Your first food....

I left you and your daddy alone for only a few minutes...

...and the next thing I know, your first food is chocolate chip cookie.  You loved it, by the way.

You're talking - I'd swear it!

Of course you stop when you see the camera.

I haven't seriously told anybody else because I think they'd think I was crazy if I did, but I believe now more than ever that you've been saying "Hi" for two months now.  Yesterday I frantically looked for the camera (dang!  Just remembered I forgot to get it out of the truck again today) as you were copying me.  When I'd say "good girl" you'd immediately say "gir".  Kai witnessed it too.  Then last night Daddy said you were saying something, I can't remember now what it was.  So, that's when I decided to share my thought about you talking with him.  Then again this morning....Kai and I came into the bedroom where you were on the bed and we both said, "Hey!"  They you said, "Hey".  I do believe you're the youngest person to ever say actual words.  I'm going to keep the camera close by in hopes of trying to catch some video of it.  Otherwise nobody will every believe us.  You're amazing little Love.  Amazing.

You got to go to your first movie two days ago.  Aunt Claire invited us to a sneak peak of the Yogi Bear movie.  I couldn't get over how much you were watching it.  Everytime Yogi came on you started blabbing so loudly at him that I was afraid the people in front of us were unable to hear the movie.  When you started getting tired you started getting angry, 'cause you didn't want to miss anything.  It was so cute.  Then you fell asleep for about 20 min and were glad to see the movie was still on when you woke.  You promplty resumed yelling at Yogi.  So cute.

Delsin tried to get some video of you talking the other night.  I couldn't watch it without laughing.  Here it is.

Enjoying your very first carrot...

You started teething recently.  We don't have a teether, so I googled homemade teether baby and saw someone somewhere said a peeled carrot.  "Perfect!"  I thought.  I think it might work out.  You're enjoying it right now.  I Love You!!!

She found her feet!

Day before yesterday you found your feet!

Now you just love to stare at them whenever they catch your eye. 
The top pictures are from your first Thanksgiving.  You got to meet your Grandmother and Grandaddy for the first time.  They arranged a few days for the whole family to spend in Gatlinburg.  It was awesome, and you had a wonderful time.

She just rolled over for the first time!!!!

I'm fixin' dinner and she's in the playpen/bassinett.  I heard her start to cry and her voice sounded muffled, so I ran to check and she's on her stomach!!!!

She can speak!

I've been wanting to type this for two weeks now!
Two weeks ago, yesterday, in fact.
See, she's been watching my mouth when I talk to her, while I'm changing her diaper.
I've noticed, after I'm done changing her diaper actually, she and I just look at each other and smile and she stares at my lips.  Then she moves her mouth to imitate the way I move my mouth.  I've also noticed that when I hold her and sigh or moan she'll answer back to that too.  But when we're looking at each other she's having a hard time making sound come out when she imitates my mouth movements.  I can see the concentration in her eyes.  Well, two weeks ago it happened.  Some sound came out and she got so excited!  It was the sweetest thing to watch.  And now she's a little gibber jabber.  Look out!  She's gonna be a chatter box like the rest of us.  And her smiles.  (sigh) Just makes my heart melt.

Your Birth Story

My Dear Sweet Carolina Jane,

I've let a lot of time go by now since you've been born. Over two weeks, because I'm enjoying you so much. I haven't made many phone calls, like I did when Delsin and Kai were born. It's not that I don't want to talk to anyone. It's not that I don't want to blog about you, that there aren't things that I want you to know, when you are old enough to read it. It's just that I've learned how to enjoy these little moments with you, far better than I did with Delsin and Kai. I enjoyed my time with them, all while keeping a running to-do list in my head of all these things I haven't been doing in the past two and a half weeks. I wish I could have been this relaxed when your big brother and sister were born. I made the mistake of trying to control everything, trying to do everything I did before and the new things too. I'm not doing that this time. This time I'm holding you like I've got nothing else to do and cuddling with you as long as I can. And I must say it's must less stressful this way.

And that is why you're likely to not have all of your best memories documented, because I'm simply going to enjoy each moment and document whenever I have the time and think about it.

I want to tell you a little bit about the days before you were born.

I was nesting, of course, and you were head down and giving me the sensations that you were trying to claw your way out each night about 6 o'clock.

On the day before you were born I woke up at approximately 5 AM to relieve myself and hopefully fall back asleep. But upon returning to bed I took a quick glance toward the door and saw your big sister standing there. "Mama, I had an accident in my panties," she said. So I instructed her to change and go back to bed. She returned a few minutes later saying she had done as I instructed and then had another accident. So I told her to go potty then change again. By that time I was up for the day.

We had to take your Daddy to work, because you and I had a Dr.'s appointment that day. 38 week appointment. So, I got to work feeding the dogs and going through the morning scurrying around. We got Daddy to work and then went about our day filled with starting sewing a gown for you, Dr. appointment, playing at the playground, doing a little consignment store, dollar tree, and Subway shopping, then back to pick up Daddy at 5 PM and head to church. But I was hoping to get to stay home while Daddy took Delsin and Kai to church with him, so that I could get a few things done around the house. You see, I had started sewing a gown for you earlier that day, a gown that I wanted to be your first outfit, and I wanted to finish it. Also, Prince had been having accidents, very messy accidents and the floors had to be mopped daily, so I needed to vacuum, mop and give Prince a bath. And I started with vacuuming about 15 minutes after everyone left for church.

After vacuuming, before mopping I decided to give Prince his bath. I was exhausted from such an active day and was in no mood to put up with Prince trying to run from me to escape his bath time. I began to lose my temper and raise my voice with him, while forcing him in the positions I wanted him to stand. Finally, upon finishing him I led him up on to the porch and turned to go back down the wet stairs. The stairs were very wet, because I had accidentally sprayed water on them while trying to hold the hose and Prince all at the same time. I was also wearing a pair of 3 year old flip flops. Very smooth on the bottom flip flops. I went flying, and came down on my right butt cheek on the top step. Then I proceeded to slide or bounce down each subsequent stair step. I knew this was not going to be good as far as keeping the baby from coming out. I just sat there and cried and screamed a time or two. I was angry. I got up and cleaned up everything and then sat down on the couch and cried some more. I was sitting there crying when your Daddy and brother and sister came home.

I'd been having braxton hicks contractions for several weeks and the past few days they'd seemed to be coming more often and maybe a little stronger. So, about an hour after my fall, I decided to start timing them. Pretty soon I started having Daniel write each one down. At first I was surprised to find out they were 6 minutes apart, consistently. I knew then that I was in labor.

Like I said, I had started making you a gown earlier, and I wanted it to be your very first outfit. Not one to leave anything undone, I knew then that I needed to start sewing in between contractions if I wanted to get it done in time for you to wear it. I didn't say a word to your daddy about knowing I was in labor. I was afraid he'd tell me to relax in between contractions and I didn't want to argue with him about me sewing your gown. So I just sewed as fast as my little fingers could work the fabric under the needle. Pretty soon the contractions were about 3 minutes apart and I was nearly finished with the gown. Your daddy finally said something he'd been thinking. "Babe, you may want to start considering the idea that you may be in labor. You may want to start packing a bag for the hospital."

Then I replied, "Babe, we are in labor. That is why I'm finishing this gown."

"YOU'RE INSANE!"
"(Laugh) I knew you would say something like that," I said.
Then he packed a bag for us and took your brother and sister over to Claire's house, while I finished your gown. Then we were in the truck.

I was a little disappointed in myself for not remembering to bring some good music to listen to while in labor. I was a little disappointed for not being strong enough to have you at home. But the peace of mind of knowing someone who delivers babies for a living and can be prepared if anything goes wrong is priceless. Maybe next time, Lord willing, we'll be able to afford a midwife and we'll be able to find one that lives close by.

I knew before we left the house that I wanted to get an epidural. I had hoped to enjoy the experience of giving birth without pain reliever. However, child birth is PAINFUL. And having been up since 5AM, with such a full day, I was exhausted. I was looking forward to getting a little sleep before you came.

The truck ride wasn't so bad. But each contraction got more painful as I was positive we might not make it to the hospital. "We might have this baby naturally after all!" I thought, as we drove to the hospital. Once we got there the contractions were worse than ever and time passed more slowly than ever. That's what I dislike so much about being at the hospital. You have to wait and wait and wait in a cold, boring, medical facility. It's not at all like being at home and having the comforts of home and the distractions of trying to get things done in between contractions to make it all seem to go faster. Between two and a half to three hours after we got to the hospital the Dr. on call, Dr. Long, arrived on the scene. The nurse checked my cervix and announced that I had dilated 3 cm. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" I shouted in disbelief. Daniel laughed, he said it was a pretty funny site. I was so surprised. I mean, when I was in labor with Delsin I didn't even know for sure I was in labor when they told me I had dialed 4 cm. So naturally, I expected my delivery with you to go much faster. By the time I was in what I considered serious pain I was sure I must be about to deliver any minute now. Ha!

So I asked if they were going to make me wait till I had dilated more before they would let me have a epidural and the Dr. said, "Give her anything she wants." I was happy about that.

At some point I remember telling the nurse about the gown I made for you. I was so proud. I just had to show her. "Where's that gown, Babe?" I asked your daddy.

"What gown?" He replied.

"What do you mean 'What gown'? The gown I finished making for the baby right before we got in the truck."

"Oh. It's in the truck." He said proudly, as if I were going to be so happy that he brought it. And to be honest I was relieved that it was in the truck, 'cause by the was he said, "What gown?" I thought he might say he didn't realize I wanted to bring it, or that he thought I had packed it, or something else along those lines.

"What do you mean it's in the truck?"

"What's wrong with it being in the truck? It's here."

The the nurse said, "It's the baby's first outfit. How are they going to wear it if it's in the truck?"

"Yeah! The baby's about to be born, we need it here!" I exclaimed.

Before long I was sleeping, and Daniel made the trip to the truck to get the gown. I guess I must have slept from about 3 AM till about 6 AM. When I woke I could feel your head traveling along my backside. It felt like you were pressing against my colon and moving down the birth canal. I waited to feel that two or three times then decided to call a nurse. There was no pain, just pressure. As she was getting everyone ready to come into the room I felt your head with my fingers. My heart started racing with excitement and anticipation. There was no checking the cervix, your head was past that. When the Dr. sat down he said you'd probably be born on the next contraction. So I pushed with all my might. When that contraction was over I could see your head and face in the reflection of the Dr.'s glasses. You were blue and he was suctioning all the mucus away from your orifices. I pulled my gown up, exposing as much of my skin as I could, ready to put you on my chest as soon as possible. I could hardly wait for the next contraction, and when it came I pushed even harder than I ever did before. I remember visualizing you being pushed out, trying to make my pushes even more effective.
And you were born.

I remember looking at Daniel and his eyes catching mine and then suddenly, as if snapping out of it, I said, "What is it? Did you see what it is? What did we have?" We both looked at you as the Dr & nurses were wiping most of the vernix off of you. I couldn't see anything but the top of your head and your back. Then I heard, "It's a girl!" And you were passed to me, and all I could see after that was you. I instantly put you to my breast. I knew that would calm you, as you were crying. Poor baby. I just couldn't believe it. You were finally here.

6 lbs 7 oz. 19 inches long. Blue eyes, lots of dark brown hair. Beautiful! Sweet!!!

It's taken me 3 weeks and two days to finally document it all. I can't take my eyes off of you. You're growing and well over 7 lbs now.

When you were 4 days old you did something amazing to me. You were crying. I changed you wet diaper and you were still crying. As I was about to secure your diaper you reached down and grabbed your umbilical cord and jerked it right off. Instantly you stopped crying, and you didn't cry the rest of the day. I knew that your umbilical cord had bothered you sometimes when you were eating, but I didn't expect you to jerk it right off like that. We had a visit with our pediatrician's office a couple of days later and they were just as astonished as we were. They checked the scab and said everything was looking just fine. It did give you a little bit of trouble after that, but I believe now it's completely healed. It looked completely healed a couple of days ago and when I bathed you it bled a little and scabbed a little by the next morning, so no more baths for a few more days. Sponge baths only.

Gosh! I know there's more I want to tell you too. Like how every day I can tell more and more that you have better vision and just the past two days have started really staring in to our eyes a lot more than you did before. I know that you are about to wake up to eat, so I'm going to go grab a quick bite myself. I'll write more later.

I Love You Carolina Jane!

I cancelled my last ultra sound appointment.

I got a huge bill ($250.00) from the Dr.'s office that does the ultra sounds.
They said I owed approximately $40.00 for each visit.
I was surprised that we hadn't been told that all along.
I called them to complain and got transferred around a few times till someone pawned me off on voicemail. I left messages for a couple of people and the hospital where the ultra sounds were done and also talked to my insurance representative until I got satisfactory explanations as to the charges. Then I cancelled my last appointment, because quite frankly I don't think I need them anymore. I know there is a clot that is breaking up, and I LOVE being able to see the baby. I absolutely love that! But to be honest, we don't have the money to spend on doing it when it's not necessary. I hope I don't regret this decision later, but that's what's going on for now.

The midwife told me to ask the Dr. where the placenta is and he told me it was in the right place. Now I need to call her and let her know.

I have so many photos I want to post on here, from the ultra sounds. I need to go through them all and organize and scan them. Maybe later today. Right now I want to do a little sewing. Last night I made 10 baby wipes. I hope to make more quickly while the kids and I watch "Music Man". Gotta go the dogs are barking.

I made myself a new comfortable dress.

.....and we're almost 32 weeks along.
I can feel what seems like every single movement.
I think you may be upside down right now.
It's getting closer and I'm getting very nervous!

God of wonders beyond our galaxy,

You are Holy! Holy! But you already know that, don't you? It's just amazing to me to think about. So often I turn a deaf ear to people who believe in evolution (the big bang theory), but sometimes as I listen I hear more and more inexplicable phenomenon that only reaffirms that there has to be a YOU. They show me in awesome wonderment just how infinite your Love and creativity are.

I miss you sometimes. I struggle to be every woman that I think sometimes I should be. Really all I want to do is be with you, but to sit and ponder about that all day would be selfish. Wouldn't it?

Thank you for this baby in my tummy. Please continue to have a hand in my pregnancy and keep this baby safe. I want to be a lady and I want to take it easy and I also want to prepare some things around our home. I just can't let things go. Not cutting the grass is really hard to do. Please make me take it as easy as I should without being lazy and missing out on summer too. This work before play mentality that my parents instilled in me is dangerous sometimes. Why can't I just be a lady of leisure? Probably because we can't afford it. I bet if we were monetarily rich I'd be more apt to lay around the pool. (hint, hint ;^)

I LOVE You, God! Please always keep a grateful heart in me, Lord. Please let me be like you in all my ways. Please give me wisdom and courage to do your will. Please give those things to my husband and children too, Lord. And thank you for all the Love.

I'm so pregnant!

I just added hamburger dill slices to my supreme and cheese pizza!

April

The last post was me jotting down some notes while on the phone with my midwife.
She told me that one of her books said to take that to help the placenta reattach. I've googled it and I've asked one of my doctors about it. (Dr. Mann) I couldn't find anything. Dr. Mann said it couldn't hurt, but she hadn't seen any miracle healing since my troubles began. That made me laugh and she was doing the ultra sound at the time, so you could see the baby giggling around on the ultra sound :) That was funny. So, I'm trying to remember to take all these vitamins every day. I do good for a couple of weeks, then I forget one day and it's a struggle to remember to do it from then on out for a few weeks.

Speaking of forgetting. I completely forgot to call my mom's on Mother's Day yesterday. I feel so terrible. I remembered several times, actually. I was never near a phone any of those times, and completely forgot when I was near a phone. Now my momma's phone goes straight to voicemail each time I call. Ugh! I feel so awful about it!

I've been forgetting to update my blogs too. I so wanted to keep a pregnancy journal! I'm not as good at all the journals and baby book keeping as I thought I would be. I never made Delsin's footprints. I kept pouring the cast and letting it dry out before imprinting his foot (forgetting). I hate that I forget so much. I just don't think I'm thoughtful enough. I think of others, but never follow through. I've got tons of pictures to download right now, as I'm thinking of all the ultra sound photos I've put in an envelope (around here somewhere [as I scan the kitchen]). I've lost some diamond earrings that Daniel gave me our first Christmas together. 1.5 cts platinum. I'm sick over it. I feel that they must have been stolen, because even the GIA certification paperwork is missing. I feel even more nauseous at the thought of who could have stolen those earrings from me. I keep going through trash and thoroughly cleaning every inch of this house in hopes that they'll show up. I hope they do. I've never been a diamond kind of girl. I'm just not fancy enough to justify spending that kind of money on something for myself. Not worthy is I think how I said it to Daniel. But I really liked them and I wore them often. I felt like I could be one of those pretty/fancy girls if I wanted to while I was wearing those earrings. Oh well, they were just rocks. Right?

I feel like so much has happened with the pregnancy since I last blogged. G.G. came down to stay with us for a week and help out. She was great. It was awesome and I cried when she left. I really love her.
Then Grandpa Bill came for a week and helped out a ton with laundry and kids and chickens. Oh yeah and dogs and dirt, tons of help.
Amy came and cooked us dinner, enough for a few nights of salmon and lentil soup. She left lots of goodies too. It was so good to see my friend. I'm glad we're reconnecting.
An old roommate from college is coming to stay with me this weekend. I'm so excited! I haven't seen her since college. I miss her. I was a flaky friend back then. I am still. I know this. Ryn came by this weekend and brought some gifts. She came at lunch, and it didn't even dawn on me that I could prepare a lunch for US to all enjoy ahead of time. Sometimes I think I'm so darn rude. Like the package I still haven't sent to Australia. Like the many thank you cards I've yet to send. Please Lord help me to do that this week. It would make my friends know and feel appreciated.

Daniel built me some garden boxes and started building a chicken coop yesterday. I'm so grateful and excited about that. He's a sweet man. I Love him.

3 doses of 500 iu of vitamin E
2 doses of 25,000 iu of vitamin A (beta carotene)
6 doses of 1,000 mg of vitamin C
50 mg of Zinc with food.

from my midwife regarding helping placenta reattach.

Two Ultra Sounds and a whole lot of rollercoaster

On April 8Th I went to the perinatal unit at the hospital for my 3rd ultra sound.
Dr. Stone said that everything looked terrific and he wasn't planning to see me again until I was 30 weeks along.

Then two days ago. April 13Th, while taking chicken off of the grill, I had a very sharp pain that started very low in my right abdomen and slowly moved up and throughout my abdomen. I decided to sit on the toilet and after a few minutes there was a big gush of blood.

I sat there for about 1/2 hour or could have been closer to an hour, then I decided to move to the couch. My pain started to slowly weaken. After a few hours I felt like getting up. I called my Dr. and left a message. When he returned my call the next day we discovered that his answering service wasn't working properly. He told me to call the perinatal office to schedule an appointment with them. So I went today.

I saw a new Dr. and she said that there was a large clot of blood next to the baby's sac and it was from the placenta tearing away from my uterus wall and that I needed to hire help for the kids and stay off of my feet, "SERIOUSLY!"

I'm asking for prayers from everyone I talk to. I'm scared. I want this baby to make it fine. I'm also scared of the pain of childbirth. The cramping I was having the other night had me asking myself what in the world have I gotten myself back into. I wasn't scared of the pain the first time, or the second time, so much. But I'm scared now. And I'm bummed that I can't do anything, like yoga, to help me make it through labor easier. Hopefully this will clear up quickly and everything will be fine.

The pets and new family member saga plays out again.

Myrtle passed away on Good Friday. That was this past Friday, April 2, 2010. Daniel had been working from home on his computer, that night, and had just gone out front to take a breather at 11:30 when he saw Myrtle in the road. Rigamortis had already set in. I don't know how long that takes, so I have no idea how long he had been dead, but it's not like Myrtle to not be here around supper time, which is before sundown. I thought about checking around for him earlier in the evening, because I'd noticed that I hadn't seen him, but my pregnancy brain failed me and I completely forgot about doing it before I could get started. Daniel seemed really upset about it when he came inside. His face was white. I cried, I almost thought I wouldn't. I've been kind of expecting it since one of our pets always dies when I'm pregnant. I really miss him though. He was just so sweet! He cuddled with the kids and was so understanding of them. He never tried to hurt them or fight back if they got too rough. And he was beautiful!

The kids didn't get sad at first. Kai still hasn't. They said that they were happy for him, because he gets to be in heaven with Jesus now. I was glad to hear them have such a good perspective on it. Delsin has broken down a couple of times with sadness, because he misses Myrtle. Says he feels like crying, but he can't. He brought a great amount of Love to our family and we will always be grateful.

In the past, when a pet dies while I'm pregnant, it has coincided with the sex of the baby. For example when I was with Delsin, our cat Lenny (male) died. When I was with Kai, our hamster Bonnie (female) died. With the last pregnancy, Priscilla went missing & never heard from again. That was a miscarriage, so who knows the sex? Now baby #4 and Myrtle. So Daniel thinks we're having a boy.

Also, there's always been new babies in our house when I've been pregnant. For example, When I was with Delsin, Bonnie had a litter of 10 hamsters. When I was with Kai, Ruby showed up pregnant and gave birth to 7 puppies (3 of which were Betsy, Delilah, and Little Bear). With the miscarriage, Myrtle was a kitten and shows up on the day of my final Dr. appointment. Does that count?
Now with this pregnancy, Papa and Nana sent the kids home with baby chicks this past Sunday, Easter Sunday. Does this count as the babies in our house with pregnancy? I hope so. This is plenty to take care of.

Heartbeat sounds like a girl!

I had another Dr. appointment yesterday. Dr. Spanier was the one I went to see.
Nothing out of the ordinary. They just measured me and listened to the heartbeat.
The nurse tech. (wish I was better with names) said it definitely sounded like a girl's heartbeat. Excitement is mounting!!!!

We have some names!

We've decided on some names

(I think)

For a boy:

Ryker Alexander

Ryker = (German) Powerful ruler,

(Danish) Strong power, hardy power

Alexander = (Greek) Helper and defender of mankind

For a girl:

Carolina Jane

Carolina = (German, French, Italian, Latin) Strong, courageous, beautiful woman

Jane = (Hebrew) God is gracious

Got to see the baby again!

Last Thursday I had another ultra sound.
I got to see the baby and he/she's doing fine. Growing great and fast.
I still have some spotting. It's old stuff, nothing to be too concerned about.

I've been feeling the baby moving, for sure, the past few days.
I was sure before too, but the day before and leading up to the ultrasound last week I didn't feel anything and of course was starting to get a little worried.
Today he/she was moving around a lot during church. I like that.

When we went for the ultra sound last Thursday I thought I saw something between the legs. I wasn't too sure, but right as I was thinking it the technician asked if I wanted to know the sex of the baby. So I'm excited about maybe picking up on another clue. Only thing is it's opposite of what I was guessing if that's true. So funny. It's just so much fun to guess and not know. The suspense is so exciting.
I mentioned it to the kids when we got back to the truck and Delsin said he saw it too. ☺

We have another ultra sound in 3 weeks. I'll get another chance, then to try and see more clues to see if I can strengthen or weaken my guess.

I like Dan Zanes music and I listen to it even when I'm alone. I don't care that it's "kid's music". It's fun to listen to and I like the sound. I like the style. I wish I knew of more music like this. It kinda reminds me of bluegrass, but happy bluegrass. And with a few more different kinds of instruments, maybe.

A few others I've found with a similar style are. Jack Johnson, Elizabeth Mitchell, Lisa Loeb & Elizabeth Michell together (I think they're sisters), Frances England, & Justin Roberts.

I just typed in Dan Zanes on Pandora. I don't think I've done this before and I don't understand why. And I can't figure out how to post a link to that station to this blog. I'll try a bit longer, but it's a good station and just what I was in the mood for.

http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh204550622151759269#/ maybe?

The past two days have been beautiful. We have the doors all open and the windows open....wait...forgot to do that. Later.

Right now I'm listening to Tony Bennett's hit collection of cd's. Lots of good Tony Bennett to listen to. I'm folding clothes and straightening a little while watching the kids outside painting and playing around the backyard. Listening to this makes me want to put on one of G.G.'s vintage dresses and dance around the house while I vacuum the floors. ☺ Isn't that how life was when this music was most popular? (Kidding of course.)

It's a beautiful day. I already said that, huh? Supposed to rain sometime soon this afternoon. That'll be perfect, because I've failed to remember to water the bulbs we planted a week and a half ago. They need it.

I looked in the mirror as I was putting clothes away in our bedroom and noticed that I look really pregnant today. Like right in the middle of it all pregnant. That makes me smile. My head hasn't been aching so much today. That's nice. Yesterday it was throbbing.

I just wanted to take a moment to jot down what I've been feeling today. It's such a pleasant day. Even as the atmosphere is slowly darkening as the rain clouds set in. It's just wonderful. Thank You Lord. How Great Thou Art.

No more spotting and all seems well.

Today I had a Dr. appointment with Dr. Spanier. He wanted to see me after I had some heavy spotting yesterday. He checked and the cervix is closed. I haven't really had any spotting since. Just to be sure there's no danger though he had me go to the hospital where they did an ultra sound. They said they saw a large blood clot that would take a few days to work it's way out. The baby looks fine. We saw it moving around a little, and we saw the heart beating, all 4 chambers. And the new ultra sound says I'm 14 wks and 3 days along today. That's a week further along than I expected. The new due date is August 31st. Which is around the time I expected to give birth. Always at the end of a month, it seems. ☺

I'm ordered to be on bed rest. "Take it easy and keep your feet up." Is what I've been told. That's not so easy. The kids haven't been so difficult, but the dogs seem to be running in and out and barking so much. Not relaxing. Oh yeah, and Daniel said don't forget to mention I'm on "pelvic rest" too. That means no sex. LOL!

First entry

I've been telling myself, "I need to start a pregnancy journal." But like everything else it hasn't happened yet. ...Well,....till now.

I want to come back later and type out exactly how we found out about the pregnancy and everything, but that will have to wait. I'm supposed to be in the bed right now. Dr's orders. I had some heavy spotting this morning on our way back from a Mom's By Design meeting. So, I got to thinking I wonder how far along I was when.... with a previous pregnancy. I started to go grab my other pregnancy journals when I decided to start this one.

I was going to keep it in a book like my previous ones, but I think I'll do primarily a blog page. I can keep this forever. I think?