Rest

As of Tuesday, the doctors decided it was necessary for me to be on bed rest...
We went in Tuesday morning for a growth ultrasound and the (now routine) check up. The ultrasound was good - the baby is doing very well, she is healthy and all the measurements show her right in the middle, the 49th percentile, for growth. They estimated her weight to be 2 lbs. 11 oz. She's definitely active and moving around more these days. However, the doctor said I've begun dilating and with the cervix shortening and funnelling open from the inside it adds more risk of preterm labor and ruptured membranes. So, down I go. I tried to wrap up everything at work as quickly as possible and get home to serve out my sentence. Luckily, I have a great companion to keep me company during the day - that would be Ruby :)
So far I haven't gone too crazy. I have quite a few books and there's always daytime TV (ok, so I've avoided the hideous daytime TV thus far, but maybe I'll tune in to A Baby Story...or some other women's channel I'll never get Dan to watch!)
I'm sure I'll be checking back in soon... to keep everyone posted and maybe add a belly shot for kicks. :)

Hard at Work

Ruby in the snow - April 12!

So, we finally are getting some spring weather despite the snow on Easter. The snow is gone and it was actually a nice day out today - the sun was out, there was little to no breeze and it may have even been close to 60 degrees :)
Dan and I headed to the doctors today to check in and see how things are moving along. Unfortunately, I'd lost a little ground - nothing they were too alarmed about, but they did recommend a course of steroids to help the baby along. The doctor reassured us that it's a precautionary measure - an insurance of sorts - just to be sure the baby will be as healthy and developed as possible if she decides to make an early entry. I'm currently 27 weeks and 3 days - we are thankful that I've gotten this far without any further issues. They said 28 weeks is a good milestone - survival rates increase significantly at that point and the next one is 32 weeks - chances of neurological and vision problems significantly decrease after 32 weeks. We're still praying for 38-40.

The baby has been extremely active this past week - I find myself staring at my belly at times to see how much she's moving around. I swear she's dancing around in there at times and I think the more she moves around the more tired I am at the end of a day. I've definitely noticed that fatigue sets in early and with a vengence!

Dan finished assembling the crib last week and so the room is definitely moving towards completion. Plus, we acquired a changing table from Dan's sister Colleen that fits nicely on the dresser in the room.

27 Weeks

As anyone that knows Dan also knows that he has a hard time parting with his cars. Dan's had his 93' Olds convertible since it was new but we've hardly driven it the past few years so last summer he put it up for sale.

He admits himself that it didn't make any sense to pay for insurance when we only put 600 miles on the car in that past two years. But at the same time, the car was in such great shape that he had a hard time letting it go to just anyone (most people were not willing to pay more than the bluebook value, but Dan held his price, knowing that eventually the right buyer would come along). So it took 10 months to find the right person that could appreciate the way the car had been cared for, and this past weekend the car left in the hands of it's new owner. This is the photo he snapped as it drove away for the last time.

Easter

Most of the time people think of Easter and they think of new life and signs of spring.... warmer weather, green landscape, flowers opening... Well, I honestly don't know how those images continue to thrive in Michigan. It's cold, there is snow on the ground and the daffodils are slumped over in a pathetic surrender to the return of winter. The only thing green around here is the nursery!!! Yep, Dan has definitely stuck to his regiment and got the nursery all painted this week despite having double dog duty and a wife relaxing on the couch. Next up: crib assembly :)

...and we added the light switch cover just to make it feel truly like the baby's room!

How things are shaping up...

Well, it's been an interesting past couple weeks...
Now that the closet is done, Dan's been working on the soon-to-be nursery :) The guest room is currently blue - not only is it a little on the dark side for baby time, but what can I say... you can't have a blue room for a baby girl! I've thrown in a couple 'before' pictures to start off this project.

Ready for primer!!

Then there are the doctors appointments; I think Dan's done well explaining how things are going. The doctors have really been great - they do a great job explaining what they are looking for (and at) and what options or potential issues we may face depending on how things progress. I feel like they're taking good care of us. Plus, the ultra sound technician is wonderful - every time we're in she sneaks in a look at the baby and will print off a profile shot if she can get one. It really is amazing to get to "check in" with baby every week.
Outside of the doctors office, I've been trying to stay focused on work and stay off my feet when I'm home. During the week it seems easy to get home, do dinner and be lazy on the couch(only because Dan's been great about getting everything else done!) The weekends are a little more challenging - especially with the nice weather rolling in. I am enjoying feeling the baby kick around. I don't feel her a lot yet, but there are a couple times in the day where she's pretty active and every once in awhile I get a good solid kick (or punch?). I can definitely feel her from the outside but, with her movements being so sparatic, it's hard for Dan to feel her yet.

OH....AND we're dog sitting for the neighbors! It was chaos the first day or so, but Ruby LOVES having a buddy around to pester...and Dan has done a good job wearing them out so they are a little more calm when they're in the house.
Enjoy the pics...time for some more R&R!

Week 24

Week 25

Ruby with Murphy(the neighbor dog) ....and doing tricks for Dan

What's Up Doc?

So last Friday (3/23/07) Michelle had another appointment with the specialist and the ultrasound showed that the baby is growing at a normal rate. They checked her all out again and everything looks to be developing very well. They even ran an estimate on her weight... 1 lb. 7 oz :) However, there was some bad news with the good, Michelle’s cervix is getting shorter (I hope that’s not too much information for anyone). Anyway, he really emphasized that she had to stay off her feet as much as possible, and anybody that knows Michelle knows that is a challenge for her. The doctor wanted to consult with Michelle’s OBGYN to decide if she needed to go to bed-rest. Well, they finally called back on Tuesday and said she could continue with her “modified bed rest" (which means as much time as possible lying down, she could still sit at her desk at work, but not much more than that). Today we went back again and the ultrasound was not showing up as well as they would like. They said there was some sort of local contraction occurring right where they wanted to measure and thus it did not allow them to get an accurate measurement. So we go in again on Tuesday (4/2/07). The doctor warned us that if the cervix has shortened any more from where it was on 3/23/07 they would administer an injection of steroids to start giving the lungs a little “jump start”. He assured us that it is totally safe and would be out of Michelle’s body within 24 hours yet would continue to help baby along for the next 3-4 weeks. Every indication that he’s given us so far is that this kid wants to get out early. He said our ultimate goal is to keep her in there until week 30, that’s 5 more weeks.

On a lighter note, the cedar closet is complete and is beginning to become populated. I moved the bed out of the spare bedroom and now I’ve begun patching nail holes and repairing a few cracks in the plaster (prep work for primer). The goal is to wash down the walls and mask off the floor/trim Tomorrow (Saturday) and apply primer on Sunday. Then hopefully I can paint the walls during the week or at the latest next Friday (depending on doctor’s appointments and such). And finally paint any trim over the remainder of Easter weekend, by which time one of us should be able to supply another progress report.

Until then, Happy Easter.

Dan

March 20, 2007

Well, first of all, I should say that we visited the doctor last Friday (3/16) and there has been no change in my condition....which is good. No bed rest!!! I never thought I'd be so excited to "get to" go to work. Anyway, I still can be seen meandering around a grocery store or hopping in the car for a quick trip to the gas station or out to see some friends. We have a growth ultrasound scheduled for this coming Friday where they will check me out again and make sure the condition has stabilized. If so, I get to wait 2 whole weeks before I go back for another check up. It's like time off for good behaviour. Just to keep you all in tune with how large I'm getting on the couch - here's the latest "belly shots"

This first one is me at 22 weeks:

....and here's a week later....

I have to say that with all my couch time - Dan's been really helpful AND has got the closet all wrapped up. :) Time to start the next project.... no, not a new engine for the jeep...the nursery!

But, not to worry, Dan still finds time to hang out on the couch with his little girl...Ruby, that is....

March 14, 2007

Michelle has a condition that makes the doctors want to keep a close eye on things and thus they do ultrasounds every couple weeks, but to this point they encourage her to stay active, continue exercise as long as she keeps her heart rate under control. So she has continued exercising, she’s been taking a prenatal yoga class, she has continued jogging on the treadmill (while wearing a heart rate monitor and keeping below her lactic threshold), and has even found time to take Ruby on a walks several times every week.
Well last Friday she had a visit with the doctor and they did another ultrasound. From the ultrasound they saw some progress that they did not like real well, and as such they suggested that she take it really easy for the next week to see if this progression continues. They told her to try to stay off her feet. No Yoga, no jogging, no walking the dog, no lifting objects, no laundry, no vacuuming the carpet (pretty much no activity). So this week has been a challenge for her. Basically the doctors want to see if when she stops the high level of activity if the undesirable progress also stops. If so it’s simple, she just has to take it easy for a while, if not, she’ll be ordered to bed rest. She’s got another appointment this Friday to get the verdict, hopefully that goes well. In the mean time I nearly finished the closet project. The drywall is hung and I’ve also finished the walls with a cedar lining. I went to Home Depot last night to get shelving and hanger rods but they either do not carry the stuff I want or they were out, we then went to Menards and found the right stuff but they were out of the mounting hardware and the store closed before I could ask anyone any questions. So as it works out I’ll be heading back to Menards this weekend and hopefully put the finishing touches on the closet so I can begin the baby’s room.