Our Spontaneous Hospital Tour

So after scheduling a hospital tour with both Kennestone (where I'll deliver) and Scottish Rite (where baby will go afterward) we unexpectedly ended up at Labor and Delivery at Kennestone Hospital yesterday. Don't worry! No baby yet. :) In fact baby had nothing to do with it and was probably oblivious to the whole thing cause he just kept swimming around like normal. lol. It was all mommy and believe me that was actually a relief. But of course whenever mommy is having problems, doctor wants to make sure to fix them so baby doesn't have to feel anything later on. I started having some pains in my right side around 10:30 yesterday morning at school and, to explain the progression of the pain, by 12:00 I was laying down on the floor of my classroom on a couple of bean bag chairs! Yes the kids thought I had lost my mind and looked at me with smiling wary faces as I graded papers from the floor. By 2:00 the pain was even worse so I called my doctor and she wanted me to come in. I was pretty certain baby was fine (I could feel him kicking all around) but I was glad to get checked out anyway. After checking baby's heartbeat and confirming it was not likely related to baby (not labor pains) I was sent to Labor and Delivery to check out everything from gall bladder, kidneys, pancreas, appendix etc. My blood pressure was up and I was running a fever (both probably due to the pain I'd been in for 6 hours) so they hooked me up, tested blood, did ultrasounds of the area and make me more uncomfortable. lol. Good news - 4 hours and 2 IVs later we were free to go. The doctor said everything checked out fine. The pain had gone by this point and I was actually hungry again (all I'd had was a bagel and a little egg salad at 1:00).  Diagnosis? Thankfully (though rather anti-climatic) the doc thinks it was just some trapped air in a really bad spot. I've been given specific eating instructions to help avoid the situation again. Apparently this is not uncommon in pregnancy and can mimic labor pains it can be so bad. Glad it was not something serious this time. :) She also discovered in the bloodwork that my protein is low (and iron...found that out last week) so I'm supposed to eat an egg a day and I'm on iron supplements. Doc says baby is doing a beautiful job of "being a little parasite." haha. Good baby. So my mom, David, baby and I left the hospital tired, thankful and hoping to not visit again until it's BABY TIME! Phew!

Forming the Nursery

David started painting the nursery last week. He's putting up some white wainscoting around the bottom too and it looks adorable. :) We've done some registering at Target and BabiesRUs and that was fun (and exhausting. lol). I'm really excited to put things together and get ready for baby.  

Here are some pics of the nursery "in the works" as well as some things I've collected to go in it (sheets, bumper pad, decorating things). Some of my girlfriends were asking what it looked like..so...heres an idea of where we're going. :)

Blessings

Baby's Latest Glamour Shot. :)

David and I are very happy to say that our doctor's appointment with the perinatologist today went well. We went in for my 28week ultrasound to check on baby and many things weighed on our minds. Praise God we were given positive news. The doctor said that our baby boy was still growing right on schedule (weighing 2lbs10oz now :) ) and that there were no new concerns. Baby was all over the place and looking adorable! We were relieved when the Dr. said that everything was stable and looking very good. :) Feet are still kicking (caught on ultrasound) and he had good movements. The Dr. did notice the left ventrical of the brain is still "slightly swollen" (like last time) but that the right side was normal and the fact that no further swelling had occurred in the last 6 weeks was a good sign. When we commented that our baby was "hanging in there" he said "he is more than hanging in there." :) Such a blessing to hear. Thank you all so much for the prayers that went out for our baby today and always. We go back April 15th for our 32week check up. It seems like forever away but after today's blessings we are content to wait on the Lord. Please continue to remember our baby in your prayers as the doctor reminded us that so much is still unpredictable. Pray that we are able to dwell on the hope we received today and the hope we have in God - not the uncertainty we still face. Pray that the baby's condition remains stable or even improves! :) (particularly with the brain swelling) so that we may have a chance of avoiding additional surgeries. And pray for our hearts to feel God's love and strength so we will be able to face whatever lies ahead. We know our God can work wonders - He has so far on our baby and we have faith in the wonders yet to come. Praise God! And thank you all.

Baby Bump - 28 weeks

Okay! This afternoon - 28 weeks. 10 more to go till baby's here. :)

My mom says it looks like I stuck a ball under my shirt.

Prayers

David and I go in for our 28 week ultrasound with the perinatologist this Wednesday the 18th. We're excited to see our baby again and see how big he's gotten, but we're also nervous at what news we could receive. So if you could please say an extra prayer for us over the next 2 days we would appreciate it. Waiting and not worrying is so hard.
Please pray that we will have peace while we wait and faith that God will take care of everything. Pray that the doctor will see good developments and positive images on the ultrasound.
Pray that whatever the outcome of this appointment, we will have renewed strength and hope. And as always, pray that God will continue to form our baby with His hands and that if it be His Will, our miracle baby will just get better and better. :)

Thank you so much. We cannot imagine going through all this without your love, prayers and warm thoughts.

A psalm for our baby. :)
"He has put His angels in charge of you, to watch over you wherever you go." Psalm 91:11

Some Special Babies

I always have a reason to have "babies" on the brain. :) Especially when my little one is pounding away on my stomach like he can't quite get comfortable. Today I was preparing lessons for my first graders on "folktales and legends" and I read about John Henry and how legend has it he was born with a hammer in his hand. Silly you might say....but the things I feel with this little guy I actually wouldn't be too surprised if he did come out with a hammer.

But there are some special babies I wanted to take note of today for different reasons. One is a new addition to the world - Baby Isaac, born just yesterday some friends of ours from church. Isn't he precious! I'm not sure what was in the water this year but he's number 5 of babies born to friends or family of mine this year! Baby fever!

I also wanted to share with my family and friends 3 other special babies (well...one's not really a baby anymore and would probably resent that :)) whose blogs I follow and get so much from. These kids are beautiful and amazing and bring me so much hope. They have all been diagnosed with SB and though they are all different, they all bring the same smile to my face. They are just 3 out of many I have met through a Spina Bifida Kids group on BabyCenter.com for mom's who are raising children or are pregnant with children who have been diagnosed with SB. They captured my heart. I know how I felt the first time I saw them and read about them - and how comforted and encouraged I am by their parent's strength and love. Just thought you should meet..

Nellie Greyson and Nate

These are not all recent photos. :) Just some of the many pictures I thought were cute. Nellie is almost a year old now. You can check out their blog under MeinhardtFamily. Greyson (OurLittleGibblet) was just born in February and is very special to me. (Maybe its because he seems so close to our own little boy. And he's precious. :)) Nate is the oldest of the three at (I think) 2.5 yrs (ColleenandNate). His mom is the leader of the group I joined and she is amazing! 100% there for anyone who comes her way. They are just rays of sunshine to me and I've never even met them. I love reading about how they are doing and seeing how happy they are. So if you were wondering about some of the other blogs I follow...these little angels and their inspiring parents are the reason. Feel free to look at their blogs - their parents would love to share the story of their darlings with you I'm sure - and it can help shed some light on what "spina bifida" really is, and what it is not. It really helped me to see the families who have been there and are there living happy, loving lives - like the kind of life David and I want for our little miracle.

Baby Bump - 24 weeks

Okay so it's not so much a bump anymore...but I like consistency in my titles. :) lol. Baby, Daddy and I are doing well - although today baby has rolled and bumped around so much I'm beginning to wonder what he's doing in there! I like it but it's admittedly a little freaky to see this round knot protrude from my already protruding belly and move around. I've also had a few rib shots from our little kickboxer (strong baby makes mommy happy though :) ). We have a doctor's appointment on the 18th to see baby again! :) Then I go back the 20th for my glucose test at my regular OB. Will keep ya'll posted!