This is a lousy time for us to get sick, but sick is what we are. Levi's on the upswing from full on flu - including all the fun stomach symptoms. Casey and Brenna have colds with coughs and baby and I are just stuffed up. I think we'll all survive, but with Casey working overtime I sure am having some sleepless nights. The irony is that I've only left the house 2 times since we've been home in an effort to keep Jack from catching anything and we still got sick. All this cabinfever for nothing!
But it could be so much worse. My friend's baby, born 4 days before Jack, is having surgery today for a stomach problem. I can only imagine the pain of watching a tiny baby struggle with a serious problem like that. The heel sticks to check Jack for jaundice were traumatic for me - I can't imagine IVs and surgery. If y'all will, I know she'd really appreciate prayer for little Luke.
So we're recovering - hopefully enough to avoid the doctor's office, which is where I think this came from. Is it any wonder I try to stay out of there?
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Baby Jack (long!)
I'm typing this one handed so y'all bear with me:) I just wanted to (finally) fill everyone in on our very busy week!
Jack's birth really didn't go like I planned, but, Praise God!, he's here safe and sound. Last Thursday night (the 12th) I laid in bed all night having a lot of what I assumed were more Braxton Hicks contractions - painful as always, but irregular. Hubby was at work so he missed out on my grumpiness, for awhile. The next morning, the kids and I slept late - til 8, that's late at our house. By the time I got them breakfast the contractions were getting a lot closer together and more regular so I laid down to try to get them to stop - still thinking it was just false labor. This is what's commonly known as denial. I finally started calling hubby at 10 when the pains were ten minutes apart and veeerrrry painful. When I called my doctor he wanted me to come into the office to be put on a monitor. Not what I wanted to hear. The monitor? Did this guy not understand I was in labor?!? All of a sudden I was getting very sure that we were headed directly for a baby here and I needed to get myself to the hospital.
Hubby brought his mom home with him to keep the kids and we jumped in the car - no shower, no bag, no nuthin' - and headed to the doctor's office an hour away. Let's just say it was a long drive. We had to keep pulling over so I could be sick (such fun for the people passing us I'm sure). And I was extremely cranky at this point - crying, ranting, raving. I was trying to behave myself, but...let's just say it was not a pretty picture, but hubby stuck with me:)
By the time we got close to the doctor's office, he had called the cell phone to send us on over to the hospital where he was waiting on us. After he checked me, we were all glad I'd gone there first. I was only dilated to a four, but the contractions were only 3 minutes apart. With my first pregnancy I went from 4 cm to needing to push in what seemed like seconds - although I wound up with a c-section anyway. So I may have delivered at the doctor's office had we gone there first. But since we were at the hospital everything went smoothly. I was scheduled for a repeat section for medical reasons so we went ahead with that, but I was much more relaxed and "in control" feeling this time. I got the spinal instead of the epidural - for some reason they always try to push that epidural, and I liked it fine after I got it, but I couldn't go through getting the thing again. Last time it took three very painful tries. The spinal was much easier. Hubby was a little nervous because there was no one there with us yet - we usually have quite a crowd lining the halls. I made him promise to stay with the baby - even if he had to be transferred to another hospital, so he was very worried about having to leave me all alone. My grandparents made it just in time, though.
The surgery itself went really smoothly. The doctor's and nurses were wonderful and worked hard to try to give me the kind of birth I wanted. The only hitch was lowering the curtain in time for me to see the baby sliding out. They lowered it in time, but had to yank it back up to keep the little guy from peeing in my face:) My nausea was still going strong and let me just tell you - throwing up when you're numb from the breastbone down and your insides are on the outside is quite an experience. And not a good one. On a positive (I guess) note, we did discover one anti-nausea medication that works for me (instead of making it worse!) - after trying everything else.
Jack's Apgars were wonderful, but he did have to stay in NICU for about five hours due to some breathing problems. He seems just fine now, but I'm still being a little extra cautious with him - washing hands before visitors hold him, staying home for these first few weeks, the stuff other moms do with every baby:) He's sleeping a lot and doesn't seem to nurse as much as my first two, but he's gaining pretty quickly. He was back up to his birth weight within a week, in spite of serious jaundice.
I just can't find the words to get across how blessed I feel. God is so good! I'm just in awe of Him and His creation. The way He's cared for me and for this precious new life is just more than I can really comprehend. I'm so amazed that this little person fit inside me - how is it that a week and a half ago I felt so huge and now I can imagine how I was carrying this little guy around in me! Nothing compares to knowing that God knit this little one together in me and then protected us both through the whole process of growing him and bringing him into the world! Have I said it before? God is SOOO good!
Jack's birth really didn't go like I planned, but, Praise God!, he's here safe and sound. Last Thursday night (the 12th) I laid in bed all night having a lot of what I assumed were more Braxton Hicks contractions - painful as always, but irregular. Hubby was at work so he missed out on my grumpiness, for awhile. The next morning, the kids and I slept late - til 8, that's late at our house. By the time I got them breakfast the contractions were getting a lot closer together and more regular so I laid down to try to get them to stop - still thinking it was just false labor. This is what's commonly known as denial. I finally started calling hubby at 10 when the pains were ten minutes apart and veeerrrry painful. When I called my doctor he wanted me to come into the office to be put on a monitor. Not what I wanted to hear. The monitor? Did this guy not understand I was in labor?!? All of a sudden I was getting very sure that we were headed directly for a baby here and I needed to get myself to the hospital.
Hubby brought his mom home with him to keep the kids and we jumped in the car - no shower, no bag, no nuthin' - and headed to the doctor's office an hour away. Let's just say it was a long drive. We had to keep pulling over so I could be sick (such fun for the people passing us I'm sure). And I was extremely cranky at this point - crying, ranting, raving. I was trying to behave myself, but...let's just say it was not a pretty picture, but hubby stuck with me:)
By the time we got close to the doctor's office, he had called the cell phone to send us on over to the hospital where he was waiting on us. After he checked me, we were all glad I'd gone there first. I was only dilated to a four, but the contractions were only 3 minutes apart. With my first pregnancy I went from 4 cm to needing to push in what seemed like seconds - although I wound up with a c-section anyway. So I may have delivered at the doctor's office had we gone there first. But since we were at the hospital everything went smoothly. I was scheduled for a repeat section for medical reasons so we went ahead with that, but I was much more relaxed and "in control" feeling this time. I got the spinal instead of the epidural - for some reason they always try to push that epidural, and I liked it fine after I got it, but I couldn't go through getting the thing again. Last time it took three very painful tries. The spinal was much easier. Hubby was a little nervous because there was no one there with us yet - we usually have quite a crowd lining the halls. I made him promise to stay with the baby - even if he had to be transferred to another hospital, so he was very worried about having to leave me all alone. My grandparents made it just in time, though.
The surgery itself went really smoothly. The doctor's and nurses were wonderful and worked hard to try to give me the kind of birth I wanted. The only hitch was lowering the curtain in time for me to see the baby sliding out. They lowered it in time, but had to yank it back up to keep the little guy from peeing in my face:) My nausea was still going strong and let me just tell you - throwing up when you're numb from the breastbone down and your insides are on the outside is quite an experience. And not a good one. On a positive (I guess) note, we did discover one anti-nausea medication that works for me (instead of making it worse!) - after trying everything else.
Jack's Apgars were wonderful, but he did have to stay in NICU for about five hours due to some breathing problems. He seems just fine now, but I'm still being a little extra cautious with him - washing hands before visitors hold him, staying home for these first few weeks, the stuff other moms do with every baby:) He's sleeping a lot and doesn't seem to nurse as much as my first two, but he's gaining pretty quickly. He was back up to his birth weight within a week, in spite of serious jaundice.
I just can't find the words to get across how blessed I feel. God is so good! I'm just in awe of Him and His creation. The way He's cared for me and for this precious new life is just more than I can really comprehend. I'm so amazed that this little person fit inside me - how is it that a week and a half ago I felt so huge and now I can imagine how I was carrying this little guy around in me! Nothing compares to knowing that God knit this little one together in me and then protected us both through the whole process of growing him and bringing him into the world! Have I said it before? God is SOOO good!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Jack Warnock Miller is here ...
and he's beautiful! A little early (3 1/2 weeks), but he was 7lbs and 3 oz. I can't wait to fill in all the details, but it's a little hectic right now so I'll get back to you. In the meantime, just let me say God is so good!
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
I'm kind of hungry...
This is a very good sign. For some reason I am sick for at least the first 35 weeks of pregnancy. I don't just mean I wake up a little nauseous. I mean even the thought of food makes me violently ill. I struggle to keep down things like saltines and ice. But the last few weeks I start to get a little bit of my appetite back and I actually start to gain back a little of the weight I've been steadily losing for the last 9 1/2 months. My doctor is usually thrilled. I'm still sick, but not as much.
So I woke up today and, after throwing up, actually craved a grapefruit. And a grilled ham and cheese. And for dinner tonight .... I cooked! Something better than chicken tenders and fries! Chicken marsala, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach (with more garlic), and homemade (that's right, I said homemade) bread. And it was good. I missed cooking.
So I woke up today and, after throwing up, actually craved a grapefruit. And a grilled ham and cheese. And for dinner tonight .... I cooked! Something better than chicken tenders and fries! Chicken marsala, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach (with more garlic), and homemade (that's right, I said homemade) bread. And it was good. I missed cooking.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Is anyone else ready to get going on 2006?
I have an almost strange amount of energy this morning - well for someone this pregnant, anyway:) I have so many projects I can't wait to get started on and/or finish up - and of course I want to get it all done before our new little guy gets here.
We're working on redecorating in the kid's rooms. Levi has his own "big boy" room with a transportation theme. We're working on painting a train on his wall with the "train up a child" verse over it. He's really excited about painting on the walls:) Brenna and Baby will share a room (when he moves out of our room, anyway). It has a sort of princess and the frog theme. Lots of little froggies with crowns.
We're also working on switching Brenna from the crib to a toddler bed. After much consideration we finally decided it would be better to get her used to the toddler bed before the baby gets here, even though he won't be in the crib for a little while. We have a cradle (handmade by my grandfather for our first baby) that goes in our room, but most of the time new babies sleep with us. We usually transition to the crib after a couple of months.
I'm organizing the playroom/schoolroom. It's a disaster. Before Christmas I weeded out all of the unused and or broken toys (as well as a few things I just didn't like) to make room for the influx from family members who love to spoil my kids:) But I didn't clear out enough! We're working on some new shelves like these for books and some new storage for toys - some of the tiny stuff is even going in Levi's room in a rolling set of plastic drawers. They really got some great gifts though - a lot of educational stuff and toys with great play potential. Our favorite so far is the huge "sand"box that Casey made for Levi. It's actually filled with peagravel making it perfect for building roads with Levi's nine million Tonka trucks and much neater than sand. It's actually big enough for Levi and Casey to play in:)
I've already started reorganizing my household notebook and reworking some of our routines for these last few weeks before baby and the first few weeks after. I've really revamped my menu and grocery list making sections since Casey is taking over the grocery shopping for a little while. Grocery shopping is actually one of my favorite jobs, but right now I'm having trouble walking very far at all. And, while the kids are actually very well behaved (most of the time) in the store, it's still just not much fun hauling little ones in and out. So since Casey can run in first thing in the morning when he gets off work, I'm taking full advantage. I'll still be doing all the planning - but that's pretty easy from the couch!
I've definitely started to hit that nesting phase, although probably not at full stride just yet. Just a few weeks left to go though - and that's if there are no surprises:) I have this week "off" from going to the doctor, but next week I go in for a biophysical profile. I love the ultrasound part of this - staring for 1/2 an hour at my baby is so wonderful. We actually just had an ultrasound last week, which my mom got to be with us for. The little guy appears to have a head full of hair, not surprisingly since my other two did, too. But the wonderful tech who does ultrasounds for my doctor is convinced that this little guy's hair is curly:) And we got a fabulous picture of his foot. His second toe is longer than his big toe, which my granny says means he will rule the roost:) That sounds good to me! All these little peaks inside just make me itch to get my hands on him. I can hardly wait!
Our year is off to a running start it seems like. Well, maybe more like a fast waddle for me:) But at least I'm moving in the right direction!
We're working on redecorating in the kid's rooms. Levi has his own "big boy" room with a transportation theme. We're working on painting a train on his wall with the "train up a child" verse over it. He's really excited about painting on the walls:) Brenna and Baby will share a room (when he moves out of our room, anyway). It has a sort of princess and the frog theme. Lots of little froggies with crowns.
We're also working on switching Brenna from the crib to a toddler bed. After much consideration we finally decided it would be better to get her used to the toddler bed before the baby gets here, even though he won't be in the crib for a little while. We have a cradle (handmade by my grandfather for our first baby) that goes in our room, but most of the time new babies sleep with us. We usually transition to the crib after a couple of months.
I'm organizing the playroom/schoolroom. It's a disaster. Before Christmas I weeded out all of the unused and or broken toys (as well as a few things I just didn't like) to make room for the influx from family members who love to spoil my kids:) But I didn't clear out enough! We're working on some new shelves like these for books and some new storage for toys - some of the tiny stuff is even going in Levi's room in a rolling set of plastic drawers. They really got some great gifts though - a lot of educational stuff and toys with great play potential. Our favorite so far is the huge "sand"box that Casey made for Levi. It's actually filled with peagravel making it perfect for building roads with Levi's nine million Tonka trucks and much neater than sand. It's actually big enough for Levi and Casey to play in:)
I've already started reorganizing my household notebook and reworking some of our routines for these last few weeks before baby and the first few weeks after. I've really revamped my menu and grocery list making sections since Casey is taking over the grocery shopping for a little while. Grocery shopping is actually one of my favorite jobs, but right now I'm having trouble walking very far at all. And, while the kids are actually very well behaved (most of the time) in the store, it's still just not much fun hauling little ones in and out. So since Casey can run in first thing in the morning when he gets off work, I'm taking full advantage. I'll still be doing all the planning - but that's pretty easy from the couch!
I've definitely started to hit that nesting phase, although probably not at full stride just yet. Just a few weeks left to go though - and that's if there are no surprises:) I have this week "off" from going to the doctor, but next week I go in for a biophysical profile. I love the ultrasound part of this - staring for 1/2 an hour at my baby is so wonderful. We actually just had an ultrasound last week, which my mom got to be with us for. The little guy appears to have a head full of hair, not surprisingly since my other two did, too. But the wonderful tech who does ultrasounds for my doctor is convinced that this little guy's hair is curly:) And we got a fabulous picture of his foot. His second toe is longer than his big toe, which my granny says means he will rule the roost:) That sounds good to me! All these little peaks inside just make me itch to get my hands on him. I can hardly wait!
Our year is off to a running start it seems like. Well, maybe more like a fast waddle for me:) But at least I'm moving in the right direction!
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