Entries from April 2008 ↓

I was looking at the calendar tonight and realized something terribly ironic. My first (and only blissfully niave) pregnancy started to go wrong on May 3rd. I remember it so clearly… I was watching A Baby Story on TLC and went upstairs to go to the bathroom and saw the blood. I called my doctor and she said not to panic yet, and to take it easy. Well an hour later there was more, and then more, and then more. I bled all that night. The next day I was cramping so badly, and I knew something must be wrong. My doctor didn’t have patient hours that day, so I went to the E.R. That was the day I was told I was miscarrying my first child - May 4th, 2002. If all goes according to plan (and I dilate a little more), my doctor plans to induce me with this babe on May 4th, 2008. 6 years later to the date. Realizing that sort of threw me through a loop. I am not exactly sure how I feel about it. On one hand it feels like things have come kind of full circle - I always knew that babe was a girl, and now I’m about to have a healthy baby girl. On the other hand, it’s kind of freaky. I’m not superstitious, however it just has always been a terribly sad day for me. Hmmm… just thinking outloud here.

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a great Mother’s Day giveaway that lasts for 2 week!! Check it out, there are some really great prizes!

My kiddos and I make a weekly trip the library to attend Story Hour and to pick out some books to bring home with us. Every once in a while I’ll run across a children’s book that I think is definitely worthy of sharing. So I think when I one across one of those books, I’m going to give it props here on my blog. This will be my first.

Not a Box

By Antoinette Portis

The reason my son picked this book up in the first place was because he was attracted to the material the cover was made out of. It literally feels and looks as though it is a cardboard box. I wasn’t expecting a lot from the book before I read through it - it had one simple sentence on each page with simple line drawings. Boy, I don’t think I’ve ever been more wrong. A series of question are asked (presumably asked by an adult who isn’t in touch with his child-hood imagination) about the box and what the rabbit is doing with the box. He continues to insist it is not a box, becoming increasingly adamant about it throughout the book. On the pages where the questions are being asked, you see a simple black and white line drawing of a rabbit sitting/standing on a box. As he answers back each time that it is not a box, the illustrations continue to show the black line drawings of the rabbit and the box, however there are red line drawings drawn over the rabbit and his box of what he is imagining the box is. It was so incredibly simple and child-like that my children, ages 2 and 4, both could completely relate with it. My 4 year old loved that he could see the rabbit’s ‘magination’, and my 2 year old just loved that the box transformed into things like race cars. It just made sense to them. We read the book about 48 times before we finally had to return it to the library (after renewing it once), my children had every single page memorized. And I have to say that it was one of those books that even as an adult, you don’t get tired of reading. I fell in love with the book along with them. This was one of the most simple, fun, in-touch with childhood books I’ve read in a long time.

Thanks so much for thinking of me! I am sorry I couldn’t get on to update you. I went to my appt. and the doctor said I looked horrible - he checked me for any further dilation and there was none. But he said there was obviously something going on, so they tested my urine for ketones to see if I was dehydrated since I have been gradually getting sicker and sicker the past 4 days. As of yesterday it had been 24 hours since I was able to keep any food down. It came back saying I was seriously dehydrated so they sent me up to Maternity for 2 bags of fluids and Zofran through an IV. Then they made me stay until I could keep something down. They told me to come home home and lay down for the next 12 hours to recover and then to start walking and what not, to see if I could make any more progress. (The doctor told me he wants me to be at least 2 cms. on Sunday before he would induce me, so something better start changing in there! ) I was so exhausted, I actually listened to him and got straight in bed. The boys missed me so much, they got into bed with me and we watched Deal or No Deal (or as they call it, Yes Deal or No Deal) together and then we all went to bed together at 9. I was apparently exhausted and dehydrated because I never got up once to go pee AFTER 2 BAGS OF FLUID and 38 WEEKS PREGNANT in 10 hours! After I got those fluids, the cramping stopped completely, the contractions are less, and I just feel like a whole new woman. The doctor said it was a good thing I came in. I don’t care if I’m pregnant for another week or two if I feel like this. It’s just that I couldn’t keep doing it as miserable as I felt before. So there’s my update.

As you know, I’ve been getting increasingly more and more uncomfortable. I am to the point that I have not slept in 3 nights because I cannot sleep through the contractions/cramping/pressure. Last night for 6 hours they were 6 minutes apart. Also, last night the babe got on this nerve that makes my legs go from feeling like they’re in an oven, to feeling like they’re in the freezer and they tingle constantly. As of yesterday at lunch time, I haven’t been able to eat because I’m so sick to my stomach. Lots of painful contractions, but totally randomly and patternless. Still losing my mucous plug (what the heck am I - a mucous making machine?!) and spotting.

I just can’t take it anymore emotionally/physically with not sleeping. I am in constant pain. Granted, it is not intense pain (like actual labor), but it’s still hurting quite a bit! And the lack of sleep is starting to get to me.

 I debated calling the doctor, because really, what can they do to me? I was afraid they’d laugh and say “totally normal, what a wuss!”. Of course not to my face, but after I hung up. But I did anyway. They said I can go in at 2:30. So we’ll see what the doctor says. Please send progressing vibes my way - I totally do not want to hear that I am still at 1 after all this work!