Sixty Nine Weeks

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little fellow.  Today you are sixty nine weeks old .... getting on up there!  Every time I turn around you're getting older!  Ha!  Oh wait, that means I am too!  ;-)

Today I had a follow up appointment with the MD for Peanut.  They wanted to check my blood pressure again.  Mimi came over in the morning to watch you just in case they wanted to run more tests.  My blood pressure was good (114/70) and Peanut's heart rate was great (151).  She's still low and head down.  They didn't check for any dilation since they checked on monday.  So, to get me back on the weekly dilating schedule, I have another appointment monday morning.  By then we'll be 38 weeks and 1 day gestation!  Wow!

While Mimi had you at the house, I ran to the grocery store to pick up some milk and cereal.  You all were having a yogurt snack when I came back.  

Mimi left shortly after and the two of us went upstairs to play.  I was hungry, so I ate some lunch.  You didn't want anything (Mimi and I tried before she left), so you played around me as I quickly ate.  Then, before I knew it, you crawled up onto a pillow next to me and fell asleep!  You must have been worn out from this morning!  ;-)  You napped for a while and I debated whether I should wake you since you were sleeping through lunch!  I decided to let you nap, but I knew you would wake up hungry.  

So, I read a little while you slept and then brought some food upstairs for you.  Once you woke up, I put you in the little travel high chair on the floor and you ate a late lunch.  :-)  That was easier than carrying you up and down the stairs.  

Mimi got you a cellphone toy that kind of looks like a remote too.  You played with it for a long time and didn't even try to grab the real television remote control!  Your toy one plays music, makes little phone calls to the puppy 'Scout' (who you have in your crib), and teaches you numbers.

We made dinner before daddy got home.  We roasted some potatoes, corn, carrots, onions, broccoli, and asparagus together and then cooked some chicken on the stove.  It turned out pretty good for just making up the recipe!  ;-)

Oh, I almost forgot, we saw some deer in the backyard this morning!  They were far away, but we could still see them!  And, your (Great) Aunt Beth called to check on you and Peanut.  I updated her on the appointments this week and said that everything was going well so far.

This evening we played with daddy in the bonus room.  You showed him your new cellphone toy and daddy tickled you a lot so that you would giggle your precious, little laugh!  That always makes me smile!

Tomorrow we get to spend the day together as a family!  I hope you get some rest!

Sleep tight!

I love you!

~Mommy

Home Late

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little 'buddy'!  ;-)  We think that's what you're saying now, though sometimes it sounds like 'boogie'.  :-)  I love it when you sing your 'nanana' song.  It's so cute and you make funny facial expressions too!  

Today I didn't get to see you very much, which I hate!  I love spending time with you and just being around you.  But, this evening I had a late meeting for work which kept me out of the house for around 13.5 hours!  I left for work at 7am and got home around 8:30pm.  :-P

You were awake when I left, so I got to kneel down while you were playing in the living room and give you kisses on your forehead before I left.  You were busy playing and probably didn't even realize I would be home later than normal.  :-P  But, I kissed you just the same and told you that I love you.  :-)

When I woke up, there was snow coming down!  It was just a light dusting and didn't stay on roads  so I still had to go into work.  But, it was still pretty.  :-)  It melted by lunch time.

Penny got to spend the day with you until daddy got home from work.  Penny wore a DOOK shirt, so we're hoping she didn't influence you too much!  Go Heels!  ;-)  

You two had fun though with your music and floor time.  You took a nap for her in the afternoon and you did well again feeding yourself a baby cracker.  Yea little man!

You and daddy were playing upstairs by the time I got home.  I was tired!  I changed into some pajamas .... you were already wearing yours .... and I sat with you on the floor in the bonus room as you crawled around and played.  At one point you fell over while playing and started to cry.  Daddy and I held you and you quickly got over it and started crawling again.  :-P

Tomorrow I have an OB appointment with Peanut at 9:45am.  Mimi's going to come over and watch you again, just in case they have to run more tests while I'm there. They're going to recheck my blood pressure and check Peanut's heart rate.  The OB office called me today while I was at work and said that my blood work and urine tests came back normal!  Whew!  That's good news!  We're getting closer and closer to 38 weeks gestation, and my coworkers have a poll going on Peanut's arrival date, weight, and length.  The first guess for the arrival day in the poll starts this weekend, so we'll see who's right!  

Sleep tight little man!  I look forward to spending tomorrow with you and relaxing!

I love you very much!  :-)

~Mommy

Good First Half

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little miracle!  Today was a long day, and tomorrow won't be much better with my meeting after work.  :-P

You were awake when I left this morning.  So, I got to kiss you goodbye as I headed to work.  I hate leaving you in the morning!  I just want to stay with you and have fun.  :-)

You and Penny had fun though.  You all had floor time and you fed yourself about 12-15 cheerios!  Good job little man!  You also had some art, story, and music time together.  :-)  You were more active in the morning and apparently took a nice nap in the afternoon for Penny. 

When I got home, I found a drawing on the table that you and Penny did together .... it said 'Happy Valentine's Day' and had your name and date on it!  :-)  Also, there were two little boxes of chocolate for daddy and I and you had a card from Penny!  How precious!  Did you and Penny plan that?  ;-)

Daddy made a pizza for dinner and we all ate together.  Well, you had already eaten, but you sat with us in the high chair.  :-)

I've been trying to catch up on all my progress notes and charts at work.  That way, if Peanut comes, there won't be any 'pending' charts open.  I had a cancellation this afternoon so I was able to catch up on most things.  

Your daddy did something really sweet this afternoon .... Grandpa Mike found a website that had refurbished Nook ereaders on sale for half the price (Do you all still use ereaders when you read this?   It's a small device, with a 7 inch screen, that you can download electronic books on so that you don't have to carry around lots of heavy books.  Daddy and Grandpa Mike both have one. I wonder what technology will be out there for you and Peanut when you're older).  Anyway, daddy ended up buying one for me!  I can put children's books on it and read you stories too.  ;-)

So, as I told you yesterday, tonight was the big game .... UNC vs DOOK in basketball!  And, we were playing at DOOK, which makes it tougher!  To my surprise, we held a good lead for the majority of the game.  It wasn't until the second half that DOOK even took the lead.  

Once the game started and we saw the tip-off, Peanut started kicking!  She must be a UNC fan!  ;-)  We started really strong with a quick 8-0 lead and it took DOOK 3 minutes to even score a basket.  We also had a big lead going into halftime.  I stayed awake when the second half started, but soon faded as the game progressed.  You fell asleep too, which left daddy watching the game with the cat!  I woke up at times to see our lead slowly diminish .... and I woke up at the end to see that we had eventually lost by around 6 points.  :-(  But, they played a good game so we were proud of the UNC boys anyway!  I'm sure we'll win when we play them in Chapel Hill next month!  In any event, it was a good and exciting first half to watch!  ;-)

Tomorrow is my Provider's Meeting.  So, I'll leave here around 7am to get to work .... work until 5:30pm .... head to the meeting from 6pm-8pm .... and then make it back here around 8:30pm(ish)!  Whew!  What a day!  I hope I'll still be able to see you some before you head to bed!

Sleep tight little precious!

I love you very much!

~Mommy

Taking It Easy

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello cutie pie!  Today you and I took it easy and rested for the majority of the day.  Since I have to go to work wednesday and thursday, and will likely be on my feet, I wanted to stay around here to keep my blood pressure down.  I took my blood pressure this morning and it was normal (110/70), so that was encouraging.  

You had 4 tablespoons of oatmeal for breakfast, some yogurt, and then a full eight ounce bottle!  Wow!  You were a hungry little booger!  ;-)

Afterward, we went upstairs to play and I did two loads of laundry.  At 11:30am, I was done with the 24 hour urine collection (to check my protein levels), so I had to drop it off before they closed.  The office was around the corner, but they close from 12pm-1pm for lunch, and I knew if I waited then I would be stuck in the middle of a feeding or nap time.  So, I quickly packed you in the car and we got to Labcorp minutes before they were closing!  They needed to draw some blood to check my creatine levels as well (which I didn't know), and I had just run in carrying you in my arms with no stroller!  Oops!  So, you sat on my lap as they quickly took a tube of blood from my arm!  You were fine though and it was so fast you probably didn't even notice.  So, I had blood drawn twice in two days!  

When we got home, we had lunch together.  The neighbor was out putting up a fence and you got to see their new puppy.  The puppy is small now, but the dog breed is one of the bigger ones.  So, we helped them get approval from the Homeowner's Association for a 4 foot fence around their backyard so that the dog won't run over and scare you and Peanut once it's bigger.  :-)

You took a sippy cup of formula this afternoon for lunch and then fell fast asleep on me!  I held you for a while and kissed your little forehead.  ;-)  Eventually I had to put you down, but you continued to sleep next to me on a pillow.  I read a little and then ended up taking a little nap with you too!  I know I won't get a nap tomorrow or thursday with work, so I took advantage of your sleepiness!  ;-)  Actually, the next two days are going to be long ones .... tomorrow we have the UNC vs DOOK basketball game at 9pm and thursday I have a Provider's Meeting at work (quarterly mandatory meeting for all the doctors) from 6pm-8pm.  So, I'll get home really late that day.  :-(  But, then I'll get to play with you for 5 full days until the next day of work!  :-)

We continued to play together, once you woke up, until daddy got home.  We all ate dinner together and then watched some television in the bonus room.  While we were up there, I teased daddy that I wanted a cookie (of course we didn't have any).  Daddy offered to get one, but it was late and I really didn't NEED a cookie .... just felt like having one.  I took a shower and when I got out, you and daddy were getting baking supplies out to make some cookies!  Aw!  I watched and played with you in the living room as daddy mixed everything together and made 2 dozen snickerdoodle cookies!  They were good!  We each had one and then saved the rest.  :-)  What a good daddy you have .... and of course you helped too!  

Chances are I'll fall asleep during the game tomorrow night so we'll probably record it.  I hate those 9pm games after a full day of work!  Daddy can usually stay awake, but you and I generally crash!

Oh, almost forgot, we talked to Gigi earlier in the day on the phone.  She called to check in on us.  She heard you say 'buddy' and she also heard you sing your 'nananana' song.  ;-)

I felt more Peanut kicks and movements today .... she continues to pass her 'kick test' each day .... I wonder when she'll come .... hummmm ....

I hope you and Penny have fun tomorrow.  Save a huge smile and kiss for me!  

Sleep tight little fellow!

I love you!

~Mommy

Lots Of Tests

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little fellow.  We had an interesting day today!

Mimi came here at 9am so she could watch you during Peanut's OB appointment.  You had already finished your breakfast and were watching me clean the kitchen when she walked in.  You surprised me for breakfast.  You had four tablespoons of oatmeal, some yogurt, and a full 8 ounces of formula and whole milk.  Wow!  

The day really started to pick up at the OB office.  It was a good thing Mimi was watching you at the house because I was there for 2 hours getting tests done!  My blood pressure was elevated when I walked in.  It wasn't extreme .... the systolic was 130 .... but it was high for me.  There was no protein in my urine, but the MD, Dr. Rush, wanted to run a few extra tests just to be sure because of my history with you.  We still have no dilating, but Peanut is apparently low in the pelvis, head down, and in position.  So, Dr. Rush ordered a pre-eclampsia blood panel work up and a fetal non-stress test with monitors.  Also, I'm on a 24 hour urine collection to retest my protein.  Ugh!  

They drew my blood first and ran the test 'STAT' so that the office would call me in the afternoon with the results.  If my blood work comes back normal, than I'll come back on friday for another blood pressure check.  If my blood work comes back with signs of mild pre-eclampsia starting, then they may just deliver me now that we're 37 weeks (spoiler alert .... the blood work ended up being normal, so I'm still on the 24 hour urine collection and another appointment on friday).  ;-)

Next up was the fetal monitor non-stress test.  I had this done with you at 30 weeks, and that's how they found out you were having late decelerations and in distress.  I was on the monitors for almost an hour.  They had a little television in there that I could have used, but I kept it off so I could just enjoy Peanut's kicks and listen to her heart rate.  It was fun listening to her heart rate and watching/feeling her move around.  :-)  What a blessing!  Again, I will certainly miss that feeling once she arrives, but I'm also excited at being so close in meeting her.  I'm sure you're excited to meet her too!  ;-)

There were two monitors attached to my belly.  One registered contractions and one read Peanut's heart rate.  Whenever I felt her move or kick, I pressed a Jeopardy style button to register it. (do you know about the show 'Jeopardy' by the time you read this?).  The nurse also gave me a Sprite to drink to help encourage her to move around.  I couldn't tell you the last time I had a soda!  The test results were good, so I was able to leave after that.  

I got home around 11:45am (the appointment was at 9:30am) and you and Mimi were having lunch.  You had fun this morning with Mimi playing upstairs.  Mimi did your laundry and washed some of dishes in the sink, so that was helpful too!

I quickly ate something before your physical therapy appointment.  Mimi stayed and watched you and Eliza.  You had some really good left side neck rotations and we continued to work on your standing and walking independently.  You used your walking toy and went all around the house about three times!  You also showed Eliza how you can climb the stairs, though we didn't encourage it.  ;-)  Guess what Eliza brought over .... a gift for Peanut!  She bought us two little outfits and they're so cute!  You have another appointment in two weeks, so we'll see if Peanut is here by then!

After your appointment, Mimi needed to run some errands, so she offered to take you with her so I could rest here and wait for the OB to call me back about the blood panel.  You two went to the bank and picked up some medications from the vet for her cat Lucy.  Mimi also had an MD appointment at 3pm to check her INR.  You went with her and sang in the MD office.  ;-)  Oh, her INR was good (3) so she won't have to go back for another month.

While you all were gone, Dr. Rush called me back to let me know the good news.  My blood work came back as normal with no additional signs of pre-eclampsia or HELLP!  Woo hoo!  So, I'm to continue with my 24 hour urine collection and have a follow up appointment on friday to check my blood pressure again.  Whew!  That was a relief .... I thought things would come back as normal, but I hated waiting and it made me nervous.  I took my own blood pressure as I was waiting it had gone down to 117/70.  :-)

Once Mimi came back, you and I played in the bonus room until daddy got home.  Then, we went downstairs and I fed you as daddy made a steak dinner.  Again, you surprised me with dinner .... you ate half a container of beef and veggies, 1.5 containers of yogurt, and 5 ounces of formula in a sippy cup!  Good job little man!

I gave you a nice bath after dinner.  Then, after I took a quick shower, we all relaxed in the bonus room as you played.  You sang with us and said your new favorite work over and over .... 'buddy' .... it's so cute!  :-)

Tomorrow we have a MOPS meeting, but I emailed my small group leader and we're going to lay low tomorrow to relax all day.  I'll be on my feet all day wednesday and thursday with work, so I'm going to take advantage of tomorrow and relax as much as possible!  We'll have to venture out around lunch to drop off the urine collection, but other than that, we're going to stay here and rest.  :-)

Sleep tight my little Joshua!

I love you so much!  :-)

~Mommy

Full Term

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little cutie.  We slept better last night.  You still noodled into our bed last night (I think you have a dependency issue and need us there).  But, we were all able to sleep in and get some rest.  Daddy and I both woke up to you kicking us at different times in the night, but at least you slept.

This morning we did some chores around the house.  I swept and vacuumed as daddy played with you.  You and I then continued to play upstairs as daddy took a shower.  Gigi and Uncle James surprised us this morning and came over around 10am.  They brought over some software so daddy and I can do our taxes and they also brought over a travel 'high chair' that I had been storing at Gigi's house for whenever you go over there.  I asked Gigi to bring it over so that I can set it up in the bonus room.  Now, if need be, I can keep you upstairs to eat so that I don't have to keep lifting you, and Peanut, up and down the stairs a couple times a day.  This will come in handy on days when I'm by myself.  Also, I can continue to keep you up here with Peanut too once she arrives.  Once Peanut comes, we're going to be really busy around here, so I'm trying to plan ahead on what will make our lives a little easier.  Though, you never can 'completely' plan ahead for children .... you all will always keep us on our toes!  ;-)

After we visited with Gigi and Uncle James, we took a quick trip to Lowes and Target.  We got a piece of wood at Lowes so that daddy and Grandpa Mike can attach the upstairs baby gate.  We also got some new hinges for the door in the bonus room and new knobs for two doors downstairs.  Daddy switched everything out this afternoon and the two downstairs doors look brand new and fancy with these decorative knobs!  

We all ate lunch, and then we fixed up the crock pot for dinner.  We're having 'sloppy Joe's' with a potato, veggie, and cheese bake on the side.  I'm calling them 'sloppy Joshua's' though!  ;-)

UNC played at 2pm this afternoon.  You were wide awake and crawling around as the game started.  Right before the second half started, however, I rocked you in the new rocking chair and you fell fast asleep on me.  I held you and continued to rock during the second half.  We ended up winning by about 20 points!  After the game, I put you down to sleep and you ended up sleeping for a total of 3 hours!  Wow!  I wonder how you'll sleep tonight.  :-P

Once you woke up, we headed downstairs for dinner.  You really didn't eat much for dinner, and didn't even want your whole bottle.  You didn't really fuss the rest of the evening as if you were hungry (though you eventually took the rest of the bottle later in the night).  The 'sloppy Joshua's' and potatoes were good!  Woo hoo!  Success!  We'll have to remember this dinner for the future!  

We had just enough time to go back upstairs and watch Super Bowl XLV.  The two teams playing were the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers.  Daddy and I didn't care who won.  But we had it on anyway.  The 'Black Eyed Peas' did the half time performance .... by the time you read this, will you know who they are?  We randomly picked Green Bay to win, since we like the color green!  And, they did!  But, we were all really tired when the game was over.  I think it was around 10:30pm before you fell asleep.  :-P

You giggled more and sang with daddy and I this evening.  I love it when you sing with us!  You also make the cutest facial expressions when you giggle and sing!  ;-)

In good news, today I am 37 weeks gestation with Peanut.  :-)  Technically, 37-40 weeks is considered 'full term' so we officially made it!  This is also 7 weeks longer than we made it with your pregnancy.  You stayed 8.5 weeks in the hospital after you were born.  So, at this time with you, we'd have 1.5 weeks until we could take you home.  We were so excited because the end of your hospital stay was near!  What a blessing that we've made it this far!  I have an OB appointment tomorrow morning at 9:30am, so Mimi will come by again to watch you while I head over.  You also have your physical therapy appointment tomorrow afternoon.  Busy busy!

Sleep tight little miracle!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy

Baby Gate

Dearest Joshua David~

Hello little man!  This morning I was up early .... but it wasn't because of you.  I just couldn't sleep.  It was hard for me to get comfortable and breathe last night, so I tossed and turned.  Before you and daddy woke up, I came downstairs and read a little.  Then, I made some pancakes for breakfast.  I made blueberry ones for daddy and chocolate chips ones for me.  ;-)  I made one, little, plain pancake for you.  You tried it, but didn't really eat much of it.

After breakfast, we cleaned the kitchen and then came upstairs to play.  Daddy cleaned and put new strings on the Deering banjo.  Then, he changed the air filters .... boy where they dirty!  I gave you a nice bath.  You acted like you were tired and sleepy, but you didn't take a nap.  I tried rocking you to sleep, but you were too active.

You're eating a little better .... you still didn't eat the chicken and veggies, so I threw it out since I didn't think it would last much longer.  But, we opened a container of beef and veggies and you ate half the container!  Woo hoo!  ;-)

Grandpa Mike came over after lunch.  He and daddy put up a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs.  They ended up needing to drill into the banister, but that's ok as long as it keeps you safe.  We need to buy a piece of wood to attach to the upstairs banister, so we still don't have that gate up yet (this morning I followed you from the kitchen to the bonus room as you crawling up the stairs!).  They also brought in the big rocking chair that Mimi ordered for us.  They placed it in the bonus room and you and I used it.  :-)

I can balance drinks and things on my belly thanks to Peanut.  Daddy and I ate some ice cream the other day and daddy snapped this photo.  I thought it was funny!  

You ended up taking a nap this afternoon as daddy and Grandpa Mike worked.  I stayed next to you and read.  After a while, I took a little nap too since I was tired and sitting upright on the couch with my feet on the ottoman.  It was easier for me to breathe, so I took advantage of it and napped for about an hour.  You stayed sleeping for about 2.5 hours!  

We made an easy dinner this evening .... pizza.  You ate more cheerios and some more beef and veggies.  Then, you had some formula in a sippy cup.  You also had some water in a sippy cup later in the evening.  

After dinner, I practiced the mandolin as you and daddy watched 'Scooby Do.'  I worked on the exercises that you and I watched yesterday on the DVD.  I'm getting better at stretching out my pinky finger for that 7th fret.  :-)

I felt a lot of Peanut kicks today, especially when you were napping and I was relaxing on the couch.  This morning, while making breakfast, I felt a slight 'pain' in my pelvis and then it went away.  I didn't feel it again, but then confirmed with Gigi that I had a Braxton Hicks Contraction.  Tomorrow I'll technically be 'full term' since I'll be 37 weeks gestation with Peanut.  These are little 'pre labor' contractions and can be sporadic until the real labor begins.  My next appointment is on monday at 9:30am.  I'll see Dr. Rush again.  Mimi will come over again to watch you and then you'll have your physical therapy appointment at 12:30pm later that day. 

You've been very talkative today.  It's really cute.  Daddy and I can get you to sing if we sing 'nananana'.  And, you keep saying 'dada', 'boogie', and 'buddy' .... or else that's what it sounds like.  ;-)  It's adorable either way.  

We continued to play and relax in the bonus room this evening.  You stayed awake until really late.  I don't think you fell asleep until 10:30pm.  :-P

Sleep tight little precious!

I love you!  :-)

~Mommy