Well, one down, one to go. My mother-in-law is over the moon (now that she's over the flu). Scott & Jaynee (my bil & sil) welcomed little (kinda) Abby Caitlin into the world today at 9 pounds, 13 ounces, 20 inches.
In our baby news, we survived the plane flights quite well, and I've gained almost 20 pounds. Baby Josie is doing great, with her eta still around the middle/end of May. (Thank the Flying Spagetti Monster I don't have huge babies like my sil!)
Well, we are out in Santa Ana, CA. It's so quiet without the toddler! Of course, we call every night to talk to him and check in with Grammy, but they're having a blast without us.
The sad part about our trip is that we're in LA, and we can't seem to stay up past 9pm local time! No partying for us, that's for sure, just a couple of old fogies. Very sad.
Hubby got assigned to a new project at work this week, and they're sending him to Irving, CA next week. AND THEY'RE PAYING FOR ME TO GO TOO!!!! I get a vacation!!!!! WOOHOO!
I'm so glad my hubby works for a company that values a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy, especially one that just's a spouse of an employee.
I can't wait till she's here!
As I've previously posted, I'm a big fan of Depeche Mode. Tickets went on sale today for a May 10th show at our local Starlight Theatre.
I love going to Starlight. We go for both broadway shows and concerts. We like the Box seats, it's really close to the stage without being in the Orchastra sections.
Tickets are 75 dollars EACH, plus the $12.50 TM service charge, and there are no box seats left. I don't think so.
That close to my due date of popping out another baby and I can't get my favorite seats? And they STILL want me to spend aprx. $200 for TWO tickets? Nope, I don't like them THAT much!
Last night (Saturday, Feb 18, 2006) was the Nine Inch Nails concert here in Kansas City. My hubby managed to buy tickets the day they went on sale (good thing, too, they sold out in less than an hour). I love my hubby. He rocks. Not as much as Trent and the rest of the boys, but still.
Two solid hours of NIN. It was awesome. (are you jealous yet?) Now I HAVE to go buy their latest CD!
And Depeche Mode is going to be touring soon, I really hope they come to KC as well. I saw them (oh geez, has it been 10 years already?) for the Walking my Shoes tour in St. Louis. Great concert. It's probably the only thing I wouldn't have a problem leaving a newborn for this summer!
So, last night, while going pee (for the zillionth time of the day) I actually felt the baby drop. And by drop I mean the baby's head engaged lower in the pelvis so it can't do flips anymore. It was a really odd feeling. And I can actually tell the baby is lower in my abdomen, my belly looks more like an overgrown pear (a really huge one) than a beach ball. Not to mention that my pelvis was a little sore last night when I laid down for bed.
Something else I've noticed from both of my pregnancies is how I gain weight. Both times there's been no weight gain during the first trimester. In my 4th month, I gain around 4 pounds. In my 5th month, I gain around 8 pounds (which causes the doctor to freak out). With Matthew, during my 6th, 7th and 8th months, I gained around 4 pounds each, for a total of 25 pounds. I had no weight gain at all during my 9th month. I just think it's funny how much the 8 pound gain in my 5th month freaks out everyone. I'm writing this down so maybe next time I'll be able to warn my doctor/midwife!
Congratulations to my neighbors John and Shannon! Yesterday, Shannon delivered Natalie Rae, at 8lbs 13oz! Natalie joins their 18-month old daughter Piper, who is Matthew's play pal.
Babies everywhere!
I just had my midwife appt today, and everything looks great. Blood pressure was low, baby's heartbeat was good, etc....
And then I went and had my new crown put on my broken tooth. I hate novacain shots, I really do. Once the numbness wears off, my jaw hurts for two/three days from them. Pass the tylonol please.
Well, January 22 was Blog for Choice Day, something I didn't even know until my hubby pointed it out the day after. I wasn't going to bother posting on this site since my hubby made an excellent post on our family site, but last night someone started a debate regarding the much talked about Partial Birth Abortion. Of course, rational and factual information presented was ignored, and emotional arguments thrown back in my face.
Okay, you want an “emotional” argument for Partial Birth Abortions, you got it.
Specifically, the issue was over the recent ruling of the PBA ban in the state of New York as unconstitutional since it didn't have a clause for medical emergency endangering the mother's life.
Some facts will be thrown in for good measure. (I know, pesky little buggers, aren't they?) BTW, I will be referring to Partial Birth Abortion by its medical term, D&X.
Fact: I am 23 1/2 weeks pregnant. (I'm pretty sure this makes me qualified to have an emotional discussion on this subject.)
Fact: My insurance only covers one sonogram/ultrasound during my prenatal care. Unless my doctor thinks that something is wrong, I have to pay for any additional sonogram. This sonogram is usually done at 20 weeks gestation; I've already had mine.
Known Issue: Many women in this country do not have access to prenatal care. The first time they see a doctor during their pregnancy is when they are in labor and go to the ER.
Fact: Prenatal Hydrocephalus affects up to 10,000 babies every year. It's one of the most common forms of birth defects. While severe cases don't appear to happen that often, when they do, "It is not unusual for the fetal head to be as large as 50 centimeters (nearly 20 inches) in diameter and may contain...close to two gallons of cerebrospinal fluid." (Dr. William F. Harrison, a diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)
Emotional argument: Hypothetically, suppose my baby, whom I love already and want very much, develops a severe case of prenatal hydrocephalus. I've already had my sonogram, so unless my doctor can externally determine that something is wrong with my baby and orders another sonogram, the first time my doctor can diagnose this issue is during my labor at full-term gestation. The hydrocephalus is so severe, the baby cannot live after birth, and I only have three options:
Since I obviously don't want to die and leave my 2 1/2 year old son without a mother and my husband without a wife, I really only have two options. Let's consider them, shall we?
Emergency c-section. This is major surgery that involves many risks to the mother, including infection and possible consequences to her fertility and future ability to have more children. It also requires either an epidural anesthesia or general anesthesia.
D&X procedure. While very high on the icky factor, this poses the least amount of risk to the Mother. It does not harm the mother at all.
Please remember, this child already has a name, it's own room in our home, toys, clothes, and all the other items you would accumulate for a newborn baby in the house. No matter what, my family and me are going to be devastated by the death of this child. (Is that "emotional" enough for you?)
Since I have chosen to give birth without an epidural or any other type of anesthesia (I know, I'm a freak), some type of anesthesia would be required if I were to undergo a c-section. I also plan on having more children.
Given this data, I would more than likely chose to have a D&X procedure over an emergency c-section. This is a personal choice made between my doctor and myself. I still have a dead baby.
Hubby comes home from his trip to San Jose tonight, his plane lands around 8:30, hopefully he'll be home by 9, 9:30.
The last three days (two nights) haven't been too bad without him, other than I'm lonely at night. No one to snuggle with. Well, anyone that I want to snuggle with, anyway. A wiggly two year old, I don't think so! He only gets the day-time snuggles on my lap.
I've got lots of laundry to do today, I suppose I should get moving.
So I'm eating popcorn Wednesday after putting Matt down for the night, and as I'm using my tongue to check for any stuck in my teeth, I discover that I've broken one of my molars. Joy Joy. So it's off to the dentist for me, dammit. Fortunately, I only need a crown and not a root canal. A crown still involves 3 shots of novacain, though. (yes, it's safe for the baby, I checked)
So my face is slowly becoming un-numb, but that means there's gonna be pain around my gums and in my cheek where they gave me the damn shots. wooohooo.
I go back in two weeks for my permanent crown, but that doesn't involve any shots! yay!
Oh, and I'm now 23 weeks pregnant, feeling the baby move all the time.
My hubby rocks. He brought me home a dozen roses last night, along with a really good hug. And since I spend so much time at my computer, I split them up and have some upstairs and some downstairs to look at.
Knowing that he reads my blog made it so much easier to tell him how depressed I am WITHOUT the screaming and bawling and attacking that would have happened if I'd told him face to face. Something he really didn't deserve.
I'm suffering for the worse case of Seasonal Depression I've had in the last 7 years. Usually, I go to the tanning bed once a week, starting in November or December, and that takes care of the problem.
I'm pregnant, and can't go to the tanning bed. I'm pregnant, and have a shitload of extra hormones magnigfying my depression. I'm pregnant, and can't take any anti-depressants.
The only thing holding my sanity together for the last month has been the anticipation of a trip to San Jose with my hubby, WITHOUT the two year old. I'm a stay-at-home mom. I don't work outside of the home. To me, 5 days without my two year old sounded like heaven, not to mention that it was someplace warmer than where I live.
And then, on the same day my sanity was pulled out from under me, I had to get the absolute worst sonogram technician EVER. (I'm sure she's not really the worst, but it sure seemed like it). She THINKS the baby might be a girl, but my midwife said that she's been wrong the last two times she thought it was a girl. She didn't take her time at all, just rushed thru the whole exam, not really even talking. I didn't find out any info from her, but from the midwife AFTER the sonogram.
I'm sorry, but as a parent, one of the main reasons I get a sonogram at all is to find out what the sex of the baby is. Yes, I want to see the heart, and the spine, and the fluid, and to make sure the placenta is in the proper place, but dammit, it's just as important to me to count how many fingers and toes the baby has too. (I actually know a lady who's baby was born with an extra finger.) The baby has sex organs, take your damn time and FIND THEM.
And then there was the whole issue of making me wait a half hour for my appt. When you go in for a sonogram, you're supposed to have a full bladder, it helps in finding the baby. I had to wait without being able to go to the bathroom. The receptionist also told me that the door was closed, so she could't go in and find out how much longer it was going to take, a privacy issue. THE DAMN DOCTOR WHO MADE THE TECH LATE IN THE FIRST PLACE JUST BARGED IN DURING MY SONOGRAM, EVEN THO THE DOOR WAS CLOSED. So apparently Doctors in this office are above the rules.
Is it any wonder after a day like this that I couldn't stop crying?
So today's been a pretty shitty day so far.
So I'm officially half-way thru my pregnancy. Hopefully next wednesday we'll find out what we're having, either a Josie or a Max. I'm trying to not get my hopes up, so far this baby doesn't like to cooperate. I think it's a girl, but who knows.
On a side note, I think I prefer being pregnant during the summer. I don't get outside much in the winter, plus I suffer from Seasonal Depression Disorder occasionally, and this year, with all the extra hormones, it's really noticable. It's very hard for me to just get out of bed some mornings, especially while Keith was on vacation and could take care of Matthew. The weather has been in the 40's, even the 50's lately, so I have been able to get out a bit, but not nearly as much as I'd like. Every little bit helps, tho. At least during the summer I can go to the pool as much as I like, and I felt great during Matthew's pregnancy (born in August).
It's a good thing Keith is taking me to San Jose with him later this month! Lot's o' sunshine (I hope)! I can't wait!
Me, I'll kick your ass!
The Warrior Princess
You are strong, courageous, and dynamic, a woman of
action. You have an iron will and a sharp
tongue. Indecisive, weak, or wishy-washy people
test your patience. You tend to grow bored
quickly and yearn for excitement.
Role Models: Brunhilde/The Valkyries, Xena
You are most likely to: Lead your people to victory
against an army of orcs.
What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork (Original Music is BACK!!!)
brought to you by Quizilla
I totally scored in the christmas gift department! I got a new Chi Flat iron, a tempurpedic matress topper, a really cool baby blanket hand made by one of my best friends, a set of really awesome sheets for my bed (which I really needed) and more! Matthew got puzzles, rock 'em sock em' robots, crayons, markers, and more crayons (he LOVES crayons, so he's happy). Keith got money for new tires on his car, a really nifty shirt from www.thinkgeek.com, and a wireless car adapter/charger for his Ipod shuffle.
We haven't even gone down to the in-laws yet! Keith and I got our presents from my mil already (mattress topper and money for tires), but we still have presents to collect from his brother and family. Woohoo!
And Matthew finally figured out that opening presents is a good thing! Of course, the first one he opened this morning had crayons and markers, so he didn't want to open anything else. Brat.
I hate having a cold. It truly sucks ass. I swear, the only time I ever get sick is while I'm pregnant. With Matthew, I had the one and only bout of the flu I've ever had, and it was not fun at all. To top it off, Keith has a cold too, and with Matthew's ear infection we are just a bastion of icky germs.
Oh well. We're mostly healthy.
And I'd like to add my congratulations to my brother Thom, and his new fiance Aundra. They will be getting married in September. Best wishes for a warm and happy marriage.
