"You are worth it all"-29 weeks

How far along? 29 weeks
Weight gain/loss: Well...at the MRI last week (28 weeks) I had lost another 3 pounds from week 27. Since then, Jordan and my Mom have been constantly checking on my eating and forcing me to eat. As long as my doctor is not concerned and as long as Logan is gaining weight, I think it's ok. Some people gain a ton of weight on bedrest...I guess I do the opposite. No worries though, Jordan and my Mom have joined forces and are making sure I don't lose anymore.
Maternity clothes? mix of both...I pulled out a non-maternity shirt yesterday to wear to my doctor's appointment and thought for sure it would be too small. I was wrong. It's the shirt I'm wearing in my "bump" pic below.
Stretch marks? None yet
Sleep? I had 5 great nights of sleep while Jordan was home on vacation. I think it's because we stayed up late each night watching tv. However, I'm still getting up at least 5 times during the night.
Best moment this week? We paid off my car on Christmas Day!!!! We paid it off in 33 months instead of the original 60 I had signed up for. It is SUCH a relief to not have a $450 car payment anymore. Now that I'm out of work until April/May, it will be a big help.
Food cravings: Nada
Gender: BOY
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? All the time...Logan is getting so big that I'm feeling/seeing kicks on my right side of my stomach, almost around to my back. I really don't know how he is going to fit in there much longer, but he needs to find a way!
What I miss? Being able to go out to dinner with Jordan.
What I'm looking forward to: Our last New Year's as just the two of us! We have plans to stay home and ring in the year our son will be born by celebrating just the two of us.
Milestones: LAST WEEK IN THE 20's!!!!!! woohoo

Our Christmas:
My family has always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. We went to my parents' house and enjoyed delicious food and spending time with my family. My Mom's words to me when we started opening gifts were, "The days of you getting spoiled are over. From now on, it's about Logan." hehe. I wouldn't want it any other way. Jordan asked me what I wanted this year and I told him nothing...I just want a healthy baby and things for him. My parents spoiled him rotten...he got blankets, socks, gift cards, a crib mattress, a stuffed animal, outfits, and a baby monitor. My Mom had a blanket and onesie from the Disney store monogrammed with his name on it. CUTEST. THING. EVER. My Dad got him a very preppy Longhorn/polo onesie. Jordan was most excited about this! Jordan and I didn't get gifts for each other this year. We plan on purchasing a new video camera in the next few weeks so we can video every little thing this little boy does!

MRI/ultrasound:
My ultrasound at Texas Children's was at 7:30 am last Wednesday. It started off with the nurse taking 75 pictures of Logan....every bone and organ. Then, the radiologist came in and took 20 more pictures. I'm pretty sure we win the award for the most ultrasound pictures during a pregnancy. Right now, we're at close to 150. whoa. After the ultrasound, I went to another location for the MRI. Of course, there was another 30 minute wait. By this time it was close to 11am. They took me back , gave me earplugs, and began the MRI. Let me just say, small spaces don't bother me, however, I panicked during that MRI. The lady left the room and started the machine and Logan started going CRAZY. I just knew he was scared from the sounds. He was kicking and wiggling like never before. I tried to breathe normally and not panic because I didn't want him to feel me being nervous. About 30-40 minutes in, I was sweating so bad and felt like I was going to throw up so I pushed the button. The lady came back in, pulled me out, and gave me some juice. I didn't know how much more I could take in there. She assured me it was almost over so I sucked it up and told her to let's get it over with. We started again and I swear it felt like an eternity. Every time the loud bangs would stop, I would think, "Whew...it's over." Not so fast...it would start up again! Finally, it was over. She pulled me out, wheeled me back to my room, I got dressed, and went out to the waiting room to meet my Dad. Then I broke down. I started crying like a baby and I didn't care who was staring at me. I am so tired of feeling sick and being poked, prodded, and put through all of this. It also didn't help that Logan was scared. My poor baby.

Flash forward to yesterday, we had our follow up with the high-risk doctor. After waiting in the waiting room for well over an hour, we finally were taken back. The nurse did an ultrasound first to get some measurements. I am 29 weeks today, but all of Logan's measurements were over 30 weeks. His overall gestational age is 30 weeks 5 days! This doctor was calculating a due date of March 3rd, instead of the 15th. He now weighs about 3lbs 6 oz!!!! HOLY COW. He has gained 1 lb 1 oz in 12 days. No wonder I've been getting more and more uncomfortable this past week...baby is getting BIG. After getting the measurements, the doctor came in and went over the MRI results. She said that the radiologist said the small spot in Logan's tummy is located on the liver and is a "vascular origin." It is not any form of tissue and is not harming him in any way. They took multiple pictures of the liver and it looks perfect and healthy. The radiologist recommends leaving it alone and NOT having anyone operate on our baby after delivery. We will probably have an ultrasound done when he is a month old to check to see if it has grown and then have the same thing done periodically in the future. The high risk doctor then remeasured my cervix and said it was the same length as my doctor has been getting for 3 weeks now...woohoo!!! She was VERY pleased with how well I've been doing and how big Logan is getting. She thinks I can definitely make it to 36 weeks...we shall see.

"You are worth it all"
Last week, I received a gift in the mail from my parents' dear friend, Dee. She went to college with them and they have stayed friends all these years. Dee is one of the sweetest women I have ever met and she is always doing nice things for our family. Anyway, I opened the package and there was a sweet note and necklace inside. The necklace made me cry. It's a round pendant with baby footprints on it and below them it says, "You are worth it all." It immediately made me remember why I am doing all of this. I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember and I already have never felt so much love for someone I have not even met yet. I am already wearing the necklace and won't take it off until after he is born. When he comes home, I plan on putting it in a small shadow box and hanging it in his room.

Dear Logan,
You are worth it all. You are worth the year long wait I went through until Daddy was ready to have a baby. You are worth the 14 weeks of all day morning sickness. You are worth the 30+ doctor's appointments I will have been to by the time you arrive. You are worth the surgery I went through to keep you safe. You are worth the nasty medicines I had to take that made me so sick. You are worth a 10 day hospital stay. You are worth the 6 1/2 weeks of bedrest I have already completed and the 6-7 weeks I still have to go. You are worth not being able to work. You are worth the pump I have to wear in my leg and the monitoring I have to do twice a day. YOU ARE WORTH IT ALL.

I have never felt a love like I already feel for you. You are my most prized possession and I'm so proud to be your Mommy. You are one tough little guy and I can't wait to see your sweet face. All that I have been through, that WE have been through, is worth it....I would do it all again. I would do ANYTHING to make sure you get here safely. Monkey, YOU are worth it.

I love you,
Mommy

28 weeks!

How far along? 28 weeks
Weight gain/loss: I'm guessing at least +10 pounds from pre-pregnancy. We don't have a scale at home so the only time I get weighed is when I see the doctor. I won't get weighed again until Jan 4th...that should be interesting!
Maternity clothes? mix of both
Stretch marks? None yet
Sleep? I had 2 great nights of sleep this week. HOORAY. However, my body seems to think it's the first trimester again and I wake up to pee about 4958392048958 times during the night.
Best moment this week? Finding out I will get $8000 based on my students/team's TAKS scores from April. It couldn't have come at a better time! Oh, and getting Logan's furniture...I will add pictures once we are finished decorating!
Food cravings: Nada
Gender: BOY
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? All the time...it still freaks Jordan out to see the baby rolling around and punching on my tummy.
What I miss? Target. hehe
What I'm looking forward to: Spending Christmas Eve at my parents' house and Christmas Day at my brother and sister-in-law's.
Milestones: We're at a point in the pregnancy where the survivability rate is over 90% if Logan were to make an early appearance. I can breathe a sigh of relief!

Tomorrow is the MRI. Please pray everything is okay with the little one and that he won't have to have surgery at delivery...or at any time for that matter. We won't get the results until we see the high-risk doctor next Monday. I'm spending the night at my parents' house tonight since my appointment is at 7 am at Texas Children's in the Med Center. My Dad will be taking me since Jordan isn't off work until Thursday.

I will update more next week about our Christmas and our visit with the high-risk doctor. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!! I can't believe this is our last Christmas without a baby...we get to be "Santa" next year and I.CAN'T.WAIT!!!!

Here's my 28 week bump...I cut off my head because I have no make up on and look gross. Also, I think Logan has finally moved up in my tummy a little bit. :)

27 weeks!

How far along? 27 weeks, 1 day
Weight gain/loss: +9 pounds from pre-pregnancy...I gained 2 pounds since last week
Maternity clothes? yes...but I can still wear most of my pre-pregnancy pants/jeans if I rubberband them to hold them up.
Stretch marks? None yet
Sleep? It's taking me longer to fall asleep now that I'm on bedrest.
Best moment this week? Finding out my cervix has not changed since last week!
Food cravings: No real cravings
Gender: BOY
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? All the time. Sometimes I wonder if he's having a dance party in there. hehe
What I miss? Driving my car
What I'm looking forward to: Having Logan's furniture be delivered and set up on Saturday! My boy is going to have the cutest nursery!
Milestones: We're in the 3rd trimester, baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was my weekly doctor visit. The nurses are so sweet and all come up to ask how I'm doing every week. I'm so excited to report SOOOO much good news today!

1. I PASSED the glucose test! Thank God. I told my Dad in the waiting room that I was going to cry if I had failed it because I don't think I could handle the 3 hr test. So glad I don't have to drink that nasty drink again...well, until baby #2 that is! hehe

2. Logan, overall, is measuring 28 weeks, 1 day. He weighs about 2 lbs 5 oz and is still growing like a champ. He is in the 52nd percentile. His head...well, that's another story. His head is measuring 30 weeks. GOOD-NESS. I guess it was inevitable since both Jordan and I have huge noggins.

3. We got to see Logan drinking the amniotic fluid. Baby boy's tongue kept going in and out of his mouth. That was by far one of the neatest things I've ever seen.

4. My cervix last week was 1.4cm and today it was 1.5cm!!! I think the increase is due to some margin of error, but regardless, it didn't get shorter!!!

5. My doctor said I can wait 3 weeks to see him next...woohoo. He said things are looking good and that I can wait until the first week of January to come back.

Good things...all good things. I asked him when the stitch would be removed. Typically, doctors will remove it at 37 weeks, which is considered full term. However, based on my situation, my contractions, my cervix, and the fact that Logan is measuring ahead, he said he might remove it between 33-34 weeks, but we will play it by ear. HOLY COW. That makes me VERY excited.

My Dad asked about the possibility of me sitting in a wheel chair and going to the store just to get out of the house for a bit. He said that was not an option right now since things are looking so good. However, when I go back the first week of January, I will be 30 weeks and he said it could definitely be an option once we get to that point. WOOHOO!!!

Lastly, I got my second Rhogam shot. I have O- blood and Logan has O+ blood. Therefore, my body would eventually try to build up antibodies that would attack his blood if I didn't get the shot. We found out about this when I had that huge scare back in August and had to go to the emergency room for the bleeding. I got my first shot there. I will get the last shot as soon as Logan is born. I will have to get the shots with all of my future pregnancies.

We are having a fetal MRI done next Wednesday at Texas Children's to get a better idea of what the "cyst" is in Logan's tummy. I will have a follow up appointment with the high risk doctor the following week. We're hoping we can get a definite answer as to what it is and how we will go about treating it.

This weekend is going to be so much fun! We are having all of Logan's furniture delivered and set up on Saturday. I can't wait to see it in his room...it will make everything more real. I'm sure some tears will be shed once it is all in its place. Once it gets set up, the decorating can begin!

I will leave you with some pictures of my bump and a picture of Logan!

I got lots of compliments on my shirt today! Not sure it will fit me next week, so I had to be sure to wear it at least once this season.

And here is our handsome little guy:

26 weeks, 1 day and our BOUNCING baby boy!

How far along? 26 weeks, 1 day
Weight gain/loss: +7 pounds from pre-pregnancy. At my appointment last week, I had lost 3 pounds since being on bedrest. At my appointment today, I was the same as last Friday.
Maternity clothes? yes...but I can still wear most of my pre-pregnancy pants/jeans if I rubberband them to hold them up. Right now, the only days I wear maternity clothes are when I go to the doctor. The rest of the time I wear one of Jordan's t-shirts.
Stretch marks? None yet
Sleep? It's taking me longer to fall asleep now that I'm on bedrest.
Best moment this week? Finding out that Logan is now over 2lbs! Oh yeah, and being able to leave the house again today to go to the doctor!
Food cravings: Still haven't had any "cravings." However, I could always go for some Chick-fil-a and anything with jalapenos...so strange.
Gender: BOY...Logan Scott!
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? All the time
What I miss? My students
What I'm looking forward to: Getting my house cleaned by my parents' maid!
Milestones: I've almost completed my 2nd trimester! 6 days to go...

Today was my weekly doctor's appointment. My awesome sister-in-law, Amber, picked me up and droped me off at the doctor around 9 so I could do my 1 hr glucose test before my appointment. I had 5 minutes to drink that NASTY fruit punch. About 10 minutes into the one hour, my doctor's nurse called and said my doctor wanted to see me on Friday morning instead of today. I told her I was already downstairs in the lab and that I would not have anyone to pick me up until 11 so Friday really wasn't going to work. She was very nice and told me to go ahead and come on upstairs as soon as I was done with the glucose test and they would see me right away. Thank goodness. I had an ultrasound and then met with my doctor. We didn't get any of Logan's measurements since they had just done that on Friday. They were only checking my cervix length. Bad news...it's gotten even shorter. It was 1.8cm on Friday and 1.4cm today. UGH. WHAT is wrong with my body???? After the ultrasound, I met with my doctor and he did another pelvic exam. I'm still not dialated, there was no bleeding, and my water still has not broken. All good things. My doctor says that the shortening is not worrying him until one of the things I just listed occurs. Also, as long as I'm not having contractions, the cerclage(stitch) will not be coming out any time soon. He said we're all doing everything we can do and each day is "goal" to getting Logan here safely. Even though he is optimistic, it's hard to not get down on myself. I've literally been in bed for more than 23 hours a day and my cervix is still changing...I wish I had answers as to why. All I can do is keep praying Logan stays put. Logan, you are SUCH a good boy already. Mommy and Daddy are SOOOOOO proud of you!

On the way home from the doctor, my dad drove me through Taco Cabana...yummmm. He then had to pull over 5 min later so I could get out of the car and throw up. I really think it was that nasty drink I had to drink for the glucose test...it just didn't sit well in my stomach. We then got home and I threw up a lot more. I got in the bed and started feeling better and then felt even better after eating my lunch. That tells me it was definitely the drink...and maybe some nerves from seeing the doctor.

As I mentioned above, my parents are sending their maid over on Friday afternoon. My Mom called me last week and said they wanted to do that for us and I couldn't be more excited! My sweet Husband has done a FABULOUS job of picking up and taking care of things, but let's face it...he doesn't "clean." Like, mop, sweep, scrub...I used to take care of that part. Soooo...my house is getting a good scrub down on Friday and I could not be more ecstatic and grateful for my parents for setting this up! Jordan started cleaning out Logan's room last weekend and has a few more items to move out of there before Friday. My biggest thing is having the maid scrub down his room in preparation for his furniture being delivered. Yes, ALL of his furniture is in and ready to be delivered and set up. I can't wait! My child is getting all the best and his room will certainly be the cutest/preppiest nursery ever.

I will leave you all with a short video of our bouncing baby boy! I've told you before about how active this kid is and I wanted to prove it with a video of my tummy jumping around. This was "calm" for him. I'll try to get a better video another day when he is REALLY wiggling up a storm. I can't wait to meet this little guy!!!

BIG baby!

So today was my follow-up with the doctor. I started by having an ultrasound done to check my cervix and Logan's measurements. We'll start with Logan. We have a BIG boy on our hands! His head is measuring 28 weeks and his overall measurements are 27 weeks. We should have known he would have a huge head since Mommy and Daddy both have a huge noggin. I guess we know he'll be very smart. hehe. As for the rest of his body, he's always measured ahead, however, the doctor never wanted to change my due date. He weighs 2lbs 1oz and had a heart rate of 161bpm. They also measured his precious feet. I wanted to say, "little feet," but like I said in a previous post, he's going to take after his Daddy's size 14/15. His feet are already 5cm long. Awwwww.



The "cyst" in his tummy has not grown...hooray!!! My doctor said he will talk to the high risk doctor to see if we can postpone the MRI for a while longer. There's nothing we can do about it until Logan is born anyway, so my doctor doesn't seem to want to rush the MRI while I'm having all these other issues. I also got weighed today. I've lost 3 pounds since going on bedrest. How does that happen? Especially when I'm not getting any exercise by walking...and all I do is eat and lay around like a bum. I'm not complaining...as long as Logan gains more, I don't mind going backward a little bit. hehe. My doctor didn't seem concerned...same thing, as long as the baby is growing, all is well! So...that puts me at +7lbs from pre-pregnancy. Again, my dear child, THANK YOU!

Now for my cervix. In a previous post I mentioned that the high risk doctor measured it as 2.17cm. Then I had the cerclage and haven't been checked since. My doctor didn't want to check me in the hospital because he didn't want to irritate or make anything worse when it came to my uterus. Soo...today it was between 1.6-1,9cm. There were about 3 different measurements...I guess they take an average. After the ultrasound, the doctor did a pelvic exam and said he could tell it was shorter, however, he is not worried. He said it probably changed when my uterus was going crazy those first 3 days after the cerclage was done. He also said that the funneling (when the amniotic sac starts to push through the cervix for delivery) is pretty normal for this stage in my pregnancy. My doctor is not worried about the small change. He said what matters now is what happens between today and Logan's delivery. Fingers crossed it stays the same!


My bedrest restrictions and home monitoring sessions will not change for at least 6 more weeks. After that, my doctor said we will discuss some modifications. I haven't had any contractions since Wednesday morning and the ones I had then were VERY small...only 2 in an hour. I guess that means the pump and medicine are working. I will have weekly ultrasounds and visits with the doctor from here on out. My next appointment is Wednesday, Dec 8th. I will also be doing my glucose test that day...oh joy. The nurse did say that women on bedrest get to sit in recliners for the one hour glucose test...woohoo. I deserve come kind of "perk" for going through all of this! All in all, my doctor said he is pleased with where things are at right now. We are in a much "safer" stage in the pregnancy, even though I still have a long way to go. Please keep praying for things to stay the same, if not better!!!

When I got home, the nurses from the home health services came to the house to watch me change the pump site in my leg. I did it all by myself! I will have to change it every 5 days. They were also sweet enough to give me my weekly progesterone shot because Jordan is still too scared to give it to me. He's terrified of hurting me. I keep telling him that I'm the best patient because needles don't bother me...he won't listen. That's about all that happened while they were here. They were pleased with how my monitoring sessions have been going and said I'm doing everything right.

I will leave you with the belly pictures I promised! It felt so good to put on make-up, wear normal clothes, and leave the house today!

25 weeks!

How far along? 25 weeks...only 9 to go until I reach my first goal set by my doctor!
Weight gain/loss: We'll see on Friday at my appointment what these past 3 weeks on bedrest has done. At my last appointment I was up 10lbs from pre-pregnancy. Hoping to keep my grand total at or under 35lbs when all is said and done! Logan is being VERY good to Mommy.
Maternity clothes? yes...but I can still wear most of my pre-pregnancy pants/jeans if I rubberband them to hold them up.
Stretch marks? None yet
Sleep? It's taking me longer to fall asleep now that I'm on bedrest.
Best moment this week? Finding out that I received $5000 of my student loans paid back! This was the 3rd time I applied and it couldn't have come at a better time. Also, insurance finally approved my terbutaline pump and home monitor. I hooked myself up for my first monitoring session and didn't have ANY contractions! woohoo
Food cravings: Still haven't had any "cravings." However, I could always go for some Chick-fil-a and anything with jalapenos...so strange.
Gender: BOY
Belly button in or out? In, but Jordan was making fun last night that it's going to "pop" at any moment...definitely becoming very shallow.
Movement? All the time...this kid is ACTIVE. I love to feel him wiggle around!
What I miss? Being able to hop in the car and go where I please, when I please.
What I'm looking forward to: Friday's doctor appointment. I can't wait to see how big Logan is getting!
Milestones: I have successfully completed 3 weeks of bedrest...2 in a hospital and 1 at home.

Here's what baby looks like this week:

25 Weeks Pregnant

Big day today! 25 weeks seems like such a big number to me. Only 9 weeks until my first "goal" set by the doctor and only 11 until the pump is removed! Insurance finally got their you know what together and approved my pump. Two very sweet nurses came to the house this morning and showed me how everything works. It's all very overwhelming, but they left me with a step by step tutorial book and they are sending a nurse out again on Friday to go over everything one more time. The pump was actually placed in my upper thigh, not my abdomen like I was originally told. It doesn't hurt and I can shower with it in. I also have to hook myself up to the contraction monitor twice a day and send my info via a wireless modem. After each session, a nurse calls within 30 min to tell me they received the info, tell me if I had any contractions, and tell me how to give myself extra doses of the medicine if I need it. It seems like so much to remember, but I was assured that it will all come as second nature within a few days. I hope they're right!

I have a doctor's appointment on Friday and my dad will be taking me since I can't drive. They will be doing an ultrasound and checking Logan's measurements. He HAS to be over 2lbs now. The kicks, rolls, and wiggles are pretty much all the time and you can now see my belly jump...it's kind of freaky. At 22 weeks, he was 1 lb 6 oz, which was already ahead of the average baby for that gestational age. This boy is going to be BIG. We also got to see his feet in the last ultrasound and the tech goes, "WOW. This baby has big feet!" I guess he's going to take after his daddy's size 14/15 shoe size. I'm just so glad he is so big already...makes me feel better if something were to happen and I were to go into labor early.

I will update again Friday afternoon with details from the doctor's appointment and a picture of my 25 week belly. I feel like it has grown a ton, but everyone keeps telling me I'm still so tiny for 25 weeks. Logan, thank you for being so good to Mommy's body!

A Thanksgiving to remember...

We got home around 7 pm on Wednesday night. I got straight into bed and didn't push my luck with taking a shower. Jordan's mom and dad bought us a mini-fridge to keep next to the bed, so Jordan set that up immediately.

I have never slept so good in my life. It felt so good to be in my own bed, without an IV in my arm, and being able to use my own restroom. The little things. I am grateful.

On Thursday, I woke up and took a shower. Jordan got all my clothes ready and sat next to the shower in case something happened. Our parents came over around 2 pm and prepared the most delicious Thanksgiving meal for us. They took care of everything for us. It was very low key, but definitely a Thanksgiving I will never forget. The meaning of giving thanks has never meant so much to me as it did this year. I have an incredible Husband, parents and in-laws who go over and beyond every day to make sure we have everything we need and love us like crazy, brothers and sisters who love us and would do anything for us, and now a growing baby in my tummy who is a fighter and already the light of my life. He is now my reason for living. Everything I've gone through this pregnancy is worth it. I wouldn't change a thing. He and I already have an indescribable bond and I'm so lucky I get to be his Mommy. Logan, Mommy and Daddy love you! Thank you for being such a good boy. We can't wait to meet you in a few months!!!

So now here I am on bed rest. I have filed for disability and will be unable to work until after Logan arrives. That's okay though. We will survive and we have so many people love and support us that we will get through it. My days are long a boring, but my Husband and family are thinking of new ways to keep me busy every day. I have a check-up on Friday, Dec 3rd to check how the cerclage is holding up and to check Logan's measurements. My doctor visits will be the highlight of my week because I will get to leave the house...woohoo!!!

Have you seen your strips?!

I had a hard time falling asleep on Monday night. I stayed up a prayed for a long time asking God to help my body cooperate, while still thanking him for keeping Logan safe! When I woke up Tuesday morning, the nurse came in and said, "have you seen your strips today?" She was talking about the printouts of my contractions. I looked over and was stunned. They were in a more steady line, rather than looking like mountains, and it was the BEST they had looked since the time I was admitted into the hospital.

I tried all day to stay very calm. I layed on my side as much as possible and just kept praying. My doctor came in that afternoon and said he was very pleased with how things were looking. He told me his goal was to have me out by Thanksgiving Day. Then he explained "the plan."

Here's "the plan:"
I will be placed on a terbutaline pump that will be placed in my abdomen. It will deliver steady doses of the medicine into my body to keep the contractions at bay. I will also be set up with a home monitoring device. I will have to hook myself up to a contraction monitor twice a day and wait for a nurse to call me with the results and tell me what to do next, if anything. All of this will be done through a home health service with visiting nurses. Right now, we are still waiting for this plan to happen. The only thing standing in the way is getting approved by insurance. Praying it will happen soon!!!

On Wednesday, I will still looking the same as Tuesday, which was really good news. The doctor gave me a shot of terbutaline at 7 am and a pill form of it and took me off the magnesium at 8 am. HALLELUJAH!!!! Then we played the waiting game until 5 pm when my doctor said he would make a decision. Jordan got off work early that day so he came up to be with me and his mom was there, too. At 5 pm, the nurse came in and said, "You're going home!!!!!!!" Music to my ears! Since I had stayed the same for over 24 hours, the doctor felt like I was safe to go home. I am taking terbutaline by mouth every 4 hours until the pump is approved. My bed rest is very strict right now...mostly because we're still in iffy-waters. I can get up to use the restroom and can take a 10 minute shower every other day. That's it. The rest of my time is spent in bed, mostly on my side. I can't complain though. I have never been so happy to be home!!!!!

Bedside toilet, oh my!

On Sunday, the on call doctor made her rounds. She said that things were still not good so she upped the magnesium to 2g per hour. I cried. I didn't want to feel miserable again. I had just gotten over one of the well-known "mag migraines" and I didn't want to go through it again. Thank goodness it was such a small increase that my body didn't really notice and things stayed about the same.

I begged to have the catheter removed. It was so hard to sleep with it in and I needed some dignity back. Well, be careful what you wish for. She said, "ok" but that I couldn't use the normal restroom. WHAT?! Oh yes, I had a sweet bedside toilet next to my bed. I literally stood up, peed in a bucket, and got back in bed. SO. GROSS. I joked with some of the nurses during my stay that you really lose all modesty in a hospital. I'm for sure ready for childbirth. I don't care who sees me...Lord knows all the nurses on the labor and delivery floor have already met the oober-emotional Taylor Wheeler and seen it all. hehe. I'm not ashamed. I kept telling myself, surely they have seen FAR worse than me. One nurse even joked that I wasn't a "walk-around" case. What's that you might ask? Well, those are the women that are so large that the nurses have to "walk-around" the bed to even get the baby monitor on their stomach. WOW. She went there...yes she did.

Back to my status...the doctor mentioned that pump would be started on Monday in my abdomen and some other stuff that I can't remember right now. Everything changed on a daily basis, so I learned not to get my hopes up too much.

Monday rolled around and my doctor came to see me. It seemed as though I had a "set back" and the contractions were worse. However, I still wasn't feeling a single thing. That's what was so frustrating to me! The meds were kept the same and I was told I could only shower every other day. I got my first steroid shot on Monday and the second one 24 hours later. The steroid shots are given to women who are at greater risk of preterm labor. They help the baby's lungs mature faster so that they can breathe on their own if they are born early. Let me say, those were a little painful!

Magnesium sulfate, you are the DEVIL.

On Wednesday morning at 8 am, my status had not changed. My doctor made the decision to start trying magnesium. Let me just say that if you haven't heard about this drug, it is the worst possible medicine you would ever want to take. I have not talked to a single woman who was put on it who had a good experience. It was a nightmare. Thank goodness Jordan took off work that day to be with me and thank goodness his mom was with me that night. However, I don't think they were so excited that that happened to be the day/night they chose to stay with me. Bless their hearts!

The magnesium was started through my IV that morning. I was warned that it might make me a little nauseous, so to take it easy on breakfast. Well, I decided I was feeling okay so Jordan ordered me pancakes and sausage. I ate it all. Lunch rolled around and same thing...I was feeling like a champ. Maybe I was going to be a "lucky one." HA.

At about 4:30, Jordan's mom left us to go to a doctor's appointment. She was going to bring back Los Cucos for dinner...my favorite. About 30 minutes after she left, all hell broke loose. I started vomiting uncontrollably and I couldn't move any of my limbs. Everything felt like dead weight. This continued until about 2 pm the next day. I really thought I was dying. On top of it all, the only thing I could think of was what it was doing to my baby. I kept be assured that he was fine and only after speaking to my brother, who is a doctor, did I believe them. The magnesium doesn't cross into the baby's bloodstream...thank God. There were, again, lots of tears and thinking about how I didn't know how I was going to get through this much longer.

My dad came to see me at noon the next day. I cried again. I was so miserable. My doctor made his rounds around 1 pm and I told him about how terrible my night was. He explained that he took the magnesium to a level 4 (highest they will go), brought it down .5g each hour, and then took it back up again in the hopes that it would wipe out those little contractions I kept having. He PROMISED me that it would not go that high again and then he even had then nurses turn the pump completely off for the next 1 1/2 hours to give my body a rest. Sweet relief. I could finally eat a popsicle without throwing up. After the time off, the pump was turned back on and left at 1.5g per hour for the next 4 days.

Over the next 4 days, I went in and out of phases of thinking I could handle all of this. It seemed as though the end was no where in sight. However, my baby was still alive...inside of me and that's when I changed my thinking to, "I have no choice. I will do whatever I have to do for Logan. It's all about Logan."

Did I mention that I got to have a catheter the whole time I was on the magnesium. Lovely. I wasn't allowed to leave my bed for 4 days straight. Literally. Except for Friday night. I had another break down that day and the sweet nurse said she would ask if I could have a shower. That's all I wanted. A shower. Clean hair. That's it. She asked the on call doctor and came in shouting, "Girl, we've got 10 minutes!!!" In those 10 minutes, I shuffled to the bathroom, sat in a chair in the tub while Jordan washed my hair, the nurse washed my back, and another nurse switched the sheets on my bed. It was quick, but it was so worth it. I felt like a new woman!

My wonderful husband then spent the next 48 hours with me. We watched movies, ate non-hospital food, and hunkered down for the weekend in the hopes that I could leave on Monday. I wish that was the case.

Nov 15th....

I had made it through the weekend with no problems. I was a good girl and glued my butt to the couch or the bed for the entire weekend. My mom took off work on Monday to go with me to have the cerclage done at the hospital. I couldn't eat or drink after midnight and my surgery wasn't until 12:30...but, of course, they were backed up so they didn't take me back until almost 3. Umm, hello. Asking a pregnant woman to go that long with no food is NOT FUN. I was starving...and I'm sure Logan was wondering where his 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th meal of the day was. Poor, baby.

They finally took me back and gave me an epidural to numb me up. Let me just say, getting an epidural without the prize of a baby at the end is torture. It HURT. Also, I'm sure it would have hurt a lot less had I been in labor already. Men really don't know what we women go through to have babies. OUCH.

The doctor did a McDonald Cerclage which consists of 2 stitches in the cervix. When I woke up, I was told things went great. I was finally given some food and was feeling pretty good. However, I could feel what felt like period cramps. They weren't stopping and I just had a feeling that something might be wrong. I told the nurse that they weren't going away and she kept saying it was from the surgery. After about an hour, I told her again that they weren't stopping. She called my doctor. He said he wanted me to be taken to labor and delivery to be monitored before being released to go home.

When I got to labor and delivery, they hooked me up to the contraction monitor and said they were going to watch things for about an hour. The nurse came back in after an hour and said, "are you comfy? Because you're staying with us overnight!" I was contracting every few minutes at that point. They started trying to get things under control by giving me a terbutaline shot. I thought I had been given crack. My pulse started going crazy, my hands were shaking, and I had a hard time catching my breath...all side effects of the medicine. They told me they could only give 3 of those shots in a 24 hr period due to the side effects listed above.

At some point in the middle of the night, I was given my 3rd shot and things were still not calm. My uterus was going crazy, but by this time I couldn't feel the contractions anymore. Basically, terbutaline and indocin were tried for the next 48 hours. My doctor had come by to check on me and said that I have an "irritable uterus" which was described to me as it is constantly shaking. All of this was a result of the cerclage. My doctor said although I was a good candidate for the cerclage, he had never performed one this late in the pregnancy. Most women get them between 10-14 weeks.

Tears were shed many times...I just wanted to be home. Little did I know, Wednesday would be the fight of my life.

November 9th...

We went back to the doctor on Nov 9th to have the spot in Logan's tummy looked at again. The doctor told us it was still there, hadn't really grown much, but he wanted to refer us to a high risk doctor to get a second opinion. At the same appointment, he said that they had measured my cervix and it seemed somewhat short...2.6cm. Anytime it gets under 3 cm, they begin monitoring it more closely. When it gets under 2 cm, they start getting worried and bed rest is usually prescribed. My doctor said he wanted me back in two weeks to remeasure it and we would take it from there.

On Nov 11th, we had an appointment with the high risk doctor in the Med Center. The doctor we met with was FANTASTIC. She was very thorough and suggested we get an MRI done to get a better picture of what we were dealing with. Like my regular doctor, she agreed that Logan was not being harmed in any way. Her guess was that it was a hamertoma, which is a benign tumor. Jordan's mom was born with the same thing. We mentioned it to her, but it has not been found to be a genetic thing. Who knows. Here's where it gets interesting...thank goodness my Husband spoke up! We were just about to leave and Jordan said, "we have an appointment with Dr. B in two weeks to remeasure her cervix. Should we do the MRI before or after that?" The look on the doctor's face immediately changed. The tech jumped in and said, "her cervix is fine. I measured it and it was 3.2 cm." That's when I said, "ummm....no. It was 2.6cm on Tuesday." The doctor immediately turned back on the ultrasound machine to measure for herself. The color drained from her face and I knew it was bad. She measured it as 2.17cm. Needless to say, that tech left the room and we never saw her again.

From there, the doctor became VERY worried. I was moved into another room and she checked me to see if I was dialated yet. Thank goodness, I wasn't. I began crying and starting to worry because everything had changed so quickly. By this time, my normal doctor's office had closed for the day. The on call doctor was reached and he told us to come into the office the next morning at 8:30am for an emergency cerclage.

Friday morning rolls around and Jordan's mom took me to the doctor. Silly us...we thought I'd be in and out of there in a couple hours. Well, turns out there was a lot of miscommunication between the high risk doctor, on call doctor, and my doctor. We were now being told the procedure was being done on Monday at noon. I lost it. I'm not gonna lie, I threatened the nurse with the fact that my brother is an attorney and my mom works for attorneys and there would be BIG PROBLEMS if something happened to my baby over the weekend. I was only 22 weeks. Long story short, we went home, I spent all weekend on strict bed rest, and weekly progesterone shots were started.

Little did I know, everything was about to change even more...

Let's go back to the beginning....

Ok...I'm going to go back to the beginning. Jordan and I found out at midnight on July 2, 2010 that we were going to be parents. We had just had some friends over for dinner and to catch up. Jordan had gone to bed and I thought, "what the heck..." I wanted to take a test (even though I knew it was too early). To my surprise, the faintest of faint lines showed up almost immediately. I had always dreamed of these creative, fun ways I would tell Jordan he was going to be a daddy. That all seemed to fly out the window as soon as that line showed up. I ran into the bedroom, woke up Jordan, and kept saying, "please tell me you see what I'm seeing." Unfortunately, Jordan kept saying I was seeing things. I got frustrated and decided to point it out with a pen...yes, I was desperate. Finally, he agreed that SOMETHING was there, but he still wasn't convinced it meant what I thought it meant. Soooooo...what did we do next? We hopped in the car at midnight and made a run to Wal-Mart for a digital test. We came home and I was certain it would say NOT PREGNANT due to how early I was testing. Jordan went back into the bedroom and I decided to film that blinking hourglass for the next 2 minutes when all of a sudden, PREGNANT popped up on the screen. I screamed! I ran in to show Jordan and we both sat there staring at the screen for what seemed like forever. We couldn't believe this was happening. We were becoming parents!

Flashforward to week 5. I started spotting. Of course, this freaked me out. However, I was told by numerous people that it could be normal for me and not to worry just yet. On August 3rd, I had my 8 week appointment. Getting to 8 weeks seemed like an eternity. By that point, my all-day morning sickness had begun and I was feeling AWFUL. We had our first ultrasound that day and Jordan and I looked like deer in headlights when that little gummy bear popped up on the screen. It was surreal. My spotting continued, but the baby was perfect and everything looked great. I was given Zofran for my nausea and all was right in my world again.

On August 13th, Friday the 13th to be exact, we had the biggest scare of our lives. I had made a run through Chick-fil-a and headed up to my school to finish working on my classroom before our first week back. I walked into my room, sat my stuff down, and went to the restroom. When I got to the restroom, I noticed that I was bleeding...a lot. I panicked, grabbed my stuff, and started making phone calls. I met my mother-in-law at her house so she could drive me to the ER. My doctor had already been called and my parents and Jordan were meeting us there. After 3 scary hours, blood tests, and an ultrasound, it was confirmed that our little gummy bear was perfectly fine and seemed to be unaffected by anything that was going on. Praise God!

After our scare, my spotting continued and I had ultrasounds every 2 weeks. It was found that my placenta was not fully attached yet and there was a pool of blood hanging out between the placenta and uterus. At week 16, it finally went away!

Week 20-we had our anatomy scan and invited the grandparents. We also had it confirmed that we were having a BOY! Logan Scott Wheeler was such a wiggle worm during the scan...as he is on a daily basis. His measurements were perfect...some of them were even ahead of his gestational age. After the ultrasound, we met with our doctor to discuss the results. He was very pleased with everything, but said that the tech found a small "cyst" in his abdomen. We were told it could be a number of things, but the main thing was that it was not harming him in any way. We were told to come back in two weeks to check it out again via ultrasound. Our doctor wanted to get another look and see if it had grown before referring us to a high risk doctor.

That leads me to the next post....

Welcome!

Welcome to our family blog! I, Taylor, will be posting frequently with updates on our life leading up to meeting our little Logan. I plan on updating about my days spent on bed rest, doctor's appointments, baby showers, the nursery, and all things baby related. He is not even here yet and is already keeping everyone on their toes. I'm sure he is sitting back, loving the attention. That's okay...we all knew he'd be one spoiled baby. Thank you for the continued thoughts and prayers we receive every day! Jordan and I are truly blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love and care about not only us, but our sweet little boy.

-Taylor