More Whining about Lack of Sleep

Here it is 2AM again and I can't sleep. This is either excellent preparation for when the baby comes, or I am just crazy.

Sunday was a great sleep day for me. I got up at 5:30 AM because Sammie was still here to help me finish the laundry and putting away the last of the boxes. We had already decided that church was not an option for me after looking at my feet Saturday night. Sam and I had a great game plan where I basically sat in the floor and she put away things. However, by 11:30AM my feet were painfully swollen and red. I crashed on the love seat (with my feet elevated) until 12:30 when the boys got home from church. Then I laid down for a nap and slept until 6:30PM. That is about 6 hours of naps once you subtract the pee breaks. However, there was no problem going to bed. We laid down around 1AM and I slept until 6AM this morning when I woke up with tummy problems again.

It took about 20 minutes to decide if these were contractions or just gastro-intestinal issues. Needless to say, it was GI. I laid back down and except for getting up to feed Shelby, I slept until 11:30AM. I took a short nap this afternoon and thought I would be ready for bed tonight. Boy, was I wrong! Physically I'm exhausted, but I can't shut my mind off. It whirls and whirls! I remember being in college and 2 AM was a whole lot more fun than this!

On the plus side, I made the floor-length skirt for Baby Boy's bassinet today. I had originally planned on a bassinet and everytime I discussed it with Hubby he mentally pictured a wooden cradle. When I got ready to purchase one, he wanted to know why the were all wicker. We eventually settled on the idea of a Moses Basket in a stand. So, last week during my confinement I selected a Moses Basket and ordered it from Wal-mart only to realize that neither of the 2 stands available on the market fit the Wal-mart Moses Basket ($34). They only fit the "custom bedding" Moses Baskets ($189 and up). Needless to say, we were back to square one. So, I asked my mom to go to Wal-mart Saturday morning and pick up a bassinet they had in stock. It is not heirloom quality, but it is functional. Also, it is in our budget. However, the bedding on it was really cheap looking, so one of our errands Saturday was to get new fabric for the bedding. Now, my bassinet has a floor length skirt and a pretty baby blue bow. Now, he has a pretty place to lay his little head when he comes home.

Overdone

Once again, indigestion has woken me up so I'll catch everyone up on my life.

Wednesday's doctor appt. was fabulous. I got upgraded from "bedrest" to "moderate activity / modified bedrest". I decided that it meant I could do what I wanted to do as long as I felt good.

I was wrong!

I was pretty good Thursday, mainly because I didn't sleep at all Wednesday night and slept on and off all day Thursday. But, then my Mom got here Friday morning and I took that as an excuse to do all of the things that I had been wanting to do. We worked at the house for several hours preparing the nursery. Then, we decided it was time to tackle Target and Wal-mart. By the end of the trip, I was sitting on a display stack of cases of Coke waiting on her to pick up a few items for us while all the Wal-Mart team members eased by hoping that I wasn't in labor and that my water wasn't about to break.

I think I've made my last big trip out until after Baby Boy is here.

We have to go as far as Toys R Us tomorrow to look at a swing set for the kids. Hubby is going to drive for us and we are not going to stay long. I hate to admit it, but maybe "modified bedrest" means that I am going to have to focus on the "bedrest" part and not the "modified" part.

My Mom is supposed to leave Saturday afternoon, but she looked at me Friday tonight and said that I looked really bad and that maybe she should stay another day. Normally, I would resent the "looked really bad" part, but I don't care right now. All I want is for her to stay and help me get everything caught up. She commented that I looked "markedly" worse than when she saw me two weeks ago. Again, I don't care how bad I look if it is causing her to have sympathy and want to stay and help.

One of the big downsides to this is that Hubby and I can't figure any way for me to go to church. I can't sit on a pew for an hour with my feet dangling down. The only other option is to sit UPSTAIRS in the "Cry Room". Usually it is just Moms and little babies up there so no one would be offended if I sat on the floor so that my feet didn't swell. But, if I do that I'm still going to be very uncomfortable and don't know how effectively I could worship. So, I don't know whether I should go so that people can see that their pastor's wife is really trying to be there, or whether I should just stay home. It seems pharisee-like to go so that others can know I'm trying, but it seems lazy not to go at all. I mean - what's a little discomfort in the face of what Christ did for me? I am, by the way accepting opinions on this one.

Hopefully, this current bout of indigestion is over. So now at 2:45 AM I am going back to bed.

Spotlight on III

Not much gets said about III on the blog because I don't spend as much time with him (because he's in public school this year) and because he and I are 180 degrees apart in personality. I almost never understand what he is doing. It is a humbling thing to love a child to whom you have little ability to relate.

He has had a newsworthy week this week. First, he was invited to a birthday party last Sunday afternoon and the invitation specified that the boys could bring "water guns or air soft guns". Hubby said that "air soft guns" meant Nerf guns. So, I thought we were prepared. Well, Saturday evening I mentioned to III that he needed to gather his things to take to the party. He told me he didn't have any guns to take and so he didn't need to pack them. After some discussion, it turns out that what he needed was a sort of plastic pellet shooting gun. Thankfully, even though III's piggy bank was empty, Hubby's stepdad had sent Christmas money to the kids that we had set aside for them. So, III and Hubby headed off to Wal-mart to invest in a new gun, pellets, and a nice face shield. We were very thankful that we did it because he had a blast. We try very hard to teach our children that "stuff" doesn't make you happy and that you don't have to buy stuff to fit in with your real friends. But, I was glad that on something small like having the "right" gun to play with at the party, we had planned ahead and put the money aside. I figure that unless there's a spiritual reason to do without something, it won't hurt my kids to have toys that other kids have.

Of course, being III, he didn't bother to tell us that he had made 2 Fs and 1 D on tests last week. He mentioned that he had some redos. Redos are papers that he has to do over because he scores less than 80%. Here's his logic. They just started a new A.R. period and his points were low, so he hurried through all of his work so that he could read. ARGGGHHH! Now, he is grounded for 2 weeks. Did I mention that his birthday is next week? This is the second year in a row that he has managed to be grounded on his birthday. We decided to lift the grounding for the day of his birthday and the day of his birthday party and just to add 2 days to the grounding. Maybe this ruins the effect of the grounding or maybe it shows grace and love.

Then, to turn it around again, he came in third place in a speech competition in his class today. We are really proud of his speech. He wrote it himself on "Tom and Jerry". He practiced and Hubby said that he used good eye contact and voice inflection in his presentation. (I was still on bed rest and could not attend.) One of the ways that III and I don't see eye to eye is in preparation of things. As his parents, we are constantly trying to find the right balance for him with his spiritual side, his academic side, his emotional side, his social side, and his physical side. My method of preparing for a speech competition would involve memorizing the whole thing. And, as a matter of fact, the 2 girls who beat him did memorize theirs. But, III is content to have spent less effort, to have had more free time, and to come in third place. This is very difficult for me to comprehend, but I am proud of his accomplishment. It showed good work and it met his needs. He feels like he did a good job and is validated.

So, if you're ever at a loss for how to pray for our family, you can always pray for our ability to sync up my expectations with goals that III feels are reasonable.

The pic at the top is from a fishing trip that III and Hubby took during Spring Break.

News from the Cervix

If you are one of those squeamish people (like I used to be) who don't want to know the details of what's happening with my cervix, then consider this a warning that there is TMI ahead. If, however, you have been pregnant and this sort of conversation is normal to you, then forge ahead for the nitty-gritty details.

Today we had an appt. with our OB. We are now starting the week to week appts. Baby Boy is head down but still has further (or farther) to drop. I am 1 cm dialated and about 50% effaced. I think I am having Braxton-Hicks pains, but until you've actually been in labor and had a contraction it is hard to diagnose whether this is Braxton-Hicks or an early contraction. Baby Boy's heart beat is still solid in the 150s.

My Blood Pressure was back down today and I have been upgraded from "bedrest" to "limited activity". That means I can move around the house and run a few errands if someone goes with me. It doesn't seem like much, but it is a big deal to me. My mom (Gram Sam) is coming to help me finish the nursery this weekend and it will be a great help to be able to run errands with her help.

Update on the CORD BLOOD POST:

The kit arrived this morning, so that prayer has been answered. I was really afraid that I would go into labor before the kit could get here.

We did not qualify for the grant because there are no studies going on right now that will us a sibling's cord blood but we still very optimistic about what they will be able to do in the future.

I talked to Bio Mom and she agreed whole heartedly for us to use her medical license to get the discount. So, if I'm ever griping about her, you can try to help me remember that usually we both have our kids best interest at heart even if we go about it in different ways.

Cord Blood Banking

Yesterday I received one of those miracle phone calls that non-Christians refer to as "coincedences". As of today, I am 35 weeks along in my pregnancy and Hubby and I have not seriously discussed cord blood banking. I had relegated it to the back of my mind and I had decided that if something happened (like winning a sweepstakes) that I would ask him about it. Otherwise, I didn't really want to ask for $2500 to do what seems like a science experiment.

Late yesterday afternoon, a rep from the cord blood bank called on my cell phone and asked for Christine. Well, that's my middle name, but I have NEVER used that name and certainly not in conjunction with my cell phone. I almost let her go and then I decided to ask if she was trying to find me. And, she was. Apparently I had registered for some free info (to enter a contest) with both my real name and phone number and with my "fake" name and cell phone number. It's a good thing I did it that way because we have since moved and the old phone number is invalid.

I listened to her sales pitch and explained how we couldn't really afford to do it. She then explained to me about a grant that is available for banking cord blood if the baby has a first degree relative who has a disease that can be treated with the cord blood. Rosy has Type 1 diabetes and the University of Florida has treated at least 4 kids who have Type 1 Diabetes with their own cord blood and has either eliminated or reduced their need for insulin. This is the sort of information that is really overwhelming to the parents of a child with long-term life threatening disease.

Hubby and I talked about the situation and we decided that even if we can't get the grant, we are willing to accrue some debt to bank this cord blood. Because Baby Boy and Rosy are only half siblings the chances are not perfect that they will be a match. However, Baby Boy is her best shot. And, on the other good side, the rep told me today that our family can receive a discount because III and Rosy's Bio Mom is an RN. What a crazy blended family world this is, but my baby's cord blood banking is eligible for a discount because his 1/2 sister's Bio Mom is a medical professional!

We are asking for prayers concerning this whole situation. 1. That there will be lots of cord blood available. We need enough to use for Rosy, to set aside for Hubby (who also has Type 1 Diabetes), and to save for Baby Boy in case he needs it later. 2. That Baby Boy will be a genetic match for Rosy and for Hubby. 3. That we get approved for this grant. 4. That Bio Mom will work with us to get this discount if the grant is not approved.

This all sounds a little out there, but for our family it is the hope of a miracle that we were even afraid to dream was a possibility. For those of you who know Rosy, can you imagine just being able to give her a snack without thinking about it? And, then imagine what that would be like for us!

Congrats to Julia!

Julia has made it to the finals in her bid to become a Tennessee Titan Cheerleader for the third year in a row. Julia is an amazing friend and I want to take a minute to tell her how much I love her and how much we appreciate her. Good luck at the final tryouts! And, yes, she is that thin and I am that big!

Showers of Blessing

It has been so hectic lately that I haven't even gotten to post about my Baby Shower at our church. It was such a wild day that I was one of the last people to get to my shower. And, I am NOT that type of girl. I planned to be there about 15 minutes early to receive guests, but that is not the way it worked. The shower was at 3PM and Hubby was picking the kids up at 2PM from their biological mom. She was about 5 minutes late (which is normally something that we are very understanding with each other about), but on Baby Shower Day it was a killer. By the time Hubby got Rosy home, I had about 20 minutes to wipe her down, roll her hair and get her dressed. This would have been okay, but the temperature was expected to be dramatically lower than we had expected when she left home on Tuesday. That meant we had to find a new outfit. Well, I'm a freak and we all have to wear the same color to important occasions. So, her new outfit had to be brown because my mom and I were already dressed.

During the chaos of getting Rosy ready and finishing getting myself ready, Hubby announces that Bio Mom has forgotten III's backpack and he is going to have to go meet her again in a few minutes to pick it up. (In a blended family these things happen a lot and they happen on both sides of the fence, so you really have to roll with it. It just stinks when they happen on a day when one of us has a tight schedule.) My Jeep had a broken air conditioner and so Hubby and I were planning for me to take his truck. I am now rushing around with flat hair because of the humidity, a partaily dressed daughter, a tense mom, and no comfortable ride to the church. Hubby finally comes through the door at 2:50 and begins digging through some boxes that we haven't yet unpacked from the move last month. I go ballistic! "Can't you help me get Rosy ready to go?" "Why are you unpacking now?" "Is the truck cooling down?" Thankfully he is a gracious man and he calmly stops unpacking (where he was hunting something I had asked him to hunt for) and checks Rosy's blood sugars and packs her bag. We left a few minutes later and careened down the back roads to the church while I stripped the chipped hot pink polish off of my nails.

Here's the rest of the story...I didn't know this until much later, but Hubby had been back for a while before he came into the house. He was in the garage looking for things. I felt really bad because I thought that Bio Mom had held us up, but it was really Hubby forgetting that I was waiting on the truck. Well, that combined with the fact that I was just running about 10 minutes late. So, it isn't always the other people's fault. Sometimes you need to look closer to home.

Also, if you are 35 weeks pregnant, you should not "Satin Hands" your feet in the shower if you are in a hurry. It makes the shower floor too slippery and you have to sit on the bench for several minutes and let it dry out a little before you can stand up and rinse it. This would have been good to know before I tried it.

The shower at the church was gorgeous. It was decorated like bunnies playing in a garden. The pictures don't do it justice, but it's the best I've got.

Bed Rest

Well, last night we made our first run to the hospital for a possible baby delivery. Thankfully, Baby Boy was not on his way yet.

For the past few weeks, I have experienced extreme swelling in my feet. My doctor has monitored my blood pressure and because it was stable and normal, we have just been trying to reduce my activity and keep my feet elevated. Yesterday afternoon I had an intense bout of vomiting. I know that nausea is another of the major signs of toxemia, so we got a little worried. Hubby came home from work and checked my blood pressure. It was normal at the time and I was not running a fever, so we decided to keep an eye on things and check me again in a few hours. Hubby got a call around 8:30PM that one of our Senior Adult Ladies in our church had been rushed to the hospital. As he prepared to go to the hospital to check on her, he checked my B.P. again. This time it was high! He had to call the other lady back and let her know that he had to take me to the hospital.

We quickly threw all of our toiletries in a bag and headed for Sacred Heart. They monitored me and Baby Boy for about 2 hours and did some blood work. By 11:30PM my blood pressure was down and the blood work had come back with normal results. So, they let us go, but now I'm on bed rest.

Bed rest is the most boring thing in the world. It is possible that I have 5 more weeks of this to go. Thankfully, Hubby has hooked me up a TV and a laptop in the bedroom. That entertains me for about 1 hour each day. I have read through all my library books. And, here's the part where I really have the pity party....I have developed carpal tunnel problems in both hands which means that I can't hold a phone for more than about 5 minutes, can't hold a pen to write thank-yous, and can't play spider solitaire on the laptop because I can't "click and drag".

I think the only person who is suffering more than I am is my beloved Hubby. He is now in charge of EVERYTHING! So, remember us all in your prayers.