Sunday, January 31, 2010
Whaddaya Think?
I want the gender to be a surprise. Pete wants to find out. Your thoughts? Ultrasound is Feb. 15th so speak now or forever hold your peace.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Relief Fund for Haiti
I know money is tight for everyone these days, but here is a link to send money for the relief in Haiti. 100% of the donation goes to food and supplies for the people there. The link is to the LDS Humanitarian Services. They already have Hygiene Kits on the ground in the Dominican Republic (same island, different country) so they are working on getting the supplies into Haiti on the ground. They also have two planes with 80,000 pounds of food and supplies each headed to the island. Sadly, we all know this is not going to be enough.
Just thought I would send this along-- it's always good to know a safe place to donate to in a time of crisis.
http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/
Just thought I would send this along-- it's always good to know a safe place to donate to in a time of crisis.
http://www.ldsphilanthropies.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
My Awesome Life
I have to say publicly (can I say something publicly on a private blog?) how much I appreciate my life right now. There are days when I can't seem to focus on anything but the yuckiness of this whole ordeal, but it helps a lot to see how much I really do have.
People I Couldn't Live Without:
1. Peter. Poor guy. He's done so much these past few months to keep our house and family running. Even though, I haven't been the best at showing my appreciation, he's put up with me rather graciously. Somehow the man has handled suddenly being thrown into a situation where he cleans, does all the laundry, watches after our toddler, responds to my every demand, drugs me every 8 hours, makes his own food, and oh yeah, manages being in Medical School. All while I lay helplessly on the couch demanding more things :)
2. My mother-in-law, Patti. Not only has she fed my family the past few weeks (read months), she's been so incredible with Caleb. He anxiously awaits her everyday to return home from work, and despite the fact that she's been working all day and probably only wants to sit down, she lovingly spends her evenings with him. Peter and I were talking about how hard it is going to be for Caleb when we leave here, but I think it might be just as hard for me!
3. My mom. She's always a phone call away and she is so supportive. And she keeps everyone else up to date on how I'm doing so I don't have to :) Pretty much, she just rocks.
4. Friends. I have such great friends. They keep my spirits up when I see them, and they offer to help so much. Hooray for support.
Things I Couldn't Live Without:
1. Elmo, Thomas the Train, and Super Why. How pathetic is that? Yeah, these TV shows have babysat Caleb for, uh, too long.
2. Modern Medicine. Goes without saying. I heart modern medicine. I feel so much better when I take my medicine precisely on time. The few times I have missed doses, or skipped the IV bag at night, I'm a complete mess. (Ok, let's be honest, I'm ALWAYS a mess, but I'm more of a mess when I don't take drugs).
3. The Internet. On those days when I don't shower, change out of my pajamas, brush my teeth, or THINK about leaving the house, I appreciate the connection to the outside world. These days are becoming more and more infrequent, but they exist.
There's so much more, and so many more people who have been unbelievably supportive through this pregnancy. Even though it has been physically taxing, it helps me to see how many wonderful people I have in my life.
As an update, I'm 17 weeks and the sickness is subsiding, thanks to the medicine. The past week I have felt better than ever, emotionally and physically. The doctors want to keep me on the PICC line and medicine for now, so we'll re-evaluate it at my 20 week appointment. They want me to be back up to my pre-pregnancy weight by week 20, or they will consider adding TPN to my cocktail. TPN is a nutritional supplement that is given via the PICC line. We're trying to avoid this if at all possible, because it requires weekly blood draws and a lot more intervention. So all positive weight gaining thoughts you can send our way are greatly appreciated.
Anyone still reading must be really bored, or my mother. She cares about this stuff :)
People I Couldn't Live Without:
1. Peter. Poor guy. He's done so much these past few months to keep our house and family running. Even though, I haven't been the best at showing my appreciation, he's put up with me rather graciously. Somehow the man has handled suddenly being thrown into a situation where he cleans, does all the laundry, watches after our toddler, responds to my every demand, drugs me every 8 hours, makes his own food, and oh yeah, manages being in Medical School. All while I lay helplessly on the couch demanding more things :)
2. My mother-in-law, Patti. Not only has she fed my family the past few weeks (read months), she's been so incredible with Caleb. He anxiously awaits her everyday to return home from work, and despite the fact that she's been working all day and probably only wants to sit down, she lovingly spends her evenings with him. Peter and I were talking about how hard it is going to be for Caleb when we leave here, but I think it might be just as hard for me!
3. My mom. She's always a phone call away and she is so supportive. And she keeps everyone else up to date on how I'm doing so I don't have to :) Pretty much, she just rocks.
4. Friends. I have such great friends. They keep my spirits up when I see them, and they offer to help so much. Hooray for support.
Things I Couldn't Live Without:
1. Elmo, Thomas the Train, and Super Why. How pathetic is that? Yeah, these TV shows have babysat Caleb for, uh, too long.
2. Modern Medicine. Goes without saying. I heart modern medicine. I feel so much better when I take my medicine precisely on time. The few times I have missed doses, or skipped the IV bag at night, I'm a complete mess. (Ok, let's be honest, I'm ALWAYS a mess, but I'm more of a mess when I don't take drugs).
3. The Internet. On those days when I don't shower, change out of my pajamas, brush my teeth, or THINK about leaving the house, I appreciate the connection to the outside world. These days are becoming more and more infrequent, but they exist.
There's so much more, and so many more people who have been unbelievably supportive through this pregnancy. Even though it has been physically taxing, it helps me to see how many wonderful people I have in my life.
As an update, I'm 17 weeks and the sickness is subsiding, thanks to the medicine. The past week I have felt better than ever, emotionally and physically. The doctors want to keep me on the PICC line and medicine for now, so we'll re-evaluate it at my 20 week appointment. They want me to be back up to my pre-pregnancy weight by week 20, or they will consider adding TPN to my cocktail. TPN is a nutritional supplement that is given via the PICC line. We're trying to avoid this if at all possible, because it requires weekly blood draws and a lot more intervention. So all positive weight gaining thoughts you can send our way are greatly appreciated.
Anyone still reading must be really bored, or my mother. She cares about this stuff :)
Monday, January 11, 2010
My Kid Is Better Than Your Kid
Hahaha. Ha Ha... (again, we need a sarcasm font)
Anyway.
Caleb pooped in the potty today. Heck yeah. He then peed in his Thomas the Train underwear.
Win some, lose some.
Anyway.
Caleb pooped in the potty today. Heck yeah. He then peed in his Thomas the Train underwear.
Win some, lose some.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Pregnancy Updates
I was relatively sick with Caleb during my pregnancy. I've had three different miscarriages, and I was sick with each of those. But I have NEVER been as sick as I am this time around. The Saturday after Christmas I woke up with a mild stomach ache, and just feeling a little "off." I continued throughout the day, figuring that I had just over extended myself the day before. By that evening, I was in some considerable pain, but isn't that what happens when you are pregnant?
By Sunday morning, I was running a fever and I could barely stand the pain. Peter convinced me that this probably wasn't going to just go away and we headed into the hospital. After several tests and many more hours, I was admitted to the hospital for pre-term labor and dehydration. They were easily able to stop the contractions and for the next three days I was on continuous IV fluids and medication to keep the nausea at bay. They sent me home with a PICC line and IV Zofran. I'm so glad to be home, even if I do have to give myself four syringes of medicine every six hours. The doctors at the hospital said that even ten years ago, I would have spent most of the rest of my pregnancy in the hospital. Yuck. Caleb is pretty irritated by all of this, he routinely shouts, "Mommy all done! Mommy all better! No! No! NO!" when I am taking the medicine.
Despite the inconvience of having to wake up in the middle of the night and plan my days around medicine doses, the medicine is working well. I had lost about 25 pounds by week 15, and in a week, I've been able to gain a good amount of that back.
All in all, we know how blessed we are to have access to doctors and medical help. We're grateful for the technology and research that has allowed me to come home, instead of sit in the hospital. I'm definitely not 100%, but I'm feeling like a person and that helps a lot. We are so thankful that we have family here to help us. I don't know what I would do without my mother-in-law, she's been a HUGE lifesaver.
We'll let you know how things go, hopefully I'll be off of this PICC line soon! Thanks for all the support we've been given. We can't do this alone.
By Sunday morning, I was running a fever and I could barely stand the pain. Peter convinced me that this probably wasn't going to just go away and we headed into the hospital. After several tests and many more hours, I was admitted to the hospital for pre-term labor and dehydration. They were easily able to stop the contractions and for the next three days I was on continuous IV fluids and medication to keep the nausea at bay. They sent me home with a PICC line and IV Zofran. I'm so glad to be home, even if I do have to give myself four syringes of medicine every six hours. The doctors at the hospital said that even ten years ago, I would have spent most of the rest of my pregnancy in the hospital. Yuck. Caleb is pretty irritated by all of this, he routinely shouts, "Mommy all done! Mommy all better! No! No! NO!" when I am taking the medicine.
Despite the inconvience of having to wake up in the middle of the night and plan my days around medicine doses, the medicine is working well. I had lost about 25 pounds by week 15, and in a week, I've been able to gain a good amount of that back.
All in all, we know how blessed we are to have access to doctors and medical help. We're grateful for the technology and research that has allowed me to come home, instead of sit in the hospital. I'm definitely not 100%, but I'm feeling like a person and that helps a lot. We are so thankful that we have family here to help us. I don't know what I would do without my mother-in-law, she's been a HUGE lifesaver.
We'll let you know how things go, hopefully I'll be off of this PICC line soon! Thanks for all the support we've been given. We can't do this alone.
Nov and December 2009 Recap
So we've been super lame about taking pictures, and things have been a little crazy, so no pictures this time. Feel free to skip this post-- it's gonna be long and probably boring :)
For Thanksgiving we were in Pittsburgh with my family. We spent the day with my parents, grandparents and my cousins, as well as Jeff Meyer, a man who is just as much as a father as anyone could be to me and my siblings. We ate ourselves silly and watched "Up" as we all slipped into pumpkin pie induced comas. That evening my sister, Shayla, and I met up and braved the COLD, windy night to stand in line outside of Toys R US. She was hoping to get a train table on sale for Dean, so we figured we'd take our chances with the crazies and do some Black Friday shopping. We managed to survive the Midnight opening of Toys R US (although Shayla did almost get beat up by a woman with a cane) and we even managed to get all the goods we went there in search of.
Peter and I tossed Caleb off on my sweet sister-in-law so that we could speed back (or sit in a ton of traffic is more like it) to Philadelphia that following Monday for an ultrasound. We sat in awe as the screen lit up with a tiny heartbeat and we knew that we were yet again wrapped around this little one's finger (which at that point, 11 weeks, actually had a finger nail on it!). We've had a roller coaster ride over the past year or so trying to bring another little one into our family, one way or another, and actually seeing that child, with a strong heartbeat and perfect measurements was the best Early Christmas Present ever.
That same week Peter, Caleb and I drive down to Washington, D.C. for a Military Residency Fair. Caleb spent some time with Uncle Soren (who likes fast cars and fast tractors according to Caleb) and Aunt Mandy (who is also expecting a baby--their first, due a week after we are) while Peter and I peppered the Residency Directors with questions. We learned a lot and it was a little strange to know that at the next Residency Fair these same directors will be matching Peter with a program (in Dec. 2010).
Life settled down for a few weeks as we wrapped up our time in Pittsburgh. We spent lots of wonderful days with Bala and Papa, and Caleb absolutely fell in love with them.
We got back to Philadelphia just a few days before a huge snow storm, which brought nearly 2 feet of snow and cancelled everything. We were glad to be home, with the fireplace going, as we sat and watched the snow pile up. Caleb wasn't too sure what he thought of this cold, wet, stuff, but he explored with courage. That following Tuesday we "celebrated" his birthday, a rather low key event. We already had a birthday party for him, so we spent the day at the Children's Museum here in Philly and ended it with ice cream cake. The snow lasted long enough to give us all the much wanted White Christmas and was washed away the very next day. Christmas also brought cousins and aunts and uncles. Caleb thoroughly enjoyed having playmates here and woke up each morning asking, "Where Sam? Where Makayla?" It took a few days after they left for him to stop asking each moment, but even now he asks for them when he gets bored. It was great to see him make friendships with cousins.
Thanks for all the friends and family who made our Holidays complete. We love you and are so excited to spend another year with you all in our lives.
For Thanksgiving we were in Pittsburgh with my family. We spent the day with my parents, grandparents and my cousins, as well as Jeff Meyer, a man who is just as much as a father as anyone could be to me and my siblings. We ate ourselves silly and watched "Up" as we all slipped into pumpkin pie induced comas. That evening my sister, Shayla, and I met up and braved the COLD, windy night to stand in line outside of Toys R US. She was hoping to get a train table on sale for Dean, so we figured we'd take our chances with the crazies and do some Black Friday shopping. We managed to survive the Midnight opening of Toys R US (although Shayla did almost get beat up by a woman with a cane) and we even managed to get all the goods we went there in search of.
Peter and I tossed Caleb off on my sweet sister-in-law so that we could speed back (or sit in a ton of traffic is more like it) to Philadelphia that following Monday for an ultrasound. We sat in awe as the screen lit up with a tiny heartbeat and we knew that we were yet again wrapped around this little one's finger (which at that point, 11 weeks, actually had a finger nail on it!). We've had a roller coaster ride over the past year or so trying to bring another little one into our family, one way or another, and actually seeing that child, with a strong heartbeat and perfect measurements was the best Early Christmas Present ever.
That same week Peter, Caleb and I drive down to Washington, D.C. for a Military Residency Fair. Caleb spent some time with Uncle Soren (who likes fast cars and fast tractors according to Caleb) and Aunt Mandy (who is also expecting a baby--their first, due a week after we are) while Peter and I peppered the Residency Directors with questions. We learned a lot and it was a little strange to know that at the next Residency Fair these same directors will be matching Peter with a program (in Dec. 2010).
Life settled down for a few weeks as we wrapped up our time in Pittsburgh. We spent lots of wonderful days with Bala and Papa, and Caleb absolutely fell in love with them.
We got back to Philadelphia just a few days before a huge snow storm, which brought nearly 2 feet of snow and cancelled everything. We were glad to be home, with the fireplace going, as we sat and watched the snow pile up. Caleb wasn't too sure what he thought of this cold, wet, stuff, but he explored with courage. That following Tuesday we "celebrated" his birthday, a rather low key event. We already had a birthday party for him, so we spent the day at the Children's Museum here in Philly and ended it with ice cream cake. The snow lasted long enough to give us all the much wanted White Christmas and was washed away the very next day. Christmas also brought cousins and aunts and uncles. Caleb thoroughly enjoyed having playmates here and woke up each morning asking, "Where Sam? Where Makayla?" It took a few days after they left for him to stop asking each moment, but even now he asks for them when he gets bored. It was great to see him make friendships with cousins.
Thanks for all the friends and family who made our Holidays complete. We love you and are so excited to spend another year with you all in our lives.
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