The Waiting Game

Please excuse any typos...I have a monitor on my finger keeping track of my heart rate.

Yesterday morning I woke around 4:00 with contractions. I couldn't sleep, although the contractions were not regular. I had a hunch our baby boy could arrive that day, but I wasn't sure. Darrin decided to take off work for the rest of the week, and we got up and ready in case we needed to head to the hospital. Contractions reduced significantly, so we just waited it out throughout the day.

I had a pedicure scheduled, and I really wanted to get my toes done before having to go to the hospital. When I got out of the shower Darrin asked me if I was nervous. I told him that I just really wanted to get my pedi in before Micah's birth. We had a good laugh about that.

As the day went on I had some more contractions, although they were pretty sporadic. They calmed down overnight, although I had to get up in the night due to discomfort and pain.

This morning I was having a fair amount of pressure and some pain along with sporadic contractions. Sometimes I'd have them 5 minutes apart and later it would be 30 minutes before I had another one. Darrin and I felt it would be best to go see the doctor to be checked. Dr. Harnsberger found me to be 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. He believed I would go into labor tonight. We had the option of waiting it out and having another doctor deliver our baby or being induced. We really wanted Dr. H. to deliver Micah, plus with the rainy weather Darrin didn't want to risk having to fight traffic and all. My parents were already picking up the kids from preschool, and we were already prepared to go straight to the hospital. Darrin and I prayed about it, and we decided to go on to be induced.

Since then we were able to eat lunch, and I have been prepped for delivery. Contractions have increased on their own, although I have not progressed any, so they have started pitocin to help things along. My epidural has kicked in as well, so I'm not feeling much pain at all during contractions, and they are continuing to feel more like pressure than anything.

So now we just wait on Dr. H to break my water and for our precious baby boy to arrive. We are looking forward to meeting our new son soon.

38 Weeks

Wednesday marked 38 weeks in my pregnancy. It's so hard to believe that we are approaching the day of Micah's arrival. My parents were so wonderful to come over to my house and help get things ready for the big day yesterday. I dropped the kids off at preschool, and they came to the house and worked in Joshua's and Micah's room. My dad cleaned out, organized, and boxed Joshua's clothes that he has outgrown that were still hanging in his closet, and he hung some things on the wall for me as well, while my mom worked on pulling out Joshua's baby bedding, working on the new bedding, laundry, and some general housework. I did housework in the meantime.

My dad picked up the kids from preschool and brought them home. When Rebekah saw her Granddaddy (knowing full well he was going to pick her up) she made a bee-line to him so excited to see him. It's not often that he or my mom pick up the kids from preschool, so it is a real treat for them when the opportunity arises.

The boys' room is coming together really nicely! My mom is stitching up the bed skirt (twin size) to fit the crib, and I still need to do the boys' names with letters on the wall as well as wash some more baby clothes. We will continue to work on that on Sunday evening while the kids and Darrin are at AWANA. I am so grateful that my parents are helping out so much!

Darrin has also been busy helping around the house, installing car seats, and cleaning out the van. It is a blessing to have a husband take care of so much for me at this time. Of course, he's a great dad overall, and he's been wonderful to take care of the kids in the evenings when I am wiped out.

Last Monday I had a check-up with my OB. I get really nervous at times because I have some swelling in my feet, legs, and sometimes hands. It is normal pregnancy swelling, however, with my history of pre-eclampsia with Joshua I am more on edge about it. For the past two weeks I have asked my doctor about it. He has assured me that everything is fine and normal. My blood pressure is very good, and I have lack of protein in my urine, which indicates no pre-e as of now. Lately we had been taking it a week at a time, but now I feel like it's a day at a time. Technically, Micah could come any day, however, the doc thinks it will be sometime late this next week.

The baby's head is pretty far down into my pelvis now. He's around a station -1 (as of Monday) and has been putting some pressure on my cervix, so it's beginning to thin. I had not dilated much since my previous visit, however, but that does not indicate much. I'm beginning to have some very mild contractions this week - nothing alarming. I had multiple contractions per day with Joshua a few weeks before his due date, so we'll just see what happens this time around. Other than that I am feeling pretty good. I am staying busy, and people, including my mom, wonder how I am able to keep going like I do. I take lots of breaks, but I keep moving. By afternoon I am pretty tired and don't feel like doing much, but I continue to take the children to their weekly activities, and will do so until the big day arrives.

I even hosted a Mother/Daughter Tea Party today for a couple of our friends and their daughters, friends of Rebekah, which I'll post about later. I think people thought I was crazy for planning it so close to Micah's birth, but I had to wait until after Joshua's birthday, and this was the first available date we had. It was so worth it, though, and we had a lot of fun!

Now, if I can fit a pedicure in before Micah's delivery, that would be great!

Update on My Pregnancy

So, it's been a while...again. I finally gave my blog a fresh, new look to take it into winter, so now it doesn't feel out of season. Maybe I can stay better on top of it now that I feel like it's up-to-date in its look.

Today marks 35 weeks of pregnancy. It's hard to believe! I only have about five weeks left before our new bundle of joy will arrive, and we will have THREE blessings in our family. Darrin and I have tossed around names and just could not make up our minds. I leaned toward one name while Darrin leaned toward another. We finally came to a compromise, and our new baby boy is going to be called Micah Andrew. His initials will spell M.A.C. which is a little nickname we have been calling him for the three top names we had for a first name: Micah, Andrew, and Caleb. I am in love with the name Micah, and Darrin really likes Andrew, so we're using them both instead of a family name for the middle name as we have done in the past. So, it looks like MAC is going to stick, but that will be our little pet name for him around the house.

Almost three weeks ago I got to have a 4D ultrasound. We thought Micah was not going to cooperate because his back was actually facing us in the images, but he finally turned, and we got some decent shots. The tech offered to allow us to come back again since the fluid around his face was not as much as it could be, but by the time my next appointment was approaching, his head was settling down pretty low into my pelvis where the fluid was even less prominent. So, I just decided to cancel my second appointment and settle for the photos I did get, which weren't bad. In the first photo you can see his leg and knee pulled up to his face.




I also made the big decision to go for the VBAC. It was a difficult decision to switch doctors, but I really love my new OB, and with each visit the more I like him. I am getting really excited about trying for a VBAC as well. My doc told me the other day that he and another OB in the practice believe I am a PERFECT candidate. I pray all goes well and that my recovery will be smooth, especially with having two older children to care for in the meantime.

I am feeling pretty well lately. I get tired, so I take frequent rests, I'm on an Rx for acid reflux, but other than that I am feeling pretty good. I feel big, although I don't really look it. The baby is measuring small, although not small for my kids. Micah will probably weigh around 6 lbs. or so, right about on target with Rebekah, although smaller than Joshua. Of course, you never really know until the baby is delivered.

Rebekah is pretty excited about having a new baby in the house. She came up with some ideas that she can do to help out, such as dressing him and such. I am more concerned about Joshua. He is such a "Momma's Boy", cuddles a lot in my belly and chest, and wants to act like a baby himself sometimes. I know it will be harder on him, so I'm going to really try to focus on including him during feeding times and give him extra attention when his baby brother is sleeping.

I will close for now and return with updates on what the kids are doing these days. There's just too much to share in one post!

Please comment if you're still reading! I'm so sorry it's been a while since my last update. I hope to still have an audience with whom to share our adventures.

The Big Announcement

And the result is......

Check back...

...at 6:00! Sorry for the delay! Very important things had to take place before I could make this post happen.

The Results Are In!!!

So, we went to see Dr. Brody this morning. I ended up taking Joshua too since he's over his fever. Rebekah, being the oldest, was particularly interested in the ultrasound machine. Dr. Brody got a great look at our baby who looks wonderful! The baby's spine and brain look great and the heart rate was really strong.



Stay tuned for more! :-)

Our weekend

Rebekah was supposed to have her birthday party with her friends on Saturday, but we ran into a roadblock. Friday evening my parents came to the house to give Rebekah her gift. It was already getting late for dinner, and neither of the kids were eager to eat. They finally did eat, but not much. Rebekah looked rather peaked by the time my parents left. I figured she was just really tired from all the birthday celebrations and adrenaline from the past couple of days.

The next morning Rebekah acted really tired. She laid down on the couch to watch cartoons with Joshua and ended up falling asleep. Wow! She must be really tired! Not long after she started vomiting. We spent that morning getting Rebekah and everything around her cleaned up, taking care of her, calling the location of the party for reschedule, and calling parents of our guests.

Rebekah felt much better by the afternoon, but we opted to keep her home on Sunday morning from church as well even though she never had a fever. My mom offered to keep Rebekah for us so Darrin and I could attend church together. When Joshua woke up he was acting rather abnormal, unlike himself. He was more testy than usual, and he just didn't seem right. Since my mom was already keeping Rebekah we decided to let Joshua stay home as well. After church my mom informed us that he had diarrhea, and when Darrin check his temperature he discovered Joshua had a low-grade fever. We were so thankful we had kept him home!

Rebekah was tired most of Sunday, but by the time she got a fair amount of food on her stomach she was feeling back to normal. We decided to let her attend Cubbies while my mom kept Joshua again that night. Rebekah attended preschool yesterday while Joshua stayed home with me. He was still sick with a low-grade fever and not eating as much as normal. However, he wasn't thrilled about missing preschool after I dropped Rebekah off through the car line, but he calmed down quickly on the way home.

As of last night, Joshua still had a low-grade fever. If he is still sick this morning I will call the doctor. I'm thinking it is probably just a little bug he has, but today will make it day 3, so I want to be pre-cautious as well.

Good news, however!!! Today at nearly 17 weeks we are going to see the OB and should find out if the kids are having a little brother or a little sister! Be watching for the big announcement! I had accidentally scheduled for last Monday when the kids were in preschool and then remembered I wanted them to go with us and find out when we do, especially Rebekah. When I was pregnant with Joshua Rebekah went with us to see the ultrasound and see that we were having a baby, so I wanted Joshua to have this experience as well, but since he's been sick he won't be going with us this time. However, I'm really glad that Rebekah will go with us to find out what her little sibling will be.

So, what do you think? Do you think it will be a boy or a girl? I really don't have an inkling this time other than that Rebekah had prayed for a baby sister before we even got pregnant. I will be happy with either another daughter or another son. I love having both a girl and a boy, and they each have their special advantages. So, I leave you guessing until next time.

Baby Bump

Well, it's been forever since I've posted...again! Life has just been busy, and I've not taken the time to post lately. I used to post in the evening, but now I get so tired by the time the kids are in bed that I get ready for bed and am in bed when Darrin goes to bed. (OK, how many times did I say 'bed' in that sentence?) He's enjoying the fact that I'm going to bed with him, though.

So, I have so much I want to blog about, but I've just not taken the time. I finally downloaded a bunch of pics last night that were from lots of family fun last week. I'm telling you, I've got lots to share! But for now I'll post a couple of pregnancy pics. My belly has finally popped a bit, and I am officially in pregnancy pants. Here I am one day shy of 14 weeks.

First Trimester Ends

At 11 weeks 5 days on Monday we went to the doctor to see my baby via ultrasound and for a regular check-up. When we arrived I noticed Dr. B's sign-in sheet was not on the counter. He had left to deliver a baby, so I would be seeing one of the other two OB's in the office.

I had always heard good things about Dr. H from a friend who switched to him with her second child. He is a Christian, and he prays with his patients at delivery. Dr. B is a wonderful doctor. I've been very pleased with him. I know him well because he has delivered my other two children, and he understands my thyroid history as well. He is passionate about his job and grows to love each and every family and baby. I also love Dr. B's nurse. She is a precious woman, is comforting and encouraging to the patients, and she goes out of her way to help. She is really wonderful.

Since I had heard good things about Dr. H I hoped to see him that day, and it turned out I did. After being weighed I joined Darrin in a small waiting room where a painting was displayed on the wall. It depicted a surgery that was taking place, and Jesus was standing with the doctor overseeing the surgery. Scripture was found on the walls as well.

We finally got to see Dr. H. He has a very good bedside manner and did an ultrasound to see the baby. We could see him/her laying on his/her back with the legs tucked some and the arms out in front, then the baby turned to look toward us (or rather toward the tool used to take the picture).


The baby measured exactly 12 weeks (2 days ahead) and had a good, strong heartbeat.

One of the things that Dr. H discussed with us is a possible VBAC. He believes I am a prime candidate since I have only had one C-section, and the circumstances surrounding it make it promising for a vaginal birth this time around. He told me the chances of having the scar on my uterus open are 1-2% and the chances of a uterine rupture are 1-2% of the scar opening, so it's extremely small. Dr. B will not do a VBAC at all. He lost a baby once, and it devastated him. He just can't go through that again. I respect him for his decision, although if I could stay with Dr. B and have a VBAC I would. I had never considered a VBAC before because I knew Dr. B didn't perform them, but also because I was under the impression they were rather risky.

Now I have the decision whether to stay with Dr. B, who I absolutely love, and have another C-section or switch to Dr. H and opt for a VBAC. I had such a wonderful vaginal delivery with Rebekah while my C-section delivery with Joshua was not good. I dealt with the baby blues after Joshua's birth due to the emotional stress. The recovery from a C-section is also longer and harder. It's much more difficult when a toddler is in the mix who wants to topple on Mommy and doesn't understand there is an incision healing there. Another thing was that since Joshua's delivery (although not an emergency C-section) was hurried I had no time to pray with Darrin prior to my surgery. I felt that was sort of stripped from me. I know Dr. H would be quick to pray first and foremost before any action was taken. However, I was in great hands with Dr. B, and I'm sure I would be with Dr. H as well. I think one hard part is that I know Dr. B so much better too, and he took great care of me with my issues surrounding Joshua's birth.

I have not discussed any of this with Dr. B or his nurse yet. I am praying for wisdom and will talk to Dr. B at my next visit to discuss my situation. When you think of it would you lift me up in prayer as well? This may seem like such a minor decision, but I'm really struggling about what to do. I surely don't want to go with a VBAC just for my own personal experience or for selfish reasons, but for the healthiest thing for the baby and myself.

If you have any experience with this or know someone who has I would also love to hear stories - success or not. Ultimately, I need wisdom from the Lord and to know what is the best decision surrounding this pregnancy.

In addition, I have found that I cannot take Reglan for nausea during the day like I could when I was pregnant with Rebekah and Joshua. It makes me sleep! I cannot function during the day when I take it. So, I talked to Dr. H about taking something else. He prescribed Zofran. Let me tell you, even though our insurance will only cover 21 pills each month (even the generic is expensive!) that drug is wonderful!!! I took my first dose yesterday morning and felt great! It's crazy that if I fill it at a drug store that it costs $22 per pill, but if I pay cash at a local hospital's pharmacy I can get it for $1 per pill! A friend of mine said that is the kind of healthcare reform we need, and I agree! So for now I'll try to get by on the 21 pills per month. Thankfully I am not very sick every day, and hopefully it will be enough to get me through the rest of my pregnancy. I wish I had gotten this drug when I was pregnant with Rebekah and Joshua! It's great!

Meet Baby Church

Today, at 7 weeks 5 days, was my first appointment with Dr. Brody. We got to meet our newest addition to the family, hear the heartbeat, and solidify the due date. The baby measures almost 1 1/2 cm which confirmed the estimated due date to be March 17. Since I will have a repeat C-section the date will be bumped up to around March 8-9. Darrin's brother Derek was born March 9, so he may be sharing his birthday with his new niece or nephew.

Even though the shock is starting to wear off some I still couldn't believe that we were looking at a baby growing inside of me! It finally seemed real. After we got home I showed Rebekah the ultrasound picture. She is so proud! She carried off the picture to her chair, sat down, and just stared at it. She is going to do great with a new little baby in the house. She is always talking about the baby inside my tummy and asking if it's a boy or a girl. She's hoping for a sister, but I'm sure she'd enjoy another little brother as well.

I'm having some "morning sickness" again with this pregnancy. Some days I feel better than others, but the sickness has been worse this weekend. I now have some medicine to help fight the nausea, so I hope to feel better as a result. The main thing is to keep myself healthy and able to take care of the children.

Thanks for all the prayers! We are getting more and more excited about this baby. We are definitely entering another adventure as we prepare for a third little blessing.

An Answered Prayer

Two months ago after returning our visit with my sister and her family and meeting Katelyn Rebekah told me that she wanted a baby sister. Actually, she had mentioned it in the past, but when I told her she would have to share her toys with her Rebekah changed her mind. However, after having had a taste of being around her baby cousin she wanted one of her own. So, although Darrin and I had planned to have no more children, I used the opportunity as a teachable moment and told Rebekah she could pray and ask God for a baby sister. When she finished her prayer I jokingly told Darrin, "You'd better watch out!"

This isn't the first time I've teased Darrin about the possibility of having another child. He encouraged me to get back in the church choir last fall. I finally decided to rejoin in January, which was the same time of year I rejoined after Rebekah weaned from nursing. Six months later we found out we were pregnant with Joshua. I reminded Darrin that when I get back in the choir we tend to get pregnant.

Well, a couple weeks ago I was having some slight cramping like my menstrual cycle was going to make full circle, and I kept waiting for it to take place. I didn't think a whole lot more about it until I was a week late. One night I was watching a program on TLC called, "I Never Knew I Was Pregnant". It was about these young women who went their entire pregnancy not knowing they were expecting until they went into labor! I watched a couple other programs and went to sleep. When I awoke around midnight it suddenly hit me that I was late and could be pregnant. I tossed and turned in bed going through the "what if's" and trying to figure out how far along I would be.

I never said anything to Darrin because I wanted to be sure of it, and I didn't want to worry him if I was late due to stress or something else. I struggled all day, though, but I had errands to run, and that helped me get my mind off of it some. I picked up a pregnancy test, and as soon as we got home I took it to find that in fact, we ARE pregnant! What a total surprise!

Although we are running out of room in our house, we sold a number of our big baby items in a recent garage sale, I am considering homeschooling, and this was totally unplanned, I know that God is in this. He will provide for our needs. I also had a difficult end of my pregnancy with Joshua. I developed pre-eclampsia and Joshua was surprisingly delivered via C-section a month early. I need prayers for my health, for taking care of myself and the children, and that God would give me grace with the morning sickness and fatigue I have.

To be honest, we have had mixed emotions about this pregnancy. We are excited, but we are nervous too. But I have more peace about it than I did almost a couple weeks ago when we found out. I know that God's grace is sufficient, and He will provide for ALL our needs.

Rebekah is looking forward to having a sibling, and she is still hoping for a sister. Joshua doesn't understand yet. I'm most concerned about him because he didn't handle my attention to Katelyn well during our visit in May. I pray that he will change with maturity and he will love his new little brother or sister. This baby will arrive sometime after Joshua's 3rd birthday.