AKA Kate's whine sesh:
It's been an insane 36 hours or so. Monday I had my injection appointment and Tuesday was the regular OB appointment. Or it was supposed to be regular. Turns out I was dilating and super soft and the nugget is way into my crotch, which we already knew, but makes for the perfect storm. I got taken off of work immediately and put on bed rest. Bed rest while doing as little as my job as "mom" would require. It was kind of a blow and an emotional day, but as the day went on I was feeling more and more optimistic. More cooking time for the nugget, an aggressive approach with steroids (which was AMAZING with Tiegan), and even closer monitoring. I'm so glad this doc is super proactive and on top of things. Plus think of all of the time I now have to watch all of the Netflix shows I've been wanting to veg on!
All yesterday I was super crampy/contractiony and was enough pain that it woke me up for a few hours last night. I figured I had an appointment at the hospital in the afternoon anyway and Aoife had a doctor appointment too that she really needed to go to, no big deal. I've been super barfy and miserable but hey, third trimester. Nobody's completely glowey and awesome at the end.We took it easy this morning, did nails, girls played outside, watched some Little Einsteins and snuggled before the afternoon of doctor appointments.
I was at the hospital for an appointment yesterday, too, so when the nurse asked how I was doing today, I was honest. She called my regular OB right away and lemme tell you, doc was not impressed. And I got put on super strict bed rest. And it's a huge blow realizing you can't even take care of your own kids. I went from super optimistic and thinking of all of the things I could do from my throne in the living room to feeling defeated and useless and inadequate and just all around stressing the F out. Like seriously, if I can't even take care of my three kids now, what am I going to do when this nugget joins the circus?
Everything hurts. I hate stairs. I hate sitting, I eat food only to barf it up a few minutes later. I haven't slept in months and probably won't sleep again until December. I couldn't waddle fast enough to catch my future track stars in the parking garage when leaving the hospital and they may or may not have ran out in front of a car and I completely blew up in said parking garage and told them not to talk the entire drive home. I cried for the entire drive home and probably freaked them out. I've had 22 shots so far this pregnancy and I'm super over it. Don't get me wrong, the shots are making a world of difference and I'm grateful she's still in there cooking and that she's also getting steroids to speed things up, but I feel like a pin cushion.
In better news: I've been having nightmares. (I promise it is actually better news.) Babe's kidneys are abnormal, which we knew from the get-go. I hadn't really thought much about it since it could mean a thousand different things, but as things got closer, I started having nightmares about it. Yesterday at the normal OB appointment I asked doc to lay it all out there just so I knew what after delivery would look like. She pulled up the latest ultrasound and said they didn't look TOO bad. She'd probably be whisked away for an ultrasound and we'd go from there but she doubts there's anything super serious to worry about. So with all of the suck of the last couple days, some good news!
My mom is jumping on a plane on Friday, and I have some really awesome people helping out until she gets here, which I'm super grateful for. I feel like a ticking bomb and I'm convinced I'm going to accidentally high-five this kid when I wipe or something. We'll just keep her in as long as possible and not send her out half baked. And I'll accept donations of Diet Coke. Or chocolate. Or play dates for my poor kids. Or suggestions of things to do so I don't go too crazy. Or just general "you're awesome and not a sucky mom" well wishes. And give Ross a pinch and tell him he's awesome, too. Cause he's handling the news and my crazy super well. He's a rock star. Bed Rest Day 1: Survived. Is it Friday yet?
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Friday, April 8, 2016
The Baby Quilt.
Nobody got dressed yesterday. Well, I got dressed before work, and Tiegan changed into an adorable ladybug summer tank top and refused to put on pants, but other than that we had a lazy chill day yesterday. I decided to start on the upcoming nugget's quilt yesterday and the girls were so great at playing together and "helping" with the quilt, I accidentally did nothing else yesterday and finished it! This being the fourth round of baby quilts, I gotta say, sewing is a lot more fun the more competent you are. I didn't have any trouble with the bobbins, didn't break any needles, and no tears/curse words came out of me. I got caught up on conference, we watched movies and played Legos, and girls had a great time helping me decide which squares belonged where. It was fantastic. The quilt isn't perfect, but I love the little imperfections. And I love that the girls asked about their baby quilts and only felt minor stings when Claire complained that the new baby's blanket is better than hers. (Sorry kid. I guess that's the problem with being the oldest.)
Originally I had fallen in love with fabric at Hobby Lobby, but had to leave it to take Aoife to urgent care to get her head glued back together and after the scene I made I refuse to show my face there for a while. I ended up going to Jo-Ann's by myself one night and while a couple of the pieces I don't love AS much, I'm pretty pumped with how it turned out.
So baby girl, you have a blanket. And I'm really struggling to not set up your crib right this second and get it all ready. All she needs now is a name and an animal friend and about 10,000 headbands. But she has her blanket. Victory. Today I took the girls to each pick out an outfit for baby sister. While stressful and almost a disaster, we survived. And their selection suits their personalities. Claire went with a cat set. I was a little worried that Aoife would want a superhero costume, but she was determined to find a yellow dress in a newborn size. Tiegan was running around like a lunatic and collecting as many stuffed animals as her little arms could carry, so I chose a little sleeper for her. Tiegan will get to help Ross pick out the animal friend.
It's kind of weird getting things together. I'm going in more often for appointments with the normal doctor and still doing the injections every week, but I won't have to go to the hospital appointments that often anymore. One of the babe's kidneys was abnormal from the get-go. I love the specialist doctor. I saw her the whole time for Tiegan. The kidney issue could mean a number of different things ranging from no big deal to big deal, but there isn't a definite answer and probably won't be until she's born so doctor has helped keep a great attitude of we'll not worry until we need to. This week it turns out both kidneys are abnormal and acting up. We'll check on them again right before she's born to see if they've worked themselves out, and if not, we'll see what's going on after she's here. Other than that and settling in super low, she's great and we're excited to bring another little sister to the family! Hopefully she's tough and can handle all of the love from the three big sisters she's about to get.
Originally I had fallen in love with fabric at Hobby Lobby, but had to leave it to take Aoife to urgent care to get her head glued back together and after the scene I made I refuse to show my face there for a while. I ended up going to Jo-Ann's by myself one night and while a couple of the pieces I don't love AS much, I'm pretty pumped with how it turned out.
So baby girl, you have a blanket. And I'm really struggling to not set up your crib right this second and get it all ready. All she needs now is a name and an animal friend and about 10,000 headbands. But she has her blanket. Victory. Today I took the girls to each pick out an outfit for baby sister. While stressful and almost a disaster, we survived. And their selection suits their personalities. Claire went with a cat set. I was a little worried that Aoife would want a superhero costume, but she was determined to find a yellow dress in a newborn size. Tiegan was running around like a lunatic and collecting as many stuffed animals as her little arms could carry, so I chose a little sleeper for her. Tiegan will get to help Ross pick out the animal friend.
It's kind of weird getting things together. I'm going in more often for appointments with the normal doctor and still doing the injections every week, but I won't have to go to the hospital appointments that often anymore. One of the babe's kidneys was abnormal from the get-go. I love the specialist doctor. I saw her the whole time for Tiegan. The kidney issue could mean a number of different things ranging from no big deal to big deal, but there isn't a definite answer and probably won't be until she's born so doctor has helped keep a great attitude of we'll not worry until we need to. This week it turns out both kidneys are abnormal and acting up. We'll check on them again right before she's born to see if they've worked themselves out, and if not, we'll see what's going on after she's here. Other than that and settling in super low, she's great and we're excited to bring another little sister to the family! Hopefully she's tough and can handle all of the love from the three big sisters she's about to get.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Forever Families.
Last month our Loveland clan took off to West Coast for almost two weeks. February is a rough month in the mid-west and the perfect time to head to sunnier places. While warmer weather is a great getaway, and we got some much needed family time together, the main reason for our trip was to visit my grandparents in San Diego. We hadn't seen them since before we moved to Wisconsin, and I hadn't been to their house in almost nine years.
It's been a really hard week. My grandpa passed Tuesday evening after battling cancer for a little over a year. He was admitted to the hospital Thursday, and knowing it's coming really doesn't make it any easier. With family gathered so far away, Wisconsin hasn't been lonelier. But I'm so so grateful for the time we got to share with him just a few weeks ago and wouldn't trade it for the world. He was feeling pretty good and we got to do a lot of fun things and share stories and the girls, I'm sure, were shadows of 5, 4, and 2 year old me running around the house.Since we've been back every few days they bring up wanting to go to their house and visit again.
Grandpa's service is today and my aunt couldn't have said it better: "It can't go unsaid that my dad was, to say the least, was a great man! He represented many respected values such as integrity, faith, knowledge and good works. Although he grew up in poor circumstances he rose above and took charge of his destination and did great things with his life. My dad served his country with honor as a Marine Corp officer, engulfed himself in higher education earning his doctorate degree and created a loving family of 7 children. He had many accomplishments. Just to name a couple, he became a published author and a, many times over, marathon runner. But I have to say what I will remember him most for is the love he had for his family. It was unwavering."
So here's to the man that picked oranges with me, pulled me out of the deep end of the pool when I fell in, went on long walks to pick blackberries and talk, encouraged me to be smart, and taught me about heritage and family history and enjoying the simple things, like a really great piece of pie.
He had a knack for making you feel special and important. He confirmed me a member of the Church and after I was baptized he shook my hand and said, "I've never shaken the hand of a perfect person before!" He gave me a blessing before starting my first college semester and talked about integrity. He was always cheery and kind and generous. I can't say enough about how great he was or how much he'll be missed.
Easter was timely this year. Despite Easter's great message, Sunday was impossible for me to sit through. Ross is a nursery leader, so he cares for the 2-3 year olds during Sunday school. I ended up hiding in his class since I couldn't keep myself together and helped with the kids when I could. It gave me a lot to think about this week and this video summed it up pretty well. I'm grateful for forever families.
It's been a really hard week. My grandpa passed Tuesday evening after battling cancer for a little over a year. He was admitted to the hospital Thursday, and knowing it's coming really doesn't make it any easier. With family gathered so far away, Wisconsin hasn't been lonelier. But I'm so so grateful for the time we got to share with him just a few weeks ago and wouldn't trade it for the world. He was feeling pretty good and we got to do a lot of fun things and share stories and the girls, I'm sure, were shadows of 5, 4, and 2 year old me running around the house.Since we've been back every few days they bring up wanting to go to their house and visit again.
Grandpa's service is today and my aunt couldn't have said it better: "It can't go unsaid that my dad was, to say the least, was a great man! He represented many respected values such as integrity, faith, knowledge and good works. Although he grew up in poor circumstances he rose above and took charge of his destination and did great things with his life. My dad served his country with honor as a Marine Corp officer, engulfed himself in higher education earning his doctorate degree and created a loving family of 7 children. He had many accomplishments. Just to name a couple, he became a published author and a, many times over, marathon runner. But I have to say what I will remember him most for is the love he had for his family. It was unwavering."
So here's to the man that picked oranges with me, pulled me out of the deep end of the pool when I fell in, went on long walks to pick blackberries and talk, encouraged me to be smart, and taught me about heritage and family history and enjoying the simple things, like a really great piece of pie.
He had a knack for making you feel special and important. He confirmed me a member of the Church and after I was baptized he shook my hand and said, "I've never shaken the hand of a perfect person before!" He gave me a blessing before starting my first college semester and talked about integrity. He was always cheery and kind and generous. I can't say enough about how great he was or how much he'll be missed.
Easter was timely this year. Despite Easter's great message, Sunday was impossible for me to sit through. Ross is a nursery leader, so he cares for the 2-3 year olds during Sunday school. I ended up hiding in his class since I couldn't keep myself together and helped with the kids when I could. It gave me a lot to think about this week and this video summed it up pretty well. I'm grateful for forever families.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
