As Easter is quickly approaching, I decided it was time to start thinking of the kids' Easter baskets and how we will be celebrating this year. One of the things I've really been thinking about is how to help the boys truly understand the gift and sacrifice Jesus gave to us so we could be saved. After doing some searches on blogs and on Pinterest, I found an idea we are going to be doing next week courtesy of http://familyvolley.blogspot.com ...
The 7 Days of Easter!
Starting on Monday, we will open up an Easter egg containing some Bible scripture and an item representing the verse we will be discussing. My goal is to have us open these as a family after dinner and have some discussion.
I'm hoping that my boys will learn to appreciate the gift we were given and what Easter truly means. Luckily, the items are rather easy to pull together and I feel like I can get this put together by Monday. If you want to participate, you can click HERE to download the versus that I already typed up.
Enjoy! :)
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Kenton is 1 Week Old!
While Talan was at school today and Aaron and Hunter were getting haircuts, Kenton and I got some alone time. I took the opportunity to take some 1 week photos of Mr. Man.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Kenton's Health
So, I thought I would take a second to update everyone on Kenton's health since so many of you have been praying and thinking about us (which I can't express how much it means to us!).
While we were at the hospital still, we did an initial urine test on Kenton to check his protein levels. This first test came back with slightly elevated levels, which we expected since we knew there was protein in the amniotic fluid. However, they weren't high enough to warrant too much concern from the lab and our pediatrician.
When Kenton was born, he weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces. When we left the hospital, he had only lost 2 ounce and weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. At his newborn check on Friday, Kenton had not lost any more weight and still weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. In my opinion, this is a very good sign. He also is not swelling or puffy, which was another sign we were supposed to look for.
We are currently trying to get into the pediatric nephrologist to do another urine sample. This urine sample will give us a definitive answer if Kenton has Finnish Nephrosis because all of the amniotic fluid will be out of his system and it will be his body working on its own. When we had our consult appointment back in January, we were told that we should come back in the first week of Kenton's life. However, the scheduling people don't seem to understand this and our pediatrician's office is trying to get something scheduled for us.
So, at this point, we are very optimistic that Kenton is healthy and just a carrier for Finnish Nephrosis. We continue to pray for his health and praise God for the blessing that he gave us!
While we were at the hospital still, we did an initial urine test on Kenton to check his protein levels. This first test came back with slightly elevated levels, which we expected since we knew there was protein in the amniotic fluid. However, they weren't high enough to warrant too much concern from the lab and our pediatrician.
When Kenton was born, he weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces. When we left the hospital, he had only lost 2 ounce and weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. At his newborn check on Friday, Kenton had not lost any more weight and still weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces. In my opinion, this is a very good sign. He also is not swelling or puffy, which was another sign we were supposed to look for.
We are currently trying to get into the pediatric nephrologist to do another urine sample. This urine sample will give us a definitive answer if Kenton has Finnish Nephrosis because all of the amniotic fluid will be out of his system and it will be his body working on its own. When we had our consult appointment back in January, we were told that we should come back in the first week of Kenton's life. However, the scheduling people don't seem to understand this and our pediatrician's office is trying to get something scheduled for us.
So, at this point, we are very optimistic that Kenton is healthy and just a carrier for Finnish Nephrosis. We continue to pray for his health and praise God for the blessing that he gave us!
Kenton's Birth Story
So, after spending the afternoon in labor and delivery being monitored on Monday, March 19th, it was finally time to get the show on the road!
Labor and Delivery was very busy on Monday, so for most of the afternoon I was placed in a c-section prep room. Aaron got to the hospital around 1:30 or 2 and we just hung out and watched some T.V. as I was being monitored. Around 3:30, I was moved to an actual labor room. An IV was started to give me some fluid. They also checked me and I was still at a 2 and 80% effaced. With that, Pitocin was started and the waiting game began.
I was really hoping that since my body had already been preparing for birth for a couple of weeks, the induction wouldn't take too long. Boy - was I wrong! At 7:30, I was barely dilated to a 3. Between 8:30 and 9, they broke my water and I was barely at a 4. I also took the liberty to get my epidural at this time. Then, my labor stalled: 11:30 = 4, 1:40 AM - 4 1/2. They decided to turn up the Pitocin a bit more because my contractions had started to space out. At this point, I started to pray for acceptance that I may need to have a c-section. I would obviously do what I needed to do in order to have a healthy baby who wasn't in distress, but I really didn't want surgery and the recovery that would go along with it.
Then, my body kicked it into gear and started to cooperate. Around 2:35 AM, the nurse came in and put me on oxygen. She said that according to the monitors, it looked like Kenton had moved down more, but wasn't tolerating the contractions very well. She also said that if I start to feel pressure, to let her know. She came back in around 3:20 and I was already dilated to an 8. They then had to place an internal monitor on Kenton because he had moved down so far that they couldn't monitor his heart rate properly. This is also when my hormones really started to kick into gear. The shakes I had with Hunter, but nausea was new ...and NOT fun. I'll leave it at that and spare you the details. Within 30 minutes, I was dilated to a 9 1/2 and the room was prepped for delivery ... Hooray!
Well, then the real "fun" began. Around 4:40 AM, I began pushing. However, Kenton wasn't moving down like he should through the pushing. The doctor was monitoring Kenton's heart rate during the contractions and pushing and was concerned. Just like during my NST which caused me to have an induction, Kenton's heart rate would fall dramatically after contractions and he was becoming distressed. She came in and checked things out. While watching the glances between the doctor and the nurse during and after pushing, I could tell something was wrong. Kenton was trying to go down the birth canal with his head "cockeyed" and angled. Every time I would push, I would just push his poor little head into my bone rather than out.
The doctor decided some intervention was needed, especially because Kenton was not tolerating things well at this point. She decided to try using forceps to try to straighten him out. By the way, it's never a good thing when the doctor says. "Oh good! She does have an epidural!" With that, I had Aaron push the button on my epidural to give me a little extra doss. I will, once again, spare you the details, but I could not even come close to imagining what that would have felt like if I didn't have an epidural. I would not wish that mid evil torture device on anyone! After a couple of minutes of agony, she then switched to the vacuum. After one or two good pushes, Kenton Joseph Zsilavec was born at 5:48 AM on March 20, 2012. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 inches long. He's my long, skinny boy!
Labor and Delivery was very busy on Monday, so for most of the afternoon I was placed in a c-section prep room. Aaron got to the hospital around 1:30 or 2 and we just hung out and watched some T.V. as I was being monitored. Around 3:30, I was moved to an actual labor room. An IV was started to give me some fluid. They also checked me and I was still at a 2 and 80% effaced. With that, Pitocin was started and the waiting game began.
I was really hoping that since my body had already been preparing for birth for a couple of weeks, the induction wouldn't take too long. Boy - was I wrong! At 7:30, I was barely dilated to a 3. Between 8:30 and 9, they broke my water and I was barely at a 4. I also took the liberty to get my epidural at this time. Then, my labor stalled: 11:30 = 4, 1:40 AM - 4 1/2. They decided to turn up the Pitocin a bit more because my contractions had started to space out. At this point, I started to pray for acceptance that I may need to have a c-section. I would obviously do what I needed to do in order to have a healthy baby who wasn't in distress, but I really didn't want surgery and the recovery that would go along with it.
Then, my body kicked it into gear and started to cooperate. Around 2:35 AM, the nurse came in and put me on oxygen. She said that according to the monitors, it looked like Kenton had moved down more, but wasn't tolerating the contractions very well. She also said that if I start to feel pressure, to let her know. She came back in around 3:20 and I was already dilated to an 8. They then had to place an internal monitor on Kenton because he had moved down so far that they couldn't monitor his heart rate properly. This is also when my hormones really started to kick into gear. The shakes I had with Hunter, but nausea was new ...and NOT fun. I'll leave it at that and spare you the details. Within 30 minutes, I was dilated to a 9 1/2 and the room was prepped for delivery ... Hooray!
Well, then the real "fun" began. Around 4:40 AM, I began pushing. However, Kenton wasn't moving down like he should through the pushing. The doctor was monitoring Kenton's heart rate during the contractions and pushing and was concerned. Just like during my NST which caused me to have an induction, Kenton's heart rate would fall dramatically after contractions and he was becoming distressed. She came in and checked things out. While watching the glances between the doctor and the nurse during and after pushing, I could tell something was wrong. Kenton was trying to go down the birth canal with his head "cockeyed" and angled. Every time I would push, I would just push his poor little head into my bone rather than out.
The doctor decided some intervention was needed, especially because Kenton was not tolerating things well at this point. She decided to try using forceps to try to straighten him out. By the way, it's never a good thing when the doctor says. "Oh good! She does have an epidural!" With that, I had Aaron push the button on my epidural to give me a little extra doss. I will, once again, spare you the details, but I could not even come close to imagining what that would have felt like if I didn't have an epidural. I would not wish that mid evil torture device on anyone! After a couple of minutes of agony, she then switched to the vacuum. After one or two good pushes, Kenton Joseph Zsilavec was born at 5:48 AM on March 20, 2012. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 inches long. He's my long, skinny boy!
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| after my first bath |
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| Nana and Papa came to meet me. |
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| My brothers and Grandma came to see me, too! |
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| Talan was excited to hold "Baby Kenton." |
Monday, March 19, 2012
Oh Kenton!
Well, Kenton is being his normal, crazy self. I am currently in a room in labor and delivery hooked up to monitors.
At my NST this morning, Kenton's heart rate was hovering around 150, which is high for this stage of pregnancy. His baseline heart rate is usually around 135-140. The doctor also explained that as the baby grows, the heart rate usually gets slower, not faster. Beyond that, every time I would have a contraction, Kenton's heart rate would fall. As the doctor was contemplating what to do, I had my Monday ultrasound. My amniotic fluid levels went up to 13 and Kenton checked out perfect.
The doctor then came to talk to me and explained everything from above. Kenton is not in distress now, but he can not guarantee that he will continue to be okay. Since Dr. Branaman is out of town right not, one of her associates will be taking care of me. It has been decided that I will be monitored in labor and delivery for a while and then see if I have progressed or not from my appointment on Thursday. From there, they will decide if I need anything to help jump start labor. As of right now, I am having rather consistent contractions so hopefully today was just meant to be the day and no interventions will be necessary.
So, please pray for a fast delivery and that we have the strength and courage to deal with whatever God has planned for our wonderful baby boy!
At my NST this morning, Kenton's heart rate was hovering around 150, which is high for this stage of pregnancy. His baseline heart rate is usually around 135-140. The doctor also explained that as the baby grows, the heart rate usually gets slower, not faster. Beyond that, every time I would have a contraction, Kenton's heart rate would fall. As the doctor was contemplating what to do, I had my Monday ultrasound. My amniotic fluid levels went up to 13 and Kenton checked out perfect.
The doctor then came to talk to me and explained everything from above. Kenton is not in distress now, but he can not guarantee that he will continue to be okay. Since Dr. Branaman is out of town right not, one of her associates will be taking care of me. It has been decided that I will be monitored in labor and delivery for a while and then see if I have progressed or not from my appointment on Thursday. From there, they will decide if I need anything to help jump start labor. As of right now, I am having rather consistent contractions so hopefully today was just meant to be the day and no interventions will be necessary.
So, please pray for a fast delivery and that we have the strength and courage to deal with whatever God has planned for our wonderful baby boy!
Friday, March 16, 2012
What a day!
Yesterday was a very long day and I am officially wiped out.
We started out the day at my NST appointment. Kenton, of course, was not cooperating. He started with his heart rate around 150, when his normal baseline is around 135 to 140. After 40 mnutes on being monitored, the doctor decided that they had seen enough escalations and he finally settled down enough to get his baseline. Unfortunately because it took so long at the NST, we were late to my OB appointment.
I called to see if they could still get us in because they're usually running late. Luckily, they said to come over since I was right across the street. Once we walked in, we were able to see Dr. Branaman right away. At 37 weeks and 5 days, I was still 75% effaced and dilated to 2 - no new progress. Since I was on the progesterone, it will take a few more days to get completely out of the system. Dr. Branaman is not on call this weekend and has next week off because it is her kids' Spring Break. Since this pregnancy has been so weird and intriguing to everyone, she went ahead and wrote in my chart to call her when I'm delivering. If she's able to, she will come to the hospital and deliver Kenton. Have I mentioned how much I love my doctor?! Of course, I'm not counting on her actually delivering Kenton because she hasn't delivered any of my boys thus far.
I also received an interesting phone call from Dr. Ponkey, the original doctor who had us begin all of the testing. She was doing more research on how reliable the AFP blood work is in relation to Finnish Nephrosis. AFP levels can be anywhere from 5 to 20 something. Kenton's AFP level through the blood work was at a 9. The new studies out of Finland have found that the lower the elevated AFP level, the more likely the patient is just a carrier of Finnish Nephrosis rather than actually have the disease. Since we were only able to find one gene for Finnish Nephrosis and Kenton's AFP levels were towards the bottom range of elevated, this gives us more hope that he is simply a carrier and won't actually have Finnish Nephrosis. We still will have to wait and do urine testing when he is born to see if he has the disease, but every bit of hope helps!
After my appointment, we went back to my Mom's house because she was watching the boys for us. While Hunter napped and Talan rested, Aaron went down to Ottawa University to turn in some paperwork. God has answered some prayers and has provided us with another source of income. Aaron is currently developing an online course for Ottawa. Beyond that, he now has the opportunity to teach online courses for them as well. If he teaches 2 courses during a trimester, it will completely make up for my salary. However, even just teaching one course will help significantly. Have I mentioned that God is good!
After my appointment, I started having contractions. I figured this was going to happen because it happens every time I get checked. The contractions weren't super strong and I was able to talk and walk through most of them. I tried to walk around and see if they were the real thing or not. In fact, I went to Target twice yesterday to walk around. Unfortunately, it was just false labor, yet again. Around 8:30, I gave up on actually going into labor, despite the fact that I was having contractions every 6 minutes. We loaded up the boys and came home. Once I was finally able to relax enough, I fell asleep and contractions stopped. This morning, I am completely exhausted and my body aches from 12 hours of contractions that were 6 minutes a part. This Momma isn't doing much today!
I know that God has a plan for us and Kenton will arrive when he is ready. All of the boys in my house are suffering very badly with allergies right now. They all have a runny nose and coughs. If Kenton does come, maybe I'll get a hotel room and we can quarantine ourselves with some room service! ;)
Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks! Who would have thought?!?!
We started out the day at my NST appointment. Kenton, of course, was not cooperating. He started with his heart rate around 150, when his normal baseline is around 135 to 140. After 40 mnutes on being monitored, the doctor decided that they had seen enough escalations and he finally settled down enough to get his baseline. Unfortunately because it took so long at the NST, we were late to my OB appointment.
I called to see if they could still get us in because they're usually running late. Luckily, they said to come over since I was right across the street. Once we walked in, we were able to see Dr. Branaman right away. At 37 weeks and 5 days, I was still 75% effaced and dilated to 2 - no new progress. Since I was on the progesterone, it will take a few more days to get completely out of the system. Dr. Branaman is not on call this weekend and has next week off because it is her kids' Spring Break. Since this pregnancy has been so weird and intriguing to everyone, she went ahead and wrote in my chart to call her when I'm delivering. If she's able to, she will come to the hospital and deliver Kenton. Have I mentioned how much I love my doctor?! Of course, I'm not counting on her actually delivering Kenton because she hasn't delivered any of my boys thus far.
I also received an interesting phone call from Dr. Ponkey, the original doctor who had us begin all of the testing. She was doing more research on how reliable the AFP blood work is in relation to Finnish Nephrosis. AFP levels can be anywhere from 5 to 20 something. Kenton's AFP level through the blood work was at a 9. The new studies out of Finland have found that the lower the elevated AFP level, the more likely the patient is just a carrier of Finnish Nephrosis rather than actually have the disease. Since we were only able to find one gene for Finnish Nephrosis and Kenton's AFP levels were towards the bottom range of elevated, this gives us more hope that he is simply a carrier and won't actually have Finnish Nephrosis. We still will have to wait and do urine testing when he is born to see if he has the disease, but every bit of hope helps!
After my appointment, we went back to my Mom's house because she was watching the boys for us. While Hunter napped and Talan rested, Aaron went down to Ottawa University to turn in some paperwork. God has answered some prayers and has provided us with another source of income. Aaron is currently developing an online course for Ottawa. Beyond that, he now has the opportunity to teach online courses for them as well. If he teaches 2 courses during a trimester, it will completely make up for my salary. However, even just teaching one course will help significantly. Have I mentioned that God is good!
After my appointment, I started having contractions. I figured this was going to happen because it happens every time I get checked. The contractions weren't super strong and I was able to talk and walk through most of them. I tried to walk around and see if they were the real thing or not. In fact, I went to Target twice yesterday to walk around. Unfortunately, it was just false labor, yet again. Around 8:30, I gave up on actually going into labor, despite the fact that I was having contractions every 6 minutes. We loaded up the boys and came home. Once I was finally able to relax enough, I fell asleep and contractions stopped. This morning, I am completely exhausted and my body aches from 12 hours of contractions that were 6 minutes a part. This Momma isn't doing much today!
I know that God has a plan for us and Kenton will arrive when he is ready. All of the boys in my house are suffering very badly with allergies right now. They all have a runny nose and coughs. If Kenton does come, maybe I'll get a hotel room and we can quarantine ourselves with some room service! ;)
Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks! Who would have thought?!?!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Fun in the Sun
Since I'm no longer restricted on activities and Kenton hasn't blessed us with his presence yet, I decided to take the boys on an outing. We first went to the library and checked out some books. Then, we walked over to the park and played for a bit ...
The World According to Talan
Talan borrowed my camera the other day and took some pictures. I forgot about it until I went to download more pictures today.
Very enlightening, isn't it? :)
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| Cheese! |
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Okay ... we're ready now!
I am now at 37 weeks and 4 days. I NEVER thought I'd be able to say that before! My birthday has come and gone with no Kenton being born. I now cannot say that I've had all of my kids in my twenties. I have officially reached the ripe old age of 30! :)
However, we were close to getting induced yesterday. Aaron and I went to my NST and AFI (ultrasound). As soon as I got hooked up to the machine for monitoring, Kenton went crazy. His heart rate was all over the place - 170's and then would dip down to 120's. This would normally cause alarm, however, Aaron and I are used to Kenton causing worry at this point. :) Unfortunately, since Kenton did this during the last two NST's, the doctor wanted a more in-depth ultrasound to check on him. Kenton passed with flying colors - gross motor movements, fine motor movements, and he was practicing breathing. Although I don't want to be induced and would like Kenton to arrive on his own accord, I wouldn't have minded if he was born yesterday. ;-)
Since I know that Kenton is "cooked" now, I am no longer going to just sit around. With the reluctant help of Aaron, our house is cleaned and sanitized. Both bathrooms have been scrubbed, the kitchen has been scrubbed, the house is dusted, floors cleaned, and trash cans bleached. Not only is it nice to have a clean house, but it will nice to go into labor and bring Kenton home to a clean house as well.
I'm hoping that this will do the trick! Come on, Kenton! Show us your beautiful face that you've hidden from us for so long!
However, we were close to getting induced yesterday. Aaron and I went to my NST and AFI (ultrasound). As soon as I got hooked up to the machine for monitoring, Kenton went crazy. His heart rate was all over the place - 170's and then would dip down to 120's. This would normally cause alarm, however, Aaron and I are used to Kenton causing worry at this point. :) Unfortunately, since Kenton did this during the last two NST's, the doctor wanted a more in-depth ultrasound to check on him. Kenton passed with flying colors - gross motor movements, fine motor movements, and he was practicing breathing. Although I don't want to be induced and would like Kenton to arrive on his own accord, I wouldn't have minded if he was born yesterday. ;-)
Since I know that Kenton is "cooked" now, I am no longer going to just sit around. With the reluctant help of Aaron, our house is cleaned and sanitized. Both bathrooms have been scrubbed, the kitchen has been scrubbed, the house is dusted, floors cleaned, and trash cans bleached. Not only is it nice to have a clean house, but it will nice to go into labor and bring Kenton home to a clean house as well.
I'm hoping that this will do the trick! Come on, Kenton! Show us your beautiful face that you've hidden from us for so long!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Picture Day and Fun
Today was picture day at Talan's school. After getting him ready, I took advantage of his cooperative mood and tried to get at least one decent picture of my little man.
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| Then he was able to do some "silly" pictures. |
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| Yep - that's my boy! |
Since I was feeling decent, I took the boys outback to play in the nice weather. I love these boys!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Weekly Update - 36 weeks
On Monday, Talan and I had a "Mommy and Talan" day. He was very emotional when we were going to send him to the sitter's. Being that I am officially becoming a hormonal mess (Sorry, Aaron!), I couldn't handle it and kept him home with me. Beyond that, it's been a while since he's been one-on-one with me and he can tell that something's going to change very soon. So, he came along with me as I did my normal NST test and ultrasound. Unfortunately, I had to be hooked up to the NST monitoring machine for an hour because they thought that Kenton's heart rate was dropping. Luckily, it was really just his heart rate returning to it's normal baseline rate after he was moving and being active. Then we "took pictures" of Kenton. My amniotic fluid was back down to an 8.6, but nothing they were going to admit me for, thank goodness. Then, Talan and I went out to eat with Nana and Papa. We won't discuss how the rest of the evening went, because it wasn't as nice. ;-)
We had our weekly appointment today (2 days early). There's not too much to report at this point. After over a week of contractions, back labor, and a couple of false alarms, I am officially 75% effaced and dilated to 2. the nurse suggested that I take a couple of hot baths everyday because it may help keep my amniotic fluid up. I'm very happy Aaron was there to hear that! :) I was also given my final progesterone injection. It should be interesting to see if I make it farther than I ever have in a pregnancy.
On Saturday, I will be 37 weeks, which will be the longest I've ever been pregnant. This is good news because Kenton gets to "cook" longer and be nice and strong, but I am quite done with being pregnant. I should clarify ... it's not so much the pregnancy per say. It's more of the fact that I've been having so many contractions that get to the point that I start timing and get uncomfortable, but never to the point that I think I need to head to the hospital. I'm exhausted from this whole process and just want to hold my baby boy. When it is time, hopefully my water will just break like it did for both Talan and Hunter - it makes it SO much easier! :)
On another note, Aaron moved Hunter's and Talan's car seats to the back seat of the van and installed Kenton's car seat so that it's ready when he arrives. Hunter was VERY excited because he is now forward facing and is a "big" boy. I still have mixed feelings about him being turned around, but there was no way we could keep him rear-facing in the back of the van because the seat would not have fit properly. It's a little bittersweet, but we kept him rear-facing for 2 years and almost 2 months, which is the new recommendation.
We had our weekly appointment today (2 days early). There's not too much to report at this point. After over a week of contractions, back labor, and a couple of false alarms, I am officially 75% effaced and dilated to 2. the nurse suggested that I take a couple of hot baths everyday because it may help keep my amniotic fluid up. I'm very happy Aaron was there to hear that! :) I was also given my final progesterone injection. It should be interesting to see if I make it farther than I ever have in a pregnancy.
On Saturday, I will be 37 weeks, which will be the longest I've ever been pregnant. This is good news because Kenton gets to "cook" longer and be nice and strong, but I am quite done with being pregnant. I should clarify ... it's not so much the pregnancy per say. It's more of the fact that I've been having so many contractions that get to the point that I start timing and get uncomfortable, but never to the point that I think I need to head to the hospital. I'm exhausted from this whole process and just want to hold my baby boy. When it is time, hopefully my water will just break like it did for both Talan and Hunter - it makes it SO much easier! :)
On another note, Aaron moved Hunter's and Talan's car seats to the back seat of the van and installed Kenton's car seat so that it's ready when he arrives. Hunter was VERY excited because he is now forward facing and is a "big" boy. I still have mixed feelings about him being turned around, but there was no way we could keep him rear-facing in the back of the van because the seat would not have fit properly. It's a little bittersweet, but we kept him rear-facing for 2 years and almost 2 months, which is the new recommendation.
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| Please ignore the waffles in the boys' hands. We were running late to church. :) |
Friday, March 2, 2012
Oh, What a Night!
Sing with me ... "Early March back in 2012" ... (Sorry, just couldn't resist myself!)
Yesterday, I started weekly OB appointments. After contracting since Monday, I was anxious to hear what my doctor had to say. We weren't very surprised to find out that the contractions weren't just "practice" Braxton Hicks, but they were actually causing some progress. Kenton is fully engaged and ready to "move." I am 60% effaced and 1 1/2 dilated. After this information was shared, I teased my doctor and told her we were taking bets about whether or not she would actually deliver Kenton since she hasn't delivered any of my boys thus far. We then discussed what days she was on call, because I have complete control as to when Kenton decides to join us. ;)
After an appointment with our realtor and going to my mom's to eat and pick up the boys, we were headed home ... contractions and all. As soon as we got home, I took myself to bed. Around midnight, I woke up rather uncomfortable. Considering this has been the norm as of late, I didn't think much of it. Then, the contractions came back ... consistent ... and progressively stronger. As I tossed and turned, I watched Aaron sleep peacefully. Oh - and kicked him off my side of the bed a couple of times too! By 4, the contractions were between 7 and 8 minutes apart and getting stronger and lower. At this point, I decided that Aaron probably shouldn't go to work. Around 5, my exhaustion took over and I fell asleep for about an hour or two. When Aaron's alarm went off, I took the opportunity to fill him in on the events of the night. I was still contracting, but they had slowed and weren't as consistent. However, as soon as I got out of bed, they came back strong and regular.
Needless to say, I've been taking it easy today. I did my normal morning chores and activities, but then went and took a short nap. I have dinner in the crock pot and got myself clean. As I sit here typing, I've had a few contractions, but definitely not labor contractions.
I guess the good news is that I know the difference between true labor and annoying contractions. I am going to spend my weekend resting as much as possible because this little man may be joining us sooner rather than later.
Yesterday, I started weekly OB appointments. After contracting since Monday, I was anxious to hear what my doctor had to say. We weren't very surprised to find out that the contractions weren't just "practice" Braxton Hicks, but they were actually causing some progress. Kenton is fully engaged and ready to "move." I am 60% effaced and 1 1/2 dilated. After this information was shared, I teased my doctor and told her we were taking bets about whether or not she would actually deliver Kenton since she hasn't delivered any of my boys thus far. We then discussed what days she was on call, because I have complete control as to when Kenton decides to join us. ;)
After an appointment with our realtor and going to my mom's to eat and pick up the boys, we were headed home ... contractions and all. As soon as we got home, I took myself to bed. Around midnight, I woke up rather uncomfortable. Considering this has been the norm as of late, I didn't think much of it. Then, the contractions came back ... consistent ... and progressively stronger. As I tossed and turned, I watched Aaron sleep peacefully. Oh - and kicked him off my side of the bed a couple of times too! By 4, the contractions were between 7 and 8 minutes apart and getting stronger and lower. At this point, I decided that Aaron probably shouldn't go to work. Around 5, my exhaustion took over and I fell asleep for about an hour or two. When Aaron's alarm went off, I took the opportunity to fill him in on the events of the night. I was still contracting, but they had slowed and weren't as consistent. However, as soon as I got out of bed, they came back strong and regular.
Needless to say, I've been taking it easy today. I did my normal morning chores and activities, but then went and took a short nap. I have dinner in the crock pot and got myself clean. As I sit here typing, I've had a few contractions, but definitely not labor contractions.
I guess the good news is that I know the difference between true labor and annoying contractions. I am going to spend my weekend resting as much as possible because this little man may be joining us sooner rather than later.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
It's March!
We made it to March! When all of this craziness with Kenton first started back in October, the goal was to make it to February. Well, we made it to February and passed February, even with Leap Year working against us. :)
This week has been rough, though. I've been contracting since Monday and am officially exhausted. In fact, this morning Aaron and I both woke up feeling like we had never even slept. Not a good start to the day, but we'll make it through. I guess we don't really have an option! ;-)
This afternoon is going to be very busy, so I'm trying to take it as easy as possible right now. I have my NST at 3:30, my weekly OB appointment at 4:20, and then we're meeting with our realtor at 6 to find out more about our loan modification.
I will be 36 weeks (technically full-term) on Saturday and am definitely feeling as if this pregnancy is about to end. Although I'm very excited to meet Kenton and hold him in my arms, I'm also nervous about finding out about his kidneys. Those of you who know me well, know that I live in a world of denial as much as possible and soon that won't be the case. So, in the meantime, I continue to pray for the health of Kenton, and for our courage and strength.
So, let's take a poll:
When do you think Kenton will arrive?
This week has been rough, though. I've been contracting since Monday and am officially exhausted. In fact, this morning Aaron and I both woke up feeling like we had never even slept. Not a good start to the day, but we'll make it through. I guess we don't really have an option! ;-)
This afternoon is going to be very busy, so I'm trying to take it as easy as possible right now. I have my NST at 3:30, my weekly OB appointment at 4:20, and then we're meeting with our realtor at 6 to find out more about our loan modification.
I will be 36 weeks (technically full-term) on Saturday and am definitely feeling as if this pregnancy is about to end. Although I'm very excited to meet Kenton and hold him in my arms, I'm also nervous about finding out about his kidneys. Those of you who know me well, know that I live in a world of denial as much as possible and soon that won't be the case. So, in the meantime, I continue to pray for the health of Kenton, and for our courage and strength.
So, let's take a poll:
When do you think Kenton will arrive?
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