31 Week Check-up

Well I had my 31 week check-up with the midwife this morning. Since I’ve been having more regular cramping she decided to go ahead and check my cervix again and run the Fibronectin test again, which tests to see if my body is preparing to go into labor within the next week or 2. Fortunately my cervix hasn’t dilated any more and is still at 1cm. She’ll call me if the Fibronectin test comes back positive.

She told me that 36-37 weeks would probably be too early to do a scheduled c-section, but if I were to go into labor on my own at that point they would let me deliver. So at around 36-37 weeks she’ll let me start doing a little more. So the reprieve off full bedrest that I was hoping would come at 34 weeks now won’t come until 37 weeks. I wanted to make it to 37 weeks anyway, since that’s considered full term, but it does double the amount of time I have left on bedrest. (6wks instead of just 3).

As usual I’m supposed to call if the contractions get worse or more regular. The bit of good news I got was that my glucose test came back clear and that Owen is now in a head down position. Of course that could change. He is much more the tumbler than Carter was and is always changing positions, which of course is getting more painful the bigger he gets, so I hope he decides to stay put.

That’s it for now. I have another appointment in 2 weeks. Hopefully there won’t be any need for an update before then. :)

Carter

After the many updates on Owen and my pregnancy, I figured it was time to give an update on our other little guy. He's still growing like a weed and weighs in just under 30lbs. Not sure of his exact height since we haven’t measured him since his 2yr check-up.

He has a pretty full vocabulary and talks in full sentences. He also picks up new words immediately, so of course we have to be REALLY careful what we say around him. He's known his full alphabet for quite some time, but now is actually using it. I’ll let him send his daddy instant messages while he's at work. I'll tell him which letters to hit and he does the typing, so he's also learned "enter", "space" and "period".

Being on the computer is one of his favorite activities. We got him his own QWERTY keyboard that has oversized keys for toddler fingers and also a toddler size mouse. (It also came with a mouse pad that holds a picture and the only 4x6 picture we had handy was that of our friends NJ and Sebrena's little girl Kaitlyn, whom Carter's only met once in person, but adores through the internet. So he loves using his "Kait-Kait" mouse pad).

Anyway, the site we go to the most is Sesame Street, which has games specifically for toddlers. Many are as simple as just hitting any random keys on the computer, but others take more control, like using the mouse to select the correct matching pictures, which he is now able to do completely on his own. We're not trying to turn him into a computer/video game junky, but rather teach hand-eye coordination and basic computer skills that he will need in the future anyway. Plus the games are educational. He also loves to play the Nintendo Wii, which isn't so much educational, but very good for hand-eye and body coordination too (we also have Wii Fit which takes full body movements).

Other activities he enjoys are playing with Legos, Play-doh, and coloring, cutting, and gluing paper. He also really enjoys playing outside. He loves going to the park and playing on the swings and going down slides and through tunnels. At home he likes to blow bubbles, play with his t-ball set, “mow” with his bubble mower, ride his electric 4x4 “atv”, and draw pictures with chalk on the driveway. He also really enjoys helping with chores around the house: loading/switching/sorting/folding laundry, washing dishes, cooking, and sweeping. Next is teaching him to make his own bed. :)

Yesterday I noticed when I laid him down for his nap that he had several spots on his belly. On further examination I found them on his arms, legs, back, bottom, and face. He’d had the chicken pox vaccine, so we were unsure what could cause so many spots all over his body. Ryan took him to the Dr. this morning and discovered that our little boy is covered in bug bites, likely from chiggers. We figure he got them from playing in the backyard in just his swim trunks running through the sprinkler and sliding in the grass.

And finally, his latest “cuteness” started today. While coloring, I told him to write his name. He scribbled a little and said “Carter James Herman”. I then told him to write mommy’s name. He’s been saying for some time “Mommy Mindy, Daddy Ryan”, so he knows our names. So he scribbled some more and said “Mommy James Herman” and then scribbled some more and said “Daddy James Herman”. I had him “write” our names again this evening for Ryan and this time we were “Mommy James Mindy” and “Daddy James Ryan”. So apparently everyone has his middle name. :P

29 Week Check-Up

Well I just got back from my 29wk appointment with the midwife. I got to do the wonderful glucose test today- I seriously can’t remember why as a kid I liked sweet/sugary drinks. I just find them disgusting now. Anyway I’m supposed to call back on Friday to find out my results from that. Hopefully that’ll be negative, because a 3hr follow-up test doesn’t sound like much fun (and neither does the prospect of gestational diabetes).

The good news is I am measuring normal again. I had a feeling I would. I measured myself last week and it was 4cm/wks ahead. Then over the weekend I noticed in the mirror that my belly suddenly looked smaller and lower, so I think he “dropped”. Hopefully that doesn’t mean he’s getting ready to come out, but at least I’m measuring back to normal again.

I also only gained 1lb in the past 2.5 wks, which isn't necessarily good for pregnancy (it' supposed to be about 1lb per week), but it sure is nice to not see the scale go up another 3-4lbs and it wasn't significant enough for them to comment on. And I do promise I am eating just fine, plus lots of sweets to fulfill my current cravings. So it's just a fluke I'm sure, but one that doesn't bother me in the least. :)

The midwife asked how the bed rest was going and I told her it does seem to be helping. I’ve been having considerably fewer contractions. However I did tell her that it also seems to take less activity to bring them on. She gave me the option of going on medication to control the contractions, but said that so long as the bed rest is working and I have people to help me, that it’s the better option. She also said that if it continues as it has, with it taking less and less activity to bring on contractions and taking longer periods of rest for them to go away, then to call her and they will go ahead and start me on the medicine.

It does sound more assuredly like I will get a little reprieve once I hit the 34 week mark though. She said that this (bed rest and possibly medication) is the course we’ll have to stay on until I reach a safer zone, which as she said last time is 34 weeks. So it lifts my spirits a little to think that I only have 5 more weeks of full bed rest. Of course I still want Owen to come as close to our scheduled 39 week c-section as possible, but it’s much easier to think of just 5 more weeks instead of 10.

So that’s all I know for now. She didn’t check my cervix this time, since I haven’t had a long stretch of strong contractions again like before. She’s always one to be cautious and doesn’t check unless she thinks there’s a reason, because there is a chance that checking the cervix will stimulate contractions. I am a little curious to know if I’ve remained at 1cm or if I’ve progressed any further, but I won’t complain about not being probed. :)

I have now reached the point of appointments every 2 weeks, so I get to go back again on the 22nd. Hopefully everything will be good until then and I won’t have any unscheduled appointments between now and then.

2 Weeks Down

It has now been 2 full weeks since I was sentenced to full bed rest. The first week was pretty easy, since we were staying with Ryan's parents. With daddy, nana, and papa around Carter never lacked for attention. The hardest part for me has been remembering not to get up. I realize now just how much you take for granted the ability to get up for even the littlest thing. It can be kind of frustrating to be dependent on others for every little need.

This week has been a big adjustment, but we seem to be settling into a routine. I've had help every day this week and have most of my help lined up for next week already. Carter's gone out on play dates twice this week and threw a fit both times. But both people assured me that once they reached their destinations he was fine and played well with the other kids, which is a relief. He's very social and loves to play with his friends, he's just not comfortable leaving without mommy yet.

He's also having issues with going potty for other people right now. Actually he's having issues going potty for anyone right now- he's become very independent and gets frustrated when he's not able to do something on his own- in this case potty. He can do everything except get his pants up and down. A couple weeks ago I was keeping him in his PJ's for the mornings and he could get them up and down, but he can't manage regular pants yet, even if they have an elastic waist. So he's had a couple accidents this week, but hopefully that will just help him realize it's ok to let someone else help him.

I've been doing my best to keep myself occupied. I've pretty much made it through an entire 200 page variety puzzle book. I've also been hand sewing a quilt for Owen. I had the whole thing cut and pieced together within the first week. All I have left now is stitching the detail between the front and back panels to keep the batting in place during washing. That's on hold for right now though. Within the last 2 days I've received requests for 3 portrait drawings, so I'll be working on those commissions for the next little while.

I go back to see the midwife on Monday and hope that I haven't dilated any more. I've still been having lots of cramping and occasional contractions, but fortunately haven't had any more regularly spaced contractions. I don't know if it's normal after being idle for so long, but it definitely takes less action to bring the pain on. If I'm up for anything more than just bathroom breaks I definitely start feeling more cramping and it doesn't take much more to bring on contractions.

That's pretty much everything for now. I'll post another update next week to let everyone know what I find out from the midwife.