Seven and a half, and some reflection...

This week was more of the same, I did have two dr. appointments though. At my OB appointment, I learned that I will be induced either at 37 or 38 weeks depending on what my ultrasound told us at my high risk doctor. I also learned that my OB's office is closed next week which is my 36th week...that means my cerclage stays in til week 37. She almost took it out this week, but wanted to wait until my u/s....not really sure why, because my next appointment with her isn't until week 37 anyway. Basically it would've been nice if my appointment had been after my high risk appointment.

At my ultrasound, we learned that Maddox is approximately 5 lb 6 oz. We also learned that it would have been fine to take the cerclage out, and that I don't want to go into labor with it in.... That's comforting! So, my next Ob appointment I guess, the cerclage will come out, and I'll find out my induction date. Maddox should be here by or before Januaary 10th.

We are so ready to meet Maddox. Our road with pregnancy has not been easy, so if you are one of those people that have easy non complicated pregnancies, you should stop right now, and give God some glory for that.

It took us about 2 years to get pregnant, unfortunately, our first pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 10 weeks. We were devastated. Unless you've been there, you can't fully understand what that is like. Our second pregnancy, we found out about 2 years ago Christmas Day. This time, we were excited, but cautious. At 12 weeks I had a sub chorionic hemorrhage. We thought we had miscarried again, but to our relief there was still a strong heartbeat on the ultrasound. We found out shortly thereafter we were having a girl. Kamdyn Grace, but at 19 weeks I started having contractions. I was put in the hospital, and at 20.5 weeks they couldn't stop labor any more and Kamdyn was born weighing less than1 lb. I miss her everyday, and the only comfort I have with that situation is knowing that she rests in the arms of Jesus with her brother or sister we miscarried before her.

A year and a half later, we find out we are pregnant again. We proceed with extreme caution, and I immediately make an appointment with a perinatologist.we come up with an action plan,and at 12 weeks I got the cerclage in place. You'd think with my history I'd be very freaked out about the possibilities of this pregnancy, but I actually had more peace Than I did with the other two. I really felt God say " I got this!" I think he lead us to Dr. Mirabile, and with his close eye we have made it to this point. I think the two week ultrasounds saved us from more heartache. They told us when it was time for bed rest. If I was just at a regular ob,they wouldn't have caught it, because it wouldn't have shown up on the 20 week u/s. So here I am at almost 36 weeks, bored out of my mind on bed rest, and ever so thankful to be here. Happy Birthday Jesus, and thank you for all you have done for me!

Six Weeks and a Day

I'm a day late from my usual weekly update, but that is because of what most of our mom's teach us from childhood. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Wednesdays are typically off days for me. I get my p17 shots on Tuesdays so I'm typically very hormonal/ emotional on Wednesdays. You can see it in most of my Wednesday posts, and each week seems to get a little worse. Thankfully I only have 2 more weeks of shots left.

For those of you that think bed rest is easy, it so is not. Anyone could do it for a day or two, but six weeks of laying on the couch, not being able to do anything, it wears on you fast. Add to that having to be away from your home and your spouse,it gets frustrating at times.

That being said, I am so thankful to be where I am at. The fact that mom and dad have a house 10 minutes away from my hospital, and that mom is able to be here with me is such a gift. Not to mention making it to 34 weeks in itself is fabulous. I don't want my frustrations to be taken as I am not thankful to be where I'm at. I am so thankful and am hoping and praying for 2 more weeks at least.

Mondays and Thursdays I go in for Non Stress Tests. It's nice to just sit back and listen to Maddox's heartbeat. I have my next appointment with my delivering doctor on Tuesday, and my next ultrasound with my high risk doctor on Thursday. I will be excited to see how much Maddox has grown. One thing they have been keeping an eye on is my blood pressure. It isn't to a pre eclampsia level yet, but seems to be slowly creeping up, so they are keeping a close eye on it and doing protein checks, that could be another big factor of delivering early. I'm just hoping and praying that if he comes in the next couple of weeks, he won't require much if any of a NICU stay.

No matter what happens, I know God is in control, and it is only because of Him we have made it this far. Something to remember this Christmas season. Jesus is the reason. He came to give us life and to give it more abundantly. Happy Holidays!

Week five and frustrated!

So we have reached week five. The highlights of my week have been my non stress test and Dr. Appointment. I finally met my new Dr. Nothing like waiting til the 33rd week to meet your delivering doctor. I really like her though. She said if I make it to 36 weeks, she will take out my cerclage, and I won't have to be on strict bed rest any more. That will be so nice. I won't quite know what to do with myself. As it is, the only time I get to get out is on dr. Days.

I did get to go home Saturday for my shower. It was so nice. My hostesses did a great job, and it was good to see and visit with people. We got most of our big stuff, and now I'm just trying to make sure we have everything we will need right away. Just when I think we have everything, I think of something else, I'm sure it will be like that for a while. Thank goodness for online shopping.

Today has been a blah day. Things that shouldn't bother me have, and Im really missing Will today. I will chalk it up to pregnancy hormones. You know it's not going to be a good day when it starts with tears. Oh well, tomorrow will be better. I have another non stress test,so I'll get to get out for a little bit.

I'll end this blog as it has been a little bit of all over the place. Have a good week!

A Month of Bed rest and Only Slightly Insane

Today is the one month mark that I have been on bed rest. For four weeks I have taken up residence on the couch/ in the bed. I am proud to say that I have done a good job, and am only going slightly insane, with some days being worse than others. I skipped blogging week 3, but lets face it, when your on bed rest there really isn't much that is interesting to tell.

I think I really started to go stir crazy last week with all the family up for Thanksgiving. I really wanted to be more interactive than I could be. Plus, with gestational diabetes, I didn't get to partake in the usual holiday goods. Which leads to my other point of frustration. Because I'm on bed rest, my blood sugar numbers have been so unpredictable. I've followed the diet to the letter and still would come up with high numbers, or if I ate something that gave me perfect numbers one day, and had the exact same thing the next, my numbers would be high. So frustrating! However, this week I think we finally found the magic dose of my medicine. I've had perfect numbers all week...until lunch today, but more on that later.

I had my high risk appointment today. The plus to being high risk is that I get to see Maddox every two weeks. He is a growing boy. He currently weighs 4lbs 2oz, and from the 3d/4d ultrasounds, he looks more like me. Which is funny, because Kamdyn looked exactly like Will.  I can't wait to see him for real and compare all of his features. Dr. Mirabile decided to go ahead and give me the steroid shots for lung development, because this week really closes the window on the shots being effective should we need them.  Let me tell you, that steroid shot did not feel good. I almost said a bad word, and I am not a cusser. The bad thing is I have to go get my 2nd one tomorrow.  Also, Dr. Mirabile told me the shot would screw up my blood sugars, and sure enough, at lunch today I had the highest numbers I had had ever!

After our appointment, Will and I toured the maternity ward in Norman. I was very impressed with the facility and think it will be a great experience. We also got the paperwork to pre register.

The best news came a few hours after my appointment. My Ffn test came back negative, which should buy me two more weeks of not having to worry to much about pre term labor. That will get us to our first short term goal of  34 weeks. Also, that means I get to go home on Saturday for a few hours for my baby shower. This excites me to no end, not so much because of the shower, which will be great, but to be able to socialize and feel somewhat normal for a few hours. Think about it, I'm in Norman so I don't get many visitors, and I'm on strict bed rest, so the only outside world I get to see is from here to the doctor and back. I get excited for my 5 minute every other day shower, so this is pure excitement.

All in all, it has been a fabulous day, even with the painful shot. It amazes me that in just weeks Maddox will be here. We hope to make it to 36 weeks which would make Maddox a Christmas baby. Anything after 36 would just be a bonus. Family is already taking bets on when he will make his grand enterance. Until  next time, I'll leave you with a few pictures...I posted these on facebook too a couple of days ago, so sorry for the repeats.

Me when I was a baby.

 And another....I'm digging my dad's hair and glasses....and the fake library in the background.

Bed rest week 2 and doctor drama

This week has not been much different than the last...more laying on the bed/couch. I did get to go home Sunday. It was great to sleep in my own bed. I went home because I had an appointment with my Ardmore doctor on Monday. However, when I got to my appointment they told me I didn't have an appointment, and were very rude by the way. So I showednthem my appointment card and they had to work me in with a doctor I don't normally see.

I've been going to the same doctor since I moved back to Ardmore, but throughout this pregnancy there have been several missteps, and things just seem so unorganized. Almost every appointment I went to, something off would happen, so Monday was the final straw. I won't get into the details, but at my appointment with Dr. Mirabile today, I had him refer me to a new doctor. I've already filled out the new patient paperwork.

So, looks like I will be delivering in Norman...God's country. It makes me feel better knowing that whenever I deliver there will be a NICU. Plus the hospital is less than 10 minutes from mom and dad's, and the best part according to my mom is that it's right next to Tecumseh Rd Sonic. My mom knows all the Sonics in a 40 mile radius and has them ranked. Tecumseh is #1 on the list. Which of course is why I picked Norman LoL.

I still haven't heard back from my ffn test, so I guess I will call the doctor in the morning. Hopefully I passed. Maddox is weighing in at 3.1 lbs, and I want to give him a few more weeks to cook.

Bed rest week one

So, I've been on bed rest for 1 week today... It feels much longer. I don't have much to blog about because as bed rest goes, I go nowhere and do nothing. Needless to say, I'm a little bored and a little stir crazy. My boss, Julie, did stop by and see me yesterday. It was so nice to see a familiar face. Being in OKC, I don't really have company besides mom. It's been hard for me being away from Will, I look forward to seeing him on the weekends. I have my next appointment Wednesday. Hopefully everything wil be the same,if not better. Still no new phone yet. I'm hoping Will will get it for me this weekend,so bear with met through misspelled texts. Until next time... Have a great week.

Another Sugar Rush...Bedrest...and Phone Issues

My week started out  with an appointment to Dr. Kimbrough on Monday. Last time I went I had the dreaded glucose test. She had told me they would get the results in a few days and if I didn't hear from them I passed and we would go over the results at my next appointment (this one). So they listened to the heartbeat measured me etc, and then she said you took your glucose test right? I told her yes and she said we should get your results in a few days. I then told her no, I took it last time. They didn't have my results in the system, so finally they got them and I failed by  a couple of points, so now, I get to do the 3 hour test. JOY.

Today I went to Dr. Mirabile, my high risk dr. I go every two weeks, and they do a fetal fibernectin test every time I go. If it comes back negative there is like a 99% chance I won't  go into labor in the next 2 weeks, but if it comes back positive, I could. Thankfully today it came back negative. We  are hoping for at least 6 more weeks. I am 28 weeks 3 days today. However, the doctor did put me on bedrest because my cervix had shortened 4 mm in 2 weeks, and was already borderline to begin with. He said 1 more millimeter, and it won't matter if I pass the ffn tests or not, they will start giving me steroid shots to develop Maddox's lungs.

Thankfully mom and dad have a house in Moore for when dad is in session, so I will be on bedrest there. I want to be as close to Mercy's NICU  as possible just in case I go into labor before 34 weeks. So now, between Mom, Dad and Will, they have to work out a babysitting schedule for me because I can't be there by myself in case I go into labor. Be in prayer for Will and I because it will be very hard to be away from him through most of the week. He will probably only be able to be there on the weekends. Not the most ideal situation, but we have to do what is best for Maddox.

To add to my frustration, my phone is being stupid (btw this is the 4th phone I've been through, but I don't want to upgrade because we are switching service this month) Today anytime someone would call me and I would try to answer, it would hang up. Sorry if you tried to call me. Also, it won't let me text numbers, and my s and a only work sometimes. So bear with me if you get a text with a number spelled out, or lots of s' and a's missing. I plan on getting a new phone next week. Thank the Lord!

Holy Heartburn Batman....and other pregnancy ramblings

So, here I sit on a Saturday night. Used to I would be at the OU games with my husband, but instead, this season I've become a weekend widow. Since I'm not "allowed" to go I usually just hang out with my mom. She happens to be in Moore at the Chateau PO, so I've been in pj's since about 4:30 watching mindless TV and sitting on the couch. I think I'm actually  losing brain cells.

A week from Monday and I will officially be in my third trimester. Hallelujah! My newest pregnancy development is Heartburn....seriously, I think just drinking water gives it to me. I'm popping Tums like candy. Other than that, I'm getting fatter by the day.  Staying off your feet doesn't bode well for weight gain in pregnancy, I'm pretty sure by the time it's all said and done I will have exceded my "ideal weight gain". As long as we get Maddox here healthy though,  that is the important thing. I had an ultrasound on Wednesday and  he is currently weighing in at 1lb 13 oz.

His profile. We hadn't gotten a decent profile pic since about 10 weeks.

The doctor switched it over to 4D for a second and we got a couple of good pics of his face. He loves having his hand over his face. His profile pic from 10 weeks he has his hand over his face too.

This one is my favorite because it looks like he is smiling! We had a 4D ultrasound appointment scheduled for Thursday, but he wouldn't cooperate (like his daddy) so we are going to try again in a couple of weeks.

Maddox's right foot is still turned in, so at this point it's still looking like we will have to cast at least his right foot so that they can stretch it back into the right position. When I googled it, it's fairly common and quite fixable. We are praying that it corrects itself  though.

In other news, I took the dreaded glucose test last Monday. I'm assuming I passed. My doctor said they would get the results back in a couple of days, but they don't call you if you pass, they just go over your results at your next appointment, so I guess no news is good news, which is awesome because I don't think I could do the three hour test...the one hour was bad enough,  and talk about the heartburn afterward!! My appointments have now been moved to every two weeks instead of once a month, which means four doctor appointments a month. I've seen my perinatologist twice a month since I found  out I was pregnant, and now my regular OB. It's a lot, but I'm kind of glad. My last appointment I was  told to stay off my feet at work. Impossible when you teach, so I asked if that meant bed rest. His reply I'm not prescribing bed rest, but you need to stay off your feet. So the whole two weeks I was at work until my next appointment, I was afraid I was hurting Maddox because most days staying off my feet wasn't possible. This time he was a little more clear and told me it was okay to go to work. I did have to get a support belt though, and still have to keep an eye on things.

I'm very blessed that my boss and co workers have been so supportive. It's not easy working with someone that is high risk. They have been so great encouraging me and supporting me if something doesn't seem right, even if it means they have to take on extra responsibility. I'm very grateful! Well, that's pretty much the update for now. Maybe next blog will be sooner....maybe not.

My baby girl and a legacy

So, clearly I will never get a movie made based on my blog, considering I am not consistent. This last week we past a milestone. We have passed the point of pregnancy where we lost Kamdyn Grace. I remember every detail of that day April 2010.  I remember the disbelief when they told me there was nothing more they could do to stop contractions. I remember how tiny she was, but how perfectly formed, I remember how much she looked like Will. Sometimes remembering is too much, sometimes it's just what I need. That little girl made a huge impact on our lives, and when Maddox gets here and we tell him about his sister, I hope that she will continue to make an impact on his life too. My baby girl who lived only seconds left a legacy, and that has got me to thinking.... If I were to die today, How would people remember me? Maybe that is a morbid question, but definitely one worth asking. I want people to remember me as a loving wife and mom. I want people to know that I am a Christian, and the things that could've shaken my faith has only grown it. I would hope that I have been a good friend, and teacher. So, I'm working on these things. I'm asking God to show me the areas that I need work on (trust me there are a lot).

I want to be more than just a better version of me. I want to be a better version of who God wants me to be. I don't know where that will lead, but I do feel a change within me. What's your legacy?

I don't have to be a shut in anymore!

Hallelujah....I have spent most of the summer laying on the couch. I mean seriously, it's too hot to do anything anyway, and it's been nice to have the option, but now it's nice to be able to get out. If you have not heard our news already, we are pregnant! We are very excited, and although still cautious given our previous history, things seem to be going much smoother this go round. We are due Jan 24th, which puts us at 14 weeks and a couple of days. This time I started to show super early (8 weeksish) which is not cool when you aren't telling people yet. The last 2-3 weeks, I literally didn't go out if I could avoid it. Last Friday i had a minor procedure done at Mercy OKC to help make sure we don't go into premature labor like last time. I'll spare you the details, but all went well and baby Perkins looks good. Anna Kate says it's a girl baby and we should name her Scooby. We don't really care girl or boy, just healthy. Last time I just knew Kamdyn Grace was a girl, but this time I don't have a feeling one way or another. I'm just glad it's out in the open and we don't have to hide it anymore.

I will say that experiencing two losses, with this pregnancy I've realized I'm not in control of anything. It's all in God's hands, and I really feel like He's telling me "I got this!"

Blog about nothing

Probably the reason I've never been much of a blogger before, is that I am not consistent enough. Also, I don't lead that interesting of a life, so I have nothing to write about, so here is my blog about nothing much. I have to admit that I have done a whole lot of nothing much this summer and it's been pretty nice. Will and I went to Galveston a little over a week ago for our anniversary. It was nice, we didn't have much planned so we ended up just hanging out on the beach and eating a lot. We did go to Moody Gardens...I wasn't overly impressed and thought it was way overpriced, but got to spend lots of quality time with my love.

Okay, this next part I'm sure I'll have plenty of people making fun of me, but when we got home I had to catch up on my DVR'd shows. I am mostly a reality show junkie. I love the Real Houswives and So You Think You Can Dance, but a while back a friend got me hooked on The Secret Life of the American Teen.... I think for the most part its pretty ridiculous and unrealistic, and the acting is horrible, but for some reason, I just have to watch it. Well, this past week  for those of you that don't watch, Ben and Adrian have a baby, only the baby was stillborn. It was way to close to my reality with Kamdyn Grace, and there I sat on my couch like a bawl bag for this story line. Luckily, Will was at work when I watched it, I'm sure I would've gotten made fun of....or a lecture for watching stuff like that. I do have to say though, I commend the writers for writing it like that. I think especially with teen pregnancy, sometimes it's glorified and the realities of the things that can go wrong aren't shown.

As I said before, I don't have much to write about. I'm going with a few ladies from work to a workshop in Edmond this week....maybe I will have some great adventure to blog about when I get back....probably not though.

School's out for Summer!

We got out of school on Friday. It's such a nice feeling to know I can sleep in. I hardly ever do, but that's beside the point. The point is I can. I have a lot of things planned this summer, and a lot of things are changing.  Next year I will be moving back to teaching my first love, 5th grade Science. So, although school is out, I spent the morning working on my new room.....still have a loooong way to go, but that's not very interesting to write about.

Will and I will be celebrating our 4th anniversary June 2nd, so one week from Wednesday, we will be on our way to Galveston for a few days. I'm ready to get my toes in the water and tail in the sand. We come back on the 5th, and on the way through Dallas, we will pick up my cousin's daughter Ashlyn, and she is going to spend the week with me. We are going to ride the train back to  Ft. Worth to take her back. I've never been on a train before.

Then, the following Tuesday, I leave for Great Expectations with several of my co workers. We will be gone until Friday. Throw in a few weddings, and June is pretty much over.  July is not quite as busy....yet. We have a Ranger game planned with Cole and Nicole, some friends of ours, and then as of right now, we don't have anything else going until we leave for Colorado the end of July (though I'm sure our schedule will soon get more on it). We will be gone 10 days and come home just in time for enrollment.

I'm excited about all of these things. However, thinking about everything is making me sleepy, so I think I will go take a nap.....because I can. :)

A Walk to Remember (No not the movie or book....my memory lane)

This time of year I always get reflective. With the school year coming to an end, I think about the year, and if I reached every kid like I could've. All in all, it has been a great year. I can't wait to watch these kids grow, and see what and who they become.

I also got an invitation to gradation at the first school I ever taught at. (My first graduating class) Which took me way back to  being 22 and fresh out of college. At that time, Oklahoma was in a hiring freeze. Most schools weren't even paying their subs. That led me to look for jobs in Texas. I interviewed in Ferris, TX with Mrs. Ofelia Grass. She was just crazy enough to hire me. The week after their spring break, I went to sign my contract, and had a curveball thrown a me. They wanted me to start immediately. They had a teacher who had left. I had a week to find and rent an apartment, and move all my stuff to Texas. To say it was a sink or swim situation would be the understatement of the year. No one tells you teaching really isn't much like student teaching, but somehow I made it through and maybe actually taught the kids something in the process. My real experience didn't start til the next year, My first full year, so I got to set the ground rules the way I wanted. Luckily I had an awesome team to help me.

There are lots of funny memories that year. Mostly questions that were asked....specifically in Science. I remember being asked how we could be mammals if  his mom laid him and he hatched from an egg? How do you answer a question like that?  One day, we went to the Science Place, and I was in the bathroom with a group of my girls. As we were washing our hands, one student said, "Miss Ownbey, you mean we gotta pay 25 cents to get a napkin?"  So, the first year was a year to learn how to answer or avoid questions where you wouldn't step on anyones toes.

In every class, there is at least one student that you know you will always remember, that year I had two. The first was Camry Butler. Camry did not like to read, but I made it my pesonal mission to find books that would peak her interest. After many failed attempts, I was finally successful. 

Then there was Kyndel Ross. She was very wise for her age. Maybe a bit of an old soul. I bonded with both of these girls. Took them to pizza and movies, and when I found out Camry was afraid of he water, I spent the summer giving her swimming lessons. 

One of the hardest things I had to do was tell them that I was not returning to Ferris the next year. I felt like God was calling me back to Ardmore. That was 7 years ago.... I kept in touch with Camry, but through the wonders of facebook, I just got back in touch with Kyndel. She paid me the biggest compliment saying I was the best teacher a kid could have. Makes me remember why I do what I do, and makes me excited to see where all my ther students will go, and  who they will become.