Kyah's Nursery

Well, we finally got the nursery all completed.  It took me a few days prior to this to get the room organized from being a baby storage room to actually having an organized space to create a nursery in. 

Yesterday morning  around 8am we started clearing things out of the room and waited patiently for Bryce's dad and my parents to come over. Bryce's mom was sick so she was not able to come around us. We were really hoping that she would be able to join us, but at the same time, I can't afford to get sick. 

After the room was cleared the fun began. Bryce and his dad painted the chair railing and my mom started painting the room. I was told to stay out of the room because of the fumes, but it really wasn't that bad. During the time they painted and hung chair railing I spent my time reading Baby magazines and making a lunch run. We chose to have Subway for lunch! Yummy! 

Once the painting was complete and the chair railing was hung Bryce got to work on putting the crib together. 

Then they moved in the dresser, the glider, and the shelf. Mom and I moved in the accessories and we started putting the bedding set on. 

As you know, I have had the bedding set picked out for months now. I loved it from the moment I saw it and I purchased it from JC Penney's.  We based the room colors around it, as well as the decor and if I can remember correctly I believe that the Baby Shower invitations are even coordinating with it. Either way, once I got the bedding into the crib and the room was coming together I was very disappointed. I couldn't place what about it I didn't like but I was very upset in the choices I had made. Something just did not look right. I thanked my parents for coming over and helping. Everyone worked so hard on getting things done and I could not be more appreciative. They did a superb job! After they left however, I went back in the room to see what was "wrong" with it.  Bryce and my dad had spent a good  little while putting the stenciling on the wall above the crib and the bedding was expensive. I just could not justify redoing things.  I started to cry about it (pregnancy hormones I guess).  I cried more for the fact that I had messed up and chose the wrong items. It had nothing to do with being ungrateful for the help that I had.  The more I looked at the room the more I disliked it and it made me more upset. I walked out, came to the living room and just sat. Bryce came in the room a few minutes later and asked me if I wanted to run some errands with him.  Of course I said I would..  if anything I needed to get out of the house for a few minutes. 

When we got in the car I tried to explain why I was so upset.  I think that it was the fact that I envisioned the room in my head and it ended up looking exactly like I had envisioned. The negative about that.. I wasn't fond of the envision and I was hoping that it would look better.  And when it was all said and done my expectation was to walk out of the room completely and totally in love with it... and I wasn't in love with it at all. In fact, I didn't even like it. So then I asked him what his thoughts were and that if he could change anything in the room what would it be...  He said that he would take down the stenciling they had spent so much time on and that he would like to see the K-Y-A-H letters above the crib instead.  I completely agreed with him and also mentioned that I would like new bedding. That I though the bedding was too dark for the room. It needed something "Child-like" and brighter. 

...

We ran in Walmart to get carpet cleaner for the Steam Cleaner and as we were leaving he asked me if I wanted to run to Babies R Us to look around for bedding ideas. Something that we could see in person to make sure that we liked it. I said sure (of course) and so off we went.  As soon as we walked in I saw the "Splash" bedding set. I just knew that it would be perfect. I literally ran over to it and looked at it closer.  I LOVED it! It was so much softer, brighter, child-like... everything that I was hoping for. It even matched the paint colors that we already had. We went to the shelves to look for it, Bryce picked it up and also chose a mobile to match. (He's SO cute).  We left the store, brought it home and it made all the difference.  I love it!

After making the switch to the new bedding I had the idea of adding white picture frames to accent the room better. Before the new bedding white wasn't really an option for decor. Now, we have not only white, but green too.  I finished the final touches today so I am ready to share the final pictures! 

All that's missing is little Kyah! He will make it even more adorable!

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Hospital Update... Week 26

Blogspot was giving me some problems yesterday so I couldn't finish my post... Here are more details about this past weekend.

As you know, my mom and I went to Lufkin on Saturday (for my cousin’s Bridal shower). We drove 3 ½ hours there, stayed for 3 hours and then drove back home. It was storming on the way home so it took a while longer to get back. During that time I started having more pains. They were sharp pains around the cervix like Kyah was trying to kick his way out. My mom was concerned but I wasn’t. I guess it’s just because I am in my body and know that there wasn’t much I could do at that moment so I wasn’t going to get all freaked out. I got home around 10pm, took a long bath to try and make the pains go away (which it didn’t work) and then I laid down in bed and looked things up on the computer until about 12:30am. I didn’t find much information so I went ahead and went to sleep. * When I was laying down the pains went away. Sunday morning I woke up around 9:30am and I felt fine until I started walking around. When I was feeding the dogs and emptying the dishwasher the pains came back. I went to lie down and they started to go away again. Therefore I called the Dr around 10:30am. She told me to go back to the Hospital and get checked out. Since Bryce was on his way home from LA I waited until he got there (Lying down until he got home of course) and then we went in around 12:30pm. The Dr. called me around noon and I got in trouble. She was mad that I didn’t come in immediately, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. Once we got to the hospital I was admitted and they hooked me up to moitor the baby and contractions (again). The nurse checked me out and then went to get the Dr. About 10 minutes later, as the Dr came in I started having contractions. The kind that you have when you are in labor. I mean, the second that she opened the door she looked at the monitor and saw it… though you could tell by the look on my face that something was going on. It didn’t hurt at all, but it just was tightening in my tummy. I could definitely tell it was there and knew exactly how long it lasted etc. It’s like a Charlie horse (you can tell when they are coming and you can tell when they are leaving) After that, they monitored me some more and found that I was contracting every 5 minutes or so. They had to give me more shots to stop them. This time I didn’t get an IV or anything so at least I don’t look like I do drugs. After a about 4 hours they released me and said that I can resume normal activity. I’m not on bed rest!!! This is a good thing, but while I am very appreciative of it I am also confused and frustrated. The pains that I went in for didn’t concern them, but the contractions (that I get EVERYDAY ALL DAY) did bother them???? The only thing they told me is that I have an Irritable Uterus. This just means that I will continue to have issues until he is born but there isn’t anything they can do for it. Just something that I have to live with. Personally, I will continue to take it easy, but as long as they aren’t concerned with it then I guess I shouldn’t be either. Life must go on!

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I'm here, I'm here!

So I figured that I would take a second to update you on all the fun that’s been going on. Bryce and I have been busy traveling (again), I went to visit the new Dr. that was assigned to me, work has been crazy (still) and we are trying to plan for the next couple months.

Bryce and I went to Battiest Oklahoma (McCurtian County) with my Mom, Dad and Brother this past weekend. We stayed in a Cabin on Glover River. It was just to get away from it all and have a relaxing vacation. While we were there we fished, played games, grilled out and made smores over a bonfire. The first night the power went out due t a thunderstorm that blew through. Words can not describe how DARK it was!!! We were all joking that we could have slept with our eyes open it was so dark. Luckily we had our cell phones with us to help provide some sort of light. On Saturday we all went fishing on the river. The guys set up a trotline and we went to the dock to cast out. We only caught a few perch… Mom and I each caught about 4. That was the highlight of the fishing… impressed? Later that day we grilled out and played games because the weather was still icky. Sunday we packed up and headed home. We had a great mini vacation and it was very relaxing.

As you know, Bryce and I told the midwife that we would like to be referred out to an OB. Well, we had our first appointment with the new Dr. on the 20th. Bryce wasn’t able to come to the appointment so I invited my mom. Since I was meeting with a new OB I had made a list of questions for her (many of which were extremely random). I’m sure that she thought I was insane but I don’t care. I was actually pleasantly surprised by many things. First of all, she looks nothing like I would have pictured. She is a tall lady with a very strong handshake. She is very sweet, has a very calm tone of voice but, she has very little personality. She introduced herself to us and told us a little bit about her “philosophy”. She believes that God created women to have babies naturally (meaning vaginally) but that it’s her job to be there if something goes wrong. Her C-section rates are extremely low and she only prefers that method if there is an emergency. She said that she will do anything and everything to have the delivery go as I would like for it to. She went on to answer my questions and explain to me the Answering Service should I need them in an emergency. I was also able to find out that I can have as many people as I want in the room with me during the labor and delivery. I will not change rooms but instead will labor and deliver in the same room. After the birth I will be moved up to the Family Center and the baby will remain in the room with me at all times. They also have separate beds for the dad so they don’t have to sleep in a chair. Overall, I am very excited about it and I think that it will work out well. As much as I have prayed about it and as much as I have stressed about switching again, I really feel that the Lord is in control and I have to continue to trust in Him. My next appointment is June 18th and that is when I will do the Glucose test. They gave me the “juice” at this last appointment and told me to drink it 30 minutes before I get there on the 18th. I made the appointment for that morning so that I could drink that, pass the test and then eat. There is no way that I would be able to go the whole day without eating. I have also read that drinking the Glucola when it’s really cold is the best way to go, so that’s my plan.

Work has been keeping me busy and I don’t think that will change anytime soon. I was also finally able to talk to my boss and let her know that I do not plan on returning after the baby is born. Bryce and I talked and we both agree that July 31st (a Friday) is a good day to call it quits. That will give me a month at home before Kyah is due to arrive. My boss is amazing and she took it really well. To be honest, I think that she just assumed that I would stay at home with Kyah after he was born anyways. Now that she knows our plans, she is going to start the process of looking for someone to fill my position. The sooner she finds someone the sooner I quit. I LOVE my job so it’s really hard to say goodbye, but at the same time I know that I will love being at home with my little baby even more. If anything I can always come back to work here. She did give me the option to come back to work here in a different capacity after the first of the year. In that position I would be able to work part-time and bring Kyah with me. That way he would be with me all day. This is something that I am highly considering in the event that I don’t have enough to keep me busy at the house. If anyone knows me, you know that I have to stay busy. I don’t watch TV and I don’t sit. I have to be up and running, making or doing.

As for the traveling... Bryce is heading to LA today. He is going to visit his sister and brother-in-law. Tomorrow morning I am heading out with my mom to my cousin’s bridal shower. She lives about 3 ½ hours away but we still plan on making it a day trip. I just want a weekend to be at home. Thank GOD it’s a 3 day weekend!

I’ll try and be better about updating and posting pictures. Things will begin to slow down soon and I’ll have more time to focus on updating you.

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Happy Mommy's Day!

Bryce and I had a great Mothers Day. We slept in and then he took me to Breakfast. We had such a good time. After breakfast we went to the Mall where I was able to buy some maternity capris.  I can still wear my regular jeans (with the help of the Bella Band) but I figured with the cramping and such that I have been going through, having a pair of stretchy pants wouldn't hurt.  After that we stopped by my inlaws home to wish her a Happy Mothers day.  They were in the process of rearranging their furniture so we stayed to help. We had a wonderful time helping out and the house looks AMAZING!  We then ran a few more errands, picked up the last big purchase for the Nursery (the floor lamp) and then headed back to Bryce's parents house for dinner. The guys cooked (for the most part) and we enjoyed a movie afterwards. 

Bryce has a mothers day present for me but I don't get it for a few more weeks. I know what it is but I will let it be a surprise to everyone when I get it :) It's AWESOME!

While we were there, we took a few pictures... enjoy! 

Also, here is a belly shot for those of you that want to see one.... 

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Learning Patience

So it's been a while since the last update, sorry about that. Things have been fairly busy again. Work has been keeping me extremely busy, though not overly active if that makes any sense. Time has just flown by and left me with no time to even think about blogging. 

I am officially 6 months pregnant... 24 weeks yesterday. As you can remember we had an "episode" this last week with some minor contractions but everything turned out alright. Well, yesterday morning I woke up around  3 am with more cramping. This time they were even more intense and my low back was also hurting. I know the signs of Preterm labor so I knew what to look for.  Unfortunately I was at home by myself because Bryce was in Wyoming for business. I continued to lay there and rest (knowing that there wasn't much else I could do) and I needed to see if it would go away on it's own. If you know me, you know that the last thing I want to do is turn something minor into a big deal. I was afraid that if I called someone they would think that everything was going normal and that it was nothing to worry about.  At around 7:30am I called my mother in law. She was the only family member I had left in town. Seriously, everyone in my entire family as well as Bryce's had left town the night before. I explained to her what I was feeling and asked her opinion. I wanted to see if someone agreed with me that I should call the Midwife or if I should just rest and wait it out. Of course, she immediately told me to call the Midwife and get in the office first thing. Here's the catch. I was already dressed, on the road to the Vet and needed to drop the dogs off. I had rescheduled this appointment when we had the last episode and I needed to make sure that the dogs got in that morning by 8am. Cohen was scheduled to get "fixed" and Jaycee just needed to get her shots.  So after I dropped the dogs off (30 minutes away from my house) I met my mother in law back at my house around 8:30am. 

I called the Midwife and she told me that she was calling her back- up doctor that worked at Baylor Hospital and that she would call me back.  Terry (mother in law) and I got in her car and headed that way. At this point I had been contracting now for about 4 hours. None of them were painful but still....  The Midwife called me back and told me where I needed to go when I got to the hospital. We were to go to the Triage Unit... the Maternity Observation unit across the hall from Labor and Delivery. We got there at around 9am and I was taken back for observation and monitoring. I changed into the lovely gown and they hooked me up to the fetal monitor as well as the one that monitored contractions.  A doctor came in, checked me and said that my cervix was "finger tip". I asked what this meant and she said that its opened a little but that "Finger Tip" may as well mean "closed" and that there is nothing to worry about. I'll take her word for it. She knows what she is talking about. They also did another test to check for Amniotic fluid. This test came back negative, which is great news! Therefore I was not in the beginning stages of Preterm Labor! (Hallelujah)  Kyah's heart rate stayed the same at 150bpm the entire time. None of this affected him at all. He was just as busy as could be moving around and kicking the monitor.  They came back in and hooked me up to an IV so that I could have fluids and they gave me 3 shots to stop the contractions. The shots are given every 20 minutes and make you feel "weird". They make your heart feel like it's racing and they give you the jitters really bad.  Overall, I would have to say that the shots worked to make the contractions stop, but I didn't really feel the affect until later in the afternoon when I was already released.  

All that said, we are doing great (again) and Bryce and I have talked about changing to another Dr (again). I love my midwife, but at this point and time, having had two situations were I needed attention that they could not provide, I think that we are going to move over to a Dr that can provide this type of care in their facilities.  I have an appointment with the Birthing Center on Monday so we are going to have that discussion with her at that time. To be honest, I don't think that she will put up much of an argument. Up until this point I have been doing so well with the pregnancy and really I still am. But I think that with the cramping and early contractions I need to be seen by a Dr that will be able to go to the Hospital with me if needed.  Even if it's a temporary switch and I end up back at the birthing center, I would feel more comfortable right now with someone else that can provide me with medical feedback.  I say this because I still do not know if I am on bed rest until I talk to her and she has not called me.  Since I am not a patient of the Dr. there at Baylor they could not provide me with any instructions except to talk to the Midwife. Therefore, I am sitting here this weekend, waiting and hoping that I am not on bed rest until this little man decides to join us! Either way, I am taking it easy. BLAH!

The good news in all of this... The Lord is watching over us! The fact that God has the ultimate say in everything sure brings a peace of mind!  And I got to hear Kyah's heart beat for 6 whole hours! :)

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Update to the "Update"

I just wanted to let you know that I will be going back to the Dr. for my next scheduled appointment on May 11th. I talked to the Midwife yesterday afternoon and she said that everything looked fine from the tests that were performed with the specialist.  She told me that if I had anymore symptoms to call her  but I have to say that I have been feeling great. I think that I just needed to take it easy for a few days and let my body recoup from all of the walking/hiking that we did in AK. I will be returning to work and I hope that this was just a strange event that doesn't happen again. To be honest, I'm not worried about it and I highly doubt that anything like this will happen during the remainder of the pregnancy.  I just figure that since I have had a picture perfect pregnancy something had to happen to make me realize that I really am pregnant. I never have felt pregnant even though I can feel him kicking around and I'm getting bigger. But as far as activities are concerned, sleeping, etc... everything is just like it has always been. I really haven't had any discomforts at all. Maybe a little ache here and there but nothing major. 

OH... and Mr. Kyah's heartbeat was at 150bpm at 22w6d.  I totally forgot to tell you this the other day. I was too busy trying to update everyone on the other "drama" :) 

Hope you are enjoying your weekend and I'll try and get a post for AK soon! 

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