Still pregnant. Just thought I'd get that out of the way because that's the first thing everyone asks when I call anyone. Shockingly to everyone, my due date is Thursday and I feel like our little guy is more comfy than ever. Go figure.

I get induced Friday which I think is just a hilarious end to this crazy roller coaster we have been on over the past four months. My parents fly in tomorrow and while I'm happy they will be here for the birth, a part of me is sad they won't get as much time with him at home since they can only stay a week.

I have been to Busch Gardens 3 times in 6 days and still no baby so I'm pretty sure Friday will be the day. We are really excited to meet our little guy!

How about a picture of Lila to end this little post? I'm in love with this outfit my mom bought for her.

A Witchy Halloween

I was so excited to finally be home for an important event!! We spent Halloween evening with Chris's family and had a great time. Lila, Calla and Cohen were so excited to go trick or treating together. 

Lila was a very stylish witch this year. My mom sewed this cute costume last year and I love it! I'm going to be sad when I can't pick her costumes any more.

Captain America Girl

Captain America! Cohen was too excited about the rubber snake to hold still for a photo :)

I went with them to about 3 houses so I could see her trick or treat, then went back to the house to relax. Of course the cerclage comes out one day AFTER Halloween!

Blowing me a kiss 

Chris decided to pull Lila around in a wagon and just had her walk up to each house. Smart guy! Lila was in heaven because she not only didn't have to walk, but she got to check out her candy in between each house. 

Cohen thought it was a pretty good idea towards the end!

The best part...coming home to enjoy the spoils! You think she looks comfy?

I love Halloween! I can't wait until next year when I get to dress up two kids! I hope everyone had a great Halloween.

Almost There

There's finally a light at the end of this long tunnel I've been stuck in for too long! I will be 36 weeks pregnant on Thursday and will be getting my cerclage out and will be proclaimed a "normal pregnant woman." Dr's words, not mine. I don't think there's anything normal about pregnancies and the more I talk to people, the more I wonder how many people actually have a routine pregnancy! 

Here is my great self portrait taken last Friday at 35 weeks before my dr appt. (probably the only reason  I'm wearing real clothes.)

At my appointment they did an ultra sound to do a baby growth check. I have those every 3 weeks to make sure he's making gains since he measures small. They're guessing he weighs about 5 lbs right now (24th percentile), his abdomen measures small, but his head is right on. He's a little too cramped to get an idea of length, but all looked good. I have an ultra sound every week so they can check my fluid and to make sure all his vitals look good. It's fun for me to see him so often! I was dilated to a 1 but there was not pressure on the cerclage and the dr said that wasn't anything to worry about at this point.

As you can imagine, after getting my cerclage put in about 22 weeks ago and being on strict, flat out  bed rest for about 12 of those weeks, I have been making a list of all the things I want to do before the baby comes. (I'm hoping he'll give me a few weeks!) 

*I want to walk a mall! (And shop for baby stuff)

*Make it at least one more time to Busch Gardens with Lila

*Finish cleaning out my garage (the little my mom didn't get to finish for me!)

*Take a bath (you aren't allowed to swim or soak with a cerclage in.)

*Go to a movie

*Go out to dinner

*Finish the nursery

*Lift Lila (poor girl's been over my lifting limit since the cerclage)

*Grocery shop...it's the little things, not to mention I spend less than Chris!

*Do a little Christmas shopping

*Try to repay some of the service that's been given to me 

*Just not think about being careful all the time

There's more, mostly having to do with shopping, errands, and cleaning but you get the idea. I'm a little worried that either I'm going to be so excited to do so much that I overdo it and have the baby earlier than I want to or that I will want to do so much but since I've basically been a sloth for so long, I'm not going to have the energy or muscle mass to carry out many of my plans!

Enough of all that, here's my cute Lila! Tara sent me a lot of these cute pictures.

Watching cows with the twins Tara watches

Playing with chalk. Apparently she didn't try to eat any of it this time, so I guess she's growing up!

Blurry ones I took outside with Chris pushing her on the swing.

Finally cool weather for pants and long sleeves!

Her new favorite way to enjoy the swings:

Home At Last

I haven't been very good at updating lately but for a while there wasn't much to say. My days in the hospital were roughly the same monotonous routine of being monitored morning and evening, nurses, techs, doctors, housekeeping and dietary coming in and out all day while I played online, read, watched tv or talked on the phone. I was to be checked at 32 weeks to see how the baby and my cervix was doing and to possibly be sent home. Chris and I disagreed on me going home, him wanting to be more conservative and have me stay 2 more weeks and me so ready to go home it wasn't even funny. Last Friday I had a long ultra sound and the baby looked great even though his abdomen was still measuring small and my cervix had actually gained a little bit of length. 

Chris got to the hospital just as the ultra sound ended but in time to talk to the doctor about what the plan would be. The doctor pretty much laid it out that my insurance was not going to cover my hospital stay any longer since there were no indicators that I needed to be there. He also told us that even if I went home and had a problem, they probably wouldn't try too hard to keep me from having the baby since I was at a safer point. Knowing we'd have to pay a large insurance bill if I stayed and that I wouldn't be readmitted for another round of bed rest at the hospital, Chris finally gave in! My mom was flying in the next day so we decided to just wait and have me come home Saturday evening after Chris and Lila picked her up. Saturday night was the best in a long time! My mom, Chris and Lila got there and got me all packed up (no small feat) and after 52 days, I got to go home!!!

It has been fabulous to sleep in my own bed, see Lila and Chris every morning and evening, have my mom baby me, and eat real food! Lila still goes to Tara's during the week while my mom asks where I want things and has been getting my house organized and ready for baby boy (we really need to pick a name...) My mom has been working non stop and I'm a little worried she's not going to want to visit me ever again since I seem to put her to work every time she comes! I have loved watching how Lila and Chris have grown even closer than they used to be while I was away. She's a lucky girl to have such an attentive and fun dad. Her little world is going to be rocked pretty soon when the baby comes but it will be good for her! It has been crazy to see how she has grown up in just the 2 months I missed. She plays with her babies and fake kitchen food more correctly now (read not just slamming them around the house.) She is saying a lot more words now too!

I had my first check up yesterday since being home. I was a little nervous and kept chanting, "no bad news, no bad news" over and over again in my head. Luckily it all went great. I am over 33 weeks now and feel so blessed to have made it to this point. I feel good and confident that I'll have this baby pretty close to full term. My next count down is to the 36 week mark when I can finally get the cerclage out and officially be off bed rest!! That will be a great day. I'm a little worried I will have no energy or strength to do much that's productive since I have been laying for so long but hopefully it will come back quickly.  

So, things are good and we are happy! Any perfect baby boy names??? We have a couple ideas but can't agree on anything!

Still Here and Kicking

In 2 days I will be 30 weeks pregnant! I can't wait to get out of the 20's...it just sounds better! I have just over another 2 weeks in the hospital for sure, then they check me and if I look like I'm still holding steady, they will send me home. Chris wants me here longer, but I really don't think the doctors are going to go for it this time. I haven't gotten any worse and they aren't doing anything for me except giving me progesterone suppositories and bed rest. I can do that at home for a few more weeks until we are out of any danger zone. I don't think he trusts me to be good and stay in bed at home!

I did have an ultra sound today just to check baby's growth. He looks healthy and good, but is measuring small. Lila was the same way. She measured small but healthy the whole pregnancy and even though I had her full term at 39 weeks, she was only 5lb 15oz. This makes me happy for my labor, but I wish he was bigger in case he comes early. His head was measuring pretty good though and he is head down.

The bump, almost 30 weeks.

I'm pretty ready to be out of the hospital at this point. I've been here for 5 weeks and am a little tired of the routine. While every single nurse and tech I've had has been amazing, I'm kind of excited not to have them walk in anytime they want when I get home. I won't miss the food either! I have read lots of good books though, which has been really fun for me. Mostly, I can't wait to see Chris and Lila more. It feels so weird to see them only about an hour most evenings.

It was an eventful day last Thursday when Chris called me in the morning to let me know my car had been stolen from our driveway! I thought he had to be joking, but unfortunately, he wasn't. After this whole pregnancy thing and Lila's tooth disaster, at this point we just have to laugh at our bad luck. Whoever took the car broke into Chris's car first and stole his ipad and ipod and found a key to my car that Chris had stashed in there since he goes back and forth between cars. I'm sure once they realized the key went to my car, they ditched his and took mine. We've been racking our brains to think what was in there. Luckily, Lila's car seat was in Chris's car and her stroller was at Tara's. My ipod was in there, 2 of Chris's golf clubs, a few books and toys Lila had just gotten for her birthday, my scriptures, and about three baby outfits from Gap I had bought before being hospitalized. All of that is replaceable but frustrating to lose. Chris called the police and I got to work tracking down serial numbers on our electronics to give to them.

The scary thing was that there was a house key on the key ring they took, so if they wanted to, they could have come into the house as well. That freaks me out! Chris had the locks changed that day. I keep hoping some teens decided to take the car on a joy ride and that it will turn up abandoned somewhere, but so far no luck. We moved into a nicer neighborhood thinking this wouldn't happen but the cop told Chris that a lot of car thefts in neighborhoods like ours are middle class teens that just don't have consciences. The insurance will pay for a rental for 2 weeks and if the car doesn't turn up in that 2 weeks, they write a check. We still have to pay a deductible and who knows what the insurance will decide is a fair amount to compensate for the car. It's very frustrating that we have to pay out of pocket for someone else's bad decision but we are learning we have no control lately, so what's the use in being too upset about it. The important thing is that we are all healthy and safe, my cervix is cooperating, Lila is doing really well even though things aren't perfect, and we have a lot of family and friends that have been very generous and supportive!

Here are some pictures of Lila that Tara has texted me over the past while:

At Tara's boys' football games playing with baby stuff

Enjoying her food!

She let Tara french braid her hair! Shocking!

Picking flowers on a walk

Running...always running

Cute pony 

And for my mom, who I keep telling how long Lila's hair is getting

28 week update

I'm hoping today is the last celebration taking place in the hospital room during this crazy pregnancy! I am officially out of my 20's and am saying hello to 30.

The best birthday present was having really good results from my ultra sound and speculum exam yesterday. It looks like my cervix is still shut, cerclage is holding tight, and my cervix even grew by 2 whole mm! lol! I'm very surprised it wasn't any shorter and so happy. The baby looks great as well and is putting some fat on his little cheeks. He's also head down now. It was really fun to see him in 4D, where I could really get a good look at his features. I convinced the sonographer to take her time since it was my only outing in 3 weeks! :)

 The only downside to getting such good news on my results was the influx of different opinions again. My ob's had already decided I should stay until at least 32 weeks no matter the results, just to be safe since they know we live about 35 mins away with no traffic and have a very active 2 year old. Chris and my parents also feel strongly about me staying longer to just give the baby the best chance of making it closer to his due date. The perinatologist came to see me after my speculum exam and started talking about how there was really no reason to keep me here since I am holding steady. He said that medically, there is really nothing they are doing for me and may as well do it at home. He mentioned that hospitals have bacteria too that can put me at risk for infection and that really even though people assume staying at the hospital means safety, the same preterm labor could start here just as easily as at home. He didn't seem to think distance was an issue.  He asked what I thought and it was really hard for me. A lot of what he said made sense and believe me, I really want to go home. On the other hand, my family and doctors and one of the perinatologists I had seen earlier all thought I should stay. I felt like, who am I to make this decision? When he heard all the different opinions that had been given to me, he backed off and said he didn't want me to feel guilty if something did happen at home, even though it could happen here too and that it wasn't fair for me to decide. He will leave it up to my doctors. He did mention that if my insurance calls to find out if it is really necessary for me to be here so long, he doesn't have a lot of medical evidence to support my case, but he would try.

So, for now I am here for another month and I believe if I still hold steady at that point they will definitely send me home. If I look worse, I'm here for longer. This will definitely go down as the strangest birthday ever but that seems to be my new norm!

On a different note, Chris took Lila to her 2 year check up yesterday. As I predicted and warned him, she screamed and thrashed pretty good basically from start to finish. He said it took 3 or 4 times to measure her height. My baby is not such a baby anymore. She is in the 98th percentile for height and the 88th percentile for weight. The doctor thinks she will be around 5'9" to 5'11" when she is older. It is so weird to think that most likely, my children will all tower over me! With my husband being 6'4", I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

16 Days and Counting

Still here, still not much to report. I've been in the hospital now for over two weeks and it's starting to get a little old, but not terrible. Some days are slower than others but I still get phone calls and visitors and that helps a ton! I'm getting pretty tired of the food, but Chris and a couple friends have brought in food from the "outside" to help with that. :) I did discover one little gem the hospital has, but of course it's a dessert! It's an apple dumpling that is basically like a delicious apple pie that looks like a little present. I've only ordered it twice because I'm trying not to get huge, but it's so tempting!!!

Whichever doctor in my practice is on call comes to see me every morning. They basically just ask how I feel (which is always fine) and feel my stomach and my legs (which are always fine), I think to make it feel like they are doing something productive. It is interesting to get sooo many different opinions. Between all of them and the two different Perinatologists that have come to see me, I have been told: if my cervix is still shut tight I might as well go home at 28 weeks on bed rest, wait till 32 weeks and go home on bed rest, 34 weeks and go home on bed rest, stay here until I have the baby, that I should only have an ultra sound and not the spectrum exam (vaginal exam that opens it a little so dr's get a good look at cervix opening) because they don't want to mess with anything down there and start something, and that I should have a spectrum exam and not an ultra sound because it will tell more about my cervix. I pretty much just listen to all the opinions, ask a few questions and have just decided to wait until next week and see what the perinatologist on call and my doctor on call want to do with the exam, then depending on what they see, go from there. If the cervix has started opening even with the stitch in, then there are no debates, I will be here for the long haul.

And so, I wait. I get my temp and blood pressure checked every 4 hours (even though I've never had high or low blood pressure in my life) and I get monitored for contractions every morning and every night. I usually have about 2 to 3 a day, which I'm told is normal and not a problem. I watch netflix on my laptop, lots of TLC and HGTV and some crime shows that freak me out but are addicting. I have a few new books from friends that are good too. Chris and Lila come most every night and I try to get all my squeezes and kisses in. She thinks it's fun to make my bed go up and down, turn on the baby monitor machine, and throw her toys she keeps here in the laundry bin.
     
An unflattering picture of Lila and I watching Toy Story 3. She loves snuggling under my blankets!
               

Oh, an update on Lila's poor tooth situation...Turns out she did shove her tooth completely up into her gums. OUCH! The pediatric dentist said she had to have hit it hard and at just the right angle to do that. The good news is that the tooth should come back down on its own in about 2 months. It bleeds a little when she bites something on it or bumps her mouth, but it's not too bad. He said she will be uncomfortable, like she is teething again. He prescribed some numbing medication but Chris said it's hard to get it on her gum in the right spot because of all her squirming. Shocking. The dentist told him that 90% of the time, the tooth is fine and doesn't die or anything. He also said the permanent tooth could have been chipped when the baby tooth was jammed back in, but we'd have to wait and see. That is easily fixed though. I am just so grateful that so far it looks like there will be no sedation, needles, crowns and all the other things we were dreading!

I keep feeling like even though bad things are happening with out family right now, we have had the best situations possible in those scenarios and feel really blessed. We've received a lot of help and encouragement and it means a lot to us!