Thursday, December 30, 2010

Christmas-ness and nursery stuff

Hello blog. I have gotten behind in updating you, which has made me dread updating you which causes me to fall even further behind. So, I have decided to give myself a break and make this a quick and painless update.

Christmas was wonderful. We went to my in-laws in the morning, received a bounty of gifts (we made out like bandits!) for which we are extremely grateful, relaxed with family over cinnamon and orange rolls, and even got in some very quality Peyton time. Next we went to my mom's where we video chatted with my brother and his family in Seattle (so cool to actually get to see them opening presents!), ate delicious ham (I want more ham), opened thoughtful gifts (thank you!), and took family pictures in front of the tree. The next day we drove out to my dad and Debbie's house for pork loin, presents, and more relaxing conversation. I am SOOOO grateful that the holidays with all of my family (in-laws included) are filled with comfort and joy. It took me many years to get over many of the insecurities and anxieties that kept me from enjoying simple moments (and to be honest that is always something I can work on), it was a difficult journey but I feel like it was worth it to be able to enjoy family gatherings so much!

Now that Christmas is over it is time to clean my house. I am pretty big these days so bending over is almost entirely out of the question. For me cleaning has mostly consisted of I kicking stuff into orderly piles for Mac to take upstairs for me. Of course Mac is currently too busy using his entire week off for nursery projects to pick up said piles but when he does find the time the piles will be waiting. Speaking of nursery projects, since the last post Mac has laid the cork flooring, raised the ceiling fan (turns out tall people were not safe in the nursery), put together the crib and changing table, installed 4 ceiling lights (thanks to the help of Mr Cossabone), sanded and stained the new baseboards, and started refinishing the dresser. Oh, and last night he picked up my stranded brother, took out his dead car battery, took him to get a new battery, and installed the new battery. So like I said, no time for picking up piles, and those piles can definitely wait. :)

Here is a slide show of how far the nursery has come!


Today the baby is SO LOW and yet SO HIGH it is making me feel very stuffed. I feel like he is in a position similar to what our dogs do in our bed in order to take up the most space; arms extended overhead and toes pointed as far as they will go. I have also had some definite kicks or punches to my cervix that have made me say "ouch!" That said I am not yet ready for this baby to be born, there is too much to do and I am definitely too tired!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Trials and tribulations

Last Wednesday night I began to suspect that I had a UTI (yuck!) and since my doctor's office was already closed I took some Azo, drank lots of water and figured I could make it until morning when my doctor's office opened. As the night wore on I began to feel worse and worse. Around 10:30 my back started hurting and I began to wonder if maybe my UTI was really a kidney infection, so we called my mother in law (the nurse) but she was asleep so we talked to my sister in law (the resident kidney infection expert) instead. She agreed that it sounded like a kidney infection and said that tylenol should help. By midnight I was in a lot of pain and decided I couldn't wait another 9 hours for my doctor's office to open so Mac took me to the hospital. I told the emergency room nurse that I was 32 wks pregnant and suspected I had a kidney infection because my back hurt. They immediately took me in a wheelchair (wheeeee) to labor and delivery. I am so impressed by my hospital! Mac and I have not yet had a chance to take a tour of labor and delivery so everything was new to us. The rooms are big and private with a futon for mac to sleep on and a full bathroom with a shower and tub, flat screen tv with DVD player and internet access. The staff was AMAZING, I am so grateful to them for walking me through the paperwork and always telling me exactly what they were going to do before doing it AND asking for my consent. They really put me at ease. Even though I was not on labor they still had me go through the process as if I was in labor so I should be pretty good at it when the real thing happens. I changed into a gown and gave them a sample and then got into bed so they could hook up the doppler for Gideon and the contraction monitor. Gideons's heart rate was lower than I am used to at our morning appointments but still in normal range and I had a couple of contractions but nothing painful. What WAS painful was my back and I began to think that I was passing a stone (I have had stones in the past so I am familiar with the feeling). Soon after the nurse brought me a couple of vicodin but they didn't take away any of the pain, in fact it got much worse. Next a very nice gentleman came and did an ultrasound of both of my kidneys and bladder. It was not fun having to lay on my back, twisting and turning so he could get the right angle but he was a really nice guy. At this point I texted all of the parent to tell them that we were in the hospital but the baby was fine. Poor Mac was such a help. I kept telling him to go to sleep but he held my hand and stroked my hair and was a great support. When the nurse came back she said that I did not have an infection and the ultrasound did not show any stones, however my right kidney was very enlarged and there was fluid backup. I was in agony and very confused because my kidney hurt but I also had sharp pain in my bladder, a burning urethra and that horrible "gotta go" feeling. Thankfully at this point (4am) they finally gave me IV pain medication which completely took the pain away and knocked me out. Early this morning Gideon's heart rate was back in the 150s when my OB came to see me. He told me that he felt I was passing a stone and he was sending a urologist to speak with me (he had a patient who was being induced in the room next door and could not stay long). Shortly afterward the urologist came in and said she agreed with my OB that I was passing stones but unfortunately could not officially confirm it because she couldn't do an X-Ray on a pregnant woman. The urologist also said that the only treatment option for a pregnant woman is to manage the pain with drugs until A) the stone passes or B) the baby is born. After another shot of Demerol we made our way home. Mac went and picked up my prescriptions and I tried to eat some lunch. At this point I began to realize how hard this was going to be. The shot began to wear off so I took a hydrocodone and went to bed. A couple of hours later I was once again in agony. Mac was at work so I sent him a message asking him to call the doctor and see if I could take my next pain pill earlier than the 6 hours listed on the bottle (I didn't think I would be able to speak to anyone coherently at this point). Thankfully they said every 4 hours would be fine. And so the cycle began. I took a hydrocodone, 45 mins later I got some relief, 4 hours after that the pain began to creep in, by the 4 hour mark I was laid out on the bed clutching the sheets, crying into a pillow, so I would take another hydrocodone and wait the 45 mins for it to kick in... This went on for 72 hours. 72 HOURS. Meanwhile the amazing husbandit (sounds like a magician no?) was taking care of me, and the dogs, and getting the house ready for our annual Christmas party. As I came out of my drug induced fog Friday night I realized the pain was gone. That is the funny thing about kidney stones, one minute they are there, the next they aren't. Our Christmas party was set for 1pm on Saturday and I was afraid of what I would find when I emerged from the bedroom at 10pm Friday because the last I had seen it, our house was a mess. Well I was totally wrong, not only had the husbandit cleaned, he had decorated. See? A magician. Of course one would thing that a kidney stone would be the worst and its passing would mark the end of a dark time. Unfortunately, no. The next morning I developed a sharp pain in my right lower back/hip/buttock region. After consulting my sister in law (massage therapist extraordinaire), cousin (mommy extraordinaire) and mother (extraordinary) I have come the the conclusion that I have a piriformis syndrome cause by pregnancy. While this is not uncommon it is incredibly annoying, painful, and limiting. I can't step backwards, turn, roll over in bed, go up or down the stairs, bend over, or generally do anything fun or productive without pain. I take the back, I can sit. Weird right? Sooo... last I checked since becoming pregnant I have had:
-costochondritis
-a sprained ankle
-kidney stones
-piriformis syndrome
all of which can only be treated by drugs that pregnant woman aren't allowed to have
...and yet I am STILL happy to be pregnant!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Roommate Christmas

Today was our annual friend Christmas party, a.k.a. Roommate Christmas. This tradition began when Mac lived with Craig and Luke and I lived with Melissa (many moons ago). We celebrated Christmas together before separating for Christmas break. Now it has grown to 15 adults and 3 children, eating, drinking, exchanging gifts, and reconnecting after a very busy holiday season. It is my favorite get-together of the year and I was terrified that my recent health problems would mean cancelling. Thank god for Mac and his amazing patience, dedication, and cleaning abilities. This year's party was a great success, with amazing food, thoughtful gifts, rambunctious children and, as Mac said in his toast, friends who have become family. I can hardly believe that next year I will have a nearly one year old baby!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Surprise!

Okay, it is official, my family is totally awesome (and sneaky)!



Today was the annual Adams Family Christmas Party, it is something I look forward to every holiday season because it is always relaxing, funny, and delicious. Yes, delicious. There is always good food, good company, and a funny white elephant gift exchange. This year my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Joe hosted the party at their home in Greenville and since that can be somewhat of a trek my siblings and I decided to car pool (ie Jeremy and Bethany hitched a ride in the Soul). We arrived a few minutes late (Bethany's fault), said our hello's and grabbed some delicious barbecue. After we finished eating my Aunt Peggy went into the back and then returned with an adorable diaper cake complete with Gideon's name on it. At this point I thought "Wow! That is so sweet!" but I had no clue that there was anything else to come. Then suddenly there were presents everywhere! Turns out this was a surprise baby shower! My family is so good at keeping secrets! My dad is normally pretty bad at it (he turns bright red and gets this goofy smile when he has a secret) so I am pretty proud of him. My Aunt Peggy and cousins recently gave me their addresses for my friend baby shower and acted like nothing was going on. My brother and sister even brought extra gifts for the shower and I didn't even notice. Seriously, I didn't have a clue. Everyone got us great stuff like adorable clothes, toys and baby essentials. Dad and Debbie even got us out car seat, which means Gideon officially has a way to get home (phew! what a relief). After I opened my presents the party continued with the white elephant exchange and lots of great conversation. I was a little relieved to have the attention off of me, I don't know how celebrities do it! Being watched made me so nervous. Not that I didn't enjoy myself, how could I not? Everyone was so kind and made Mac and me feel so loved and special. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Busy being distracted

Well oops, I have gotten behind. If it makes you feel any better this is not the only place I have been neglecting (i.e. my messy house). Since my last post I finished my student teaching and Mac has been busy working on the nursery.

I am so glad to be done with working, I loved my classes and mentor but I was TIRED. I am not certain why nature thought it would be a good idea to keep pregnant women from getting good sleep in their 3rd trimester. Maybe someday when I am older I will get the joke but for now I am just annoyed. Unfortunately I am the worst napper ever. Sleep during the day just doesn't happen for me no matter how hard I try. There is always a combination of guilt and curiosity that keeps me awake. I desperately hope that Gideon gets his daddy's ability to fall asleep anywhere (I was once walking across campus and came upon my husband sleeping under a tree, true story). This all means that I am kind of a zombie during the day and shouldn't be allowed to operate a motor vehicle or shopping cart. To that end I have been trying to accomplish all of my Christmas shopping online. Speaking of, my friend Michelle sent out an email about her annual wrapping party and I had to decline because I have NO PRESENTS TO WRAP. I felt like such a loser, especially since I ALWAYS love the wrapping party. I immediately set out to rectify the situation (on my computer) and have made some definite headway.

Yesterday we had a doctor appointment and we finally got an ultrasound! We haven't seen our little boy since 20 weeks! Unfortunately I made the mistake of telling out tech that I am a high school science teacher. >sigh< she spent the whole time talking (complaining) about her son's science teacher and telling me how gifted he is. I am happy to talk about teaching but this was kind of supposed to be about my son. I had to interrupt her to ask how big he is and if my cervix and placenta look alright. She took a sec to answer my questions and then it was right back to blah blah blah my son is an overachiever blah blah he shouldn't have to do group work blah blah. Then she highlights the baby's face on the screen and goes into 3D! I had no idea she was going to do that, or that she even COULD do that! After an hour of listening to her talk we ended up with 4 pictures, but I love the pictures so it was all worth it. Gideon weighs around 4 pounds, 6 ounces, and is measuring 2 weeks ahead. He also has the cutest and chubbiest cheeks ever.












The nursery is looking really great. Mac has REALLY outdone himself already and his ambition is pretty much boundless. I imagine he will only be stopped by the arrival of our child. So far he has repaired water damage to the ceiling, filled in cracks in the walls (the foundation has been repaired but not all of the damage inside the house was taken care of before we moved in), took down the old ceiling fan and hung a new one, pulled up the old baseboards, scraped the popcorn off of the ceiling, re-stained the window sill, painted the window frame, and painted the room with a perfect strip of light blue at the top and dark blue at the bottom. Today he is pulling up the old carpet and then we are going to a showroom to look at cork flooring. I am very excited about cork because it is totally sustainable (made from tree bark and doesn't harm the tree), insulating (temperature and sound), soft underfoot, naturally fire, allergen and insect resistant, and it is considered an environmentally safe, low-emitting, material. Pretty sweet! We came across it while looking at bamboo flooring and after doing a little research determined it was the right flooring for us. Now we just have to choose a pattern and get it in the room. Turns out there is a 2 week lead time on flooring and since the baby is due in less that 2 months we need to get a move on. Also on the "to-do" list for the nursery is repainting the closet, hanging new closet shelves, installing new lights (purchased yesterday at Ikea!) putting in new baseboards and of course, putting together all of the furniture.

This is making me tired.

Okay time to get going on the day!