A new birth plan for Ellie, plus weekend updates

On Thursday, we had our first appointment at Perinatal Partners in Miami Valley at 2:45 pm [which is where we'll deliver].  When we arrived, a nurse navigator greeted us and took us on a tour of a labor and delivery room and showed us the NICU.  We were blown away by how amazing the NICU was.  The smell of the NICU is something that would take some getting used to.  I'm sure it's a mixture of cleaning products, sterile equipment, and hand sanitizer... but it smelled more "hospital" than "home" - which in this case, is a good thing, I guess.  Each baby has his/her own room, plus plenty of space for parents and grandparents to gather in privacy with the baby.  Our boys would be allowed in, too - as long as they're healthy.  Hopefully, we won't be needing the NICU, but since it's a real possibility, we wanted to know as much about it as possible.  The cardiology team will make that call for Ellie when she's here and breathing on her own.  They suggested that we might labor in one room, then move into the O.R. to deliver (naturally, still).  This is because the O.R. is adjacent to the NICU, so it'd be a quick transition, if we needed it.

After the tour, we met one of our (3 possible) doctors for delivery.  We met Dr. Kovac and she was fabulous!  She's the doctor that delivered our nephew, Jake, two years ago.  She sat with us and reviewed all of our information that had been transferred from Dr. Dev and cardiology at Dayton Children's, as well as all the information that was already in their system from our appointments in Vandalia.  It's kind of awesome that everything is in one place and ready for delivery, right??  We discussed our labor and delivery experiences with our boys and our goals this time around.  Since I've never gone into active labor on my own and we're familiar with the induction process, and since our boys were both delivered after their due dates, we set up an induction date for Ellie so that we felt comfortable with the plan and so that the hospital was able to plan on having the teams she'll need on hand.  As much as I'd like to have the "oh my gosh, it's time to go to the hospital" moment... I also like the peace of mind that comes with a plan, especially since we're now an hour away instead of ten minutes.  So, if Ellie stays the course, we'll go in for an induction on Tuesday evening, September 2nd.  Did I mention that's only 15 days away?  Ahhhh!  If she wants to arrive earlier than that, anytime after 8/28 would be best (which will put us at 39 weeks).  With complications, we don't want Ellie to arrive any earlier than 39 weeks.  Her heart & lungs need those last few weeks, for sure.

We were supposed to end our appointment with a quick ultrasound to measure amniotic fluid levels, then be on our way.  However, when they measured fluids, they were concerned that the fluids were so low.  Up to this point, we've been measuring somewhere in the 18-23 cm of fluid range.  On Thursday, we had 5.6 cm.  Dr. Kovac said that they like to see measurements over 12 cm.  She said that 8-12 cm is okay, and 5-8 is a gray area.  Less than 5 cm is a concern because if baby doesn't have enough fluid, it's hard for her to get the nutrients she needs, and could indicate that fluid is leaking.  We went from our ultrasound room, into a room for a non-stress test.  During the non-stress test, they gave me ice water to drink and monitored Ellie closely.  Ellie did fantastic!  She moved around plenty and had good accelerations in her heart rate.  Dr. Kovac said, "Now, that's a happy baby".  Smiles!  We were finally released to go around 5:30 pm (almost 3 hours after we started).

Since we were kid-free, B and I went out to dinner quick before heading home.  I don't know how long it's been since the 2 of us went out to dinner alone.  We had to laugh at how little time it actually took us to eat this time since we weren't going on potty breaks or cleaning up spilled drinks, or trying to do a thousand other things.  While it was nice to have a little adult time, we both decided that for us, our lives would be too quiet and boring without those crazy little critters that add a good dose of chaos to every situation.  We were ready to go scoop them up.  When we arrived home, I noticed that the shrubs we had on the front porch were now nicely planted in our flower bed.  I walked into our house and said, "Mom, did you plant our bushes??".  I then quickly noticed that some other home improvement projects that were lingering had been wrapped up for us, too.  After I left to head to Dayton, Dad came over and helped Mom surprise us by doing some of the things in our house that we hadn't gotten to yet.  Awesome, awesome, awesome!!  What a great surprise.

This was a great way to roll into our weekend, for sure.  On Friday, we met up with the Beech family (who is FINALLY back in Ohio after years in Maryland).  We went to dinner with them, then watched movies with the kiddos at our place.  On Saturday, I took our boys to a Fishing Derby at Furrow's house (with church folks) while B was working.  Sweet Kaleb fell in the pond, so we decided to color fishy pictures, instead.  The boys were more interested in the frogs and cows than the fish.  They did enjoy throwing the bait into the water and watching the fish snatch it up.  Saturday night we went out with Skinners to celebrate a birthday and hung out with them a bit afterwards.  This was a kid-free night... which was a very rare thing for us and Skinners (who have 5 little ones) alike, and we had a blast.

Kaleb - after falling in the shallow water

Love going fishing with these little boys!

Sunday started with church service, then an family canoe outing with my siblings and parents.  If you have not been canoeing, I highly suggest it.  First, it's quiet and relaxing and with a little current, not much work at all.  Second, if you can go with goofy adults like we have in our family, it's a ridiculous amount of fun.  I'll post pictures soon :).  After canoeing, we went back to Platfoot's house (where all the kiddos were hanging out), and had pizza with the family.  We were home in time to crawl into bed and get a little shut-eye before heading into another busy week.

This week we just have 2 appointments for Ellie and 1 family chiropractic appointment (which is much needed right now).  Until next time... thank you for following along :).

3 B's of our busy weekend...

We had a gloriously packed weekend!  Friday was Kaleb’s 2^nd BIRTHDAY.  So we let him pick where to go for dinner and let him check out his newest book, too.  He picked pancakes for dinner, and we headed to Bob Evans.  We also did some mundane other stuff… like grocery shopping and such, but it was a nice family night, nonetheless.  Because it was his birthday, we ordered the boys special birthday treats (ice cream sundaes) while we were out at Bob Evans.  They loved these… and the picture below is of Kaleb enjoying his birthday treat.

Saturday was a bit of a whirlwind.  I spent the morning getting food and such ready for Kaleb’s birthday party, and then dropped all of it off at my sister, Tracy’s house.  She’d be hosting the joint birthday party later in the day.  We then rushed off to the 2^nd B for the weekend – a BABY SHOWER.  The ladies at church planned a baby shower for Ellie - I couldn't have been more tickled about it.  I felt a little selfish and über spoiled because we’d already had a baby shower before we had Lance, but I was deeply touched that they wanted to throw a shower, and I couldn't wait for the barrage of pink and purple.  Just walking in, I was overwhelmed by the love, time and effort these friends of ours poured into the shower.  The decorations were adorable, the food was beautifully presented (and delicious), and the company was warm and loving!  Brandon was working, so I had our boys with me, but Aron Tipps arrived to swoop them up and bring them to his house to play during the shower.  Super!  I can’t thank everyone enough for this experience – and I was super excited to come home and show Brandon all of the adorable outfits, blankets, toys and gifts we had for Ellie.  We were also given a sit & stand stroller for our boys – which we broke in right away.  Ahhhh – this little monkey is already so loved, I cannot wait to share her with the world!  A few pictures from the shower are below:

How cute is this?  Even better was how proud the little boy was who helped his Mommy & Daddy create it.  He told us all about it on Sunday.  You know who you are... and we love you guys :)

Pretty decorations!

I left the shower and went straight to Tracy’s house to prepare for birthday festivities.  Since our Kaleb and her Zandria have birthdays that are only a day apart, it made sense to celebrate together.  We packed out the Platfoot house with guests and had a great time!  The kids played extra hard and were fast asleep before we were halfway home.  Below are a few shots of birthday festivities... loving our little Ninja Turtle.

Kaleb's construction themed cake.  LOVE!

I don't know if he'll ever take off his Ninja Turtle get-up.

Did I mention that my brother-in-law also mowed our yard while I was at the baby shower?  How sweet is that?

Sunday morning is always a rush, and yesterday was no different.  We rushed to get the kiddos ready and out the door on time.  We enjoyed a fabulous service which had B and me talking all the way home about its impact on our lives and our world.  And after a quick pit-stop at home, we were headed up to Cridersville so that B could help his dad build a pergola for the remainder of the day.  We enjoyed our visit with Mamaw and Papaw Maier and again, our boys were totally pooped on the way home.  On Sunday, the 3^rd B was BREAKDOWN, though.  If I do not see you on Sundays, this may be totally weird to you – heck, it might be weird to people who see me every Sunday, too… but hey, this is me!

For those of you who see me on Sunday mornings, I’m really not a basket case.  I may look like one in church, but I’m really a very happy person who generally keeps things together… GENERALLY being the operative word there.  For those of you who are greeters – I especially thank you because this is the one public place I can go each week and not worry too much about my kiddos.  I know that y’all know who those rotten boys belong to and I know you’re not going to let them run out into the parking lot without me.  I sincerely thank you for that, too – because Brandon and I are usually tying up loose ends before service or catching up with friends.  For those of you who pick those boys up or let them lead you around by your finger… we love you.  You are each making a lasting impact on our kids and we cannot thank you enough for humoring them.

I know that everyone has their own “relationship” with Sunday service.  Over the past 4.5 years, I’ve come to find that this is my time for sanctuary each week – not to sound cliché.  I don’t know about anyone else, but there are just a few precious hours each week where I can come into a place and take off the hat as mom or wife, co-worker, daughter or sister.  I can take off all of those responsibilities and expectations.  I can take off the tough-girl, confident façade; melt into my seat, and become completely vulnerable.  I realize that some people come into church with the opposite purpose, and that’s peachy keen.  If you see me there as a total mess, though, just know that this is my time to be raw and open and a puddle at the foot of the cross.  Sometimes I hit the altar… maybe I’m especially weak or confused, maybe I have a list of praises to offer up.  Sometimes I stand behind the altar and stand in the gap for someone else on his/her knees.  Sometimes my seat is my altar.  Either way, if you see tears streaming down my face, or see that my make-up is a disaster after service… know that I’ve had a good morning!  I’m not always sad… sometimes it’s stress streaming down my face, sometimes it’s fear, worry or doubt (this was it this Sunday)… but this is where I let it all out… this is my safe and vulnerable place.  This is where I leave my burdens each week and walk out the doors feeling uplifted and cleansed.  I may pick those back up during the week… I sure try not to… but if I do, you can bet I’ll try to shed them again the next Sunday.  Does this make me a busted up mess?  Maybe.  But what better place to be a busted up mess, right? 

On the weeks when I do hit the altar, I thank those of you who stand in the gap for me.  I don’t know who you are most of the time… and that’s okay.  Know that I love you and I feel your presence.  This week, I think there were several people running their fingers through my hair and others rubbing my back.  Y’all must know how much I love that, right?  By the time the prayer song ends, I always feel like a huge weight has been lifted.  I know who is carrying it… and I know that each person standing over me helped to lift it.  After reading this part, more of you now think I’m a basket case… ha… and I’m still okay with that!  Thank you – I love you – and I’m touched that you’re following along ;).

Did I mention that we’re 24 days from our due date??  Eeeek! 

Just Like You...

My supervisor shared this with me today... and I thought it'd be great to share with all of you.

I have to say that watching the kids in the video participate in their activities (basketball, cheerleading, drama) and love on their friends was so meaningful to me.  LOVE!

One month from our due date!

As of today, we officially have 1 more month until our due date.  I can't even begin to tell you how that feels.  We're super excited, of course... but we're also very nervous, but for different reasons.  Brandon is anxious because he knows that a newborn comes with sleepless nights and a wonky schedule.  I'm nervous because I honestly feel like we'll sit there and look at her and not know what to do.  Brandon reminds me that this was exactly what we did with Lance, though, and he turned out alright... so far.  :)  I'm sure there will be tons of unknowns in the days ahead - but I guess there's no sense losing sleep over that.  Aren't we all in that boat?  Who knows what tomorrow holds for any of us?  Sometimes we wake up to fabulous days where things are peachy keen... other times, we have days we never imagined would be true and have to deal with the impossible.  Either way, I think we can all agree that this is true for everyone.  That doesn't stop my fear, but fear is one thing that I continue to struggle with daily and will laugh at myself for later, I'm sure.

That said, let's talk about what we've been up to the last few weeks.  On July 13th I went in for my 33 week appointment with Dr. Dev.  My weight was down a bit (so up about 8 pounds total so far).  Because they want to keep a close eye on Ellie, they started putting me on the monitors for a non-stress test.  Dr. Dev will transfer my care to Vandalia at 36 weeks and we talked about how we'd start meeting weekly at this point.  On July 24th, I had a day that was scarier than normal.  Since Miss Ellie practices her acrobatics constantly, it was alarming to have a morning where I felt nothing.  She's usually so active, so around 9am when I hadn't felt her move at all, I sent B a text to ask him if he knew where our fetal monitor was.  [Yes... we ARE that dorky.  When I was pregnant with Lance, I bought a fetal doppler on Amazon so that I could listen to his heartbeat at home.  I do have to say, it's been my favorite pregnancy purchase to date.]  Anyhow, once Ellie started moving around a lot, we hadn't used it.  Instead, the boys had used it as a microphone, so I had to search the house to find all the parts to it.  I did a quick check and was so relieved to hear her heart thump along at 145 beats/minute.  I could get back to focusing on work before I headed to an appointment that afternoon.

She still wasn't her active little self at our appointment.  Her heartrate (HR) was fine, but didn't vary much at all, so they used the stimulator on my belly a few times.  I didn't know such a tool existed.  I'm sure it's just a buzzing sound to startle baby, but it could totally pass for a mini taser.  Ha!  They tried to stimulate Ellie twice and she only had a tiny reaction... not the elevation in HR they wanted to see.  Dr. Dev wanted to start monitoring her more often and scheduled us for twice weekly - blah.

Last week we had 4 total appointments.  Monday and Thursday were non-stress tests again with Dr. Dev - both went just fine.  On Tuesday morning, I had an appointment in Vandalia and the ultrasound tech said that Ellie weighs 5 pounds 5 ounces.  It was much harder to see things this time because as her bones harden, they deflect more sound and it's harder to see much in the ultrasound.  However, we were able to get a great view of Ellie's heart and everything looks on par with where it's been.  She was hiding her face completely, and is in the head-down position (SCORE!).  Her little foot looked extra chunky, and the ultrasound tech said, "Oh my, look at all of that hair!".  I don't know what she considers a lot of hair, but I'll take it!  Thursday, we also had a family chiropractic appointment with Dr. Josh Steinke in Wapak.  The adjustment sure made my whole body feel better - as always!

We had another appointment today with Dr. Dev and had a discussion about how the transfer of care works.  I also asked (since we're 36 weeks on Thursday) what was considered "full term".  I knew that they considered 37 weeks "full term" with our boys - not that it mattered because they both went past 40 weeks.  Anyhow, Dr. Dev said that they would not stop labor at 37 weeks, which took a little stress off of me.  I still want this little girl to stay put until the due date, but in a little over a week, it'll be safe for her to make an arrival.  I think we better get that carseat out of the attic soon... eek!