Update #3

Well, we're on hour 58 of "labor" with no change. Gavin is still looking good and is still strong and active with a solid heartbeat. I'm still in the anti-partum wing for now. The team of Dr.'s i've been working with are meeting tomorrow morning to decide a course of action for me. Whenever I ask a question as to what the potential options are I get "we'll just have to wait and see." Which is very frustrating! But at the same time I understand that they can't make any decisions right now with everything up in the air. On the plus side tomorrow is the magical 34 week mark!! And as Gavin is already measuring over 6 1/2 pounds things are looking really good for him. He may need a feeding tube for a little while but other than that he should be just fine.
Riley and Lucas were able to come visit me tonight and it made my day. I miss being home with them very much and it's hard to be away from Lucas as his language is exploding more and more every day. So for instance, tonight he walked in and said to me "what happened mommy." ha ha. It was very hard when he left and I had to try and explain why mommy couldn't come home with him yet.
Mom and dad came to visit me tonight which was good. They can always make me laugh and it was nice to have family around and to just laugh and hang out a bit. I don't really have much other news to report other than the obvious; hospital food is gross, hospital beds are uncomfortable, there is only so much e-mail checking, facebooking, reading and movie watching one can do and I really miss sunshine and fresh air!!
We'll keep everyone posted after tomorrow's "decision". Love you all.

Update #2

Well, still just waiting. They moved me to the anti-partum unit at about 7 this morning because the contractions had slowed to only a few every hour. At 10 they took us down for an ultrasound and to no surprise Gavin is and I quote "gargantuen" according to the doc. At not even 34 weeks he's weighing in at 6lbs 11ozs. We then toured the NICU as a precautionary measure, which was scary and heartbreaking. At about noon my contractions started again and were very strong and consistent for several hours. They gave me the second dose of the steroids to try and speed his lung development up. So currently the plan is to continue to monitor me and the contractions. At 1:30 tomorrow (Tuesday) they will take me off the medication that is trying to postpone the labor and let nature take its course. They'll continue to monitor me in the hospital until Wednesday at which time they will decide whether or not I can go home to wait it out or if I need to stay in the hospital. We meet with a social worker on Wednesday to discuss staying at the Ronald McDonald house if they will not allow me to travel all the way back to Winona. I'm really hoping that is not the case as I miss Lucas very much and can't imagine being away from him for that long. We'll keep everyone posted as we learn more and appreciate all the well wishes, thoughts and prayers that have been sent our way. Love you all.

What a ride.....

Well, I don't want to plaster stuff all over facebook but there is so much going on right now I need an outlet. So, this morning we were running our Sunday errands and at about 11:00 I started to have contractions. At first I just chalked it up to braxton hicks because i've been having those for about 6 weeks. However, this time they actually hurt and were coming pretty steady. We went home and I drank some water and laid down as if it is false labor this will help it subside. When they were still coming every five minutes and rather painful for about 35 minutes we called the birth center at Olmsted and they told us to come in to be monitored, just to be on the safe side. SO, our wonderful friend Tara rushed over to stay with Lucas while Ri took me in. We didn't bring any of our stuff with us as we figured it wasn't anything serious and they'd send me home in a few hours. Once we got to Olmsted they hooked me up to the monitors and started an IV. The contractions were now 2-3 minutes apart and quite painful. They did a check and I was dilated to 2-3. Because I am only 33 weeks they then gave us drugs to try and stall the labor as well as steroids to try and speed up Gavin's lung development. They then contacted Mayo Clinic who sent an ambulance for me and I was transported across Rochester via ambulance (not fun when you're contracting) so we could be set up next to the NICU if they are unable to stop the labor. We then met with lots of Drs and specialists about what our options are. Best case scenario they are able to stall my labor and I will be able to go home in a few days but will have to take a pill every 3-4 hours to keep labor at bay and probably be on bedrest. In hopes that they can get me to 35 weeks (the longer the better obviously). Worst case scenario they can't stall the labor and Gavin arrives early and may need to spend some time in the NICU. In our favor are things like he's measuring big and the steroids they're giving us will help his lungs become more developed before delivery. Another thing is that if he does come in the next 2 weeks we may actually be able to do a VBAC. SO, for the time being it's just wait and wait and wait. They are going to do an ultrasound in the morning to get his height and weight and we'll be in the hospital for sure until probably Tuesday morning. The next dose of steroids for his lungs is at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon and then they'd need us to wait for 12 hours. But if labor is stalled at that point they'll either send us home with strict guidelines or they'll admit me to a room here. It will all depend on how the labor continues and so on. SO, we're exhausted, scared, worried and impatient. We probably won't be posting anything on facebook as so many things are up in the air, but just wanted to keep some of you informed. I do have my cellphone and I do check it so you can call. If I don't answer i'm either resting or meeting with our team but i'll get back to you when I can. I guess we shouldn't have expected anything else from Gavin.... he's been making it count from day 1! :) Love to all.

And sleep evades me again..... :/

Oh the joys of being a worrier on top of being a pregnant worrier on top of being a mom to a toddler who worries..... :/ Needless to say there has not been much sleep happening for me the last week. So lets re-cap shall we..... Lucas has been sick on and off for WEEKS! 3 weeks ago he had a fever of 105.8 which has now been followed by almost 3 weeks of a horrible rash that has now spread all over his entire body, scalp now included. We took him to a dermatologist who barely glanced at him before declaring it eczema and sending us on our way with a steroid cream. We tried said cream and it made it worse, far to strong for his little skin and the rash got worse. SO next stop was the family medicine Dr./pediatrician who declared it Roseola which had been going around at his daycare and is a viral infection that they can't do anything about but goes away within a week of the fever breaking (WE'RE ON WEEK THREE!) so needless to say it also is not that. UGH. SO, on Thursday we are having him tested for allergies as now with the rash he is very pale, his eyes are a little sunken in and he has dark circles under his eyes that put even mine to shame. Not to mention my hyper active, spirited toddler cried to go to bed at 6:15 last night then slept for 13 hours!! Something just isn't right and it's making this momma worry even more so than normal..... And of course, having anxiety and being pregnant and a woman in general your mind immediately wonders to the WORST possible scenario (think nightmares about childhood lukemia.....). *sigh* Next up we have Ri going in for surgery on the two breaks in his foot this Friday. But keep in mind we don't actually know the time to report for surgery and can't call to find out until Thursday between 1 and 3 p.m. Which makes for a blast in figuring out who in the heck is going to take Lucas to daycare and pick him up on Friday when we don't even know if we'll actually need anyone. Also, they aren't sure how bad the breaks are or how much repairing they'll have to do once they're in there. Which means anywhere from 4 to 8+ weeks of recovery with the first 2 weeks including NO driving. Add next said stressor, getting Lucas to daycare (when he can't be there until 7:30 and I have to be to work in Rochester by 7)..... Thank goodness I have understanding bosses who recognize I put in a lot of extra time and are ok with me being a little late all of next week. Item number 3 on the worry list..... next Wednesday I have to give my deposition for my accident. Which means yes, after nearly 2 years they will expect me to remember everything I ate, said and did that day (now keep in mind I have a permanent mild TBI and my memory is horseshit now thanks to it and i'm sure you can get the picture). Am I missing anything??? Other than the giant size little one i'm carrying who may very well come as many as 6 weeks early (EEK)I think i've about covered most of it. OK, end rant. Thank you blog for allowing me to vent my frustrations while I cry tears of I don't even know what (but i'll tell you this non-emotional lady is SO sick of tears!!!!)and hope that getting all of this out will allow me to get more than a couple hours shut eye tonight as working with middle schoolers all day is so physically and mentally draining without being pregnant and as big as a killer whale added to it.
Have I mentioned how much I need it to be February 26th yet??? Day at the spa please!!

28 weeks down.....12 or less left!!

Wow does time fly! I am 28 weeks today! Gavin would have a 90% survival rate if he were born anytime after today. We spent the weekend doing baby laundry and getting Gavin's space set up. I'm sad that he won't have his own room for atleast a year, but you make the best of what you have. I can tell he's starting to run out of room in there by how much my belly moves when he rolls and kicks lately. It's also easy to tell exactly where he is and which body part he's using to push on me. :) My students find it very entertaining to feel him kick and watch my belly move. ha ha
I'm guessing they won't allow me to go past April 22nd. We had an appointment last week and they did several tests and all came back good, no thyroid condition, no gestational diabetes and blood pressure is fabulous. We go back in on the 17th to be measured and check his progress. If i'm still measuring ahead they'll schedule another ultrasound to check his growth. But we all know he's going to be a big boy like his brother!

Bring it on! Looking forward to 2011!!

I can't believe it is already 2011! I'm excited for this upcoming year which by the looks of the calendar is already shaping up to be a great year!! Baby G is due in April which then means having the remainder of the school year off to be with my boys! Plus my good friend Tara and I are setting up a Ragnar team!!! (super excited but very nervous) AND we're running a half marathon in October. Tara is a seasoned runner and is my role model! I just hope I can keep up with her!! Stay tuned for more updates on our training!! :) Mine will not officially start until probably June but until then we're steppin it twice a week. SO hopefully that will help me get back into running form!!!

No More Bed Rest!! :)

Well, thankfully Baby G's growth has tapered off a bit so they took me off of bed rest and are allowing me to resume all my normal activities. They do have a recommend a support brace which I have and do wear, at least for a couple hours each day. In addition i've also started a walking routine with my good friend Tara. Which has been wonderful! It's so nice to get out of the house twice a week and have some girl time while getting exercise! I miss running SO much!! On a side note, I'm getting really sick of people commenting on how "huge" I am and saying things like "you haven't had that kid yet" or "you've got to be ready to have that baby any day now, you're SO big!" Gee thanks!! On days like that I really really wish I weren't so short with so little torso so all this baby had more room to spread out instead of going straight out! Blah.

I'm also trying a countdown to our due date.... so hopefully the link will work!!