Olivia Pictures continued. . .

JANUARY 2008

FEBRUARY 2008

Olivia Paige

Here are the continued pictures of Olivia and her journey to 5 years old.  I can’t wait to see what the next 5, 10, 20, 50+ years hold for my precious miracle.

NOVEMBER 2007

Daddy/daughter moment

First bath

So clean!

DECEMBER 2007

Going home at 105 days old!

First Christmas

Also, I thought I’d add that I spent the night at the hospital in the room that I gave birth to Olivia in.  It was rather difficult to be in that room again.  Room 222. 

A Night In The Hospital

So, I was admitted to the hospital last night for uterine irritability and dehydration.  I had cramps all day and after talking with the nurse on call at my doctor’s office, she wanted me to get checked out.  When I went in, I found out I was having uterine irritability, or weak, constant contraction-like symptoms.  I was also badly dehydrated with a fever.  They could barely get an IV in because I was so dehydrated. It’s so frustrating because I make a constant effort to drink fluids.  However, I was probably only drinking 50-60 oz of water and they want me drinking 80-90 oz per day.  Diabetes plus an incredibly hot summer plus pregnancy is not a good combination for me.  So, they put me on iv fluids and observed me overnight.  My cervix is still closed and measuring 3.7 cm, which is good.  I’d be curious to hear from those who have had theirs checked? They checked for any infections and the tests came back fine.  I was released around 6 am and I’ve been resting and drinking water ALL day.  Baby is doing great and you can expect to find me with water in my hand at all times for the rest of the pregnancy.  And if you see me, please ask me how much water I’ve drank that day! 

Almost Five!

I can’t believe Olivia is going to be turning 5 in less than 3 weeks!  In celebration of her amazing life, I am going to try to post a few of my favorite pictures of her from each month since her birth. I’ll try my best to post some every day.  She has brought more joy to my life these past five years than she will ever know!

AUGUST 2007

SEPTEMBER 2007

Olivia soon told us that she would be OK.

OCTOBER 2007

First time I held my daughter.

First time daddy held his daughter.

Tobey

Poor sweet Tobes.  I took him in today for his routine annual shots and found out he’ll need surgery.  I guess he has retained his baby teeth even though his adult teeth are in.  That has caused overcrowding which has caused his teeth to bite into his palate (and can possibly break through to his nasal passage.) No wonder he has such an overbite and bad breath.  Poor guy.  I can’t even keep track of all the weird things that are wrong with him.  (He’s the one who almost had to have his tail amputated due to discospondylitis.) So, he’ll possibly go in for surgery next week to have 4 teeth pulled and a few other teeth sanded down, etc.  Tobey will drive you crazy and win your heart at the same time.  He’s a cat that thinks he is a dog. . .he greets you at the door, begs for food and follows you everywhere you go.  And he still lets Olivia pick him up even though he’s half her size.  LOL!  I’ll let you know how his surgery goes!

20 Weeks

Current size of baby: banana

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain: 13.5 lbs

Inches Gained: 5 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: Okay

How I'm feeling Pretty good. I’m starting to feel out of breath sometimes with the usual pregnancy aches and pains. However, even the “usual” is concerning to me until I get farther along.

Best moment this week: Getting the house a bit more organized. I’ve realized that we have too much stuff, so a lot has been thrown away or gone into storage (until we can have a garage sale.) We are transforming our unfinished “kitty /storage room” into an office so that the office can become the baby room. Ryan has been busy wiring the room and putting in the lighting. They are starting the drywall this week.

Food cravings: Water. . .pretty good craving I’d say.

Food aversions: None

Gender: Unknown

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? Out

What I miss: Being able to get things done when the motivation strikes. I really have to make sure that I’d don’t do too much physically.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex of the baby on August 16th.

Milestones: At 20 weeks, I can now go to labor and delivery instead of the ER if a problem occurs. Hopefully, the resident OB knows more than the ER doctor would. Let’s hope I don’t have to make a trip anytime soon though.

Friday, August 3, 2012

I’ve felt pretty good all week.  Thanks to those who have emailed me for reassurance and just to let me know you’re praying.  I’ve been taking it easy and drinking lots of water.  But, I even felt fine enough to paint some pottery last night.  It seems ironic that the cramping started right after my shot and on the same side.  But, my doctor didn’t seem to think that was the culprit.  We’ll see if it happens again after the shot, I guess.

And, mark your calendars!  August 16th is the day of my ultrasound when I’ll find out the sex of the baby.  Not sure why I’ve  had to wait until almost 22 weeks to find out (it’s killing me!) They will also do a cervical length check which will tell me a lot about how I’m doing.  If the length is still fine, I’ll breathe a sigh of relief.  If it is shortening, I’m afraid bedrest will be in my future. So pray, pray, pray!

I thought I’d share a quick Olivia story.  Tonight, I heard her fall in the entryway.  I found that she had been spraying the floor with water from a spray bottle.  As she’s sitting in my lap crying, she says, “I was trying to make it all shiny and clean for you, mama!” Bless her heart. . .love that girl!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

A pregnancy after giving birth at 23 weeks has to rank up there with one of the most stressful experiences of all time.  Every day, I feel like I’m living in fear.  I can simply vacuum my house and be overcome with guilt and wonder if I’ve threatened my baby’s life.  I don’t know what normal is.  Even things that may have been normal the first time, I view as abnormal considering my extremely premature labor. 

Sunday night, I experienced severe back pain/cramping.  It felt like I was going into labor, but only on my right side and it was constant.  I talked to the nurse on call and she had me drink a lot of water, lay down and take a Benadryl.  It got me through the night and helped me avoid a trip to the ER.  I got in to see my OB on Monday morning and he had no explanation.  My cervix was still closed.  My cramping has since improved after a day of bed rest, but I still wish I knew what caused it.  I had my P17 shot just an hour prior on the same side that the cramping started.  Has anyone experienced that as a side effect? Or, it could have been another kidney stone giving me problems.  It terrifies me because back pain is what started a few weeks before I gave birth at 23 weeks.  But, I pray and pray for peace.  I remind myself that this baby is in God’s hands to live for HIS purpose and not my own.  

19 Weeks

 

Current size of baby: 6 inches / mango

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain: 12 lbs

Inches Gained: 4.5 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: Okay

How I'm feeling: Ecstatic that we finally (hopefully) decided on our girl name. We’ve had a boy name for quite awhile now. Interestingly enough, we decided on Olivia’s name while at Olive Garden. (We had Logan’s picked out since we were dating.) Tonight, we decided on our girl name while at Olive Garden.

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby kick so hard, I flinched. I never felt Olivia and Logan kick that hard, although I only made it to 23 weeks.

Food cravings: Seemed to have calmed down a bit. No more wanting to eat marinara out of a jar. I’ve actually gotten to the point that I cannot eat a large meal or I feel awful for hours afterwards. So, definitely small snacks throughout the day.

Food aversions: Not too bad anymore.

Gender: Unknown

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? Out

What I miss: Picking up and carrying my daughter.

What I am looking forward to: OB appt on August 2^nd, scheduling my ultrasound, finding out the sex of the baby.

Milestones: Feeling the baby kick

Me and my babies. . .

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Today was Olivia’s last day of Summer Play Day.  She went this summer to get used to the building that she’ll go to preschool at this fall.  She loved it!  I’m praying that the transition will go smoothly and she will flourish at her new preschool. 

I also stopped by a consignment sale today and found a good deal on this rock-n-play.  Of course, Kelsey thought that I bought it just for her. I don’t want to be the one to break it to her.

I'm sitting at the DMV waiting to renew my drivers license. It doesn't come up until Feb 1st, but I didn't want to be 9 months pregnant or with a newborn needing to go to the DMV. So, I'm suffering through the long wait now. Anyway, I was telling Olivia what I was doing today and explaining to her that you need a drivers license to drive a car. She got very concerned and said,"But, I drive my cozy coupe and I don't have a drivers license!!" So, I made her one this morning, laminated and all. Of course, she's not 4 ft tall. . .she's 40 inches tall. Preggo brain strikes again. Now, I'm going to have to redo it.


Olivia is very excited about it and relieved that she is no longer "breaking the law."
- Posted by Jodi

Playing Piano With Grandpa

Sunday, July 22, 2012

I am 18 weeks pregnant today, but I don’t have an update for you yet.  I’ll try to get it up later in the week (hopefully.)

Olivia spent the weekend playing in her pool and learning some classic card games like Go Fish, Old Maid and Slapjack.  Her favorite was Slapjack. . .I have a feeling that we will be playing a lot of that in the days to come.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Here is just a few pictures from the past week.

Ducky, Olivia and Blackie.

Olivia got this Minute To Win It game in her Wendy’s kids meal.  I assumed that she wouldn’t care at all about it.  But, only Olivia would think that they were giving out Squinkie beds.  LOL!  And to think I almost tossed the toy in the trash. 

Do you see a pattern here?  Olivia only likes really small or really big things. 

What can I say?  She’s a silly girl!

Prayer Request

I do not know Jessica, but my sister-in-law does and many of my friends do.  My heart just broke when I read this.  Many many prayers go out to this family.

Asking for prayers from any of you that know Derek and Jessica Glenn Nichols, scratch that from everyone! Jessica was 37 weeks pregnant and due to preeclampsia had a heart attack. She went through triple bypass surgery early yesterday morning and the baby did not make it... Jessica's heart is currently working at 15% capacity and she is in critical condition. They are great friends and wonderful people with strong faith. God be with them and their girls Hailey and Kensie.

17 Weeks

Current size of baby: Apple

How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain: 8.5 lbs

Inches Gained: 3.5 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Sleep: Not so good lately. It could be because Olivia has been waking up every night which isn’t like her. I’ve been dreaming of a full night’s sleep. I can picture my new baby snickering at that idea. . .LOL!

How I'm feeling: Extremely fatigued. I’ve struggled with fatigue for years, but it’s been awful lately. I’ve struggled with a lot of conflicting emotions from joy to guilt to excitement to worry.

Best moment this week: Anytime Olivia talks about her new baby “sister” (she’s sure it’s a girl) it brings me such joy. She tells me all of the things that she is going to teach the baby and has so many questions about it all.

Food cravings: Mozzarella Sticks, anything with marinara sauce. It’s turned into an obsession.

Food aversions: Not too bad anymore.

Gender: Unknown

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? Out

What I miss: The absence of worry about this pregnancy. I ended up in the ER as a precaution on Monday night. The next few months are going to be so difficult for me. Once I make it to 30 weeks, I’ll feel a tad bit better.

What I am looking forward to: My first progesterone shot is tomorrow morning. I’m looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. It makes me feel good to know I’m doing all I can for this baby, but I hear it’s a nasty (and thick) shot.

Milestones: Every day that I’m pregnant is a milestone to me.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Thank you everyone for your kind words.  I’ve been feeling much better lately.  It’s just hard when it feels like I’m choosing the baby over Olivia, although I know that’s not the case.  Thankfully, the #1 thing Olivia likes to do is stay home and have me tell her stories.  That is something I’m able to do.  The trick is staying awake by the time you’ve told of her pretend hamsters, Hollow and Bolo, and their 10th adventure.

Every night, the three of us talk about our favorite part of the day.  Tonight when Olivia said, “And my 8th favorite part of the day was. . .” I was overjoyed.  I guess her day wasn’t so boring after all. 

Monday, July 9, 2012

I’ve really been struggling lately.   I feel like most moms are taking their children to fun, exciting places every day and I’m worried about whether I’ve been on my feet too much.  I feel like the restrictions from my pregnancy are affecting Olivia the most.  Today, she slipped on a piece of paper that had fallen off the table and she fell. . .hard. . .on the laminate floor.  I ran over to scoop her up and, through her tears, she said, “What are you doing? You aren’t supposed to pick me up!”  During her time of need, she’s thinking of me and the baby.  She is so understanding and never once has said, “What about me?”  It just brings tears to my eyes. 

It would be different if I felt I was careless during my first pregnancy that ended at 23 weeks.  But, I wasn’t.  I was so very cautious!  So, I feel that I need to be extra cautious with this one because I can’t afford to not be cautious enough!  That sometimes means I might inconvenience people or not do the things I want or need to do.  And I’m sorry to everyone. . .especially Olivia.  I’m hoping someday she will look back and feel so grateful to have a sibling and always know that her mama loves her so much!!

16 Weeks

Current size of baby: 4 inches

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain: 8.5 lbs

Inches Gained: 3 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes. I bought a pair of maternity pajama pants and I am set!

Sleep: Good

How I'm feeling: Pretty good. This past week my stomach hurt! Because of coughing/blowing my nose, etc. I believe I pulled a muscle or ligament in my stomach. That’s what it felt like. Thankfully, it’s much better now.

Best moment this week: Coming to the realization that this is really happening!! It still feels a bit surreal.

Food cravings: Cinnamon’s Deli and potato salad

Food aversions: Not too bad anymore.

Gender: Unknown

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? Starting to come out

What I miss: I’m just so thankful to be where I’m at right now.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex of the baby! Sorry friends, it will be awhile. I go back in on August 2^nd and on that day, I schedule my ultrasound for another day. So, it will be at least a month or more. I’m so anxious to find out! I’ve got a nursery to plan!

Milestones: Honestly, every day that I’m pregnant is a milestone to me.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

I had an OB appt today and everything went well.  My cervix/stitch was fine and baby’s heart rate was 152.  I start my progesterone shots in about a week and a half.  I go in and have the nurse give me the first one and then we’ll decide if Ryan will feel comfortable giving them to me.  They are intramuscular (as opposed to the subcutaneous ones I had during fertility treatments years ago) and I hear they are really thick.  I will have one every week until about 36 weeks.  Honestly, I am thrilled to be having them as I feel I am covering all of my bases and doing everything possible.  That’s a great feeling and completely (well almost) makes me forget my fear of big needles. 

I’m not sure if I’ve shared this, but when I first told Olivia that I was having a baby she looked at me with this “what a coincidence” look and said, “And I have a flower growing in my tummy!”  She still talks about this flower every day and how big it is and how it’s moving.  And, one day when it grows big enough it will pop out of her mouth.  “Is that how the baby will come out of your tummy, mommy?”  Umm. . .not exactly.  Olivia is disappointed that mommy’s tummy is growing and hers is not and always asks me when her tummy is going to grow.  She has quite the imagination. 

Oh and we are both feeling better.  I discovered NeilMed’s Sinus Rinse and it has been wonderful!!  I highly recommend. LOL!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Poor girl is still under the weather.  We took her into the doctor today because of her illness and a few other issues.  It was wonderful getting all of them addressed at once.  Our doctor has offices on both sides of town.  The one we usually go to was booked solid, so we drove across town to the east office and met with a PA.  Olivia, as you know, is terrified of the doctor.  I can’t think of a doctor visit yet where she hasn’t shed a few tears.  Anyway, she LOVED this PA.  The two of them just clicked with not one tear shed.  At the end, the PA asked Olivia to give her five.  Olivia did and then she went over and hugged her.  Heck, I wanted to hug her too for making it such a pleasant experience for Olivia.  I think this PA is only at the east office, so it looks like I’ll be driving across town for every doctor visit now.  It would totally be worth it if it would lessen Olivia’s anxiety.  Now, the two of us just have to get rid of these colds. . .

15 Weeks

 

Current size of baby: 4 inches or the size of an orange.

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain: 7 lbs

Inches Gained: 3 inches

Maternity clothes? Yes, went shopping for some more things this past week.

Sleep: Was good until Olivia and I got sick.

How I'm feeling: Not good at the moment due to a sinus infection. I’ve also had some issues with low blood sugar, so I have to make sure I eat something (preferably with protein) every 2 hours.

Best moment this week: Spending time with my husband and daughter. He’s been working so much lately. It seems to have calmed down for the moment and I’m so grateful. . .as is Olivia.

Movement: Can’t be 100% certain

Food cravings: I’m making myself eat protein to keep my blood sugar in check.

Food aversions: Not too bad anymore.

Gender: Unknown

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? It’s starting to pop out! It did this early on with Olivia and Logan too.

What I miss: A germ free household

What I am looking forward to: My OB appt on July 5^th.

Milestones: Honestly, every day that I’m pregnant is a milestone to me.

Olivia is a bit of a ducky collector. Her favorite one (7th from the left) is named Lisa. She has yet to come across a ducky she doesn't fall in love with. I used to collect Willow Tree figurines and I collected trolls when I was younger, so I guess everyone has something. What did you/do you collect?


Olivia is a bit under the weather today with a temp, sore throat, runny nose, etc. She does okay except at night and in the mornings. And, she finally learned how to blow her nose. That was pretty exciting! LOL!

- Posted by Jodi

RIP Rooster

Waking up to find that your daughter’s fish has died puts a damper on your day.  Poor Rooster.  Poor Olivia. 

When we went to Petco to purchase a fish, we relied on the pet store to show us what we needed.  I know all about hamsters, bunnies, guinea pigs, rats and cats. . .not fish.  We were directed to a Petco 2 gallon Hex Aquarium that includes a filter.  Now, when you buy a car, you don’t feel that it’s necessary to make sure the engine is compatible with the car.  It just comes with it!  So, we set it all up and waited 24 hours to make sure the water is brought to room temperature and the pH level of the water is where it should be.  We’ve done tons of research online and bought a betta fish book.  I take very seriously all living things that are in my care!  Last night, we put Rooster in his new home.  When we woke up this morning, I found Rooster up against the filter with his fins sucked into the slots on the side.   Bettas have an organ through which they obtain oxygen from the air. They don’t get enough oxygen through their gills, so they must be able to reach the surface of the water to get air.  So, Rooster probably drowned. 

After further investigation as to how it happened, we noticed that the filter (included with the 2 gallon tank) was a 55 gph filter.  It filtered 55 gallons of water per hour which is way too strong for a 2 gallon tank.  Contrary to what people say, I do believe that all fish tanks need a filter.  However, it must be one compatible to the size of the tank.  Poor thing didn’t stand a chance!  Now, why would they sell such a thing for a fish?  We WILL be going back to Petco and returning the tank for a full refund.  But, that doesn’t give my daughter back her Rooster.  Can you tell that I’m a bit upset about the whole thing?  What an awful feeling to know that you inadvertently killed your daughter’s fish.  RIP Rooster.

Happy 9th Anniversary

Tomorrow, my husband and I will celebrate our 9th anniversary.  Nine years ago, we were eagerly anticipating our wedding.  Who knew that nine years later, we would be fretting about the pH level of our daughter’s fish tank.  LOL!  And that’s so beautifully ordinary.  I don’t think most people wish for their lives to be ordinary until their lives are turned upside down by the unthinkable.  Then, you are praying for ordinary. 

Thanks, Ryan, for the past nine years.  I know we can’t say that they’ve been the best nine years. They’ve had some of the worst moments of our life, but they’ve also had some of the best.  I look forward to a future that’s beautifully ordinary!

Hmm. . .I’m not quite that toned anymore.  LOL! I think Ryan and I should recreate that pose.

The ladies!  Marilee, Tiffany, Stacie, Kim, Tamar, Me and my flower girl, Julia (she’s 12 now.)

For better or worse, here we come!

Rooster

- Posted by Jodi

Fish Are Friends, Not Food

Olivia has been explaining this to our three cats tonight because we have a new little member of the family. . . .her new betta fish named Rooster! 

Yes, we decided to let her have a fish.  We went to the pet store and told her to pick out a fish that she liked.  She ran straight to a fantail goldfish who grows to be over 8” long!!  Woah. . .hold on a second.  That’s kind of frightening!  I kept directing her over to the betta fish and with a bit of persuasion, she decided on one of them.  Whew!  Ryan agreed to do all the cleaning and upkeep of the tank and Olivia and I only have to remember to feed him every day.  So, I could live with that.  It was actually a very fun evening spent as a family, picking out the fish and the gravel and his house and a plant for the tank.  Olivia is so very excited! 

I think the fish might actually might be a good thing.  She likes to sleep with some sort of light on and the fish tank makes a great night light.  She also gets lonely at night by herself and she’s looking forward to sleeping right beside Rooster.  We can’t put him in his new tank for 24 hours, so she was a little disappointed with that.  But, she is very proud of her new pet!! Welcome Home Rooster!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Well, I’m entering a challenging part of my pregnancy.  For one, I am extremely emotional and I cry at the drop of a hat.  I think I’ve cried every day this week and I don’t think I shed any tears during my first trimester.  I’ve seriously had a headache, too, for a week straight.  And, my blood sugar is proving to be a challenge.  As you know, I have diabetes and my blood sugar spikes pretty high. . .especially after eating.  About a month ago, I realized that I wasn’t having problems with the real high numbers anymore, so I got a bit lazy about testing it.  Before my surgery, my blood sugar was 67 and they wanted it a bit higher before surgery so I was given some dextrose.  I hadn’t eaten in almost 12 hours, so that is to be expected.  Lately, I’ve been ravenously hungry.  I feel like I eat the same amount as three grown men!!!  And if I don’t eat every 3 hours, I get extremely shaky and irritable.  So, I eat breakfast, my first lunch at noon, second lunch at 3 pm, dinner with snacks in between.  I have to do a second full lunch or the shakiness does not go away!  Nibbling on carrots or crackers does not do it for me.  Well, tonight it had barely been over 3 hours and I was waiting for my husband to get home to eat dinner.  I started feeling awful.  Shaky, unsteady, very lightheaded.  I made it over to the cabinet and grabbed my blood glucose meter.  Luckily, Ryan was home and I told him that I didn’t feel well and showed him my number and he took over from there.  It was 52 and I felt awful!  He grabbed a bag of M&Ms and they helped raise my number back into a normal range.  I’m so frustrated by it all.  I was diagnosed with diabetes 2-3 years ago and they basically handed me a blood glucose meter and put me on a diabetes medication and that is it.  I don’t feel like I’ve gotten a good grasp as to how to handle it.  And pregnancy has definitely made it more of a challenge.  I just want this baby to be getting everything he/she needs.

In other news, Olivia has been crazy about fish for some time now.  She’s even going to have an Under The Sea birthday party in August.  She really wants her own fish and I hate fish.  I had one goldfish growing up named Bubbles and he lived for a week.  I made my dad bury him in the backyard because the thought of flushing him down the toilet seemed cruel.  But, seriously, any pet but a fish. . .you can’t even pet it!! Aughhh!!  However, her pretend fish/fish bowl beside her bed is quickly losing its appeal. Haha!

But, we’ve been thinking about getting her a betta fish.  I hear they are inexpensive and easy to take care of. . .and they make kitty-proof bowls for them.  So, who knows?!  Wait until you hear what she wants to name her fish, though.  Hilarious!!!  I’ll share if we break down and actually get her one.  And pray one of the cats doesn’t eat it because knowing me right now, I would bawl.  

14 Weeks

Current size of baby: Lemon

How far along? 14 weeks

Total weight gain: 5 lbs

Inches Gained: 2 inches

Maternity clothes? A mix of maternity and non-maternity clothes.

Sleep: Good

How I'm feeling: Ravenously hungry and very fatigued. I was hoping the fatigue would go away in the 2^nd trimester, but since I’m fatigued even when I’m NOT pregnant, I doubted it would. It has just gotten worse.

Best moment this week: Being incredibly spoiled by all those who chipped in to help out this week. We had multiple homemade dinners made for us (four, I believe.)

Movement: Can’t be certain. At certain times if I lay really really still, I feel a little flutter on my right side.

Food cravings: Nothing really in particular. Whatever seems to sound good at that moment.

Food aversions: Becoming less and less as my nausea improves. Although, the other night I had horrible nausea out of nowhere.

Gender: Unknown

Labor Signs: NO

Belly Button in or out? in

What I miss: Cooler weather. This pregnant gal can’t take the 100+ degree heat.

What I am looking forward to: My husband and I have our 9^th wedding anniversary this week. For our gifts to one another, we are buying something for the baby. It seems very fitting.

Milestones: I made it through the cerclage with no complications!!

Surprise!

We surprised Olivia with a new bike today.  She has really been struggling with learning how to pedal and her tricycle was not working very well.  We got this adorable John Deere bicycle and I just think it’s the cutest bike I’ve ever seen.  Olivia is not into Barbies or princesses and those are the main two kinds of girls’ bikes. 

We headed outside to work on pedaling and she just can’t seem to master it yet.  What seems “natural” for most kids doesn’t come quite so easy for Olivia.  But, once she gets it, it will be like she’s been doing it forever. 

Afterwards, we came inside to practice some bicycling with our legs.  We WILL get it, even if we have to practice multiple times every day!!

I’m doing well after my cerclage and it was nice to get out of the house finally today.  Overall, it was not as bad as I envisioned and I’m feeling completely normal. 

Cerclage Day

This morning, I had my cerclage put in.  I thought I would post my experiences in case 1) I ever have to do this again or 2) a fellow preemie mom must have one done.  It’s nice to know what to expect (without going into too much detail.  LOL.) It’s best to have it done between 12 – 14 weeks and I was 13 weeks, 2 days.

Cervical cerclage

The surgery itself went great.  I had low blood sugar when I arrived because of not eating for 12+ hours, so they had to give me some dextrose.  I did get a general anesthetic so I don’t remember anything.  They had to check my blood sugar multiple times while I was out to monitor it and for some reason they poked the inside of the same finger.  Sheesh. . don’t they know that you poke the side of the finger and you alternate?  Now, my finger is sore when I type! LOL!  I woke up coughing with a really sore throat and an awful headache!!  Not sure if the headache is from blood sugar fluctuations or something in the anesthesia.  The first thing I said when I woke up was, “My head really hurts!!” And, it’s been my main problem all day!  I’ve had minimal spotting and no bad cramping, thank goodness.  That’s been my main concern. . .how do you tell what is normal spotting/cramping and what is not?  Hopefully, it just improves as the days go on.  My main restriction with a cerclage is no heavy lifting.  It’s amazing how much lifting you do as a stay at home mom. . .whether it’s carrying in the groceries, lifting Olivia into a swing or up to wash her hands when we are out somewhere, carrying the vacuum downstairs, buying litter and cat food at the pet store, carrying my huge bag to t ball games, etc.  So, it’s really hard to not do any of that.  But, I have no choice and may need all the help I can get.

Thanks to Grandma Sailing, Grandma Glunt and Aunt Shelley who will be taking care of Olivia for the remainder of the week.  And, thanks to my husband for taking care of me today.  (Although I’ve been a pretty good patient and have just slept all day.)  Thanks also to my friend, Amanda Updegrove, who provided us with a delicious homemade dinner!!  I’m trying to enjoy these few days of rest and relaxation as it will probably be years before I get to enjoy this again.  And, you know me and my love of sleep!  My cat, Autumn, lives for the days that I nap with her.  She’s in for the best week of her life and hasn’t left my side all day. 

So glad the cerclage is done as I’ve been worrying about it for years knowing that it would be done with a future pregnancy.  So far, it hasn’t been that bad.  But, I’ll be sure to update you often because there isn’t much else to do while in bed for the next few days.  I will most likely start weekly progesterone shots at 17 weeks as another precaution.  We aren’t taking any chances with this pregnancy and I’m looking forward to a healthy, full term pregnancy!  And. . .a healthy, full term baby who cries at birth and gets placed immediately in my arms.  Just thinking of the first picture of Olivia and her new baby sibling brings tears to my eyes.  That will be heaven on earth!