Last 2 week OB appt.

Today Wade and I went to our last 2 week OB appt. It's now every week. I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. I'm trying to cherish every little movement I feel in there (even if they're pretty uncomfortable at times) because I realize that this will be the last few weeks I get to carry this sweet Baby and feel every little move. Soon, I'll have to share (typed while grimacing.) Anyway, Dr. Shiflett said everything looks good. My BP was perfect, weight was good, etc. Also, Rookie's heartrate was 150 which, if going by the old wives' tales, hints at a girl. Everytime they check the heartrate and it's above 140 (supposedly means girl) Wade just raises his eyebrows as if to say, "Told you so." I still think it's a boy though.
Last week was our first shower. I'm behind on updating pics because Wade and I opted to have an extreme lazy weekend filled with eating, laughing, napping, and FOOTBALL! We were happily unproductive. It's one of the last weekends before we take on the "parent role" that we have free so we took full advantage. Will update pics as soon as I have a day off!

Prayer Request

Dear God,

We don't care if you bring us a sweet little boy or a darling princess but please, oh please, let them like football as much as dear old Mom and Dad. If not, he/she has alot of boring falls in his/her future. And if you have a little extra time up there, please let the Saints win this Sunday.

Thanks,

Sara

Not so tough anymore

Yesterday, at work, I was minding my own business, running around like a chicken with my head cut off (as usual), when I started feeling really dizzy. I usually eat breakfast at 6:00 then need some little snack around 10:00 or so before lunch. Well, yesterday was mass chaos in the PICU and there was no time for a snack (to say the least.) I started losing vision in my right eye and was seeing spots. If you know me, you know that I'm quite the stubborn girl. I kept trying to work and even tried just closing my right eye for a while to refocus. I told one of my co-workers I wasn't feeling real sporty and that I'd be right back. I ran in the break room and downed a little thing of Frosted Flakes which were innocently sitting on the table (if you are reading this and they were your FF, I apologize. I was a little out of my head.) Anyway, I ran back out and was trying to give this wild kid some sedation when almost all my vision left. I was so frustrated because the IV pump kept telling me some message (that I couldn't really read) and wouldn't give him the damn sedation! Finally, I decided maybe I could use a little help. After asking Nikki (our wonderful charge nurse) to just come over for a minute, I walked to the back to sit down for a minute. I kept thinking that if I would just cool off and eat some sugar, I'd be fine to work the rest of the day. Well, ten minutes, one juice, lots of water, and a few graham crackers later, I wasn't feeling too much better. I would have still been fine with that but by the time my head stopped spinning, I realized I hadn't felt the Rookie kick in a while and that DID scare me. I tried all the techniques they say to do to make it start moving, but to no avail. My boss rolled a wheelchair in and stated that we were going down to OB receiving. Can I just tell you how relieved I am that I work in the hospital where I'm going to deliver? My doctor was minutes away. By the time they strapped me to the monitor, Wade was by my side. Hearing that strong heartbeat was such a load off our shoulders. The baby looked fine and they said it must have been napping because the heartbeat indicated it was "very happy in there." They did check a finger stick (my glucose) but assumed it would be falsely high since I'd just ingested all that sugar. It came back at 127 which is not exactly high and we were all a bit morbidly curious what it would have been before my "sugar resusitation." Anyway, I also ended up getting another EKG and had to have my first "exam." I was supposed to have one more free doctor's visit before these started but apparently that's not the way I roll. The only concerning part was that they saw contractions on the monitor. They told me sometimes you have contractions when you don't feel good so they needed to check me further to make sure I wasn't in preterm labor. With the check, they discovered I was "slightly" dilated and 50% effaced (10 cm and 100% means you're about to deliver). They were slightly surprised by this but didn't seem overly panicked. They sent lab work that would further reveal if I was in pre-term labor and it was negative. I told Dr. Shiflett I would prefer waiting another 7 weeks, thank you very much. We were sent home with the instructions to take it easy this weekend and watch myself better while at work. I will do anything they tell me to at this point. I just don't want bed rest. I have just felt so healthy this pregnancy (with the exception of that silly effusion at the beginning) and it's hard to slow down. Enough about that though. Yesterday was chalked up in the Watts' family as a good day. Besides finding out Rook's not coming quite yet, we also got some bigger news....

My Mom has not felt good this past week. She's been short of breath and just tired, in general. After an X-ray with her oncologist revealed more "spots" on the base of her lung, we braced for the worst. If you've followed my Mom's progress, we have received virtually no GOOD medical news since January. She was sent to the pulmonologist in Tupelo to look at her CT and do a bronch (camera down her airway to look at the inside of her lungs.) Anyway, when I got out of OB receiving I got a groggy phone call from Mom. She was told that the spots on the base looked simply like an infection and, here's the biggest part......(drum roll).....Out of the 5 spots that were originally on her lung, only 3 could be appreciated. The chemo could actually be working even after all the problems! Mom informed us that, "We may have to keep her longer than we originally thought!" Our goal when she was diagnosed was to make it to November to hold her first grandchild. Don't want to jinx anything, but we feel like we've got that goal all but sealed up. Now, moving on to the next goal: Rookie's baptism. We're taking baby steps around here!

Rook's First LSU game!

This past Saturday, Wade and I drove down to Baton Rouge for the Rookie's first LSU game. It's probably going to be his/her last game for a few years too as we quietly observed many children tailgating (not so patiently) with their parents. We were glad Rook didn't have much choice in the matter about tailgating all day, staying for the entire game, etc. A friend of Wade's has 3 little girls. He's told each of them that they don't get to go with Daddy to their first LSU game until after they turn 5. This is a big milestone in their family and the girl's apparently ask all year when it will be THEIR turn. Well, it was finally time for the middle daughter's turn this week. She was so excited until she realized it was actually more sitting around than playing and clung to Daddy's leg during the entire tailgating festivities. Wild horses (or cookies) couldn't drag her away from him. I tried. Anyway, their seats ended up being a few rows above ours and we saw them leaving right when the second quarter started. I would have died but he just patiently carried his "big girl" down the bleachers at her first LSU game. Wade and I decided, on the spot, our child's magic LSU game age would have to be closer to 7 or so because neither Momma or Daddy want to leave the game early!

The three of us tailgating pre-game

Rookie didn't have the best seats in the stadium but we didn't hear one complaint from him/her the entire game! What a good baby!

As soon as the Golden Band from Tiger Land got started, Rookie started dancing. I truly don't think Rook sat still the entire game. I was praying that means he/she will love football and was all geared up (instead of mad at me for dragging him/her to the game and showing me his/her disapproval by lots of kicks and flips.)

LSU didn't look great but they pulled out a victory. Maybe the Rook is a good luck charm!

Rook's first LSU game was quite the success even if it did pour down rain for half of the game!

On Saturday, we drove over to my Uncle and Aunt's house to watch the Saints game and eat some fabulous crab and shrimp pasta. The Rookie also kicked during the entire Saints game. I'm taking that as a good sign. Here's a crazy story though about my beloved Saints:

I have been a die-hard Saints fan since I was about 7 years old. It was my Dad and my "thing" to come home from church, eat lunch, and plop in front of the tube to watch the Dome Patrol play. My Dad traveled alot so this was sacred bonding time. I guess that's why I was so crazy about them. Anyway, since that age, I used to swear the Saints were waiting to win the Super Bowl until the best year of my life which would be when my first child was born. Could this possibly be THE YEAR??? I've waited 30 years for my first born and 23 equally long years for the Saints to pull this off. Please be good to me, Drew Brees!

No turning back now!

That's what our Lamaze instructors told us when they "let" us view some graphic pictures in class this week. Can I just say, "EWWWW."

Tomorrow I will officially be 7 months preggers! We cannot believe there will be a new person here in around two months. I say AROUND because in Lamaze they have preached to us that 38 weeks is term but not optimal (against popular belief) so don't hope for that. At UMC, they play a little more conservative and will, indeed, let you go to 42 weeks if everything is stable. I just want whatever works best for the Rook and I REALLY don't want to be induced even if it means hauling around 25 pounds of baby for a few more weeks. I can say that now because I'm still sleeping well and not too uncomfortable. I think I'm in the "fun part of pregnancy" that people refer to in the 2nd trimester. I just didn't feel prego in the 2nd trimester so I couldn't really relate. Now, not only do I feel/look pregnant, but I still feel good enough to enjoy it.

Anyway, we had our maternity photo shoot with Jeanelle Caraway yesterday and I cannot wait to see all of them. She did put a sneak peek on my facebook page. She took between 100-200 pics in 4 different outfits (yep, I made Wade change 4 times too) in lots of different locations. Some were close-up, some far away, some are bare belly, about half with Wade, some casual, some a little more creative. Here are the sneak peek pics she sent me and the rest of the album should be e-mailed to me in 1-2 weeks so that we can order. These are tiny and I don't know if you can get them any bigger so I recommend (if you want to see them) going to my facebook profile page. You can click on them there. Oh and, by the way, the "pregnancy mug shots" (as Wade so fondly calls them) were taken at home prior to the shoot. My make-up looked fabulous thanks to Amy Head studios. Don't think for one second that this tomboy coulda done that on her own!

Just for the record...

Lindsay and Mollie, my two girl besties (not including my Mom), went walking yesterday. We walked....and walked....and walked. We walked from the Reservoir to Renaissance and back. It was a total of around 9 miles. However, don't let us fool you. It took about 3 1/2 hours and we didn't just walk to Ren. We actually walked straight to Maggie Moo's ice cream and I had two scoops of choc with Reese's pieces. Anyway, let me tell you that folks can talk about some random stuff on a 9 mile walk. I would compare it to working night shifts in the PICU (which I haven' t done in about 6 years, but I remember. Oh, do I remember.) You would leave work at 7:30 a.m., go home, eat "dinner", sleep a few hours, and wake up. I remember several times waking up and thinking, "OMG, did I really tell my co-worker (who isn't my best friend or even a close friend) all those things at 2:00 this morning?" Anyway, I digress...

This post is for you Lindsay and Mollie. This should clear a few things up...

--"The linea alba is a fibrous structure that runs down the midline of the abdomen in humans and other vertebrates. The name means white line and the linea alba is indeed white, being composed mostly of collagen connective tissue.
It is formed by the fusion of the aponeuroses of the abdominal muscles, and it separates the left and right rectus abdominis muscles. In muscular individuals its presence can be seen on the skin, forming the depression between the left and right halves of a "six pack.""--Wikipedia

--Linea nigra is that dark (sometimes crooked, and that's okay) line that runs up a prego girl's belly.

--The Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner, does spell her name with an A! I googled.

Lindsay, one day you'll realize that I haven't been wrong in 30 years and you should just quit trying to dispute me. Until then, bless your little soul.

The changes of the Home Team

Everyday when I pull into the garage after a long day at work, Wade opens the door and, with a big smile, "helps" with my purse and lunch bag which are on the passenger seat. Before flu season, he used to give me a big hug and kiss (now, I run inside without touching anything and shower first.) Anyway, I started thinking the other day how in a few months, he will be greeting me at the door with our baby in his arms. I think that's pretty cool.

Just gotta laugh...

Every morning I wake up and another article of clothing (or ten) don't fit. I just gotta laugh about it. I like to think that Rookie's laughing a little devilish laugh with me.

...and we keep growing and growing and growing.

We had our doctor's appt. yesterday and everything went great. Again, Rook's heart rate is staying steady at 140 and strong. It sounds like he/she is working so hard in there! I am still measuring exactly right--30 cm. Dr. Shiflett says she expects I'll gain another 15 pounds or so. I told her that I already felt rather large and that 15 pounds just didn't seem possible. She assured me that it was, indeed, possible. I went home and ate ice cream before bed so I guess she knows what she's talking about. Anyway, my diabetic test was fine, blood pressure was fine, and blood level (hematocrit) was fine so I don't have to take iron supplements (thank God!)

We had our first Lamaze class last night too. Can I just say: I heart Lamaze. Not only was it relaxing but extremely informative too. I didn't realize quite how stupid I was with all this labor stuff. I was shocked to learn that I was the only one in the class that is going to even try to labor without an epidural. That makes me sad. I don't know that I won't have to have an epidural. I realize this is like no pain I've ever felt before but I'd like to at least try. Wade is not convinced at this time b/c as I have mentioned, his heart literally breaks if he sees me get a nosebleed. It just kills him to see me "in pain" (though I have assured him that nosebleeds are completely painless!) We'll see though.

I have to work all Labor Day weekend and Monday. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and holiday. I'll be sitting pretty in a climate controlled unit with my only Vitamin D coming through the window. I'll be happy if I'm at least sitting though. Probably wishful thinking...