Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday?

Its hard to believe were finally near the end! I guess it went by fast (didn't feel like it sometimes). Tomorrow morning I have my weekly NST/bloodwork appointment at the hospital at 10. There starts the real wait. Anytime from my appointment through to Tuesday morning I will be induced, depending on bed availability. Lawrence took his last two night shifts off (tonight and sunday night) so that we dont' risk him being stuck at the mine for my labor. In the morning were taking both vehicles to town and dropping the kids with the van off at Jeremy and Tasha's house. That way if they do decide to keep me we won't have to worry about the kids. If they don't keep me then we'll just pick them up after my appointment.

For inductions here, Pitocin is the last resort (very much to my liking). My doctor informed me at my last appointment that they would gel me, monitor baby for an hour and then I could go home. Then they would do this two more times before deciding the next step. When I told him that when I was gelled with Noah contractions started 15 minutes later and Noah was born 3 hours later he said maybe I should just stay at the hospital. Yah, probably a wise idea :) I have no idea if i'm dilated at all at this point because my doctor doesn't like to do checks until labor. I would be surprised if i wasn't at least at 3cm as I was 3-4.5 at this point with all the other three. I didn't think I would be nervous about labor this time around, i mean i've done it a few times. But when i let myself think about the pain i do get kinda nervous. So I generally just don't think about it, lol.

Today I got tons done! I relaxed until mid afternoon which was nice, but then I went crazy! I swept, vacuumed, baked, cleaned bedrooms, finished packing bags, washing and folding laundry and more. The house is spotless (even the rec room) and all the laundry is done. Feels good. Then this evening i pampered myself. So nice. I shaved, exfolitaed and moisturized my feet, straightened my hair, did a full mary kay hand treatment, and i'm now relaxing on the couch wearing super soft flannel pajamas that are just so comfy! I feel ready! I'm obviously hoping that they'll keep me in the morning, lol. If not the wait isn't much longer! I'm so excited to meet this baby, to find out if its a boy or girl and find out what its name is (no we haven't narrowed the name choices down very much)! I will try my best to keep my facebook updated as things develop or as we just wait! Prayers are very welcome!!

Edmonton Or Fort Mcmurray?

I got a call from the on call obstetrician on saturday evening. He asked me to come in in the morning for more bloodwork and another NST. If they call me for an unscheduled NST/bloodwork then I can safely assume that the platelets dropped again. So I went in (had to miss church) and the tech took like 6 vials of blood as opposed to the normal 1. I finally got to meet Dr. Remtula who I have chatted with a few times on the phone. I like him which is always nice. He told me that if my platelets get to 55 or lower that they will need to send me to Edmonton to deliver baby. sigh. So the reason they took all the extra blood was to be prepared for that scenario (i guess they need more tests?). Last friday my platelets were at 61, yesterdays results were at 63. The plan is to induce me sometime mid next week. I'm really praying that my platelets can stay above that 55 until i'm 37.5 weeks so I can stay in town for delivery. Not that I dont' think I would get great care in Edmonton but its the inconvienance of it all. Driving there, leaving the kids here, having to drive back after, dealing with a whole new bunch of doctors that I haven't met and so on. Oh well, it could definitly be worse.

My body is definitly getting ready for this baby to come out. Three nights in a row I had painful contractions for over an hour. the first night they were 10 minutes apart then stopped and started again a couple hours later at about 6 minutes apart. The next night about 5 minutes apart and the next night 3 minutes apart. While it gets dissapointing every night when they stop, I keep reminding myself that every contractions is causing some sort of progress.

This week is pretty busy for us. I have an appointment with a specialist on Tuesday (in case this is not only a gestational problem), Gabe's school christmas concert on wednesday evening, my weekly NST/Bloodwork on Thursday, Doctors appointment on friday, then the Sunday school concert/church christmas program on Sunday evening. In between these I need to take the kids shopping for a present for Daddy and find the boys some dress shirts. I'm hoping that all the busyness of the week will help it all go by really fast :)

2 weeks....again.

I saw my new Dr again yesterday. He did another ultrasound (I didn't get to see which is good because there was no temptation). From which he estimates baby to be around 6.5lbs already...hmmm? Gabe was my biggest baby at 6 lbs 14 oz and he was born at 38.5 weeks. I dont' think i'm really any bigger than i was with any of my other kids but i guess this is my fourth. I dont' put much stock in their estimates, i find their usually pretty far off. I can't imagine having a baby over 7lbs.

The induction is officially set. I guess here the Dr. has to fill out a form for induction, I had to sign it, and then he sends it to the mat/child ward of the hospital. On the form he puts what days he would like me induced and the hospital picks one of those dates and calls me with 1-2 days notice. So the form said anytimes from teh 12th to the 16th. I will be 38 weeks on the 14th. So it looks like if nothing happens on its own (unlikely anyways) I will be having this baby in two weeks time! I really would love for labor to get going on its own but its just not a likely scenario for me. I'm super excited to have a more firm idea of when baby is coming! I can better plan for child care for the other kids and it hopefully means i'll stop wondering about it everyday all day :) I'm going to have to keep myself super busy for the next two weeks to help them pass. Last week sure dragged by.

My usually faithful intuition is throwing me for a loop. Almost the entire pregnancy I just really felt this baby is a boy, despite that the pregnancy is most similar to my pregnancy with Lily. I just couldn't imagine the baby as a girl. So all of a sudden this past month I have been thinking of the baby as a girl and having a harder time imagining it being a boy. I will definitly be surprised no matter what it is! I really have no idea! The suspense is so much fun! Now if only we could pick names.

For Tasha - please pick your top three in case one has sold when I get to the ordering.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

P.S. if your really not feeling any of these just be honest, thats why i'm asking you, i want to make sure its your style, not mine :)

2 WEEKS!!

I had my doctors appointment with the high risk obstetrician yesterday. I was pretty nervous about it because (like all doctores) i had heard very mixed opinions of him. Also because i knew that there was a strong possibility that they would want me to stay with him for the remainder of the pregnancy instead of with the obstetrician that I have been seeing the entire pregnancy (who i'm comfortable with and is female). I know lots of people were praying for me and for the appointment and man did i feel those prayers once the Dr came in! The appointment went well and I felt quite comfortable with him right away. He did an ultrasound and was pleased that baby is right on track still. He estimates baby is just over 5lbs. While I don't put much stock in their ultrasound estimates, this is a very accurate size for where I'm at when I take into consideration when my other three were born and what their sizes were. He looked over all my previous blood work and ordered a ton more. He also ordered weekly NST's (non-stress tests), and a 24 hour urine test (fun). He then told me that due to my low platelets he is planning to get baby out at 37 weeks! This really isn't shocking news to me. I have known all along that this baby would most likely be delivered between 35-37 weeks. But when the Doctor actually says "here is the plan", its like AHHHH!!! My other Dr always gently evaded giving me any answers as to what her plan was if my platelets got to low and I know the main reason is that she has never dealt with this pregnancy issue before. I know she was very eager for me to get to the high risk ob.
So I got all my blood work done yesterday, 24 hour test today and then my first NST tomorrow. I'm scheduled to see him again next wednesday. Hopefully at that appointment we can nail down a more specific day for the induction so my lovely sister in-law can book the time off to watch my kids. I'm preparing myself emotionally for him to possibly change his mind or for labor and delivery to be too busy for me to be induced. But for now, i've got 2 weeks to finish all my pre-baby lists! I've been so on top of said lists though that I don't know that I have enough stuff to do to keep me busy!! Miraculously I actually slept pretty good last night, i was expecting to have delivery/baby dreams all night but I am feeling fairly well rested this morning, very nice :) Oh my, i just cant wait to hold this new little Penner!!!

I may not need them...but i want them :)

Brown Robeez booties in the smallest size

Aiden & Anais muslin swaddle blankets

Puj Tub

L'oved Baby sleeper and hat

Nearing the end

I do remember daydreaming about when i would be this close to the end of pregnancy, now that i'm here I have to remind myself of how little time is really left. I have come to that stage of the game when its a constant battle with my attitude. Generally i'm uncomfortable (in pain is more like it), not sleeping at all, queezy, grouchy....the list goes on. I need to find my rose colored glasses and put them on :) Baby is baking very well. He/She is still constantly on the move (ouch it hurts now) and this is very encouraging. I had my dr's appointment on thursday and it went okay. Baby was perfect and the Dr confirmed my suspicions that baby dropped. My platelets are back down to 65 but at least their still above 50. My Dr politly asked me to not have any more painful contractions until i reach 37 weeks, lol. This coming monday I have my appointment with the high risk obstetrician. I know it will calm my own Dr's nerves once I have seen him and I also get a bonus in office ultrasound out of the deal. I'm hoping that after this appoinment i can get some plan of action answers from my Dr. She has carefully evaded telling me what her plan is if my platelets fall below 50 either before or after 37 weeks. I think she is avoiding answering because she has never dealt with this probelm before and wants the high risk oby's opinion. I would just like to prepare mentally for steroids or transfusions etc.
I have been getting the occasional painful contractions but there are sparse and very low on the pain scale. If I am remembering correctly this is the time when i started getting them with Noah and Lily as well so it doesn't really concern me.

I am very satisfied to have most of the pre-baby lists finished. I am done pretty much all the christmas shopping (including stocking stuffers), my deep freeze is full of prepared meals, the christmas tree is up and decorated (much to my kids delight), and baby's clothes are washed. I think we may have even decided on names (i'm not saying what just yet though). There are very few things left to buy from my baby needs lists and really most of them are wants. I just might have to do another seperate post on that front :) I'm daydreaming about holding this new baby and finding out if its a boy or a girl!

point form update..

*my platelets went down to 64 last week
*they went back up to 79 this week
*baby's favorite thing to do is push really hard on my hips
*I'm pretty much done unpacking the new house
*I've started packing baby's hospital bag
*I'm super exhausted all the time
*The kids all think its funny that they can all walk faster than me
*We still haven't chosen names for baby
*The only baby items left to get on my list are a change pad for the change table, the snowsuit, gripe water, and Ovul.
*Lily said sadly yesterday that there wasn't enough snow yet for baby to come out

Platelets Went Up!

This will be short as i'm super duper tired. I had my doctors appointment yesterday. My platelet count went up from 74 to 79 which pleased me and my Doctor. the ultrasound results were perfect. My Doctor was in a great mood with all the good news. I couldn't bring myself to tell her that my count went up with lily right before they dropped by almost 40. Oh well, this time it might be different. I'm still seeing her week and doing my blood work weekly and she is refering me to the high risk oby/gyn just for a consultation. She said she just wants him to be aware of my pregnancy in case she needs his help (she is newish to obstetrics). While i'm okay with it, i'm not excited. I have heard this other doctor has over 25 years of experience and is pretty amazing, but i've also heard that he's very very pro c-section and also likes his interventions. But then I've also heard he almost never makes it to delivery rooms on time. Oh well. Its only a consultation.

The braxton hicks have definitly kicked up a notch this past week. They are starting to get a bit more than uncomfortable. This is the same time they increased with Lily as well so its not really worrying me, just a bit annoying.

Saturday is moving day #1!! Saturday we pack up the house into the moving trailer and have it all cleaned. We hand over the keys on saturday night. That night and sunday night me, noah, and lily are staying with my brother and his wife. Lawrence and Gabe are staying at some close friends ours house (Gabes best friend). Then we get the keys to our new place Monday morning. I'm so looking forward to Monday! Sunday should be really nice. It'll be good especially for me to have a full day off from moving right in the middle. A forced break. We'll get to go to church and take the kids out in their costumes and spend a bit of time with Jer and Tasha. I'm going to try and remember to take pictures of the house as soon as I get in there, before all the boxes start showing up!

Baby is doing good, mommy's body is not being good.

I had my monthly Dr's appointment this morning. Baby's heartbeat was perfect. My body however is not so perfect. My platelets have dropped again and my Doctor is clearly worried about it. She (and I) is just really hoping that they can stay above 50 until I reach at least 35 weeks, preferably 36. They are currently at 76. She has changed my blood work to weekly now and i'm now seeing her weekly as well. She also called in for an "emergency" ultrasound because i was measuring a bit small and she was concernced about my fluid levels. I was quite suprised that they got me in for an hour after my dr's appointment. The tech was super friendly and showed me baby's cute little face! Baby is measuring perfectly for my dates and she didn't seem worried about my fluid levels either so thats great news! At one point during the ultrasound she had me lying on my side so i was facing her. It took so much will power to not look at the screen! My babies are never shy about what sex they are and I really want to be surprised this time. But i was awfully tempted to peek and maybe see something! Its a good thing were moving in a week and half or i would probably be upstairs packing hospital bags and setting up baby gear right now, lol.
While i was leaving the clinic this morning I was thinking "so much for going into labor naturally for the first time." Right away i felt pretty convicted that i was limiting God. I dont' know what his plan is for this babies birth, but what i do know is that He is in control. If He wants to bring my platelets up then He can and will! But if He doesn't than He is still the same God, He is still all I need!

The next 5 weeks are going to be super busy which will help the time pass. Were moving into our new house from the 30th to the 1st which means lots of packing and then unpacking. Then I will be able to start setting up all the baby stuff. I need to finish all the christmas decorating, shopping, wrapping, and baking by November 30th, I need to buy a car seat and the rest of the baby essentials, pack the hospital bags, and get the some prepared meals into the freezer. Right now i'm feeling a little anxious because i can't start any of this until we have moved, but i think its actually better. Like I said it will help the time pass quicker and keep me busy! The kids are getting excited about the baby which is cute. Okay, Gabe and Lily are getting excited. Noah doesn't seem very interested in the whole thing. But knowing my shy little man, he is just too embarrased to show his excitment.

Thats all for now. I'll try and update again next week after my doctors appointment.

essentials I wish were currently in my closet

Old Navy fleece wrap front sweater

Old Navy long Maxi dress

Old Navy Layering tank

Old navy full panel leggings

Oh those darn platelets

I had my monthly prenatal appointment yesterday. Baby is doing great! Head down, heartrate in the 140's and kicking the doctor. My body however is being a little annoying. While my weight gain isn't out of control, I'm definitly heading towards my highest gain in pregnancy yet. Oh well. Then there's my platelets. Are you tired yet of hearing about my blood? At last months appointment my Dr. was very pleased that my platelets had gone up from 98 to 101. Not so this month. They have dropped down to 86. Still high enough to not overly worry or do anything yet but I could tell my Dr is none the less concerned about it. So i'm now getting my bloodwork done every two weeks instead of monthly. Luckily i'm used to needles by now. I'm not sure how low she'll let my count get before she wants to try intervention methods. With Lily they got as low as 50 but luckily they went back up a few days after that. I know that its below 50 that it gets dangerous. I looked over my pregnancy journal from when I was pregnant with Lily and my count didn't get this low until after 30 weeks. Hmmm. I'm mostly not worried about it, but i do have my moments where I think..."what if?" I'm really examining how I feel about blood transfusions and being on steroids? Time for some googling I think.

Otherwise things are good. I'm loving feeling this little one moving around all the time. Baby is so far really nice and sleeps all night and doesn't start kicking me until i wake up in the morning. My ribs are starting to feel a little cramped but its actually helping me to have better posture! I was thinking numbers last night, if i had this baby when i had Noah (36 weeks) then I would have only 10 weeks left!! Getting excited!!!

Almost to the third and Final!!!

In just over 2 weeks I will be in my third and final trimester of this pregnancy! I was feeling like its all going by very slowly (i think due in large part to the fact that Fin was just born and i have two friends here that are due any day) but thinking about being in my last trimester puts it all in a new light!! I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm tired but dealing with it fine. My back pain has been minimal to non-exsistant, and my pelvic pain has been better the last few weeks so thats really nice! Baby is moving like crazy all the time and it can get uncomfortable at times (though i still love it). Early this morning (about 3am) I had trouble getting back to sleep after my second trip to the bathroom because baby was kicking so hard, lol.

I've been thinking alot about labor this past week. While Ruth was delivering their little miracle i kept thinking about all she must be going through. I forced myself to think not only about the warm fuzzy moments of labor and delivery but of the.....not so heartwarming moments. Even remembering my worst moments in labor (yes i have been known to scream out "NO NO, OUT OUT!!") I still just cannot wait for it!! The sound of the baby's heartrate monitor, the nurses in and out chatting quietly, changing positions, the excitment of finally being able to push, and especially that moment of overwhelming relief when your baby joins your world and you hear that first cry!! Other moments that have always been favorites of mine are the first time you nurse your little one, and oh! The first time your alone with baby and you just have to take off their sleeper and look at their tiny toes, fingers, legs, and just marvel at how absolutely perfect they are! Another great moment for me has always been the first meal I have after labor! I'm always starving (even despite my ridiculously short labors) and know exactly what I want! With Lily, I was walking the hospital halls after having my water broken and I suddenly smelled chinese food! Christy and Ruth thought I was crazy and the smell was gone a second later but I told lawrence right there that as soon as Lily was born and he could get away, I needed chinese food! He dutifully ran out of the hospital and barely made it to Polly's before they closed and brought me chinese food at 10pm. I could barely stay awake to finish my meal but to this day I'm sure it was the best meal I have ever had!!

I'm trying not to think to hard about how different it will be having a baby so far away from all or our family and friends from Terrace! Even when in the hospital, it will be odd not seeing all the nurses that I know roaming the halls and giving me encouraging words (though i'm sure the nurses here will be wonderful). I'm sad that most of family and friends will not even get to meet this baby until its closer to 4 months old. At the same time, i'm so grateful for the amazing friends we have made here in Fort Mcmurray! God really has brought some amazing people into our lives!

On and totally different note; I'm so so so excited to be able to fly to Terrace next month for Ruths baby shower! My wonderful husband is taking a couple days off work to stay home with the kids so i can fly over by myself!! What a gift!!! I just can't wait to meet Finley!!!

Dr's, jacuzzi, movement..

I had my monthly Dr's appointment last thursday. There were high points and low points. The first low point was i had to wait over an hour which is a first for me at that office and it just so happened that was the first time i let Lily come with me. If i can at all help it, I will not be doing that again. She actually did pretty well but near the end she was getting understandably bored. Then in the room she paniced when i had to lie on the bed to listen to baby's heart beat. For some reason it freaked her out and she cried until i bribed her with some candy.
The second low point was getting on the scale. I gained 6lbs this past month. ugh. i'm gaining weight much faster this time around. At this point it really seems unlikely that i'll stick to my usual 35-37lb gain. I go back and forth with how I feel about it. One moment i'm chastising myself for my poor eating habits (which are no different than any other pregnancy) and lack of excercising; the next moment I just couldn't care less. I'm just so hungry so often. Not just muchy or having a craving but hungry!!

Onto the high points of the appointment. She had my ECG results back and they showed that my heart is perfect and healthy! So we agree that the palpitations are simply related to increased blood volume of pregnancy. My monthly blood work came back and my platelets actually went up a couple numbers this month! This is great! Maybe it will be a trend and I might be able to miraculously avoid induction for the first time! And then she found baby's heartbeat instantly which was nice. She has always had to search and search for it before. Overall, a good appointment.

My back pain started up this week. I can't complain too much. I'm actually surprised it didnt' start earlier. Last night it was particularly sore and I just felt so thankful that God provided us with a giant jacuzzi tub for this pregnancy!! I haven't been using it much yet but now that the aches have really started coming on strong I'm loving it!

Baby has really been moving like crazy this week! Seems like almost all day every day. It can be felt from the outside but lawrence hasn't caught it yet. I'm really enjoying it and i find that i'm chatting with this little one much more now that he/she is constantly reminding me of their presence.

Belly Progression (just for you Sirena!)

9 weeks

11 weeks
12 weeks
16 weeks

17 weeks

19 weeks

Ultrasound 19 weeks

Wonderful Distractions!

I'm really hoping that after the ultrasound I will be able to sleep again! I am having dream upon dream about the ultrasound and finding out if its twins or not! I wake up in the night thinking about it and can't fall back asleep. Sheesh already!

In other news; a few nights ago i was lying in bed and baby/babies starting rolling around! It was awesome! I could feel baby doing these slow rolls through my belly, i even felt a couple on the outside! I just lay there in bed enjoying it and trying not to fall asleep, I didnt want to miss a second of it! This is something that no matter how many times you've been pregnant, never gets old! I haven't felt it that strong since but the movements have been steadily growing stronger and more frequent! I'm thinking another 2 weeks and lawrence should be able to feel it!

God knew that I would need something to occupy my mind and hands while I wait for this ultrasound! Oh boy is there alot going on for us right now! And its all good! I just feel so blessed right now! Last week we signed an offer on our lakehouse! Wow! It happened a week after we took it off the market! So they have until August 6th the remove conditions, then completion is on the 13th! that seems so fast to me, which i like! We'll really miss our lakehouse! We only had it for a short time but that house and property was a realy life saver while lawrence and I were apart! It was so great for the kids to just be able to be outside exploring all the time! They really loved gardening and watching things grow! And all the lovely times we had a ton of people and children over! Good memories!! But that season is over! I would trade 10 giant lakehouses to be here with Lawrence full time! Were not thinking of buying here in Fort Mac just yet but it will sure be a relief to be rid of that mortgage payment! Our realtor Rick McDaniel has been amazing and I highly highly recomend him to anyone trying to buy or sell a home! He has worked relentlessly at this sale, even while on holidays with his family!! Rick actually sold our first home for us, helped us purchase and then sell our second and then purchase the lakhouse....and now sell it!

And then another great distraction! Were moving in one week! Our amazing friends that have rented us the house were currently in for a steal of a deal, need to move back in. We are so thankful to them for giving us low enough rent that we were first able to move me and the kids here with lawrence! They really have been the best, easiest landlords anyone could dream of! On saturday evening we get the keys to our new rental! Its in Timberlea (one of the newest areas of town) and so much closer to the school Gabe is starting at in the fall! Its way closer to Lawrence and Jeremy's work, it has parks everywhere you turn and the neighborhood is always filled with kids walking and biking around! Then there's the house! It just fits us so perfectly!! I will post pictures as soon as we get the keys! Sunday is our big moving day!

These things are really helping me not to go crazy wondering about this whole twin thing! Okay i'm still going a little crazy, but just imagine how insane I would be if I had no distractions!!
11 more days!!

Things with this pregnancy that are different from the others

-faster weight gain

-really sick (different from boys but not from lily)

-much bigger appetite! last night I had a big piece of corn and two helpings of fish and then 20 minutes later felt so hungry my tummy was growling!!

-heartburn (never had that before)

-uterus is measuring almost 4 weeks bigger than it should be

-still super tired in the 2nd trimester

-no inclination what the baby might be (i always felt I knew with the others)

-craving lots of really cold water all the time

-carrying all that extra weight in places i dont' normally carry it (arggg)

-heart palpitations (scheduled for an ECG)

Fabric!!

Moda Deb Strain, Love U Owls

Michael Miller, Giraffe Garden

Amy Schimler, On A Whim

Alexander Henry, Spotted Owls

Suspicions and Baby Moons

I've been rather surprised at how little I actually think about the sex of this little one inside me. With the other three I just couldn't wait to find out!! I think with Gabe it was because he was my first (and by the way I really wanted a boy first my whole life), and with Lily I just knew she was a girl and needed medical confirmation! Not sure why with Noah because I was on the fence with with I wanted. Not to say that I don't think about it at all because I do at times. It seems that so far the blogging community thinks girl. As for me, going by the pregnancy thus far I would guess its a girl. My nausea has been horrible just like it was with Lily (the boys weren't too bad). But if I go by intuition I'm leaning more towards boy at this point. But the intuition is barely there. With Lily I was totally convinced she was a girl!! I'm so excited to be surprised about this one! I'm going to be very clear to the ultrasound tech the steer clear of that whole region when I have my ultrasound! With Gabe we wanted to be surprised but it was so obvious in the ultrasound, lol.

Has anyone else ever gone on a baby moon before a baby was born? I have not. Simply because, we were too broke, lol. I would really like to this time around but in a different way. I probably should do a romantic getaway with lawrence....but..... What I would really like is to just go to edmonton for a couple days all by myself! Stay in a hotel, order room service, do some baby shopping....all by myself! I know, a little bit selfish but it would be so nice! I haven't talked with lawrence about it because its so far off yet (wouldn't go until the last couple months). We'll see.

10 weeks 4 days

I had my second prenatal checkup yesterday. The results from my bloodwork had come back. So my hcg levels are normal which means only one baby! I'm actually a little relieved. I big part of me wanted twins but I also understand how much more work it would be! The bloodwork also revealed that my platelet's are at only 100 already. argg. I was really hoping that this would not be an issue with this pregnancy. I'm frustrated with myself for not ever going for my follow up bloodwork after Lily was born though. My Dr suspects that maybe my levels never returned to normal after lily and that right now its not actually pregnancy related. But we have no way of knowing because I never did my follow up. Silly me. So for now I have a standing requisition for montly bloodwork to monitor my levels. We won't do anything about it unless my levels go below 50 and I'm really not sure what the intervention would be at that point. She said something about steroids (yikes) but we haven't gotten into the whys and whats of it.

In other news. I got a prescription for diclectin yesterday! Wow, i feel so much better!! I drank coffee and milk this morning, something I haven't been able to do for weeks without running to the bathroom! I look forward to eating! And I can get stuff done! So now I need desperatly the get the house under control. I've been managing the basics (with lots of help from Lawrence and Tasha) but the clutter is starting to take over! Time for a major cleaning!! It just feels so good to not be sick!! Thank you Lord!!

9 weeks and a break!

9 weeks today. I guess the time is ticking by at a decent pace. The last 4 weeks have been....interesting. I've pretty much been hibernating. I have missed church 2 weeks in a row because I couldn't bring myself to shower let alone go out in public. This past week I started employing a method I used while pregnant with Lily (that Sirena shared with me). In the mornings I get a tall glass of cold water and chug it right beside the toilet. For a split second it is immensly satisfying as I have been so thirsty lately but fluid make the nausea worse. Then the split second passes and I puke it all up. Well this gives me almost an hour of feeling somewhat functional. I can feed my kids and race to get the house tidied before the nausea is back full force. Yesterday I went to the laundromat and I think it was the first time I had left the house in a week and a half. It was strange. LOL.

I picked up a few things from the store on my way home, including ginger beer. I was curious if the ginger beer would be at all settling to my stomach (ginger ale wasn't cutting it). So starting at about 6pm I sipped on a ginger beer all evening. I haven't had it since I was a kid and my mom used to give us sips of hers. I like it, slowly. It does burn a bit on the way down and my oh my does it ever carbonate my system!! But what do you know, the nausea stayed very mild all evening. I was still snacking hourly of course. I went to bed thinking "this is great! I don't mind being "carbonated" if it will tame the nausea this much!" But then this morning my nausea was so very mild and has stayed that way all day! Wow does it feel good to feel almost normal! I keep telling myself that its just a good day and a nice break but I can't help hoping that the nauea is done for me. Only time will tell I guess. Either way i'm thrilled with today!

No Pity Parties Alowed....but maybe just a bit of whining?

I'm just begining to go through that hard part of pregnancy where really all you want to do is complain (not quite at the "cry into my cornflakes" stage) but you just feel so guilty complaining because wow, this is such a blessing!! I forget how the nausea wears on you especially when you have little people to care for, and mine isn't even that bad yet. The last three days (and if this morning is any hint today as well) I have been queezy pretty much all day, food doesn't seem to make a difference. With the boys I was generally okay as long as I kept food in my stomach. The fact that this doesn't help makes me nervous that this pregnancy will be like it was with Lily. I was so sick I could barely move without tossing my cookies. Last night I lying on the couch while my fabulous sister in-law was making dinner, and I suddenly remembered how with Lily I was so sick that it would wake me up in the middle of the night. Oh boy...i hope not again. So i'm trying to stay positive. I am so thrilled beyond words about this gift!! I would knowingly take the nausia any day knowing what the blessing at the end of the journey is!! I am going to try very hard not to have personal pity parties throughout this first trimester!! Today I'm so thankful that I currently do not have an aversion to my coffee! I'm thankful that my favorite jeans are super low rise and I can still wear them with an elastic looped around the button! I'm super super thankful for the beautiful sunshine outside!! I take comfort in that "they" say that if your queezy then things are most likely ticking along perfectly inside my oven!!!

The Doctor

I had my first visit with my ob today. I have heard mostly negative about her, bad beside manner being at the top of complaints, but i heard bad about the only other two ob/gyns in town as well and mine is the only female so i decided to take my chances. I was a little dissapointed but a little re-assured at the same time after todays visit. I was reassured because she seemed nice enough to me. She even cracked a couple smiles and kinda laughed once. I was dissapointed at the lack of of a "checkup". I peed in a cup, weight, height, and blood pressure were checked (i wasn't told the results of any of these but then again i didn't ask). The Dr. got a brief history of my other three births from me and then gave me three requisitions (two blood work, one for 18 week ultrasound). And that was that. I at least expected her to check height of fundus but I suppose i'm just too early for her to bother with that. I go back in two weeks for a routine "thingy" that I should have had done a year ago but put off cause really, who wants to? And then in another two weeks after that I go for my next prenatal checkup. This was also good news. I get to see her for the entire pregnancy instead of seeing a family Dr. until week 33 and then switching to my ob. I suppose it is because she is new to obstetrics and maybe not as busy. Either way i'm glad.

As for other things, the last three days i've been feeling rather yucky. It could be worse.....but it could be better, lol. I hope it doesn't get worse until after our trip. I've been crampy off and on throughout today which is always nerve racking. Hopefully its just from feeling sick and goes away tomorrow.

I still havent' opened the bins of baby clothes, i must have some will power left in me.

5 weeks 5 days

The symptoms see to be getting stronger daily, which really is a weird way is comforting me. I had no symptoms with my miscarriage and I have heard the stronger the symptoms the better. So far its nothing horrible. This past week I have been really tired. Most days I really feel like I need a nap but most days it doesn't actually work out that i can have one. I think i just need to plan out my days a bit more so I can nap when Lily does. While the nausia is still mild it does seem to be getting stronger. I had a couple cereal bars and a coffee for breakfast this morning, mostly because we were rushing to get to the early morning church service. Then we went out for lunch. I had a yummy chicken burger and yam fries. It always seems to get worse in late afternoon and evening. Lily got up from her nap and was having my left over yam fries from lunch and the smell of them was horrible! For supper I had a bowl of fruit loops at like 7pm because i just couldn't stomach the idea of anything else. And right now at almost 9pm I had some peaches 'n cream oatmeal. I'm bracing myself for the nausia to get worse this coming week. Looking back at my pregnancy journals from the boys and lily, it hit right around 6-7 weeks. I'll be 6 weeks on tuesday.

On a good note. I have been sleeping way better this week. The last two mornings i slept past 6am which hasn't happened in two weeks. Plus i'm so tired all day that i'm ready for bed right after the kids so i have been asleep by the latest at about 9:45pm every night this week.

I have gotten through another week without opening the bins of baby clothes which i'm very proud of myself for, lol, but i will admit that i daydream about going through it all and washing it. Just a touch ahead of myself.

Wish List......#1 hehe

I will probably have alot of this kind of post in the coming months. Posts with pictures of cute and neat baby things! I love lists of all kinds so prepare yourself for list over load!!

Travel Pod set (diaper/wipes holder, suther holder, bottle holder)

Travel Swing

Glider Rocker (not technically baby gear but i want a good nursing chair!)

Brown Bear Hat (etsy)

Baby Gap Muslin Swaddle Blankets

tired

I'm really hoping that I'm just having a tired day and that the actually "tiredness of the first trimester" hasn't started already. I was hoping that i wouldn't get major symptoms until around 7 weeks. This afternoon I am so exhausted and emotional. I'm keeping my volatile emotions in check and i made dinner early (lawrence leaves for work at 4pm) so i am pushing through but oh how i just want to crawl into bed right now! I have been going to bed an average of an hour earlier than normal this week but i think tonight i might go to bed at the same time as the kids.

first photos!

Am I imagining the fact that i'm showing so much so fast? You tell me.

This one was taken on Sunday night


And this one was taken tonight (wednesday)

All I know is that i can barely button my jeans!!!

Baby #4!!!

We are expecting baby number 4! Am I excited? Just a little! I am now 15 days past ovulation (dpo) and I got my first positive test on Sunday morning! I wasn't even sure if it was positive, it was so faint but a more sensitive test that same afternoon was unmistakable. I will admit that I took another test on the next two mornings just to be sure and they were indeed darker each morning. I'm still in shock a bit and I doubt that will wear off anytime soon. It doesn't help that we have only told 5 people! Lawrence always prefers waiting to tell people. While its a bit easier this time around because were not in Terrace where we see all our close friends and family almost daily.
I am not even 4 weeks along and i'm showing quite noticably. I shouldn't be overly surprised given my past pregnancies. With Gabe, I started showing around 7 weeks, with Noah around 6, and with lily right at 4 weeks. When I asked my Dr. about showing so early with Lily she told me its quite normal. okay. I have a ladies bible study tonight and i'm not sure if i'm going to go simply because last night no matter what I put on it was very obvious. It doesn't help that its been hot here that last few days so I can't hide under a hoody, especially because the church where the bible study is held is usually overly hot!!
I've been getting progressivly more and more queezy as each day passes. So far its worst in the evenings which is just fine with me! Its way easier to deal with when the kids are almost in bed then first thing in the morning when their all awake and needing breakfast and the house needs cleaning etc.
We haven't told the kids yet and the only family that knows is Jeremy and Tasha because they live with us so can't really hide it! I'm chomping at the bit to spill the beans to everyone! But then i can't help but be nervous about how early it is. What if.....
I had a miscarriage between Gabe and Noah and I have a friend that just had one at 8 weeks. I don't want to live in fear but its hard. But honestly I don't know how I can possibly hide it here for another week let alone month.
Before this first post turns into the longest ever....I'm sure i'll be back on here by tomorrow....or even just later today...haha