Reason to Rejoice

This might be a scattered post....if you have read this long or have known me for any length of time, this should not be anything out of the ordinary! First of all, I don't normally watch commercials because of the invention of the DVR (which I love and totally missed while in the hospital) but I do catch some occasionally. I HATE this commercial... I understand that the commercial is supposed to be cute because the little girl is sassy but I think she is completely disrespectful and if my child ever talks to me that way she won't eat!!! Okay, maybe that's a little drastic, but really....does anyone else agree???!!! The commercial just bothers me...a lot! ***************************************************************** TV Shows: Totally LOVED Grey's Anatomy last week...I know I am a little late on this. I have been watching the show and sometimes I am disgusted with it but I really liked it last week....good quality television for once! I am really into Amazing Rac...

Yesterday was the worst day we have had so far. It was a VERY VERY trying day. I have a toddler who realizes that when I am feeding the baby that I have very limited mobility and I have a hard time getting up and doing anything, including following through with discipline...i.e. spanking. She is having a difficult time adjusting. She is very good with the baby and wants to talk to her and kiss her all of the time but she just is having some serious discipline issues. It didn't help that Brice didn't come home until almost 8:30 last night. At one point, I went and locked myself in my room and cried as I nursed the baby. I was definitely at my wits' end. But...that too, passed.... I had to make a quick trip to the OB/GYN yesterday...complications with my episiotomy....I won't go into details but all is fine and will heal on its own. I go back to see her again in 2 weeks. My blood pressure was high at the office - 145/96. It has been running okay for a few days ...

It's been a few days since I have posted....I am sure you know why. Monday was an adventure. It was my first time to get all 3 of us (me and the girls) ready and out the door on a schedule by myself. Well, we were supposed to be at Rachel's school at 9:00 and we got there at 9:20...not too bad, I don't suppose! Then Lauren and I headed up to the hospital for her PKU and to visit my co-workers. We were there for a little while and BLD was nice enough to let me feed her in the office...with the door locked! =) We made it back home in time to have the air conditioner man come and fix the upstairs unit...ahh....cool air again! Then it was time to get Rachel. The day seemed to go by way too fast....and without a nap! Tuesday was lazy day and Rachel did really well. Let me just say that a lot of TV watching went on! Brice came home early to cook dinner and again...no nap. Wednesday I actually got Rachel to school on time. Lauren and I came back home and my aunt came to...

There is a song that comes to mind...I don't remember who sings it.... "Back to life, back to reality...." Okay, so everyone is gone...except...US!! Our little family of 4 is tied nicely with a ribbon. We are here. Everyone is napping but me...that seems odd since I am up at all hours of the night. Honestly, I feel really well today and it is the first time in several days that I don't have a headache so the alone time is kinda nice...until Lauren needs to eat again....oh okay, I have an hour or so! =) What have I done with the alone time??? Let's see, I cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes, and I am washing a load of clothes!!! Let me just assure you, I am not complaining. These are things that I wish I could have done for the past month or so but was unable to. There is something to be said for routine and getting back in the habit of doing "normal" mommy and wifey things. The help that we had the past several weeks was absolutely AMAZING!!! ...

Last night I was feeding Miss Lauren and we were belly to belly. When I moved her to change positions, I noticed that I had blood on me and she was bleeding from her belly button...pretty significant amount of blood. Let me start by saying that I feel I am much calmer with this baby than I was with Rachel. BUT...this kinda freaked me out a little! I ran upstairs and asked Brice what to do and he said that he doesn't think we should rush and call the doctor until we find out a little more information about it....the internet, of course, our only source of information however legit it might be. Anyway, I thought about it for a second and called our friend, Kristin, who used to work in the NICU and is an RN. She told me that it might be because it got snagged (which is probably what happened). Lauren's little stump isn't gone yet and it is has a little piece that tends to get caught on things...she actually pulled a piece of it off the other day. Kristin said to just wa...

I couldn't really think of a title for today's blog...so, it's just Wednesday...you know, today. We went, yet again to the pediatrician's office this morning for them to continue using my youngest child as a pin cushion. She has about 5 pokes on her right foot and 4 or so on her left. It's pitiful. But the good news....WE ARE FINISHED!!! Her levels came back okay today. I don't know really what that all means but they said not to bring her back until her 2 week appointment which is next Friday! YAY!!! I can tell that her color is looking better....especially in her arms and legs. She is just too sweet!!! My blood pressure has been fair. I will have okay ones (130's/80's) and then I will have high ones with the diastolic in the 90's. I normally have pretty low blood pressure so these are pretty high for me. It hasn't been so bad that I feel like I need to contact the doctor yet but I am keeping an eye on it. Somedays I feel better than...

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days. We are still trying to get adjusted to life with 2 children. Although, I have to admit - I don't really feel like it is as hard as it will get yet - Brice's mom has pretty much taken charge of Rachel which has been a TREMENDOUS blessing!!! She gets up with her in the morning and while I am able to take a nap with Lauren, she entertains my toddler. I am so thankful! Things are getting a little more routine ....a little....Lauren is feeding better and definitely sleeping better. Our first night was very very difficult. She was awake the entire night, giving me about 2 hours of sleep. I was exhausted, my hormones kicked in and I was needless to say, a wreck. The next night, she was on a 2-3 hour schedule which was much better. Last night I actually had to wake her one time after a 4 hour stretch so we are making a little progress. We had to go to the doctor yesterday and this morning for bilirubin checks. Lauren is a littl...

Well, I still don't think that my milk has come in but when I nurse now at least I hear her gulping something. I thought it might be my milk but I tried pumping and it was only clearish. Anyway, she gulps for a long while on each side so I think she is getting more satisfied. She is calmer afterwards and seems to be less hungry. With Rachel....I hardly nursed at all at first since she was in NICU and I didn't pump until my milk actually came in. I had her on Tuesday around 8:00 and on Wednesday night I woke up with incredibly wet clothes.....it was so super fast. I think that's why I am frustrated. Here are some more pictures:

It is 2:35 on Saturday morning. I have had a good stretch of about 4 hours of sleep. I dropped Lauren off in the nursery at about 9:00 after I fed her for what, again, seemed like an eternity. She was screaming when I dropped her off and they said she calmed down and slept until 1:00 when they brought her to me to eat. She nursed on one side for 25 minutes and the other for 20. She continued to scream because she was still hungry. My milk has not come in yet and she is so frustrated! She is starving. The nurse said she weighed 9 lbs this morning so she has lost 9 oz which they say is perfectly normal for breastfed babies. She is latching on great! I am so thankful but I am not sure what to do about her being hungry and me not being able to help much. I know things will get better after my milk comes in. I talked with the nurse a little and she said that they could give her a little formula in a syringe. I am a little nervous about supplementing because I dont want her to g...

I am officially the proud mommy of two beautiful girls!!!! I will write more details later but for now I will just give you the important stuff. =) I am very sleepy after waking up at 3:30 to get ready for a 5:00 AM induction. Not to mention I took an Ambien last night at 11:30 and it didn't have time to fully get out of my system. SO... Lauren Elizabeth Hester was born at 3:28 PM on March 12th, 2009. She weighed 9 lbs, 9 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long!!!!! She is a big girl! I cannot tell you how much better my experience was with this labor. I was about 9 hours long and I only pushed for 1 hour. I was tired but nearly as exhausted as I was with Rachel. I immediately got to hold her on my tummy when she was born and she is in regular newborn nursery so I can have her whenever I want!!! We are both doing well. If you were expecting a phone call today and didn't get it, I am sorry. My phone was not cooperating and then it ran out of battery. I also don't have pi...

The time is off on my posts....that last on was posted at 5:48, not 3:48.

Here I sit/lie in a semi-comatose state compliments of not allowing a good 8 hours of sleep to Ambien. It's good stuff but not to take at 11:00 and then awake at 3. I have an IV, I am in a labor bed, and Pitocin has been started. Hopefully we will have a little sister before too terribly long. As things progress, I will try to update as I feel up to it. Either way, you will know when the baby comes!!!! Please continue to pray!

Doctor checked my cervix...I am dilated to 3. No need for cervical ripening so I should not have anything exciting today. MY DOCTOR will come in the morning and start pitocin and hopefully I will have a baby soon thereafter! =)

The countdown is almost over!!!! Tomorrow is the big day. I am so glad. I am now MORE than ready. I think that Baby Girl is too. I can tell that she is really running out of room and she is making me pay for it! Yesterday she kicked me so hard in the ribs that I had tears in my eyes. She doesn't move a great deal anymore because, really, where is she gonna go? When she does move, it hurts a lot. I am waiting right now for the doctor to come in to visit. She will likely do a cervical exam to see if there needs to be any prep tonight for delivery tomorrow. Honestly, I can't believe that we have made it to this point. Almost 2 weeks ago, I was certain we would have a baby sooner rather than later but to have her still in my belly, growing and getting stronger is what is best for everyone. I can't wait to see her chubby cheeks and sweet little face. After the nurse came in last night at midnight, I could not go back to sleep. I didn't go back to sleep until ab...

It has been a strange day to say the least. Some stuff went down at work that I won't go into but I will just say that it was not good for some people and disappointing as a whole. The highlight of my day... I GOT TO SEE MY SWEET LITTLE GIRL!!!!!! I missed her so much but I know she has so much fun in Arkansas. She just talked to me and kissed my face and messed with my cheeks. She was very sweet. I have an update from the previous couple of posts regarding the insurance covering the heart monitoring. I spoke with the nurse at the office and she said that the company should not make me pay for the remainder. She said she would call them to make sure but she advised that I wait to see if they send a bill since all we have received is the EOB. Fair enough! As the big day approaches, I am finding that there are so many things that still need to be brought to the hospital. I am getting a little anxious and I know it is because I haven't been able to get things together on...

This is a Bradford Pear or Fruitless Pear tree!!!!! They are beautiful but they smell TERRIBLE!!! Who has a huge one of these in the middle of her front yard???? Yes, that would be ME! I haven't been at home in awhile but the hospital has them outside right where I go and sit once a day....I am sure that they did it for me! =) The closest thing that I can come up with that I think these trees smell like is a perm! It just doesn't smell good. But....like I said, they are beautiful!!! In other news, I just got off the phone with the heart doctor's office.....they are having a nurse call me back. STUPID!!! The nurse isn't going to know what to do. I told them I wanted to talk to someone about my BILL....the girl on the phone said that they don't have any information on bills that come from 3rd parties....AHH....I can already see where this is going. Here is my gripe...among others.... They should have informed me that this company was either a)not in netw...

I just received a phone call from my husband who just went home from sitting with me. He said that he received an EOB from our insurance company with an amount of $1600 that we needed to pay as a result of services rendered not in network with our insurance. It was for the heart monitoring that I had done in December when I was having all of those heart palpitations. Apparently, the heart doctor's office set me up with a monitoring company that was not in network with our insurance company so now we are having to pay for the remainder of what our insurance didn't pay. I am frustrated. I don't know what to do about it. I guess I will call the heart doctor's office on Monday to see what, if anything, they can do. I just don't know...that's a big chunk of money that we shouldn't have to pay....we already pay a ton of money each month for very good insurance...surely they could have either told us that the monitoring company wasn't in network with our...

Still here...still pregnant...nothing exciting happened yesterday. Blood pressure seems to be good still. I had some friends come and eat lunch with me....a hospital hamburger and then BLD had some chicken strips that she was finished with...I ate them too! I was hungry! =) I got to see this little guy who is only 2 months old....so super sweet...I think he has more hair than I do! Last night....didn't sleep well. I tossed and turned all night long and people in the hallway felt the need to be loud again. I had a big o contraction that woke me up early this morning and then for whatever reason my nurse as she was in my room at 4:30 this morning taking my vital signs, weighing me, etc thought that she needed to have this full blown conversation about something that I don't even remember. Okay, woman, do what you gotta do and LEAVE!!!! I am going back to sleep! She did, eventually and I did go back to sleep...until 8:00 when the day shift nurse came in and introduced he...

I GOT TO GO OUTSIDE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, so I was very excited about that! Can you tell? The weather here was 86 degrees here today and I was itching to go out. Everything has been looking good with me and baby and so I asked the nurse about going outside. She talked to the doctor on call and she gave the OK for me to go out of my room for 15 minutes a day. I was so excited! I called my friend and coworker who has been SUPER to me the entire time I have been here and she wheeled me downstairs in the wheelchair. It was nice to have fresh air and we made a stroll through the ER to see all of my friends there. It was a nice change of scenery. BLD took pictures and I will steal them from her blog and post them here after she posts them!! Got to see my best friend today so it was an all around GREAT day! I made a little mistake today....to make a long story short, my husband was supposed to take our dog to the vet tonight to be boarded so that she can get a haircut. ...

Still just hanging out. I got some blood drawn this morning to make sure everything is still good. I slept better last night despite the fact that there was so much going on out in the halls. I suppose that people that are here visiting think that everyone on this floor is delivering a baby. It was loud and woke me up around 3:00 this morning. I heard a nurse say, "Just stay positive. They would be already working on her if it is was really serious." I went right back to sleep. So, yesterday I didn't feel well. I was nauseated pretty much all day and I just found myself tired and worn out and ready for this baby to be born. I am feeling better....just had a little break down for a minute. Nothing new, really. Yesterday's visitors: Paulie - friend from church who brought tons of goodies for me!! THANKS! Vicki - coworker was only able to stay for a few minutes. It was a slow day but I got a nap so it was good. Pressing on.....

So, I am the humnan incubator! SWEET! I would do just about anything to keep this baby snug and safe until she is ready to join us outside of her current environment. I am still feeling great. My blood pressures are still good, baby looks GREAT, and I am not going insane just yet. It is actually kinda strange that I am starting day 6 and it really doesn't feel like I have been there all that long. I have just about cycled through all of the doctors and all have been great. A week from tomorrow!!!! Yesterday was a GREAT day! I had several visitors and many sweet people who brought me things to help pass the time and fulfill my chocolate cravings! =) If only I had a freezer for ice cream!!! Funny thing...I have lost about 5 lbs since I have been in the hospital. Maybe if I had been in here earlier I wouldn't have gained 60 lbs during the pregnancy!! Visitors for yesterday: Marilyn - brought chocolate (LOTS of it!!!!) and chips! THANK YOU!!! Nancy Sedella Jerry - all ...

Definition of a real friend: "One who brings you snacks and a Dr. Pepper during her shift at the hospital. Then, after her shift, comes with fingernail file and polish to do her friend's toes...simply because her friend cannot reach her toes due to a protruding pregnant belly!" I have many friends who do other things for me but I had to shout out to BLD today!! Okay, another random thought...I am SO thankful that I do not watch the Bachelor. I was on facebook last night and tonight and could not get over the amount of comments about the Bachelor and most seemed to be pretty angry about it. So...I have my shows which include House, Grey's Anatomy (although I am thinking about boycotting this one), Days of Our Lives (I know, trashy), and definitely American Idol. I also enjoy Amazing Race. Anyway, Bachelor has never been a favorite of mine. And...I am glad. I had pretty strong contractions last night. They were about 5 minutes apart but never excruciating. The...

Yesterday was low key. I had my husband here for the afternoon which was nice. My baby girl came and visited me with Brice's mom which I love seeing my little monkey. Kaydi, Josh and Ms. Lori came to visit and it was nice to see some friends' faces. I haven't been to church in so long and I miss my friends. OH....and Brice brought me Girl Scout cookies! YIPPEE! The tagalongs are GONE! =) My Rachel is leaving this morning and I am just trying not to think about it. Arkansas is a long way!!!! I know several parents that won't let their kids spend the night with anyone...much less another state! She will be fine and I will see her again next Monday. I got to see another doctor this morning. Dr. Atkins came in and let me just say...TALL version of Doogie Houser! That's him! Anyway, he is on board with me staying here until delivery. He did say that the chances of me being able to wait until March 12th is fair at best. He just said that even though things...

Here is what the doctor said this morning: Since I failed home bed rest, I will be in the hospital until I deliver. All of my tests have come back fine and my blood pressure has been really good since I have been here. SO....we are back on for March 12th!!! He said if something happens before then, our next goal will be 37 weeks which will be March 6th but I am hoping we can push it until he 12th! That made me happy! Happy that I will be in he hospital bored out of my mind for the next 12 days...not so much, but happy that I am well enough for the moment to chill out and keep cooking this little girl! Name update: We have chosen two names but will still not reveal until she is born!!! Sorry! Rachel is going home with my mother-in-law tomorrow for a week. I am sad.....I am going to miss her and she won't be able to just come see me during the day this week. I get a little tearful when I think about it. That's my baby!!!! Please pray that with all of this time on my ha...

My second night of sleep was AWESOME!! The nurse said that the doctor had some Ambien on order but I didn't even need it. I was so tired last night and I wanted to go to bed early....but that didn't happen. Here is the most exciting thing that happened last night....the story of the spastic nurse!!! Okay, so when you are in the hospital as an antepartum patient they do daily non-stress tests on baby each shift, so actually twice daily. On 2nd shift they have been putting me on pretty close after shift change...about 8:00 or so. Well, last night she didn't come put me on until around 9:30 or so. They keep you on for about 30 minutes or until baby is considered reactive. So, the nurse came back in and said, "I am going next door to give that patient meds and will be back to take you off the monitor." She came back a few minutes later and looked at my strip and said she couldn't take me off yet because the baby had some decelerations in her heartbeat. As...