Baby shower...HAIR BOWS!

When I found out we were having a girl, I couldn't wait to buy hair bows. I LOVE hair bows. I totally wish I could wear hair bows (and keep my clients and stay married). When I went on bedrest I was totally bummed out because I hadn't gotten to buy any hair bows. Drew's been cool about the hair bow thing. His only request is that I refrain from putting one of those brain squeezing head band things on her, which I completely agreed to. Maggie must sense my fondness for hair bows. When I had the pre-term labor and they did the ultrasound, the first thing the tech said was, "Look at all that hair!" It wasn't The placenta looks good...or...The baby is fine...or...The hearbeat is strong. Nope...the first impression was "It's floating all around her head!!!" So, we're anticipating Maggie May to come into the world with a head full of dark hair. ENTER HAIR BOWS! I even have THREE packed in my hospital suitcase.

This past weekend our Sunday School class gave us a baby shower. How fun to get pink stuff and the cutest little clothes ever! (And some HAIR BOWS!) Thank you all so much!

Mission Accomplished

We've made it to 36 weeks. In fact, we've made it to 36 weeks and 3 days, which is almost 37 weeks, which, by all accounts, is full term. I went to the doctor last Monday and was still 3-4 cm dilated and 80-90% effaced. I went back today and there really had not been any change. The midwife was quite suprised. She said she called the midwife on call last Monday to let her know that I would be having the baby then. Hah! She predicted that at this point this pregnancy would take the course of the last one, where I would dilate "silently" to 5 cm and they would send me on to the hospital for induction. No one knows how long that's going to take. I went off the anti-contraction medicine yesterday. This is an odd course of events, indeed. We counted the days until 35 weeks, and then counted the days until 36 weeks. Now, we're ready when you are, baby girl.

Finally some pictures from our vacation...

Last night I finally downloaded all the pictures from my camera (and only because the memory card was full). So I need to do some blog catching up. As for baby update...I went to doctor Thursday to get things checked out becauase I had been having some intermittent contractions for a few days. Things were the same...still 3cm dilated and 70% effaced. So that's good news! Maybe she will hang on till next Thursday after all!

 
 
 

 
 

Baby Update

I had my weekly OB check up this morning. Good news is that baby girl looks strong and healthy. She might be on the big size for her gestational age (34.5 weeks). The doctor squished around on my belly and estimated her to be between 5.5 and 6 pounds - a good size! Better than the 3 pounds, nine ounces we though she might be born at four weeks ago! Scary news is that I'm 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. This means she could come at any moment now. I'm feeling a little crampier than usual, but no pain. Nothing I would call a for sure contraction. The doctor wants us to do everything we can to get her to Thursday when I'll be a complete 35 weeks. Then the goal is next Thursday, a complete 36 weeks. Now we're down to counting off days and being thankful for every day she's still in there. We continue to pray for patience and a healthy baby. I continue to pray for strength to stay still. One of the nurses told me that all we can do what we can do to keep her in there, but she's going to come when the Good Lord says it's time!

July 2010 Family Pictures

I'm glad I had the foresight to do this before the "incident"! www.danajophotos.com

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Top Ten Most Dangerous Things About Bed Rest

10. Etsy - I have just discovered this website. My friend Cammie's baby girl always has the most adorable accessories - tutu's, crochet hats, hair bows. She says she gets it all on Etsy. I've never been one to shop online. In fact, we didn't even have internet at the house until I had to go on bed rest and do work from home. But geez! Have you seen this stuff?! I've picked out at least four crocheted newborn beanies, several pairs of handmade Mary Jane's and enough hair bows to make my husband really uncomfortable. Don't worry Drew, I haven't bought anything. Well, I kind of did but not really. HEY MOM - READ THIS: MAGGIE NEEDS SOME CROCHETED BABY HATS. (PS: Some of them have teddy bear ears).

9. QVC/Home Shopping Network - All I can say is flameless candles. I really need some flameless candles. Then I can "light" all of the candles I want without my house reeking of a French brothel. I want get fussed for leaving candles burnign all night. Furthermore, scented candles cause phlem issues and I wake up the following morning sounding like an 80 year old man. Not good for anyone's marriage. MOM - READ THIS ALSO. I NEED SOME FLAMELESS CANDLES. IT'S FOR MY HEALTH.

8. Amazon.com. They sell more than books! Yesterday I bought a new battery charger for my camera to replace the one I lost - and saved twenty dollars! That's hardly a frivoulous bout of online shopping I realize. But I've realized the potential hazard there.

7. The Pottery Barn Kids catalog - Typically I would flip through it and think how nice that, that, that and that would be, and then I would just go to K-mart (which is like 1,000 times better than Wal-mart). Being mostly sequestered to the couch, I can't go to K-mart to select my Pottery Barn comparable items (ha!), which also makes this a potential hazard. I've only bought one Pottery Barn Kids Item - A gorgeous quilt for Maggie's crib that came in the mail today. But I didn't really buy it - MOM DID!

6. Toilet Paper - I've been instructed on how important it is to consume large amounts of water. Apparently dehydration begets contractions. (Which very well could have been the culprit since it was 100 degrees for days and I was in constant motion.) Consuming large quantities of water coupled with being real big means constant (like, every 15 minutes) trips to the bathroom. Toilet paper is expensive, ya'll.

5. Plumbing issues - See Number 6. Too much toilet paper is a problem for more than your wallet.

4. Critters in the Attic - Before now I was rarely, if ever, alone in this big quiet house. I would have never heard those critters in the attic. Meaning those critters would never have bothered me. Ignorance (especially about critters) is bliss. I closed the door to Joseph's room last week and I heard them/it. Them/tt scurried . . . And them/it sounded like it had some weight to it/them. My dad brought over some traps but no one has volunteered to put them up there. Those critter traps are still on the porch. That's how we roll. READ THIS MOM: THOSE CRITTER TRAPS NEED TO BE PUT IN THE ATTIC.

3. The Happy Man and His Dump Truck and Corduroy Goes to the Doctor - You may ask why these two innocuous childrens' books pose a bed rest hazard?
Since bed rest I spend time with Joseph by laying in his bed at night and reading books. The only two he will let you read are The Happy Man and His Dump Truck and Corduroy Goes to the Doctor. He has them both memorized and can "read" along. These books pose a bed rest hazard because they must be read several times a piece. This is not a good habit for when baby sister comes since he's now used to me laying in bed with him for a really long time, but what do you do? It's the only time I can get really close to him.

2. Potential Home Improvement Projects - We just moved into our house in June and it needs lots of painting, decorating, picture hanging, carpet laying, tile fixing, furniture acquiring. Lot's of time to look around and think about these things and plan what needs to be done. Problem is, these this are expensive! I've had a painter come into to give me a quote and it about knocked me down. Having time to think about these things is a definite hazard.

1. Number one will be saved for a later post. It will be a shocking revalation!

1.

I went out to lunch today, YEAH!

We had our weekly OB appointment this morning. The doctor didn't do an ultrasound or exam. She just asked if I had felt any changes since last time, which I haven't. I got clearance to sit up for a few hours at a time as long as I take it real easy. Hooray! Drew and I went out to lunch after the appointment. And get this, I can go to work some and sit at my desk for a couple of hours at a time. I've got a brief to write this week so I'm going to finish that up a few hours at home each day this week and hopefully be back in the office during the morning next week - leaving several hours in the afternoon to come home and lay down. I'm not sure how my couch is going to handle this news.

This Thursday we'll be 34 weeks. This will be a huge accomplishment since my goal was to get her to 32 weeks. Next goal is 35 weeks. At that point she can be born here and will not need to be shipped (a/k/a helicoptered...a horrifying thought) to Chapel Hill. Then...36 weeks is basically full term, which will call for celebration. So, remembering the tortoise and the hare, I'm staying put, taking it easy and continuing to appreciate the blessings.

In other news, I really must take some new videos of Joseph. He said his first sentences in May. I believe the first one was, "I like cheese." Soon after, we were planting flowers in the yard of our other house before putting it on the market. Joseph was stomping them and my mom told him, "Joseph. Don't step on the flowers. Be nice to the plants." This prompted him to pet the flowers while repeating, "Be niiiiice to plants. Be niiiiice to plants. Be niiiiiice to plants." Now here we are three months later and he's becoming conversational. (I.e. "I rode in grandma's car. Wore my seatbelt.") He old me at 6:00 in the morning last week, "I want ice cream now please."

Shortly before I went on bedrest we painted Joseph and Maggie's rooms. The fumes were so strong that evening we decided to sleep over at Drew's parents' house. This meant Joseph had to sleep in a crib, which he was not entirely fond of and kept waking up in the middle of the night. Finally, about 4:00 in the morning we put him between us in the bed and he commenced to wallering around and chattering incessantly. Drew whispereed, "Joseph, be quiet. It's night time." About fifteen seconds of total silence was followed by the declaration, in a strong whisper, of "I like bacon." I like bacon? Did he just whisper I like bacon?

Bed Rest

Almost two weeks ago, on Tuesday July 20, Miss Maggie May decided that she might just try to make her grand debut into the world. And there I was - of all places - right in the middle of Lee County District Court.

I was about five minutes away from starting a day long hearing in DSS court. I was standing outside of the courtroom in the lobby making some last minute phone calls to witnesses when all of a sudden I thought, Ohmygod I just peed on myself. No pain, no pressure, no wierd feeling. Really, nothing unusual the whole morning. I thought my bladder had decided to go on vacation right there in the middle of the courthouse lobby. But as I walked through the courtroom to the bathroom, my heart began pounding in my head because I decided that had never happenend before and it might mean something is going on. DID MY DERN WATER JUST BREAK?!! In the bathroom I saw the evidence that something really, truly was not right. Panic set in at that point. The voice in my head was racing, "She's too little. She's too little. She's too little." That's all I could comprehend.

I pulled it together enough to go back into court and whisper to the other attorneys that I thought I was in labor and had to leave. Although, it was likely a dramatic spectacle because I was shaking like a leaf. I remember having complete tunnel vision as I walked across the street to Drew's office. Luckily he was sitting alone at his desk and all I could get out between the sobs was "Pray, Drew, Pray. She's too little." We immediately got in the car en route to the doctor's office. Drew was so amazingly calm. All I could process were mental images of a bony, tiny pink baby covered in tubes and surrounded by machines. Drew was certain that she was big enough to be okay and she would be fine. I'll never forget the last thing he told me before going in to the office, "Anna. Calm down. We don't need to be scaring all these pregnant women in here."

I was quickly taken into the ultrasound room. Of course, the fear was that the sac had ruptured or the placenta had separated, explaining the blood. Seeing her dance around that ultrasound machine brought a tremendous relief. The ultrasound tech and the doctor were both in the room and confirmed that the baby was 100% fine. In fact, she looked great. The amniotic sac and fluid were fine and the placenta was fine. I was so relieved to see my baby girl's heart fluttering on that screen, but I also began to cry because of how badly I didn't want her born right then. I was horrified at the idea of us being separated while she grew big enough to come home. I was more horrified at the thought of her having complications or future health concerns because she was born early.

After the rest of the exam my doctor felt that I was in labor and sent me to the hospital. I was 1 cm dilated and she thought I was having contractions, even though I had no pain. I was hooked up to the monitor at the hospital to detect contractions and it was confirmed that I was having some. They gave me a shot to stop the contractions and a shot of a steroid to help mature Maggie's lungs in the event that she was born. They continued to monitor the contractions to determine whether they had ceased. A few hours later I was still having some and was given another shot. The shots worked to stop the contractions and I stayed at the hospital overnight. The next morning I got another steroid shot and medicine to take every 12 hours to prevent contractions. My doctor came in and explained, in no uncertain terms, that I was on bed rest for the next six weeks. I had to be reclining or laying down and should only get up to eat and use the bathroom. And I was to forget about even thinking about going to work, even to sit at my desk.

My mama told me that God whispers in your ear. If you don't listen, he taps you on the shoulder. If you still don't listen, he hits you on the head with a frying pan. When I was at the hospital, laying there with nothing to do for the first time in perhaps three months, I was suddenly aware of and overwhelmed by what God had just orchestrated. In the previous few months I had lost touch. In May we were overwhelmed with packing up our house to move. Then we moved and were overwhelmed by the work load that produced - the unpacking and getting everything up and running. All the while I still had cases in court, tons of work to do and deadlines on my appellate cases. It was just.too.much. I kept thinking every day, "If I can get a, b, and c done today and x, y, and z done by the end of the week, then I can have some time to rest." All the while, I knew I was not doing what was one hundred percent right. First my body began feeling exhausted. It was all I could do to get up the stairs at the end of the day. I think that was the whisper in my ear. Then, a couple of weeks before the labor scare, I swore the baby had dropped. I kept wondering whether it was a little to early to feel that change, but I did a little "online research" and shrugged it off as normal. Maybe that was the tap on the shoulder? Something it my heart was telling me to sit my rear end down.

I skipped church the two Sundays right before the incident to go to my office and work. I ignored the nagging feeling that I was not doing the right thing and that I didn't want my family to function this way. I justified it by telling myself that I had to get the work done and then, once x, y, and z were done, I could take a day or two off and get back to baseline.

Here's the irony . . . although I really don't think it was "irony" at all. I had a brief due on Monday the 19th and a case in court on the 20th that was really giving me a huge headache. I kept thinking that if I could get through the case on the 20th, then it would be smooth sailing thereafter. Which was actually true. Drew and I had planned to take a day off later in the week to regroup and we were planning something fun for our anniversary on the 24th. Funny that I should go into labor five minutes before starting that trial. I get it. I AM NOT IN CONTROL.

So, I was hit with the frying pan. Right there in district court, a truly mortifying place to be hit with a frying pan. While bed rest is no day at the circus (except for reading some really good books...more on that later), I am gracious and thankful for the Lord opening my mind and my heart and allowing me to understand that I was so consumed with getting things done that I was unable (okay, unwilling) to listen.

I always imagined myself as the world's worst bedrester. I'm a busy body. I like to clean. When I would hear of people being on bed rest for weeks during pregnancy, the very thought of it was horrific. The most incredible thing happened. Soon after I was connected to the monitor at the hospital and I was just laying there, the doctor came and and her first words were, "You're done." Now, normally I would panic. "WHAT!? What about my clients? What about my cases? What about everything that needs to be done around the house before the baby comes? I have nothing ready for the baby! I'll go crazy just sitting there all day!" I had none of those thoughts. Instead I was overwhelmed by a feeling of total resignation. It was a feeling of giving up control and I felt totally at peace. In my heart I handed over the reigns and it felt really good. As I was laying there thinking about all this, Psalm 46:10 came to my mind, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." These words came to me so strong and clear. Later I learned that the Hebrew of "be still" translates to "let go" or "release". Isn't that incredible?

As I was looking up the Hebrew translation of "be still", I found this prayer that is so fitting for those times that the whispers start:

Slow me down Lord.
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace. Give me, amidst the day's confusion, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking "minute vacations"...slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me of the fable of the hare and the tortoise; that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than measuring its speed. Let me look up at the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew slowly and well. Inspire me to send my own roots down deep into the soil of life's endearing values...that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.


I keep this blog, not just to keep you, our family and friends, up do date on our children, but so I will be able to look back on it and remember things that I might otherwise have forgotten. So I type this as a way of reminding myself to LISTEN, to hear the whispers before they become taps, that I am not in charge, and that there is peace in surrender to Jesus.

As an update, we're 33 weeks along today. I go to the doctor every Monday morning. This week she said I was still 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I was ecstatic that labor had not progressed. She didn't think there had been any significant change and the bed rest restrictions were loosened. I can get up a little more as long as I relax for long periods in between. The Lord has given us this minor challenge but the ways in which He has cared for us are so overwhelming. I've had family or friends here with me almost everyday even though I assure them that I'm fine and they really don't have to stay. Our freezer is stocked with food that has been brought over. The house is clean and the laundry is done. And guess what? My office hasn't burned down. We have felt so blessed by the love and support from our friends and family and we love you so very much.

It took me a really long time to write this post, which is why I haven't posted in a while, but I will be updating every couple of days from here on out. I've got to tell you about the blanket I've been knitting, the books I've been reading, Joseph's big boy bed. I've also got to post some pictures of our vacation.