Mr. Mom is Amazing!

Every day this week has felt like Groundhog Day. I guess I should get used to it. I wake up, shower, get breakfast and fill up my gigantic water jug, head to the couch, hang out there and work for a few hours, eat lunch, back to the couch, you get the picture. Life is pretty mundane, but I know I'm doing all that I can to take care of this sweet baby girl.

The great thing is that J.K. has been a very well-behaved toddler as of late. It's as though he understands that Mommy really needs him to follow the rules. Mr. Mom (aka: hubby) has been AMAZING!! The man is doing everything, from cleaning the house to bathing J.K. and getting him ready for bed and all of the stuff in between. I have no right to ever complain about my wonderful husband, if I do somebody hit me! I really don't deserve to have a man like him. I'm constantly apologizing for not being able to help and he just tells me that I'm doing everything he can't do. I LOVE that man! As I type he's cooking spaghetti w/Italian sausage and straightenig the house at the same time. Did I mention I LOVE him?

An Update from the Couch Potato

Today has been a fantastic day, but it didn't start that way. I was an emotional wreck this morning. My appointment with the perinatologist (high risk OB) was at 10 a.m. I was terrified. I tried praying, I tried listening. It ended in me as a sobbing mess on the bathroom floor. The last time I felt that helpless was 3 1/2 years ago when Olivia was in the hospital. The fear was too much and the waiting had taken it's toll. My hubby immediately calmed my fears, pulled me off the bathroom floor and we made our way to the doctor's office.

I always stress and worry for nothing, but don't we all. My appointment went very well. The placental bleed, or subchorionic hematoma, has gotten smaller. Last Wednesday it measured 6 cm. and today it was 5.4. A great sign that bed rest is working. The baby is growing at an above-average rate, 63rd percentile to be exact! The peri explained that they measure the liver to ensure that baby is receiving the proper amount of blood and nutrients. Our baby's liver measured in the 83rd percentile. I never knew I could be so happy about a healthy liver! According to everything that the doctor saw today she said that I'm at a low risk for preterm labor and placental abrution. She believes that the bleed will continue to diminish in size and that our baby will continue to grow at a healthy rate. So like I said, all that worry and stress for NOTHING! Oh me of little faith!

So, now for the really fun news! We were finally able to find out what we're having and it looks like J.K. is going to have a baby.....SISTER!!! We are so happy and relieved to know that she's healthy!

Listening

Is it my conscience or is it Him? That ever still voice saying so clearly, "Calm down. Your baby will be okay. I'm in contol. You and the baby will make it through this." These words come to me when everything gets quiet. I pray, pray and pray some more until it's as though He says, okay I've heard you, now you listen to me. I know where that voice is coming from. I believe it. I know this baby is going to be okay. I know He will get me through. Now I'll pray that I can continue to have a spirit that is willing to listen.

Thank you to all of you who have left such wonderful comments. Your support and prayers mean more than you know. I'm feeling well. I'll go to see a specialist this Tuesday for a second opinion. I'm looking forward to this appointment and dreading it at the same time. My doctor has assured me that this meeting will give me even more confidence in the situation and I trust her. However, I have my moments. So I guess I'll just keep praying and keep listening.

On a side note, I haven't had the chance to take any pictures of J.K. lately, but I'll do all that I can to post some shots of the crazy toddler soon. He has kept my spirits up through this whole ordeal. It amazes me when I think back to the days that I was in this same position with him. He sustained us then and He'll sustain us now. Thank God for peace beyond all understanding.

Oh, and I believe my conscience and His voice are all one in the same.

I pray..

As I lie on my couch in the comfort of my home, enjoying my fresh water, heat and electricity, I think of how blessed I am. I watch on tv the horror that is occuring in the country of Haiti and want so badly to do something. So I donate and pray because that's all I can do. I pray for those Mothers and Fathers who have lost their children or can't find their children. I pray that God will give them peace despite the hopelessness they feel. I pray for those children who are now orphaned and just want their Mommy or Daddy. I pray for all of those sleeping on the streets wondering when they'll find their next drink of water or meal. I pray for those amazing men and women who are there on the ground responding to this disaster. I pray that we continue to act. I pray that we don't forget the people of Haiti after the story is "old news". I pray for Haiti and know that our God is gracious and good even when our lives are in chaos. I pray for them.

Not the News We Were Hoping For

Our appointment didn't go as well as we'd hoped. I was officially put on bed rest starting today and we were unable to see if the baby was a boy or girl. During the ultrasound we found that the once small placental bleed I had has now doubled in size. The bleed is currently about 6 cm and our hope is that with bed rest it will shrink in size. The concern is that the bleed could cause problems with the baby's growth.

The good news is that the baby is right on track and very healthy. My doctor reassured me that she's seen this numerous times and has always delivered healthy babies. We were also relieved to see that the cervical length was great and we don't have any problems in that area. So there are a few praises despite the initial news.

We were prepared to have problems with the cervical length or pre-term contractions since they are the issues I've always dealt with. I was prepared for bed rest at 22 weeks. I wasn't prepared to hear that there was a problem with the placenta and that bed rest would begin immediately at 17 weeks. However, despite the fact that we've had one more issue added to the plate I'm still at peace. My prayer is that He will heal the bleed and give us the strength we need to take each step of this journey. I know that our faith will sustain us throughout.

We ask for your prayers as we process this information and do all we can to make sure our baby is born healthy and happy.

Today MAY Be the BIG Day!

That's right, there's a very good chance that we'll find out if we'll welcome a baby boy or girl into our little family. I can honestly say that I really don't care either way. I just want a happy and healthy baby. Please say a prayer that there's been no change in my cervical length and that I can stay on my feet for a few more weeks. I've been doing great so far and have no reason to suspect otherwise, but given my history ultrasounds make me a little nervous. Thanks for your support and I'll report back later this evening with any news!

Our Pipes Hate Us

Early last week Birmingham was preparing for Winter Storm 2010! The meteorologists made the mistake of mentioning the chance of snow for this past Thursday and it all went downhill from there. The entire city was preparing for a blizzard, which obviously means that every grocery store was soon out of milk, bread, beer and toilet paper. So, Thursday came and went and not an inch of snow. We did get snow, but of course during a five day spell of below freezing temps the mercury actually rose to a balmy 36 degrees forbidding the frozen stuff to stick. I must admit, I was secretly disappointed, mainly because I was dreaming of one more short work week.

The disappointment of no snow isn't where this sad story ends. It turns out our plumbing wasn't meant to sustain five straight days of below freezing temps, especially those that drop into the single digits. I woke up bright and early Saturday morning to my hubby yelling something about not having any water. Yep, our pipes had frozen over night. So handy hubby and Dad the plumber joined their forces to thaw the pipes, but their efforts were futile against Jack Frost. We decided it would be best to spend a few days at the parents' house, a day without water was more than I could handle. As luck would have it, as soon as I'd finished packing bags for the entire fam, the temp rose above freezing and miraculously we had WATER!! Hallelujah I never knew I'd be so happy to see a running faucet or a toilet flush!

Oh, you think that's the end? HA!! No ma'am/sir. Think again. So, later that evening I noticed that the toilet won't flush. What? But the pipes thawed. So hubby proceeds to use the plunger and I notice a strange sound. Why was the shower drain gurgling? Well, my friends that would be because the sewer decided to back up! No, it has nothing to do with the freezing temps and no I'm not joking. Yes, we did spend a day without water, only to have it end with a major sewer problem.

The highlight of this story? This would be one of those days that I'm ever so grateful to have a plumber for a Dad! Tomorrow will be spent cleaning out sewers and praying that we don't have to dig up the backyard. I'm really trying to figure out exactly what we did to tick off the pipe gods!

2010: A farm visit, exploring and spelunking

Happy New Year! I don't know how many times I've said, "I can't believe it's 2010!" It seems like it was just yesterday when we were all waiting for computers to crash and the world to stop spinning as Y2K approached. Here we are, 10 years later, computers are still going and the world's still spinning. I'm hoping to have some quiet time in the next day or so to write a post about how much our life has changed over the past decade, but that wouldn't be possible right now. I currently have a 2-year-old trying to take over the keyboard. So for now, we'll just take a look back at our week of vacation. The hubby and I have had a blast spoiling J.K. all week. We've visited the Avery farm, played at the McWane Center, quietly rang in the new year and we'll be heading to iJump for some bouncy fun later this morning.


This is one of my favorite new pictures of J.K. with his Daddy and Uncle George walking out to check on the cows.


This jersey bull (I think that's right George) was extremely gentle with J.K. He was the only one that would let the crazy toddler get anywhere near him. I don't know who was braver, the bull or J.K.!


Another shot with the hubby, J.K. and the bull.


The classic petting the horsey picture.


We spent a few hours at the McWane Center, a science and discovery children's museum here in Birmingham. J.K. loved the water table.


Finally, last night I made a "cave" for J.K. to crawl through out of couch cushions. I thought he needed a head lamp to be a true spelunker!