Willow's Wishes

What can I say? It looks like every other delivery room I have been in. There is a bed, bright lights, 2 visitor chairs, the newborn bed where the baby will be tended to, the monitoring machines, possibly a birthing chair (not chair have never seen one before). This room lacked windows though, so that kind of sucked. I also saw the bathroom, it lacked a sink! But the whirlpool tub looks incredible, and I have to say that I really can not wait to give that a try. Now you may be thinking I just got a tour of the hospital and that is why I mention the room... No this is actually the room I was in for an hour and a half today. I thought my water broke while I was at work, but thankfully, it has not. I am quite happy about that. The flip side is that one could say my labor has started (depends really on who you talk to and how technical one wants to be), but I did find out today that I am one centimeter dilated. I am not really worried about that, as I think back to my other labor...

I guess we will call it the 30 week check up since I will be 30 weeks on Monday! It seemed to go well, I had to get my Rhogam shot today, and then I also did the 1 hour glucose test. The orange stuff is disgusting, that is all I have to say about that. I believe I will know the results of that at my next appointment in 2 weeks. My blood pressure is 112/60, so more like a 'normal persons blood pressure would be' as the nurse said, but she said that since mine is normally much lower than that, we want to make sure it is not a sign of anything. There is no swelling, baby is moving fine, the pain in the belly I have been feeling lately is just muscle pain (which is wonderful news) as that means there are no changes to my cervix. He did not check we just went on what the ultrasound had said on Monday. I think that covers the visit. I got handed a big packet of information on what to bring with me, touring the hospital (which I really should do), and how to care for baby and ...

Yup that is right, I may not have made it through this entire pregnancy as well as I was hoping. This whole pregnancy has not been easy as it is, but today I have the same lower belly pain that I did last week. After being at the specialist yesterday they thought maybe it was muscle pain due to pulling weeds and bending over so much. Well, when I called in today to both my OB and the specialist and explained that it is the same pain as last week, and that I did nothing more than what I normally do at my job, they called me back and said that it is over activity causing the pain. And they want me off my feet the rest of the day, and try work tomorrow, but if the pain is still there, then I see my OB later this week and we will discuss what to do from here. That was what I was told anyway..... I guess I can say at least I made it to 30 weeks this time before getting bed rest, but at the same time, it sucks.... does that mean I have to quit school too??? I am sure due to the reasoning...

So, I had my 29 week appointment with my maternal fetal specialist. As always they are running very late, and I had already rescheduled this appointment to be earlier so that I could hopefully make it to class today since I have already missed so many of this particular class, and yet there I was at the receptionist window at 2:10 (appointment was scheduled for 1:45, I arrived at 1:25 in hopes of getting in early) and asking if I could reschedule since I had to be at class at 3. Well, they pushed me right in thankfully. My blood pressure was a bit high for me though still in normal range for most people, 108/64, and I now weigh in at 138 pounds. I have officially gained 34 pounds so far!! And I still have 11 weeks to go! Anyway, our baby girl is doing well, all is still very healthy with her, it appears she will be born with a lot of hair too! The cervix is still closed, and when he pushes on it, it does nothing! But the thing that worries me, and the doctor says is not a worry ...

What a week, that is all I have to say about that. It has been full of busy moments, stressed out moments, and of course painful pregnancy moments. But hey at 7 months, what can one expect? The week started off in the usual way, kids to school, me to work and class, Jon working at home, but then by Wednesday something changed. I started to not feel so well, and really had trouble walking around, so I call the doctor only to be told "there is no room at the inn" (I suppose my nurses way of being funny since I will be delivering at St. Mary's Hospital, but not too funny to me at the time). I was told I could go to Spectrum, but really I did not want to chance my luck with a new set of doctors who may or may not have read my records. So, I wait the pain out, time the contractions, drink plenty of fluids and rest. By Thursday, I make it to class because I thought I had a test in lingusitics, but no that is on Tuesday. That's okay I at least got plenty of review. Ye...

So, today was all about Mandie's party! The preparation, the party itself and then of course the tear down. For a two hour party, it seems to be an all day event.... But it is now over!! I know such a mom thing to say, but honestly being 6 months pregnant and putting together a party is hard work. I will say though, that I did have quite a bit of help from family. Jon did a lot of cleaning and helped his sis with the decorating. I did the baking/cooking for it. Then for today did the last minute decorating, and balloon shopping for the big day!! All in all, our Halloween themed party went well. Mandie had loads of fun, with a dance party, piñata, and of course cake and ice cream!! Seeing her play with her friends from school and family was a great thing. I just need to remember to stop stressing out about all the little things that go into all this party work, after all the kids will have fun!! LOL Here are a few pics: She is creating her own dance party! :) They were all...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDIE Five years ago today I was in the hospital giving birth to our little Amanda Marie.... I can not believe five years has gone by, and in those five years she has become quite the person. Going from baby that I could just put into the bassinet when it was bed time, without a peep, to this little girl who has so much to say, that sometimes it is not quite appropriate. Either way, she has definitely brought many joys and many more learning experiences than we ever could have thought would happen. Now as she turns 5, we are expecting our 4th child, another precious girl. One can only wonder what this one will have to say.....

Ahh, the smell of a new week. How interesting to wake up to the smell of cold. :( Yes, it is cold here in Grand Rapids. What lies ahead for this week? Well, quite a bit as usual. Monday: Work & school for me, 2 doctors appointments, one with my OB at 7 am, and one with the specialist at 1:15 (I may have to reschedule that one though due to school.) Tuesday: Work & School again Wednesday: Yup the same, work & school. Thursday: Same as well, work & school Friday: Work (no school today)! Saturday: Mandie's Birthday Party!!! But some time this week, I need to fit in shopping for Mandie's birthday, baking and a lot of it!! We need to make candy for the goodie bags, her birthday cake, cake pops (off of this site: http://www.bakerella.com/trick-or-treats/ ), some spooky Halloween punch, which means freazing some juicy hands! LOL Really, I can not wait to do it as I love to bake, I am just not sure how I will find the time to do it all plus my homework. So,...