Almost ready

Now that the house is under contract and through the BINSR period, the next thing to focus on is the birth of our little guy #2 (who still doesn’t have a name)….  I went in for my routine BPP (biophysical profile) last Thursday and they gave me a few 3D images of him!  It was the first 3D ultrasound I’d had with any of my kids so I was pretty excited about it.  He passed his BPP just fine, as he always has, thank God.

Today I had my NST and my OB appointment.  He had a few decels on the NST so they told me I’d have to go to the hospital for another NST and BPP to make sure everything was okay…  Grrr…  I told Mark as soon as I saw the decel on the print out for the NST that I would have to go to the hospital, and I was right.  I didn’t freak out this time though, like I did last time.  I was prepared for it.

I saw midwife Ingrid today and last time I saw a different midwife, she didn’t want to check me because she didn’t want to “disturb” anything, so I had assumed Ingrid would say the same thing.  Wrong.  She wanted to check me and then before she did that she asked me if I wanted her to strip my membranes while she was checking me.  I had this done with Abbie and remember it being not too bad, but when Dr Colwell checked me last week, it hurt, so I was nervous this time.  We decided to go ahead and do that, and it didn’t exactly tickle, but it wasn’t too bad either.  Just a lot of pressure and a little bit of pulling/pain.  It would be really nice if I could go into labor by myself without being induced but I’m not holding my breath.  And I was still at 3cm and she said I MIGHT be at a –1, and she’d say I’m more 50-60% effaced, so I’m apparently going backwards in progress…

Today the hospital visit took FOREVER.  I got there around 1:30 and didn’t leave until almost 6pm.  He passed the NST fine and also the BPP but it took a while to get called back and also for the doctors to review them after they were done.  He had the same decels on the hospital NST but they said they were normal movement decels and not anything to worry about.  Apparently for them to worry about them they have to drop over 15bpm for at least 15 beats and his weren’t doing either of those.  It would just dip a little bit after he had an accel before it reached his norm.  I had my favorite ultrasound tech this visit too and asked her if she saw any calcification on my placenta and she said she only saw a little bit which was normal at this stage in my pregnancy and that was reassuring as well.

I am nervous about having this little guy.  At my growth scan on Thursday he measured 7lbs5oz (at 37weeks4day) so that was a little reassuring.  Much better than the 9lb12oz they told me Ben was at 38weeks.  Even if they’re over a lb off he’ll still be smaller than Ben was and Ben came out pretty easily.  I know my OB wants to break my water to kick off labor and that makes me a little nervous.  They did that when I was having Abbie, and it did kick off labor pretty well, but 10+ hours of laboring and I was only 1cm more dilated and then had to be put on pitocin (and got an epidural) and had her like 8+ hrs after that.  With Ben, I got all checked in and got induced with pitocin and less than 6 hours later with 15 seconds of pushing he was here.  So part of me just wants to do the pitocin again since that was by far my easier birth experience, but it was also my 2nd birth experience which is typically easier than your first.  I talked to one of the nurses at the hospital today and she said that it’s more common for them to break waters to induce if you’re already dilated so they’d probably do that and then use pitocin later if needed.  She also said since my OB wants me here at 1am and probably doesn’t come on call until 7am, that if they start off with pitocin right away, I might not make it until my OB gets there since it worked so well last time.

Pretty much I just want the birth over with and all the “unknowns” of this birth to be behind me.  I’m done with having GD too and I’m tired of having a few friends basically keep telling me it’s not a huge deal having GD and I just need to deal with it because things could be a lot worse.  Yes, I realize things could be worse, but I’ve struggled with GD and I don’t do well with diets or with having the same foods I’ve had before and have them give me completely different blood sugars.  If it weren’t for GD I’d stay pregnant a few more weeks with no problem.  I’m fine with baby boy being inside.  I’m tired of dealing with GD, and because of that, I want this pregnancy over.  It’s crazy to think that this time next week I’ll hopefully be holding my brand new little boy!  I’m excited to be a family of 5!!

Falling into place

Life just seems to be flying by right now and we have so many changes coming up in a short amount of time.  It’s been a bit challenging, but everything seems to be falling into place.  It’s almost a bit scary and I’m kind of waiting for something to go wrong as it kind of seems too good to be true.

These past few weeks for my business have been really good.  I’ve gotten all 3 of my listing under contract in the last few weeks, while I was trying to get my own house ready to list at the same time.  One of the houses I listed had a full priced offer in under 48 hrs.  All three of them are due to close in May, along with a referral that I gave Sean.  It’ll be so nice to be able to build my work savings account before I stop working when we move.

We listed our house last Friday and 6 days later we also received a full priced offer on it, with a closing date that will work perfectly with our move.  Granted, we have a long way to go before we seal the deal, but it is encouraging (and terrifying).  There are 2 other houses in our neighborhood that have our exact floor plan that have been for sale for 48+ and 65+ days and are still on the market.  I truly think the sod we had installed (top picture) is what helped us sell the house.  We had 3 showings and they all mentioned how they loved the back yard.  It’s a relief to already have the house under contract, but I know we have a long way to go to closing.  Hopefully everything will work out.

 

Mark has been flying nights the past 2 weeks and has a few more weeks to go.  I HATE night weeks.  He goes in to work around 2pm and usually doesn’t get home until after 11pm.  With being almost 37 weeks pregnant, I don’t have a lot of energy to make dinner and deal with the kids by myself, and they have SO much energy.  I lose my patience with them a lot and then I feel guilty for doing so.  Nights seem to go so much smoother with Mark around and it’s really tough for me now without him most nights.  Seems a lot more bearable when he’s around anyway.  Luckily Mark’s brother gets here on Monday and then for the next month we’ll have guests, so I won’t be alone doing night time routines anymore.

It’s still a little weird to me that in the midst of all of this other stuff going on, we’re going to have a baby sometime in the next few weeks.  I get a little nervous about his birth when I think about it.  Hopefully he won’t have issues after he’s born because of my diabetes.  Today my numbers have been all over the place (with my highest reading yet at 213….) and it makes me worry about him having issues with his sugar or breathing after he’s born.  I’ve talked to a few dietitians today and my normal one said she thinks it’s all the stress.  I’ve been trying to drink more water as well, since that’s supposed to help lower blood sugar.  I think I always get more nervous about giving birth the closer I get to having babies.  And now that I already have 2 kids and know what it’s like, it adds to my nervousness.  I’ve heard lots of stories from friends about what has gone wrong with their births so I’m not as naive as I was when I had Abbie.    I’m hoping my good luck hasn’t run out with everything else going on, and that the birth will go smoothly and baby #3 will be healthy.  (And we’ll actually come up with a name shortly after he’s born.)

I’m really hoping after the move and after I’m not working outside the home any more, I’ll be able to keep up with this blog more often.  I feel like Benji got a little bit jipped since I didn’t blog much at all last year and I haven’t done much this year either.  If everything with my job and selling our house goes well and according to plan, I’m going to be upgrading my dSLR again (and keeping up with the tradition of upgrading it every time we have a kid), so I’m really looking forward to that and hopefully I’ll be able to take my photography to a new level.  First things first though!

BUMPDATE: 36.5 weeks

 

How Far Along? 36.5 weeks

Size of Baby? I’m not sure, but he feels big…

Maternity Clothes? My maternity clothes are starting not to fit..

Weight Gain? I’ve been losing weight these past few weeks.  I think I’m around 14-15lbs up now.

Stretch Marks/belly button? No change.  I have them.  They’re not going away.  Hopefully I won’t get too many more.

Baby’s Sex? Still a boy.  Still don’t have a name picked out which still annoys me.

Sleep? These past few nights I’ve actually slept almost all the way through the night.  I wake up around 5-6am sometimes to pee and then go back to bed until 8:30-9am.  Yes, I’m lucky Ben lets me sleep that long and Mark takes Abbie to school…

Food Cravings? To just eat normally.  We ate at Smashburger the other day and I had 5 teaspoon fulls of a chocolate oreo milkshake which made my blood sugar spike big time.  It was around 160 at 2 hrs.  (Supposed to be under 120…)  Speaking of my sugars, they’re a bit all over the place.  My after dinner numbers have consistently been higher lately – in the 140’s – 170’s.  I’m currently taking 3.75mg. of Glyburide before breakfast and before dinner.  Sometimes by after breakfast numbers have been a little high too (130-140’s).  They’re all supposed to be under 120 after 2 hrs.  Things that I can eat sometimes that give me decent numbers make them high the next time I eat them, so I’m not sure how to deal with it.  A lot of it is that I don’t have the energy to make food – specifically cooking proteins – right now.  All I know is that someone better bring me a chocolate oreo milkshake, or Cold Stone’s Chocolate Devotion, and a fountain Pepsi in the hospital.  I’m over this diet.

Best Moment This Week? He passed the NST and BPP’s these past 2 weeks fine.

What I am loving? Being out of the hospital…. Landed myself in the hospital for 3 nights with yet ANOTHER kidney infection just before 35 weeks.  I’m not sure how I keep getting these, but it wasn’t fun.  I went in on a Thursday night because I had a slight temp and some back/ flank pain, so I went to triage and they said I had another infection.  Thursday night I got worse and had a temp up to 103 and kept getting chills and then sweating and that kept up for all of Friday.  Friday night I finally got rid of my fever for good (like around 4am), but I had to be 24 hrs fever free before they’d let me out so I didn’t get out until Sunday afternoon around 1pm (Easter Sunday).  I was prepared to spend the night in the hospital this time, but not 3 nights, but I know I wouldn’t have been able to rest like I did in the hospital if I was home around the kids.  Now I’m on a low dose antibiotic until I deliver to prevent me from having another one.

Movement? Yep… he moves all the time.  And sometimes it hurts because he’s kicking and stretching or something.  He’s running out of room in there for sure. 

What I’m looking forward to: Having him.  And being able to eat whatever I want and being able to move without being in pain.  T-17 days…. at the most.

Other Updates…  Dr Colwell checked me at my 36 week appt and I was 3cm dilated, 80% effaced and he was at –1.  We were supposed to go to CA to check out our new base/area and she told me not to go, so we cancelled the trip.  I’ve been having some decent contractions.  They don’t hurt, but they make it hard to breathe.  I’ve had a few back contractions also, which is a first.  Today I had a contraction that was both front and back, for the first time.  I am really hoping that I have him next week.  I’m going to start walking more, which typically gives me pretty good contractions, so hopefully it’ll be enough to kick of labor.  I’m having more pelvic pain also so I feel like he’s dropped even more.  Cooking dinner is a pretty big chore now and I have to sit down a few times, at least, when I’m cooking to catch a breather.  All this while keeping our house clean for showings… Not sure life will be much easier with a newborn though, but at least my mom will be here to help next Thursday!!

Bumpdate: 34 weeks

How Far Along? 34 weeks

Size of Baby? At my growth scan last week, he was measuring in the 60 percentile -  about a week ahead – and was roughly 5.5lbs

Maternity Clothes? Of course, although all of my tank tops aren’t maternity – they’re just stretchy and I live in them now.

Weight Gain? Around 16lbs still.  I haven’t really gained any weight in the last few weeks thanks to this great diet…

Stretch Marks/belly button? No change.  I have them.  They’re not going away.  Hopefully I won’t get too many more.

Baby’s Sex? Still a boy.  Still don’t have a name picked out which still annoys me.

Sleep? Sleep is getting harder for me now.  I was thinking that I wouldn’t have issues this pregnancy.  I was wrong.  I have to pee at least once or twice and I wake up multiple times a night because my hips hurt so bad and then I have to try to roll over in bed and rearrange my pillows without getting shooting crotch pains.  It’s fun.  And I’m hotter than hell most of the time too.  And when I do get up to pee I have to wait for my hips to clunk into place before I feel stable enough to walk.  Fun times!

Food Cravings? Yes, a zillion things.  That’s what a restricted diet does to you – makes you crave everything you can’t/shouldn’t have.

Best Moment This Week? Him passing the NST in 20 mins and me not having to sit there for 40 mins hooked to the machine and then having to go to the hospital for another 2 hours to be monitored there…  What a pain!

What I am loving? Feeling him move a lot.  And he gets the hiccups quite frequently.  And he already has hair according to the ultrasound tech!

Movement? Yep… he moves all the time.  And sometimes it hurts because he’s kicking and stretching or something.  He’s running out of room in there for sure.

What I’m looking forward to: Having him.  And being able to eat whatever I want again and not have to worry about spiking my blood sugar or testing 4 times a day or taking meds for it.  5 weeks or less to go!

Other Updates…  His room is all ready for him, although he probably won’t use it before we leave.  With all the commotion with getting our assignment and having to get the house ready to list and figuring all that stuff out, having a baby is about the last thing on my mind, which is a little scary since he’ll be here in less than 5 weeks!  My OB won’t let me go past 39 weeks due to my diabetes so it’ll be here before I know it!!  I’m excited to meet him though!

And we’re off to…..

After waiting WAY too long to finally get our assignment that we thought we’d have before the end of February, we finally found out towards the end of March that Mark is being assigned to Edwards AFB in CA!

Mark and I were both getting pretty anxious, mainly because we were thinking he was going to get sent to Korea for a remote tour for a year by himself and I was about making myself sick thinking about the possibility of being a single parent to 3 kids and 3 dogs for a whole year and him missing the first year of #3’s life.  We would have gotten through it, I’m sure, but it was definitely wasn’t our first choice by any stretch of anyone’s imagination.

We were also thinking getting sent to Holloman AFB in NM would have been a good possibility since they’re opening up squadrons there.  I kept telling Mark that I had a feeling this assignment was going to come out of left field, and it sure did.

Edwards is the home of TPS – test pilot school – which Mark applied to last year and didn’t get chosen for.  When he first filled out his “dream sheet” for the assignments of his choice, he had put Edwards at the top, in hopes that he could go there and apply for TPS again and get another shot at it.  After we discussed it at length, we realized that he probably didn’t get chosen because of his time in service – he’s been in too long and doesn’t have much left on his commitment.  We decided that maybe it would be best if he put F-35’s first, solely because we could stay here at Luke and I wouldn’t have to quit my job and we wouldn’t have to sell our house.  So he completely changed everything on his dream sheet, although we think the porch (the fighter porch is the place that gives out all the assignments) might have gotten his initial one and his revised one, which could be why he got Edwards.

So Mark called me from work and said “I got my assignment.”  I knew right away by the way he said that that it wasn’t Korea, so at that point I didn’t even care where we were headed.  I was just so relieved!  And then he told me he got Edwards and we were both a little shocked but not in a bad way.  Edwards just wasn’t on our radar anymore and we were totally thinking we’d get sent to Holloman or Korea, or possibly stay at Luke.  Mark is excited to be around the test world though, even if he can’t be a test pilot.  He pretty much always has a good attitude about anything that’s thrown at him though, and he would have found something good about any place he’d been assigned to, with the exception of a remote tour.

**Photos taken March 2014**

We are still working on the dates we will be moving, which is stressing me out quite a bit due to the fact that we have to sell our house and moving into temporary lodging with 3 dogs, 2 kids and a newborn sounds like absolutely no fun whatsoever to me, but it’s all temporary and we’ll get through it some how.  At least he’s not going to Korea!