I was going to write about this last week, but our internet was down. This has really been weighing on my heart and mind. One of my good friend's 6 month old baby,Ruby, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer found in young children and babies. At her 6 month well baby exam the Dr found a mass in her stomach. Last week they spent in the hospital doing tests and narrowing things down. It has been an emotional roller coaster for them and everyone close to them. She does have some spots on her adrenal gland and somewhere else, but they have not found any cancer in her bones or bone marrow, which was a huge praise! And tomorrow they are doing the big test, called MIBG to scan for any more cancer and then they should be able to stage it. Friday they are planning on doing the biopsy and possibly removing the tumor from her abdomen. We are all praying for them and hoping for the best. This cancer has been known to just disappear on it's own. Wouldn't that be amazing! I love my friend dearly and it's so hard to watch them go through this. It's encouraging to see her grow in her faith and trust in God. Ruby is the sweetest chubby little baby around, the amazing thing is she even appears to be in the best of health. Here are 2 other links about Ruby from better writers than myself, here and here.
*and here is a link to her caring bridge page.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
1st trimester done!
This was the first big milestone to reach, the end of the first trimester, I was 13 weeks yesterday. At least I think I am done I get confused with the pregnancy math. The best thing, I think about the 1st trimester is you are 1/3rd of the way through before you even know you are pregnant. I hope the next 2 go just as fast. I had a request to share a bit about my 1st trimester, so I will try to recap. I would have to say overall , aside from the worry, things were pretty good. I have had quite a few of the little symptoms like the slight bloody nose etc. The worst part was the entire month of March I was sick with one cold after another and I think combined with pregnancy it was hard to tell what was causing what, but I was miserable and missed a few days of work. I have had some nausea mostly in the evenings, but never close to vomiting, to which I am so grateful. Don't get me wrong, even after wanting to be pregnant for 2 1/2 years, I did have a few moments of, is it really worth it to feel this miserable? Of course in the end it will all be worth it!!!
Smells: I don't think I have super smelling powers, it's more like things just smell gross when I do smell them. There is only one that has really disgusted me, it's the smell or thought of eating smoked meat from a BBQ place. Right before I knew I was pregnant there was a place downtown that smelled so good and Andy and I kept talking about eating there, then one day shortly after the nausea set in he brought me home dinner with the choice of a smoked pork, or a smoked beef sandwich and it was something I had been wanting, and I knew I should eat so I forced down some of it and it pretty much ruined the whole thing for me. Yuck.
I did have a few weeks where I couldn't stand anything scented like lotions and stuff, but that has all passed, except for the smoked meat smell I don't know if that will ever go away.
Nausea: I have figured it out for me, the nausea happens when I don't eat much protein and let myself get too hungry, and most of all in the evenings when I start getting tired. And if I eat junk food it really makes me feel terrible and bloated, I have never been so bloated before it is so miserable, I have always hated the feeling of overeating so I really hate being bloated. I found it's best to stick with healthy things even if a candy bar sounds better. I think I am getting to the otherside of that too!!! I still have some evenings where I feel crummy, but not too many.
Tiredness: I have been very tired for awhile, but having a cold made it hard to tell, what was prego tired and what was tired from being sick. Andy has done the laundry for the last month which has been so nice! It's not perfect, and not folded, but it's clean. He has also been doing a lot of the cooking, I am so grateful that he enjoys cooking! I think most of my energy is returning but I think there is some laziness remaining, but after the baby when will I have the chance to sit at relax and read a book? I am going to enjoy it.
Cravings: Not that I can think of, but the power of suggestion is much more influential. Like when I was home sick and watching a ton of TV I saw the Oreo Cakester commercial a dozen times and started thinking wow that really sounds good. I told Andy how the commercials were starting to influence me, and next time he went to the store he brought home a box of Oreo Cakesters. This week I was on a grape juice kick, I think it started from communion a few weeks ago when you get that little shot of juice and it left me wanting for an entire glass of grape juice. I know, maybe that was unholy, and I tried not to let it distract me from what was going on at the time, but it was such a teaser. This week I enjoyed many glasses of grape juice. The power of suggestion.
Am I showing yet? I don't think it will be long, to me I most definitely am. It's kind of funny, in the mornings I look almost normal and by evening you can almost tell with a loose t-shirt on and my skin usually feels like it's tight and stretching, then come morning again, I look almost normal. Gravity must be playing tricks on me. Most of my pants are getting tight, they are all fine in the morning but by mid day they are uncomfortable. Soon I will have to start in with the elastic waist pants. can't wait.
Smells: I don't think I have super smelling powers, it's more like things just smell gross when I do smell them. There is only one that has really disgusted me, it's the smell or thought of eating smoked meat from a BBQ place. Right before I knew I was pregnant there was a place downtown that smelled so good and Andy and I kept talking about eating there, then one day shortly after the nausea set in he brought me home dinner with the choice of a smoked pork, or a smoked beef sandwich and it was something I had been wanting, and I knew I should eat so I forced down some of it and it pretty much ruined the whole thing for me. Yuck.
I did have a few weeks where I couldn't stand anything scented like lotions and stuff, but that has all passed, except for the smoked meat smell I don't know if that will ever go away.
Nausea: I have figured it out for me, the nausea happens when I don't eat much protein and let myself get too hungry, and most of all in the evenings when I start getting tired. And if I eat junk food it really makes me feel terrible and bloated, I have never been so bloated before it is so miserable, I have always hated the feeling of overeating so I really hate being bloated. I found it's best to stick with healthy things even if a candy bar sounds better. I think I am getting to the otherside of that too!!! I still have some evenings where I feel crummy, but not too many.
Tiredness: I have been very tired for awhile, but having a cold made it hard to tell, what was prego tired and what was tired from being sick. Andy has done the laundry for the last month which has been so nice! It's not perfect, and not folded, but it's clean. He has also been doing a lot of the cooking, I am so grateful that he enjoys cooking! I think most of my energy is returning but I think there is some laziness remaining, but after the baby when will I have the chance to sit at relax and read a book? I am going to enjoy it.
Cravings: Not that I can think of, but the power of suggestion is much more influential. Like when I was home sick and watching a ton of TV I saw the Oreo Cakester commercial a dozen times and started thinking wow that really sounds good. I told Andy how the commercials were starting to influence me, and next time he went to the store he brought home a box of Oreo Cakesters. This week I was on a grape juice kick, I think it started from communion a few weeks ago when you get that little shot of juice and it left me wanting for an entire glass of grape juice. I know, maybe that was unholy, and I tried not to let it distract me from what was going on at the time, but it was such a teaser. This week I enjoyed many glasses of grape juice. The power of suggestion.
Am I showing yet? I don't think it will be long, to me I most definitely am. It's kind of funny, in the mornings I look almost normal and by evening you can almost tell with a loose t-shirt on and my skin usually feels like it's tight and stretching, then come morning again, I look almost normal. Gravity must be playing tricks on me. Most of my pants are getting tight, they are all fine in the morning but by mid day they are uncomfortable. Soon I will have to start in with the elastic waist pants. can't wait.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
What a Wonderful Day!
There are many reasons to rejoice today:
First of all the heartbeat sounds good we heard it for the first time today!! I didn't have to have the pelvic exam, which all girls know that is always a huge relief, but they will get me next time. I am still on pelvic rest for the subchronic hemorrhage, which sounds worse that it is. And in a month I will have a follow up ultrasound to check on everything. I feel much better about all of that. I also got a note excusing me from the mandatory OT that my workplace has been mandating!! So now I don't have to feel bad or guilty, because I have a Dr's note!
A few more positives for the day:
I got out of work early, that makes everyday brighter, and it is 70 degree+ weather today and I got home and opened all of my windows, and now I am going for a walk around Grays Lake!!
A big thank you to all who were praying. It was nice going to the Dr's knowing that people were praying for me.
*side note: My official due date is 10/27/08 I am getting really close to being done with my 1st trimester only a few more days!
We have a really dumpy scanner and I don't know how to enlarge anything but for your viewing pleasure here are some ultrasound pics I have been holding out on.
The first one is at 6 weeks gestation. and all you see is a circle labeled 'baby'
And this one is at 9 weeks 4 days.
There is the 1 arm and 1 leg I was referring to in an earlier post
Monday, April 14, 2008
Relaxing Day
Thanks for your prayers. I am ok so far, though I have been worrying a ton, even though I know it is wrong. I am trying to remember that God can take anything or anyone away from us at anytime He wants, so basically it is out of my control- I know this to be true but yet it is hard to let go and be at peace no matter the outcome. I have my 12 week apt. on Wednesday, so I am hoping for the best. A good heart beat and a growing baby.
I put myself on "bed rest" today, mainly because I didn't want to go work and I thought maybe a day of rest would help that bruise thing heal a little more. So I spent the entire morning sleeping, it was wonderful! I am so proud of myself too because I haven't yet turned the TV on. I plugged my ipod in for some music and entertainment for the day and then I looked at some baby stuff then I made a menu and a grocery list and organized it by aisle and my wonderful husband went grocery shopping for me! He has also been doing the laundry the last month, well except the folding part so I did the folding of about 3 loads of laundry. That's about it for my easy relaxing day. I really wish I could do the same again tomorrow.
I put myself on "bed rest" today, mainly because I didn't want to go work and I thought maybe a day of rest would help that bruise thing heal a little more. So I spent the entire morning sleeping, it was wonderful! I am so proud of myself too because I haven't yet turned the TV on. I plugged my ipod in for some music and entertainment for the day and then I looked at some baby stuff then I made a menu and a grocery list and organized it by aisle and my wonderful husband went grocery shopping for me! He has also been doing the laundry the last month, well except the folding part so I did the folding of about 3 loads of laundry. That's about it for my easy relaxing day. I really wish I could do the same again tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The secret is out....
I have been waiting a very long time for this moment!!
And I could really use your prayers. I have been spotting off and on for about a month now. It stopped for a week and it is back today:o( My last ultrasound a little over a week ago showed that I had a "not large" hemorrhage in my uterus where the baby attached. It measured 3.4 cm I had to call the Dr. back because all I remembered them telling me was I had something that "was like a bruise" And it is something they see from time to time, but if that is all the more often they see it then it is not normal right? Well I know it is sinful to worry and I am really trying to just enjoy one day at a time. I had just began to get comfortable and started getting excited and the worry had mostly gone away and then the spotting started back up. I know it's out of my control, and in God's. At the time of the ultrasound the baby looked good, had a good heart beat and had arms and legs, well at least 1 arm and 1 leg, that is all I could make of the ultrasound:o) It's a good start!
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