Doctor's Visit, Snowstorm and Nickname

We went back to the doctor yesterday and everything still looks good. I am officially 37 weeks and that means we are considered full-term now...PRAISE THE LORD! They did my non-stress test first, and it took forever to get Lillian to pick up consistently on the fetal monitor. My pulse tends to run high - especially in pregnancy - and they were picking me up for the first little bit. The third nurse to come check on us was finally able to find Miss Priss (on my right hip) and we had a good test after that. (No wonder I am having excruciating hip pain) Her heart rate looked good and she moved around some too. We then had our ultrasound (Kevin has scanned the pictures in, but I can't get to them just yet, so I'll have to add them later) and the bloodflow from the cord to the baby is still excellent. My placenta still looks young and there is plenty of amniotic fluid for her to swim around in. She was very wiggly during the ultrasound too. The doctor's visit was pretty uneventful...I'm still just taking it easy at home waiting for the big day to arrive. We will be going back next Monday for another growth ultrasound and non-stress test. Hopefully, Lillian will have grown and will be in a better percentile than she was last time.

Well, according to various weather sources, we are supposed to be getting either an ice storm or some snow this weekend. There is also a full moon on Saturday...we're wondering what our odds of ending up in the hospital having a baby this weekend are? Based on the last few weeks of pregnancy complications, we would assume that our beautiful baby girl would do nothing less than come during a winter weather event - especially since we live 30 minutes from the hospital (on roads that aren't the most traveled in situations such as this) and all sets of grandparents who are coming for the birth live at least 30 minutes away too. We've joked about this a bunch. There's also the ironic possibility that after facing all that we have in the past few weeks that I'll end up going beyond my due date...that would be kind of funny too. God is the only one who knows when she is going to make her appearance and it is going to be in His perfect time. It's still funny to guess when she may make her arrival though.

And, finally, on a totally unrelated note, I blogged a long time ago about whether or not we were going to give Lillian a nickname. We finally agreed on a spelling and she will most likely be called Lilly. I love the name Lillian and will probably call her that too (especially when she misbehaves later on), but Lilly will be a cute little girl name for her. The way we agreed upon the spelling is a little unconventional, but it worked. We are going to put her name on the back of her door just like we did for Sammy when he was little. We plan to put hooks on the letters so we can hang jackets and hats and things of that nature behind her door - so they are out of the way. The five-letter nickname for Sammy worked well for us in that aspect as it was aesthetically pleasing on the back of the door and we could put hooks on every other letter as well as put every other letter higher up on the door. It just looked good. If we spelled her name Lily, like I originally wanted to, it wouldn't have looked as good. So...I finally agreed that Lilly would work out just fine. Again, it's not exactly conventional, but it allowed us to agree upon a spelling that we can both live with. :) We're also finishing up the window treatment in the nursery (hopefully this evening). My mother-in-law did a fantastic job of turning a plain window sheer into a balloon valance. She pulled ribbon through some loops she sewed on it and it is just pretty. It really softens the wooden blinds that were on the window. She then used some plum ribbon to finish things off. I can't wait to see the finished product! We loved the valance that came with the bedding, but the window just needed something a little extra.

I guess that's about it for now. I will get the ultrasound pictures and window treatment pictures posted soon...until then, you'll just have to use your imagination. :)

It's Been A While

I have been slacking. Since the doctor took me off of bedrest and placed me on "take it easy at home rest" I just haven't blogged. I meant to blog when we got home from the doctor last week, but I just didn't. I'll give you the update from the doctor and then go into a few things from this past week.

Last Tuesday, I saw the doctor that I saw the first night we went to the hospital for contractions. She was very reassuring and laid back about everything at this visit. We are over the danger zone for the pre-term labor scare as I will be 37 weeks (full-term) tomorrow. She stopped my medication and told me that I didn't have to stay in the bed or on the couch just as long as I took it easy! I even have permission to drive short distances (aka to get Sammy to and from school - I also went and got my haircut last week because it was time and I really didn't want to wait until after the baby was born to get a haircut...it was a short drive and all I did was sit in a chair)They did another non-stress test and Lillian looked good again. We also had the biophysical profile ultrasound again (measures fluid levels, blood flow to the baby, and placenta) and it looked good as well. They won't do another ultrasound where they measure her growth until about the 38 week time frame because as they told me, she may have been in a growth spurt or growth lag and they want to wait a few weeks to get an accurate assessment of her true growth pattern. I'm also still at 2 centimeters so no further changes there. :)


A shot of Lillian's ear



Lillian's foot


A different view of her ear


Her knee


Profile shot


Flexing her muscle


Hair on the top of her head- I hope she has hair :)


Face


Her heels


She still has her fingers on her forehead


We also had the nursery painted on Thursday of last week. It looks incredible! Linda Hoppes from our church came over and painted butterflies and flowers similar to what is in Lillian's comforter. She painted a lovely scene above the crib and another one above the window. She did a flower and vine border above the chair rail and I just love it!! It really made the room come together. Kevin has also gotten all of our baby stuff assembled and we have gotten all of her 3 month and under clothes washed and put away. I can't wait to see her in the cute little girly outfits! Girl clothes are ALOT more fun than boy clothes. Here are some pictures of her nursery.


Butterflies over the window - still working on the window treatment


I absolutely love the flower border over the chair rail


Here's a close up


Butterflies over the crib


Different angle


Changing table/dresser and bouncy seat


Flower border again


Better shot of the scene over the window


One more of the butterflies over the crib


We also celebrated Sammy's birthday on Friday. I made some cupcakes for his class at school for their snack. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be there when they ate them because I had already planned on going out to eat with Sammy and Kevin for his birthday later that evening. I figured that would have been too much for me in one day. We had a wonderful time at Mi Pueblito's in Kings Mountain. Sammy was in rare form. We both told him that we hoped that this was his best birthday ever, and he told us that it was. I asked him why it was his best birthday ever, and he said, "It's my best birthday ever because you got pregnant." I cracked up - wasn't exactly what I was expecting him to say, but I found it hysterical! Kevin told the waitress that it was his birthday because Sammy really wanted them to come sing to him. They did not disappoint. They brought out the big sombrero and a fried ice cream for him to enjoy. They put the sombrero on his head and sang to him. One of the waiters even put ice cream on Sammy's nose and cheeks. It was cute - Kevin has pictures on his phone - I'll try to get them from him. Well, I was sitting with Sammy and as you know, a sombrero is no baseball cap, so he kept hitting me with the hat. He asked me, "Mommy, did I just hit you with my hat?" I said, "Yes, Sammy, you did." Then he said, "I'm sorry, mommy. I can't control the hat." Again, it was just the cutest thing ever! Kevin and I both lost it. We then came home and had a family movie night.

The weekend was uneventful. I had a few contractions here and there and just didn't feel good in general, but nothing really exciting to report. Kevin had to work on Saturday and he ended up being gone a lot longer than originally planned, so Sammy and I had to fend for ourselves. Today, I have started having some severe hip pain as well as a lot of pressure in my hips, back and pelvis. I probably had it with Sammy and just don't remember it, but walking has been difficult as well as simple chores such as putting on my pants and socks and sitting down on/getting up from the couch. I took some tylenol, but that doesn't seem to be helping. I assume I am just going to have to deal with it until Miss Lillian gets here. It's all good and it's worth it! I guess my body is just getting ready for delivery.

So, I guess that's all I have for now. I apologize for the lengthiness, but I feel better for catching you up on our past week. We go back to the doctor tomorrow for another non-stress test, biophysical profile ultrasound, and doctor's visit. I'll try to do a better job of posting updates after our doctor's visit tomorrow.

Birthday Party

First, I have to give kudos and a HUGE shout out to my dear husband and my wonderful mother-in-law for taking Sammy and a few of his friends out this afternoon to celebrate his birthday! I think that I owe them dearly. They started their adventure at CiCi's Pizza and then headed over to Monkey Joe's in Gastonia so the boys could run wild and have a grand old time. I absolutely LOVE Monkey Joe's....especially since Sammy is older and he can be more independent. You just pay and turn the kids loose. After they got some (definitely not all) of their energy out, they came over to our house and had cupcakes and ice cream. This was the most active this house has been in weeks. Going from quiet bedrest to a houseful of boys is certainly interesting and different, but they had a good time and I am thankful that I at least got to see them play for a little bit since I didn't get to do the pizza and jumping activities with them earlier. Sammy is continuing his birthday celebration with the monthly Atchley family birthday dinner in Forest City. They are going to have Italian, and Kevin is going to bring half of his supper home to me...YUM! I have eaten quite a bit of soup over the past couple of weeks (cause it's easy and freezes well) so I am looking forward to a hearty Italian meal this evening (it's the little things).

Here are some pictures from today's festivities...


Kiddos waiting in line for Monkey Joe's


Logan smiling for the camera


Hey Asheton


Sammy and Logan seeing what they can get into


Sammy and Logan on the slide


Action shot


Reynold's coming down the slide


That was fun!


Time for cupcakes and ice cream (Sammy and Kaleb)


Kaleb and Logan


I think Kaleb likes it


Asheton and Reynolds


Nana sneaking a spoonful of ice cream


BUSTED


Present Time

Pharmacy Problems

I need to vent. I normally try to be positive and upbeat, but I just need to vent a little bit tonight. So...after dealing with the Walmart pharmacy in Shelby for a while now, I have decided that I am tired of them....VERY tired of them. Customer service and communication is seriously lacking and I am very frustrated by this. The straw that broke the camel's back came when Kevin went to get my Procardia filled the other day. He dropped it off, they told him it would be ready in 30-45 minutes and he spent some time in the store shopping. When he came back to get it...guess what?? They were out of stock(no one bothered to tell him this when he dropped it off)...so he basically spent about an hour of his life in Walmart waiting for something that was never even there in the first place. This is not the first time this has happened. Same thing happened with my prenatal vitamins. I am apparently on a very specialized, low-demand prenatal vitamin that no one keeps in stock. I have learned that I have to call it in and wait at least a day or two for it to be filled. This is not a problem as long as I know this up front and can plan for it. The first time I ever had it filled though, I went through the exact same thing that Kevin did with my procardia. It is super frustrating to have to stand in the LONG pharmacy line only to realize when you get up there that the prescription you expect to be picking up has not been filled. Again, it is not difficult for the person who takes your prescription and gets your information to do a quick look in inventory to make sure that when they promise you 30-45 minutes, it will indeed be possible. So...after dealing with this multiple times, I had finally had enough. I switched to Walgreens. Kev took my prescription for procardia to walgreens that same day and had it filled in less than a half hour. I then got brave and decided to switch my prenatal vitamin over there as well to get it filled one last time before Lillian arrives. I called and spoke with the friendly guy that answered the phone and he assured me that it would be ready after 1:00 today. Well, Kevin stopped by on his way home from work tonight, and guess what....the warehouse was out of stock...probably won't be filled until Monday. AGGHHHH!!! I was a little bit frustrated with this. I really need this prescription filled by today which is why I called and asked all the right questions about when it would be done and such. But, I will say that Walgreens did locate the medicine at another store and they are filling it as we speak - this is better than the Walmart ever has done for us, but it is still frustrating. So...Kevin does have to be inconvenienced by an unexpected trip to Gastonia, but at least they got my prescription filled. This is probably petty, especially considering all that is going on in the world with Haiti and such, but I just needed to complain a little bit about poor customer service tonight. There, I feel better now. I'll go back to being a ray of sunshine. :)

Update on Lillian

Well, I went to the doctor today hoping to only be on procardia and bedrest for one more week, but instead got two more weeks. It's all good. I know God has a plan and a purpose for this...if nothing else to slow me down in preparation for the arrival of our precious little one. I am not going to question why this is happening...I am simply going to accept it and make the best use of my time on the couch and in the bed. One of my goals this week is to pick the wedding pictures for our wedding album - yes, I realize that we got married almost 3 years ago, but it's been a busy three years with nursing school and starting a new job and all. I am also going to write some thank you notes and watch lots and lots and lots of tv, movies, etc. While I am doing this, I am most especially working on growing a healthy, full-term little girl. That is the main goal.

So back to the doctor's visit. While we were there, the doctor checked me to make sure nothing has progressed any further, and I am thankful to report that there has been NO CHANGE since my hospitalization last week...it was the same doctor who discharged me on the 4th so I trust that there has truly been no change! The procardia and bedrest are doing their job. Over the past week I have had a few episodes of approximately 3 contractions in an hour, but as long as I don't get to 4, I don't have to call them and report it. I have noticed that the contractions come when it is getting close to time to take my medication, but that is neither here nor there...the main thing is I am not having consistent, regular contractions that are causing changes because if that happens, they will not do anything to prevent it at this point, and I really want to keep her in a little bit longer.

The doctor did my tummy check and the heart rate was good and strong on the doppler (150's). He measured my tummy and then the fun began. She, of course, has now decided to measure small again. This happened before (in November) and the ultrasound proved that she was fine and in the 50th percentile for growth...just laying low. Well, they went ahead and did an ultrasound while we were there, and Lillian is in the 17th percentile for her weight/growth. This is a bit concerning because at the 10th percentile, that is when they diagnose you with intrauterine growth restriction(which in layman's terms means the baby is small). If she doesn't start growing like she should, and we get to this diagnosis, then they may go ahead and deliver because it can be better for the baby to go ahead and be on the outside at that point. So...what we learned from the ultrasound is that Lillian is small...but she still looks good (and she is still a girl - yes, I had her check again just to be sure since the nursery has been painted in various shades of lilac and lavender to match her bedding). She was moving good, stretching, and her heart was beating strong. Other reassuring factors were that her placenta still looked good, the amniotic fluid levels looked good, and the bloodflow to the cord looked good. So...there is nothing wrong structurally that would be causing her to have growth problems. They have scheduled me for a non-stress test this Thursday morning so we will be able to see Lillian's activity level and her heart rate associated with it. If her heart beats faster when she moves (lasting at least 15 seconds) at least two times during a 20 minute period, then everything will be considered normal. If this doesn't happen, then the test will be considered abnormal, and they may do some further testing. After this test on Thursday, I will be going back to the doctor for the next two Tuesday mornings for both an ultrasound and another non-stress test to monitor Lillian's growth, activity, and ability to thrive.

So that is it in a nutshell. We now have some other things to be concerned about besides preterm labor, but I am trusting God that Lillian is just going to be a petite little girl like I was when I was born. Please continue to remember all of us in your prayers as we face the uncertainties that lie ahead. God is good and I know that He is going to take care of us every step of the way. He has provided for us so far and I know that He will continue to do so. I talk a good talk, but please also pray specifically for me that I won't worry - I am such a worrier - it is one of the hardest areas I have to work through in my life. I am definitely more prone to worrying while I am on the couch or in the bed and not being able to keep myself busy doing other stuff...please pray that worry does not consume me and that I can be a strong woman of faith!

Thank you all for everything that you have done so far and continue to do for us.

Here are some pictures from the ultrasound....


Lillian's ear


Lillian was pouting in this one and her fingers are on her forehead


The white stuff is hair on her head.


Lillian's face


She may be small, but she has really big feet


Her second toe is half an inch long

It's not time yet, Lillian!

So...I can't focus for long periods of time so a blog of all that has occurred is going to be challenging. I am cutting and pasting an email from Kevin so that you can be kept informed of the most recent events. I will add the latest report from the doctor to the bottom.

"We came to the hospital Wednesday night because Ashley was having some minor but regular contractions. They gave her some medication (terbutaline) that stopped them and released us. She did fine Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon, until she got up to start getting ready for work. Then the contractions started back; this time there were a little more intense and regular. They told her to come in again and let the doctor take a look.

After about an hour of observation the doctor admitted her and said he wanted to watch her at least overnight. They gave her another shot of terbutaline but the contractions did not stop like for as long as they did before. After about another hour or so he decided to go ahead and give her magnesium and steroids to stop the contractions. Since she was at 33 weeks he didn't want them to go on any longer than they had to. He said he would want to watch her until at least Saturday.

This morning he came in and said everything is looking good. No major changes. He said he would most likely keep her until Sunday, and possible even until Monday morning. He also said if everything stays smooth while she's here, and he releases her Sun/Mon, and the contraction start back after that, she'll be at 34 weeks by then and they will not do anything to stop the contractions or delivery.

oh ... btw ... HAPPY NEW YEAR (from the very uncomfortable couch in room 3345) "

The latest report from the doctor is that I am still dilated between 1 and 2 cm but nothing has changed...this is what I have been since Thursday evening. I am on 2 grams of magnesium sulfate per hour via my iv and it makes me feel like crap. I have been super dizzy, but this morning, that appears to be waning. They gave me 2 shots of betamethasone 24 hours apart to help mature Lillian's lungs in the event delivery occurs soon. They are keeping me on the mag until at least 9:30 this evening to make sure that I get the full benefits of the steroid shots. They need at least 48 hours in my system to be effective in aiding in fetal lung maturity. Once they stop the mag tonight, it sounds like they are going to keep me here tomorrow to monitor me for contractions and then hopefully send me home on Monday. I do not get the impression that if the contractions return and things start happening, that they will delay Lillian's delivery at that point. I also got the impression that if anything like that were to occur it would most likely be a delivery by c-section. I am just praying that she will stay in and bake a little bit longer. If not, I do know that God is in control and that all happens for a reason. We will get through this and our happy little family will be better and our testimony will be stronger because of it.

Also, on a different note...while writing this blog, Kevin just called me from the road (he is on his way to West Virginia to pick up Sammy from his Christmas visit to Pennsylvania) and let me know that our step-grandmother passed away this morning. Please remember my mother-in-law and father-in-law, Brenda and Gary Atchley, and our whole family as arrangements are made and as we face this difficult time. Alma had been sick with congestive heart failure and some blood clots in her lungs, but she seemed to be on the mend. Kevin said she started having trouble breathing in the middle of the night and she passed away early this morning. She's not suffering any more, which helps ease the pain some, but it is still a difficult road to face.