27 Week Bump

It's been a few weeks since I took a belly picture.. I have "popped" since the ones I took at 21 weeks, so its fun to compare :-) Thanks to Jeremy for setting up the background and photography equiptment and taking these since I can't do it right now. Enjoy :-)

Blue Paint and Bedrest Update

Blue Paint

My brother Brian finished finals early and offered to come to Omak for a few days and help out. He did a ton! He ripped up the old floor in the kitchen to prep it for Jeremy putting in tile this weekend, fed the animals, helped me paint the baby room.... BLUE!~ and even nailed himeself with 240V taking out an old baseboard heater, OUCH! Here are a few pictures of him painting.. i'll post more when the room is complete.



The pink color is the old color.. no our little boy isn't going to
have a pink and blue room :-) The Blue is the one on the wall
behind Brian.. A light "sky" blue. The plan is to paint accents
in the dark brown that the crib is... you'll have to wait and see what I mean later.... :-)



Duke doing his part in painting the baby room..
Chewing on his rawhide.. he couldn't stand being
outside of the room, so we finally let him in, all he
wanted was to be in the same room as us.. typical
Lab!!



and Bedrest Update

I went in last week for my ultrasound (the doctor wants them weekly to check changes in my cervical length) and also to do the glucose and iron check. I received a call Tuesday that my iron was low and my glucose was elevated... "GREAT" I thought! "now this?" So now i'm taking 325 mg of iron sulfate 3x a day and had to go back in today for the 3 hr glucose screening. It luckily came back normal. I also had another ultrasound today. All of the ultrasounds up until now showed my cervix at about 4.3. I knew something had changed when the ultrasound tech (who has no personality and barely talks), looked at me and said "when do you see your doctor next?" I asked what my length was and he said "it's definately changed, its 2.9, you aren't to leave this clinic until you have talked to your doctor"... talk about freaking me out! So I hung out (had to so they could poke me with needles 4 times) and eventually got in to talk to my doctor. She explained that it isn't too big of a deal at this point, that sometimes the cervical length will change from week to week, and that it isn't until I get below 2 that they start to get really concerned. She did put me back on strict bedrest until I could have another ultrasound done. So that is where I am at. She did still give me permission to go to Boise for Christmas though, so I actually decided to stretch it and get approval for 2 weeks there. Other than the long drive, I am more comfortable being there for bedrest because I'll be 5 min from a level 3 NICU and Labor and Delivery facility and because i'll be away from my daily responsibilities that made me overdo it in the first place. Christmas will mark about 29 weeks, so i'll be really close to being out of the "scary 20s". 

Special Meeting and 2 Basketball Bellies

We had special meetings this past Sunday in Tonasket, I was able to go because I took my portable recliner chair to lounge in. It was so nice to get to be there for both meetings, I was really whiped by the end of the day, but it was worth it! Came away fed as usual :-)

Jeremy's cousin Angela and her husband Dave are also expecting, they are due exactly one month before us. They were in town for the weekend, and so Angela and I had to compare our baby bellies...  Can't wait to have pictures of us holding actual babies in a few months :-).. but for now, these are pretty fun too! 

Jeremy looks like he is afraid to touch my belly.. (he really isn't, he loves feeling baby move... or do push-ups as he calls it)

I hope to have some new updated belly pictures of me posted soon....I have really "popped" the past 5 weeks, so it will be fun to compare...

Doctors Orders and Super Mom...

I had an apt with my doctor on Tuesday and she is keeping me on bedrest, but has changed it to "modified" and is basically giving me the freedom to trust my body. "If it makes you have a contraction, you can't do it". She has approved me to work 2 days a week, but I can only do office work. So basically I am training my replacement until the new year, then we'll see where I am at. She is having me get ultrasounds every week for a while so we can see if there are any changes in my cervix (now that I am up and doing more). If there are changes, then its back to strict bedrest. If there aren't any changes, then I have also been cleared to go to Boise for Christmas!! YEAH.. I just can't fly, and we have to stop every hour so I can walk around (we don't want blood clots).. which stopping every hour won't be a problem.... ;-) The only thing she told me was that if I should go into labor and deliver while in Boise, that I would have to stay there with baby until he is out of the hospital.. which, being close to mom and dad wouldn't hurt my feelers! Plus Boise has as good of NICU as Spokane which is where they'd send us if we went into preterm labor in Omak.. I was excited to get this news, it is so much better than being on my back all day, but I am still going to take it really easy, I have a tendency to over do things, and this is one time I really don't want to!

My mom has been here in Omak since Monday and it has been such a HUGE help!! Jeremy and I both have appreciated all of the cleaning, organizing, feeding of the animals, shoveling of snow, cooking etc she has been doing for us!! Takes a huge stress off, and makes our short evenings much more enjoyable!

Thanksgiving with the Draggoo's

We spent Thanksgiving this year in Omak with Jeremy's mom and brother. It was very relaxing and laid back, which was good since that was all I was able to do.

Jeremy and Braden spent the majority of their time playing Griffy on their OLD FASHION NINETENDO!! Who needs a Wii!! :-)

Yes these still exist and not just in antique stores..!! :-)

I spent the majority of the time sitting, or laying down, playing solitare or Sudoku.. This is me sipping of my (pasturized...) Hot apple cider!! MMMmmmm 

This is the spread we enjoyed, pretty traditional: turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green bean caserole, fresh fruit, rolls and hot apple cider :-)

Jeremy had the honor of cutting up the turkey..

And of course, we couldn't leave the dogs out.. so this was their Thanksgiving treat... 

There were as many dogs there as there were humans!!



Nancy's German Shepherd Georgie



Our Black Lab Duke

 

Our Heniz 57 mix Daisy :-)

Nancy's Lab Mix Nikki



 Thank you to all of our family and friends who have made, and continue to make our lives so rich and filled with happiness!

Bedrest Day 6: UPS made my day!!

Bedrest Day #6- I went back to the hospital last night, was having pain in my lower abdomen again, but this time it didn't go away. Basically the same story, did blood, urine tests, an ultrasound to check cervix and monitored my contractions for about 3 hours. All was great, except that I was having contractions really often (every 3 min at one point) but because they aren't affecting my cervix, they sent me home with the same bedrest instructions. So here I am.

 I think I will be writing my official resignation letter for my supervisor, as I am guessing they aren't going to let me go back to work. Today I accomplished this months book work for the business, payed some bills, watched Sweet Home Alabama (i'm going through my older favorites!) bought a dog coat online, took a nap, placed an ad for our rental that is avaliable, had one of the friends stop by with spaghetti and meatballs!! YUM, and will likely take a shower, then beg Jeremy to open the boxes and put the stroller together that were just delivered by UPS (they made my day!!)

Of all of the "items" I ordered, the stroller was the one I was most anxious to see (and of course the bedding so I can think about decorating...and the reclining glider, becasue that would come in handy right now... :-) but still, I am VERY excited to have THESE boxes sitting in my living room!!

First Internet purchase since bedrest..

Believe it or not...

My first internet bedrest purchase wasn't for me or even the baby.. it was for Daisy- my dog! :-)

It is freezing cold here in Omak right now, we've been under a wind chill warning since yesterday, right now it is actually considerably warm- 13' but it's been as low as 4' and thats not counting the wind chill. Its beautiful right now, sunny and wind has actually died down... Here are a few pictures I took from inside, through the window.

  
So, my spoiled dog Daisy has decided that its just too cold for her, and won't go outside, when you force her out, she won't go to the bathroom, she just stands at the door, shivering, scratching and looking so pitiful that you have to let her in.. I finally pulled out her winter dog sweaters and coat from last year, and woulnd't you know it- she's gotten fat! she's out grown them completely! Great.. so to the internet I went :-) This is the one I ordered: She may look ridiculious, but if it makes her stay outside longer, than I don't care! This isn't Daisy.. but this is the parka I ordered....

Hope when it gets here that it fits and she'll keep it on....

Baby Stuff

This is what we have, or that is ordered for the baby so far...

The Crib:

Rocking Chair/Glider: (We got this one, but with a cream colored suede fabric instead):

Changing Table:

Bedding: (I plan to paint the room a light blue, with a tree in the corner and the little animals on the branches.... I won't be using the wall decals shown in this photo):

Stroller (made so later I can have two kids in it, also made so I can remove the seat, and just pop the carseat directly into it.. ):

Car Seat:



These are the main things we need for the little guy, most of it will get here sometime before Christmas.. Which should be good timing as we are redoing our carpet sometime in Dec or early Jan. If i'm on bedrest, i'll just be recruiting help to put it all together and get the room painted..... Then i'll be ready for the little guy.. well not quite, we want him to stay in the oven as long as possible.. but his room will at least be ready should he decide to come early.... :-)

"strictist bedrest until further notice"

Bedrest day 3- How I got here...

This past weekend when I was in Spokane visiting Brian and getting a bunch of baby shopping done, I started having bad indigestion (or what I though was indigestion), came home Sunday early because I just didn't feel right, but started to feel better so went to work Mon, Tues and Wed. Was having bad cramps a few times a day where my stomach would get really hard for a few minutes, then go away- but they didn't hurt, so Mom said they were just Braxton Hicks and not to be too worried. I didn't, but Wednesday after work I was running an errand and got a horrible sharp pain in my lower abdomen that lasted a while, I called my Dr and she said she wanted me to go in to hospital to be put on a monitor because of the headaches, back pain and the 10 min cramp i'd had. By the time I got there, the cramp had gone away and I was feeling like an idiot for even going in. They hooked me up and within 30 min recorded a "uterine disturbance". So they monitored me another 30 min then decided they needed an ultrasound to rule out the worse case senerio, my placenta looked great and my cervix still measured 4.12 cm (which is aparantly good), so that meant the contractions weren't affecting my cervix. One good thing that came out of all of it was that we got to see the ultrasound in 3D-and yes it is still a boy :-)

This is a view of his face with his right hand up near his eye. His nose is pretty much dead center, then you can see his mouth just below it. Still hard to see, but I think he looks pretty cute :-) He loves to have his hand by his face...

After the ultrasound came back good, they monitored my contractions another hour and decided I was having enough of them that I needed a shot of Terbutaline to stop the contractions... I had the craziest jitters after they gave it to me.... but it must have worked, or sort of. They sent me home with these strict orders:

 

Basically it says: Strict bedrest until further notice. Get lots of fluids, do not work until further notice, call to schedule an apt with Dr. Thill for next week. Stay in bed or on couch at all times except to use restroom or shower.

So.. thats what I am doing :-)

Thursday I watched a movie (August Rush), started reading the Baby Name book..., took a nap, layed on the couch, made lots of phone calls, took a shower :-) and went to bed.

Friday I watched Jeremy clean the house, getting ready for the workers, read more of my book, took another nap, played solitare, wrote a shopping list/to do list for Jeremy. Found a good receipe for pork chops, took a shower :-) hung out with the workers, had dinner, went to bed.

Today: had an awesome breakfast Jeremy made with the workers, studied Col. 2 together, am watching Jeremy tear up the old tile in the entry way, updating my blog.. will probabuly take a nap, play solitare, read a book etc and will TAKE A SHOWER :-) (notice this is the highlight of my days... ha ha)

Me doing what I basically spend the day doing now.. with my bedrest buddy Daisy (she is loving having me home on the couch.. )

Jeremy's Montana Deer Hunt

Jeremy had a great time in Montana this year, both for Elk hunting and Deer. He shot this guy on the last day of the hunt, not huge, but he was glad to bring something home from Montana to show for all his hard work! He hopes to go back to Montana next year if he gets a tag....

Jeremy with his 3 Point Mule Deer taken with a rifle

It's a Boy!!

It's a boy! and here's the proof :-)

We took a camera into the ultrasound so we could have a video of it, we are SOO glad we did! It is very obvious when the "boy parts" appear :-). Turn your volume up and you can hear as the radiologist explains what is being shown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wURBdQ6_RTk

21 Week Bump...

I am tracking my pregnancy with pictures. Here are a few of me at 21 weeks:

 We have out ultrasound tomorrow (Nov 1). If the baby is cooperating, we'll find out what we're having~!! Can't wait :-)

Photography

On the weekends, i've been doing a lot of photo shoots and here are a few of my favorites I've taken lately. I love photography, so any chance I get to take someones or somethings picture is a privelege... I am so relaxed when i'm behind a camera!!

Ty- Senior Pictures

 Elizabeth- 1 Month photo

 Elizabeth- 2 Month Photo

 Breanna- Senior Picture

 Kalia- about 6 weeks old in these

 Janyce and Janely- Sister photo

Hawaii

I FINALLY GOT TO GO "HOME"!!!

We recently took a 7 day trip to the North Shore of Oahu with my Mom and Dad. We stayed right on the beach and the weather was AMAZING (especially for Oct). We basically didn't do much.... but that was the best part :-)

Most of the time we just cooked at the house, but we did go to Olas one night (fancy resturant at Turtle Bay resort) We also went out to Kuaiana Burgers in Haliewa and Haliewa Joes (because Nicole was crazing coconut shrimp :-)

Mom and I went for a walk to Foodland one morning to get coffee (I got a smoothie) and a few groceries, on the way back we saw this rainbow over Sharks Cove... it was beautiful.. I was glad I had the camera!

A few pictures of the sunsets we watched from our back porch......



Dad and I went on the Shark Dive one day. Jeremy and I had done it before, but I thought it would be cool for my dad and I to go together, and Jeremy didn't mind staying home to watch football.

 They put about 8 people in a cage that has a big plexi glass window, you have a snorkle on and spend about 45 minutes in the water with these 10-15 footers swimming around us. It is a pretty cool excusion. Here are a few pictures from that..

I swam to the bottom of the cage to get this one:

 This is through the plexi glass window:

 Dad checking out a shark as it swims by:

I don't even look 4 1/2 months pregnant.. I guess that is a good thing, but I totally expected i'd "look" pregnant in Hawaii.. O well. This is our new wall portrait and may even be on the Holiday card :-)



 Mom and dad....

We had a very nice trip.. it was relaxing and great to spend time with mom and dad, this was the first vacation we've done with my family since we've been married (Brian couldn't come because of school :-( so that was a bummer) . I have been fortunate to visit Hawaii a few times throughout my life, and it was nice to get to share those memories with Jeremy. Hope we are able to continue the tradition with our kids :-)