Back to work :(

OMG, I miss my baby so much! Today is my first day back at work, and Landon turned 3 months old. The last two weeks have been extremely stressful trying to get moved in to our new house and acclimated to a whole new schedule. I haven't been able to get on the internet because we don't have it at our house yet...so here is the latest on the Blue family:

Landon had his 2 month doctor appointment two weeks ago and he is measuring a whopping 24" and 11 lbs 10oz. He is in the 90th percentile for height and 50% for weight. You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I came from the land of the giants and I think Landon got my family genes.

Everything looked great and the doctor seems to think he is going to keep those beautiful blue eyes of his! They gave him 5 shots...yes 5...can you believe that???? I couldn't bear to watch them torture my son so I left the room and Brian held him. I have debated and debated over the do/don't vaccinate your child issue, and ulitmately I decided that I just don't have enough evidence to fight the issue...so I just gave in and went with the doctors recommendation. Landon cried in pain ALL DAY LONG and then passed out for about 2 days...seriously. Poor little man, I felt terrible!

Landon is growing up sooo fast! He has started batting at his toys & reaches for things. He sits by himself in his bumbo chair, but he doesn't like to entertain himself, he needs an audience. There isn't much that keeps his attention for very long...but he does love our morning "talks." (Which I missed this morning very much!) His smile melts my heart and I love to hear his cute baby voice.

Brian went back to work yesterday after being released from injury leave. (Good timing huh?) We have had the best 3-4 months of our lives together and I will miss our family time so much! I now understand the whole stay-at-home-mom-thing, and if I could I would do it in a heartbeat! I work day shift and Brian works nights so Landon will not need daycare. My mom (Grams) is going to watch Landon on Sundays so Brian can work late. I am excited that Landon will get to spend time with her every week! Brian and I have opposite days off, so we are trusting God to keep our family close and that we will be able to have a day off together again soon.

7 Weeks Old

Landon is 7 weeks old today, and he is growing like a weed! Literally, I swear during week 5 he grew into a toddler...he is so long - torso, legs, & arms...guess he is growing into his hands and feet! By the way the kid never fit into any of his newborn shoes, they were all too small!!! He has started cooing and smiling at mom and dad.

I got mastitis in both breasts, which kept me in the bed with fever for a few days. We had to transition to formula after 5 weeks, and although Landon wasn't happy about it at first, he is getting used to it now and is eating like a little piglet again!

Believe it or not Landon started sleeping through the night at 5 weeks and hasn't looked back. He sleeps for about 7 hours, we feed him, change him, and he sleeps for another 3-5 hours! I am dead serious! I am loving life now that I feel human again.

1 month

Here is Landon's 4 week photo in his baseball outfit that his Papaw Tom bought him! :)

Happy Birthday Landon!

Friday, June 20, 2008 - The first day of summer, the longest day of the year...and by FAR the longest day of my life! Landon finally graced us with his presence at 11:58pm, and I am sad to announce that I missed the special moment I had been waiting on for 9 months! :(

I've been trying to write my labor story for 5 weeks now, but honestly I would just rather not relive a lot of what happened...so to sum up a very long story: I was in labor for 22 hours. 12 hours after my water broke I developed a fever that caused Landon's heartbeat to jump up to 210bpm. My contractions were as strong as they could medically induce but I wasn't progressing past a 3-4, and Landon wasn't moving down. (He was at a zero station the entire time). Dr. Atkins came in around 11pm and checked me. I had not progressed for over 8 hours and she was worried that I was developing an infection that could pass on to Landon. So after all that work I ended up having a c-section.

They weren't able to give me the proper anesthesia for reasons I am still confused about, and I never got completely numb...some areas weren't numb at all! I felt her cutting me (no really) and it was the most excrutiating pain I've ever experienced. I couldn't even scream it hurt so bad. Long story short, I was knocked out half-way through the surgery. I remember moving my mouth trying to tell them not to knock me out but I didn't think the words were coming out. Brian later reassured me that everyone in that room heard me because I was yelling, "Don't put me out, don't put me out...I'm not going out!" LOL...

So, I missed it. I missed everything...the Dr. taking him out, Landon's first cry, Brian's reaction, our bonding moment...the whole thing. I am still bitter about it and probably always will be, but now I finally get to hold my little man in my arms!

Landon weighed 7lbs 13.5oz, and was 20.5" long! Everyone was suprised at how big he was...except me...I just knew he was at least 7 1/2 lbs, so I was pretty close! Dr. Atkins said there was no way he was coming out the natural way. My pelvis was too small and it wasn't spreading and the cord was wrapped around Landon's neck twice.

When I saw Landon for the first time it was so amazing! He was so tiny and precious. He made the cutest sounds and looked just like I did when I was born. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, gigantic feet and he looked like he just got out of a tanning bed (that part isn't from me!) Dr. Atkins came in the next morning and appologized for the entire ordeal, and ensured me that next time (ha!) we'll just schedule a c-section ahead of time and I'll get the proper drugs for the surgery.

It's time! :)

Well, tonight is the night! I will be checking in the hospital at 10pm to be induced. As of Monday I had no real major changes to report, Dr. Atkins doesn't want to keep Landon in there much longer because my low fluid issues can cause my uterus to become infected and then be transferred to the baby. I will be given two pills when I arrive to "ripen my cervix," and I am supposedly going to be able to sleep through the night. (Yeah, right!) They will start the Pitocin to induce labor early in the morning and we are expecting Landon to be here sometime in the afternoon...give or take a few hours.

I am super nervous! Brian has really been the best husband anyone could ever ask for during the last 9 months and if you could see the excitement in his face it would melt your heart! I hope the moment is as great as everyone keeps telling me it will be...keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and I will update you ASAP! :)

Baby Shower

I FINALLY got my baby shower pictures onto my computer! The shower was more than I could have asked for, and Landon now has everything he could ever need...thank-you to everyone who was able to come! I spent so much time opening gifts I didn't get to visit much with everyone...but we are very thankful, and now it seems even more real than it did before. The only thing we have left is his arrival...YIKES! Here is a video of the shower courtesy of Nel & Weldon! Love ya'll! :)

Getting Close!

We had our weekly appointment on Monday 06-02-08, and things are GREAT! Landon FINALLY turned head-down and I am 1 cm dilated! Dr. Atkins says he's a good size, but not too big and there seems to be plenty of fluid, so we are just going to let nature take its course. They told us to have our bags packed and ready, and well...today is Friday, and I just can't seem to get the energy to do it! EXHAUSTED! Lack of sleep would be a contributing factor, but my whole body is swollen (especially my ankles)! I take my socks off when I get home from work, and the sock line is still very prominent when I wake up the next morning. I gave Brian the soft bed after his shoulder surgery, but now that he is doing better I may have to take the soft bed back. We don't fit in the same bed anymore...lol..so we pulled two queen beds together.

OH...and we FINALLY found a house!!! We will be closing on September 12th and moving in the next day. Landon will be 2 1/2 months old and I should still be off of work (I hope).

Busy, Busy, Busy...

OK, WOW! I know its been a very long time since I've updated this thing...my life has been crazy to say the least. I've been leaning on my faith and trust in God to get me through some serious issues at work....issues that most people wouldn't even believe if I told them. Brian's 15yr old dog died, he got hurt at work and had to have serious shoulder surgery...and we finally had our baby shower!

My appointments have been very uneventfull (YAY!), so that is good and Landon seems to be doing very well in there! I'm thinking he's in there for the long haul now!

Whew, my body is hurting! I've gained 39lbs (YIKES) and, according to Brian's daily count-down I still have 38 more days to go...so I'm sure I'll hit the 40lb mark very soon :( I guess I have a lot of work to do after Landon makes his grand entrance! I've never worked out to lose weight before, so that will be very challenging I'm sure. I'll just be happy to work out again...I hardly consider walking to the bathroom a workout...but sadly it is now!

I just wanted to thank my mom, Kim, Kathy, & Carrie for all their work putting my shower together... I REALLY appreciate it, the shower was AWESOME and Landon got everything he needed, and more! I will fill you in on my shower in the next blog, thank you Nell for taking the pictures...I can't wait to see them! :)

Early delivery?

Well, I had another dr. appointment yesterday...and it was a pretty long one at that! Dr. Atkins did her normal routine and then gave me an internal test that is supposed to detect a hormone that preceeds the onset of labor. She said she was concerned with all of the complications that I have had throughout the pregnancy, that my body may be trying to go in to labor too soon. She said it is nothing to worry about right now, and that there are plenty of measures to take to keep Landon in as long as possible. My cervex is still closed, which is good. She did inform us that she doesn't expect me to carry to full term, but that if I could make it to the first week in June, then she would be happy. (37weeks)

It was a little alarming to hear that, but she reassured me that I have passed the survival milestone, which is good...I guess. Landon is still full-breech (of course!) and obviously if he doesn't turn around in the next few weeks the chances he will stay breech are high...and we all know what that means! He has been very active today though...so maybe his little butt is turning around! :)

Anyway, she sent off for another urine culture because of the bleeding...so I will update ya'll with the test results when they come in! :) If the hormone test is positive I will find myself back on bed rest. Ho hum...

The Nursery

Here it is! Brian worked so hard on it (I'll have to post those pics too, but they are in another camera!) My mom says that we're not having a baby...we are having a "little man!" I guess Landon's room isn't too traditional huh? LOL, I can't help it..that is what I like! Brian's parents gave us thier old rocker and I can't decide if I want to recover it or not...it doesn't clash and it is turning out to be another time consuming task! Comments and suggestions are welcome! :) I'm getting super excited! :)

3D Ultrasound!

Oh...I almost forgot! A friend of mine's wife works at an office that does 3D & 4D sonograms, so as a gift to us she gave us a free video/pictures of Landon! Needless to say he wasn't very cooperative. His hands were in his face the entire time, and when she tried to move him around, he just pulled his feet up in front of his face too! However, we did get one pretty good picture of his little fat face! He is 27 weeks in the photo, and obviously a lot more plump than he was at 20 weeks!

We were able to see that Landon is still breech, and his butt is sitting right ontop of my bladder, maybe that is why I'm having so many bladder issues? I haven't had anything to drink but water and apple juice in the last 8 weeks....so I've decided that boy needs to get turned around and start kicking on another part of my body, my poor bladder is taking quite the beating! LOL...

Update!

Ok...I am finally in the last trimester of my pregnancy! YIKES...it is creeping up and I find myself getting very anxious! So many things to do, so little time! Just as soon as the Dr. told me I was no longer high risk, I began urinating blood again, but this time it is blood clots, and I am once again very worried! It always starts on the weekend, so I have to call and talk to the on-call doctor. (For me that always seems to be the one doctor who speaks broken english...sheesh!) I wouldn't have been so worried, except that for a period of about 4-5 hours I was in a LOT of pain. I don't know how to describe it other than like very strong cramps and pressure on my lower abdomen. My stomach would get real hard at times and my back was KILLING me... I don't know what contractions feel like, but if that was a small taste of them (Braxton Hicks maybe? I dunno....)then just sign me up for the epidural now! Anyway, I got in the tub for about an hour and much to my relief it went away long enough for me to get comfortable in the bed and I went to sleep. Its happened one other time, but not near as bad. I swear I thought I was in early labor or something. Very scary.

The Dr. just told me to stay in bed until the blood cleared up for over 24 hours...so I did, and here I am. It sucked. Brian was putting together the crib & the nursery and all I wanted to do was be a part of it, but he kept snapping at me to get in the bed. Hmmmph!

Good News....FINALLY!

Our doctor visit on Monday went very well! I have finally beat the NEVER-ENDING cough/cold I had that was making my nausea unbearable. I would cough so hard it would make me throw up...so that really helps the issue some! My amniotic fluid level rose all the way up to 16oz, which puts me in a very normal range! The best news of all is that they bumped me off the "high-risk" level and I don't have to go to the high-risk clinic anymore! whooohooo!

We got to see Landon too, and he has gained a lot of baby fat...10oz of it! He was much bigger than he was last time, and he now weighs 1pound 10oz! (Needless to say, I gained 7lbs in 2 weeks...YIKES! The sono-tech wasn't near as good as the last one that we had, and all of the photos are too blurry to make out, so ya'll will have to wait a month for us to get our last 4D pictures/video...I can't wait!

The Fort Worth Police Officer Association is hosting my baby shower on Sunday, May 4th so that is exciting. Kathy and my mom will be planning everything, so hopefully that will keep me from stressing out! :)

Dear God....

PLEASE HELP ME! Amen.

Nursery Theme

Yay! I finally finished my registry; we ordered the crib and furniture, and decided on a theme for the nursery...I am so excited because there isn't much "baby" stuff that I like. This was a HUGE feat for me because of how sick I have been (and unfortunately still am.) We had to divide it up into about 6 weekends because I can only stay on my feet for so long before getting ill. Brian was a huge help in picking everything out and once again we agreed on EVERYTHING! :) We found a few accessories in random stores that I LOVE LOVE LOVE, and all of it will be used for a long time! We can't set anything up for 8 weeks when the furniture comes in, but here are some photos to give you a little sneek peek!

Good News!

Look at those lips!

Snuggle Bunny!

Now you see the hand...

...and now you don't!

Monday, I went to see a doctor at the high-risk ob/gyn, and they did tests and an EXTENSIVE sonogram of the baby and me. ALL of his organs are working properly, the placenta is supplying a sufficient amount of blood, he is perfectly formed...on top of all of that my amniotic fluid level rose from 8oz to 10oz. and there is no more blood in my urine! They said normal range is 10-25oz. and I am obviously on the low end of normal, but it is good enough that I don't have to lay in bed for now.

I still have to drink a gallon of water a day (which is very hard by the way) and they believe that the amniotic level was too low because I have been so dehydrated throughout the pregnancy. I am keeping my food down, and things are looking much betteer! :) I will be going back every two weeks so they can monitor my fluid level. If it doesn't continue to rise then I will find myself back in bed, so BOTTOMS UP!

On a side note...I was instructed to do NO activity that causes my heart rate to rise, and that now doctors believe that exercise during pregnancy may cause more harm than health! My Dr. said that reports are coming back that women who exercise have harder labors! Good grief, doesn't that contradict everything you have ever heard?! I don't know what to think about that...but I know for me to stay hydrated its probably a good idea...so that is what I intend to do!

We got a very special 4D/3D peek at our baby boy...can you believe technology now? Apparently we get to see him 3D every 2 weeks! YAY! He was soooooo cute, even tho he's all bones now...we think he is perfect! He was moving all around, and sticking out his tongue. He kept snuggling up to the placenta, and digging his hand into it like Brian does in the bedsheets (drives me nuts!)...it was hillarious! I swear he already has Brian lips, cause they sure aren't mine! :) Oh...Brian told everyone to check out his biceps! LOL...he's a dork! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Bed Rest

Well, Friday has come and gone...and I still don't really have any answers as to what is wrong. I met with Dr Atkins and she is concerned because the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby is low. Unfortunately, the urinalysis hasn't come back yet either, and there is still blood in my urine. It isn't very common to have low amniotic fluid at 20 weeks, and she went over several things that could be causing it. Since the test results aren't back yet, she sent me to the hospital for some more testing. It doesn't appear that I have kidney stones, which is good. I am hoping it is just that I have been sick for so long that I am just dehydrated. There are many other causes, which I unfortunately looked up some of them online...I won't share them, because I am praying and hopefull that it is just due to my illness.

They sent me home late afternoon, and told me to stay on bed rest until I can get into the high-risk doctor on Monday...so here I am. I should know more on Tuesday when I return to Dr. Atkins. She told me not to worry (yeah right) and that the bed rest is mostly precautionary. I am supposed to drink a gallon of water a day, and I was given an antibiotic that should help make me better. We are hoping by Monday, I will be feeling better and that the fluid will rise by the time I go to the high-risk center. I will fill you in when I know more. Please keep baby Blue in your prayers...I just want everything to be OK.

Oh...he's still kicking like a champ and his heart-rate is perfect! :)

It's a.... BOY!

...and I am completely shocked! I thought for sure it was a girl! There is no question about it, he is most definitely a BOY! WOW...I'm going to have a SON...wierd. Brian was soooo excited, I can't even tell you how PROUD he is...and I am so happy that we FINALLY know! Now we can start planning, and buying fun boy stuff! :)

What's next?

Today was a very scarey day. I went to the bathroom at work and there was blood in my urine...and a LOT of it! I wasn't 100% sure where it was coming from and it freaked me out. I called Dr. Adkins and they got me in right away. Brian met me there and I was happy that he came because I was extremely nervous and he helped ease the anxiety. They took cultures and a urine sample from me. When I peed in the cup it was dark red, and I just started to cry...what is wrong with me?!

I don't know much more than that as of now. They did say that there was no blood in the birth canal, and the baby was doing just fine with a heartbeat of 156bpm. That was a relief. I am going back tomorrow for my gender sonogram and while I am there they will also do a sonogram of my kidneys to check for kidney stones. The cultures won't come back until Friday, so I will go back Friday morning to get the results. Depending on what is causing the bleeding, I may be sent to a specialist Friday afternoon.

We are very excited to find out the sex tomorrow, but at the same time I am still worried about what's wrong with me. I feel like I've done something wrong and it is effecting my baby.

Good Grief!

So, I was eating lunch the other day and I bit into something really hard! I spit out my food, and then I realized that half of my molar was missing...it was my tooth! On top of that I had a blister on my gums near that same tooth. I called the dentist and they got me in later that day. I have an abcessed tooth and it is seeping into my gums. I've already had a root canal on that tooth, so I was suprised that it could be abcessed again. I was informed that there is nothing they can do for me because I am pregnant! So I obviously have to live with half a crown for another 4-5 months. They gave me some antibiotics, but the abcess isn't clearing up yet! ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG.... if it's not one thing, its another!

Good news is I am feeling a lot better these days...still nausious but that beats sleeping near the toilet!

Baby-Bump!

So...I swear I grew a belly over-night! Seriously, I went to bed and woke up...and there it was...my baby-bump! I really kept thinking that I should get a second opinion or something, but now I know I am pregnant for sure! I put on my clothes to go to work, and my pants wouldn't button...so I looped a couple of rubber bands around the buttons (new trick), and wore a long sweater to cover up the gap, LOL!

Brian took me shopping for maternity clothes last night, because I had court today and NOTHING in my closet fit! It was a bit discouraging (although inevitable). I have never put something on from my closet that didn't fit me anymore....weird. As much as I HATE shopping, I actually LOVED it! I wanted everything in the store. I was in one store for 2 hours and bought a TON of stuff! Brian was a trooper I must add...he kept the grumbles to a minimum and didn't complain at all when the lady rang up our bill!

Other than that, there isn't much news...I will leave out the throwing-up part this time, since it OBVIOUSLY isn't over with :( I did give myself two black eyes (I guess from busted blood vessels?) I looked at myself in the mirror and thought I forgot to take my makeup off the night before....nope...I went to the store with Brian that night, and boy did he get some crazy looks. He made me put my sunglasses on! ha ha ha...

GENDER ULTRASOUND coming on Valentines DAY....can't wait! :)

Week 15!

This has been a very roller-coaster week, but over-all things are looking better! I began the week throwing up uncontrollably, like always and my eyes have started swelling up and are red. I racked my brain trying to figure this out and I realized that I only get sick when I am at home. We have been staying with Brian's folks while we are building our house, and between all of us there are 10 cats....yes 10! Not only that, we have had 3 litters of kittens come and go, and the male/female combination has been TERRIBLE. The males are spraying everywhere, and the smell makes me sick...LITERALLY. So sick I couldn't take it anymore, so I moved in with my mom temporarily to see if that is what is causing me to be so sick for this long.

GOOD NEWS! I have been staying with my mom for 6 days now...and I haven't thrown up one time...not even a gag...not ONE! I kept telling Brian I thought the cats were making me sick, but now I am sure of it. Brian is doing everything in his power to "fix" the problem....cats neutered/spayed, new carpet, etc...it is a work in progress and hopefully it will fix the problem, otherwise I am not sure what we are going to do.

MORE GOOD NEWS: About two days ago I started feeling these little bubbles/pokes low in my abdomen. In the back of my head I thought there is no WAY it is the baby, it is sooo early! But I couldn't figure out what else it would be. I got my weekly email from baby-gaga and it said that some women feel their baby move during this week, and most feel it by week 17! I felt it all day yesterday, usually after I move or laugh or something. HOW EXCITING!