Wednesday, September 1, 2010

VOTE FOR MARIUS!!!

I entered Marius into iSmile Studio's Beautiful Baby Contest. This is the local studio where we go to get his portraits taken (so we might have a shot!) To vote, click on the link below. You should see Marius's photo enlarged on the right side of the screen. Hover over the upper right of the photo, and a box will appear. Just click the green thumbs up symbol to register your vote. You don't need to register or log in to anything to vote. One vote allowed per IP address. Voting begins today!!!

VOTE HERE!!!

***PLEASE pass this on to everyone you know, post it on your Facebook, myspace (if anyone still uses that lol), wherever. We need as many votes as we can. We could win this thing!!!!!***

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I can't believe how fast

I can't believe how fast time has gone by. A whole year ago today, I started my IVF cycle by taking my first Lupron injection.

Friday, April 9, 2010

On my way out of the hospital. Surgery went well- only took a little over an hour. I'm not feelin too bad right now. Incisions don't really hurt, but i'm sure i'll be feeling more from them later. My only real complaints right now are 1. The gas from the surgery is up in my mid-back/diaphragm area, which is where i felt pain when my gallbladder was still in there (lol), and 2. I'm hungry as a hostage.

My only options at the hospital were saltine crackers (never again. Ate my life's fill of those when i was sick these past several weeks), and a turkey sandwich. I opted for the sandwich, which came on some dry-ass bread with a packet of mayo. Since i'm trying to stay away from carbs and don't want the fat from the mayo, i ate the single slice of turkey that was on the sandwich. Lol

Since they said i may need a liquid diet if stuff bothers me right away, i'm making my mom bring me to GNC on the way home for some Muscle Milk Light so I can at least get my protein.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Update!

Ok, so I know it's been a while. Sorry :( I've been super busy with Marius and really tired. I finally got to have my repeat CT scan and the results are in.... looks like I'm almost back to normal. The neurosurgeon has cleared me to have my gallbladder surgery and to drive! w00t w00t!! I took my car out for the first time in 2 months (after my cousin jumped the battery, then I tried to move the car, the brakes were stuck and I ended up stalling it, so he had to jump it AGAIN). I TOTALLY missed the Subaru. I missed the way it smells inside. I REALLY missed the sound of the turbo. It was so hard having to rely on other people to get me where I needed to go. On Sunday, I'll take Marius for a ride in my car for the first time! It'll be the first time I've ever brought him out by myself!

In other news, I've been eating a strict low-fat, high protein diet, and am now 19 pounds down from my pre-pregnancy weight. w00t w00t!!! I just have to get over the hurdle of my gallbladder surgery, then I can hit the gym. I can't wait!! I feel like I have no muscles in my body from having to be so inactive. I'm documenting my fitness journey on another blog: From HELL to HEALTHY. Please feel free to follow me and give me your input- I need all the help and support I can get! (Plus, I need to get into some kind of bathing suit shape by September 20th, when hubby and I leave for our Caribbean cruise!)

Friday, March 5, 2010

What else is going to go wrong?!?!?

At about 8:00 last night, I was eating a microwave instant noodles dinner. I've had lots of different varieties of ramen and instant noodles in my life. As I was finishing them, I noticed that my stomach was getting itchy. I looked at it, and sure enough, there was a fine rash there. So I took two Benadryl and sat back down. A few minutes later, I decided to take a shower because I was cold. So I got in the shower.

About 5 minutes into my shower, I started getting pain in my diaphragm area and it hurt when I took a breath. It was a tightness, like someone kept sinching up a belt under my boobs, and it went all the way around my back. I got out of the shower. It kept getting tighter and harder to breathe. My first thought was that I was having an anaphylactic reaction. My mom was going to drive me to the ER, but I told her to call an ambulance instead, in case I needed immediate treatment with an EpiPen or something. My throat didn't feel like it was swelling, but it started burning, and I really did not want to take any chances. I have no known food allergies, and I was scared shitless. I seriously felt like something is trying to kill me- I mean, first I get a subdural hematoma, that seems to be resolving itself, then I end up eating something and can barely breathe. I guess that's what I get for buying an 88-cent instant noodle dinner at Wal-Mart.

The ambulance arrives, and I get in. They put me on oxygen. They say my lungs are clear. Pulse ox is good. Blood pressure is fine. I feel like it keeps getting tighter around my diaphragm, and I'm doing my best to remain calm and take slow, deep breaths (as deep as I can with the pain).

We get to the ER, they put me in a room. No oxygen. And we just wait. The itchiness has gone away, so it looks like the Benadryl is working. But all the tightness is still there, and it hurts like a bitch. I get asked the same set of questions about 5 times by different people: EMT, nurse, med student, resident, and doctor. The med student pushed on different areas of my abdomen to see where I had pain. She pushed on my left side right under my ribcage, and it was tender, but the discomfort went away as soon as she took her hands off me. She repeated it in the same spot on the right side, but this time, there was residual pain for some time after she stopped pressing on me. Then I remembered a couple days ago I had some shooting pains there, but they only lasted a few minutes then stopped and didn't come back. I discussed this with the doctor when he came in.

They discharged me and gave me paperwork about anaphylactic reactions and... gallbladder attacks. Yes, that's right. They think I'm having gallbladder issues. Fuckin' LOVELY. More problems are just what I need. I called my doctor this morning and have to set up an appointment to see her, and will probably need an ultrasound of my gallbladder to see what's up.

Fast forward to today. I wake up this morning. The rash is still there. I get up, use the bathroom, and then bust out the breast pump. As I'm pumping, I start to get itchy again. What the hell? The food should be out of my system, and I haven't eaten anything else. Strange. Well, I think I have it figured out. I don't think it was the noodles. When I went to my 2 week OB followup on Tuesday, Dr. Burstyn prescribed me metronidazole gel, which is a vaginal antibiotic. I've never had it before. My only known allergy is to doxycycline, which is an antibiotic in the tetracycline family. This new medication isn't a tetracycline. I looked it up, and metronidazole is Flagyl, which I've taken orally for a UTI. But I've never used the vaginal gel before. I inserted it before I ate last night, and when I used the bathroom this morning. So I'm not going to use it again and will continue to take Benadryl and see what happens.

An allergic reaction and a gallbladder attack at the same time. I can't win.

Friday, February 26, 2010

special report: I POOOOOOOPED!! w00t

special report: I POOOOOOOPED!! w00t w00t!

I think it's the medicines i'm on that are making me so sick, On top of everything else. They had me on Reglan to stop nausea (i always see the class action lawsuits for it on tv. Hesitant to take it in the first place. Doesn't keep me from puking anyway.) i was also on a course of prednisone for God-knows-what. Inflammation or some shit i think. I finished that. They had me on flexeril for my back muscles. Pretty sure i can manage w/ just the heating pad for now. And percocet for pain, which didn't even make me drowsy when i took it. It's only the 5-325 dosage, and i got stronger shit for my endometriosis, which was much more tolerable than this head shit. So now i'm just taking 1 percocet every 4 hrs. Started that @ 5 this evening. We'll see. plus, i haven't pooped in like 5+ days (now i know how my FF girls felt), even w/ a daily stool softener, so i guess i gotta up that to 2 or
more pills a day. I'm just afraid of taking too much and randomly shitting myself in my sleep.

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Not feeling well at all. Wednesday was a good day- i was able to get up and move around a bit, and i helped hubby dress Marius and give him his first bath. Wednesday night i crashed again. I've been throwing up and in crappy shape since then. Constant nausea.

Hubby is back in TX. Mom took Marius to his first pediatrician appointment earlier. He's 2 weeks old today. He now weighs 7lbs 4oz, and is 21 inches long. So he's gained 6oz and has grown 1.5 inches in 2 weeks.

Ughhhh.... I feel so sick. I'm so tired of this shit. I gotta go lay down or something.

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Monday, February 22, 2010

No progress to report today. Still in a shitload of pain. It's better when i'm laying down than when i'm upright, but now from trying to stay down so much my neck muscles don't feel strong enough to support my head when i sit up or stand. I'm just trying to stay positive and push through it. I just keep thinking about getting better so i can take care of Marius. I feel like i'm missing out on everything. He's 10 days old today. I can't believe it. I feel so left out. Everyone else is taking care of him and i can't do shit. He loves spending time with his daddy, and hubby has done such an awesome job taking care of him around the clock. Marius' umbilical stump fell off today, and i couldn't even see. Now he can take real baths and wear outfits with pants, but i can't bathe or dress him :( I'm getting frustrated. I want to do so much with him. I want to take real photos of him with my
new camera.

I wish I knew what was going on with my girls. Sue, I hope Teagan has arrived by now!

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

I love my guys :)

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Still feel like shit. Been using the heating pad on my neck/shoulders, and that seems to help a little. I'm so thankful to have the family and friends that I do. I feel so blessed. I would never have even begun to make it through this without you guys, and I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all your love and prayers.

Hubby flew in very early Saturday morning, and he is THE BEST FATHER. From the minute he got here, he's been taking care of everything Marius needs and also tending to me. I couldn't ask for anyone better. I'm so in love.

I'm still pumping & dumping. I'm getting between 4-5oz/session. I just hope that my supply stays like this once I'm better and all these drugs are out of my system.

More later. xoxo

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Friday, February 19, 2010

I'm laying in my own bed, snuggling Marius, and it's the greatest feeling in the world. I never, ever, EVER want to let him go again. I swear, just looking at his precious little face and hearing his contented sighs is enough to cure ANY ailment.

Tonight, Marius and his daddy will meet for the very first time. It's going to be the most amazing moment, and I'm gonna try to capture the moment on film. Please pray that Kylief gets home safely.

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I hate trying to sleep in the hospital. It's so uncomfortable.

I think my headache is starting to get better. I'm trying to make sure that I get medication as soon as I can around the clock to try and combat it. Up until yesterday afternoon/evening I had a hard time with being upright. I was using the bedpan because every time I stood up, my head would pound uncontrollably. I'm not sure what changed, but last night I was able to get up twice without my pain increasing or my head throbbing, which was awesome. I even seemed to have less pain while in bed. I think I'm still doing pretty well with pain management. I got some sleep earlier, got my pain meds a little after 5 am, then got up to use the bathroom. My head started hurting a little more & pounded a few times, but not like it used to. I think it may have been because I was laying down for a while. I've been sitting upright since then and it seems to be dissipating. I pumped & got a little over
4oz total, which I'm happy with.

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It's funny how things work out..

So we all know how the military wouldn't let hubby come home to see the birth of his son. But he got to see the WHOLE THING on webcam, which was absolutely AMAZING. Then I ended up in the ER, found out I had a subdural hematoma, and they still weren't gonna send him home. In his panic to run and alert one of his superior officers, he managed to seriously injure his foot. He landed on it wrong and has a bad contusion and is in a ton of pain. Now the military says he's unfit to perform his duties for 2 weeks, so it'll set him back 2 weeks in school. BUT.... THEY'RE SENDING HIM HOME FOR A WEEK!!!! It's so crazy how things work out. It sucks that his foot is all messed up, but now he gets to see his son when he's a week old instead of having to wait until he's 3 months old to meet him for the first time! I feel so blessed. Now I can take those pictures I've always wanted- little Marius in
his daddy's big ol' hands.

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Thursday, February 18, 2010

I was supposed to go for a repeat CT scan today, but they did a head MRI last night & can actually see the bleed better on the MRI. The doctor hasn't been in to see me yet today, but my nurse this morning said that the blood is still there. She said it doesn't look like it's still bleeding, it just hasn't reabsorbed yet. I'll have to ask the doctor how long that might take.

The hospital I'm at now (Ellis) is GREAT. Their nursing staff is amazing & they're so accomodating. My milk started coming in on Tuesday. Ellis doesn't have an L&D unit- Bellevue is their birthing facility a few miles away. The ER I went to was at Ellis' smaller satellite campus, & when we found out they had to transfer & admit me, we asked if they could provide me with a pump so I didn't get engorged & end up with more problems. The pump was in my room when I arrived. I was so impressed. I'm getting about 2oz/breast with each session. I have to dump it, but at least I can keep my supply coming. More later. xoxo

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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Still in ICU. Doctor just came to see me, so hopefully I'll know more soon. Morphine & phenegran didn't work to ease any pain, they put me on dilaudid, which they say is stronger than morphine, and that's not even BEGINNING to touch the pain. It's not having any effect at all. I hate this. I miss Marius. I should be bonding with him. I've only managed to change 2 of his diapers in the 5 days since he was born, and both of those were in my postpartum room @ Albany Med. I hate this shit. He needs me and I can't be there for him.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Admitted to Ellis hospital neurosurgery

Admitted to Ellis hospital neurosurgery unit. Headache wasn't a spinal- It's a subdural hematoma. Dr will see me in the a.m.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Hey guys. Can't get on the computer. Spinal headache is KILLER, like I have helicopters in my head. New medicine today, so hopefully I'll get some relief soon.

Marius is doing well. I'm so freakin' smitten it isn't funny. He's so perfect in every way, and although I pushed him out and have a couple stitches to prove it, I STILL can't believe he's mine. Kylief and I made this perfect little tiny person, and damn, doesn't he look like a mixture of both of us. His hair is the exact same color as mine- it looks black, but it's actually really really dark espresso. The shape of his lips is the same as mine, but his mouth isn't narrow like mine- it's wide like his daddy's. He's got the same exact ears as Kylief (everyone always comments on how small Kyllief's ears are. Everyone has commented on how cute Marius' are.) He has long fingers and big feet like his daddy. AND he didn't come out white! Lol

Full birth story later. Hope all my fellow moms & expectant moms are doing well! xoxo

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Running on 3 hours of sleep (3:30-6:30am) and a wicked spinal headache. Full birth story and better pics later. Here's a teaser to hold you over. Introducing Marius Akuma Tucker. 2/12/2010, 10:19pm, 6lbs 14ozs, 19.5 inches.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Still pluggin along over here. They broke my water around 2:15pm, I was 2-3 cm dilated. Boy, did that feel NASTY!!! Fluid just kept gushing out and it felt like I was peeing myself. After that happened, the contractions really started coming harder and faster and got painful, to the point where I had to breathe through them. I asked for an epidural, waited, asked again, waited some more, still nothing. It took ridiculously long for the anesthesiologist to finally make it to my room. Then, of course, my spine had to be difficult. I have a deep arch, so no matter how much I pushed back to open up the space between my vertebrae, it just didn't open very far. They FINALLY got it in after like half an hour of super painful contractions. They checked me after I got comfortable and I was 4cm, 90%. That was at about 4:00. Let me tell you, I have a high pain tolerance, and labor without an
epidural hurts like a BITCH! lol Now we just wait some more... Hair still looks fabulous.

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Apparently I started on 2 milliunits of pitocin, and now I'm up to 20. Contractions are every 2-4 minutes (I had no idea, I'm not feeling them like that). She said we're where we want to be with frequency, we just have to get them stronger.

I asked if they were gonna do an internal exam, and she said they will when I'm ready for an epidural. I don't feel like I need one, but I maybe I should just to get it over with? I just want to know if there's something going on down there!

Ok, so far this isn't too bad. We had kind of a rocky start - initially, the nurse tried to put the IV in the back of my left hand, but I have difficult veins as it is, PLUS I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight last night, so the dehydration didn't help any. So she ended up blowing out the vein in the back of my hand and had to put the IV in the side of my wrist. I got here at 7:30, and the IV wasn't in until 9. Pitocin didn't start until around 9:30.

The nurse has increased the pitocin every half hour. I don't know what dose I started at, or what I'm at now, but I can feel the contractions getting stronger and more regular. I'm also feeling them more in my pelvic girdle, as opposed to the overall abdominal tightness I felt in the beginning.

My mom, mother-in-law, and Lexie are here with me, and we're all just chilling here, talking and laughing. Hubby and I tested the video connection and it seems to work ok. I'm so grateful that I was able to do this while he's off duty. It still sucks that he can't be here, but let me tell you, he looks just like any expectant father you'd see pacing the halls of the hospital.

This is still so surreal.

Leaving for the hospital. Bright-eyed

Leaving for the hospital. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (we'll see how long that lasts). Starving, but my hair looks FABULOUS.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Reflections...

I can't believe that in less than 24 hours I'm going to meet my son. This is something I've been waiting for for SO long, and it's just so surreal that it's really going to happen. Tomorrow.

It seems like just yesterday we were going through IVF. It seems like just yesterday that I got the phone call from CNY, informing me that I was pregnant, and then I called Lexie, crying so hard that she thought I was saying I WASN'T pregnant. I can't believe it.

Tomorrow, our lives will change. Forever. I will bring another human being into this world. A little, tiny, dependant human being, who is a piece of me and a piece of Kylief, all melded into one little person. It's unbelievable.

This whole pregnancy has felt so surreal, and tomorrow it will hit me, smack dab in the face, that this is the real deal. It's really happening. Right now, I still can't process that. Right now, I feel like I'm going to wake up from a good dream and all of this will disappear.

I can't wait to meet my little man, and hear him cry, and see his face for the first time. I wonder what he looks like... Does he have a head full of hair? Who's features did he inherit? What color is he? How big are his feet? I will find all this out tomorrow. I can't wait.

Marius, I'm so excited to meet you! I love you, my little cocoa puff!

Tomorrow, please follow me over to Our Little Man, my new blog where I can show off Marius and share with you the immense joy (and trials and tribulations) of motherhood.

No change. Still 1cm, 80%.

No change. Still 1cm, 80%. Induction scheduled for 0730 tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Beware: TMI POST!!!

I'll be talking about my mucus plug, so if you're squeamish, please close out of your internet browser now.




OK, if anyone is still with me....


I went pee earlier, and when I wiped, there was some gooey mucus on the toilet paper. I stuck my finger up there, and there was stringy, gooey mucus, and a chunk the size of a jelly bean came out. I was like, "Oh cool. My mucus plug." It felt like a sticky, wet booger, and was slightly translucent, and off-white with a slightly yellowish tinge.

Fast forward another 30 minutes or so. I go pee again. I wipe. The toilet paper pulls out more mucus. I can feel it stretch out and come to the outside. So I keep getting fresh, dry toilet paper and keep wiping, and it keeps coming out. Some of it had little brownish flecks in it. I got a few more big globs (bigger than the first). If I put it all together, I'd probably have a golf ball-sized hunk of mucus. I was definitely not expecting this much. I mean, I've Googled "mucus plug", and everything I found looked like the jelly bean-sized chunk I pulled out the first time. Now, I'm REALLY crampy. I have a feeling that my water is gonna break. You know that snapping sound that a water balloon makes when it bursts? I feel like I'm just going to sit up and hear that sound. I REALLY don't want to go into labor tonight, otherwise hubby wouldn't be able to tune in until sometime late tomorrow morning, and my doctor is at Bellevue. I'd go to Albany Med, regardless, and I guess just be delivered by whoever's on-call, but it would be nice to have my doctor there, because I actually like and trust her.

Stay in there, Marius!! (At least until tomorrow night, when Dr. Burstyn can make it to Albany Med!)

Monday, February 8, 2010

Progress!

I had my last ultrasound at Dr. Burstyn's office today. Marius was doing everything he was supposed to and was quite active. He's still weighing about 6lbs 14oz and he was practicing his breathing. An internal exam revealed that I am now 1cm dilated and..... 80% effaced!!! How crazy is that? On Friday, I was totally closed and only slightly soft, but not effaced at all. I can't believe how fast and how much things changed!

So now that my cervix is already doing it's thing, I don't have to go in Thursday night for the Cervidil. The plan now is to go in Friday morning to start Pitocin if I don't go into labor before that. Really hoping I can hold out til Friday!!!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Down to the WIRE!!!

Today marks 39 weeks! Holy cow!

I ran some errands yesterday, which included going to the mall to buy my new camera, so I decided to walk around the mall for like 20-30 min, plus the hour+ I spent standing in Best Buy. Last night after I got home, I started getting pretty crampy, then was getting some twinges in my cervix, then I stood up and had constant pain/pressure right across the front from hip bone to hip bone. So I paced around the house for a lil while, went up and down the stairs to switch laundry over, and the whole time I was getting shooting pains on and off that would stop me dead in my tracks until they passed. They weren't spaced apart at any specific interval, and I didn't notice any hardening at the top of my uterus, but I figured they were contractions, since I've never felt anything like that before.

Well, I had the same shooting pain (just once) while I was hooked to the monitors for my weekly NST today at Dr. Burstyn's office. It was confirmed that it was indeed a contraction. Woo hoo!! However, Sue (the NP) checked me and said my cervix is starting to thin slightly, but no dilation. Also... Sue was like "So, have you talked to the doctor about induction?" I told her how I talked to the doctor on Tuesday, but she was booked at Bellevue for the time I would be induced. She then said, "Well, it looks like we can get you into Albany Med to start Cervidil on Thursday night if you don't go into labor before then." WOO HOOO!!! I will have a baby by Friday night. Sooooo freakin' excited!!!!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Still more BS from the old OB's office.

Ok, so when I made my initial appointment with the new OB, they asked me to call and have Dr. Clark's office fax over my records. I called Dr. Clark's office and asked them to fax my records to Dr. Burstyn's office. They said they can't- that they'll have to photocopy them and I'll have to come pick them up. And the cost for photocopying would be.... 75 CENTS PER PAGE!!! I told the woman I was speaking to that 75 cents was really steep, so I'd have to think about it and probably wouldn't get everything copied (the chart consists of ACOG sheets, labs, and ultrasounds). The lady that handles the copying of records there wasn't in that day, so the other lady took my number and said she'd have the other lady call me the next day. Ok, cool.

So the next day, the records lady called me. I explained to her that I was unemployed and 75 cents was a LOT to charge to photocopy one page of information. I asked her to price things out different ways (everything, ACOGs only, and ACOGs/labs). After she gave me the prices, I told her I'd go with ACOGs only ($12.75!!). She then says to me, "OK, well, I already copied everything. I'll just take out what you don't want." Really? I mean, I'd assume that charging 75 cents per page was their way to pay for the toner in the copier, and here this woman is, just copying things all willy-nilly, and now she's just wasting paper and toner. They then told me that, in addition to paying $12.75 for the records, I'd have to pay the rest of the co-pays ($45) I owed them before they'd give me the records. (Keep in mind, I only owed them for 3 service dates that they hadn't even billed me for yet, and that didn't appear as balances due on my checkout sheet. AND when I started going there, I tried to pay my co-pay at my visit, but they told me I couldn't because they weren't sure what my insurance was going to charge each time. They'd have to wait until the claim was submitted to and processed by the insurance company before they could tell me how much to pay them, even though my co-pay is always $15 for an office visit. Then they'd send me a bill a month later.) Sooo... I thought "fuck that- they can shove those records where the sun don't shine, and I hope they get a papercut in the process." I didn't go pick them up, but instead called Dr. Burstyn's office to tell them I couldn't get my records because of the other practice's extortionist fees.

The receptionist at Dr. Burstyn's office said "Don't worry about it. When you come in for your appointment, you can fill out a release here and we can fax it over and request them from Dr. Clark's office." Awesome. So that's what I did, and Dr. Clark's office had my records faxed over within 20 minutes at that appointment. So why the fuck did Dr. Clark's office tell me they couldn't fax the information over? They never said anything about filling out a records release request and having my other doctor send it over. They just straight up told me that they could not fax my records to them.

Sooo... fast forward to today. I get a bill in the mail from Dr. Clark's office. I'm thinking, "OK, this is probably from my last 3 office visits, which they haven't billed me for yet." WRONG! It's a bill for $12.75, and in the "Description" column, it says "Medical records". ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS??? They're billing me for having to copy my records, when the lady, of her own accord, copied them all before even talking to me to find out what I needed??? I'm not paying them. I didn't want physical copies of my records in the first place- I wanted them faxed to another practice, but was told I HAD to have them copied. Dr. Clark's office can SUCK IT.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

My first trip to L&D. Or, the Mesh Panty Experiment.

Yesterday, I woke up with a headache and my head was pounding all day. Tylenol, rest, and lots of water were doing nothing, and my feet started to swell a bit, so at about 10pm I called my OB, who wanted me to come to L&D to get checked out in just in case, since my blood pressure was a little high for me at my visit on Wednesday (130/80, when I normally run 110-120/70-80). Everything checked out fine - blood pressure was 115/75, urine and labs were good. Cervix still high and totally closed (grrr!!) Got percocet for the headache, which is gone now except for a little residual from being tired.

Dr. Burstyn had me go into Bellevue, since she had 4 or 5 patients she was delivering there last night, and let me tell you, I do NOT want to deliver at Bellevue. Don't get me wrong, the staff was nice, but the whole place was WAY too "homey" and outdated for my comfort. Some parts of the room looked old and dingy (especially the carpeted areas, the bathroom/shower area, and the edges of the wallpapered walls). I'll take the big, modern, industrial, sparklingly sanitized Albany Med any day of the week.

I figured while I was there, I'd rifle through stuff and see what I could find. There were like 800 nasal aspirators in the bassinet, so I took one. I also decided to check out these famous mesh panties that they give you postpartum. I've heard about them, and have had some concerns about my ass fitting into them, and whether or not I'd look like a bag of suet. Well, they're pretty sweet. When I heard "mesh", I was thinking like, tulle fabric, or one of those bags that oranges come in. These are a really soft, EXTREMELY light... well, mesh. That's the only word I can think of to describe them. Ok, maybe like a really stretchy, soft cheesecloth? Anyhow, they TOTALLY fit my ass and are actually way more comfy for me than regular underwear with a butt (I only wear thongs because regular underwear just ends up in my crack anyway. My hips measurement is 10 inches larger than my waist measurement, so the butt of the underwear is always tight, while the waistband is big. It's just one bunchy, ill-fitting mess. The thought of wearing a pair of briefs, bikinis, or hi-cuts under any kind of pants makes me cringe). So I'm TOTALLY unpacking the Hanes and pads that I have in my hospital bag and will take as many pads and pairs of these mesh panties that the hospital is willing to give me (or that I happen to find) during my stay there. For all you other first-timers, here they are! If you weren't sure they'd fit you, oh, they will... lol



Thursday, January 28, 2010

Project Crib: Mission Accomplished!!

Yes, you heard it here, folks! There is a crib in the "nursery"!! I put it together while Mom held the bigger pieces so I didn't have to lift them. I'm very pleased with it, although for some reason the bedding just doesn't appeal to me the way it did when I bought it. I don't know why. Maybe because in the last week I bought 3 different Japanese fabrics and those are what I'm picturing now? I don't know. Or maybe it's the red in the airplane sheet, and the fact that the sheet is mostly white? I'll try putting the blue sheet w/ tan & blue stars on it tomorrow and see if that looks better. I was afraid that would be too much blue. If I don't like that, I'll go get a solid brown or tan sheet and try that. I just don't want to lose Marius on a solid color sheet with a brown hue... lol

Well, anyhow, here it is:


(Yes, you're seeing this right. It's a plush rat. Isn't he cute? He's so fat.)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Super Awesome Ultrasound!!!

I LOVE MY NEW OB'S OFFICE!!!!

The ultrasonographer was happy and perky and talked and joked with me the whole time. She went into 3D and I got to see Marius' facial features for the very first time! He's got chubby lil cheeks and is cute as can be! This morning, mom, hubby and I all took a guess at his weight. I guessed 7lbs 8oz, mom guessed 7lbs, and hubby guessed 6lbs 8oz. Well, she took the measurements, and he was.... 6lbs 8oz! Hubby got it right on the nose. We got to see him yawn and practice his breathing! It was so awesome!

Here are the pics from today:




After the appointment, Mom and I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics to get some things, then to JC Penney to pick up the crib and mattress. While we were there, Mom decided we should go check out the clearance baby clothes. The clearance stuff was 75% off, we spent $54 on 13 outfits, and at the bottom of the receipt said we saved $167!!! Wow!!!! Sweet deals. We then went to Olive Garden for dinner. Yum! Then WalMart. I was out and about from 1:30-8:30 today, which is a loooong time for me. I'm totally exhausted. I feel like my limbs are gonna fall off, and the crib is gonna have to wait until tomorrow to be assembled. But today was a good day :)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Arrrgh! Burnt pasta!!!

I'm having a bad day. I'm just too tired to function properly, I guess. First, I ordered a big photo album to use for Marius' baby book (I mean, this thing is 12x16". It's rather large.) I had been watching this site for months, waiting for a free shipping coupon, and nothing. So on New Years Eve, I sucked it up and ordered it anyway, because I wanted to get started on the pregnancy part of the memory book. I had to pay TWELVE FREAKIN' DOLLARS for shipping on that damn thing. And don't I wake up to an e-mail from the company this morning - this week they're offering free shipping on all orders over $25. What the hell??? And they won't even credit me with the shipping because I "already used a cyber coupon". Yeah. Ok. I managed to find a coupon for 10% off my purchase, because that's all they were offering at the time. I saved $4.50. Big whoop.

So that's that. I'm tired. I'm hungry. We have NOTHING in the house that's ready-to-eat, so I decide to make the pasta portion of Hamburger Helper, because we don't have any hamburger. So I put it on our crappy ass stove, where the burners heat up with a mind of their own. I sit back down on the couch, am looking at baby stuff, then go to get up and stir the pasta. My back starts spasming like crazy, so I have to remain on the couch for a couple minutes til it passes. I make it to the stove, and this shit is at a hard boil, and I can smell some scorch-iness. I tried to stir it, and the pasta was stuck to the bottom of the pot. The noodles that broke loose were a nice dark brown where they were touching the bottom of the pan. NEVER in my 24 years have I EVER burned pasta. I'm Italian. We don't do that. It's like, a sin.

But you know what? I'm eating that crap anyway, because we don't have shit else to eat. And it's actually not half bad. lol

Saturday, January 23, 2010

"Nursery" progress, and a belly pic

Wow. The last 2 days I have been nesting like CRAZY. I mean, it's after 11 p.m. and I just finished in the nursery. Usually I'm out of steam bt 8. I did 5 loads of laundry today, which may not seem like a lot, but I have to go up and down the stairs each time I switch over a load. Not bad. Definitely have more work to do, but it's getting there. The "nursery" is starting to look a little like an actual nursery. Here are some pics from today:
(37w1d)



And look who managed to find a comfy place to hide out while I was organizing things into baskets:
She thinks she's so sneaky...

Friday, January 22, 2010

Met my new doctor!

I like her! She's nice, she listens to me, she's relatively young. I feel much better about her delivering my baby than the cranky asses over at the other place.

Went for an NST this morning. Marius was moving like crazy when I was in the waiting room, but of course stopped when I got into the exam room. lol They hooked me up to the monitors, handed me the remote for the TV and a little handheld thing with a button that looks like something a contestant would use to buzz in on Jeopardy, and told me to press the "Jeopardy button" every time I felt him move. Well, he must've "tuckered" himself out for the day (no pun intended), 'cause he didn't feel like moving. Soo... the nurse comes in with a... CHOCOLATE FROSTED DONUT (!!!!!) and a juice box. Talk about luxury, huh? So here I am, reclined with my feet up, donut resting on my belly, juice box in one hand, "Jeopardy button" in the other, watching Discovery Health on a flat-panel TV, thinking, "Ahhh... this is the life." lol (I wasn't limited to Discovery Health. They had full cable. There was just something interesting on. lol)

After the donut and juice, Marius perked up some. I didn't have any contractions again. Cervix is still high and closed. And I get to go back on Wednesday for an ultrasound!

A crib!!

So we got a JCPenney catalog in the mail, and after flipping through it and seeing the cribs, my mom suddenly remembered that she has a JCP charge card and suggested we put a crib on it!!! So this is the one we ordered (please ignore the display bedding):



And it comes with the rail for when we convert it to a toddler bed! Usually you have to buy those separately.

I also managed to use the Target gift cards I had saved up to order the Snap n Go stroller, changing pad, and Moby Wrap infant carrier that were on my registry! Now just a little more work to do in the "nursery" (yes, the quotes are still there. Hopefully I can remove them soon). Perhaps I'll be ready for this baby after all...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

New OB's office....

IS AWESOME!!!! Love them there! The staff is friendly, and they actually smile and TALK to you! What a novel concept... lol

The office is modern, compared to the awful 80s pink and blue floral and striped wallpaper of the old OB's office. The waiting room is about 1/3 of the size of the old OB's office, but it's empty instead of completely packed with other patients. There's like, a 50" flat screen TV on the wall, tuned to HGTV, and next to that is a wine fridge stocked with bottled water. On top of this fridge is a bowl of Hershey's kisses. That's luxury right there. Before I even made it past the waiting room, I determined that this place was already 100% better than the last.

I met with the nurse practitioner today, and she was great! She actually listenend to what I had to say (ANOTHER novel concept!) AND... I got my first internal exam! w00t w00t!!! She said my cervix was nice and soft, but not dilated or effaced yet. I go back on Friday for an NST and to meet the doctor, then have an ultrasound next Wednesday. Can't wait!!!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Insurance issues. Great.

So you know how I applied for Medicaid and put Marius on the CDPHP managed care plan, and the ladies at DSS said that Medicaid would just pay my COBRA premiums and I'd stay on COBRA??? Welll.... I got some papers from DSS today, and it says that we're BOTH on CDPHP effective February 1st. What the heck? The lady who I met with when I applied said she wansn't going to be my case worker since she was leaving in a few weeks, and that someone else would be handling my case. I wonder if my info just got put on this other lady's desk without her fully knowing what was going on, and just got processed like any other case? I don't know. I mean, after I met with the lady and handed in my application and documents, I had to go to the office next door to enroll Marius in CDPHP. However, Marius was the ONLY person on that paperwork.

Of course, the mail came AFTER social services closed for the day, so I have to wait until tomorrow to call and straighten this out. It better just be a mistake, or I'm gonna be pissed, since the new OB that I'm going to tomorrow doesn't accept Medicaid in any way, shape or form. The only way I can be seen at the new OB's office is if I'm still on my COBRA plan. I'm really excited about my appointment with Dr. Burstyn tomorrow... I just hope this DSS crap is resolved and I can keep my COBRA, otherwise I have to deliver by February 1st or find yet another OB.

Friday, January 15, 2010

I HATE my OB's office. And updates.

Did I mention that I HATE MY OB's OFFICE???

So at my first NST (January 6th), the nurse practitioner that unhooked me from the monitors said to me "Oh my... your ankles are really swollen!" However, she never even looked at my ankles or touched them (they were not swollen AT ALL), and at the time I was wearing jeans that went all the way down to the top of my foot (and are too long on me anyway, so I had them folded up about 2 inches AND they were still bunched around my ankle because they're STILL too long. I have a 27 inch inseam. So sue me). This was the first time I saw this lady, and the first time she pissed me off.

Fast forward to my second NST this past Monday (January 11). I get the SAME bitch. Whatever. I'll deal. I get on the table, and before she even tries to hook me to the monitors, she grabs my belly in both hands and roughly shoves it from side to side a few times and says "Let's get this baby moving." That shit HURT! And she didn't even tell me she was gonna do it. Just grabbed my belly and started shoving. However, since I've never been pregnant before, I thought, "Eh, maybe it's standard practice", and although I was BEYOND pissed, I left it at that, even though 1. She had no indication that the baby could possibly NOT be moving, since she hadn't even hooked me to the monitor yet (and since he's a vampire and isn't really active during the day) and 2. If she wanted to MAKE him move, all she had to do was hook me to the monitor or use the doppler, because the amplified sound of his heartbeat annoys the shit out of him and he tries to get away from it. She hooks me up, leaves the room, forgets to bring me my cup of water.... whatever. I'm sitting there playing my DS, and the 20 minutes goes by fairly quickly.

She comes back in the room, AGAIN comments on how swollen my ankles are, AGAIN without even touching them, and AGAIN when they're not swollen AT ALL. Now it's time for my Strep B swabs, so I get undressed and wait for her to come back in. Now, the nurse who set me up in the room got all the equipment out for the strep B test before she called in the bitch who did my NST. (TMI alert...) I mentioned to her that I felt like I might be getting a yeast infection, so she got out the stuff for a wet mount and a culture. Great. Thank you. So the bitch of a nurse practitioner comes in to do my strep B swab, and I tell her that I feel like I'm getting a yeast infection. She asks me what my symptoms are. I tell her that my discharge is slightly thicker. She cuts me off and says "A change in discharge is normal in pregnancy. Does it itch?" I say no. However, I'm one of those women who gets a yeast infection EVERY time she's on antibiotics and catches them early before all that itchiness happens, and even though I haven't been on antibiotics lately, I still felt like I was getting one. I know my body, and I listen to it. All it would take is a simple wet mount and a culture. Even if they come back negative, that's fine. I would just like to rule it out. Is that too much to ask??

So anyway, I told her, "No, it doesn't itch, but I've had recurrent yeast infections in the past and can catch them early before they get to that point." To which she replies, "Well, if they weren't itchy, then it probably wasn't yeast." EXCUSE ME? WERE YOU THERE? NO. My previous doctor, as much as she fucked up everything by failing to diagnose me properly and telling me that all the pain I was feeling was in my head, when in fact it was adenomyosis and interstitial cystitis, SHE did a wet mount EVERY TIME and could SEE the yeast under the microscope. I was floored. Who the fuck does this woman think she is? And she's not even a doctor. She's a glorified nurse. Then she proceeds to tell me, "Well, if you feel like you're getting a yeast infection, pick up a 7-day cream at the store and use it." WHAT? I'm not putting that crap in my body unless I KNOW I have a yeast infection, 1. If I DON'T have one, I'm not going to disrupt the balance of things, 2. I'm PREGNANT and am not going to take a medication if it's unnecessary, and 3. The over-the-counter shit DOES NOT WORK for me. But she didn't even take a swab or anything and my appointment was over. I was so pissed that I couldn't even do anything. I just had to leave, or that woman would have probably ended up having her day ruined by a physical altercation, in which she would have been on the receiving end of one HELL of a right hook.

I called the office the next day, after I had some time to mull it over, and told them how pissed I was that she wouldn't even do a simple test, and told them I wanted to see a DOCTOR (even though there's only 3 doctors left in the practice after my favorite one moved, and of the 3 I only like one of them). They said Dr. Clark didn't have any openings, but come in at 2:15 and they'll squeeze me in to see him. Very accomodating. Awesome. So I see Dr. Clark, and I'm trying to explain to him the actions of the NP two days before, and how frustrated I am with the practice in general because no one seems to listen and it's like an assembly line, and then you get pushed out the door, and HE'S NOT EVEN LISTENING!! He's so focused on getting the swab done and moving on the the next patient. He keeps repeating "Lay back and let me take a look" or something to that effect. No "I'm sorry" or anything. Just ready to move on to the next widget on the assembly line.

I've HAD IT with this practice. I'm seriously considering a switch, even though I'm 36 weeks today. They will NOT do an internal exam unless they see that I'm having contractions on the monitor while in their office, or if I reach 40 weeks and haven't delivered. Ok, EVERY night now when I wake up to use the bathroom and go from a prone position to standing, the top of my belly gets rock hard and I feel the sides pull. It hurts. Everything I've felt during this pregnancy, from my one episode of Braxton-Hicks to gas pains, etc., has been at NIGHT. That's when my body really seems to come alive. That's the only time Marius is ever really active. I'm lucky if I feel him move twice during daylight hours. So because I don't have any contractions during the measley 20 MINUTES, ONCE A WEEK that I'm strapped to the monitor in the doctor's office, then an internal exam is out of the question. Even though it seems standard practice for doctors to be doing regular internal exams at this stage of one's pregnancy. I'd like to know if I'm dilated and/or effaced, thank you very much, especially since I like to be prepared as possible, and I have to somehow be able to notify hubby when the time comes so he might be able to be near his laptop to witness the birth.

And, finally, the icing on the cake. After the beating my belly took on Monday from that bitch, Marius has shifted. The WHOLE TIME, he's been head down. For the last X amount of weeks, I've felt his hiccups right above my pubic bone, and his feet were up under my left breast, just about 2 inches from the center. So we'll say, if you were standing in front of me and facing me, his head was at 6 o'clock, and his feet were at 1 o'clock. NOW, after this whole episode, I'm feeling his hiccups over on the right side, and his feet on the left side. His butt is lower and more on the left. Right now, it feels like his head is at 8 o'clock, and his feet are at 3 o'clock. He's been like this all week. He was always in the other position before, for WEEKS and WEEKS on end and never turned himself sideways. He was content right where he was. Now he's all sideways and shit. I SWEAR, if I end up having to have a c-section because this baby is stuck sideways and won't turn for a vaginal delivery, I'm going to KILL the nurse practitioner.

Oh yeah... the title also says "Updates"... Well, hubby has his laptop now, so we can video chat. We tried Skype, but IT SUCKS. Kept dropping calls, his voice was crazy distorted and there was a HUGE audio lag. So we've switched to Yahoo video calling and, although there's still a little lag, both the video and audio are clearer, and it doesn't drop the call every 3 seconds like Skype did. What else... Oh! I went to DSS and applied for Medicaid for me and Marius (the military won't put Marius on any of hubby's paperwork until we get a paternity test because he was "conceived" when hubby was in basic training. Even a letter from Dr. Grossman at CNY, stating that we did, in fact, undergo IVF using my eggs and his sperm isn't good enough, so we get to pay $500 out of pocket for a legal DNA test like some kind of Maury Show scum child support case). Anyway, DSS said that since I'm eligible for Medicaid, I can either take Medicaid, or stay on COBRA and they'll pay my COBRA premiums. Shit, if I had known that, I would have gone there in June or July and saved $175/month in premiums, plus all the $15 copays from my doctor visits. Whatever. Water under the bridge, right? At least they'll go back 3 months and reimburse the COBRA payments that I've made since October.

I think there was something else I wanted to say, but hell if I can remember it now. Shoot, I'm surprised anyone is still even reading this since it's so long.... Sorry for the rant, and thanks for sticking with it....

Monday, January 11, 2010

Hmmm...

I don't think this is an appropriate box for Zoe to inhabit... However, we could probably get rich if we could teach her to raise her paw and wave it back and forth... lol

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Some progress. Or, We have a floor!

Today, me and Mom got some work done on the "nursery". (I will not remove the quotes until it passes as a real nursery. lol)

We got all of the clothes from my shower out of the gift bags and hung up in the closet (except for the onesies that I'll be putting in the dresser. But now I have access to the dresser. lol)

The room looked like it threw up into the hallway when we were done sorting through the bags:



Here are the clothes from the shower all hung up neatly in the closet, with some of my overflow clothes that I have to get into MY closet:


And here are some views of the room. We stacked little things on the media shelf, but some of that stuff will find other homes. We just wanted to get it out of the bags and take inventory, then we'll put everything in its proper place when we get to that point. The stuff in the corner is actually the Pack n Play, swing, and rocker seat boxes with a couple things on top of them, and the empty box from the travel system is still over by the widow, so there's not as much stuff over there as it seems! The dresser is almost completely visible. And yes, you can see the floor!!!!



Friday, January 8, 2010

35 weeks!

87.5% of the way there! In two weeks, I'll be considered full term, which is CRAZY. I can't believe how fast time has gone by!!!

Hopefully hubby will get his laptop soon. I sent it Wednesday afternoon via Priority Mail. The estimate was 2 business days and it cost $36 to mail the large, 10.5 pound package (none of the flat rate boxes were long enough for it to fit). I got delivery confirmation, and so far when I put in the tracking number, it says the package was accepted at the post office where I mailed it. TWO DAYS LATER! Arrrrrgh! It better get there by tomorrow, or I'm asking for a refund. There's a reason it was sent priority - so it could get there faster! If I wanted it to take a week, it only would have cost me $15. I'm not paying almost $40 for it to show up next week.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

My goal for the next week (or two....)

Is to turn this into some semblance of a nursery:



Yes, I know, my due date is fast approaching. Luckily, most of the stuff in this room is actually BABY stuff, and not everyone else's crap like it was before.


This wall is virtually empty, so that's a start. I think I'll take this little media shelf and put it against the wall with the window to stack diapers on, and put his lotions/creams, receiving blankets, etc on, since I'm putting the changing dresser under the window (the only piece of furniture I have for this kid, which was mine when I was a baby). You'll glimpse a LITTLE of the dresser in the next photo.


Ok, this wall is one hot mess. You see the dresser in there, surrounded by a mountain of stuff from my baby shower. When we get a crib (for now we'll use the pack n play), it will go in the corner to the right of where the dresser is now, since the two walls that form the corner are both interior walls. Our house is a bit drafty, so I want to keep him as far away from the wall with the window as possible. Perhaps I'll put the "crib" on the next wall with the door and move my shoe shelf (yes, I said shoe shelf lol) to the virtually empty wall that's currently occupied by the little brown media shelf.


Here's the wall with the door (and the current location of my shoe shelf). Yes, those are all mine. Mostly heels. And the sad part is, I donated between 15-20 pairs of shoes last month when we cleaned out this room before my baby shower. You have now taken a clockwise tour of the room. Now, thinking about it, I'm leaning more toward the wall with the dresser as the future location of the crib, because that wall drops off to our split stairway (our house is a raised ranch), so no one will be banging into the wall anywhere near where the crib would be. The wall with the door is right on the hallway and could result in more noise.

So, yes, this is my current goal, to be completed before Marius arrives. I'd LIKE to get it done within 2 weeks, so I'm gonna have to work my butt off. We'll see how it goes.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Car seat? CHECK!

Oh yes! Mom and I had an appointment tonight with the State Police to have the car seat bases installed in our cars. I can't believe there will be a little guy riding in there soon! I've never had an infant carrier in my car. It's a TIGHT fit. Like, if I look over my right shoulder, BOOM! there's a car seat in my face! But I guess that's what happens when your car is the size of a lunch box. However, from carting Anthony around, I do know that a forward-facing car seat fits in there, so it won't be as bad when we get to that point. I'm definitely going to look into a convertible car seat. Perhaps I'll stop by BRU and see if they'll let my try the display models in my car. I took a quick picture when I got home. I probably should have taken it in the well-lit garage where it was installed, because a direct flash has never done ANYTHING justice in a photograph, but here it is:


On another note, I stopped by Wal-Mart earlier to get some travel toiletries and things for my hospital bag (which included a pack of real underwear with a butt, which I haven't worn since I was... oh... 15? But I digress...). I got home and pulled out the duffel bag to start packing. Now, the duffel bag is rectangular, and I set it on a chair in the dining room, went into the kitchen to get some scissors, and turned around to find that my duffel was inhabited by a stowaway feline. Yes, Zoe (who is OBSESSED with boxes and will climb in any unattended rectangular receptacle, regardless of size) decided to take up residence in the bag. She must've thought it was a box of some sort.

My hospital bag is about half packed. It's a start. Most of the remaining stuff can't go in until later (i.e. chargers, DS, laptop, etc), so I think I'm doing well. So far I have toiletries, nursing sleep bras (still haven't ordered a real nursing bra in my size. I may just convert a couple of my current bras into their nursing cousins), socks, underwear, nursing pads, camcorder, and nightgown (which I will use in place of the hospital gown when in labor and throw away after). Oh, and I packed my Adidas sandals that I can wear with socks to shuffle around the hospital. Still have some more things, like some sweat pants and tops, etc, but I'll get there. I can't believe I have about 5 weeks (or less!) to go. Crazy!!!

On yet another note, I shipped hubby's laptop to him today! w00t w00t! Hopefully he can be in the delivery room in some way after all.

Monday, January 4, 2010

I don't get it....

I had my 34 week appointment today, which included a nonstress test (NST) and a growth scan. The NST was fine- I heard his heartbeat for 20 minutes straight, and I wasn't having any contractions. However, they had the back of the exam table propped way up to a sitting position, which was really uncomfortable, especially with my legs straight out in front of me. My back was KILLING me.

The ultrasound is what really threw me for a loop. My last growth scan was at 30w5d. Just about 4 weeks ago. At that time, they estimated Marius at 4lbs 3oz and said he was in the 70th percentile. His measurements were about 2 weeks ahead. Today (34w3d), his head was measuring 36 weeks, his femur was measuring 35w5d. The ultrasound tech found his feet and measured them for fun, and his foot was 6.94 centimeters long (roughly 2.75 inches). So she said his weight was... 5lbs 1oz and he was in the 34th percentile?!?!?!? What the hell? He only gained 10 oz in 4 weeks? And how do you go from the 70th percentile to the 34th?! She was like "the 50th percentile is average." But didn't say shit else. Didn't have me talk to the doctor. I'm really NOT liking this practice AT ALL. I feel so out of the loop. I feel like I'm being pushed through some sort of assembly line by a bunch of robots. Ugggh!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Hubby is now in TX :(

It's official. I took him to the airport this morning, we had some breakfast together, then I bawled like a baby when I had to leave him at security. After 2 flights and a layover in Chicago (where he saw Dick Butkus in the airport), he arrived at Dallas/Fort Worth and is on his way to the base, where he will stay for 15 weeks, then leave and go to Arkansas for 2 weeks before he comes home. *sigh*

He says he may be able to have his laptop after he completes the first phase of his training, so in about 2 weeks I might be able to ship it down to him, which would be great. It would at least give us SOME chance of him witnessing the birth of his son. We'll see what they say...

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!

I can't believe 2009 is over already. It seems like it's been a busy year for us. Now we're in 2010, which is the year we'll have a baby! Like, if someone asks me when I'm due, I can say "Next month." Crazy!!!

Hubby leaves at 0600 tomorrow morning, and he'll be gone until mid-May. I hate this, but there's nothing we can do about it. Can't fight Uncle Sam. We have to be at the airport in less than 9 hours, and in less than 11 hours his plane will leave. Did I mention that I hate this??? At least I got my New Year's kiss at midnight (and I actually managed to stay up until midnight, which is a feat in and of itself these days)!