Sunday, October 30, 2005

I'm Back

For all of you who have been anxiously awaiting my return, here I am! ;-) I decided that after a 2 week break I needed to get back to blogging. I don't know if I will be blogging as regularly, but who knows.

Some of you may have read the details of our son's birth on Steve's blog but for those of you who haven't I will tell you how it went down. I went into labor the evening of the 14th. Everything started our very slowly and irregularly. At about 10:00 I started to have regular contractions (about 5 minutes apart) but they weren't very intense. At about 11:00 I called my doctor and told him that I was in labor and also that my blood pressure was a little high. He told me to go ahead and go to the hospital. I think we got there a little before 11:30. By that point my contractions were very regular (every couple of minutes) and getting more intense. My doctor got there about 12:15 and checked to see how far dilated I was. I think I was dilated to 6 cm. at that point. Then he broke my water. That sent me into hard labor. Sometimes it felt like the contractions didn't end. I just went right into the next one. That's when it gets very hard to relax. Around 1:00 or so I asked for something to take the edge off because I couldn't relax. The nurse said she could give me Nubane (?). First, she wanted to check me to make sure I wasn't too far along to give me the I.V. It seemed like it took forever for her to get everything ready. I was still only at 6 cm, so she started the I.V. That was at 1:20. After a few more contractions I started to relax and she checked me again. Now I was dilated to 8 cm. Just a few minutes after that I felt like I needed to push. The nurse told me I couldn't push yet and she went and got my doctor. He got there and they let me start pushing with the next contraction. By that point I was wishing I had gotten the epidural, but I know there wouldn't have been enough time. I pushed for maybe 10 minutes and our son was born. They handed him to me right away and Steve cut the umbilical cord but he was purple and not breathing so they took him away to get him to start breathing. After a minute or so we heard his first little cry. Then we breathed a sigh of relief. They brought him back to me after a little while and we got to look him over for the first time. He was so precious and I was just relieved to be done with labor. Three and a half hours is not too bad though.

After an hour or so the nurse took him to weigh him and bathe him. He weighed in at 6 lbs. 7 oz. and was 21 in. long. Tall and skinny. Later they took me to my post partum room. I had a semi-private room (2 beds) because they were completely out of private rooms but luckily I never had to share with anyone else. I think I got about 1 hour of sleep that night. That afternoon the visitors started to roll in. My in-laws brought our daughters to visit. They were amazed by the new baby. Steve left that evening so that he could go home with the girls. The next morning my doctor came to check on us and said that we could go home that day. I couldn't wait.

Two weeks later we are doing well. Our youngest daughter has finally accepted the new baby. I am still recovering. It is harder to recover when you have a 4 year old and a 22 month old at home. It is very hard to take naps. The baby sleeps well most nights. Sometimes he only gets me up once for about and hour and other times maybe for a short second feeding. So far he is a good natured baby. We got him circumcised last week and that hardly affected him. Not much bothers him. I hope that is a sign that he will be an easy going child. I don't know what it is like to have one of those.

Well, I better go. It is almost time for another feeding.

Friday, October 14, 2005

New Look

I hope all of you like the new look of my blog. All of the credit goes to my hubby Steve. He has been learning more html and stuff like that. He wanted to experiment on my blog so I let him because I have no idea how to do any of that stuff. I think he is going to do a few more things, but I am not sure what.

I really like the picture that he used for my header. Steve took that picture last April when we were in Havana, Cuba.

More Waiting

I am still pregnant. I can hardly believe it. 14 days to go. Hopefully, I will not go that much longer. This weekend would be nice.

I was talking to my mom on the phone yesterday because she called to recommend that I try sitting on the exercise ball to see if that would start anything. Well, it didn't. I might try it again tonight but it is not very comfortable. She understands how I feel about wanting to go into labor but not wanting to. If anybody would understand it would be her. She had 5 kids after all. In between pregnancies you kind of forget what the pain and discomfort are like. Believe me, it is on my mind a lot lately. I really just want to get it over with though.

In my dream last night I had had the baby. He had Steve's nose and he had dark hair. Steve asked me what his name was but I don't know. We didn't call him anything in my dream. A nameless child. A lot of people keep asking what we are going to name him, but we aren't telling anyone. Those close to us know some of the names that we have tossed around in the past, but we are not telling them what we have decided. For all they know it could be something that we have not mentioned to them at all. We have gone back and forth so many times that it may change when he is born.

Well, I need to go because I just looked at the clock and realized that Steve will be home soon and I need to start getting dinner ready so him and our oldest can go to church tonight. I will not be going because our youngest has a cold still. She has had this cold for almost a week. Wiping her nose is getting really old.

How Normal Are You?





You Are 55% Normal

(Somewhat Normal)









While some of your behavior is quite normal...

Other things you do are downright strange

You've got a little of your freak going on

But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself



It's nice to know I am somewhat "normal".

Thursday, October 13, 2005

What Cute Animal Are You?

You Are A: Kitten!

kitty catCute as can be, kittens are playful, mischevious, and ever-curious. Like you, kittens hate getting wet. Kittens are often loving, but are known to scratch or bite when annoyed. These adorable animals are the most popular pets in the United States--37% of American households have at least one cat. Whether it is your gentle purr or your disarming appearance, you make a wonderful kitten.

You were almost a: Monkey or a Pony
You are least like a: Groundhog or a TurtleWhat Cute Animal Are You?

Thanks to Kristin Hoppe/Not So Fast for finding this very informative quiz.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

The Year I Was Born





In 1981 (the year you were born)


Ronald Reagan becomes president of the US


Minutes after Ronald Reagan becomes president, Iran releases 52 American hostages that had been held captive for 444 days


President Reagan is shot in the chest by would be assassin John Hinkley


Space shuttle Columbia, the world's first reusable spacecraft, is sent into space


A suspended walkway in the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel collapses, killing 113


A female former lover files a "palimony" suit against tennis star Billie Jean King


President Reagan appoints Sandra Day O'Connor to be the first woman on the Supreme Court


The Pac-Man video game is introduced in the US


Alicia Keys, Elijah Wood, Kelly Rowland, Anna Kournikova, and Britney Spears are born


Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series


Oakland Raiders win Superbowl XV


New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup


Raiders of the Lost Ark is the top grossing film


"Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes spends the most time at the top of the US charts


MTV debuts on cable television, playing music videos 24 hours a day


Gimme a Break premieres



What Happened the Year You Were Born?


More cool things for your blog at
Blogthings

Still Waiting

Hooray! I made it to 38 weeks. Now I am ready to have this baby. He can come at any time. I went to the doctor again today. This time I was dilated to 3 cm and I am 70% effaced. I didn't think I was effaced at all last week because the doctor didn't say anything about it but I guess I was 60% effaced then. So, slowly but surely progress is being made.

Tonight we are going out to dinner with my in-laws. That will be nice because then I will not have to cook. I'm not sure where we are going yet. My guess would be Chili's. Chili's is always a good choice in my book and especially in Steve's.

Well, I need to go take advantage of the fact that both of the girls are sleeping right now and put my feet up and rest myself.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

You Know You're From... When...





You Know You're From Idaho When...


The wind is faster than your truck.

Every other vehicle is a 4x4.

When the sun goes down you start looking for your coat.

In March, your vehicle is 43% mud.

You leave your keys in the car and the next morning it's still there.

The elevation exceeds the population.

You've broken down on the highway and somebody stops to help you.

You can see the stars at night.

People drive 200 miles to shop in a real mall.

Your great grandmother is older than the courthouse.

You got a set of snow tires for Valentines Day.

The bumper jack in your pickup will lift a house.

Your back yard smells like sagebrush or various animals.

A girls' basketball game fills the gym.

A rodeo is more popular than a rock concert.

You can fish, golf, and go skiing all in the same day if you try hard enough.

Yellow light means "follow the car in front of you no matter what."

Democrats are like salmon, they are on the endangered species list.

You wave to someone on the freeway because you recognize the truck.

You talk about a combine and people don't wonder what you are putting together.

In the spring, every tenth car you pass is a tractor.

Maps and gloves are kept in your vehicle's "jocky box."

You have to wait for a flock of sheep to pass you on the road.

You know why people pay money to watch "pig wrestling."

You've golfed where the hazards include wagon wheel ruts from the Oregon Trail.

You've ever received skis for Christmas, and used them Christmas morning skiing off of the roof.

You've ever flown commercially and at least once seen grazing cattle higher than the flying plane.

Anyone has ever not believed you about why there are 5 parallel stripes painted across the road at the freeway onramp.

You know what a finger steak is.

You've ever given a snow shovel or an ice scraper as a gift...and not as a joke.

You've seen snow in every month of the year.

You prefer to ski at the place it takes chains on snowtires to get to.

You have ever used the 'Above 3500 feet' directions in cooking instuctions.

You've ever checked the barometer before deciding to use the "+3500 ft" instructions.

The name "Galena Summit" makes you worry about the state of your brakes.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Idaho.





I don't know if it's funny or sad that some of these things are true.

Old Before My Time

Throughout most of this pregnancy my lower back has bothered me. Lately it hadn't been too bad, but today it has really been hurting. This morning I sat down in front of the computer for a little while to check my e-mail and my blog and also to check out Huckleberries when my back really started to hurt. When I got up I was walking kind of hunched over and limping. I'm sure I was a sight. Anyway, my 4 year old asked me why I was walking like that and I told her because my back was hurting me. Then she told me "Mommy, you look like a grandma!"

Ahh, kids.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Counting Down

17 days and counting.

I am actually very surprised that I have made it this far. On Friday I started to think that maybe I was feeling the early stages of labor starting, but now I think that my body is just getting ready for the big event. It's not quite ready for labor to actually happen. That does not mean that I couldn't have this baby tonight or even this afternoon. Only God knows what is going on and when this baby is going to arrive. I am still holding out for 38 weeks (even though I wouldn't complain if the baby was born today) because that has been my goal all along and if he is born at or after 38 weeks he will not be considered premature or preterm.

This afternoon we are going to my in-laws' for a barbecue to celebrate Steve's and his sister's birthday. I have to be careful about how much I am on my feet because of my blood pressure (which has been pretty good lately; occasionally a little high) but gravity is the best thing to make labor start. So, if I am on my feet a lot that could start something. Then again, it might not.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

What's Your EQ?

Your EQ is
140

50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick!
51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese.
71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely.
91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that.
111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt.
131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin.
150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.


Hat tip to Kristin Hoppe/Not So Fast

Friday, October 07, 2005

How Addicted Are You?

You Are 55% Addicted to Blogthings

You're a Blogthings fiend - addicted but not totally dependent.
So what if you know your personality type by heart?
And while you may feel like Blogthings is crack...
There are people much worse off than you!
I'll admit that ever since I was introduced to this site I go there often and take a quiz or two. Most of it is really dumb but enjoyable.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

What Is Your Inner Hair Color?

Your Hair Should Be Orange

Expressive, deep, and one of a kind.
You pull off "weird" well - hardly anyone notices.
I pull off "weird" well. Is that a compliment? I know I am weird. I just don't know about the orange hair.

Still Pregnant

There you have it. I am still counting down to the big day which could be anyday. I had another visit with the MD yesterday. He discovered that I am dilated to 2 cm but not effaced. That doesn't really mean anything though. I could have this baby today or it might be another 3 weeks. I hope not the latter. I go back and forth about when I want to have this baby. Sometimes I want him born yesterday and other times I think I could wait awhile. The times that I want to wait are when I have been thinking about the pain that is awaiting me. I am a big baby. I know that I can handle it. I've done it twice before.

Right now I just want to get this pregnancy over with. Last night Steve and I went to Olive Garden for dinner. I was so miserable afterwards and I didn't even eat that much. There is just no room left. Also, I slept horribly last night. I woke up every hour to hour and a half and I just couldn't get comfortable.

I know a lot of pain awaits me but I know that it will be worth it in the end. I hope he comes soon. I can't imagine another 3 weeks of this. I think if I go past my due date (highly unlikely) I will have an elective induction within a couple of days because my doctor leaves for vacation 4 days after my due date. I really like my doctor and I want him to deliver our baby. This is my first pregnancy that he has been my doctor but I have been impressed by him. With the last 2 deliveries I have had doctors that weren't my doctors throughout the pregnancy. This time I want to have my doctor.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

What Part of Fall Are You?

You Are Apple Cider

Smooth and comforting. But downright nasty when cold.
I don't know that I am nasty when cold. I guess the best person to ask would be my husband. I have poor circulation and so my hands and feet are always cold in the fall and winter. My favorite place to stick them is on my husband's bare back. He hates that. But he is always so warm. I just want him to share a little of his warmth. Is that too much to ask?