Snowing!

We're having the first snow of the season today! It's already about a quarter to a half inch deep on our deck. Whinnie keeps standing at the back door, looking longingly at the snow, and crying. She LOVES to play in the snow. She burrows in it like she is trying to rub her scent everywhere, and just can't figure out how to do so. It's adorable really -- but at 22 lbs, I worry too much snow time will give her frostbite. Not to mention I have no desire to stand out in the cold snow with her, so for the time being I'll just let her whine about it.

Todd decided he was well enough to go to work today. Against my begging and pleading, of course. Having been in this exact same spot last March (although at that time we BOTH had the stomach virus), I know that getting up and going in to work a full day, on an empty stomach, with no energy, right after he spent an entire day in bed (and getting sick), is going to be rough on him. But he refuses to stay down. He is supposed to have a party to work this evening, but I think I convinced him to at least skip that so he could come home and rest.

After spending much of yesterday going up and down the stairs, checking on Todd, bringing him drinks, taking his temp, and attempting to get him to eat chicken broth and rice, I have to report that today I feel pretty cruddy. I don't feel sick or nauseous. But my entire body aches, and I'm exhausted. I think this is my body's way of telling me that I really do need the rest. So I'm continuing on with the trend of taking it easy, while watching the snow fall outside.

And yes...I still feel pretty useless. But at least I don't have the extra worry of trying to drive my little, non-weather-prepared car in the mess that is accumulating!

What's been going on?

Well...I've been home.

Last Friday I went to see the Perinatal specialist at the hospital. She said my blood pressure was too high, the protein in my urine was too high, and that basically she was going to treat me as though I am borderline preeclamptic. She said she was not going to put me on official bed rest yet...but all in all, it was not a wonderful visit. Not awful...but not good.

So I went back to work after the appointment, and proceeded to burst into tears in the middle of the office. I was scared, worried, upset, nervous -- everything you can imagine. And then of course the boss called. I answered mid-sob and he could clearly tell I was shaken up about the whole ordeal. He sent me home for the day to rest and calm down.

That afternoon, the boss called and said he was putting me on bed rest (I think he called it pre-maternity leave?) until January 2nd, so that I can rest, hopefully figure out the situation, and put some more weight on baby boy (who by the way is already 4 pounds! 4 lbs at 29 weeks is pretty big!). This was a HUGE holiday gift from the boss.

So I'm on day 3 (well, 4 if you include Friday when I went home early) of "work mandated bed rest" and I'm pretty bored. I desperately want to clean up (and yes, I may pick up a couple things here and there). I want to run Christmas errands (sorry hubs, looks like your stocking will be pretty empty this year), wrap presents, and go out to dinner with Todd and my friends. But so far I have done a lot of sitting and laying. Sitting with my feet up on the coffee table, sitting stretched out on the couch, laying on my left side...you get the point.

I've kept my iPhone and laptop nearby to try and help out at work if possible...but mostly I feel useless. I have to keep reminding myself that I won't look back at this time and think "gee, i wish I had worked" and instead I'll think "man I'm glad I took the time to rest", but really it's hard to be away from work without a reason -- like being ill, or being on my honeymoon. I almost feel guilty about not being at work. Several people have told me that I am doing the most important job of all -- growing our baby. Which I agree with...it's just hard to feel like I'm not contributing to the job I've been doing for 6 years.

Whinnie has been a doll and a wonderful companion. I love having her curl up next to me and keep me company amidst my boredom. But her appetite has seemed to sky rocket since I've been home, and I fear she's going to turn into a little butterball.

Last night, because he knew the mess was driving me crazy and giving me severe anxiety/upping my blood pressure, Todd lugged the Dyson through out the house and vacuumed all of the floors. He also put away all of the Christmas storage bins that had been scattered around the living and dining rooms. I instantly felt better after he did all of this. Now if only I could convince him to dust the house...

Unfortunately after Todd had finished vacuuming last night, things took a little turn for the worse and he started to complain of a stomach ache. And then began vomiting around 10pm. He was up and down with it (for lack of a nice explanation) coming out of both ends until about 2am. I was up with him (well, I was awake...I didn't really know how to help at that point) and felt fortunate to not have to try to get up and ready for work at 6am today, since neither of us slept most of the night (Whinnie however slept just fine!). Todd has been in bed pretty much all day. I've been taking his temperature (no fever), trying to feed him things like toast, rice, and chicken broth, and pushing the water and Gatorade. But sadly, all of those food keep coming back up. Which makes me think this is clearly not a case of food poisoning, but rather a good old fashioned stomach bug.

So tonight I'm planning on sleeping in the same place that I have been spending the last few days -- on the couch -- in hopes of avoiding sharing Todd's germs. The last thing I want to do is be hunched over the toilet with a basketball under my shirt, and a lack of stomach muscles, watching everything I've eaten recently come back up. I'm hoping I can be comfortable on the couch though, or else I might have to risk the germs, and get in bed anyway.

Oh -- and regarding my perinatal visit, I went for my first fetal monitoring non-stress test yesterday and the baby looks good, but they really didn't have any other updates for me. Except that they want me to come in for weekly monitoring tests and do weekly 24 hour urine collections (yippee). I'm very grateful that they are monitoring baby boy and making sure everything is ok. The last thing we would want right now would be for me to go in to early labor. While baby boy is looking good and is growing strong and fast, we want him to keep baking in there until February 22nd! Or 25th.

Not to mention we have two baby showers in January (just got the invite to the shower my sister in law is hosting -- SO ADORABLE! From the invitation it looks like the shower is going to be a circus theme, which is so exciting!! I can't wait!!). And with Todd being sick today, I had to reschedule our baby care class (which was supposed to be tonight from 6:30pm - 9:30pm) to February 2nd, because it was the only other available class date before my due date.

So that's about where we are now...a lot of boredom, vomiting, and resting going on in our house. But baby boy looks good, and that's the most important thing right now! Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery for Todd, and a complete avoidance of getting ill for me!

So...um...when am I due?

On top of the mess of "issues" that could potentially be going on with yours truly, last week at the doctors office my OBGYN told me that I had been telling people the wrong due date. I have been telling everyone my due date is February 22nd, and she said that technically, going by the "date of my last cycle", I am due on February 25th. The sonographers consistently tell me the 22nd, and the doctor said that's just where I'm measuring, but my technical due date isn't until the 25th.

Therefore my weekly updates on Tuesday's are in fact too early, and they should be written on Friday's.

Apparently I am an elephant and my gestation period will just continue to lengthen until I hit 2 years and give birth to a toddler. Dramatic? yes. Is it only a mere 3 days difference? yes. But at over 6 months pregnant, nearing 7 months, and feeling like I just keep expanding (in the belly AND the face), those 3 days are making a difference.

Is it wrong that so many other mommies I know have said "ohmygosh, I looooooved being pregnant" and all I want to do is cock my head to the side like Whinnie does when she pretends to understand something but really has no idea what is going on, and say to them "why?!"

Don't get me wrong. I feel blessed for our little miracle every single day. And I love feeling him kick and squirm around in there. And I know I'm going to miss that once he's born. I'm just over the pain, uncomfortableness, restricting clothes, fat face, sausage fingers, and swollen ankles, and I'm ready to love on our little guy.

Are all of the "glamours" of pregnancy worth it? Absolutely. My Christmas is coming in February this year. February 22nd to be exact. Ok, or maybe the 25th...

Announcing Baby Boy!

Well...not really announcing him, as we aren't revealing his name until he is born...and he won't be born until February...but I thought it might be nice to announce his expected February arrival on our Christmas cards this year!

Wait, you're surprised that I'm planning to mail out Christmas cards? Me, the girl that pushed the envelope on the proper protocol time for sending out Wedding thank you cards? Me, the same girl that rarely sends any sort of correspondence? Yes...me!

I figured why not start a tradition now (about time, huh?) of sending out Christmas cards...and what better way to tell any of our family and friends that may not already know (or that may not have facebook, or Internet, or phones, or communication with the outside world) that we are having a baby!

And, as if Shutterfly knew what I was thinking, they are offering 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers this year! Amazing!

All of the cards on Shutterfly are beautiful, and it's really hard to choose a design, but I think I have it narrowed down to the following options:

A simple, classic design, which would nicely reflect the fall colors in the picture I want to use.

A fun design that would allow the use of several fun photo memories from the year.

Or a letter style that would allow us to say a few words about our fabulous year, and best of all the announcement of our beautiful baby boy's expected arrival!

I know whatever card we choose will turn out fabulously, as I've ordered several products from Shutterfly in the past, and have been nothing but 100% satisfied and thrilled with the results. Last year I gave my Gramma a deck of cards with a beautiful picture of her and my Grampa dancing at my wedding on the front. And I gave my Grampa a mouse pad with a similar picture. I also gave my dad a desk organizer with a picture of he and I dancing at my wedding on it. Everyone loved their gifts!

This year, I may or may not be concocting a special calendar to give to my Gramma (hopefully she doesn't read this blog post!).

Clearly, I love Shutterfly, and now I love them even more for their gift of free Christmas cards!

Now for the task of organizing mailing addresses...tedious, but hey, it's the most wonderful time of the year!

Good thing I had back-up!

When I dropped off my jug o'pee this morning, the nurse informed me that I was the first patient (and they do a LOT of these 24 hour collection/urinalysis tests) that had ever filled a jug, and then some.

That's right. At 2am last night, I was grateful that my Grampa had brought me a back up pee-jug, just in case (if you were wondering, yes, his jug had been previously cleaned and sterilized, and I made sure to run it under scorching hot water for several minutes as well) because I reached the very top of my gallon jug (think Costco milk-jug size & shape...), and needed somewhere for the spill over to go, because every last drop had to be accounted for, or I'd have to do the test over again.

Needless to say, I was quite proud of myself. And the nurse also informed me that I had lost 3 pounds since my last visit (last Wednesday). Which clearly means I was carrying around a ton of extra water weight, and between the low-salt diet I have been strictly following, and pee-fest 2010 that occurred over the last 24 hours, I managed to shed 3 pounds of water.

Pat on the back to me.

TMI?

Doing a 24 hour urine collection is even more fun when you have a baby kicking you in the bladder. 12 hours in and my jug is half full (how optimistic, no?), so I'm guessing I'm right on track for collecting a full jug by 6:10am tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned as I have some fantastic pictures to post including a picture of THE jug, one of the sweet collection contraption that my Grandparents gave me, and one totally un-pee related picture of the awesome Edible Arrangement one of my BFF's sent me to help with my no-salt diet, AND brighten my spirits! :)

What's for dinner?

Last night marked meal #1 in the low to no salt diet! (well technically it's meal #2, but I didn't take a picture of Wednesday night's dinner because it was a veggie sub from subway...It was boring, but very low sodium and actually pretty tasty).

Todd cooked, because he is awesome and almost always does the cooking in our house. He made me a skinless chicken breast seasoned with a little Mrs. Dash (salt free), plain steamed white rice, and a big side of collard greens with shallots and garlic (also salt free!). It was delicious, and while I could tell that yes, it could have used a little salt, it was still good enough without it and I cleared my plate.

So here is what I had for dinner:And of course my culinary-skilled husband, who loathes most vegetables, couldn't be convinced to have bland chicken, rice, and greens, so he whipped himself up a couple of jalapeno-cheddar hot dogs, mac & cheese, and threw a couple pickles on the side for color (and because I can no longer eat them so he feels compelled to eat them for me). Here's a nice picture of hubby's dinner:And because I'm sure you all were wondering what previous yummy dishes my hubs had been cooking up for me, here's a few pictures to whet your appetite:

Seasoned pork chops, homemade basil redskin mashed potatoes, spinach, and Texas toast.

Mustard crusted pork tenderloin (we actually don't eat pork at every meal, I just happened to take pictures of both of these because they were so pretty), slow cooked green beans & bacon, shells & cheese (because come on, who doesn't love shells & cheese?), and curly fries.

Yes, it's true...my husband's cooking is quite the salt lover's dream. But I guess I never realized how much salt goes in to foods (or is already in them). So it's yummy dinners like those two above that have gotten me in a bit of a predicament and caused my blood pressure to sky-rocket.

I officially go to see the perinatal specialist next Friday morning, and will find out more at that time. We're hoping that with a lot of plain chicken and veggies, and a daily snack of plain (cardboard) rice cakes, that my blood pressure will lower and that baby and I will be able to breeze right through the last 2.5 months.

Until then, Whinnie (who, poor baby, has her first doggy cold in 5 years), and I will be spending the weekend doing just this:

Lounging on the couch, snuggling, watching Christmas movies, and eating our bland diets. :)

Tonight's menu? More plain chicken, lots of steamed broccoli, and maybe a little side of pasta & sauce. Who knew that all boxed store-bought pasta was salt free?!

Happy salt-free, restricted activity, weekend!

Thank you!

To everyone who has been sweet enough to leave me comments, send me emails, and call me on the phone to say they are thinking about me -- Thank you! I really appreciate the outpouring of love and support.

Last night things only got rougher before they got better. I called Todd on my way home from work and he said he was getting a hair cut. I didn't tell him all the details about my doctor's appointment because I wanted to tell him in person.

Later, he called to tell me he was on the way home from getting his hair cut and I asked if he would go to the grocery store with me when he got home, explaining that I really need to eat things with much less to no salt. He seemed a little confused but said "sure" and that we could go when he got home.

Well, he walked in the door, sat down next to me on the couch, and as soon as I finished telling him all about my doctor's appointment, I started sobbing. I was (still am, but calmer now) so panicked about everything going on. And it didn't help that I had been spending the earlier part of the evening, prior to his arrival at home, googling "preclampsia" on my iPhone. It was all overwhelming and scary.

Todd reassured me that had the doctor thought I was in serious trouble and had a very serious issue, she would have sent me straight to the hospital that morning, instead of referring me to a specialist for a follow up. Putting it in perspective like that made me feel a lot better.

And then Todd took me to the grocery store, where he patiently walked up and down every single aisle with me, scouring food labels for sodium content, and thinking up new salt-free recipes that he can cook for me for dinner.

I already knew I was a lucky girl to have such a patient husband...but the way he took care of me last night, with true concern and understanding, is a completely indescribable feeling. Last night, more than ever, I was truly grateful to have Todd in my life...as my husband, my best friend, and the father of my son. It made me feel the same way I imagine my Gramma has felt for the past 6 years, as my Grampa has carefully guided her along, every step of the way, through her second battle with cancer. I know the saying is "behind every great man, there is an even greater woman", but I truly believe in my family, the men are as equally as amazing, caring, loving, and understanding, as the women are.

Anyway, after we got home from the grocery store (at almost 9pm!), as we were putting away the groceries, Todd noticed my "urine collection jug" on the kitchen counter and said "could you possibly not keep your pee jug in the kitchen?" which of course made me bust up laughing...and, as per the usual, without skipping a beat, he followed up with "actually, do you think I could borrow the jug for my road trip on Saturday? It would be a great time saver." Seriously...loving AND funny?! I AM a lucky girl! :)

Rough morning

I went for my glucose screening this morning. Here's how the morning played out:

• Properly fasted for 12 hours prior to appointment. Did not eat breakfast.
• Arrived at 8:55am.
• Had my blood pressure and weight taken. Both were high.
• Had my first blood draw (out of my right arm) by about 9:15am. This hurt only slightly.
• Began drinking orange drink (not as bad tasting as I had heard!) and finished by 9:24am.
• Played on my iPhone for about 30 minutes, while I thought I was going to sit there for an hour.
• At 9:55am, was called back to lay down for a few minutes so they could re-check my blood pressure.
• Blood pressure remained high.
• Was told there were very small traces of protein in my urine, and that combined with weight gain and high blood pressure was not a very good sign.
• Was told that I would be referred to the perinatal specialist at Alexandria hospital for a follow up appointment.
• Was told I would have extra blood drawn for tests.
• Was told that I would need to do a 24 hour urine collection (oh how fun!), and collect ALL of my pee for 24 hours straight. (I get to do this on Sunday...stay tuned for an update on that excitement!)
• Had my left arm checked for a vein for blood draw. No luck.
• Had my left wrist pricked for blood draw. Hurt like the dickens. No luck...blood flow too slow.
• Had my right arm pricked again for blood draw. Veins had flattened. I was dehydrated. Could feel the needle moving in my arm. Announced that I was going to vomit. No luck...still no blood flow.
• Was given a bottle of water to drink and try to rehydrate my veins.
• As a last resort, had the top of my left hand pricked for blood draw (after I informed the nurse that I have anxiety and fear of having needles stuck in my wrists or hands). Could still feel the needle moving, hurt like hell, but after about 5 minutes, we had success.
• Doctor hooked up Doppler and we heard baby boy's heartbeat (only good part of the visit!).
• Left at 11:30am.

2 and a half hours, 4 band-aids, an apple juice/bottled water/peanut butter cracker snack, minimal tears, no vomit, one large pee collecting jug, and a referral to the perinatal specialist later, I headed back to work.

The doctor said she is referring me because she would rather be safe than sorry and just wants to make sure everything is ok. She said it's best to make sure I don't have signs of hypertension or preclampsia now...or if I do have signs of them, they find out early so that I can go on bed rest or blood pressure meds, etc. She definitely calmed me down and assured me that none of this is my fault and that I have not done anything to harm baby boy...they are just taking all the precautions to make sure we continue along on a safe path to delivery.

She also said the high blood pressure and weight gain could have been largely due to my continued love of salt, and my Thanksgiving gorging that took place all weekend. So now I'm on a strict low sodium diet...and this time there's no cheating. I've already printed out a list of salt-free and low sodium foods for my grocery list.

I'm feeling a little down that it was such a rough appointment, but hopeful that all of the tests turn out well. Being pregnant is not as easy as people make it out to be. I'm learning this the hard way. My wedding rings are officially off, and my ankles and feet start to swell as soon as I get up in the morning. The doctor told me to go to work, and then come home and rest every day. Easier said than done...I still have 3 Christmas trees to put up, and a whole lot of gift shopping to do. But taking care of me, to in turn take care of baby boy is what is most important right now. So I'm going to really be good about my salt intake this time. And I'm going to rest as much as possible. And who knows...maybe Todd will put up the Christmas trees for me ;)