Dr. Smith App't Take 2 and a Good Read.

Not great news to report today: my platelets went back down. Big bummer. This means the reason they probably went up at my last app't is because of the steroids. And now the question is how low will they go?

For medical people that may want details: the lowest they have been is 109, they went up to 146 last week and are back to 121 today. Dr. Smith said they won't do anything unless they drop below 100 (and then I believe the plan is to give me steroids).

So back to Dr. Smith and his $50 co-pays (found that out today) again next week. Blast!

I'm thinking baby should decide to come this week so that we don't have to deal with my weird platelets anymore!

On a brighter note, I read a good novel this weekend called Peace Like A River by Leif Enger, a MN Public Radio guy. I was reserving books like crazy at the library and happened upon a list of recommended books from the local library staff, saw the word Minnesota and thought I'd give it a try. It's a very folksy and spiritual sort of book and much of it is set in North Dakota (which I loved).

Good quote: "Anyway, have you ever been to North Dakota? In good sunlight you can see someone coming eight miles away."

The icing on the cake for me was after reading it I was doing some research and found John Piper's recommendation for the book. How 'bout that! I liked the same book as John Piper! (He's a super famous, really sweet preacher from MN in case you don't know). So read it if you are needing a good novel fix.

I'll post after our OB app't tomorrow morning with yet another update!

37 Weeks.

Baby Towels.

Yesterday I was mentally going through all the things needed to bring baby home. I really have no idea, of course, but feel better prepared with the newborn diapers unpacked, wipes ready, clothes and bedding washed, etc. Greg also got the car seat in yesterday so now all we have to do is get that inspected. Check and check (yes, I visually check things of my mental to-do).

However I had a momentary freak out. We don't have any baby towels! I actually sat there thinking about those little hooded towels and then trying to figure out how we were going to get one before baby comes. Seriously. Then it dawned on me: we don't need a baby towel. Sanity was restored. I realized she could JUST USE A REGULAR TOWEL. Doh! People like me are why the baby industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.

Disclaimer: I am not saying that I would be strong and resist buying those cute pink and brown super soft hooded towels with the matching washcloths if given the chance...good thing I'm stuck on the couch and limit my online shopping.

It's All About Bed Rest.

Short version: 

Everything is looking great! My blood pressure went super high at the appointment thus proving that bed rest is the absolute best thing for me right now. I will be on bed rest the duration of this pregnancy. But as of now, I will not be induced as long as my BP stays normal (meaning I have to stay glued to the couch). This could mean another three weeks possibly. Yikes! 

Random Thoughts: Best quote from my doc app't this morning: "I am amazed that you haven't delivered yet." This came from the same doctor that had me admitted to the hospital last Tuesday. She was shocked at my platelet levels and that everything was looking great. She reaffirmed that bed rest was working and basically said we'll just take it a week at a time. My cervix wasn't dilated so I have had to readjust some of my thinking that baby was coming soon. She may just stay put 'til her due date. Which means a looong stretch ahead for me. But what a praise report compared to all the unknowns and weird symptoms of last week! 

So I keep telling myself: 

 1. I want to live.

 2. I want baby to come on her time and not be induced, if possible.

 3. I am not the first woman to give birth. Since Eve, women have been doing this having babies thing.

4. Someday I am going to wish I had orders to rest on the couch and only get up to pee. 

Therefore if I need to stay on bed rest, that's what we'll do. Greg keeps saying "one day at a time" to help me not freak out at the weeks ahead. And I have to keep saying "I just can't" when it comes to doing things (cooking, cleaning, shopping, bending down to pick up the little piece of lint that's been driving me crazy on the rug, etc)... even when I want to. I just can't. 

 Best part of the appointment today: the ultrasound. Not sure why but the tech switched screens over to the 3D/4D screen (normally you can do this for an extra $250 or something and who knows, we'll probably pay for it even though we didn't ask for it)... so we saw baby grether in 3D! It was so sweet! Her little face was all smooshed so it looks like her nose is huge, and her little hand was right next to her face the whole time (which is exactly how I sleep and so does my mom), but we got to see her make a few faces (one of utter disgust) and make lots of sucking motions. It was definitely better than a regular ultrasound. Still hard to imagine the little being in there is a real live human that is going to look like Greg and I (probably)... though who cares what she looks like as long as she's healthy. The amniotic fluid and placenta were good and her little heart, lungs, kidneys all looked good as well. Yippee!! They didn't measure her but plan to do that next week. 

So next week is basically the same as this week: blood tests Wednesday, OB app't Thursday with ultrasound. 

 Here's a few of the ultrasound pics... too bad we couldn't have them digitally and we don't have a scanner, so this will have to do: I'm imitating what she's doing in the womb And here she is... you have to be pretty smart or medical or really into ultrasounds to see a baby here (her hand is what's on the right side of her face). And now we just wait to get to see her on the outside!

Dr. Smith App't.

Here's my attempt at being brief: My platelet count was up, close to normal! This could still be from the steroids I was given last week but overall, Dr. Smith was not overly concerned and told me I shouldn't be either. They want to see me every week until baby is here to check my levels and whatnot. 

My BP was also up (first time since being on bed rest). This is sort of good thing for me mentally, however, because it proves being on bed rest is the absolute best thing for me and baby. Apparently getting ready, driving to the appointment, getting in, etc, was too much for me as my blood pressure went up pretty high. I was actually excited to get back to the couch when my appointment was over! 

I have all my lab results to give to my OB doctor tomorrow. That along with checking my cervix and another ultrasound tomorrow should give them a pretty good idea what's going on... so I guess we'll see what they say concerning possible induction. It doesn't look like I'll be off bed rest anytime soon, that's for sure. 

Man it's hard to be brief, but that's all you need to know from today!

I do have to say that Dr. Smith made my day. He reminded me of a southern Bob Barker. He popped his head in right away when I got in the room to say "I know this place is scary but I'm sure you'll be just fine" and left. I guess he figured this little pregnant lady was freaked out about being at the oncology place with all these cancer patients around (he was right). He asked me a ton of questions and it's definitely nice to know that he cares about my file (and cool that we have a second opinion on everything going on). 

I started to feel like I could be on an episode of House because he was throwing terms like "lupus" around (he was just making sure no doc has ever said anything about these various diseases to me before). He said in all his years "I've never had a pregnant patient with low platelets have any major problems, and I don't think you'll be the first, knock on wood." He also explained that the reason they are low could just be that the baby is only 1/2 me and that my body could be making some antibodies to the 1/2 Greg part of baby... weird. I don't think I'll dwell on that too much. If my platelets go very low in the next weeks, he said he would possibly give me steroids. That will only happen if they go way low... so I'm going for not. More info tomorrow after the morning appointment!

Definitely a Tysse.

I have come to learn that I am definitely a Tysse (for those that don't know Tysse is my maiden name). Pregnancy has highlighted my lineage by accenting one feature very obvious in many Tysse's: the chin. All you have to do is look at my sweet Aunt Ilene and my dad and you'll see the Tysse chin. I always have it but the pounds of pregnancy (all water weight, of course) have definitely accented it. Uff-da. We'll keep you all posted on the doctor's appointments in the next two days as we, hopefully, find out more about when this little girl may be arriving!

What a Week.

Here are a few photos from one week ago... a lot can sure happen in a week! We took a few photos together for the baby book and a few funny ones of Greg and the diaper dude bag he got from his co-workers. And here was my 35+ week belly shot. We haven't taken a 36 week shot yet, but I'll post when we do. I've been on bed rest since Friday and it seems to be "working." They set me up on Saturday for checking weight, BP, heart rate and protein which I do twice a day and call in my results. So far everything has been normal. And my feet are not very swollen either. My conclusion is that bed rest has helped that and my BP significantly... even though yesterday I wanted to scream I was already sick of being on bed rest. I know bed rest is helping and the goal is that baby would be ready and that I would not develop preeclampsia. So even though she's getting big enough to be just fine if she came, they still want me to be on bed rest so I don't get preeclampsia or anything else weird/dangerous. I remind myself of this often! I'm looking forward to my blood specialist appointment on Wednesday to see if they can shed some light on my platelet issues... looking back, what a weird three days of circumstances and symptoms!?!

Things are Looking Good!

First off, Greg posted last night after we got home around 6pm (see below). I find it pretty amusing he writes a few sentences for a post while I write short novels. I can't help it if I'm wordy! Secondly, we have nothing but pretty darn good news after my doc appointment today. I'm still on bed rest (ugh) probably until baby comes but it's looking more and more positive. 

Here's why: My platelet counts went up since yesterday! I did have a steroid shot yesterday that could be the reason for that(or maybe God just added some more platelets in there, who knows!). Regardless, the doc was very happy about that. They are still below normal but for the first time are going up instead of down. My BP was also normal when checked today. I will be going on home monitoring for my BP, weight and other stuff at some point this weekend. My BP needs to stay normal otherwise back to the hospital for me. Baby is looking good! I had an ultrasound today which was exciting. I don't want to say she looked cute (it's just a gray mushy outline on a screen) but I saw her sucking (I guess she was hungry) and moving around. Modern technology is pretty amazing. I was in there for a long time b/c the teach was training someone and since I was being accommodating she was showing her lots of things... and they wanted to monitor her breathing for a good while. They also said she's 5 pounds 14 ounces which makes me very happy since babies are born so much smaller than that and are just fine! I know they can be off with weight guesstimates, but I'm pretending they were spot on today. 

 I got my other steroid shot which will help baby be ready in case of early delivery and may help with my platelets. If my home monitoring BP stuff stays normal, I will not have to go into the doc until my appointments on Wednesday and Thursday (Wed for the blood specialist (even though the platelets are up, they are still a cause for concern) and Thurs for another ultrasound and normal check up). That's about it! I will say that typing up everything the doc said yesterday was super helpful in memory retention. I remembered everything much better... to the point that when I went it today the tech wasn't going to get blood until I said "um, I'm pretty sure that's their main concern so you're probably going to want to get some blood." And I was right! Sweet! Maybe I should have been the nurse instead of my sister. Ha! Definitely not. And when I saw the nurse standing there waiting for the doc, I was able to ask her quite a few questions about my chart (she was the same lady I initially talked to on the phone on Tues) and listening to her answers was quite informative and reassured a lot of what we are thinking is happening. So many things to be thankful for and give praise for today. 

Yes, I'm stuck on the couch and bed for who knows how long and poor Greg is going to have to really be super husband... but all in all, we are very thankful to be over this initial hurdle. Greg did go to work today (thanks to our friend Seth for driving me to the doc and waiting for over two hours!). Greg also went to the fitness center which I know helped his stress level. Pray for him... he had to do laundry last night for the first time in a looong time and I think it gave him a glimpse of what the next weeks could be like! With work, school and the church plant, there is a lot he has to do and wants to do and now everything is a little out of whack. Good lesson in giving up our schedules and expectations. I had actually emailed Greg on Monday a schedule for our week - ha! Speaking of the church plant (our church in Columbia "planted" a brand new church in a smaller town near here that Greg and I have been helping out with since last summer). They "launch" officially this Sunday morning and now we won't get to be there (well, for sure not me). So tough to be a part of something like this and all the excitement, and then not getting to see it happen. Especially for Greg who has been leading the music and planning and practicing for months. 

Again, more good lessons in expectations and humility. If you are around here, feel free to come visit sometime. I'm going to try not nap too much so that I actually sleep at night (man, did we both sleep good in our own bed last night!). You can call me or just stop by... but know that I'm going to be looking pretty homely:) Thanks for the support and keeping up with us. We'll keep updating the blog with any news. And now that ya'll know our blog, you'll be able to see the first photos of baby whenever she does come!

Back Home

We are back home. Heather will be on bed rest indefinitely, maybe for the rest of the pregnancy. She goes in tomorrow the get the other steroid shot and an ultrasound. Then next Wednesday they'll check her platelet levels and blood with a specialist. Thanks for all your support and prayers.

An Update!

Okay here is our non-medical attempt at deciphering what the doc said: I am not going to have to be induced today! I get to go home on bed rest. I do not officially have preeclamsia but I may have pre-preeclamsia (on my way there sort of thing). The main issue has been my platelet counts which have been low and lower. This could mean preeclamsia but the other preeclamsia symptoms are not worrisome (protein levels aren't high enough, liver's good, headache is gone, bp hasn't been over 140 consistently for 8 hours...). 

So it's very possible I'm on my way to preeclamsia but I'm not there yet! One other explanation is thrombosis-something or another. I could be way off on that spelling but I think that's what it sounded like. (Just checked online, I think this may be a good link though I haven't read much it does say "Being pregnant may cause mild thrombocytopenia" from the mayoclinic). This means my platelets are just low. Not ideal but not horrible. Your platelets help your blood clot. 

We are currently waiting for the blood specialists to do some tests since that is their specialty... we are either going to go home and make an app't with them tomorrow or they will just come on down while we are still here. More waiting. I will also be getting a steroid shot today and another when I go into my obgyn office tomorrow. This is to help baby's lungs and whatnot in case I do deliver early... and the doc says it may also help my platelets which is why he is prescribing that. 

 So tomorrow I will go into the office for that and an ultrasound. So far baby has been looking great on the monitors so she's being a very good girl. I will go again on Monday and quite frequently for monitoring in the next weeks. The doc is also trying to get me an at-home blood pressure monitor and having his nurses figure out with insurance what they will cover (you can get some sweet service where people come to your house with the BP machine and check a bunch of other stuff and report back to the docs). Regardless, we will have to check my BP in case I am in pre-preeclamsia. 

 So I have to be basically on bed rest at home, I can get up for 10 minutes or so every four hours. I hope Greg buys me a recliner. Ideally my platelets are just super platelets and are always a little low but work better than other peoples. Ideally I will make it to full-term 37 weeks (the 28th I think) and I'll go into labor naturally after that point... This is helping me process - I really don't expect people to really want to know all these details! I'm trying to remember it all... it's sort of hard to process all these new words. And a little weird b/c this is the first time I've ever met this doctor. Thankfully he was very nice and thought our questions were good. And he'll be in the office tomorrow so that will bring a little continuity to my case. 

 I asked the doc if there is a super food I should eat to help my platelets... there isn't, just FYI in case you find yourself in my shoes. So we'll be here at the hospital until they figure out the blood specialists and get me the steroid. Then we'll head home and get settled there. And get ready for a lot of trips downtown to the office and hospital in the next weeks. But we are happy baby can stay in there and cook a bit more! And we have more time to figure out a name, install the car seat, wash some newborn clothes, get mentally prepared... etc! Thanks for keeping up with us... you deserve a medal for reading all this!

Waiting. Still.

We are still waiting to see the doctor. I had blood drawn earlier today but apparently it wasn't good enough because I had blood drawn again just awhile ago. The person drawing the blood wouldn't tell us why they needed more ("ask the nurse because if you have other questions, I wouldn't know the answer"). I took a good nap this morning and we had a good lunch thanks to Greg's boss who brought Chic-fil-a (I had ordered a chicken salad sandwich from the hospital...won't be doing that again!). So just more waiting for the doctor who will hopefully come soon. We have both hit the "get us out of here" point. Greg got time to fill out his bracket this morning and is watching whatever game is on. I was about to send him out to run around the hospital he was getting a little crazed.

Waiting.

We are waiting for the doctor/lab results right now. I am feeling good and the BP is normal. I read over my long post and here are some thoughts: 

 1. A lot of my blog is about food. I guess that says a lot about me! 

2. The post may have come off too positive - I want to point out that it was indeed miserable for awhile there especially for Greg. Nothing says love like having to get up continually whenever I needed him, unplugging/plugging and holding my cords, dealing all my neediness/emotionalness, and pouring my urine into a bucket!

 Other random thoughts this morning: 

 1. Sometimes it's nice not having a clue what's going on, other times I wish I could fly down nurse friends like Erin and Mollie who work with pregnant people everyday and they can take care of just me... 

 2. I bet there would be a market for fancy hospital gowns. These one size fits all things are not ideal. I bet rich people would pay money to wear nice ones. On another hospital gown note, nothing like a lesson in humility when leaving your backside exposed. 

3. I've had a lot of peace thus far...though as we are waiting for the doc this morning, I am getting a bit anxious. I also don't feel hopeless, regardless of the outcome, as hard as it is to say that and live it. 

 4. I really wish I would have forked out the dough for a good hair cut like I've needed for the past months. I think it would have helped me look/feel less disheveled. 

5. Being in a bed for a long time makes you lethargic yet antsy. I asked if I could go for a 5 minute walk last night and was quickly reprimanded by the nurse. 

 6. Greg is an amazing husband. He's doing great. I'm so glad to get to be married to him. 

 7. I wish our family could be here! We'll post as soon as we hear from the doctor. 

Thanks for all the love and prayers everyone!

Update from Room 434.

This is the first time since being admitted to the hospital that I felt well enough to say much (and the first time I could type). The short update: they are still concerned about preeclampsia and they are monitoring my urine (for protein) and my blood platelets (which have been going lower). They are probably monitoring other stuff, too, but I'm not wise in medical-ease so I don't know! They are also keeping baby monitored at all times. They will decide after tomorrow morning full 24 hour urine collection test (and blood tests) if this is indeed preeclampsia and if so, what the course of action will be (the doc said the word induction when talking about it). That's about all we know. The details, if you really want to know: I had a normal app't today at 2:30pm and the doc's office always calls to remind you about it. When they called yesterday I impulsively decided to ask them to have the nurse call me since I had a bad headache yet again (I had one last Thursday, Friday and Monday) and was a bit worried since the swollen feet thing started last Thursday, too. When she called, she said I needed to get my blood pressure checked so I went to CVS down the road and did that. My BP was very high. She asked that I come in (after lunch of course, doctor's need to eat too!). After more confirmed high BP checks and meeting with the doctor, she had me admitted to the triage ob unit (conveniently connected to my obgyn office but a heck of a maze to find) for monitoring. By then my headache was becoming very, very annoying especially because I hadn't ate much that day (what was I thinking having a measly little salad?!)... Greg came at this time (whew) and we just hung out in the triage room waiting for the doc on call. We watched the Food Network - totally dumb idea since they couldn't give me anything until confirming with the doc. I am now craving this very easy but scrumptious looking asparagus lasagna. My headache peaked around 5:30 or so and the doc finally came around 6pm. He said my BP had gone down since being there (good thing) but the platelet count was low so he wanted to keep me overnight (esp with the headache). He left with promises of liquids and food. The nurse left to find me a new room. HOURS later the nurse finally wheeled me down the hall to my new room complete with a pull-out chair thing for Greg. And she brought me 3 kinds of juice (I downed three of them in a few minutes... she was impressed). One lady tried to put my IV in but couldn't (bad veins, tough skin, no water = bad combo) so they had to call the IV crew. The nurse told me it was crazy busy here and apparently all the preggo ladies of Columbia wanted to be delivered that day. At least we got a room! She informed me no food which was slightly traumatic for me since I really hadn't ate anything but that dumb salad and I knew the main reason was just in case I needed emergency surgery later. So when Greg left later to pick up a few things from the house, he brought back two croissants from Jonathan and Rachel and I ate them. Sssshhh - don't tell the doctors!!! They were the best tasting bread ever. They decided to put me on magnesium sulfate and I could try to explain why but I'd fail. Just know it took forever for that specialized IV crew to make it here (like 4 hours later) and even she had to try three different entry points before finding success in my hand. OUCH! And that stuff was horrible. It hurt going in because they gave me a super dosage to start. And the IV machine beeps every 30 seconds which after 2 hours became my nemesis... and started my bad headache/migraine back with full force. I couldn't sleep because it made me SUPER hot (and found out later something was wrong with our heat in our room). This was the point that I reached miserable status! Finally at 2:50am I asked for something that I had refused earlier: meds to help me sleep. It worked, sort of, and I slept on and off 'til 6am. I felt a bit drugged for sure and was really bummed when I called for breakfast and got the message only clear liquids. Ugh! They hadn't got the message that I was good to go for food... so they brought up the "clear liquids" bfast which included the southern delicacy of grits (icky! Greg ate), green jello (I ate, tastes the same as it did 20 years ago), lemon pie yogurt (Greg ate), coffee (no one drank), milk (no one drank). So pretty pointless. Thankfully the nurse called awhile later and got me approved for REAL FOOD which I ordered an omlet and bagel with cream cheese. Greg and I ate all of that happily! I also got poked some more this morning for more lab tests. They came back with low counts again so when the (different) doc and (different) nurse came in at 8am (new shift) they told me I'd be staying until tomorrow morning to monitor the urine and blood today. Best thing was that the doc said I could go off the magnesium sulfate - no more annoying IV machine! They are keeping the IV in my hand, but it's one less cord sticking out of me. My headache was pretty bad so they gave me something for that around 11am. I also got a shower. And I got to order lunch from their menu (cheese ravioli, french fries and a delicious fruit plate). I felt much better after all that and finally got some sleep this afternoon while Greg went home to pick up a few things (and he did dishes, how wonderful is he?!). The chaplain came to visit me right after my nap (gotta love the south) and she was very sweet to talk with me and pray for baby. She even prayed that we would have a good name for her! Greg came back and is starting a nap and I'm going to try to do the same. That's every detail about the last 26 hours that I can think of at this point and figure will come in handy when telling baby about my pregnancy/her arrival someday. Keep praying for the next days especially for wisdom for the doctors and nurses since we are very clueless and are a bit at their mercy. We do want to make sure we are making informed decisions...but so, so thankful for modern medicine and for knowing that the Lord is fully in control and knows exactly the days of our little girls life (Psalm 139). PS Visitor info - since I'm on the high risk OB unit, they only allow one or two folks around so we're good for now. I may want someone to bring Greg a meal for supper tonight, we'll call or email folks about that if needed. Here's a snapshot of one of the two monitors on my belly that let us know baby's doing good (frankly, I look like crap so that is the reason for no web cam shot of me!):

Swollen Feet

I remember telling my sister early last week "I'm not swollen at all!"... sort of rubbing it in because she was very swollen the last bit of her pregnancy. Well, I woke up Thursday to my feet looking like this: Yikes! I already had minimal ankles... and now... uff-da! (The right is significantly more swollen than the left, not sure why). On a positive note, Greg got home safe and sound yesterday. He had a long weekend driving, but made good time and was here around 3:30pm. The car is very nice and I drove it for the first time today. My left foot was bored... it's going to take some getting used to driving an automatic!

Preggo Brain and Car Update

I was at the grocery store on Thursday and purchased a few items. I was very focused on putting my cart back and getting my keys ready to go out into the rain. There was a dude standing near me and I could sense him there... but didn't really look up at him until I was ready to walk out. When I did, he gave me my two bags of groceries that I left at the check-out counter...(How polite of him to just wait until I looked at him instead of saying "Hey lady" or something like that?). I thanked him, humbly took my groceries, smiled and said "pregnancy brain." That is the first public instance of preggo brain. I really hope I don't burn the house down this last month.

We bought my grandpa's car (which we are calling "Gramps") and needed to get it down here from Dickinson, ND. My sweet aunt drove it to my sister's in MN last week. Greg flew to MN on Friday, spent maybe 15 hours there (with much fun had 'til the wee hours of the morning) before starting the drive back down to SC today. He is currently at a hotel I booked online for $39.55 somewhere north of Lexington, KY. Praise God that I have not gone into labor, that Greg has made it safely thus far with only 8 hours to go tomorrow, that we now have not one but two reliable vehicles... we are blessed indeed.

Naming the Baby

In case you haven't heard, Greg and I still have no idea what we are naming our baby. No idea. We have way too many opinions and criteria that the name has to meet. Below are some of our criteria, not in any order of importance. 1. Easy to pronounce 2. Easy to spell 3. No z’s or x’s – too confusing with Kasowski 4. Goes well with Linn and Kasowski 5. Obviously a girl’s name; not one that could also be a boy’s name 6. Not super popular so she has 30 classmates with the same name 7. Not generational so it’s obvious what era she was born in (ie, Heather, Jennifer, Michelle's of the 70's and 80's) 8. Not already a name of a relative or close friend’s child 9. Not a name of someone that left a bad impression on us/negative connotation 10. Must mean something normal and not weird; ideally something that was meaningful or biblical 11. Not planning to name her something but call her by a nickname (Greg's name is Gregory... but only on paper) 12. Ideally there would be a family connection somehow That's all I can think of now but as you can see, there probably isn't a name out there that fits all our criteria! We are just that picky! I don't have strong opinions about labor or child rearing, but I do have strong opinions about the name. It's much harder when you are thinking about actually naming a person compared to just speculating. We do need to think of a name in case she decides to come early (though I think she's going to be good and stay in there 'til April). Tonight my heart rate is super high and it's just hard to breathe... so times like this I think it would be nice to "skip out" on this last month if she was healthy enough! She's moving around and taking up all the space that my organs are used to. Greg made me stay home and rest to try to keep my heart rate down... we'll see if that helps! If anyone would like to offer their suggestions, feel free. Just don't feel offended if we don't choose your name and go with something like Mildred :)

34 Weeks and a Sweet Shower

I made it to 34 weeks. 34 weeks is when my sister had Ali which makes this whole pregnancy thing more of a reality (as in, we are going to have a child when this is all said and done). My sweet friends from our home group threw baby and I a shower today. It's hard not having family around to have showers and do things like this, so I feel exceptionally blessed to have such loving friends. There were a ton of amazing ladies that came today and gave baby such wonderful things! She is going to be set! Many thanks to everyone who had a part! Amanda and Rachel did a super job planning and, along with Sarah and Ginny, made an amazing meal and did a lot of work! (The food was totally my kind of meal, too). Thanks friends for all the work and organizing and thoughtfulness! Here's a shot of Amanda's beautiful and delicious cake:

Boring Post Friday Update

We've had a busy day. I had an appointment this morning and all seems well! My blood pressure was good and I only gained one pound (compared to the whopping 10 in one month over Christmas). My hemoglobin was also very good (whatever that means). I don't have to see the doc again until the 17th when I'll start going weekly. It was a very pleasant appointment and I'm feeling very blessed. We also were blessed today by a sweet shower that Greg's co-workers put on for us... we now have some stuff to fill the nursery! Everyone wore pink today so when we walked in the room, all you saw were a bunch of corporate workers sort of matching in pinkness. It was very sweet. 

 Unfortunately Greg feels like crap today and came home shortly after the shower and has spent the rest of the day on the couch. On the rare chance Greg gets sick, he always, no matter the sickness, gets achy. Poor guy. I think he's overdone it a bit and it's nice to finally get to take care of him after months of him taking care of me. But it's still no fun that he is sick and has to take time off from work (sick leave and vacation are the same at BCBS). And we better pray his scratchy throat doesn't escalate into anything major...or him leading music for church on Sunday can't happen!

Chippers!

Sometimes it's hard to live here. Not just because it's the south and so different from my North Dakotan roots... but just being far away from the familiar is hard. Some days it's invigorating and I'm up for the challenge. Other days it's a struggle and I have to ask the Lord why we are here at this time, at this moment in our lives.

Yesterday I got a package in the mail that had chippers in it! Yes, chippers, the wonderful treat of chocolate-covered potato chips that originated from a family of candy makers in ND/MN. When I lived blocks away from the candy shop in Grand Forks, I only had them occasionally. Now that I am 26 hours away, however, I can't just drive and pick myself up a box and that makes them taste even better than they ever did before. So thanks Ashley... for your friendship that spurred you to send me something this darn amazing.



Don't worry, I only allow myself to eat two a day...

Place to Visit.

Greg and I are attempting to have good times of relaxation and dating (going out when we feel like it, etc). We are realistic enough to know that when baby comes, our lives will change completely and it will no longer be easy to go out or watch movies uninterrupted. We want to feel that we've "lived it up" the past five years of our marriage.

With everything going on with the church plant (more on that later, just know Greg is super busy), we came home Saturday after birthing class and decided it was best to veg. So to Red Box Greg goes to get a few movies which we had quickly decided on after looking at their web site for availability and ratings. Looking back, we should have spent more time on our pickings as we were 0 for 2 for the night. Perhaps it was my fault in feeling the need for a romantic comedy since we haven't seen one in a long time.

One of the movies was Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. It was horrible. Do not watch it. We both want the one hour, thirty-four minutes and forty-six seconds of our lives back. However, the redeeming quality of the movie is when Matthew whatever-his-name-is drove up to his uncle's big house I got to say "I've been there!". But then I couldn't remember the statues, columns or driveway so I was second guessing myself. But the rest of the movie I kept analyzing that house and land because it looked oddly familiar.

After the movie I looked it up online and indeed it was the same castle I went to in 2008 when in Boston for a conference when I worked for CIU Admissions. They added statues, columns and a driveway just for the movie. I remember it so well because it has to be one of the best places I've been to in the US as far as sweet architecture, beautiful scenery, and a high society feel (or maybe feeling like you stepped onto the scene of a Jane Austen novel). And the lawn, it really is an unbelievable lawn. Also, the party we were at served the best coconut shrimp appetizer I've ever had.

If you ever find yourself near Boston, please visit this place, The Crane Estate, preferably when you are invited to some posh event where they serve food. But don't watch that movie, it's pathetic.