Life Update

Just a quick update on our lives right now.

Ty is applying for a one year fellowship in minimally invasive surgery. It can be a stressful process to apply, get interviews, decide where to interview, arrange travel and be gone for interviews while working 80 (or more!) hour weeks. I am so proud of how many interviews he has gotten. As it is time intensive and expensive to travel to all of the interviews, he has turned down half of the interviews he has received, and will be or has gone on 12. It is a match process and I'm praying for guidance as we select how to rank the programs. We will find out the middle of June (right around my due date) if and where he matched. If he doesn't match, then we will begin the job search process. Obviously, Ty wants to do a fellowship, but I don't think there will be a huge amount of disappointment about going straight into a job. Either way, he still has year five of his residency training to complete. This means if we are doing a fellowship, we will have a whole year to prepare for a move. We are both excited about the possibility of a year long adventure outside of the state of Oklahoma, where we have both lived our entire lives.

I am 29 weeks pregnant. I haven't done monthly updates like I did with Jack. This pregnancy has been so similar to my experience with Jack and in many ways has been easier. I never got sick, just nauseous, with Jack and this has been the same, but better. Maybe because I was more willing to take medications to help with nausea this time around. I have had a good appetite the entire pregnancy which is leading to more weight gain this time. There was some concern with Paxton's growth not being where it should be, but that has all worked itself out and has been attributed to something going wrong with my placenta. But as my doctor loves to tell me the placenta renews like 3 billion cells a day or something crazy like that and has recovered. I'm getting extra ultrasounds just to make sure everything is right on track. I certainly don't mind that! With Jack the 3rd trimester was the hardest part of pregnancy and I'm starting to remember why. It is just plain uncomfortable. I carried Jack really high, but with Paxton everything is really low. Some of my favorite under the belly maternity pants can't be worn this pregnancy, because of how low everything sits. The low bands seem to cut into me. The most uncomfortable thing so far has been a rotated pelvis. It causes a lot of pain in my right groin area and I have to be careful about doing too much physically and then doing something simple like standing on one leg to take off a pair of pants. It's too much pressure and pain.

Picture taken at 28 weeks

I wanted to document how Jack sits on top of my belly, but the black didn't show it the best. 

Jack talks about Paxton being in my belly and we talk a lot about Paxton's room. He definitely notices my growing belly. It's hard to miss these days! Jack is full of energy and is talking so much. He does a good job of using sentences and has been saying the funniest things. He is pretty into telling you that you are his best friend. We have been enjoying the nice weather and are trying to burn some of his energy with walks/runs.

I'm trying to soak up the time alone with Jack. Things are so easy with him and I'm relishing in these last months of no diaper bag and being able to leave the house on a whim and without much planning in regard to schedules, necessities, etc.

Dinner Date

Sesame Street Live

Zoo visit

BOY!

Thanks to a great OB resident we were able to go up to the hospital 

the week of Christmas and find out the gender. 

BOY! 

I am so excited to be having two boys.

 I see lots of trucks, dirt, superheroes, and rough housing in my future! 

I went out on Monday and got a bouquet of balloons to take to Ty's parents house as a way of sharing our news. Jack was pretty excited about the balloons! And I'm sure equally excited about a baby brother. ;)

birth story

The first part of the story can be found here.
The official decision to induce on Monday, July 2nd was made on Sunday after monitoring my blood pressure the entire weekend and getting my protein levels back. Sunday afternoon I was moved to a labor and delivery room. My nurse when I arrived on Sunday was also going to be my nurse the next day for the delivery. She was so nice and I was happy to already know who would be with me the next day.

I was hooked up to monitors and had a new IV put in. My original one from Friday had to be replaced after I messed it up from showering and blow drying my hair. It went into the top of my hand this time and I honestly think it was one of the most uncomfortable things of my entire experience. I hate needles! I spent the afternoon hanging out and even gave myself a shellac mani. I wanted to have pretty nails for baby Jack. :)

At 10 p.m. a low level of pitocin was started. It was not enough to start labor, but it helped get things ready. I was also given an ambien to help me sleep that night.  My bed was switched out for a L&D bed, which is incredibly uncomfortable. After a long weekend of being woken up for vitals every few hours and the awful L&D bed, I was really looking forward to the ambien working. Of course, it didn't effect me the way I wished it would. I woke up a lot that night due to having to go to the bathroom thanks to all the IV fluids and I kept setting off alarms. My IV bag needed to be replaced, my BP rose so high that it set off an alarm, etc. They let me keep my original hospital room that I had stayed in all weekend, and Ty spent the night in there. My L&D room only had a chair in it and this way he was able to sleep in a bed. I was glad they let us keep that room.

The big doses of pitocin were scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. I got up to use the bathroom at 5:50 a.m. and when I stood up my water broke. I was so happy that it happened on its own and I was hoping that it would move things along much faster. My family tends to have quick deliveries and I was afraid that being induced would mean I was in labor all day. Luckily, that was not the case. I progressed pretty quickly and was able to get an epidural early that morning. I honestly don't remember too many details. I can't for the life of me remember what my contractions felt like. After my epidural my BP rose pretty high and gave me an awful headache. I remember the nurse giving me a shot in my leg to help with it all and not feeling a thing. It was amazing!

I pushed with Ty and the nurse for about an hour. It was so peaceful and I remember joking that we should just deliver him with just us in the room. My doctor arrived at noon and Jack was born at 12:36. Everything was textbook and I couldn't have had a better experience. My doctor placed Jack on my chest right after he was delivered and it was the sweetest moment. Ty cut the umbilical cord and snapped a lot of pictures. It was an incredible experience.

Bumpdate: 37 weeks--the final week

At the end of week 36 I was put on bed rest due to high blood pressure. Two days later I was experiencing headaches and blurry vision. My follow up doctor's appointment wasn't scheduled for another week. Ty was concerned and wanted me to call the office to see if I could get in earlier, instead of waiting an entire week. The nurse told me with those symptoms that I needed to come in that day and my doctor would work me in. She told me to pack a bag, because it was a possibility that I wouldn't come back home. I immediately called Ty and started crying. It was a very overwhelming feeling. I finished getting ready and packed a few random things. I had no idea what to pack and just threw a bunch of stuff in a suitcase. I stopped at Sonic for a BLT, since I didn't know how long I would have to sit at the doctor's office before being seen. I'm glad I did, because I wasn't able to eat for quite a while after my 10:30 a.m. lunch. My doctor was pretty concerned with my blood pressure levels in combination with the headache I had. The main concern was preeclampsia. He sent me to the hospital, which is located on the other side of the parking garage from his office. I was monitored in the labor and delivery triage room for several hours. Jack was doing good, but my blood pressure was still high. Ty was 45 minutes away at the VA hospital and really not able to leave. He also had to drive back here and be at his main hospital to do a 24 hr shift that night. My doctor came by and determined that I would stay in the hospital all weekend and possibly induce Monday morning. He asked for Ty's cell number, and gave him a call to explain the situation. I greatly appreciated him doing that. Chesley was kind enough to delay leaving town to come sit with me while I was in the triage area. Several hours later I was moved to what would be my room for the next five days. My mom volunteered to come up and stay with me, since Ty wasn't able to be with me. I didn't want her to make the trip. It was my nephew's birthday party that weekend and she had family staying at their house. I wanted her to be here after he was born more than I wanted her here before. Luckily, I had an outpouring of help from friends. I had people bringing me food while I was in the hospital, doing some shopping at Target for last minute items, taking care of Nuts, etc. I am so thankful for these people and for everyone who texted, called, etc. Ty's 24 hour shift turned into a 34 hour shift, so it was really nice to have other people around taking care of things for us. Ty came to the hospital early Saturday evening after his shift. It was so nice to finally have him around. I know that he hated not being with me. I actually ended up sending him home to sleep, because he was so tired. I think the combination of a 34 hour shift and me being in the hospital completely drained him. It was best for him to get a good nights sleep. I wanted him to be rested if we did in fact have this baby on Monday. The rest of the story to follow in another post...

How Far Along: 37 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 27 lbs.

Size of Baby: Watermelon (19 to 22 in, 6.5 lbs) all according to WTE. At my doctor's appointment  they estimated him at 5 lbs, 14 oz.

Maternity Clothes: I spent my 37th week in a hospital gown. Oh so lovely. I wish that I would have ordered a cute hospital gown. The ones at the hospital were huge on me and hard to move around in, especially with the combination of pulling my IV around. This was especially difficult when doing my 24 hour urine test. I had to do this at home after being put on bed rest at the end of week 36, but the lab lost my urine. How does that happen?! So, I had to do it again my first day/night in the hospital.

Stretch Marks: I somehow avoided stretch marks! I do have a faint linea nigra.

Gender: Baby boy!

Movement: Jack enjoyed being in the hospital over the weekend and moved like crazy.

Sleep: Not too great, but that is par for sleeping in a hospital bed and being woken up constantly for vitals.

What I miss: My house. Unrestricted movement--bed rest is not fun, especially in the hospital. 

Cravings: Fruit--watermelon. Sushi! Jane was nice enough to bring me some in the hospital.

Other crazy symptoms: I did not feel bad while in the hospital or even before going in. I did have a headache and a little bit of blurry vision, but I felt so much better than I had been feeling in weeks 34 and 35, when Jack was sitting really high in my belly. I did notice a little bit of swelling in my hands, feet and even in my face due to all the IV fluids that were being pumped into my body all weekend.

Best Moment this week: The possibility of meeting my little boy!

Bumpdate: 36 weeks

 

How Far Along: 36 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 26 lbs.

Size of Baby: Watermelon (19 to 22 in, 6.5 lbs) all according to WTE. At my doctor's appointment yesterday they estimated him at 5 lbs, 14 oz.

Maternity Clothes: My goal is to not buy anything else maternity for this pregnancy. I may be wearing the same thing every day. ha.

Gender: Baby boy!

Movement: Still moving and shaking.

Sleep: Much better than it has been the past two weeks. I'm only waking up for bathroom breaks.

What I miss: Doing simple things like shaving my legs and tweezing my eyebrows. It's hard to get close enough to the mirror to be able to see my eyebrows with this bump!

Cravings: Fruit--watermelon, peaches, pineapple. I have been devouring watermelon.

Other crazy symptoms: A combination of the medications I was given last week and with Jack not being quite as high I feel so much better. I feel normal pregnancy aches, but nothing painful. I'm okay with being uncomfortable. I couldn't handle how painful everything was, but luckily I'm doing much better. Although, I have been put on bed rest. I normally have a very low blood pressure, but the past two visits it has been high. Doctor said to be on the safe side he wanted me to take it easy until my next appointment, which due to the 4th of July isn't until July 6. I was pretty shocked, because I was feeling so much better. He had me get some blood work done and I'm doing a 24 hr urine test. Fingers crossed that my blood pressure goes back down. I have no idea what I'm going to do for the next week at home. I will be working from home as much as possible. I feel fine, so I know it will be hard to restrict myself.

Best Moment this week: Feeling better! My friend, Ashley, brought me the cutest care package and I just have to share how she packaged the fruit.

Bumpdate: 35 weeks

This is the best picture I have this week. I had zero motivation to get ready. Most days I chose to either shower and blow dry my hair or put on make-up. I couldn't bring myself to do both.

 

How Far Along: 35 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 24 lbs; lost 2 lbs this week.

Size of Baby: Large cantaloupe (19 to 22 in, 5.5 lbs) all according to WTE.

Maternity Clothes: As I predicted I am living in the black maxi skirt from Gap that I wrote about in my 34 week post.

Gender: Baby boy!

Movement: He seems to be moving a lot and I think he is really running out of space.

Sleep: Eh. Some nights are great. Other nights I wake up in pain and can't go back to sleep.

What I miss: Feeling good. See crazy symptoms below.

Cravings: Not much of anything this week. I just don't have room for any food. I have basically been on a liquid diet of sorts.

Other crazy symptoms: Same as last week, but more extreme. Jack is sitting up high and smashing all my organs creating extreme pain between my chest and belly. This has caused back spasms, nausea, hot & cold flashes, and overall discomfort. My doctor was on vacation last week when I went to the doctor, so I saw someone else in the office. While she was really nice, she told me that what I was experiencing was normal. I knew that it couldn't be normal and was overwhelmed that this was my new normal for the remaining 6 weeks. It was a pretty daunting thought. I threw up from all the pain and pressure on my organs the next day. The first time I've thrown up during my pregnancy. I know that I have been very blessed by that. This week I saw my doctor and while he said pretty much the same things the doctor the week before said he made me feel much better. He also prescribed me some medications to help with everything. They are helping with the pain and making things more manageable. I have been pretty against taking a lot of medication during my pregnancy, but I can't continue on without it. I have been in and out of work, and hate that I am inconsistent there. I've been working from home a lot. Mainly I have been sleeping and taking baths. I have taken up to 3 baths a day to help manage some of the pain. I don't want to think about the water bill if this continues. :)

It has been a long two weeks, but I'm really hopeful for some relief.

Best Moment this week: The car seat arrived, which was the last big thing we needed. It's good to know that if he does come early we will be able to leave the hospital with him. :)

Bumpdate: 34 weeks

How Far Along: 34 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 26 lbs

Size of Baby: Large cantaloupe (19 to 22 in, 5.5 lbs) all according to WTE.


Maternity Clothes: I will be living in the outfit I'm wearing above. It's all from Gap and the maxi skirt is the most comfortable thing I have ever worn. If you are pregnant, then you need to buy this skirt! It is soooo soft.

Gender: Baby boy!

Movement: He has been moving a lot more this week and pushing out on me. It is crazy to see my stomach distort with his movements. 

Sleep: So thankful that I'm still sleeping well.

What I miss: Feeling normal and being able to bend over.

Cravings: Same as last week--Coke icees from Quik Trip, cereal, grapes and Chick-fil-a chocolate chip cookies and chicken sandwiches, strawberry lemonade. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get enough sweets.

Other crazy symptoms: I have had several episodes of feeling extremely uncomfortable and getting sick. I feel like all my organs are being smashed, my back starts cramping, and I get nauseous. I can't find a comfortable position and just wait for the hours to pass until I feel better again. I have been very lucky throughout this pregnancy and this is the worst that I've felt. Hopefully, I can handle 6 more weeks of this!

Best Moment this week: Moving another week closer to meeting baby Jack!

Bumpdate: 33 weeks

How Far Along: 33 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 24 lbs

Size of Baby: Pineapple; I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and they estimated 4 lbs, 7 oz. That seems big to me! Doctor said he is in the 37th percentile on the growth chart, so Jack obviously isn't that big. It seems crazy to have 4 lbs, 7 oz of baby inside me though.


Maternity Clothes: I'm ready for regular clothes again.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: He still loves to push out on me and always does it on the right side. His movements aren't quite as sweet as they once were and can be quite uncomfortable at times. Poor guy doesn't have as much room as he once did.

Sleep: Sleeping through the night except for bathroom breaks.

What I miss: Bending over easily.

Cravings: Coke icees from Quik Trip, cereal, grapes and Chick-fil-a chocolate chip cookies and chicken sandwiches, strawberry and raspberry lemonade.

Other crazy symptoms: Swelling. General uncomfortableness.There are times when I feel like I have a huge rock in my stomach. Oily skin and hair.

Best Moment this week: Seeing Baby Jack move around during the u/s. Feeling loved at our church shower yesterday.

Bumpdate: 31 weeks

How Far Along: 31 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 22 lbs;  I'm starting to swell, so this number varies a lot from day to day, but I think 22 is accurate.

Size of Baby: 3+ lbs and 18 inches long according to What to Expect...


Maternity Clothes: I'm starting to outgrow some of my early maternity pieces. Mostly those with a demi panel, which is too bad, because I hate full panel pants. I think I'll be living in dresses for the most part.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: Jack loves to just push out on my stomach. It is such a lovely feeling. :) I think he is already running out of space.

Sleep: Sleeping through the night except for bathroom breaks.

What I miss: Energy and being able to eat a lot at one time.

Cravings: Cereal, grapes and Chick-fil-a chocolate chip cookies. Oh my goodness, those cookies are amazing.

Other crazy symptoms: I think my hips are shifting, because I'm starting to have pains, especially at night. Nothing major is sticking out in my mind. I've had calf cramps for the past few weeks, but they aren't awful. My hair and skin is more oily. AND there is the swelling. Thankfully, it isn't bad. I'm scared it will get worse. I can still get my rings on, but I find myself taking them off at my desk, and have decided to just not wear them. I don't want to lose them.

Best Moment this week:
Working on the nursery. I love to go in there and just look at everything. It is getting closer to being done. I'm on the hunt for white shelves to go above the changing table.
I picked up these hooded towels from the embroidery place this week. I just love seeing his name on things!

Bumpdate: 29 weeks

 

How Far Along: 29 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 19 lbs; I know I'm growing a human and I'm trying not to get too obsessed with this number, but it is hard to see it creeping up and know that I've got several weeks to go. I found this pregnancy weight calculator and it makes me feel better about where I'm at on the scale. I know I will continue to gain, but I want to make sure I'm not going overboard with my eating.

Maternity Clothes: Most clothes are maternity at this point.

Gender: Baby Boy!

Movement: He loves to get on the right side of my belly and just push out. It is incredibly uncomfortable. Maybe he is trying to make more room in there...

Sleep: Sleeping through the night except for bathroom breaks.

What I miss: Energy! It definitely disappeared with the 2nd trimester. I am so tired every afternoon and even went to bed at 8:30 one night.

Cravings: Still with the cereal. Hummus with pretzels; grapes

Other crazy symptoms: This week I have been generally uncomfortable. I know I've got a ways to go and it is only going to get worse, but my goodness! I really don't know how there is going to be room in there for him in a couple of weeks. I am starting to swell and I have noticed my weight fluctuating a lot due to the swelling. Attempting to eat smaller meals to combat the uncomfortableness. Afternoon heartburn. I swear some afternoons I get heartburn from drinking water. (Uncomfortable is definitely the word of this post! ;) )

Best Moment this week:
 Celebrating Jack at my baby shower!

the people

I had so many people travel to be at the shower, and my sister-in-law, Heather, even came in from Houston! It meant a lot that people took time out of their day or their weekend to be here to celebrate my growing family. I missed getting pictures of a few people, and like I already wrote in my last post I wish it could have lasted all day. (I added the links for the punch recipes to my last post.)

top: Me and Megan; My sisters-in-law, Amy, Heather and Sarah and mother-in-law, Beverly. 

So happy they all made the trip!

Middle: Sorority sisters--Lisa, Lacey and Lauren; Me and Megan

Bottom: more sorority sisters--Kelsey and Chesley; Me and Joy

My sister, Mom, and Mason. Someone wasn't too excited about taking a picture.

1. Me and Chesley 2. Me and Emily 3. Me and Ashley

My best friend from high school, Chelsey. We are 7 weeks apart in our pregnancies and both having boys.

The amazing hostesses!

 

top row, left to right: Whitney, Chesley, me, Megan, Jessica, Sarah

bottom row, left to right: Megan, Katie, LeAnn, Jane

Chelsey was also a hostess, but somehow got left out of the picture. At least, we got our bump picture. :)

I cannot thank these girls enough! They made me feel so loved and I'm very thankful for their friendship!

You are my Sunshine

My sweet friends threw me the best baby shower yesterday! I walked in the door at Megan's house and was so excited by every little detail. I have extremely talented friends and I wanted to cry from happiness over all of their hard work. There were so many people there to celebrate baby Jack, and I wish it could have lasted all day, so I could spend lots of time with each and every one of them.

Jessica designed the invitations and she also did some matching thank you cards for me! She is so talented!

 

 

The books on the table served as the guest book for everyone to sign.

There were envelopes for everyone to fill out their address for thank you cards.

Party favors

I have a love for punch and the hostesses made sure I had several to sip on. I'll have to get the recipes from my SIL, Sarah, and share them. I was sent home with a lot of leftovers: food, cake, and punch, and I'm sipping on some punch as I write this. Yum!

The best punch ever

Strawberry Basil Lemonade

My SIL found the recipe inspiration from this site. Here is what she did: 2 frozen lemonade, a package of basil from the store, about 4 cups of strawberries and 2 sliced lemons.  Better when mixed in advance.

Coffee Mocha Punch

 

Cake table

Yummy breakfast casserole, muffins, pastries and fruit.

The ribbon bunting was so cute!!

Love these cups!

Fun pinwheels, sign and flowers. I made this sign to use in his nursery and my sister brought it to use at the shower. I'll have to share the pdf file in another post for anyone who may want it.

Fun pom banner!

I couldn't narrow down the pictures, but believe it or not I did not include them all. I will have to do another post with all the people pictures. It was such a great shower and I can't say thank you enough to the hostesses and everyone who came!

Bumpdate: 28 weeks

How Far Along: 28 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 17 lbs

Maternity Clothes: ALL maternity pants. Dresses are now mostly maternity. Mostly regular tops, but they are getting short.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: He moves a lot. This weekend I could tell he was going through a growth spurt, because of the pains I was feeling and he wasn't moving as much.

Sleep: Sleeping through the night except for bathroom breaks. I haven't had to get up for snacks as much this week. Definitely happy about that!

What I miss: I can't really think of anything this week.

Cravings: Cereal. I went grocery shopping Friday night and Ty told me to buy an extra box of cereal, because we have been running out so fast. ha!

Other crazy symptoms: The constant feeling of needing to go to the bathroom. I'm getting full much faster and can't eat as much in one sitting. I need to learn to eat smaller meals, so that I don't feel so miserable. Growing pains. My energy level has gone down since hitting 3rd trimester. I had my glucose test this morning and it made me feel awful. I had to leave work and come home to nap.

Best Moment this week:
 Ty and I getting to see our little man at my doctor's appointment today. He is growing right on track!
Also, attending the child birth class my doctor's office offered on Saturday with Jane. Unfortunately, Ty had to work, but Jane volunteered to go with me. She is a third year medical student who wants to do OB, and had expressed interest in attending a class, since she will eventually be recommending them to her patients.

Baby Shower

I am so blessed with a job that I love. The medical students I work with are one of the main reasons I like my job so much. They are truly great people. A group of students threw me a wonderful shower yesterday afternoon. They chose to do a book theme, where people brought books instead of cards. They also did all the decor in the same color scheme as the nursery. I was impressed with every detail!
Get ready for a picture overload!

 

The wonderful hostesses!

Ty and I went to high school with Daniel, and he and his wife are 2nd year medical students.

I think someone enjoyed the cupcakes!

One from the side, so you can see the bump!

I put all the books in a basket that I received and boy howdy, did we get some books! I can't wait to sit down with baby Jack and share my love of reading with him. I feel like this picture doesn't really even show just how many books are in there.

I made the hostesses personalized stationery as a thank you. They did such a good job with everything. I know they are all busy, busy ladies. It means so much that they would do this, especially with finals right around the corner.