JLTATER3997's SparkPeople Blog

Leena Cai's Arrival

Wed, 5 Dec 2012 07:21:33 EST

Ok, so on Sunday night (12/2/12) I woke up with contractions three separate times that were very painful. So when the nurse came in at 6am on 12/3/12 I mentioned them to her and she put me on monitoring for about an hour and a half. I registered only about 3-4 but there were smaller ones in between and they seemed to be consistently 10 minutes apart. Near 7:30am they started tapering off. I felt achy but didn't notice any more contractions. I was still leaking fluid (as I had all week) a...

Hospital Stay - Day Seven (12/2/12)

Sun, 2 Dec 2012 23:03:21 EST

Most of the morning was spent just chatting with Shanon, getting and shower (and finally shaving). Tom and the girls got here around 11:45am. You can tell that the kids are starting to wear on Tom's nerves but he is doing such a good job and keeping such a great attitude about it all. Kalyn was non-stop movement and talking and with prompting she told Baby Leena to wake up. Selah told Leena to hurry up and come out and when Tom told her to stay in for one more week, Selah told him not to ...

Hospital Stay - Day Six (12/1/12)

Sun, 2 Dec 2012 15:13:25 EST

I was woken up at 6:30am to take blood for a blood count. I decided to get up at 7:20am, peed (still some pink tinge), ordered breakfast and did my first set of exercise. Then I watched TV and did some online catchup. At 9:45am, they put me on monitors, flushed my IV, took vitals, and asked some basic feeling questions. While I'm bleeding a little I have to leave all my pads out for the nurse to check. At 10:45am, I was finally taken off the monitors and I took a shower. At 11:00am I go...

Hospital Stay - Day Five (11/30/12)

Sat, 1 Dec 2012 08:53:53 EST

Monitoring last night went well although I am pretty sure I registered a few more contractions. Vitals were 117/70 and good temp. I took the Ambien and fell right asleep but woke up a couple of times with a single bad contraction. At 8:30am I woke up for real to a huge cramp in my left leg. Once I got up I ordered breakfast, did my first round of physical therapy and read Psalms 80-90. Nurse Linda came in and I took an antibiotic and my inhaler and my vitals (122/75, good temp). I ate b...

Hospital Stay - Day Four (11/29/12)

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:35:23 EST

My monitoring last night went well. I did mention that I am leaking more fluid again so the nurse (Sharon) noted it. She gave me an Ambien and a little after 12am I fell asleep until 3:30am. I peed, definitely lost more fluid and went back to sleep. I woke up at 7:30am but forced my self to just roll over and and was able to sleep until the dr. came in at 8:30am. She asked a few questions, definitely noted that I am losing more fluid again (soaked a pad), and ordered a biophysical ultras...

Hospital Stay - Day Three (11/28/12)

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:55:30 EST

Last night, thanks to the Ambien, I slept from 11:30pm to 5am without waking at all until I had to pee. I was able to settle back down and sleep from 5:20am to 7:35am and I felt ready for the day. Tomorrow I might try to sleep a little longer just cause I can. Should take advantage of the benefits while I'm here. After I got off the phone with Tom last night, I got ready for bed and called the nurse for the Ambien and to see if I could take off the compression stockings while I slept. Th...

Hospital Stay - Day Two (11/27/12)

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:05:24 EST

I ended up falling asleep around 4am last night and slept til 6:30am when I again had to pee, they had to set me up on another round of antibiotics. I had a headache, had struggled with itchiness all night and just felt generally down. However I fell back asleep from 7am til 8:40am and woke up in much better spirits. My headache was gone, they promised me an ambien to help me sleep better tonight and they set me up on the monitors again. All looked well except there was one contraction wh...

Hospital Stay - Day One (11/26/12)

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:21:29 EST

On the morning that I hit the 33 week mark I woke up because I needed to pee at 4am. I thought it was wierd that when I sat down to pee I started before I even sat but was too tired to think past that or care. At 5:15am I woke up with this feeling that I had leaked water so I stood up, there was no big whoosh so I went to the bathroom again. I didn't have to pee though and my underwear were soaked. Also they smelled sweet, not like urine. I began to entertain the idea of my water leaking...

One Month til Christmas

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 21:15:23 EST

I guess you could say the official countdown has begun in many respects, both with Christmas and to Leena's birth. Christmas is 1 month or 30 days away and Leena's due date is 50 days away. Although I would be surprised if Leena waited that long I'm trying to keep even longer in my mind just in case. That probably is not going to work but it is worth a try. This morning was tough when the girls decided to wake up at 5:20am but hopefully they will make up for it tomorrow and it won't be a ...

A day off

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:22:01 EST

So thankful that today is a "day off" from being around people and even just being out of the house. We are going to decorate the tree today and keep the Christmas decorations to somewhat minimal so that we don't have a lot to clean up right before Leena gets here. I'm getting laundry done and some general cleaning too. Just some catch up stuff before we start another week. Next week is not quite as crazy as this week and we even have a couple of nights with nothing planned. All 4 of us ...

Selah turns 5

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:18:31 EST

Yesterday Selah officially turned 5. It was a sweet day of remembering her little life. Unfortunately we had quite a few emotional breakdowns as this week finally got to both kids with how busy we have been and with the late nights due to Kalyn moving into Selah's room. In between those breakdowns though we went to Club Kid in the morning and we were the only people there for almost 2 hours! Then we got McDonalds and came home for a bit. Due to the nice weather we decided to do our Chris...

Thanksgiving

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:12:25 EST

So I am writing this 2 days late but here goes anyway. Thanksgiving was a fun day and ended up not being as stressful as I thought. Don't get me wrong, I was exhausted by around 7pm but still it was a good day. My brother, Matt, and Elijah came and Matt made some super amazing creme brulee french toast - it was seriously perfect! We ate at like 11am so we knew dinner was going to get pushed back. All the men and kids went for a walk on the trail while Mom and I got the bird in the oven a...

32 Week Appointment

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 22:07:09 EST

My appt was long and had good newsish but at the same time it was terrible. As of last night I started getting pretty regular cramps about every 5 minutes that would radiate around to my back. They went away but this afternoon they came back about every 3 minutes. They were painful but bearable. I told the doctor about the cramps and also about my spotting last week and the fact that I think I have ANOTHER yeast infection. She took it all seriously and did a yeast infection test, a preterm la...

Naptime and Bedtime

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:17:49 EST

Last night went a lot better but that is probably because Kalyn refused to take a nap yesterday so she was too completely exhausted to fight bedtime. Both girls slept well until 8am and I was able to sleep from 10:30pm-8:30am (thanks to Tom handling the girls before work) and I only woke up once to pee and take a tums for some killer heartburn. Last night we had our small group thanksgiving and it was just what I need to break out of my self-pity bubble and have fun with friends. Tonight w...

32 Weeks

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:46:57 EST

I don't feel well at all today - diarrhea, heartburn, a little nausea, fatigue... On top of it I'm short tempered and too tired to deal with whininess. Fortunately the kids have been fairly good. Selah's parent/teacher conference was today and it went very well. Her teacher said she was a model student and any teacher would be glad to have her in class. Selah is a good listener, sharer, and raises her hand to talk. She has made a best friend in her class (Lidia) who is very similar in pe...

Sharing a Room

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 23:43:36 EST

So Kalyn is now officially moved into Selah's room. The first night went really well. She was exhausted because of Selah's party and because I didn't give her a nap. She went to sleep within 20 minutes and slept from 7:20pm all the way until 6:20am. That is earlier than I would have hoped but I'll take it. Tonight we put both girls to bed at the same time at 8:45pm which is more like their regular bedtime. Kalyn had taken a 2 hour nap in her big bad and done really well so I was hopeful...

Birthday Party

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:25:17 EST

What an eventful 24 hours. It's 4 pm on Saturday and I feel ridiculously exhausted. Starting at about 2pm yesterday we started really getting ready for Selah's Birthday Party - hung balloons, set up an obstacle course, baked 2 cakes so that I could make a pumpkin out of it, set up tables and chairs. After all of that I went to the bathroom and their was a pink tinge on the toilet paper... so I had to rest the rest of the night just in case I was overdoing it. All I could think about was e...

No Sleep

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:58:13 EST

Last night I feel like I got no sleep. Half of it was completely my fault with no exception. I went to see Breaking Dawn, Part 2 at 10pm and drank a cherry coke and ate chocolate - hence late night and sugar rush. The other half I have to blame on Selah and Leena. Leena decided to have a dance party as soon as I laid down. Selah decided to wake up within 20 minutes of me being in bed because she had leg pains, then once I had taken care of that and gotten back in bed she came back in my ...

Jumping Bean

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:35:32 EST

Yesterday Leena was a little jumping bean. Pretty much moving a ton ALL day. It was pretty cool and fun to be able to feel her so much. I also had some uncomfortable braxton hicks contractions that gave me pause. It's hard to believe I have less than 9 weeks to go. Things are starting to get as little more uncomfortable. More than anything I'm just tired of things down below not being "right", it's starting to be itchy again and I feel like things are just swollen or something as well. ...

2 months to go

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:16:48 EST

It is officially 2 months until my due date. I would be surprised if I actually made it to my due date. I expect to go a few days ahead but I'm trying not to get my hopes up for that kind of outcome. Leena was like a little mexican jumping bean this morning during staff meeting, playing the drums on my belly. It was fun to watch and feel. Tonight we have nursery which ends up being a kind of family time with a couple extra kids so hopefully Tom and I will relax and not get frustrated dur...

Pictures

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:59:40 EST

Tonight I am braving the ever dreaded, kids Christmas pictures. I am so glad that my parents are going with me since Tom can't (an honestly hates it anyway so wouldn't be fun to have along). I always love the end product but I feel like I've gotten a workout in by the end of it! We have a chill day planned with lots of resting, bathtime, and a little bit of cleaning and then dinner and pictures. I still need to pick out an outfit for Selah to wear for her 5-year pictures but I do have cut...

31 weeks

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:24:38 EST

Single digit weeks! If that doesn't make things feel closer I don't know what will! Leena has been moving well today and even had some big punches and kicks last night. Today we had the bathroom people come and regrout our bathroom. It looks like even with this temporary fix we are going to have to remodel that bathroom in the spring. Looks like our tax refund has been spoken for:/ Glad that we should have the money then at least. Today is Veteran's Day so Tom is home from work which i...

A Chance to Rest

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:21:19 EST

I am so thankful for Sunday afternoons. Here I sit, watching tv, Kalyn is napping, eating pringles and just resting. Tom and Selah are at the park. Leena has been doing little movements today. Nothing big yet but soon I am going to lay down and then I'm sure she'll kick it up. This afternoon and evening I am going to start working on my week so that hopefully I won't get behind on it. Unfortunately Pastor is behind so I can only get so much work done. Mainly I am going to try to enjoy ...

Fun Day Ahead

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:32:00 EST

As I sit here with both my kids and my husband watching TMNT with them I am just overwhelmed with how blessed I am and how sweet it is to enjoy a lazy Saturday together. We are going to have fun today just doing silly things, Selah's haircut, pizza at the mall, grocery shopping, fixing grout, and even go get our annual Christmas ornament from Murdough's. It is earlier than we normally do it but we have the time so why not get started. Leena moved alot yesterday and even woke me up last night ...

Another day closer...

Fri, 9 Nov 2012 12:53:18 EST

It's hard to believe that each day brings us closer to meeting Leena and getting to know her little personality. This morning has been a good day, both kids got up kind of early but that had the benefit of me getting to eat breakfast by myself without them whining or needing anything. Selah had a bad dream about a squid last night so she woke up crying and is cuddling me now - I can tell that she is tired so hopefully for her sake she will actually rest during naptime. This next week I don...

30 week appt

Thu, 8 Nov 2012 15:17:24 EST

I just had a fabulous appointment. Good news everywhere I turned. First off, I got to take Selah for a Mommy/Daughter date and we went to the appt together and we just got some uninterrupted time together. Then my weight was done 2.5 lbs (they measured at 216.5), my blood pressure was 125/81 which was also better than last time, urine was negative, I PASSED my 1 HOUR glucose test which I have never passed (with a 128), Leena's heartrate was in the 130s, my fundal height was at 31 weeks whi...

Work

Wed, 7 Nov 2012 17:28:01 EST

I had forgotten how hard it was to work an 8 hour day. I worked 7 hours today and my brain feels like mush. I'm tired and my body hurts. I used to work longer than that on my feet while pregnant with Selah and I had forgotten all about how hard that was. The up side was that I didn't have to come home to kids and no break but still, tired. I am thankful for all I was able to get done today thanks to my parents watching the kids. I'm also thankful for only have 68 days give/take until Le...

Clothes

Tue, 6 Nov 2012 14:07:00 EST

I feel overwhelmed by piles of little girls clothes, size 6, 2 and newborn!!! They are everywhere:) I started washing Leena's clothes yesterday and I hope to get them sorted and put away today - what a job. Plus Selah's and Kalyn's laundry needs washed and put away. I have a feeling I am going to be hanging and folding a lot of little clothes today. This morning I got a break by being able to go out to lunch with Danna & her kids, Melissa, and my kids to Chick-Fil-A - they have the best k...

30 Weeks

Mon, 5 Nov 2012 14:59:54 EST

Whoo hoo! 10 weeks to go. What an accomplishment and I feel really good. Somehow I am losing weight which is astonishing to me but I will take it. I'm feeling great this week and ready to tackle the week's to do list. Gonna wash and hang Leena's newborn and 0-3 month clothes and make sure I'm not missing anything. Finally getting into more of the fun stuff of getting ready for a new baby. We are entering into such a fun time of year too of being with family and friends for fun times. ...

Showing?

Sun, 4 Nov 2012 13:20:34 EST

It seems absolutely crazy to me that I am still getting comments at church about people just noticing I am pregnant.... I have about 10 weeks to go! It's nuts! I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or not. Anyway, Leena is kicking better today and after church I am enjoying a nice relaxing afternoon before we head over to my in-laws for dinner and to watch the Steelers game. I hope it will be refreshing and not too hectic and crazy. I did not sleep well last night because I woke up THRE...

Productive

Sat, 3 Nov 2012 17:03:09 EST

Today has been a relaxing and yet productive day. I got the pumpkins and gourds and hay bales for Selah's birthday party which is 2 weeks from today, went to Walmart and did my grocery shopping and got some frames for Selah's party and the caricatures that are going to go in the girls room. Got the oil changed and tires rotated on the van. Got milk at Patches. Gave the girls baths and I'm about to start dinner. I love lazy Saturdays when I can get some needed stuff done without hauling t...

Cute and Pregnant

Fri, 2 Nov 2012 17:30:24 EST

Today I got one of those all wonderful compliments that I looked really cute and pregnant today. Not going to read into it how I look usually and just accept that this is a good outfit for me:) Leena hasn't been kicking as much in the morning but she does well in the evening so it may just be that I am getting too busy to notice in the morning. Yesterday was extra productive - I was able to move all of Kalyn's clothes into Selah's room which may be a bit annoying for the next couple of wee...

November

Thu, 1 Nov 2012 10:30:26 EST

It's November already and this month is packed! So much fun stuff, so little time. I also feel like it's a milestone since it means we just have 1 full month inbetween this month and the month that I'm due. 74 days. I'm sure at times it will still feel far away but I really feel like we are really entering some exciting times. I have almost all the spring cleaning done that I wanted to finish. Almost all the little house projects done as well. Now we get to actually start focusing on g...

Checklist

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:18:49 EST

I love checking things off my list. Thankfully I got alot done at work today. We do have trick or treat tonight and I'm not sure if I am looking forward to it. I'm excited to get the girls dressed up but it just means that it will be a hectic night between getting dressed up and eating dinner, travelling to Newmanstown, walking in the cold, and then possibly doing choir afterwards. Sounds like a fun night! Having some braxton hicks today and Leena is moving well. Again it's mostly small...

Hurricane Sandy

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:24:38 EST

I am so thankful for the hurricane. It brought Tom home early yesterday and home all day today. We've gotten the carpets cleaned and have set up Selah's closet for Kalyn be able to move into that room. It's been a good day. I am starting to feel better which I think is due to time away from the flu shot, the storm passing, the full moon, and getting some needed rest. I am so thankful to be feeling better. We didn't lose power which is also no small miracle. Everybody is well rested and...

29 weeks

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:09:59 EST

This is the 4th or 5th day now that I haven't felt good. I really hope I am not going to be nauseous and feel week for the rest of this pregnancy. Leena is kicking really good today which I am very thankful for cause I felt like I hadn't noticed her much in the last few days. Today we are waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit and have been preparing all morning for the possibility of our power going out. Apparently it is the worst case scenario and I'm praying for our safety and for no destr...

Feeling Gross

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:53:03 EST

Today is no better. I still feel gross. I feel like I can't take a deep breath without my chest hurting. Leena seems to be moving regularly although I was too busy yesterday to count. I need to make sure to take the time today. I don't want to miss out on something if there is actually something wrong. I slept pretty well last night but with the sleepover it wasn't great. The kids did pretty well but I am just excited for naptime at this point. I still haven't heard about my glucose t...

Contractions?

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:12:04 EST

So last night I had to go to the hospital just to get my rhogam shot and afterwards I did a tiny bit of shopping. I was at old navy and twice I had actual contractions. I had to stop and breathe through them. No more since then and they were probably 10 minutes apart and they were not braxton hicks. Had me worried - anyway, since then I have felt nauseous off and on and a little achy. I got a flu shot on Wednesday - could it be that? Leena has moved the same as usual so I'm not worried about ...

Night Out

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:07:59 EST

Thanks to having to go back to Lancaster for my rhogam shot I get a bit of a night out tonight. Quick shot and then a trip to Old Navy and Kohls and dinner at the mall. Should be a sweet relaxing night. I got all my church work done this morning thanks to a friend of mine helping with the kids. I've had a relaxing naptime and Leena has been moving great. I'm pretty excited and scared about tomorrow too because we are having a sleepover with my best friends and their kids... it's gonna be...

28 Week Appointment

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:57:47 EST

My appt went well today. I didn't gain anything since last appt and my blood pressure was 127/82. Urine was negative and Leena's heartrate was in the 150s. The only thing of interest was that my fundal height measured at 30cm and Jana Meyer (the midwife) mentioned that she thought Leena was head up instead of head down but when she got the heartrate it was pretty low on my belly so I'm not sure about that. Had to sign a waiver for the hospital and was given the fetal movement count workshe...

It's Gonna be a Good Day

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:48:57 EST

I love when you wake up refreshed and ready to face the day. I've already given the girls baths, started some laundry, taken a shower myself, had my quiet time and browsed online. I have lots of cleaning I would like to get done today (vacuum basement and steam mop, clean bathrooms, laundry) and I have some church work to do that will probably take 1-2 hours, and I would like to get started on some projects for Selah's birthday party. Surprisingly though, that list is not overwhelming me. ...

28 Weeks

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:04:58 EST

So I'm not really sure what has changed but my weight has finally slowed and I'm not packing on 2 lbs a week. Maybe I should have hope to not completely overdo this pregnancy. Looking back to my pregnancy with kalyn I had gained 22.8 lbs by this week and right now I have gained 21 lbs. so about the same. I don't know what I had gained with Selah but I do know that I only gained 28 lbs total. I guess we'll see if I can start making better choices in the coming weeks or if I get gestational...

Busy Week

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:16:06 EST

It's only Sunday but this week promises to be a very busy week. Lots of running around and busy nights. In some ways, I welcome it because this last week was so slow, on the other hand I think we are all going to be pretty worn out by the end of it. I slept better last night and I'm enjoying the kids more than I have the past couple of days. Lots of ladies at church asked me how I was feeling today so I know my belly is becoming more noticeable. It was a good morning. I'm a little tired...

Tired again

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 09:08:23 EST

Yesterday I got really exhausted around 7pm and ended up going to bed around 10pm. I slept pretty well last night but still this morning I jhust woke up tired. I felt pretty uncomfortable before bed last night too. I really want to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy and not be miserable. I really hope things get better. Today is Saturday but Tom is out helping a lady in our church put a new roof on with some other guys. So it feels like another weekday. This has just felt like a long wee...

Testy

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:58:03 EST

Yesterday and today I just feel like my temper is a little short. I'm not angry, more just easily annoyed. I really want to not feel like that. Leena has been kicking harder and harder so I should have no problem doing the kick counts starting next week. I got to go to breakfast with Nicole, Danna, and Chad this morning while the older kids were in preschool. It was a nice change of pace and just reminded me that pregnant or not parents go through these same cycles. We have a chill nigh...

Bumps in the Night

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:37:20 EST

Leena woke me up last night with her kicking. I think it's funny that she is kicking hard enough now to do that. Today we have absolutely nowhere we need to go, I have a little bit of church work, I'm going to go through the drawers of my desk and clear them out (junk), and I have some pictures to edit. All of that is pretty relaxing though. We got the blinds cleaned yesterday which was a big relief. I thought it was going to be a real pain but the steam mop worked wonders! Thankfully T...

Yawn

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:39:40 EST

In the last 3 days, I feel like I go through spurts of crazy yawning spells. I don't know if it's because Leena is leaning on something that makes it so that I'm not getting enough oxygen or if I'm just that tired... It's a wierd thing that I don't remember with my other pregnancies. Today I'm officially in the 80s for the day countdown (89) - I feel like time is really gonna fly now. October is already half over - crazy! Leena has been kicking a lot in the last half hour or so, Selah mis...

Sweet Sleep

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:40:37 EST

Last night I slept so much better and only woke up once to pee and once to roll over - not even because anything hurt. Today I've almost finished everything on my list for today plus some extra and it's only 9:30am. I'm going to see if I can meet up with a friend and let the kids play and possibly use her sewing machine to work on the kids Christmas presents... a pillow sleeping bag thingy. Hopefully she's not busy cause I think the kids could use some time out of the house. I know I coul...

27 Weeks - 3rd Trimester

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:03:38 EST

The last 2 nights have not been good sleep. If I lay on one side too long my hip starts aching, if I lay on the other side too long my arm falls asleep. I'm hoping that it will not be like this the next 2 months. I did too much on Saturday and then was sore yesterday so I'm hoping that having a normal day today will fix it. Tonight we have stay-at-home family night which is always a blessing. Not sure if we are going to do anything special or just spend time playing. Either way it shoul...

Overdid

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:27:07 EST

Yesterday I got so much done which is great but I am paying for it today. I overdid it and now I'm sore and really tired. I'm so glad that the rest of our day is relaxing. Both girls now have colds which I hope they get over soon. I am officially 3rd trimester today which is a nice accomplishment:) My week this week looks pretty calm and all I need to check off my list still is to clean the blinds and go through my desk drawers. Now it may be time for a nap. I'm beat!

Oh exc...