Prenatal Visit #9

Monday, April 23, 2012

"ETA: 7 Weeks"

Today I went in for my 32 week OB appointment. This was just a routine 2 week check-up and it turned out to be very pleasant and uneventful. Although I did get to see my doctor (the one that will be cutting me open) learn something new but more on that later.

It began with a weight and blood pressure check. I gained 1.5 pounds this past two weeks which puts me over the 25 pound mark. This made me tear up a bit standing on the scale since I was REALLY hoping I would hold steady at just 25 pounds gained. Of course if these tears would have just weighed 2-3 pounds each, that would not have been a problem! Nonetheless, according to my doctor I am doing perfectly in the weight department and much lower overall than I was with Natalie as well as gaining at a slower and more steady speed than with Natalie. Either way... I see a long and miserable diet ahead of me soon! My blood pressure was 110/73 and very normal for me.

After the nurse checked these items, she also checked my exact dates and other calendar questions and then said "Well, June 12th... does that sound like a good day to have a baby?" I was not expecting them to set an actual date until my 34 week OB appointment so it caught me a little off-gaurd. I told her that was the date we all had in our minds since day one and that would be great. She then went to the phones to try to secure that date with the Labor and Delivery department downstairs.

She came back after about 5 minutes and said "June 12th it is. I will try to get the 1st surgery of the day which would be 7:30am. Is that ok?" I said sure thinking 7:30 was about 1 hour after I usually get to work so that sounded great. The nurse then said "You will have to be here at 5am"! WHOA... WHOA...WHOA... 5am? Umm lets try to move that if possible please! I explained to the nurse that my last day of school is June 8th so I would LOVE to have the surgery a little later if possible. She told me she would get a definite time by my next appointment but June 12th was set in stone... That is of course if I dont go into labor sooner! HAHAHA... me? I carried Natalie Grace 43 WEEKS! HAHAHA... Sooner? I dont think so!!!

In the meantime I waited for Dr. Markos to come in and do his part of the visit. After about a 10 minute wait, he came in and checked for swelling (It is beginning to happen... YIKES), checked my measurements and then asked if the nurse had taken the baby's heartbeat using the "doppler". I was measured at 32 weeks which is the first time in about 2 months that I have had the correct measurement for the actual week I am on! I asked Dr. Markos about that and he said "That usually happens and there is no need for alarm". He then went and got the "doppler" out to check for Luke's heartbeat. He was able to find it ALOT quicker than the nurse usually does and Luke's heart was beating 144 bpm. Dr. Markos then jabbed at Luke a little bit (This was a little uncomfortable for me) and said "Wake up boy!". I then felt Luke kick and then Dr. Markos found his heartbeat again and it was 160 bpm. Dr. Markos laughed and said "I just love boys!" This whole process was a little weird to me but I am glad to have such a fun doctor.

It was then time to prick my finger to do a triple... no make that a quadruple check on my blolod sugar level and to check for gestational diabetes. Dr. Markos said "Tricia (the nurse) will have to do that. I dont know how". I found this odd since #1. he is a doctor! and #2. he is going to cut me open in just 7 short weeks to take out my child BUT CANT USE A DIABETES MACHINE! I had to laugh a little. So he left to go and get the nurse and after about 15 minutes she still had not come back. I hear him talking to her in the hall about how to use the blood glucose machine and checking how to prick my finger. I am in the room (With the door open) just laughing histerically. He comes in and smiles and says "I am learning something new today... bare with me." I just smiled and was still giggling inside. He then started to talk to himself about the steps to take and FINALLY pricked my finger and took my blood glucose level. It turned out to be at 68 which is PERFECT for a 2-3 hour wiat after eating. He then said "NO Diabetes! Good job!" I was VERY happy and excited and relieved all at the same time. He told me to continued to watch what I eat and my caloric intake but I was secretly in my head already planning the next 7 weeks of sugars and eating before I have to start on that overwhelming diet I mentioned above!

All in all... It was a GREAT check-up! I now have an OFFICIAL ETA on Baby Luke and I cannot wait to meet him. I must say that it is a very WEIRD feeling to know the exact date and even time my little man will arrive. Since having to wait and wait AND WAIT for little Natalie... I am not really sure what to think. All I know is... I BETTER GET TO WORK! Nothing is ready!!!!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!

My Husband: Days of Thankfulness- Part 3

I really am a very lucky girl in the fact that I have a loving husband who not only cares for me and my health but the health of our child(ren). Yesterday, I was scheduled to go in for a 2nd chance at capturing a 4D picture of Baby Luke via 4D ultrasound. I had scheduled this a few weeks ago in hopes that Chris would be able to take off of baseball practice and be able to come. On Wednesday, Chris found out that he was going to have to run 2 practices on Thursday due to a re-scheduling of a Varsity Baseball game. I had told him it was not a big deal and I would try to re-schedule or just not go at all. I did not want him to have to "bend over backwards" for something as small as an ultrasound.

I called yesterday and tried to reschedule but due to my late notice, I was not able to cancel without paying so I decided to keep the appointment and go alone. At about 2:30 Chris called me and told me he had cancelled the after school practice in order for him to go. Again, I told him that it was not a big deal and it was not necessary for him to do that. He said "This is important to me". That statement alone meant a lot to me and I really appreciated him coming. In fact, thanks to him and his supervision of Natalie during the actual ultrasound, we were able to take Natalie to see her baby brother. This was very special and she talked about it all night!

I am very grateful to have such a wonderful and caring husband who would clear his schedule to come and see me and his unborn child. That was a true blessing to me and I really appreciate it!

I love you Chris Davis and thank you for being such an amazing husband!

I guess he wants to make a BIG entrance!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

4D Ultrasound Take Two

I went in today for a second chance on a 4D ultrasound. I had tried this at week 28 but it was a little early according to the Ultrasound technician. She mentioned coming at the very end of the 4 week window (Weeks 28-32) for best results. I had asked my parents to come with me 3 weeks ago since Chris was not able to come but this time Chris was able to come with me. In fact he ended up cancelling his baseball practice in order to come. I know this was very important to him and I surely appreciated it. We also decided to take Natalie along with us and try to get her to see her baby brother.

When we arrived at the hospital/ medical center for the ultrasound, Natalie IMMEDIATELY started to fuss and cry thinking we were going to HER doctor. She kept screaming saying "No doctor, mommy. No doctor". It was sad. We kept telling her that this was Mommy's doctor and she was not going to get a shot or anything like that. We kept telling her she was going to be able to see baby Luke and she just wouldn't let up. While we were in the waiting room she was just crying and crying. Chris said "Natalie, stop crying. You are giving these other women second thoughts." That gave EVERYONE a good laugh, well except Natalie! We tried giving her a sucker, candy, peek-a-boo and eventually just gave her my iPhone and she played with the animal flashcards.

We had to wait about 30 minutes for the technician to complete previous appointments that were running late. This seemed like FOREVER since Natalie was not very happy. When she finally called us back into the room, Natalie was still playing with my iPhone but still crying. When we got to the room, I laid down on the table and Natalie stopped crying. She noticed I was showing my belly and she immediately said "Baby Luke is in mommy's tummy". It was really sweet. The ultrasound tech gave her disclaimer speech and then began the process. As soon as the 2D image of Luke came up on the screen, Natalie literally dropped the phone (Luckily daddy caught it) and said "Baby Luke!". She then was fascinated with Baby Luke and him on the screen. She said "There is Baby Luke. He's my brother". The tech was having a great laugh at her and would point out the features we could see.

Unlike last time, Luke was actually in a position to where he was facing us and the 4D ultrasound would have actually worked. However, he was sucking his thumb most of the time and both of his hands and arms were in front of his face. The tech poked around at me and even had Natalie try to talk to Luke to get him to shift but he was comfy! He continued to suck his thumb and keep his arms and hands in front of his face.

After about 15 minutes the tech said that was the best she could do. She also informed us that at 31.5 weeks, I was at the very end of the 4D window and if he was this squished and crowed at 31 weeks he would continue to be crowed and I would never get that "4D" picture I was seeking. I greatly appreciated her honesty and help!

I am a little disappointed that we were not able to get the 4D picture. We didn't do this with Natalie because money was tight and we didn't have the means to pay for such a luxury (They were a lot more expensive at that time... about $300 instead of $100). But I am very grateful that not only did Chris and Natalie get to see Baby Luke but my parents were also able to come down and see this fascinating technology and my baby boy! This was my 4th overall ultrasound (2D and 4D) and Mr. Luke has NEVER been cooperative in getting a good picture of him. I guess he just wants to make a BIG entrance!

This was the best shot we got and this was at 28 weeks and 2 days!

What a beautiful gift from God.

I cannot wait to see my little guy and I only have about 7 weeks left! It is amazing how time flies! I am so gracious to God for this blessing of a baby boy and being able to share this time in my life with my family, parents and in-laws!

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!

In the midst of it ALL

Life is CRAZY!

You know, I should really just leave it at that! Enough said... But humor me! Anyone who has read some of my more recent blogs or followed me at all on Facebook knows that my life is a mess right now. Chris is in full swing of baseball season and is not at home very often or gets home very late. The weekends are taken up with either baseball games or Saturday School for him at work. I am having to take care of Natalie by myself in the afternoons and evenings (With the help of Jackie Davis, of course) and I am in my third trimester of my pregnancy and beginning to really feel it!

This past 2 weeks alone have been very touch and go for our family. I have been in and out of the doctors office for glucose tests and Gestational Diabetes testing and result discussions. Chris has been anxiously waiting his final evaluation for his Alternative Certification process by his campus principals and program officials and again baseball season stress and weariness. On top of that, for whatever reason, Natalie has been having stomach and digestive problems and been overall VERY FUSSY. We are not sure if it is just constipation or a big problem like lactose intolerant, hopefully we will find out soon. In addition to all of this, our house has now been on the market for 10 months and still no offer in sight!

Until Saturday, April 7th. It all started when I posted a picture on Facebook of Chris and Natalie at the Astro's game and our realtor sends a comment back that we were getting an offer on our house. This was great news but my bad attitude and as my dad said "Lack of faith" showed through in my response to her as I said "That is great but I am not going to hold my breath". It had been 10 months and in my mind... I felt like I was going to have to raise my kids, graduate them from high school and retire living in my in-laws house before ours would sell. (You can see why my dad said it was a lack of Faith...) Despite my bad attitude, I called my family and some of my closer friends and asked them to pray for that situation over the weekend.

Easter Sunday came and went and we had a blast together as a family. We went to the Easter Egg Hunt at our church and had a wonderful day and evening together. But still Chris and I each had our own different worries and frustrations going on in our heads and we seemed to be so stressed we were taking it out on each other. All married couples do that right ?? :) Unfortunately, I am sure we do that FAR TOO OFTEN! But we are working on this!

Monday morning came and I was in a professional day meeting at school and got a text from our realtor saying she emailed me the offer. I dropped everything (literally) and went to office to see the details. I reviewed the papers and saw from the details that we were going to end up losing money on our house. I tried to reach Chris but was unable to. I continued to try to contact him but didn't have any luck. I called my realtor to let her know I could not confirm or deny the offer until I spoke with Chris and she the gave me some advice about counter offering and told me to call her as soon as we decided what to do.

At about 1pm Chris texted me to tell me that he finally got observed that morning and it DID NOT GO WELL. I felt so very bad for him and I wanted to drive down there and give him a hug. He was stressed, frustrated and mad at the whole situation and needed some encouragement. Instead we had to worry about this offer on our house and how we were going to counter. Chris, being the more logical and analytical of the two of us (Besides... he is the math teacher), wanted to counter offer with a much higher price than I did. I was just thinking the emotional side of the story and finally after 10 long months having my own house again.

In the end, we went with the obvious better choice of the logical and analytical reasoning and counter offered. On Tuesday, we found out that they came back with another offer lower than our 1st counter and that is when we decided to take their offer. This was a huge blessing to us and a burden lifted off our shoulders.

Yet still in the midst of it all Chris and I were still both stressed and tired from the burdens of the week and weekend to really be able to celebrate together. This made for a very uncomfortable evening but we were eventually able to get some rest and really celebrate the whole ordeal yesterday and today.

It is so amazing to me how you can be caught in the middle of what seems like the "end of the world" situations and feel like nobody is there to help and yet somehow God finds a way to lift you up. I saw a "pin" on Pinetrest that said "When you feel like you are drowning... remember your lifeguard WALKS ON WATER". This is so true and remarkable to me. There I was drowning in my stress, life and pity and there God stood holding out His hand saying "Take My hand, Kellie".

My dad was right... This WAS a faith issue and I am really glad we took the "gamble" and decided to counter offer and eventually take their other offer as well! We are supposed to close on May 21st or SOONER and we will be really relieved once we officially get this off our chest.

No matter what you might be facing or how deep your "waves" are and may feel like you are drowning... Remember God is your lifeguard and he will SAVE you! Just reach out your hand! I am so glad we reached out and put our Faith in Him.

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

My Husband: Days of Thankfulness Part 2

I consider myself to be a very lucky woman. I have been able to marry someone who is not only a wonderful husband but also an even better father to my children. He is so very good with Natalie and consistent in his discipline of her. They have a unique and special bond that can never be broken. Even after a long day's work or baseball practice/ game he will come home and spend quality time with her and play with her. He takes time to read extra stories to her if she wants, hold her hand when she is scared at night and say prayers with her. I know that when little Luke gets here this will continue to be a tradition in our home and I am sure he will be just as good with Luke as he is with Natalie. I thank God for giving me a great husband sure... but a great husband who is also a great father is HARD TO COME BY these days and my family and I are lucky to have him. Chris you are amazing and I thank God for you each and every day!

Day #2- I am thankful that my husband is a wonderful father to our children.

My Husband: Days of Thankfulness

I saw a post on PINTREST the other night about a plan to daily thank your husband for the many things he does for you. I "repinned" this post and then went to the website and decided I would try to do this starting this week. There are MANY things I am thankful for when it comes to my husband, Chris Davis. One of the most forefront on my mind today is the fact that he is always there for me when I need him. I know alot of women whose husband is not around or does not care about their problems and concerns or any type of difficulty that the wife might be facing. My husband is the opposite. He is always right there beside me through every step of the way... What more could I ask for. Chris you are an amazing husband and I am grateful to be called Mrs. Chris Davis.

Day #1- I am thankful for my husband being there for me NO MATTER WHAT!

Prenatal Visit #8

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

"Just get out of here"

(Don't assume the worst)

Today I went in for my 30 week OB appointment and check-up. The previous 2 weeks or so have been unbelievably stressful and full of headaches (Literally and figuratively) and turmoil. Keep in mind that over the weekend, Chris and I had been given an offer on our house but it was too low and was going to cost us alot of money. By today, we had made a counter-offer and were just awaiting the news of them accepting or declining our counter. I did not sleep last night hardly at all just worrying and thinking about the whole house situation. That alone has put alot of stress on Chris and I as well as our marriage. My whole life, the thing that I have hated the most about just about anything is the "hurry-up and wait" game.

In addition to that personal/ home-life stress, it was this time last week that I found out that I had not passed the 1st 1 hour glucose test for my pregnancy. I had took the test on March 27th for my 28 week OB and had not heard back from them and my doctor had said "No news is GOOD news... we will call if there is a problem". So the weekend of March 31st we had family in town and I ate like a 7 month pregnant woman would. On Tuesday, April 3 my nurse FINALLY called and said "Oh yeah... you failed the 1st test. You need to come in and take the 3 hour tolerance test on Friday (April 6th)." So I am a little upset at the delay in telling me about this. I would have been a lot more cautious. Needlesstosay, I took the 3 hour tolerance test on Friday and there I was today waiting to hear the results.

It all started with the typical weight check and blood pressure check. Funny thing is that this time I actually LOST 2 lbs. I thought that was weird since I am 30 weeks and in my 3rd trimester but then again READ THE ABOVE! Hahaha... anyway the weight was not an issue at this time. Before the nurse took my blood pressure I warned her I had not got alot of rest last night, had been anxious all day and just overall stressed. This disclaimer didn't really matter because my BP was 110/70. This is a little lower than usual but no a problem at all. She used the "Doppler" to check Luke's heart rate and it was steady and STRONG at 140 bpm. Listening to that seemed to make all my stress, worries and cares just melt away.

She was about to the leave the room when I just blurted out somewhat loudly, "Where are the blood results from Friday (I just couldn't wait anymore)". She then told me that I had failed 2 of the 4 blood works and showed me the numbers and told me Dr. Markos would be in the room in a few minutes to discuss the whole thing. Well... This started the waterworks. I just lost it right then and there. I texted my mom (I would have preferred to call but the Dr usually comes in within minutes) and told her and just sat on the table and cried for about 10 minutes. I then collected my thoughts and just waited. AGAIN WITH THE WAITING GAME... I was getting frustrated at this point.

Finally, Dr. Markos came in after about 20 minutes and started to go over my chart. He checked for any swelling as well as measured my belly. This time instead of meausing 2 weeks ahead... I was only measuring about 5 days ahead at 31 weeks. Of course, I have been feeling that poor Luke is running out of room for a while so I guess that is the case. Then Dr. Markos looked at my blood work chart and said "OK these are negative for Gestational Diabetes and you passed 3 out of 4. You failed the 2 hour draw by 4 points but the other 3 you passed with flying colors." I kinda sat there bewildered for a minute and very much dazed and confused. He then wanted to check my blood sugar right then and there (with a diabetic finger pricker) to see what the number was. He left to get the nurse so she could do this.

Another 15 minutes passed and the nurse came back and took my blood sugar reading and it was 71. I had not eaten since 11am so it had been 5 hours since I ate ANYTHING but Dr. Markos said that didn't matter. He came back in the room and gave me a salute. I looked at him oddly and said "So..." and he replied "You are good to go. No Diabetes and we will check again in 2 weeks." I then went into Kellie mode and began asking my list of questions. He told me the nurses have the wrong chart on their blood work handouts and that all my numbers were fine from the blood test and the numbers from today's check were perfect. I began to ask more questions and he looked at me and said "Just get out of here... YOU ARE FINE!" I kinda laughed and thanked him. He told me that he would check my Blood Sugar again in 2 weeks and I would need to eat about 2 hours before that check.

So even though I was a little confused and I had texted my mom that I did have GD and she then texted

In the midst of all the stress, crying, sleeplessness and turmoil of my life this past week... little Luke put it all into perspective for me. His heartbeat was so steady and beautiful. God has given me the most perfect gift of a baby boy and I need to stop and thank Him for this gift and not worry about all the small things going on right now. All I have ever wanted is a little boy and here I have been given that gift and I am focusing on other minor things instead of this gift. God's continuous MERCY and GRACE are remarkable and I cannot thank Him enough for that.

God is Good... All the Time!