Let's get the show on the road!

I didn’t think I’d be ever saying this, but miraculously we’ve made it to full term on the longest pregnancy known to man. Yeppers, you read that right. This baby could be born today and (crossing fingers) would go home with me tomorrow! But let’s not jump the gun here.

As a typical hormonal pregnant mommy, I’m actually feeling pretty darn emo. I guess when I went into labor at 23 weeks, I assumed that I would be meeting this bambino a lot sooner than now. The past 14 weeks have been rough. I’ve seen a 1.5 lb baby, and that’s rougher. The shots, bed rest, meds, compression stockings, dr. appointments every week, diet, inability to exercise, heartburn and nausea, 1000 daily contractions…they all did their best to bring us down. But God’s grace held us up. Our little family of 4 is stronger thanks to the presence of another human being who has yet to show his face.

So what’s next? I know it’ll be hard. The kids will be jealous and vying for my hugely sleep deprived attention. Our house will be in shambles and we’ll eat pizza every night. The TV will replace me on the floor, playing and breaking up fights over who gets which toy. Eli will come home after work to start his second job of picking up my slack. I’ll be sore, cranky and relearning how to nurse and get a baby to sleep. However, pulling together as a team, each one of us will learn how to adjust and enjoy the new family dynamic. Even though these are small sufferings, they'll still bring us closer to Christ. We look forward to giving more of ourselves and become servants, just as Jesus called us to do. Our kids are especially blessed because from such a young age they naturally learn the virtues--Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance, Prudence.

Our latest sonogram measures the baby to be 7 lbs, and I’m fully effaced and dilated 2 cm. Let’s get this show on the road! We can't wait to meet you baby and find out if you're a boy or a girl. But baby, could you just wait until after this Thursday? We're a bit busy this week:)

Pregnancy Update

We have made it to 25 weeks! Three weeks past the scary false labor.

Since then I've been instructed to follow a modified bedrest plan, which basically allows me do anything sitting or laying down. No working out, no bending down, no lifting things heavier than a gallon of milk, and walking as needed. I have slowly started to regain my strength from slashing my super-active lifestyle to resting 24/7. Physically I feel better than before, but my emotions were totally battered. It was devastating to have such a change in routine, and the kids rebelled with all their might! My faith and relationships always strengthen during these life challenges. I have had to rely on Eli like never before, and he has stepped up like a champ. We've become rather resourceful when it comes to me continuing to run a household and raise children from a chair. It took awhile, but the kids have started to adjust to being at the house more and not being picked up all the time. Plus my sister comes over about 4 hours a week to help with chores that are too hard. We're going to get through this!

At last week's dr. appt, I took the fetal fibronectin test which checks to see if there are certain proteins present which indicate an increased risk for preterm labor. I've been having cramping, pressure, and tightening, and it's difficult to know if I'm actually in labor. The test came back negative, determining with 99% accuracy that for the next two weeks, I will not go into labor!! Yay! We also had a sonogram which showed that I am not dilating any more than at 23 wks. Negative tests results would have had me on bedrest perhaps in the hospital with steroid shots to strengthen the baby's lungs.

The next challenge is to keep the baby under 9 lbs. to avoid a c-section.

Thank you for the prayers...keep them up! We can't wait to meet this sweet tiny baby!

sisters

I get the feeling that Emily would like for the ol' bun in the oven to be female. I'm not sure how I got the clue. Perhaps it's because she calls Leo her little sister, or it could be that pesky daily dressup where she prefers him in heels and pearls. Some of you may know my husband--definitely the girly type who embraces the whole princess theme. There's no way he would suggest trucks, balls, or wrestling to his son in lieu of tea parties or doll house. No way jose.

I'm not positive, but I think Eli would enjoy having a house full of daughters. He's told me how much he looks forward to meeting nervous prom dates. In 13 years I fully expect to see him sittin' on the front lawn polishin' his trusty shotgun in anticipation of the "what are your intentions with my daughter" confrontation.

I wouldn't mind another girl. Perhaps that's because I grew up with 4 sisters. Life was always...what's the word...dramatic? no...insane? no...*lovely*. We shared everything: makeup, clothes, crushes, pillow talks, and the same bathroom. And somehow, we survived. And hey! We actually like each other sometimes!

A couple weeks ago, my baby sister turned 13. Ah, sweet memories back in 1998. Kids running everywhere aged 16, 13, 11, 9, 6, and newborn. Those were the good ol days when 5 of us would spend hour after hour crammed in a refrigerator box sliding down the stairs. Or when we would ride our bikes to the corner store to buy and eat and 6 candy bars. Yum. Or when we would eavesdrop on my older brother's cute friends during sleepovers and hope to hear them talking about us. They didn't talk about us. They only talked about two things: sports and food.

That year when I turned 13, my birthday was *awe-some*. My favorite present was a Whitney Houston cassette tape with her hit single "I will always love you." I listened to that song on repeat about...hmm, a kabillion times. My dad gave me 13 gorgeous pink roses and my mom gave me a stick of mascara saying that I could wear it to mass. Score.

When Teresa turned 13, she was gifted something even cooler. I know, I know, what can be cooler than Whitney?? A girls day-boat trip that’s what! My three sisters who live 277 miles away came down for Easter. We spent the morning getting a mani/pedi, went to our favorite Chinese restaurant, and then spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing in the middle of a lake. Boo-yah.

We had a blast swimming, dancing, singing, and sister-ing. There were some hilarious moments. One time we all jumped in, and I flipped out thanks to my tricky pregnancy hormones screaming YOU CANT SWIM!!! (um, hello life guard, captain of your high school swim team, yes, it's called kick your legs a bit and you'll stay afloat). Then the panic turned to HOW THE HECK ARE YOU PLANNING TO CLIMB BACK THE BOAT WITH THAT GIGANTIC BELLY?!?! (it’s called a ladder…clearly I just don’t know who to yell at when my kids and husband aren’t around. Kidding!) My heart was about to beat out of my chest.

So after we almost got stuck in some tree stumps and Teresa almost drowned, life was good. We were just riding around, picking out which lakeside mansion would be ours in the future, when all of a sudden we hit a colossal tidal wave, gushing a foot of water on board soaking every. single. thing. on. the. boat. Um, did I mention this was a pontoon boat? Like the safest, slowest boat that should stay…dry? Well it was perfect timing to return the boat and hit the road. Fun times my friends. Can’t wait to do it again next year.

When it’s all said and done, I'm sure that we'll end up just like my dad's family--seven boys and one girl. And that’ll be wonderful too:)

The 411

I’m not really the type to share these private details (mainly because I feel incredibly awkward when people give me sympathy), but most people just want to know what the heck’s goin on with my labor-happy body. So here’s the scoop.

The baby decided last night that he’d like a test-run at this whole labor thing. You see, he’s the super-excited-bounce-all-the-time type (so much that I’ve actually lost my dinner from his kicks) and he’d just like to go ahead and get the show on the road. Apparently he has an age complex too because he’s only 22 weeks old. After an hour of lightening-bolt contractions, I dropped the kids off at my wonderful amazing mom’s house and Eli and I headed to the hospital. Once I was in L&D, we were able to get those painful contractions under control, but it was followed by 5 hours of cramping and general baby flailing. The ultrasound showed no dilating, and eventually my blood pressure and temperature regulated. I spent the night without a husband, iphone, or toothbrush. ROUGH! Could you imagine not brushing your teeth at night? Tragic! J

What’s going on, and how are we gonna fix it?
I delivered Emily at 27 weeks because my water broke. This situation is different. Contractions could be caused by many things, and in my case it’s most likely due to my low progesterone levels which are tested weekly. Progesterone is a hormone that naturally drops dramatically right before delivery. I’ve been taking progesterone by pill and injection in hopes that we can keep the level high until the time is right.
Contractions could also be caused by over-exertion. Even though I HATE to admit it, (read: hate hate hate hate hate), I’m sure that I over work myself. Solution: bed-rest.

How are you going to take care of your kids? Your house? Wont you go crazy?
Let’s take this one day at a time. Eli and I know that there are times in a marriage that one person has to pull more weight. Since I’m a full-time incubator, he’s keeping house after work. The kids will learn how to deal. I have my parents and sisters who will get me through. We’ll figure it out. I’m sure we’ll all go crazy, but at the end, hopefully we’ll have the most amazing prize!

What can I do?
Pray. 24 weeks gestation is when a baby can survive. 28 weeks is even better because the baby wont have as many lasting health conditions. Ask God to give us strength and to allow the pregnancy to last 40 weeks--until September.
Be a cheerleader. Tell me I’ve got this in the bag.
Remind me that Leo went to 39 weeks and almost 9 lbs.
Remind me that Emily is beautiful, happy, and completely healthy.
Share your love with Eli. He’s so often working behind the scenes and needs equal moral support.
If you were on bedrest with a toddler and a preschooler, share your tips.

I’ll keep you posted.

Love at First Sight

Although a pregnancy can be a very long 280 days, there are a couple days of peak excitement. The day you take the positive pregnancy test is awesome, regardless of whether you *know* already. We took our test around the first week of January. I was feeling totally and completely exhausted, and thought to myself that if I wasn't pregnant, then I was probably dying. So when Eli walked through the door at 5:30 and I was laying on the couch with the kids bouncing off the walls, he turned right around and headed to CVS. The test takes about 2 minutes to show the results. I excitedly held the stick and walked to Eli when all of a sudden Emily grabbed the test right out of my hand. I was so grouchy and snapped at her--she crumbled, needing attention, knowing something important was going on. As I pulled the stick out of her hands, we could see those 8 letters. PREGNANT. All 4 of us hugged and jumped up and down and went a little nuts. The kids had no idea what was going on, but they were happy nonetheless. At that very instant, we knew our lives were going to change. We knew there is no better gift than a new child. We knew that I was now carrying a tiny little soul made from scratch by God.

The next exciting day came at 7 weeks...the first ultrasound. I asked my mom to watch the kids after coming home from school. I was paranoid that she knew, as it was a rarity for her to babysit on a weekday. Sitting in the waiting room was nerve racking. What if there's something wrong? What if they can't find a heartbeat?? What if it's twins??? But then I saw him (or her). A tiny little body that really looked more like a sea horse. The technician didn't have to tell me about the flicker on the screen--I knew it was a heartbeat: a strong one. A life. A beautiful blessing. Absolute love at first sight. We wanted to literally shout from the rooftops! We couldn't wait to share the great news with family, friends, the checkout girl at HEB, the teller at the bank...anyone with ears. Valentine's Day rolled around and Emily began work on her cards. Talk about a huge production! Glitter can keep this kid busy for a.long.time. She glued a brother-sister picture to the front and the sonogram to the inside. Here's her cute announcement to my mom.



The most recent excitement was our 20 week ultrasound. Since Leo was a high risk pregnancy, I had an ultrasound each week and slowly saw him grow. I was blown away by how big this baby has gotten! It feels like the past 13 weeks have just FLEW by. Our little love nugget has fingers...and toes...and long legs...and sucks his thumb...and punched the sonogram probe each time the technician pushed my tummy...and is about 1 lb. 10 oz! That's more than our tiny Emily weighed her first week of life! He was super wiggly and we couldn't get a good still shot or a profile pic, but we still love him. Here's his (and when I say "his", I really mean or "her") most recent picture. To the left is a head shot and the right are his 2 tiny feet. Hopefully he can bake another 20 weeks and get nice and chubby :)