Gratituesday

Today I am grateful that my baby decided to stay put until 36 weeks. God is so good, and now the baby will be healthy when he's born!

To see what others are grateful for today, or to participate visit: Heavenly Homemakers

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside My Window... Total darkness. It's 3:47 am.

I am thinking... That there is still so much stuff for me to get ready before Brennan comes.

I am thankful for... Friends & family. They have made my 3 weeks on bedrest manageable.

From the kitchen... Dishes in the sink...I finally get to do them myself! Yay!

I am wearing... A t-shirt and comfy maternity capris.

I am creating... Photobooks of Colin

I am going... Everywhere today! Stores, bank, post office, doctor's office...you name it, I'm going...and I'm excited!

I am reading... High Noon by Nora Roberts

I am hoping... That I get everything done that needs to be done before brennan makes his arrival.

I am hearing... The soft hum of the refrigerator.

Around the house... Peace & quiet...I only get that if I'm up in the middle of the night!

One of my favorite things... Diet Coke

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Doctor's visit, playdates, work, maybe get a pedicure (my toes are looking pretty funky!)

Here is picture thought I am sharing...It's a picture of me and my best friends Casey. Casey is one of the most generous, loving, giving & kind people that I know. She's a great friend, and I am so blessed to have her in my life!

Whoo-hoo...36 Weeks!

Yay! I made it to 36 weeks with this little boy! It's now a 'safe' time to deliver whenever he decides to come! I have an OB appointment today, and I'll let everyone know how it goes later today!

Thanks again for all of your prayers, meals, concern, care, comfort, e-mails, phone calls, texts, messages, comments, cleaning, etc., during my time on bedrest. You all helped me get through it, and it is appreciated more than you know!

My Baby Shower

Today my mom and sister threw me a baby shower. It was originally supposed to be September 13, but since I had the whole pre-term labor thing going on, it was postponed until today! They did an awesome job with the theme and decorating. I had soooo much fun! I have some awesome friends and family, and I am (and Brennan!) definitely spoiled! The rest of the pictures are on my smugmug!

Happy Birthday Casey!

I just want to wish my best friend a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know you are stuck on bedrest and won't get to do much, but I hope that you have a blessed day anyway!

OB Visit

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned about having had contractions on and off for a few days. Well, they continued yesterday, so I decided that I should probably call my doctor again and insist on being checked.

I had another NST (the baby looked great!). My OB told me that she did see a bunch of 'uterine irritability'...not full out contractions (but I knew that b/c I wasn't feeling any by the time I went to the appointment).

I'm still 2-3cm dilated and 50% effaced. OB told me that she thinks that I'll make it to at least 36 1/2 -37 weeks.

My baby shower is tomorrow and then Sunday is my last day of bedrest. I'm super excited!

Picture Perfect Thursday

I'm starting a weekly thread. Hopefully some people will catch on and participate! It's called Picture Perfect Thursday. Basically, I just want you to link (at the bottom of the page) to your blog entry where you post a picture and why it's 'perfect'...to you! Feel free to leave comments as well.

Here is my very first one!

This is my son Colin showing love to his unborn brother Brennan. He was just about to kiss my belly, and it just shows his sweet innocence!

Fun Filled Day of Contractions

Yesterday was a trying day for me. I started feeling some contractions here and there Tuesday night before going to bed. I woke up Wednesday morning at 3:00 am with contractions that lasted for about 1 1/2 hours that were about 4 minutes apart. After that, they tapered off a bit, and I didn't have anymore after about 9:00 am.
The doctor wasn't too concerned b/c they went away.

I had some more last night. Started at about 8:30, about 4 minutes apart, and lasted for about 1 hour.

This morning, they started again at about 6:15ish, again 4 minutes apart. Miguel got me some water to drink, and I laid down for a bit. This time they lasted only about 30 minutes or so.

When is this gonna end? Oh, yeah, when the baby is actually born...I only have to keep him in 4 more days. We can do this!

**Updated @ 10:35** - They've started up again here and there, but nothing steady. I'll see the doctor this afternoon to determine whether or not I've had anymore cervical changes.

Today's OB Appointment

I was supposed to be scheduled for a BPP & NST, and then a doctor's visit. Well, somehow, they forgot to schedule the BPP, so the tech. asked the doctor, and she said not to worry about it. I was bummed b/c I like seeing him!

I went into the exam room and had the NST done. Everything turned out great for that.

The doctor came in after the NST and I told her about me being sick yesterday and she immediately became concerned that I might have been in labor. She said that diarrhea is associated with labor, and since no one else in the house was sick, she wanted to check my cervix just to make sure that I'm not progressing anymore. She then measured my fundal height, and once again, I am measuring small. I measured 33cm when I should be measuring 35cm. So, she decided to go ahead and have me have the sono today anyway to check his growth rate.

The OB checked my cervix and said that I still feel like a 2 (but she didn't seem so convinced. I think I am a little more than that). She also said that my cervix is thin. It was measuring 15mm when I was in the hospital, and she said that it still feel like that, but she can stretch it thinner if she wanted too...which means that I have a "favorable" cervix for delivery.

After all of that I went and had the sono done. Baby is measuring 34 weeks, and I am 35 weeks. He weighs approximately 4lbs. 15oz. The doctor isn't concerned about the 1 weeks growth discrepancy. She said that you can go 3 weeks up or down.

I can stop taking the contraction medication on Sunday, and I have another appointment with her on Monday. At that time she will release me from bedrest! Yay! I plan on returning to work on Tuesday! I'm so excited!

Not Much To Report...

Not a whole lot going on over here. I'm currently 34 weeks 5 days. I'll turn 35 weeks on Monday. Yay! That means only 1 more week of bedrest.

I must say that our family and friends have been GREAT. You really see who cares about you when you are in a time of need...and everyone in our family has gone above and beyond for us. I belong to a couple of great moms groups, and women I haven't even had the chance to meet before have brought us dinners. Friends have been great also! It's just amazing to see everyone pull together and go out of their way to help. I honestly don't know how I'll ever be able to re-pay everyone for everything they've done for us over the past 2 weeks (so far, 1 week to go). Literally, we have had someone bring us dinner every night for 2 weeks, and will have dinners brought for 1 more week. It just blows my mind.

So, a HUGE public THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us. Miguel and I appreciate it more than you know, and I hope that someday I can re-pay you in a time of need.

A Day In the Life of Kristen...on Bedrest

8:00 - 8:30 am - wake up, have breakfast (cereal...has to be something quick to prepare)
8:30 - 9:00 am - brush teeth & hair, get dressed (for what? IDK), check e-mail, surf a little
9:00 - 10:00 am - head to moms house (so I'm not completely alone), say hi to Colin, watch tv
10:00 - 11:00 am - watch tv, listen as Colin tells me about his mid-morning snack
11:00 am - 12:00 pm - watch tv, convince myself that daytime tv does not suck the big one (oh, but it does!)
12:00 - 1:00 pm - watch tv, listen to Colin tell his nanny about his lunch, eat lunch, wait for the Colin to take a nap (I'm drained by him even when I'm not taking care of him!)
1:00 - 2:00 pm - Whew - Colin is napping! Watch tv, and hopefully take a nap (b/c I'm so tired...of what? watching tv?)
2:00 - 3:00 pm - wake up from my nap sometime in here b/c Colin will be awake soon, watch tv
3:00 - 4:00 pm - watch tv (you think it's getting old yet?)
4:00 - 5:00 pm - watch Judge Judy (at least something half way decent is on now)
5:00 - 6:00 pm - head home (while Colin is still at nanny's), watch tv at home, wait for dinner to be delivered by either awesome family, or awesome friends.
6:00 - 7:00 pm - watch tv, surf, check e-mail, count down the minutes until Miguel gets out of work
7:00 - 8:00 pm - eat dinner, spend time with Miguel and Colin
8:00 - 9:00 pm - watch tv, wish that I had a hobby (or a good book!)
9:00 - 10:00 pm - surf, check e-mail, wish that I was tired
10:00 - 11:00 pm - pray that I start getting tired soon (stupid mid-afternoon naps!), surf, check e-mail
11:00 - 11:45 pm - go to bed even though I'm not tired and just lay there thinking about how I get to do it all over again tomorrow.

Today's Update on Baby/Kristen

I saw my OB today. I had a NST (non stress test) done. Basically, they hook me up to the monitors and watch for fetal heart rate acceleration and also watch to see if I had any contractions. The baby did great! I also had a BPP (biophysical profile), which is a sonogram to measure the baby's breathing reflex, amount of amniotic fluid, heart rate, and movements. He scored an 8/8, so that's good news too!

The bad news is that my OB wants me to stay on strict bedrest for the next 2 weeks until I am 36 weeks. I'm not happy about that...and for those of you who know me well, know that I am always on the go. This sitting/laying down stuff is killing me...but, if it will keep baby in, that's what I'll have to do. I think that the not cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Colin are the hardest on me. I never realized how much I enjoyed doing those things until I can't do them anymore.

Miguel is doing so wonderful! He's totally picking up all of my slack on top of working. I know it's draining him, though.

I'll see my OB again next Tuesday (I'll see her weekly now) for another NST & BPP, and will update again if anything changes.

We would definitely still appreciate your prayers. Baby needs to stay in for 2 more weeks!

Whoo-hoo...Made it to 34 Weeks!

Yay! Today I am 34 weeks! We made it to a 'safer' time to deliver! I'm am hoping to keep baby boy in for at least 2 more weeks, b/c 36 weeks is much much safer than 34, but I am so happy that we made it to 34 weeks!

I have an appointment in the early afternoon, and I'll update as soon as I get back. I'm going to be having an NST & BPP done, and possibly a sonogram.

I Have the Best Family Ever!

I just wanted to put up a quick post on how awesome my family is!

Everyone has been so helpful with me being on bedrest! Frances & Felix made a yummy dinner for us on Thursday. My mom has had me and Colin at her house now for 2 days waiting on us hand and foot while Miguel took care of some things. Today Richie painted Colin's new room, so it'll be ready soon for him to move into. Whitney came over and helped prepare a few freezable meals for when we run out of food! Danny & Rossilyn brought us a really yummy dinner. We love all of you so much and we are so grateful to all of you!

Awesome Husband, Great Family

I just had to put up a quick post bragging on my hubby and family!

First and foremost, Miguel has been so wonderfully amazing these past few days! He has really stepped up and picked up all of my "slack". He's doing everything...taking care of Colin, working, cleaning. He's so awesome! I know he's under so much stress right now, and he has just been so amazing!

Also, our family has been great too! Everyone has been so helpful starting from bringing me basic toiletries and entertainment to the hospital, to making food for us, for watching Colin and planning to finish getting Colin's new room ready by this weekend. Everyone has been so helpful, loving, and both Miguel and I are so grateful to everyone!

Praise God that we have so many people that care about us!

Another Update on Baby Boy/Kristen

Good news! I got to come home from the hospital tonight! I just got home little while ago, and I already feel so much better! There is no place like home!

So, I am on strict bedrest until Monday. I have to call the office tomorrow to make an appointment to be seen on Monday. If all goes well at the appointment, they may switch me to a modified bedrest for 2 weeks.

I still need to take Procardia...the medicine to keep the contractions gone, which kind of stinks b/c I don't like the way it makes my body feel. I get all flushed and hot. I feel palpitations in my chest. I have a hard time breathing, and I feel like I'm about to go into a panic attack. I also get a severe migraine from it. These side effects last for several hours after I take the medication. She wrote me for a pain medicine for the migraines, which seems to be helping some. Miguel is actually at the pharmacy right now picking up the prescriptions for me.

So, that's the news for right now!

New Blog Layout...Because I'm Bored

So sitting in the hospital on bedrest really isn't any fun.

I woke up this morning at 4:30, and that was after going to sleep sometime after 11:30 last night.

I felt inspired to create a new blog template. I like the look, but I always have trouble getting my title bar to match the width of the columns...help! Usually Miguel helps me fix the problem, but he's got his hands full right now. So, for now, I'll just have an ugly title bar until I can figure it out...which I probably won't considering I have this problem every time!

Update on Baby Boy Pacheco & Kristen

This is going to be a long post, so bear with me...

Well, in my last post, I talk about out eventful weekend at labor & delivery.

So, I went to my doctors appointment on Monday. I had a sonogram, and the baby looks great! They are estimating that he weighs 4lbs. 6 oz. We were feeling good!

Then I woke up at 1:30 am Tuesday morning with nausea, abdominal cramping and just a yucky feeling. I finally fell back to sleep around 3:30. I then awoke again at 5:45 with contractions that were not severe, but definitely uncomfortable. I waited for a while to wake Miguel thinking that they were just Braxton-Hicks. I finally told him at 6:15 that I had been having them every 4 minutes consistently for over 30 minutes. I called into work, told them that I wouldn't make it in, and laid in bed until 7:30 when I called my OB's office. They told me that there weren't going to be any doctors in the office until after lunch, so I should head over to L&D.

Miguel and my mom insisted that I head straight to L&D, but hard-headed me decided to try and wait it out. The contractions lessened, but never stopped. I finally gave in (mostly to appease my mom and Miguel), and went to L&D. As soon as they hooked me up to the monitor, they saw the contractions.

A little while later one of the doctors in my OB's practice came in to see me. She checked my cervix and told me that I was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Not good :(

The ordered a sonogram from a high risk OB doctor (the one who did my sonogram when I was 12 weeks) and he told me that my cervix is very thin and the baby is very low. He estimated that the baby weighs 4lbs. 3oz.

Next thing I knew, the OB was back in the room telling me that technically I am in preterm labor since I've had cervical changes. She told me that I had to spend the night (which has now turned into at least 2 nights) at the hospital so they can monitor the baby and my contractions.

They started me on PCN, an antibiotic every 4 hours to prevent baby from getting a strep infection in case he's born early. The also gave me 2 shots of steroid to to help mature "rev up" his lungs since they are still immature in case he comes early. The are also giving me a dose or Procardia (a blood pressure medication, but apparently works to stop contractions as well) daily. I got my first dose of that yesterday afternoon, and the contractions dwindled. The last one that I felt was around 10:00 pm last night. Yay! The medicine is working.

I waited all day for my OB to come in and see me today and send me home...but that didn't happen. She finally saw me at 7:30 this evening and told me that she definitely wants to keep me until late tomorrow afternoon, but that she may decide to keep me until I turn 34 weeks (Monday). I am pushing her to let me go home tomorrow, but she is concerned about me being on STRICT bedrest. Strict bedrest meaning: no cooking, no cleaning, no taking care of Colin. Basically all I can do is lay in bed and take 1 shower per day and bathroom breaks. That's it.

I guess that I am doing okay. I am a stressed that I won't get to work for as long as i had originally planned, that I can't clean my house, cook for my husband or take care of my child. I am trying to mentally prepare for that for when I go home. It's going to be so hard.

Miguel has been great through all of this so far. He is the best husband/father that anyone could ask for. He has totally stepped up to the plate and taken over all of my duties on top of his. He's so wonderful!

It's going to be a long road...but if we can keep baby boy in for another 2 2/1 weeks, he'll most likely be healthy enough to come home with us after birth and avoid the NICU.

I want to thank everyone for all of your prayers, thoughts, concerns, visit, e-mails, texts, & phone calls. They mean the world to me to know that so many people care for me...and us. I can't thank you all enough. I'd like to ask for your continued prayers. I know that prayer works, and that God is good and can do anything!

Eventful Weekend

Well, it all star6ted on Thursday at my 32 week OB appointment. Baby's HR was 122, normal, but on the low end. Also, I was measuring 2 1/2 cm small then I should have, so basically, I didn't have any growth from my last appointment 2 1/2 weeks earlier. I also hadn't gained any weight from my last appointment. They scheduled a sonogram for tomorrow to check the size of the baby.

On Saturday I wasn't feeling quite right all day long. I was also very very tired. in the mid afternoon, I started having fairly regular, frequent contractions while we were at our Pastor's house in Arlington. I called and spoke to my OB who told me is sounded like contractions and that I should head to L&D to get checked out. We packed up and made the hour car ride to Frisco, and by the time that we got to the hospital, the contractions had lessened. They hooked me up to a monitor and they did see some contractions, so they gave me a shot of terbutaline to stop them...which it did, thank God. They also did a test...fetal fibrinogin...to determine if they thought I would deliver within the next 2 weeks. That test came back negative, so there is a 99% chance that I will NOT deliver within the next 14 days. They sent me home and told me to rest. Hehehe, rest with a 2 year old and a shift at the local ER? I don't think so.

I'm fine now, and I have a follow up OB appointment with a sonogram tomorrow, so I'll update after that.

Pregnancy Portraits

Frances took some awesome pregnancy portraits of me last Thursday. The rest are on my smugmug.

This Describes Me Perfectly...

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have low extroversion. You are quiet and reserved in most social situations. A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you. You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people. Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have low agreeableness. Your self interest comes first, and others come later, if at all. In general, you feel that people are not to be trusted. And you're skeptical that anyone else really feels differently. Neuroticism: You have high neuroticism. It's easy for you to feel shaken, worried, or depressed. You often worry, and your worries prevent you from living life fully. You tend to be emotionally reactive and moody. Your either flying very high or feeling very low. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is low. You're a pretty conservative person, and you favor what's socially acceptable. You think that change for novelty's sake is a very bad idea. While some may see this as boring, many see you as dependable and wise.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Colin's Second Birthday Party

Yesterday we celebrated Colin's 2nd birthday with a Little Einsteins themed party. The Little Einsteins are currently his favorite show and he was amazed and excited to have so many Einsteins things around him. Some of his very best friends attended as well as most of his family. He got tons of gifts and is so grateful for each one! Everyone was so generous! Here are a few pictures of the day:

Colin's awesome Rocket cake!

Colins sitting on his "Rocket" chair. Thanks Nanny!
Colin & Mommy
Colin blowing out the candles!