2oz and was 20 inches long. Could not believe he was so big! He is perfect and I am so in love with him. He is a great combination of the two of us. :)

Stay tuned for the birth story....   :)

38 weeks today! 14 days to go...or less we hope! Had contractions Friday night and last night..nothing consistent or timeable and they went away...booo.

In other great news...my cousin Amy gave birth via C-Section to her twin boys Friday night. She was admitted for low blood count levels on Friday and they decided to go ahead and deliver the boys that night. Both are in the NICU and the neonatologists are estimating them to be 34 weeks gestation instead of 35 like we thought. Ezekiel Lee weighs 5lbs 10oz and Elijah Arthur weighs 2lbs 11oz. Elijah has had IUGR (growth restriction) the entire time so they knew he would be smaller. Both are under phototherapy lights, in isolettes and being fed through IV's/tube feedings. Amy is going to get the opportunity to attempt to breastfeed Ezekiel tonight possibly. She has been able to hold him twice a day so far and is unable to hold Elijah at this time.

They live in Michigan (about 2 hours from my house) so I've not seen her or the babies yet. Eagerly awaiting pictures though!! Pray that they continue to grow and thrive and will be able to come home by their due date (mid-January). Amy did not end up needing a blood transfusion so that's great and she is scheduled to be released on Tuesday. :) Congrats to Amy & Curtis!

OB appt went well. Weight was down 1lb...totally normal. Blood pressure and urine were fine. I am now measuring behind this week (and last week) but that's a good thing because it means that his head is moving further down into my pelvis...yay! (just causes some presssure!) His heart rate was 159. He was moving around though...hence why it was slightly higher than usual. :)

TMI....

I'm 1cm and 50% thinned out. Still have a soft cervix. Dr. L also "stripped my membranes." I didn't even get a chance to ask him his opinion on this procedure! Guess he isn't against it. Very painful! You have to be somewhat dilated and fairly thinned out for the Doctor to even attempt it so it's not like he is "jumping the gun" or something. It has about a 50/50 success rate in starting contractions within 24ish hours-3 days so we'll see. But I'm assuming since he felt it was a good time to strip me that things may be about ready to go. He said I do need to be patient and he will come when he's ready. It's just hard to wait especially when everything is sore! He said (again) that labor will prolly happen before my next appt but we all know how good his predictions are!

Next appt is December 16th at 3:30pm...so not looking forward to an afternoon appt...greatly increases the odds that the office will be running behind!

I think Dr. L has gotten all of our hopes up...lol! Everything is basically the same for me as far as how I'm feeling...

My lower back is very sore and my lower abdomen is also very sore. Continue to have the "lighting crotch" pain when I stand up or if walking for a long period of time. For those that have never been pregnant....it's something fabulous to look forward to...not! lol! My feet & lower legs are now puffy for most of the day instead of just in the evening (this is a new development which I think I might mention to him at Thursdays appt). Boo...good thing I'm not working right now otherwise having shoes on for long periods would prolly hurt.

I know this is selfish but it would be really nice to have him within the next few days so that I get to spend as much time with him as possible before I start my new job on Feb 21st. Hopefully my body has made even more progress by Thursday's appt. Pray for a smooth, easy delivery and a healthy, happy Austin when the time is right.

No updates to report on yet. Still having lower abdominal pain and lower back pain. The L&D nurse I talked to said it's most likely from my cervix thinning out. We'll keep everyone updated.

OB appt went well. :) Austin's heart rate was 145...so consistent lately! My weight was up 2lbs from my appt 2 weeks ago. Blood pressure was fine. My GBS test came back negative so I don't need antibiotics during labor. Woohoo...one less thing to remember! He said I don't need to take my Brethine anymore for contractions and that the hospital won't stop labor anymore if I do need to go in.

TMI warning ....

I'm 1 cm, 30% thinned out and have a soft cervix. So I've made good & normal progress for how far along I am! Dr. L said Austin's head is very low and that I could deliver anytime now. He predicts within the next 7 days but he, of course, can't see into the future. I hope he's right though!

Next appt December 9th at 8:30am.

Happy Birthday to Andy today!!! :) He's 30!!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday. We were with family the whole day which was nice. :) We had 3 thanksgiving dinners to attend so we certainly had more than enough food to enjoy. It was great seeing a lot of our family.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am very thankful for my loving husband Andy, my awesome, supportive family & friends, being pregnant with my first Austin, my new job, and having a nice cozy home. :) God is great!!

Love all of you!

I have another UTI (2nd one this pregnancy & so far in my life). I have to be on a different antibiotic this time since I'm so close to being full term & the normal one they use can increase jaundice levels in a newborn if taken too close to delivery.  :(

Drink more water peeps (pregnant or not)...even if you think you drink enough...drink more! UTI's cause preterm labor and even mild dehydration causes contractions. Had to have the "lovely" Brethine again last night....in the shot form since I was having a decent amount of contractions on the monitor.

Austin this week. Running out of room! Typically fetuses at 35 weeks weigh between 5 to 5 1/2 pounds and are around 18 inches long. :) Have a great week everyone!

Changing up the blog a tiny bit. :) Started a column to the right that shows pictures of the books that I'm currently reading...from the library so they most likely won't be new releases! If anyone wants reviews on the books I can start posting them. I'll update the list as I finish/start a new book. Wanted to try something that I see in other blogs that I follow.

Talked to my new boss (love being able to say that) and the additional hours she wanted for me got approved so after orientation (6 weeks since I'm an experienced NICU RN) I will be working two night shifts a week! The hours will be 7p-7a...technically 7:30am since we give report at the end of the shift and you don't get paid for your half hour lunch break. As of right now my start date is Feb 21st since that is the hospital wide orientation start date. If it gets cancelled (if they don't have enough new hires to fill it) then the next start date will be March 7th. Kinda hoping Austin is born in mid-Decemberish so that I can get as much maternity leave with him as possible!

OB appt went well this morning. My weight was up 3lbs from last time....but I had my boots on...so who knows how accurate it was! BP was good and urine was negative. Austin's heart rate was 148. :) He did my Group B Strep swab test and I'll know those results at the next appt. If it's positive then I'll get antibiotics during labor. Told him about my mild contractions (?) that I had Tuesday night and that I took my Brethine. He said that as long as it stops after the first dose then I'm ok but to call him/office if it doesn't.

TMI warning:

Austin is head down and Dr. L could feel his head when he checked me...said I was a fingertip dilated and my cervix was medium softened. So basically I am not closed but not quite 1cm yet. The cervix goes from firm to medium to soft. I looked up what a "medium consistency cervix" is and according to the pregnancy website it means that I'm anywhere from 30-50% effaced (thinned out). Dr. L didn't tell me and I forgot to ask! He would know the exact % though. So we are having progress here!!

Here's a link that helps explain things somewhat. Or you can ask me if ya want more info. Click here!

Next appt is December 2nd and then I'll go weekly til he's born!! Sorry if this blog of appointments is a bit detailed ...I just want to have a record of the details of this pregnancy because I know the details of it could fade fast after he's born!

The Nurse Manager at Community North in Indy finally emailed me back! She can offer me slightly less than part time right now and will know if her request for additional hours for me will be approved by Wednesday. The plan is for me to work 2 12 hour shifts (7p-7a) a week (which would be part time). If her request isn't approved then I will be working 1 8hour and 1 12hour shift a week (which is slightly less than part time).

The pay is more than $3/hr more than I was making at Lutheran Hospital for my base pay. The shift differential (since this is a night shift position) is a million times better (well 2x better) than Lutheran too. :) I will start in early March! Yay!!! I can't wait to be back in a Neonatal ICU!

34 weeks today! 6 or less weeks to go and 3-4 (depending on who you ask) weeks til he is considered full term. Crazy!! We have everything ready...as far as I know....lol! His diaper bag is packed and my hospital bag is started but won't be finished til much closer to his due date. :) Going to install the car seat closer to 36-37 weeks.

Been in a cleaning mood lately....which I guess is good! Passes the time and the house stays clean. :) I see the OB on Thursday...looking forward to what he has to say.

I feel like this blog is turning into a "job update" place.    ....Sorry guys!

I talked to the nurse manager at Community North on Monday. We discussed how the part time position would work with me having a newborn, a bit of a drive and school/clinicals. She seemed satisfied although still a little nervous about me making the commitment to drive. Good lord peeps....I don't understand everyones obession with driving. Maybe it's because we moved 3 hours away from 90% of my family so I am used to driving/being in the car? Sorry ....went on a slight tangent there.

Anyways she said she would call me later in the day or Tuesday morning. Well neither happened. I emailed her yesterday morning just asking about the status of the job and kindly letting her know I am still interested.  Nothing. Hmm. I understand that hiring someone is a big decision but I am just confused on what's taking so long.

If it's meant to be then it's meant to be. God is in control as Andy & I have been taught several times.

In other news...Austin is doing well. :) No more L & D visits. Can't wait for Thanksgiving so I can see and spend time with family. Our family is very into the holidays. :) Also can't wait to see my brother and Cassie! Haven't seen my brother since September...and I haven't seen Cassie since my baby shower.

Had a great weekend with my family!! :) We love to shop!

The nurse manager from Community North called & left me a voicemail Friday and wants me to call her tomorow to discuss possible ways the position could work out with me having school/clinicals and traveling. I would so love this job ...but I won't be able to start it til after maternity leave now since Dr. L doesn't want me traveling after 34 weeks. Hmm....I really thought she had decided to go with someone else but I guess I am still "in the running" for the position.

I also have an interview tomorrrow morning with St. Joe Hospital's ER dept here in Fort Wayne.

Austin will be here in 7 weeks or less. Insane! :)

OB appt went well. Austin's heart rate was 138 and he's head down. Dr. L didn't check me this week but probably will at the next appt. Weight was up 0.5lb & he was fine with that.

Also said no traveling after 34 weeks...coming up soon! He wrote me a script for terbutaline (brethine) to take as needed if I have any more contractions before I am full term. It's a drug commonly used for asthma patients to relax their airway but it also relaxes the uterus. Next appt is Nov. 18th. :)

Registering for Spring semester today. Excited to be taking classes that will go towards my NP (even though they will be tough ones)! This semester was just 2 electives.

Happy November (2 days late)! :) Christmas flavors came out yesterday at Starbucks...haven't tried any yet but I bet they will be yummy like every other year!

Andy has a half day today!! Woohoo!! :)

Still no word from Community North Hospital....so I'm assuming she went with someone who was either 1) not pregnant or 2) lived closer. She really made it seem like she was going to hire me after she checked my references. I really hope my former boss didn't say something stupid to her!

32 weeks today! :)

Had a great weekend! I hope you did too!

Saw some friends Friday night, spent time with out of town family on Saturday, and did a little shopping (for breastfeeding stuff) & relaxing today. :) I see the OB on Thursday so watch for a post about how my appt went.

Have a great week everyone!!

Added a poll about guessing Austin's weight to the right side of the blog. I tested it out and you have to "vote" twice basically...pick your answer then click Vote. If it doesn't show up then click the link that says "vote in this poll" and select your answer again. :)

Nothing very significant to report. Austin's head is still quite low so they want me to go to L & D if I have 4 contractions in an hour or if they are 15 minutes apart. Had to see the NP today since my Dr was out of the office for the afternoon. She thinks the pain could be his head pushing down or against my bladder but isn't entirely sure. No strenuous activity for now. She's guessing his weight to be right around 4lbs right now based on feeling his position on the outside. That is right on track with his gestational age so that's good. Also said that Dr. L would check for dilation and where is head is at the next appt. The internal exam I had last night was not fun so I'm glad I didn't have to have it again this afternoon!

I had trace amount of protein in my urine but my blood pressure was ok so they will recheck that again at my regular appt next week on Nov 4th. They check the urine every appt...it's real fun to try not to pee on my hand now since I can't see anything with this belly!!

Prayers that Austin stays put for at least 6 more weeks!

We had a bit of a scare last night. I started having lower abdominal pain that would not go away with laying down so we headed to the ER and were sent up to Labor & Delivery. They hooked me up to the monitor & I had 2 contractions in an hour. The monitor also showed that I had an "irritable uterus" basically meaning that it was tense and "unhappy" about something. Austin was moving most of that time and his heart rate was variable going between 138 up to 160's with my tense uterus/contractions.

I also had (and still have) a fever...they tested me for a UTI and it was negative so they are not sure why I had a fever with no other illness symptoms. They checked me and I'm not dilated and Austin's head is low. Hopefully that means there is less chance of him turning now. I have an appt at 1:45 this afternoon at the office ...I'll update after that if there is anything significant going on.

Baby Shower # 2 with Andy's family went well yesterday. :) Got some more stuff for Austin's room and other necessities. We now have almost everything that goes with his "room decor"...just need the matching hamper which I'm going to get this week/weekend before they sell out!

No word yet from Friday's interview but it's still early.

Looking forward to seeing Abbey, Gracie & baby Gregory on Wednesday!! Also have a fun filled weekend planned!!! :)

Interview went really well yesterday at Community North in Indy. Took me an hour and 45 minutes to get there. I should know early next week I think. :)

Our dresser/changing table combo unit finally got delivered to Babies R Us yesterday so Andy & I picked it up after dinner last night. We also put it together!!! Andy did 90% of the work but I helped by reading the directions and handing him the screws! The lady at the store told us that it came pre-assembled when we ordered it. She must have either been high on something or thinking of another dresser because it was NOT pre-assembled. LOL! But we had fun putting it together.  :) Pictures to come soon!

OB appt went well. Got to hear my results from my 28 week lab draws. My glucose was 115 so I did indeed pass the Glucose Tolerance Test...the cutoff is 140 he said. My hemoglobin from that lab draw was 11 so I don't need to take iron pills. Yay! And of course my syphillis test came back negative.

Austin's heart rate was 138 today. :) He is head down laying on his left side with his butt near the top of my uterus and his legs & feet resting on my right side. Crazy how well the doctor can tell a babys position while you are laying on the exam table! But he still has plenty of room to become breech or transverse (side-lying) if he feels like it according to the Dr.! I'm up 15.5 pounds from my prepregnancy weight...might start taking my shoes off before they weigh me! lol But then again...you are supposed to gain more near the end since that is when the baby gains the most of his/her weight.

Next appt is November 4th. :) Every other week appts in November and then every week in December til he is born!

My unemployment extension was approved. Whew! I've been approved for 20 more weeks (if needed). Just thankful that I can still receive it even though it's 60ish% of what I used to make....lots of misconceptions out there of what unemployment is and where it comes from. Please don't hesitate to ask me questions if you don't understand ...better to ask than assume that I am living off the govt!

Still job searching of course and have an interview on Friday.

No call today from Lutheran's ER nurse manager so I'm assuming that I will not be having the peer interview. Bummer. Maybe Friday's interview in Indy will bring better news. I'm sure God knows exactly what he wants me to do...it's hard to be patient. No word yet on whether my unemployment extension is granted or not. I'll keep ya updated.

In happy news... I see the OB again on Thursday morning. :) I also have the Coak side baby shower on Sunday. :)

Thank you for your continued prayers on my job search.

Please continue to pray that I either am offered a job very soon or that my unemployment extension is granted. I filed for the extension this weekend and it could take up to 21 days before a decision is decided upon.

Community North Hospital (just off of exit 1 in Indy) called me today to set up an interview for a part time nights position in their level 3 NICU. :) It's Oct 22nd @ 1pm. The nurse manager is out of town from tomorrow til the 21st so that is the soonest that I can interview. I would so love to be back in a NICU! Prayers that God leads me to the job that is right for me and our growing family. :)

I had an interview today with Lutheran Hospitals Emergency Department. I think it went well. I shadowed for an hour afterwards and it is a fast paced unit which I think I would like. :) The nurse manager will be calling those that she wants to schedule for a peer interview on Monday. Keep on praying. :)

We ordered our dresser/changing table combo unit tonight at Babies R Us!!!! Saved $75 with my coupons for being a rewards member. :) It should be here in 7-14 days...although the lady said it rarely takes the 14 days. Pictures to come, of course, once it's here and assembled in the nursery!! Then I can finally put away clothes & blankets and set up the lamp and storage basket for diapers! Yay!

Sorry I'm so dorky about baby related items..lol :)

Had our 3D ultrasound this morning! Austin was asleep during 90% of it but did wiggle here and there and open his eyes once! So stubborn! He is head down with his face looking up. Feet up by my right side towards my ribs...his favorite spot. He had his face very close to my placenta...which is just under my belly button (really hinders the picture taking since it's in the front). One arm & hand was up by his cheek and the other was straight down at his side. He is also still a boy! Heart rate was 149.

Austin weighed in at 2lbs 15oz which puts him 1 day ahead on measurements. The tech thinks he has Andy's nose & mouth. But in one or 2 pictures his nose kinda looks like mine. We'll see. :) He does have hair!! He did one little smile/smirk for us at the end. :) Since he was not moving around a whole lot we mostly got half face and feet shots. She did get some 2D shots to somewhat make up for his lack of movement! He is extremely cute!!!! The first picture is the one where he is somewhat smiling. :) Second picture is feet. Third picture is a face shot with his arm/elbow on the left side. :) Enjoy. We have 23 pictures in all ...just wanted to post a few!

I had a fabulous time at my baby shower yesterday!! The whole day went really fast and I loved seeing everyone. Austin got a ton of presents and is so very loved already. :) Tomorrow we get to see him in 3D ...so excited for that!!

No call yet from the OB office so it might be safe to assume that I passed....hmm.. I hope so! Hopefully that also means I'm not anemic (that was one of the other lab draws Tuesday) because I've heard the iron pills can do a number on your stomach!

Got my 28 week labs drawn today. Hope that I pass the glucose test. They said they would call within 1-3 days if I failed it. If I failed...then I have to take the 3 hour test. The drink was not bad at all. Got my Rhogam shot after my labs and that hurt!!

3D ultrasound scheduled for Monday at 9am!! Kind of a bummer that they only do them at 9am because now Andy will have to go into work late. The scheduling lady said they do them before they start their day with other appts since by paying for the elective US you get 30 minutes of time. I hope he's awake for those 30 minutes!!!

28 weeks today...start of my 7th month of pregnancy! Got the Tide Free & Gentle laundry detergent today to start washing his clothes, blankets & bibs soon!!

This semester of classes is going quickly too! My NICU class will be done November 1st (more of an intense review course than an actual class) and then my project for my independent study class is due December 1st. It'll be nice to have all my classwork done before it gets to close to his due date. :) Plus we are busy every weekend now this month ..schedule fills up fast...some of it is just stuff I'm going to but we all know Andy will be watching football every weekend from now til early February. I'll see most of my blog readers in 6 days!!!!

Happy October Everyone! :) Have a great weekend!

Time is moving right along....3 months from today is our due date! Although I am hoping he comes a week early so that I will be home in time for Christmas. :)

Less than 2 weeks til my first baby shower and 4 weeks from today til my second baby shower. Crazy! I hope time slows down a little after he is born!

OB appt went well this morning. My blood pressure was fine. Up 3lbs since my last appt making me up 8lbs total. Belly is measuring on time and Austin's heart rate was 140. :) I will be getting my 28 week labs (3 total lab draws) done sometime during my 28th week (the OB doesn't see you for them...you get them done in the office lab and they call you afterward if you fail the Glucose tolerance test or if you come back anemic). I will also be getting my RhoGam shot at that time since my blood type is O-. Any pregnant woman with a "-" blood type gets the shot. It doesn't have anything to do with the first baby but it will affect subsequent babies. I will have to get a 2nd dose after I deliver ...and then again with each child. Yippee..I'm not a fan of shots! Here is a link to more info on the importance of the RhoGam shot for the non-medical girlies reading this. Click here! 

Also no flu shot for me...he said it was up to me and I don't want to get it since it has the H1N1 in it this year as a combo shot. I will be getting the Pertussis booster soon after I deliver (can't have it while pregnant) while still in the hospital. I recommend everyone else to get theirs also since infants aren't fully protected for quite some time since their vaccines are spread out. It's given as a combination vaccine called the Tdap (tetanus, diptheria and pertussis). The CDC is highly recommending it since it's becoming an epidemic. 9 infants have died so far this year. Some of it is due to the parents who don't vaccinate their children and some of it is due to the fact that some adults don't realize that not all vaccines last forever and they therefore inadvertantly give it to a baby. It's very very serious if an infant catches this ...an adult probably won't be hospitalized for it or even think of it as much more than a bad cold but a infant will likely spend a good chunk of time in the Pediatric ICU for it. So if it's been more than 7-10 years since you had yours...please get it to protect Austin and other infants in your life.

Next OB appt is October 21. After that I get to start going every 2 weeks. Time is really going to start flying then!!!

I'll let ya know if I pass my GTT (and what that drink tastes like :( ) after I get my labs drawn sometime between Oct. 4-8th.

Cleaned almost my entire house and threw away/put away a bunch of clutter! Thanks pregnancy hormones/nesting hormones! :) Check out the pictures of Austin's nursery so far on facebook. Can't wait til we can finish it!

Working a little bit on Austin's nursery today. Wanted to buy some of the stuff since his specific sports theme is going away in stores soon. Pictures to come...most likely on facebook.

We are installing his light switch cover (from BRU), curtain rod with cute baseball ends (from BRU), and a window valence that I found at Target in the toddler/young boys bedding aisle.

His aunt Cassie and uncle Alan got him a frameless picture frame that holds 5 pictures and has baby words in blue lettering on it...not sure where we will hang it quite yet but it'll go in his room also! They are bringing it when they come home to Fort Wayne again.

I think we have a night owl on our hands. Austin has been most active from midnight to 2am all week so far! Oh well...I love feeling him move!

And....100 days (or less) to go!

Andy had a half day today so we went out to lunch..and to Babies R Us..which is actually quite a shocker since he's been there with me recently and claims he does not need to go as often as me! lol :)

Anyways he also shocked me when he said we could get some stuff for Austin's room. So we were practical and got his mattress cover and one sheet. We also got his "A" to hang on the wall. :) Exciting!

But we did leave the store bummed...we were looking at the other little boutique sports collection stuff that matches his sheets and didn't see a few of the items..so we asked one of the workers about whether they had more in the back or if they would be getting them in soon. She said "the little boutique sports stuff is being discontinued after each store sells out of it." The outer space line is going to be the little boutique option for boys for the next few months. Grrr!

Most of it is still in the Fort Wayne store...the growth chart, basket (to hold diapers & wipes), decorative shelf, etc. But a pro does come out of this long rambling story....maybe when people are shopping for Austin they will see all this stuff on sale and be more willing to get it! :) Not sure exactly when the stuff will start getting marked down. The lady didn't know.

This is a good frame of reference for Austin's size this week. :) This picture also shows a woman with an anterior placenta like me!

Finalized our pediatrician decision today. Yay for us! :)

Hard to believe we have 16 or less weeks left. I feel like I was just 16 weeks pregnant yesterday! Nothing new going on with us. Just waiting on potential jobs to call. Classes are going well. :) Next OB appt is September 23 @ 9:30am.

Happy Labor Day to all! :) Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend. :) I had a great time with the girls on Friday night and then spent a good chunk of Saturday shopping/walking the mall & Target with my Mom. :)

Happy September Everyone!

I applied for 2 NICU jobs at Community North today which is at exit 1 off of I69....prayers please.

Classes are going well...not really doing anything yet for my independent study one...still waiting on my advisor to give me a game plan.

Very excited to be a bridesmaid in a friends upcoming wedding in June 2011!

Survery Time:

How far along? 23 weeks 1 day

Weight gain/loss: up 5lbs from prepregnancy weight

Maternity clothes? Yes indeed....thinking that I need to start a maternity fashion line...a lot of it is so blah and so many solid colors

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep? It's ok....he does most of his "exercising" between 8pm-midnight then I get up at least twice to pee. Oh well...its worth it!

Best moment this week? This week just started so I'll go with last week when we got to see him yawn on ultrasound!

Food cravings: anything chocolate :) still love strawberries too

Gender: Boy

Belly button in or out? half in but very flat as the day goes on

Movement? Yes indeed :)

What I miss? my prepregnancy jeans/clothes

What I'm looking forward to: my baby showers in October!

Today marks viability day for Baby Boy Austin! If they were unable to stop my labor and he was born today (or any day after) the NICU team would do everything possible to save him now. :) Very important milestone for us. :)

Andy finally got brave enough to keep his hand on my belly last night. Austin responded by kicking him so hard that Andy jerked his hand away! lol :) So fun!

We have 10 pics total....facebook is not wanting to upload them for some reason so here's one for you to view! Come see me for the rest!

Baby Coak is a boy!! Austin Jacob. He measured 1 lb 3 oz today which is the 48th percentile for his age. Everything measured great and he was head down and facing the ultrasound machine. (so he was laying on his side more or less) I'm sure he will do a lot more moving around before birth though!

Last week his feet were kicking the left side of me and then yesterday and today hes been kicking the right side of me. I do have a anterior placenta ...meaning that its in the front instead of the side or back. Completely normal but since hes so small I only feel movement on my sides and down low. As he grows he will be bigger than the placenta (thats what the doc said) so then I will feel more movements.

Our favorite moment today during the ultrasound was when he yawned really big. We were in the right spot at the right time to see it from start to finish. So Cute! It was near the end so he must have been getting tired of being the center of attention!

I think the baby is just as excited as me to be seen on ultrasound today! Every time I woke up last night he/she was moving. Baby kicked Lacy last night too when she was laying up against me...guess she better get used to that! :)

The big ultrasound is in less than 48 hours! Please pray that everything looks good (we do have some things that run in my family) and that baby cooperates in showing the gender. :)

Just applied for 3 NICU jobs at St. Vincent Women's Hospital in Indianapolis.

PRAYERS PLEASE! I NEED a job! Thanks!

Heartburn!!!!!! ...is no fun!

Countdown to all things Fall related is on! Bath & Body Works now has their fall scented candles, hand soaps, body washes, etc out. Pumpkin spice latte is coming the first week of September to Starbucks! Most stores already have their fall clothing lines out. Bring on the cooler weather and yummy scents!! :)

~Grandma is out of the hospital now and is staying with my parents for a few days before returning to her apartment here in Fort Wayne. :)

~One more week til our ultrasound/OB appt!

~Good potential job lead from a friend who I used to work with at Lutheran. It's in Lima, OH. I'll keep ya updated.

~Classes start on Monday! I LOVE school...yes I'm a dork. :)

Here is a book I am currently reading from the library. It's about trusting yourself and your instincts and not necessarily buying into what every parenting expert says. The author is also the editor in chief of babble.com

9 more days til the ultrasound!!!! :)

Grandma was moved to a regular room on Saturday. :)

She is walking around much more now. Still has the chest tubes since there seems to still be a lot of fluid. She is expected to be home by the end of the week. External pacer is off. Still checking blood sugars and getting insulin shots.

This pregnancy is over half done now! Less than 2 months til my baby shower! :)

Update:

Grandma didn't get to move to the step down unit because she still has her chest tubes. She is also in an irregular heart rhythm (atrial fib for the nurses reading this) but it is controlled. She is up and walking (yesterday and today) with cardiac rehab helping her with a walker.

The doctor (an electrophysiologist--how would you like that for your title?!) has decided that Grandma does not need an internal pacemaker placed at this time. That's great news! Her oxygen got turned down from 4 liters to 3 liters yesterday and she is now off of IV fluids. Chest tubes are still there and the external pacemaker is still there. She is expected to move to the step down unit today.

Grandma's surgery went as planned with no complications during surgery. They were able to repair the 2 valves and did not need to replace them. She came off the ventilator yesterday morning and is on nasal cannula O2. She also has 2 chest tubes.

She is still having some issues with low blood pressure and high blood sugar. The doctors have her on an external pacemaker and think that another surgery to place a pacemaker may be necessary. We will know by Friday. She is still in ICU as of tonight and may be moved to the step down unit tomorrow depending on her blood pressure.

I did not get the job at Ball Memorial that I interviewed for last week. According to my "job application status" on their website ...it appears that the nurse managers for the oncology unit and the pre/post op unit are reviewing my application & resume that I filled out a couple days ago for those 2 positions so I may get called for a interview for those units.

My interview at Clarian West for the level 2 NICU went well on Wednesday. It is a bit farther (more than 2 hrs) than I would like to drive but if they offer me the job I will take it. I should know about that one within the next 8 or so days.

Prayers needed today for my Grandma who is undergoing open heart surgery this morning at Lutheran Hospital. Pray for a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery. This was a planned surgery and she is excepted to be in the hospital for about 10 days.

So...my daily headaches that I've since about week 10-11 are still present. At my last appt my OB just said to continue taking the tylenol every day and keep him updated. For the last 4ish days I've also had left eye twitching with some "stars". I decided to place a call in to my doctors office yesterday about the new correlation.

Talked to the phone nurse who said she would talk to my OB. Well he wasn't in the office yesterday so they called me back today. He thinks the eye twitching is most likely nerve damage from the frequent headaches.

So for now I am supposed to try Darvocet (as needed) to help control the headaches so the nerve(s) can heal. Luckily that script wasn't to expensive! But now my baby is probably gonna be sleepy after I take this new medicine!

Still on daily zofran too...I try to take a break from it but it's near impossible to function without it! My kitchen counter is starting to look like a pharmacy with 2 meds, prenatal vitamins, dha supplements and the extra calcium.

That's ok though. Whatever we need to do to keep this baby (and momma) safe.

I was supposed to have an interview at Clarian West today for their level 2 NICU but the nurse manager had to cancel. :( It will be rescheduled for next week...just waiting on the day/time.

I have an interview this Wednesday morning at Ball Memorial in Muncie for a part time nights position on the Progressive Care Unit...its an adult unit.

Prayers that I get offered a job soon or more interviews. Trying to wait patiently for God's plan.

Decided to take classes this fall to occupy my time ...and of course learn new things. :) Those start Aug 23rd and both are online. Have to take 4credits to be eligble for loans (might be using some of the "leftover" loan $ for baby expenses) and to be a graduate student. One class is 3cr and the other is 1cr. The 3cr hour class will actually be done Nov 1st so that will be super nice in case Baby Coak arrives in early December.

This is what we are listening to this afternoon now that babys hearing is much better this week. :)

Ouch!

That is how I've been feeling allll morning. Lower abdominal pain and low back pain. This baby needs to take a break on its "growth spurt".

I did my reading a day early today (since I don't feel like doing much else) from my 2 pregnancy books and the one mentioned that if you are measuring ahead during this timeframe (I am --by a week) that it could indicate that the baby has hydrocephalus. Ok...enough reading for now.

Had another OB appt today. Still have been having pain off and on so they sent my urine off to be checked for a UTI again just to be sure. Dr.  L also checked my cervix (b/c of the pain issue) and it is still closed and long (normal). He said to keep calling if I have continue to have issues.

Checked the babys heart rate with the doppler and it was ranging between 146 to 152. He said he/she was moving around. :) Blood pressure was better than it was Sunday night...110/70 today.

I also gained 1.5 pounds since my last appt and that is all I've gained total for this pregnancy. He said he was ok with it as long as I am measuring fine....and...I am measuring a week ahead. He's not changing my due date though since I can measure ahead at one appt and be right on track at the next one.

Ultrasound (and next appt) to measure baby and find out the gender is tentatively scheduled for August 26th at 3pm. Andy is trying to get that afternoon off so the appt could change to a different day that week depending on Andy's work schedule. :)

Had our first baby related scare tonight.

I've been having lower abdominal pain since late last night that was mostly unrelieved with water and rest. About 6:30pm tonight I decided to call the after hours number for my doctors office. I explained what was happening and instead of having me talk to the nurse she connected me with the on call OB. Yikes!

He decided that I should be safe and just go to Dupont and get checked out. So off we went. Got to the ER and they decided that I was far enough along that they would rather me go to OB so upstairs they took me to OB triage. They had me pee in cup to send to the lab to see if I had a UTI. Then they found the baby's heartbeat right away with the doppler. :) 150 tonight. Took my blood pressure...which was high for me so I'll be mentioning it at my appt on Thursday and left me alone while they waited on the lab results. Turns out I didn't have a UTI which was good. The OB nurse then checked my cervix (ouch-pressure!) and said I was not dilated..whew! She said it is just growing pain and will happen whenever the baby is going through a growth spurt. So back home we went. :) We were in and out in about an hour. Very happy that everything is ok.

Better to be safe than sorry they kept saying.

Quick vent of the day:  (don't read if you don't want to...it is a bit immature but I had to get it out!)

Kelly is having her ultrasound next week to find out if the baby is a boy or girl...she will be 18weeks. We go to the exact same practice but see different doctors. Why do I have to wait til 22 weeks (like my doctor requested) and she gets to find out next week??!! I think I'm the only one who has to wait past 20 weeks...almost everyone I've talked to finds out in the 18-20 week range.

Her pregnancy just strikes a nerve with me for some reason and I am happy for her but they've copied us on everything. Got married less than 3 months after us, picked the same bedroom furniture as us, got pregnant right after us (after trying for 2-3weeks) and are now due 5 days after me! At least we don't have the same taste in baby names! Good lord!

Sorry that I sound like a spoiled brat! If this were a friend who was due at the same time I would be overjoyed and excited to share it but I think since its family I am just being a brat...so sorry to be so cranky but Andy completely does not understand why this all annoys me.

But on a completely happy note....baby has been kicking me! I swear to god he/she is even though Andy thinks I'm crazy! Also saw on thebump.com someone talking about a onesie that says "Doctor,  not Diva" ...gotta find it and buy it if we are having a girl!

Some have been wondering what our travel system looks like so I'm posting a picture of it since it's not on the registry anymore since we bought it a month or so ago. :) We went with a travel system since you save $60 (with this brand) by buying the pieces together instead of separately...the only con is there are limited colors that way. The brand is the highest in safety ratings also. :) We got it so soon because I watch the sales like a hawk! ..plus I had additional coupons to use on it. Love Babies R Us...those who say it's expensive must not have the free rewards R us card/coupon thing that goes on your keychain! Oh and..Please Vote in the poll on the right!

Sorry for the lack of blogging this week. I've just been depressed/stressed/frustrated for multiple reasons. Don't want to bring everybody down with my bad moods!

Baby Coak has been baking for 4 months now! :)

Pictures of our nursery furniture that we want. :) We don't have enough room in that tiny bedroom for both a changing table and a dresser so we are going with a combo unit. :) Both pieces are from the same collection and have a cherry finish...which we didn't think we would like so we stayed away from it at first! We haven't bought either piece yet. The crib is a sleigh crib (the ends are rounded/slanted) which gives it a unique look since most cribs just have straight ends. (and no that is not the bedding we picked for a girl)

Stole this survey from blogs that I follow of girls that are on thebump.com


Pregnancy: almost 15 weeks

Weight Gain: zero..had lost weight between the 6 week and 10 week appt but am now back to where I started ...and yes Dr.L said that is perfectly fine as long as the belly measures the right amount of centimeters for that week

Sleep: not so great...up every 2-3ish hours

Gender: not sure yet

Name: Giselle Grace or Austin Jacob

Feeling: still nauseous in the evening; headaches several times a week

Cravings: not really...eating a lot of strawberries

Health: good :)

Movement: I havent felt any yet...Dr. L said I should start feeling him/her around 18-22 wks

Belly: measuring exactly on schedule

Current Medications: Zofran, prenatal vitamin, and DHA supplement for brain & eyes

Next Appointment: July 29th

I fixed the poll! Go vote!



edited to add: thought it was fixed...it worked once and now its not. Try and see.

www.Listia.com

Give stuff away for free and in return bid (for free) for something you want. Very similar to ebay.

http://www.listia.com/signup/120738

Baby's heart rate was 154 today on the doppler. :) Belly is measuring on track.

Thought I might be able to find out the gender at the next appt but Dr.L (and most of the other docs in the office) don't do the anatomy (organ/bone measurements) & gender ultrasound til 22-24 weeks. He said he may do a quick US if he has time at my next appt which will be 18w4d to find out the gender but it would be too early to do the other measurements. Otherwise we won't know til the end of August. Crazy!

Next appt is July 29th.

3 1/2 months down... :) 26 or less weeks to go!

Updates:
~no new news on the job front
~all day sickness has passed...usually just been nauseous in the evening
~my grandma is moving back to Fort Wayne this weekend

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer....why are we getting all this rain?!?

Surgery tech called and said Lacy's surgery went well. :) She is still sleeping and I'll be able to go get her in a couple hours. Yay! Thank you God.

Lacy is having surgery today to remove 3 small tumors on her skin. They are not cancerous but they need to come off. Please keep her in your prayers. She will also have sutures that will need to come out in 10-14 days. Can't wait to have my girl back home with me!

Happy Father's Day!

Got my dress for Alan & Cassie's wedding as one of my birthday presents from my parents! :) It's very cute!

Guess I'm not quite in the clear yet. Last night was rough right around 9-10pm and then today has not been easy. I'm out of Zofran and awaiting the doc to fax in another refill. :(

Dare I say that the all day sickness is starting to pass?! I felt good for most of yesterday and I feel good right now. Evening time was still a struggle last night but I think the end is in sight!

Finally got the final word from St. Vincent. They decided to not hire me. Bummer.

I did apply for a NICU job at Clarian North which is in Carmel...so not quite as far as Indy. That would be great to get back in the NICU. I also applied for 2 pediatric jobs at Dupont.

Please continue to pray that I get something!

Got 2 rejection emails from Dupont for 2 of the L & D positions I applied for. Only one spot left. Will I get it? Will I ever get a job?

Less than 200 days to go now!! :)

Sorry for the lack of blogging...not a whole lot is happening right now.

My grandma did have a cardiac cath today which went well and she will be having another test next week. Prayers that the doctors are able to gather enough information to decide what to do.

Head is on the left (bigger round part) with the body next to it. Double click the picture to make it bigger. I have a horrible time with my scanner...

Sorry it's not a clear picture. Would have been better if it was a internal one since the baby is still so small but they were just doing a quick sweep over my belly to catch the heart rate.

My appointment today went well. The actual appt was fast but the waiting took a lil bit since the Dr was at a surgery...so I elected to just see the nurse practitioner. Baby wouldn't cooperate for the doppler so they squeezed me in for a very quick ultrasound. Heart rate was 165. Also got a fairly fuzzy picture but you can tell where the head and body are though.

Next appt is July 1st and should be short and sweet as long as they can hear the heart beat with the doppler.

2 days til my next OB appt. :) and...20 days til my birthday!

Still no word from Dupont or St. V's. Continue to pray that a job comes my way soon. :)

Happy Memorial Day! Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend. :)

Make a pregnancy ticker

Found yet another ticker...can I have all 3?

Dupont interview went well. She's hoping to have a decision within the next 2 weeks.

Got my response from the CEO. My termination still stands.

Had my court hearing today for my unemployment. My former nurse manager changed some parts of her story and backpedaled a lot. You can tell she's extremely inexperienced with being a manager. The judge was getting super annoyed so hopefully he will rule in my favor. He said he will mail his decision within the next 2 weeks.


.....just wish I could scream and yell and throw a tantrum like a small child who isn't getting her way.

Lacy's vet called back today with the pathology report. The bumps are indeed histocytomas. So they are benign and we just will be watching them for now. If they stay for too long or get bigger she wants to get them removed. Glad that it's nothing serious.

Called HR this morning for an update....got the voicemail for the lady I've been working with on this process. That was a few hours ago...still waiting for a return call. Maybe I just try to track down the CEO's secretary...

Still nothing from the CEO....I think the HR lady feels bad when she calls me to give me updates...it's always the same..."hopefully by tomorrow." She said she told him today to keep her updated as soon as he knew anything.

I have a interview on Wednesday at Dupont for a labor & delivery position! Yay! It's not NICU but it'll do for now plus it's super super close to our house!

Had to take Lacy to the vet today...she has 3 bumps on her body. They weren't doing anything until last night when one of them started bleeding! Yikes! The vet thinks they are histocytomas. She's not a 100% sure so she drew off some fluid from one and is sending it to a pathologist. These are almost always benign but she wanted to cover all her bases. She's also on a antibiotic for 2 weeks now. This is good preparation for children! First a bee sting on the nose...then pink eye...now this.

One month ago today we found out we were pregnant! :) Time flies!

Still (im)patiently waiting for a job to call for an interview or an offer.

Still waiting on HR or the CEO of Lutheran to get back with me on his response to my letter as part of the grievance process. This part is getting a bit ridiculous since he was supposed to have a 5 day time limit.

My hearing is May 27th at 1pm to fight for my unemployment. Prayers please!

Nothing much to report on.

Dr. L finally let me have a script for Zofran. He wanted me to try a bazillion other things first to see if that would help...and cuz this drug can be kinda pricey. It wasn't too bad though. $17 for 12 pills. Maybe...just maybe I won't need to refill it more than one time. :) 4 weeks left of 1st tri...hopefully the light is at the end of the tunnel!

Vacation went well! :) Andy & I were able to celebrate our 2 year anniversary while we were there too! :)

Baby Coak is still continuing to make me nauseous for the better part of the day. It is significantly worse in the evening. Looking forward to feeling better!

No new news on the job front. 2 out of the 3 jobs that I applied for at St. Vincent are still open so that's a good sign. One of the NICU jobs that I applied to at Dupont is still open so that's good too. Hopefully someone calls me soon!

I mailed my appeal for my denied unemployment and hope to get my court date in a few weeks. Odds are on my side from what I hear.

Still waiting on the CEO of Lutheran to set up a meeting with me for step 3 of the grievance...HR called me today and said he is still not ready to meet with me or make a decision. She's hoping to give me an answer tomorrow or Monday.

I think that's all the updates that I have!

I added a new ticker to better explain the size of the baby. :)

I'll update again after vacation! We will be home Wednesday evening.

Baby's heartrate was 120 today. That's good. He/she is measuring smaller than my previous dates so Dr. L changed my due date to December 26th. Might be in the hospital for Christmas if this baby comes on time. I go back again on June 3rd.

Dupont Hospital just posted 2 part time NICU positions! Yay! Maybe I'll get one of them!

The nausea has set in. :(

It started Friday night and has not really let up. It is waaay worse if I haven't eaten in a while. No puking yet but I feel like crap! I know it'll all be worth it in the end...but I am a wimp!

No word yet from St Vincent or any other potential job.

Another doctor's appt & ultrasound on Thursday to see if we can see or hear the heartbeat yet. Hopefully everything will continue to look good. :)

So...my life just got a bit more complicated.

It's unlikely that my unemployment will get approved. FINALLY got to talk to a real person today after trying several times this week. They said there is a 6-8 week period of time where they determine if they can approve you or deny you if you are fired. The lady said that since the hospital had a good reason to fire me that I most likely will get denied but she couldn't say for sure.

Sooo..I've already been waiting for 3 weeks since I filed the day after I got fired. I asked her what to do in the meantime while I was waiting and she said "well honey just get a job". Oh yes...why didn't I think of that?! You retarded lady!

Everything looks good. :) There wasn't too much to see on the ultrasound. The tech saw the gestational sac and the yolk sac. Dr. L thinks I ovulated late and that's why we couldn't hear a heartbeat today. So I will go back in one week for another ultrasound. So we get to see the baby right before vacation! :)

I survived the blood draws....4 vials! The nurse said that's the most that they will have to draw for the whole pregnancy and if everything goes well I won't need more blood drawn until around 28 weeks for the gestational diabetes screening.

Dr.L may also push my due date back by 5 days or so depending on how big the baby is on the next ultrasound.

We have our first appointment tomorrow. Say a special prayer that everything looks good. :) ...and that I don't faint during the blood draw!

There is certainly something in the water in Indiana. :)

Another friend (from Lutheran) just told me today that she is due in October. That makes 3 girlies that I know due in October. Our baby will have 3 new playmates by the end of the year! Wouldn't it be wild if they were all the same gender?!

So we have some exciting news to finally announce!!

I am Pregnant!! :) We found out April 19th. :) We told my parents, Alan & Cassie tonight. Of course they are excited!! We are telling Andy's family on Friday night.

Our first doctor's appt is this Thursday morning. :) I am due December 17th (tentatively).

Please don't say anything on Facebook just yet because Andy's sisters are on there and I don't want them to find out that way.

My interview went very well. They said it could be a few weeks before they decide since there are still a high number of applicants to interview. Let the waiting games begin! Took 2 hours and 4 minutes to get there...that was with stopping for gas and going through 2 construction zones....usually does not take that long!

It's hard to take a break from blogging...so I'm back but only with limited news.

I had my meeting with the chief of nursing today. A member from HR was also present. I did not get my job back. :( She even had the compliance officier talk to me. I'm moving on to the next step of the grievance process which is the CEO. I have little faith that I'll get my job back at this point.

Our new washer came today! Yay for that!

I have my interview at St. Vincent Women's tomorrow morning at 11am. Going to be a long day ...about 4 hours of driving total for a 30 minute or less interview! Maybe I'll eat lunch in Indy before I make the trip back home!

Going to be taking a break from the blog for a lil bit....stay tuned. :)

3 days of Provera down and no signs of my period yet. I feel like sometimes this blog keeps everyone intimately updated with my body! Sorry about that!

In other news our washer, of course, took a crap this past week. It died during a load of towels. We had Andy's friend Joe, who is a appliance repair man, come out and look at it on Saturday afternoon. He determined that the motor was dead and it would be better if we just got a new washer. So off to Lowe's we went yesterday to get a somewhat cheap washer that we would be ok with leaving in the house after we move. Just had to happen after I lost my job. The downside is that the washer can't be delivered til Thursday. So much for their marketing of "next day delivery."

Less than 3 weeks til vacation now. :)

Finally got "Step 1" of the grievance report back today from HR at Lutheran. My boss is still standing by her decision to terminate me. So now I will move on to either her boss or the nursing officer. Please continue to pray that God will let me know his plan for my job situation soon. :)

3 posts in one day so far...geeze! Sorry!

Here is a picture of the perfect girl's room!

Got the Provera. Starting it tonight. The script is for 5 days but my period could start before the end of the 5 days.

Enjoy the beautiful day!

I can't sleep! Not sure why...I'm yawning like crazy but I have so much on my mind.

Emailed my doctors nurse through the patient portal on the WHA website tonight to see if I could get a prescription for Provera soon to end this potentially long cycle. Last time I took it he only made me wait 36 days...but I've had cycles as long as 48 says so we'll see. I'm rambling now! Sorry!

I hope my interview goes well and that they offer me the job plus a sign on bonus. :) I want to get some more money saved up for potential fertility treatments.

Interview with St. Vincent Women's Hospital on Friday April 23rd at 11am. Wish me luck! This would be for a position in their 75 bed NICU.

Another negative pregnancy test this morning.

****Be forewarned. This blog entry is not short and not happy. Read at your discretion.****


I'm so angry at so many things and situations in my life.

1) My infertility is a big one. I'm so frustrated that we can't move forward with meds and/or treatments right now. I HATE the forced break from medications. This cycle is inching very close to 36 days meaning that it's a non-ovulatory cycle. Basically another waste of a cycle.

If we don't get pregnant soon then I really think it's going to hinder how many children we have. I don't want to be a old mother. Yes I freaking already know that 24 is not old. But if I get pregnant with the next cycle I'll be 25 when that baby is born. OB's almost exclusively recommend not getting pregnant before the first child is a year old due to the high risk of preterm delivery and complications with the uterus. So that will put me at 26...with the second child being delivered when I'm 27. That's if it all goes right. Then you gotta factor in that 90% of your eggs are gone by the time you are 30 years old.

I also HATE when people tell me to "just relax"...ok ..how about you go through the unknown with people telling you left and right that all you need to do is 1)relax, 2)go on vacation, and 3)focus on other things. I've been told all that and much more. There are very few close to me that even understand how difficult this is. Those that say that God has a plan....are making me think they are off their rocker. What God chooses to deny a child to responsible, educated, married couples? Get back with me when you have the answer to that one.

2) My job loss is obviously another thing that I am angry about. The whole situation is just freaking ridiculous. My stupid boss has yet to get back with me. It will be 7 days tomorrow since I gave her the grievance report. She had a 5 day mandatory time limit to respond. She either doesn't care or can't read. If I am offered my job back I will probably have to go back to nights since I would be "starting over." That fact really doesn't even bother me. Never in a million years did I think I would get fired from the job that I was born to do.

3) Money. This probably doesn't need an explanation. Money has a hand in every decision we make as a human. It has the power to prevent you from doing something and at the same time has the power to allow you to do something. All of the money that we have saved for our next house that we hope to build is about to go completely out the window if I can't get a job asap. That is depressing.

4) I am also intermittently angry with Andy because I just want to move forward with trying to get pregnant and he is insisting on this 4 month break. He believes we will get pregnant on our own. I think he is delusional sometimes. I'm the one who has done the research and has seen the ultrasounds showing that my left ovary is not functioning and the right one barely gave a good response with the highest dose of medication. Maybe I should have made him come with me to 5 ultrasounds, 4 visits with the OB, and 2 shots. Oh and maybe I could have somehow let him experience the ovulation pain, the side effects of the Clomid, and the agony of waiting to test and finding out it's negative. Guys have it a thousand times easier.

Sorry if I offended anyone or gave too much information. My life is not easy right now and I HATE not knowing what's going to happen.

Contemplating going back to school to finish my NNP degree. If I do I would graduate in May of 2012 ...due to me taking this semester off it complicates things since some classes are only offered at certain times.

I might not even be able to start again until January (due to class availability)...there's a possiblity that I could take a class this summer but I'm not sure since there's a certain order that you must do things...I think that rings true for most degrees! I've emailed my advisor to ask her but I might end up calling her tomorrow.

Also talked to the nurse recruiter at St. Vincent. She had already sent my application to the nurse manager in the NICU so that's a good sign!

If I do go back to school and end up pregnant that will throw an additional wrench into the plans but I think I could handle it all. :)

Lots of prayers please.

Negative pregnancy test and still no period. What is wrong with me?

Nothing new to report on today.

Still playing the waiting game with both my body and my job.

Luckily my boss is only allowed 5 days or less to respond to my grievance report so I should hear an answer on that soon. If it's not the right answer (getting my job back) then I will move on to the next step in the chain of command. There's up to 6 steps.

So for now...we just sit and wait.

Negative pregnancy test today.

Not surprised (but still sad) since we don't know when or even if I ovulated. My period has also not shown its ugly face yet either so I'll test again in a few days depending on what happens.

I found out this morning that I qualify for unemployment.

It will be roughly 2/3 of what my normal paycheck would be. That's better than $0 though.

I also applied for 4 jobs today. Anxiety level is getting kind of high right now.

Testing tomorrow. It is probably an insane thing to say...but I really do hope that I am pregnant. Even with my job loss. I know we can figure it all out.

Andy has already been re-working the budget and we have money in savings to hopefully tide us over til I either get my job back or find other employment. I also filed for umemployment...I hate feeling like a statistic...I am now one of the many that is jobless. :(

For those that don't already know...I got fired yesterday!

Very long story but has to do with the comment/post that I had on facebook at the end of February about a work situation and a father that threatened me. Well my boss had a mtg with me a couple days after that incident to remind me that I can't discuss work and potentially patient identifying information in the public and I said ok and signed a paper that said I understood. She told me that she would forward it to the corporate compliance officer.

Fast forward to yesterday. I got called out of work to go down to HR. When I get there my boss, her boss, HR and a rep from corporate is there. They explained that they had to fire me because there was the potential that someone could link that bipolar dad to a specific name/family in our unit. They say that's a HIPAA violation. So no written warning, suspension, time off without pay...nothing in the usual discipline command!

I told them that I never listed name, gender, date of birth or room number so I did not understand how it could be a violation of privacy.

They didnt care. They said I could file a grievance report so I did take the paperwork for that.

They also fired another girl in our unit for "too many absences". I think corporate is just trying to make cuts any way they can. :(

PLEASE DONT SAY ANYTHING ON FACEBOOK OR MYSPACE ABOUT ME LOSING MY JOB OR ANYTHING RELATED TO LUTHERAN HOSPITAL ...doing so could hinder me getting my job back since there is an inside person reporting everything to my (former) boss!

Please pray that I either get my job back or get another one very soon!

"It's hard to wait around for something you know may never happen, but it's even harder when you know it's everything you want."

This quote fits us.

So frustrated with things not going as planned.

I really hope this cycle works or I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Life is not fair that's for sure.

Hope everyone is enjoying Good Friday. Have a great Easter and remember to give thanks to the Lord who died for your sins. Easter is not about eating chocolate bunnies!

Possibly 9 more days til testing?!

That would be nice to know one way or the other that soon. It's unlikely though that I'll have another 29 day cycle. I've read in a few places that most women go back to longer cycles after taking fertility meds.

I've been praying hard though so maybe just maybe God has it in his plan for me to get pregnant with this cycle. Tomorrow will mark 8 months of trying to get pregnant. :(

The spare room is finished. :) The color is macaroon cream. It seems very bright in there now compared to the purple color that it was before. Can't wait to start actually decorating it...if ya know what I mean. We are going to be getting a fabric window shade very soon to cover the window.

Two of our flowers we planted last summer are blooming now. :) The ones that haven't bloomed yet are starting to come through the mulch! Yay for warm temperatures coming our way this weekend!

Negatives for Sunday & Monday. $25 down the drain!

Our spare room is almost done being painted. Kerry didn't start on it til yesterday and she will be finishing it tonight.

Work is starting to slow down again. We are down to 13 babies. Really hope we don't have to start floating again to peds and picu! Seems like RSV season should be about over so maybe they won't be needing us.

Negatives for Friday and Saturday on the ovulation predictor kit. Depressing! Maybe I just missed my LH surge...who knows.

Another stinkin' negative result. But that's ok....if I have another 29 day cycle like I did the past 2 cycles then I should ovulate on Friday. We'll see.

Only working 4 hours today...scheduling committee moved around some of my hours. Hopefully I'll be able to get the rest of the spare room cleaned out. That room is finally getting painted on Saturday!!

Updates...

Tuesday morning: ovulation predictor stick negative.

Tuesday evening: Lacy's obedience class went well. She had a issue with barking/growling at dogs. I didn't take it as a mean bark ...just a "who are you?!" but the trainer said I should not allow her to bark/growl at other dogs.

She did well with sitting on command (she's been doing that since she was a small puppy). We also worked on recall (coming when called), heeling on a leash and sit/stay. She was a good girl. :)

Wednesday morning: another negative stick.

Looking forward to the warmer weather and losing some more of the fertility medication induced weight gain!

The Healthcare Reform Bill passed into legislation.

This totally sucks for the working men & women. Those who currently have health insurance through their employer are going to be taxed more to help pay for those who don't/won't work!

It is also going to change the way some states treat infertility. Lovely! :(

Welcome to the USSA -- United Socialist States of America.

Planning to start using an ovulation predictor kit (for 7 days) starting Tuesday. Hopefully this one works. When I used them in the very beginning before the fertility meds I never got a positive. Kinda depressing.

Today went much, much better at work.

Got to admit a super critical baby around 6am and it was a one on one all day. I love the challenging critical tiny babies! :)

Only downside is I only got to pee once early in the morning and never got to eat lunch. Oh well. I LOVE my job! We are up to 14 babies now!

The first night of obedience training went well last night. I didn't bring Lacy with me...the first night is just for the owners. I like the trainer so far...she seems knowledgeable and nice. :)

Today is going to suck! I've been in pediatrics since 3am and I'm supposed to be here all day ...til 3:30pm. I HATE floating!!!!

We either need more babies or they need less kids! We have 11 babies....pray for no more floating because no one likes it. It's so overwhelming and loud on day shift!

This weekend has went by quickly! I didn't do a whole lot but that's ok. :)

Lacy's obedience classes start this week and I'm looking forward to that.

Also trying to focus on enjoying this process more...and really hoping that I don't drive myself crazy not knowing what's going on with my ovaries since I won't be monitored this cycle.

Ticker above....no other words.

So very depressed.

Tested this morning before Andy went to work so that he could be here during. It was negative...ugly mean tests!

Went back to sleep and woke up an hour later with horrible stomach pain that made me feel like I was going to throw up. That lasted about 15 minutes then I started feeling better. I'm taking that to mean that my stupid period is on its way. :(

Why me? What did I do to deserve this???

I'll keep ya updated. If my period doesn't come by tomorrow night then I'll test again Saturday.

Lost some self-control and tested yesterday when I got home from work....negative. Of course.

Really hope that doesn't mean I'm out for this cycle!

Still sick also. :(

Sooo sleepy here at work. :( This 3am-3pm is going to take some getting used to.

My throat has been sore for 2 days now...hoping that it doesn't turn into anything!

Andy and I got our patio furniture this past Sunday. :) We also got 3 more storage bins to help organize stuff that is in the spare room so that we can move it to the garage. Soon we are going to buy shelving for the garage to make it more organized...finally!

Had to work my call time last night...and I gotta work it again tonight. Boo! It's from 7pm-3am. So I'll sleep from 4am-8:30am then get up to be at the mall by 10am!

Might be tired tomorrow girls!

Feeling pretty optimistic about this cycle!

9 or less days til testing!

Work has been insane...in more ways than one.

Very nice to see the sunshine and hear that it's going to warm up this weekend. I think we are all ready for winter to be over. :)

10-12 more days....maybe I'll test on both days. :)

This week should actually go pretty quick. Working Tuesday & Wednesday. Dentist and call time on Thursday. Baby Shower for a girl at work and possibly more call time on Friday and then hanging with the girls on Saturday!

Happy March...Spring is coming!

The first 2 weeks of this cycle went fast...now the last 2 weeks are starting to go slow. Figures!

I'm still sore but it's better than it was yesterday so maybe I will be completly pain free by tomorrow. It'll be nice to wear my jeans without my lower abdomen feeling like a ton of pressure is being put on it.

We got a new scale today and my weight is depressing! The fertility drugs are notorious for making you gain weight. I really didn't think it would happen as bad to me (guess I'm naive) but a lot of it is water retention or so I think.

I can test on CD 28 Dr. L said but I'll prolly try to hold out til CD 30 since the longer you wait the more accurate the test is. Just praying that this cycle works...maybe 3rd times a charm (with Clomid).

If not it's on to cycle # 7....yuck!

Here's the update that some may have been waiting for. :)

Left side was lazy as usual...should we even expect it to cooperate?

Right side has one that is 20mm. So I was able to get my trigger injection this morning! Yay for that!

Also ...the tech didn't use any gel this time around...she said she has read a couple of studies that show it could potentially kill sperm. Why the heck haven't the other techs said anything? I went to the Parkview North office today instead of the Dupont office since that's where Dr. L was today. Maybe I need to educate the other girls...lol!

Now I just gotta relax and prepare for the ovulation pain/soreness.

My poor Lacy had to go to the vet today.

Her right eye has been draining yellowish stuff since Monday night-Tuesday. Today when we woke up her eye was very red. I called the vet and got her in this morning to be seen. Her regular doc wasn't in so she had to see someone else in the practice...which I wasn't too fond of but it worked out fine.

They ran 3 different tests on her eye. She didn't have any scratches on her eye and her tear ducts were fine. They then did an eye pressure test which also is how they test for glaucoma. Her pressures were high in both eyes. :(

He said it's possible that it could have been a false reading since she was stressed/excited so he wanted to keep her and sedate her to check her eyes again while she was out.

Turns out her eye pressures were fine while she was sedated. So he ended up diagnosing her with conjunctivitis which is basically pink eye. She'll be on eye drops for the right eye for 10 days. We also have to go back on Monday for another sedation/eye pressure check just to make sure everything is ok.

Whew...long nerve wracking day for her momma!

Congrats to Abbey who is expecting baby # 2 in October! Best of luck to ya chica!

Not sure why my ticker still says day 10 (it's really day 11). I tried to fix it but it didn't work. Oh well.

Working tomorrow and then all weekend (it's my weekend...I don't like working it though!).

Hopefully something wonderful happens this weekend. :)

Well we had all 5 dogs together at my parents tonight: Abbey, Larry, Lacy, Sophee, & Hadley! They actually played really well together for the most part. Abbey was pretty quiet and just watched. Larry was kinda mean/agressive to Hadley so Andy held him most of the time.

Lacy and Hadley loved each other!! Lacy finally has someone to "box" with! My mom got it on video camera. :)

Only one more night of taking this crazy medicine! Really hope it does a great job on my ovaries!

In other news ...get to see Hadley again tomorrow! :) (that's Alan's new puppy!)

So frustrated with life.

Really trying to be optimistic about this cycle working. I just am so over being depressed about it all. Taking a break sounds even more depressing but Andy thinks I'm too stressed about all this and of course thinks things aren't as fun.

This cycle is going by faster than what I thought it would. Yay for that!

Andy and I have officially decided that we are going on vacation in May for our 2 year anniversary. We need it badly. We are going regardless if I get pregnant or not.

There are 2 better pics on facebook. This blogger won't let me rotate them and I didn't want to load them sideways!

Starting 150mg of Clomid tomorrow through Saturday. Ultrasound on Feb 25th at 9:30am. Please pray for good follicle growth. This is emotionally draining.

In other news...our new stove and refrigerator are being delivered today! Andy has the day off so he gets to help the delivery guys. We decided to use part of our tax return to get a little nicer appliances to help the resale value for when we go to sell the house. We may or may not get a new dishwasher in the future...ours isn't that old.

I may just be a little dorky and post pics later when I get home from work!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

We went out to breakfast and then saw the movie Valentine's Day at Carmike. It was really good! :)

We are going out to dinner at Chappells later! :)

While I'm Waiting - John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord



Mom sent me this song. It's on my playlist on the bottom right side of my blog.