Monday, September 26, 2011

Is this it???

I thought Saturday was the day that Aubrey was coming!! That morning, Paul got up and went to his mom's house to help with some things around the house, so I was in charge of Addison for the morning. She was really good--we played a lot and then I started to really feel bad. My stomach was kinda crampy and I was having more pain and pressure. I tried to take a bath to relax, but that didn't help. I couldn't wait for Paul to get home, as I was worried I wasn't going to be able to take care of Addison by myself. He brought home lunch, which is when my pain got HORRIBLE!

My lower left back was on fire and Aubrey seemed to be fighting her way out. I had MAJOR pain and pressure. So bad, that I started to cry. Addison was worried about me, as well as Paul. I kept having to use the restroom every 10 minutes or so. When I was on my way back to the couch, the pain of walking was just too much. I knelt down next to the couch, where Paul rubbed my back, while I cried. Addison kept giving me hugs and even told me "No more crying today Mommy. Okay?" I told her okay, as I think it might have scared her. Luckily, she went into the front room and fell asleep while watching a movie. The pain got even worse!! I was sobbing! Paul had me call the doctor that was on call. Of course, I had to leave a message and wait at least an hour for them to call me back. Paul was ready to watch the A&M-OSU game on tv, so he jokingly (but halfway serious) kept saying "You can't go into labor until after the game." At this point, I was NOT in the mood for his humor or sarcasm. I think this made me cry more!
Finally, the pain started to cease.
My mom and sister were in Ft. Worth at a wedding. During this all, I texted them, just giving them the heads up that I may be headed to the hospital. They kept calling or texting to check on me.
After an hour and a half, the doctor on call, Dr. Norton, called back. She asked if I was bleeding. I told her no and that the pain had subsided some. She told me that if it came back, I needed to go to L&D, otherwise, I was okay. I told Paul that I was glad that she wasn't my doctor, as she seemed very rushed and not too concerned about me.
Luckily, within the next hour, the pain had stopped and all of a sudden I felt great! I felt really good for the rest of the evening. Paul and I took Addison for a nice walk in the wagon. I was hoping the walking would help in some progression, too! No such luck! Yesterday, I felt good too. I even went to the grocery story by myself to try to get moving. (Paul has been going since I was on bedrest.) In the evening, my mom came by to play with Addison. We went on another walk. I guess the walking isn't helping much.
My back is slightly bruised and very sore where I had the pain the other day. I wondered if Aubrey was turning over, or doing something crazy in there! I guess we'll see at my next appointment (on Wednesday), as to whether or not I have progressed more!
I can't believe we're finally here, at the end of my pregnancy! I have one week and a day until I get to meet Ms. Aubrey, if she doesn't come sooner! This Wednesday is my last doctor's appointment, ultrasound, and non-stress test, as next week I'll be in the hospital having her!! This pregnancy has truly flown by, even though I know I have been counting down the days!

Friday, September 23, 2011

No Such Luck!

Paul took off of work on Friday to take me back to Dr. Baker's office. I couldn't get to sleep the night before, at the thought of possibly being taken in to have a C-section the next day. Guess I was a little anxious. Well, I was put on the monitors and not much action was happening. We went back to see Dr. Baker who said that there were basically no changes. I was a little bummed...I'm so ready to meet this little girl. I tried to make the best of it though, and realized now I have more time on my hands to get this house in the order that I want it in. After our appointment, Paul and I ate at PF Changs, then went to Babies R Us, Lowe's and Sam's. I was pooped afterwards! I had done a lot of walking. (I was pooped, though I thought it might help in my progression!)
That weekend, Dad came over and we made some really yummy fried shrimp!
This past weekend and week, I've felt REALLY good! I got TONS of cleaning done and am now officially ready to have this baby!
Several of my girlfriends came by to have our Girls' Dinner...they brought gifts! Aubrey now has her own clothes---not hand-me-downs from Addison. Teresa also supplied us with diapers, wipes, and detergent. Laurie got us some really cute outfits! I was pumped!
The next morning was my doctor's appointment. Again, no changes. Aubrey weighs about 6 lbs, 10 oz, so I think she's going to be smaller than Addison! I'm sure it helps that I'm diabetic this time and have to watch what I eat! I'm dying for a piece of chocolate cake right now, by the way!!
Well, Thursday and Friday haven't gone as well as the rest of the week. I'm not feeling so hot. Not really sure how to pinpoint what exactly is wrong, just feeling yucky. Plus, I'm super emotional lately, so that isn't helping! I'm hoping to be in better spirits for the weekend! My mom and sister are going to Ft. Worth for a wedding and are sure I'm going to go into labor. I doubt it, but told them to go, with the hopes that maybe something will happen!! (Remember, my mom was in New Braunfels when my water broke with Addison!) I'm finishing out 37 weeks this week. Still hoping to have a September baby!!! I've got a week left to meet this goal. Otherwise, we'll be meeting the Little Miss on October 4th! 10-4, over and out!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

YIKES!

Well, I went to the Dr today and it looks like he's starting to get concerned. I am dilated to 2.5 and my placenta is still really low. He put me on the monitors. I was not having contractions, but lots of irritability. He is worried that I may start to bleed because of the low placenta. So, he wants to see me and put me on the monitors again on Friday. (Today is Wednesday.) He told me not to eat anything after midnight on Thursday, just in case. So, I may have a baby as early as Friday!!! Wow! I guess me getting off of bedrest really did do something! I'm not holding my breath though....I know if I count on it, it won't happen. Just going to continue trying to clean/organize some of our stuff! Yep, I guess I'm nesting!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Addison

I've been updating on my pregnancy more than I have on Addison lately, so here are a few of her updates.

Most days, she seems excited about Aubrey coming into this world. Yesterday, I put the mobile back on crib. When she saw it, she started jumping up and down, screaming "Yeah Aubrey!!"
Some days, though, she doesn't want to even talk about her baby sister. I think it's all getting really real to her.

Addison is hitting her "terrible two's" for sure.....she's sweet and innocent one minute, then having to get a spanking or sit in the corner (or both) the next minute. I'm finally off of bedrest and am trying to spend some time with her. Unfortunately, she is spending more time with the corner!! The other day at the babysitter's, she laid on top of another kid, shoving her head into the ground and went to time out. What do you know, but when she got out of timeout, she did the exact same thing!! Back to timeout!!

Luckily, this week, she has been really good!! Wanting me to spend all of my time with her again, which I am appreciating, as I had so much time without her.

She is definitely a TV/Movie addict. Her most favorite movies now are Ice Age 1 and 2, and Toy Story 1,2, and 3. That girl would sit in front of the TV all day if I would let her! Some days, she wants me to sit with her, other days, she's totally content, watching it all on her own!

Addison is definitely into her "babies". She sleeps with about 5 different dolls/toys each night.

She is still doing great in her Big Girl room, though she has got me fooled....A couple of weeks ago, she was crying a lot, and I assumed her teeth were coming in and hurting her. I found some chewable children's ibuprofen, which is so much easier than using a syringe! Well, every night before bed, she asks for "medicine". After a couple of days, I finally caught on, that she just liked the medicine, not really needing it. Now I tell her that we are out of it, and will need to go to the store. Would you believe that she actually got out of bed and searched my bedroom and bathroom until she found them!?!?! Now they are hidden way up high!! I can barely reach them!

Last night, Paul put up some more decorations in her room while I was downstairs. Before she went to bed last night, she had to show me all of the new changes. She was really cute, telling me to look here and look there!

Addison is really talking a lot, and in lots of sentences. She is loving to play with bubbles and wants to play with them both inside and outside. Luckily, it's starting to get cooler outside so that we can enjoy being outside.

Hmmmmm....I'm sure there are tons of other things to report, but I can't really think of much right now. She is just a social butterfly and into everything!

Big Girl!

Well, Paul's mom took me to the doctor last week. Actually, I had two appointments--one with the specialist and one with my regular doctor. At the specialist, we saw Dr. Hare, who I had never seen before. My appointment was at 10:40am. She told me that Aubrey weighs about 6 lbs, 5oz already!!! I couldn't believe it! She said that she has a big head, too. GREAT!!! Everything else looked really good though. I was having some lower pain and pressure that morning, but she said it was just the fact that Aubrey is pushing right on my cervix.
After the appointment, I was to go see Dr. Baker at 1:30. If the specialist didn't do an ultrasound, I was to go back at 12:30 to do that first. Janet and I went to Olive Garden for lunch to buy some time, but my pain and pressure got worse and worse. We ended up going to Dr. Baker's around noon. They did the ultrasound. This ultrasound girl said that Aubrey was about 5 lbs, 14oz. Not that much of a difference, but it seemed like a lot to me! They also hooked me up to the monitors, to see that I was not having contractions (which I already knew.) Afterwards, I saw Dr. Baker and was sure that I was dilating some more or something! Nope!!! Everything was the same. Still dilated to only 1 or 1 1/2. No change.
I was/am having lots of burning, which I thought was a bladder infection. They checked for that--nothing. Dr. Baker thought it was a yeast infection, so he gave me some medicine. OH MY GOSH!!! That medicine burned me SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad!!! It ends up that I believe my vulvodynia is back. I was diagnosed with that over a year ago. Basically, my skin is SUPER sensitive and I need nerve medicine. Unfortunately, I can't take the oral meds until after Aubrey is born. I am able to use the cream, hoping it will help.
I go back to Dr. Baker today. I'm 36 weeks now. Oh, last week, Dr. Baker set my date for my c-section. It will be October 4th at 12:30. We're all hoping she'll be coming before then though!
Yesterday, I worked on both of the girls' rooms quite a bit of the day, hoping to be on my feet more. I never realized how cluttered my house is!! I'm off to go start cleaning again!! Wish me luck at my appointment today!

My Dancing Queen

Here are a few pictures from Brittany's wedding reception. Addison was quite the Belle of the Ball. She's so light on her feet!! Yes, I included a picture of me in my lawnchair at the wedding so everyone could see I was still on bedrest!









Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Our Latest Updates

Not too much has gone on here at the Salsgiver household. I'm still on bedrest. I went to the doctor yesterday, as I am going weekly now. I am 34 weeks, and really starting the countdown!!

Last week at my doctor's appointment, I informed him that I had some really hard contractions the night before and that morning I was having a lot of pain and pressure. Well, I always have contractions, but these hard ones were actually doing something. I found out I was dilated to 1.5. My cervix length was 2.1 and the baby weighed 4 lbs 8oz. This was smaller than I expected, as she was something similar to that weight 2 weeks before. I also addressed that I wasn't gaining any weight. Dr. Baker was not concerned, as the baby was gaining weight, so that was all he cared about. Soooo....because of the dilation, my questions about getting off bedrest early were all null and void. He sent me over to the triage for another dose of terbutaline to stop the irritability/contractions that caused the dilation. I went home that night.

This week, I didn't have an ultrasound, just a doctor's visit. I haven't had the hard contractions which is good. Since last Thursday though, I have had lots of burning. I was pretty convinced that it was a bladder infection. Dr. Baker didn't think so, but went ahead and gave me medicine for a UTI and for a yeast infection....really hoping it kicks in soon! Dr. Baker did say that my cervix hasn't changed any since last week, so that was good news. He did do another FFN test to make sure the baby wasn't coming anytime soon. I'm awaiting those results.

In other news, we went to Brittany Simmons' wedding reception this weekend. I know, you are thinking, "What? She got off bedrest?" Actually, no. We took a lawnchair and I had it all set up there at the reception so I could still recline. Very silly, I know...I felt stupid at first, then realized I knew most of the people at the reception who were all very entertained with the idea! Addison was the dancing fool!! This was her first real wedding, as last year she went to Leslie's, but she had just learned to walk. Addison danced with Daddy, Grandma, Aunt Kristen, Aunt Donna, but especially her friend, Jace. They were the hottest couple on the dance floor!! Pictures are to follow! Needless to say, she had a great time. I think she was asleep before we left the parking lot!

Oh!! One other big piece of news!!! Our little one finally has a name!! Her name will be Aubrey Elaine. The Elaine part comes from my sister, Kristen Elaine. She was very honored that Aubrey will be named after her! We went through many names, but Paul wasn't sure about any of them. He totally shocked me on Monday when he texted and said that he liked the name and that we should pick it. Woohoo!! So, we'll have Addison and Aubrey. I got my two "A" names like I wanted.

I've decided that this will definitely be our last pregnancy! I know, I am at the end of my pregnancy, and everyone thinks this way....well....I'm for real! I'm done with bedrest, gestational diabetes, and all of the other "fun" stuff that comes with pregnancy. It still breaks my heart that I am not able to play with/help Addison as much as I want to. Can't wait to lift her again!!



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Pregnancy Issues

Well, I started to feel faint again, just like I did when I was pregnant with Addison. I even had to leave a workshop for work at the start of it, as I didn't think I was going to be able to hold my head up. Luckily, I had a doctor's appointment the next day. Ends up that my cervix is funneling. At first, I wasn't really sure what this all meant, but have come to the conclusion that my bag of water is pressing on my cervix, making it funnel. Well, I was also starting to have contractions, so Dr. Baker sent me over to the hospital to the triage. I was hooked up to an IV of fluids (to stop the contractions) and had to wait FOREVER before I was sent home. Before I left though, I was given the first of two steroid shots to develop the baby's lungs. My doctor put me on bedrest because of my cervix...yuck. I was 28 weeks. With Addison, I went on bedrest at 31 weeks, but that was for contractions. Dr. Baker told me previously that if I was having contractions, but they were not effecting my cervix, he would not put me on bedrest. Figures, I have something different!!
The next day, I went back to Dr. Baker's office to get my second shot. They hooked me up to the monitors to find I was having lots of contractions....back to the hospital I went!! Luckily, my mom went with me this time! I got the shots of terbutaline like last time, but learned that the FDA does not allow women to be on the terbutaline pills or pump at home anymore, like last time. Of course, this freaked me out, as I knew I was going to continue to have contractions. Luckily, they were not affecting my cervix, as it was still closed.
We were scheduled to leave for New Braunfels again on Friday, though we had to cancel our trip because I wasn't able to go!! Talk about another disappointment!
Sooo....back to bedrest. Addison didn't do too well with me on bedrest the first couple of days. At first, I think she was scared of me laying on the couch all day, and wasn't understanding why I couldn't get off the couch to play with her, or put on a movie, or whatever. She began hurting me! (Both mentally and physically!) She would come up to kiss me, but would bite me instead. Or, she was head-butting me in the face. On top of the physical pain, it really hurt me to not be able to pick her up or do things with her. Luckily, she has improved now...we are movie buddies! We have watched Toy Story 3 about a trillion times! Paul has been great so far through this experience...doing the household chores and cooking dinner, along with taking care of Addison. We are very blessed that his work let him change his schedule to 7am-4pm, so that he can be home to help take care of me.
I've been on bedrest since July 20th...it's August 16th today. I'm 32 weeks along. I'm sure I have at least 4 more weeks of bedrest. I'm trying to stay as positive as I can during the days, though I am very bored. I had to let work know that I wouldn't be back until the week after Thanksgiving. Talk about a weird feeling today when all of my teacher friends went back to work!
Oh! On top of everything else, I've been diagnosed with Gestational diabetes. Luckily my numbers aren't too high, and my sugars can be controlled with a diet. I don't have to be on insulin. I hate the diet though!! I've never been one who has had to eat certain foods at certain times...I eat all of the time! Now, I have to count how many starches, fat, fruits, meats, etc that I eat in a meal to make sure that it's appropriate. I also take my blood sugar counts 4 times daily. I think this has been the roughest part for me about bedrest!!
We still haven't picked a name for this little girl! I had to see a specialist, Dr. Kirshon, the other day. He said she is very healthy and is predicted to be another 8 pounder!! He said everything looked good though, and feels that I'll make it another two months.
Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers!! Keep them coming!

Our Annual New Braunfels Trip






We left for New Braunfels on July 8th, Kristen's birthday, and were there to Wednesday. As always, this is my favorite trip to make each summer!! This year, with the drought, the Guadalupe was very slow, so the Comal was really crowded on the weekend. This didn't bother me though, as Dr. Baker said I could not get in the water because of all of the bacteria. Addison really enjoyed going to the little baby pool though, so that was good. We were able to take her to Schlitterbahn and have her play in the kiddie area. She loved it!! I was able to get in that water since it was chlorine. It was so nice to be able to get in with it being so hot outside! The parking lot was really crowded though, so we walked from the cabin. That was a LONG walk for me!! Never again, when you're pregnant!! Paul brought the car to come pick me up when it was time to leave. Thank goodness! Some days, I started to not feel good, as I was worried I was starting to have contractions, just like with Addison. My family was very helpful so that I didn't have to chase Addison around all day long. Thank goodness for that!!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Vacationing




So far, we haven't done too much this summer---July will get busy though!

For Spring Break, mom, Kristen, and I went to Las Vegas. We had a really good time, though I had just found out that I was pregnant. So, I couldn't really go into the smoky casinos and the walking took quite a toll on me. All in all though, we had a great time. We saw several shows---The Terry Fator show and Beatles Love (Cirque de Soleil). And we toured the Grand Canyon. I have to say, I really missed Addison and Paul, but enjoyed the time away too!

Now that summer is here, we rented a friends' beach house in Galveston and had a great time over Father's day weekend. It was a nice relaxing time. At the beach, Paul dug a hole in the sand for me to put my belly...I haven't been able to lay on my stomach for so long. It felt great! Addison was able to drive "Uncle Gene's" boat and really had a blast with that! She is growing up so fast!!

Our next trip will be next weekend on our annual New Braunfels trip that we always look forward to. The only downer for me is that I'm not able to get into the water. With me being diagnosed with a low placenta, my doctor doesn't want to take the risk of me getting an infection from the water. Sooooo...daddy will have to be the one to take Addison into the water. I'm hoping I can still get in the baby area at Schlitterbahn with her though!!! It's chlorine water!

We will be taking a second trip to New Braunfels on the Guadalupe river to weeks later. Hopefully I'll be able to get into the water at that time!! Wish me luck!

LOTS have been going on!!


Wow, I haven't written in such a long time. I have LOTS to update on!!

First, we are pregnant!! Actually, I am 25 weeks along today....yes, I know...I should have blogged before!! We have been so busy! SORRY!! Anyways, we are pregnant with another little girl. We have not picked out a name yet, so she's just Baby Salsgiver. We are tossing around a few names, but haven't settled on anything yet. I am doing well with this pregnancy. Just tired a lot, but I think that comes with having a 2 year old, pregnant or not! As of now, I have a low placenta, so that is really our only concern. I just have to take it easy, as to make sure not to rupture anything! I am due anywhere between October 9-12, as of right now. We don't have a due date, as we got pregnant unexpectedly---I just had a D&C!!!

Second, on June 5th, Addison turned TWO!! She's such a big girl now!! I am in amazement daily, as she is constantly doing or saying something new! We had a birthday party for her with some family and friends. Our menu was the same as last year--brisket, beans, potato salad, tomatoes, and chips. Gramps supplied the brisket and beans, which were heaven! We ordered an Elmo cake from Sam's, which Addison loved. We played in the pool for awhile, and then opened gifts. It was a really fun day!

As I have said, Addison continues to amaze us daily. She is doing a lot of talking, or at least trying to say lots of things. We moved her to a "big girl room", as we will need her room and crib for the baby. I got many different ideas on how to do this, and decided to go with the way my babysitter told us to do it. We put a child lock on the inside of the door and put her to bed. We were told not to go in to her room for any reason. The first night was rough, as she found out how to turn on the lamp next to her bed. After an hour of crying and Paul going in her room to take out the light, Addison went to sleep. The next night took about 20 minutes of crying, then next was about 5 minutes, and then it continued to dwindle down. Now, she kisses us goodnight and lays down in bed. She's doing great! Her new bedroom is decorated in multi-colored dots. It's really cute!

I am home for the summer, but am still sending Addison to Rosie's twice a week---mainly because I have workshops or something to do, but sometimes, it's to just have a day to myself. At the end of this school year, my principal shocked me with some news. (We were all worried about having a job, period, so any other news was shocking!) I learned that I am being moved to be a 2nd grade teacher next year, teaching all subjects. I am still freaking out about this!! I've only ever taught older children, and only math and science! I have NO CLUE about language arts!! I'm SUPER nervous about this and can only hope I'll do an okay job. Being due in October makes me nervous about the job situation too. Unfortunately, I've done a lot of questioning of myself and my abilities. Needless to say, I have not really been able to relax much this summer. I'm trying though!

I'll cut this blog short and try to write another one, as I still have lots to write on!!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

2011--A New Start!


So, this year, my New Year's Resolution is to try not to stress so much about everything. I think I'm trying to just "Roll With It", as the song says....I'm doing pretty well, with the exception of a few instances.

Here are my updates on Addison.


She weighs 24 lbs, as of last weekend.


We haven't checked her height in awhile, so I'm not sure of that. I think she is just growing taller and skinnier though, as she's still in 18 month clothes, and most of those are still baggy.


She is eating so many new things. On Friday, she loved pork ribs and saurkraut that my dad brought over! I was sure she wasn't going to eat it, so we had the chicken nuggets ready. She ate it though, and really liked it!! What a little Pollock I have on my hands!


Addison loves books!!


Addison LOVES Elmo, who she affectionately calls Memo. We are going to see Elmo and his Healthy Heroes next weekend. Hopefully, she'll have a great time.


She's definitely starting to get a little attitude, as she has recently started to shake her finger at us and say "No, no, no." Of course, I don't let her get away with it though. She has gotten more spankings this month, too!! :) Along with the attitude, this weekend, she has really started "Mine!", which again, is not allowed in our household! Some days, I call her "Addie-tude".


Unfortunately, she started out the year with Bronchitis. Luckily, we're over that, two antibiotics later! She's such a trooper though, she seldom complains, and keeps on playing!


She's saying sooooo many words now, and definitely has a language of her own now. I'll try to list some of the words that she says, though I know I'll miss lots---Night-night, uh-oh, please, thank you, mom, momma, daddy, dad, dadda, book, bubbles, play, elmo (memo), bird, grandma (which is kinda says Ama), Pops, Mimi, Gramps (but she says Amps), PawPaw, baby....oh gosh, there are lots more. I just can't think of them. She also does tons of babbling that I have no clue what she's saying! She is really repeating lots that you say too. so, that has been really fun.


Addison has always tried to jump, but recently, she has actually gotten her feet off the ground. She runs everywhere now, so I'm not sure when her feet are on the ground!


She's still loving Barney, too.


We're going to try to think about potty training a little closer to the summer.


Her hair is getting much longer, but she doesn't want to wear any bows or anything in it.


She is most definitely our pride and joy. I really don't know what we did without her!



December Drama!!
















Okay, for those of you who didn't read my previous post, I'm explaining that in November, I found out that I was pregnant, but it was just a sac, with no baby, called a blighted ovum....
Anyways, we did another ultrasound and saw the same thing, nothing had changed. I had made friends with the ultrasound tech, Carla, when I was pregnant with Addison. She was there for me the previous week. As I cried, she cried too. She still said that there was nothing, even though she wasn't supposed to. I had trusted in her enough that I was able to take the news from her. The problem was that my hormone levels were skyrocketing. My doctor explained to me that he did not want to take the chance of aborting something that was actually there. He wanted to continue to test and wait until my hormone levels dropped.

Well, this was a very LONG 3 weeks of waiting, continuously going back to the doctors' office. I did tons of reading, and had several friends telling me to keep the faith. That this had happened to some of their friends, and everything ended up fine. I tried to be positive, but was really ready to just get out this nightmare.

Finally, the Friday before Christmas, my levels did drop. FINALLY. Paul and I were ready to get the D&C done and over with, so that I could MAYBE look forward to Christmas. Don't get me wrong, there were lots of tears and emotion. Towards the end though, that's what we wanted--an end. So, a D&C was schedule for the Wednesday before Christmas. (Christmas was on Saturday.)

My mom took me to the hospital, as I told Paul not to miss work because of this. So, she took me. When we got there, my dad was there too! What a surprise! Anyway, I got through the D&C just fine. I was just worn out afterwards. I finally got the closure that I needed though. I was ready to move on.

We had Christmas eve at my sister's house that morning, then Christmas eve night, we went to church and had Paul's family over to our house. I didn't realize how exhausted I was, so this really took a lot out of me. We had my big family over our house for Christmas day, too!!! Talk about exhausting!! It was great, as I was able to feel comfortable in my own home, but also, I have learned that I won't do much after any kind of surgery again!


All of our Christmases were great though. Addison really enjoyed opening presents this year, so it was really fun. I was able to enjoy Christmas. And, was thankful that all of the drama was behind us!!!
We spent New Years Eve at Gary and Melissa Majewski's, as we always do. Addison was a trooper and stayed up to watch the fireworks. She was Aunt Kristen's date that night, as she really didn't want much to do with me!!
Here's hoping for a brand new start to the new year.

November News




To start off, I know it's been forever since I've blogged...we have some craziness going on in our lives, and I finally have a minute to sit down and type it all out. So, here it goes---November.

In November, Addison came down with a pretty high fever that would not go away. She had it for about 2 weeks, and I continuously was taking her to the doctor. She supposedly had a sinus infection that wasn't getting better. Well, I took off of work one day to get everything situated, as she and I had a rough night of sleeping. After all kinds of tests were run, it was found that she has had a bladder infection all this time. We finally got to see our actual doctor, Dr. Lacour, after about 3 different trips to the doctor. He gave her an antibiotic and told me that he'd like to run some tests....She had to have an ultrasound of her kidneys, bladder, etc, along with a VCUG, where she has water flushed up in her, and they watch on an x-ray type machine to see where the water goes. WELL....I took her into the hospital and my mom, my dad, and Paul's mom all wanted to be there. To be honest, with all of them there, it made me a little nervous. I tried to settle myself down, telling myself that this was a routine procedure. I wanted to take her in the room, by myself, and have them wait in the waiting room, for my sanity.


Well, we did the ultrasound and everything looked great. She was anatomically correct--2 kidneys, one bladder, everything where it was supposed to be. I kept telling Addison to look for Elmo in the screen. This way, she wasn't too scared and crying. She did great.


Then, it was time for the VCUG. We got her almost all ready to go, when the nurse asked me if there was any possible way that I could be pregnant, as I couldn't be in the room with the x-ray. Lo and behold, I had been late and had JUST taken a pregnancy test that was positive. Paul and I didn't want to say anything to our families yet though, since we had not been to the doctor or anything. Well, that ruined that---I had to go out into the waiting room and spoil our surprise. I had to tell my mom, dad, and mother-in-law that there was a possibility that I was pregnant and that I couldn't be in the room. So, my mom came back and was in the room with Addison.


Poor baby, she screamed the entire time, as she had to be held down. They used the smallest catheter possible, so it took a long time for the water to get up to her bladder. Finally, after about 25 minutes, we started to see something. Some of Addison's urine is backing up into her kidneys, rather than being all flushed out.


So, the next day, I went to her regular doctor, to get the results. He didn't seem too concerned, but was glad that we did the procedure. (My mom kept trying to talk me out of doing it.) He said that there is a flap that is on your ureter that closes so that the urine will not back up into the kidney. Unfortunately, hers hasn't grown all the way yet. So, he put her on a mild antibiotic for 9 months to prevent any bacteria from going into the kidney and causing another infection. Hopefully, in the 9 months, it will grow. So, we go back in June to do all of this testing again. Hopefully, we'll have better results this time!

Back to me---I did go into the doctor, where they did blood work to confirm the positive pregnancy. I had to keep going in every couple of days to make sure that my levels were all rising, like they should have. My doctor, Dr. Baker, was excited, but cautious, as I was never able to get pregnant on my own before. So, we went ahead and told our families on Thanksgiving, that there would be another grand baby. Unfortunately, when I went in for my first ultrasound, it showed that I had an empty sac (a blighted ovum). For whatever reason, I had set my expectations low, and worried that this might be what was going to happen.
My levels were still rising though, so my doctor remained optimistic. He said not to wave the black flag yet, and to come back in 4 days. We'd repeat the ultrasound and go from there. This takes us into December....(I'll start a new blog!)

Lots to Catch Up On!!

Wow, we have so much to catch up on! I'll be doing several blogs so that all of our info will be split up. Sorry it's been so long!