All Smiles

Kaitlyn has started smiling at us. Such a joy to see and so cute too. Here are my attempts at catching the smiles on camera:

Health Update

Kaitlyn is doing much better in the last couple of weeks since she was diagnosed with reflux. She's only vomited a few times and those times were MUCH less volume than what she was doing in the past. She also seems much more comfortable during her feedings. The Pepcid and the rice cereal seem to be doing the trick. We go back to the pediatrician on the 7th for her 2 month checkup, and I'm hoping her weight will be back on track.

First Christmas

Kaitlyn had an exciting first Christmas. She has seen so many new things and places in the last week. Here are some highlights:

- She went out to lunch with friends a couple of times. We went with Jenny, Mike G, Karen, Brentton, Mike H, and Lily to Chili's. She also went with us and Mike G to Alamo Cafe. Another time she went out with dad, Mike G and Dallas. We even took her to Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch to watch some football. She has been an angel at restaurants! The only time she woke up was at Chili's with the gang, but I fed her and she was fine.

- She met her dad's MeMom (Great Grandmother). She loved cuddling up in her lap.

- She attended her first Christmas Eve Auction at Grandma Aitken's. She got to meet her cousins on the Aitken side. Here's a picture of the 4 generations on Eric's side.

- She spent some time on Christmas day at Grandma Aitken's and at Grandma and Grandpa Bork's house. She also hung out with her Uncles.

- Santa visited and brought her a Tickle Me Elmo. She's not sure what to think about Elmo. She likes the giggles, but the belling vibrating leaves her a little wide-eyed.

- She attended her first game night at Karen and Brentton's.

- She visited daddy's work.

We can't wait until her second Christmas! Here's a few pictures of her in her Christmas outfits:

First trip to a restaurant

Tonight we took Kaitlyn to dinner with my family. It was surprisingly uneventful! We went to Chili's and she slept almost the entire dinner. She woke up once or twice to look around, but fell back asleep. We made it the entire time without having to do anything for her. That was a nice hurdle to get over. Being able to go out to dinner whenever we want to will be nice and will make things seem more "normal." I guess we should enjoy it while she will just sleep in her car seat, because before we know it she will be sitting in a high chair and grabbing everything in sight...

A Day in the Life continued

Kaitlyn provided the following update on her day:

The rest of my day went well. My dad's cousin Katherine came over and visited with me and mom (I think that makes us first cousins once removed... but regardless, I think I'll call her Aunt Katherine). I continued to wake up every couple of hours, because man - was I hungry. Looking back, I must have been going through a growth spurt since that trend has not continued (mom is thankful for that).

Well, it's off to bed. Mom let me provide this update, but I should be sleeping!

A Day in the Life of Kaitlyn (in her own words)

Kaitlyn wanted to share with you all what her days have looked like lately:

I wanted to share with you what my day is like. I'm not sure where to start, since my days and nights are so similar. So I thought I would start with the first time my mom wakes up at night. That lately has been the start of her day, so it seems like a logical place to start. Last night, mom woke up at 11:30 pm to pump. She sets her alarm to make sure she can get some pumping in before I wake up. Mom had been sleeping since around 9:30 pm. At nights, mom goes to bed early and dad takes over. Last night mom didn't get to bed as early as she should have since we went to see Santa. I'm sure my mom will post pictures of that later.

Mom hardly got her pumping in last night, because I woke up at 11:45 pm and boy, was I hungry. I only ended up eating 2 oz, and then I got all fidgety. I'm not sure what it is, but when I eat I get uncomfy and that makes it hard to finish. Mom and dad started me on this medicine, so hopefully that will help. After I finished my bottle and fell back to sleep, mom put me back in the crib. She figured I would sleep awhile, so she went back into the bed with dad.

But I had other plans! And only 50 minutes after she put me down, I woke up. Mom was deep in sleep, so dad had to wake her up. Good thing I wasn't there, because there were some bad words coming out of mom's mouth! She was really comfortable, snuggled up in bed with the cats. Big Kitty was laying in the nook of her legs that Mulder used to lay in and Little Kitty was laying near her stomach.

So at 1:45 am, I ate again. This time, I only took 1 and 1/3 oz. I was hungry because I didn't have a full bottle last time, but not so hungry because it hadn't been that long in between feedings. But hey, my grandma says I eat like a bird.

By 2:40 am, mom put me back in bed to pump. Again, she BARELY got her pumping in, when I was letting her know at 3 am that I was awake. Mom was surprised that I got up so quickly, so she tried to change my diaper. I think I might have frustrated mom, because right when she lifted my butt to wipe it, I had to tinkle. I don't think mom liked that much and had to go wash her hands. When mom was done changing my clothes (argh, I hate that - it takes so long and my arms and legs have to go in places I don't want them to and I'm cold and naked!), I was still fussy and was showing signs that I was ready to eat again. Mom was shocked, but tried to offer me a little more to eat. I ate about 3/4 oz and fell asleep.

Silly mom tried to put me down in the crib at 4 am. I was having none of that. 5 minutes later when I realized she put me down, I let her know I was still hungry. This time I ate 1 and 1/2 oz. I was really sleepy at this point since I hadn't slept much in the last couple of hours, so when mom put me down at 4:45 am, I was out like a light. On a side note, mom was watching this tv show that I was really enjoying. Some girl Meredith and some guy Derrick, or McDreamy, just got back together. I can't wait to see what happens on tomorrow's episode.

Mom took this opportunity to take a nap on the recliner. She considered setting an alarm to pump, but decided she was too tired. She woke up when dad was getting ready to leave for work and started pumping at 6:10 am. When mom was done, she figured it was a matter of minutes before I got up again, but she decided to go ahead and get back in the bed and sleep.

I woke up at 7:30 am. I took my full 3 oz, but was really fussy afterwards. Mom changed a dirty diaper (man, was it dirty!) but I was still not happy. She tried feeding me more, but I didn't want that. She then tried to put me in my cuddly pink bodysuit that has the hoodie and the ears. I usually snuggle up when I get in that to go places, so I think she thought that would work. But nope, not today.

So when I was still fussy at 8:20 am, mom decided to take me on my first "car ride to nowhere." It was raining outside, so mom didn't venture far. She just toured the neighborhoods close by and we listened to a neat XM radio show. Some lady named Gayle was talking to us. I think she's friends with Oprah. But man, I love the car. I like to nap when mom is driving.

The car ride did the trick, so when mom returned home at 9 am, I was asleep and stayed asleep. Mom took that opportunity to pump. Also, Mom ran the dishwasher again (half full, don't tell dad). Then she fed Snoopy his breakfast. I was relieved that she remembered to actually feed him in the AM hours. Everyday I try to remind her, but she just thinks I have a dirty diaper (which I usually do) or that I'm hungry (which I usually am). Poor Snoopy. I really like him, but he has a cold nose. And he is always causing trouble when mom or dad is feeding me. I think he gets jealous.

Well, I must be really tired, because I am still asleep at 10:15. I'm going to sign-off now and will let you know later how the rest of my day went.

What a Day

Kaitlyn had a rough day! I took her to the pediatrician because we were concerned about her projectile vomiting. When it first started, we thought that babies spit up - so it must be normal. But the more it happened, the more we realized that it couldn't be normal. When she would throw up - it would be all over her and all over us! Everyone would need a change of clothes. I began to think - what is the point of a burp cloth? There was no burp cloth in the world that would cover this stuff.

The pediatrician was concerned with her weight gain. The doctor thought she should be weighing about 9 lbs, 11 oz by now. But she only weighed 8 lbs, 10 oz today. The doctor was certain that she was suffering from reflux, which was causing feedings to be difficult and for Kaitlyn to not eat as much as she should. However, she was also concerned that there could be something more.

We were sent for an ultrasound to test for pyloric stenosis. I won't even bore you with what that is or what it would have meant because luckily, the results were negative. The radiologist then wanted to perform a barium swallow test. Poor Kaitlyn had to drink this nasty chalky stuff from her bottle and they took x-rays of it as it travelled through to her stomach. I stood at her head and fed her the bottle while the technician held her arms and the radiologist held her legs and did the x-rays. Luckily, she wasn't very fussy and drank very well (she was hungry)! In fact, she was really good all day.

For now, we were given pepcid to give her and told to add rice cereal to the milk. But the pediatrician was going to call me tomorrow and there might be more she wants to do. I'll post more if she does. Hopefully she will be exhausted from her day and sleep well tonight because last night was rough on mom...

Here's a picture of her sitting in the waiting room for the ultrasound:

One month old already!

I can't believe it, but Kaitlyn is one month old! In some ways, the month has flown by. On the other hand, I almost can't remember life without her. The occasion was somewhat marred by the loss of my cat, Mulder. We had to put her down after a wonderful 12 years together. We miss her dearly. It is very ironic to me that Mulder chose to "pass the torch" to Kaitlyn. Mulder prepared us so well for Kaitlyn's battle in the NICU with the feeding tube. And she hung in there long enough to meet Kaitlyn.

Here are some highlights from the last couple of weeks:

Kaitlyn was a little small for her Thanksgiving outfit, but it was still cute.

She is much more aware of her surroundings now. She loves to look around and take in the sights. This was her hanging out in her pack-n-play and looking at the animals.

The rest of her umbilical cord finally fell off, so we were able to give her a full bath. She enjoyed it much more than the sponge baths. In this picture, I was trying to get an eye booger out of her eye, but it kinda looks like I'm plugging her nose.

First Pediatrician Visit

We took Kaitlyn to the pediatrician last Wednesday (11-18). It was our first outing with her, so it was exciting and I was nervous. Eric and I went together and in spite of the fact that she was ready to eat right when they called us back to the examination room, it went well.

We liked the doctor (thanks for the referral, Phil). She was definitely a character. We think she is her late 40's and was dressed in a jean skirt with funky tights underneath. At first, I was thinking she just has unusual taste in clothing; but on second thought, maybe she does that to entertain the kids?

The doctor said Kaitlyn looked good. And she reiterated that the stridor/noisy breathing will continue for months and months. She emphasized that it is even more important for us to minimize her exposure to illness. An illness for Kaitlyn will be even worse than normal due to her breathing. So everyone cross your fingers that we can keep her as healthy as possible! Our next appointment will be her 2 month visit.

On a side note, I am recovering nicely. I feel almost back to normal and my incision is healing really well.

First Week at Home

So we survived our first week at home with Kaitlyn. Luckily, it has been pretty uneventful. Needless to say, we are tired! Our girl is not shy about letting us know she is not happy. And we have been trying different things to figure out what quiets her when she is fussy. Here is a pic of the latest thing that seems to work out well:


We all get great laughs from the noises that come out of her! You can always hear when she is dirtying her diaper. And it usually happens while she is eating. She is champion pooper - no doubt that she is getting her nourishment!

I have been pumping and we are feeding her in bottles. This works out well when I have someone to help by feeding her. But it is sometimes a problem in the middle of the night when it is time for me to pump but she has other plans. I've gotten better at multi-tasking (guess what I am doing right now), but I must say the pumping is exhausting.

NICU pics and progress

Here's a few highlights of happenings in the NICU from this past week. On Wednesday, we got the green light to try and breastfeed for 3 feedings. We had some success, but it was exhausting to me. The awkwardness that was around just because we don't have this all down yet was compounded by wires, tubes and monitors. When we swung by for her 8:30 feeding, the nurse had already started to heat up some formula. I decided to take a break and instead, Eric held her and I held the food being administered through the tube.

On Thursday, we got the go ahead for all feedings to be given via breast (or bottle, if I wasn't there). They also reduced the amount of oxygen she was getting through her NG tube in the morning and removed it all together in the evening. So by the time we visited her that night, her head was starting to look almost normal! No more tubes coming out of her nose or mouth. The IV had already been removed from her head (she kept yanking it out of her hands and they were all bruised). All that was left was the protective tape on her face. Reminded me of a football player...

On Friday, they moved her from the NICU to the Special Care Nursery. What a downgrade! But it meant that she didn't need as much care and monitoring, which was definitely good. But man, was that a room cramped full of babies! I hung out with her there from the time we arrived at 11 am for a feeding, until later in the afternoon when we began our night of "rooming-in." This meant that they brought us to a room the size of a prison cell, so we could spend the night with her and they would be close-by if anything came up. It was a rough night because we near a noisy area and we didn't have any of the home amenities.

Graduation Day!

Yesterday, Kaitlyn graduated and was released from the hospital. After a night of rooming-in, we are ready to get her home. Here's some pics from the big day:

Kaitlyn dressed in her going home outfit. Eric and I had a good time getting her in this - so many snaps! And it was a little big. She weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz at discharge and still her legs were swimming in this newborn size outfit.

Here she is in the car. I sat in the backseat with her so I could watch her. She liked the car but got a little fussy after some bumps.

I thought this was a cute pic - of her and her daddy in the car. Eric didn't seem nervous at all!

After she got the other outfit dirty, we changed her into this. We were still working on our swaddling techniques and she seemed to like the comfort of being all snug in the footie pajamas.

We survived the first 24 hours with her home. And man, is it good for her to be home!

Pictures from right after her birth

Here's a close-up picture of Kaitlyn getting cleaned up after the birth. Wailing already.

Another picture of her doing what she does best - crying :) Nah, she's not that bad. But due to her stridor, we try to keep her calm (crying makes the stridor worse) and sometimes it's tough.

What a face! That doesn't look very happy... her head is in the >90 percentile! Must be due to the large brain she inherited :)

The happy new family. Doesn't Eric look good dressed as a surgeon? Maybe a new profession in his future??

I was annoyed they were making me open my eyes. I didn't want to see that OR!

Interesting facts I'd rather not know about the NICU and questions I have

Eric and I have these bracelets that match us to Kaitlyn that we have to keep on. I keep wondering what they do when your baby is in there for months and months. Can you get a new one?

We ring a bell to gain admittance to the unit. Then we have to wash our hands before signing in. However, when we leave, we just leave. We don't have to sign out.

It's parents and grandparents only. What if the grandparents weren't nearby? Shouldn't you be able to designate alternates?

Will our bill be itemized (gulp) so we see how many diapers, wipes, syringes, bottles, etc. are being used? Or do they charge a flat fee per day and it is "all you can use" diapers?? Because man, does she go through diapers. We just changed her earlier and she peed on the clean diaper before we even had it on and then when we picked her up, she pooped!

Babies can sleep through anything! It is never dark in there and you can always hear beeping, alarms or other babies crying. Our girl will be a sound sleeper!

Still in the NICU

So Kaitlyn is still in the NICU. They still have her on the feeding tube. They are still not happy with the swelling in her larynx and doesn't think she is doing a good job of swallowing her mucuous. Leaving the hospital yesterday without her was very tough. She looks so cute and strong, it's hard to imagine that she needs to be in the NICU.

Here are a few pictures. The first is on Saturday before all of this began. The second is a picture of Eric holding her today.

Kaitlyn's first days

The morning after she was born, I started to struggle with feeding her. She seemed to latch on just fine, but wasn’t swallowing. She would just lay there. And her breathing was so labored, it was tough to tell if she was sucking or just breathing. She was still recovering from the fluid she had swallowed. This continued all day long. We would just keep trying to feed her periodically, with limited success.

However, we learned that the nurses were in no way worried about her getting enough nutrition because she pooped and peed like a champ! In her first day of life, they hope for at least 1 poop and 1 pee and I think Eric changed at least 3 poop diapers, 1 pee diaper and the nurses changed some too. So they knew that she was eating.

That evening when the shift changed, we had the baby nurse that we had the first night. She was not too happy to hear that Kaitlyn was still so wheezy. She called our pediatrician after 11 pm, which began a long and emotional night. At 1 am or so, we were woken by a doctor from the NICU who let us know they were moving her there. Not a fun way to be woken up! They were concerned about her breathing and definitely wanted to keep a closer eye on her. They had performed a chest x-ray and some more diagnostic tests and hadn’t seen anything unexpected. They brought her by briefly before she went to the NICU – so we could hold her. Well, I got to hold her for a minute and then they wisked her away (poor Eric).

By 3 am, they were moving us to a room that had opened up on the main maternity floor to be closer to the NICU. They took us to see her there and I was pleased to see it wasn’t as scary looking as I thought. She had a feeding tube in her nose and IV access in her hand, but other than that she looked the same. They had just fed her and asked me to hold her so she could be upright (again, poor Eric).

After that, we returned to our room so I could learn the ins and outs of pumping for the NICU. My first attempt went well. And has only gotten better.

The next day (Sunday) is kinda a blur and was definitely an emotional rollercoaster. We saw multiple doctors who were looking at Kaitlyn and learned she had an episode around 5am (the worlds blue were used). This resulted in more tubes being attached to her so my visits to the NICU were definitely tougher. Dad and all the grandparents went to see her often and kept me up to speed. They brought in an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to check her out to be sure her airway and esophagus were OK. I’m pleased to report that he just came again and said that she is doing well – he scoped her and said everything looks normal except for some swelling in her larynx. This should go down and is likely the cause of these problems. The swelling is an unfortunate side effect of them having to suck mucous out to clear her airway. He is recommending they try and feed her by mouth and see how it goes!!! So right now we are hopeful that we should be able to bring her home soon. I’m preparing myself that I will be discharged today and we’ll have to leave without her but knowing that it will not be long until we have her with us!

I promise to post some pictures later on, but wanted to bring everyone up to speed.

Kaitlyn Nicole Aitken

Kaitlyn Nicole Aitken was brought into this world on Friday, November 6 at 7:55 p.m. via C-Section. But let me start from the beginning of the day...

Eric and I left the house for our induction at 4:40 am. There was a lot of nervous and excited energy in that car! But we were both sleepy too. When we got to the hospital, we heard they had a busy night, so it would be "awhile" before the nurse came in to start the process going. But by 5:40 am, they came in to start me on the Pitocin drip. Our first fun started when they were done getting all the information from me and put the bracelet on my name that said "Kerry Aiken." They were not too happy to realize at the end of their long shift, that they would have to redo all of my things to spell the name right :)

The morning went by and contractions got stronger and tougher. We never were timing them on our own, so we didn't have a good handle on how quickly they were coming. I wasn't very dilated, which was frustrating. By noon, I was in a lot of pain. I thought I could still handle it, but considering I was only 3 cm dilated (maybe 4, it's all a haze right now) I didn't know if I could make it all the way to 10 cm. So the nurse and my doctor convinced me to go ahead with the epidural.

The anesthesiologist who administered the epidural was quite a character. That was good because let me tell you, I was terrified of getting that epidural. It was not really something I wanted to have to do and was the start of things that didn't exactly go as planned. I had some difficulty getting it. Mainly because I could feel something while he was doing it and I would freak out. It would get worse when he would quickly ask where I could feel it which would only panic me more. He told me I have the back of a 20 year old (oh, flattery!) and asked if I had played soccer. How did he know?

After that, I felt nothing (which I did not like). It was really strange to not feel your legs or the contractions. I kept setting off the monitors because my pulse was too high and I was just laying there. That's how we knew the contraction was going on. The anesthesiologist turned down the epidural drip to the lowest amount and just allowed me to push the button if I wanted more. That worked out a little better.

The afternoon went on. We watched tv - Dr. Oz, then Ellen, then Oprah. All the while, we were kept company by our labor nurse, Natalie. We really liked her. She had the right mix of wit and sarcasm that kept things light and relaxed. She was even there to hold the puke bucket for me. OK, not a fan! I read that I might get nauseous during labor but didn't expect actual vomiting. Yuck!

I believe I started pushing around 5 pm. The doctor was there and said I was 9+ cm dilated and that if I started pushing, I would quickly become 10 cm. I later found that my nurse was not a fan of this approach (and figured it was because my doctor wanted to go home) since it required me to push sooner than I had to and was tiring me out.

They told me I was a good pusher (hmm, I bet they say that to everyone) but it was weird since I didn't have a lot of feeling to know what I was doing. I struggled the most with getting a good, deep breath to push. By the 3rd push each contraction, I almost wanted to "pretend" to push so they would hurry up and let me rest.

Around 7 pm, my doctor came back and was trying to turn the baby while I was pushing. She would get her turned but then Kaitlyn would turn back again. She was hoping to help guide her though the birth canal. That girl did not want to come out! So at this point she told me that she didn't think we were going to get her out - that the baby was too big. She said she would let me push for awhile longer if I wanted to (seriously???) but that we were going to have to do a C-section.

At this point let me pause to reflect on a comment I made during the pregnancy - which was, "man, the worst thing in the world would be to labor all day and then still end up with a C-section."

So there I was, getting ready for surgery and terrified. I was not looking forward to being awake through the procedure. I would have definitely preferred to be out! I heard many a conversation from my doctors on the other side of the screen that I would have liked to have slept through. The comments like, "hmm, what is that?" And the idle chit-chat. I wanted to yell out - can you concentrate please?? So I just kept my eyes closed and tried not to shake too much. That was a lovely side effect from the epidural that I could have skipped. I looked like Michael J. Fox (no disrespect to him) because I was shaking uncontrollably (not because I was cold). They kept telling me that was the reaction of my central nervous system. Oh joy!

Kaitlyn was born at 7:55, weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz! So she was bigger than we thought she would be based on the size of my belly. She actually had some cord wrapped around her neck, but was not in distress. Eric and I think that it might have ended up an emergency C-section regardless, due to that cord.

She swallowed some amniotic fluid, which caused them to keep her in the nursery for a little longer than normal, but I met her in our room after 1 am. We were not too happy with the hospital because they were out of the nice fancy post-partum rooms and we were placed in the overflow area (otherwise known as the old wing). Boo! But I digress...

The nurse helped me breastfeed for the first time and Kaitlyn was champ. She knew just want to do. She ended up sleeping that night in the nursery and was brought to us when she was hungry due to the fluid she swallowed during birth. They wanted her to be watched to be sure her color stayed good. We decided that we couldn't sleep and watch her color (and boy did we need some sleep). It was a long birth day!!

The night before the induction

I go in at 5am tomorrow morning for the induction. We are excited, nervous, scared... I wonder if I will be able to sleep tonight. We DEFINITELY need to rest up but I feel like it's the night before the first day of school or something. I'm sure if I sleep it will be out of pure exhaustion. Here's a last "before" pic:

Friday the 6th???

We have a date set! I had my appointment this morning and the doctor scheduled an induction for Friday! We are to report to the hospital at 5am (Eric’s chin hit the ground when they said that) and they will start to monitor us and administer the drugs. She said she would be by after that to break my water.

My blood pressure remains pretty high (140/80) but the baby’s heart is strong in the 140’s. The doc thought my swelling was worse but I assured her it was frequently that bad! She did the internal exam and said I was almost 2cm dilated and was still 70% effaced. She then stripped my membranes - not fun!

Oh and I got the swine flu vaccine.

38 Weeks

I had my OB appointment today - not much to report. My blood pressure was lower than last week but still high (130/80). I am still only dilated 1 cm and am now 70 effaced. The doctor said "see you next week" at which point we will be setting a date to induce. She doesn't want me to go past my due date.

The Kindness of Strangers

I just ran into a lady in the elevator who felt the need to say, "wow, looks like your little one has blessed you with swollen ankles!"

Gee lady, thanks! Of all the things she could comment on? And silly me thought that surely my feet and ankles look worse to me than to anyone else. What if I always have fat ankles? How rude!

The picture on the left - I removed my shoes a little so you could see the indentations. It must be said that I've been wearing these shoes for 3 months now. I have these and a pair in brown. Flip flops with some cushion, so they do offer some support. This pair were pre-pregnancy and don't really fit anymore. Even if I could fit my foot all the way forward (which I can't due to the swelling), my new longer foot would hang off the back.

The picture on the right - this is what the lady could see. OK, so maybe it is a little bad and obvious...

Week 37 Doctor Visit

I had my last visit at the old OB office today. Mixed results. My blood pressure was the highest they have ever taken on me. The initial reading was 144 over 90 and when they took it later it was 130 over 88. So not a great sign. However, since I didn't have any protein in my urine or any other symptoms (other than continued swelling), she is still just going to watch me.

Not much progress on the dilation - she figured 1 cm and 60% effaced.

She did mention the word "induce" but said she would like to wait until my cervix has dilated more. I asked if I was still OK to work and she said yes, but that depending on how it goes that could change. She said she would see me at my appointment (next Monday), "unless I see you sooner."

We are definitely ready. Car seat installed - everything purchased.

Week 36 Doctor Visit

Uneventful doctor's visit today (yeah!). My blood pressure was good at 120/70. My weight actually declined a little since last Friday (likely fluids). And no progress on the dilation. Definitely good news. But there is a side of me that is ready to deliver this baby - and the sooner the better. I was up last night again with pains in my hands.

I'm continuing to hope I can hold on until after the 23rd. Everything is happening then:

- The doctor is moving offices and hospitals (to North Central Baptist). Because of the timing, we pre-registered at both hospitals but we definitely, would prefer to have the baby at North Central. It is closer to our house (5 miles away vs 12 miles) and is just a newer/fancier hospital. That's where we took our childbirth class, so we are more familiar with it.

- That's the day my mom gets here.

- And that's a key date at work. In talking with my manager, we think that if I can make it through that date they won't be in crisis mode.

Week 35 (31 days to go!)

I had my doctor appointment today. Mixed results.

Good news:
The baby's heartbeat sounded good. I was dilated a "fingertip" and about 50% effaced. She is still head down. The doctor thinks she has already dropped some since I am now measuring smaller than I did last time. Eric also noticed a change in my belly. (I haven't!)

Not great news:
My blood pressure was elevated and they were somewhat concerned about the swelling in my feet and ankles. These are some of the symptoms of preeclampsia, which is something we will be on the look-out for. Luckily, there was no protein in my urine and I haven't had any of the other symptoms. I also had a larger than expected weight gain that is likely attributable to all the fluids.

All in all, not terrible news. But the doc will definitely be keeping an eye on me. My next visit is Wednesday and she said that I may end up coming more often than once a week.

I then proceeded to return to work and noticed that I had some bleeding, hours after her exam. Needless to say, I was worried and called the doc. She said all should be OK but to keep an eye on things and to go rest. So I left work early and have spent the rest of the day in the recliner. What a day (I have also been up since 3am - unable to go back to sleep due to the pain in my hands)!

For those of you unfamiliar with preeclampsia, it also known as pregnancy-induced hypertension or toxemia. Like most things, if left unmanaged it can cause other complications. If I am ultimately diagnosed with preeclampsia, the treatment will probably include bed rest. There is no cure except for delivery of the baby, which would likely be recommended as soon as the baby is physically mature enough.

Week 34 (38 days to go!)

I must say that this week has been challenging for me. Most nights when I get home from work I am exhausted and not feeling 100%. But I'm also finding it hard to settle down and relax at night. It seems there is always something to do and yet, we aren't doing half of what we should be doing. I think our house is the messiest it has ever been. I'm looking forward to the weekend to catch up on everything - my own R&R and also housework. We'll see how much actually gets done...

My feet and now my ankles are swelling even more, so that has been tough. Some nights it hurts to walk because they are so puffy. And I'm torn on what to do in the evening - if I sit down and put my feet up, my hands fall asleep and are in bad shape. If I'm active and moving around, my hands are good but my feet aren't. Sigh, I guess it all just goes with the territory of being in the last part of your pregnancy!

I'm feeling much better about what we have done to get ready for Kaitlyn. While emotionally, I'm sure we'll never be completely "ready," the nursery is in good shape. Also the shopping is almost done. I plan on one more trip to Babies R Us this weekend to buy the rest of what I want to have before she comes. I need to do some more laundry this weekend and might think about starting to sterilize the toys, bottles, etc. I have even started to pack the bags for the hospital. I plan on having the bags ready, along with the list of all the last minute things to grab - like whatever book I'm reading, the hot/cold pack for my back which is in the freezer, etc.

There are a few projects I hope to accomplish at home between now and her arrival. Nothing essential, just things I hope to do:

• I need to clean out my closet - which includes pulling everything out so Eric can reinforce my shelves (crappy work by builder). Since my feet have grown (not just swollen, but in actual length), I plan on boxing up shoes that don't fit lengthwise. I'm assuming they will never fit again, but who knows? I'll hold on to them for a little while after the birth to double check.
• Decorating our "media room." We recently furnished our last room in the house with a big TV and seating. I want to work on finishing the room. We need to purchase a case for all of our movies, some shelving to display my shot glasses, and hang some pictures.
• Overall clutter reduction - don't even know where to begin there... but we have a lot to do.

My mom will be here on the 23rd. Exciting!

Work Shower

They threw me a shower at work today. I was pleasantly surprised at the turn-out. Since I haven't even been at this job 6 months now, I didn't feel like I knew that many people. I guess I was wrong! And a few guys were brave enough to attend!

It was a potluck lunch, so I was a little nervous about what I would find to eat. And although I skipped out on a few yummy things - I found plenty I could eat. I even took a bite of the cake (and brought some home to freeze for later).

I got lots more goodies (I can't wait to get it all home so I can lay it all out to see what I have). The even better news is that now I am free to go home and take an inventory before I make a big shopping trip to get the last of what we still need.

33 Week Doctor Visit

I had a doctor appointment today. All was well - blood pressure, baby's heart rate, my measurements - all as they should be. I was relieved to get some positive feedback regarding my sugars. All signs indicate that I have the gestational diabetes under control. Wshew!

I asked what the "plan" was for the rest of the pregnancy. I was interested if they would want to automatically induce (to prevent the baby from getting too big) or if they would go off of an ultrasound to determine size and then potentially induce if she was getting too big. I was relieved to hear that we are taking the "wait and see" approach. The doctor indicated that if all goes well and I keep my sugars under control, there is no reason to believe that I can't carry the baby to term. They will keep an eye on me to see how I am week to week and assuming nothing is out of the ordinary, we will wait for the baby to come on her terms. That was exactly what I wanted to hear!

We have furniture!

We had a busy weekend assembling things for the nursery! Eric put together the crib - now I have to get busy with the bedding. I have the sheets and the bumper ready to go, but I need to get a mattress pad. And I didn't think I needed a dust ruffle, but based on the looks of this, I need something:

And Eric also put together the changing table (which is currently serving as a tv stand):

I even contributed by putting together the swing:

Doctor's visit schedule for the weeks ahead

I have the following doctor's visits scheduled:

• Thursday, September 24 - 33 weeks
• Friday, October 9 - 35 weeks
• Wednesday, October 14 (the start of the weekly visit!!) - 36 weeks
• Tuesday, October 20 - 37 weeks (the last visit before they change offices to be by the newer nicer hospital)

Nursery Update

31 Week Bump

I'm not sure if you can tell in these pictures - but this shirt almost wasn't covering my belly. My belly is peeking out a bit. A sure sign that I'm getting bigger...

2 Months From Today...

It is exactly 2 months until my due date...

Gestational Diabetes

I found out yesterday that I have gestational diabetes. I went in for my 3 hour glucose tolerance test and failed. My fasting blood sugar was 99 (needed to be below 95) and then my 1 hour level failed as well. On the bright side, the doctor said I was still measuring well and that the baby had already shifted into a head-down position. The heartbeat was also good in the 140's.

I went to a class this morning that ended up being a one-on-one meeting with an educator and then a dietician. It was very informative and reassuring. I left with a meal plan that consists of 2000 calories a day spread out over 3 meals and 3 snacks. I also have to test my blood sugar 4 times a day (first thing in the morning fasting and then 2 hours after every meal). The overall goal is that while I am awake, I eat something every couple of hours. The meal plan is very specific - for example, at breakfast I can have 2 servings of starches, 1 meat and 2 fats. So maybe half a bagel with cream cheese and some eggs. I was pleased to learn that I could have some splurges if my blood sugar is under control. Of course, the serving sizes are very small.

Today was the first day to test my glucose and the first real day on the new "diet". The fasting reading was good but my reading 2 hours after breakfast was a little high. But I think that was because I didn't eat the right foods. I misread the book and ate the entire bagel, instead of half. Also, the meal plan I got today is more specific (and probably better). My breakfast today had milk but the new plan specifically excludes milk from breakfast (interesting). I rebounded with a normal reading after lunch.

Here's some background on GD:

What is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is when you have elevated blood glucose levels during pregnancy. The placenta produces hormones that block the action of the mother's insulin in her body (insulin resistance). Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin. Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. It usually shows up after 24 weeks and only occurs in about 4-7% of pregnancies.

How is it treated?
Hopefully, blood sugar levels can be controlled through diet and exercise. If that is not effective, insulin may be needed or other medicines.

Is it dangerous?
Yes, uncontrolled it is to both the mother and the baby. I won't get into the scary facts since most cases can be controlled. There is every reason to think that if I do what I'm supposed to, I can control it.

What does it mean for the birth?
Often, the baby comes early due to the baby being larger. Regardless, there will be more monitoring of both mother and baby through the labor and delivery. I am now considered a "high risk pregnancy."

What does it mean for the future?
There is now a 40-50% chance that I will develop Type 2 diabetes in the future (most likely within the next 5 years). I'm also more likely to develop this again in future pregnancies.

The Shower

My shower was this weekend. We had lots of fun and of course, I got lots of goodies. OK, I guess the baby got lots of goodies :) It was great to see everyone and I wished I could have spent more time with each person.

Jenny, Karen, Kathy and Edie did a great job with everything. The decorations were so cute - with everything matching the nursery (check out the cake to the left). And as a nice surprise, they rounded up pictures of Eric and I when we were babies. That provided much entertainment for all. The consensus is that our child will not have any hair, since apparently Eric and I were both light in the hair department.

I have spent the better part of the last two days "playing." I have given myself the green light to start opening packages and taking off tags. Hours of fun organizing clothes (and man, is this girl gonna gave a lot of clothes!) and checking out all the cute things.

Unanticipated practice

Eric and I have been getting some unintentional practice the last couple of weeks. Since Mulder has been sick, we are experiencing frequent feedings (I've been going home at lunch to feed her and we've had to schedule our nights and weekends around feedings, too!). And not only are the feedings frequent but they are hands-on (it's not like we are putting the food down for her and leaving - we have to sit and feed her through the feeding tube!). We also have to prep the food for her (think mixing formula/warming bottles) and make sure it is the proper temperature.

Last night we were up late because she was acting a little weird, so we were debating calling the vet (that was me) and figuring out how to make her feel better.

I guess the only thing we are missing with Mulder is diapers...

Our first class

Last night Eric and I attended a baby care class at the hospital. 8 couples in a room with an instructor to teach us how to care for a baby. It was a diverse mix of couples. The girl next to me was pretty young and said she brought her little brother because her boyfriend was out of town. The couple across from us was pretty young too.

All in all we learned a lot. I'm sure much of it we would have learned "on the job," but it's nice to have some tips to get us started. At least we feel more like we have a clue. We learned how to swaddle a baby, take their temperature, give them a bath...

In other news, my parents house in Phoenix sold - so they should be in San Antonio for the birth!

28 week doctor visit

Well, I failed my 1 hour glucose screening. This apparently is not cause for alarm yet, but I have to return in a few weeks to do a more thorough 3 hour screening. According to my Internet research, while 15-23% of the 1 hour results come back abnormal, only 2-7% of expectant moms end up with gestational diabetes.

I also am "a little bit anemic." So the doctor recommended adding an iron supplement to my daily routine.

On the bright side, the baby's heartbeat sounded good (145 bpm). And they can't say I haven't gained enough weight (40 lbs so far...)!

Next appointment is September 8th - for a check-up and the 3 hour glucose screening.

Gestational Diabetes Test Today

As I write, I am drinking the orange drink to begin my gestational diabetes screening. It's kinda weird, but I don't mind the taste! Probably because I frequently drink orange soda. I will sit here at work for a little while longer and then drive over to the doctor for them to take blood and for a check-up. I will post the outcome later.

Childbirth classes and childcare classes and breastfeeding classes, oh my!

Being the procrastinator that I am, I did not sign up for any of our classes until today. I knew I couldn't take any of the classes until August/September but I guess I should have called earlier. High drama there. Here are the classes we are looking at:

• Childbirth - I suppose this is the traditional class that couples take. It's 12 hours and covers the actual childbirth, including pain management options, cesarean's, the partner's role in labor and delivery, etc. I'm sure there will be some scary videos! All weekend offerings of this class were filled through my due date, so we will be taking this class every Tuesday in September from 6-9pm.
• Baby care - this one is probably not essential to all couples but is ABSOLUTELY essential to Eric and me, considering we don't know a thing about babies! It covers diapering, baths, sleeping and crying patterns, etc. I'm sure we will need to take a ton of notes! Or else we will be calling our mothers constantly in the first weeks (who am I kidding, we will still be calling our mothers!). All instances of this class were full at the hospital we are delivering at, so we are having to go to another Baptist hospital. It will be Thursday, August 27 from 6-9pm.
• Breastfeeding - here is where the biggest problem was. All instances of this class are full - including at all of the other Baptist hospitals in the city . The only one I could get in was for October 28 - less than 2 weeks before my due date! So needless to say, I will be looking into classes offered by other hospitals. I also found a DVD you can order, which I suppose would be an option too.

Back issues

Well, the lower back pain has begun. This weekend I "tweaked" my back getting out of the car. I guess I need to be more careful carting around this extra weight. It was also annoying because I just commented earlier in the day that I was pleased with how my back was holding up through the pregnancy. Apparently when I said "knock on wood," that didn't prevent me from jinxing myself!

First kick felt from the outside!

The baby was pretty active just now, so I was pressing on my stomach from the outside. I felt her kick - so called Eric over. She kicked him! Awww - the first kick felt by dad :)

First piece of nursery furniture - a glider!

Went last week to pick up something at Babies R Us using a 15% off coupon. We decided the glider would be a good first purchase because we could start to use it now. I'm having troubles getting comfortable sitting on the couch downstairs.

I went at lunch one day, expecting that I'd have to order it. I was shocked to learn that it was in stock and available to take home. Unfortunately, when the workers brought the box to my car, it quickly became clear that the box was not going to fit in my car. I ended up having them take it out of the box and put the individual pieces in.

The story ended well, as I now have a comfy chair in the living room!

Doctor's Appointment - 25th week

I went to the doctor last Thursday. Nothing exciting to report. All looked well and she said I was "measuring good." She said I had another large weight gain :( And here I thought the weight was relatively under control! She asked some questions and we determined that I'm lacking exercise. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since the only exercise I've had in the last couple of weeks is to walk from my desk at work to the bathroom and then to my car. Oh yeah - and I walk to my bed at night. I guess that's what happens when you work too much!

I go again on Friday, August 21st and they do the test for gestational diabetes. And I already have the next visit scheduled too. It's Tuesday, September 8th. Eeks - the every 2 weeks visits are starting!

Painting continues

Unfortunately I've been working WAY too much lately, so I haven't been able to spend as much time as I would like painting. However, I painted a couple of hours on Wednesday and Friday night when I woke up at 3 in the morning and couldn't sleep. At least I was productive! I love how it is looking and based on the progress, it probably won't take near as long as I thought.

On the work front, I finally did something for myself today and left early today. I definitely was feeling the stress in my body and didn't want that to cause any troubles. A couple of hours vegging on the couch and I feel better already :)

24 week bump

Let the painting begin

Day 1 of painting began today. I ended up with paint on the carpet (thankfully we were able to get it off), paint on Mulder's paw (still working on getting that off) and paint on parts of the wall that weren't supposed to be painted! :) Oh well, that's what touch up paint is for!

I was excited to get started! Karen and Kathy came over to help me. Eric was happy and thankful that they came to help so he could avoid all the "fun"!

We started by painting the wall the crib will be on pink. It's the wall on the right when you walk in the room. It's very pink! But I think we all agreed that it looked good. 4 walls of that color, however, would have been too much. Mom, you will be happy to know that Karen did all of the ladder work for that wall. I just painted along the trim on the bottom.


Kathy was kind enough to trace all of the circles on the other 3 walls (poor Kathy) and we started painting them. There are a LOT of circles! We definitely realized that this is going to be a multiple day project, but we got a good start. It takes patience to paint these circles. The picture on the left is a glimpse of what it is looking like. I'm really excited with the result so far.


I had to include this last picture too - Eric came by to help us clean up and Kathy snapped this photo of him. Look at the smirk! I think he is thinking, "ha! So glad I managed to get out of this one!"