Its been an interesting couple of days...

Not bad at all...just interesting. I think I might survive being in charge of Vacation Bible School. I almost have all my volunteers lined up and I have just about everything else in line. Its still driving me crazy but it looks like it might actually come together.

And, yesterday Marty (my oldest) had on a red tie-dyed shirt my mom bought for him. Well, evidently, whoever made thsi shirt did NOT rinse the excess dye out before they sold it. Marty and Joey got into a water battle outside and, by the time they were done, Marty's shirt had bled red dye all over his body. Marty looked like he had the world's worst sunburn (pics to come later).


Finally, I got THE BEST NEWS today!!! Remember how I asked you to pray for my friend Pam. Well, it seems like those prayers are working. On Thursday, her hcg levels were in the 6000+ range. As of this morning, her levels are up over 17,000. They haven't repeated the u/s yet (I think that is scheduled for Wednesday) but, with her hcg levels doubling at about a *64 hour rate, evrything else looks PERFECT at this point. YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY

*remember, after you hit 6000, doubling times slow down SIGNIFICANTLY

Please say a prayer for my friend Pam...

I just got a call from her and it appears that she is going through yet another miscarriage. My heart is breaking for her. I am so very sad.


***Updated to say that Pam's bloodwork shows her hcg levels have more than doubled...but her u/s yesterday didn't show a yolk sac or fetal pole. Please say lots of prayers that this is just a slow starter and that the next u/s shows a beating heart.

I took a HUGE emotional step regarding this pregnancy...

I post to a cross stitch board over on iVillage. I've been there for over 4 yrs and those ladies have been an anchor for my sanity through our infertility problems. Last night, I finally added my due date and a pregnancy ticker to my signature line.

I know some of you are probably thinking..."Whats the big deal?" Well, for me, adding that info was a huge step in admitting I am really and truly pregnant and that its beginning to look like its going to happen. I was able to tell everyone there quite some time ago about the pregnancy but I hadn't been able to put that info (due date) in a form that would stare me in the face every time I visited that board. The last time I added info like that was when I was pregnant with Eva last summer and, within a week of adding it, we had lost her. It still kind of scares me that I added my current due date to my signature line.

And, my due date is 12/8...I am 15 weeks 5 days today.

Back from the OBs...YAY...

The appointment went well. My BP was a bit better but still elevated (but it isn't elevated away from the OBs office). As soon as the doc got the doppler out, I spiked my heart rate way up...guess I was fooling myself into thinking I was calm...LOL. Because of that, he was having trouble telling if he was hearing my heartbeat or the munchkins...so he pulled out the portable u/s machine. I didn't get any pics but I got a quick peak at BABY. The heart was thumping away and everything looked good. My big u/s is scheduled for the afternoon of July 19th.

Also, because I have a history of pre-eclampsia (when pregnant with Marty) and I've had elevated pressure at my appointments, my doc is having me do a 24 hour urine collection just to give us a baseline to work with as the pregnancy progresses. Its a PITA but I will admit it makes me feel good that he is being so thorough.

Finally, I told the doc that I would agree to a scheduled c-section and quit bugging him about a VBAC if he would solemnly promise me two things...1) I would not have to have my arms strapped down while in surgery & 2) that I could be the first one to hold this baby. He said he didn't see why not. He said he would gladly leave my arms unstrapped as long as I promised not to reach down...LOL...no chance of me doing that.

Sooooo, it looks like I'm really having a baby...barring any disasters.

Oh yeah, we told the boys this afternoon and they both started cheering.

And, I am officially 10 pounds UNDER my starting weight.

My hubby is such a sweetheart...

I had forgotten that when I'm pregnant I shouldn't mention how much I want something too loudly. Saturday night I went searching in our pantry for pink lemonade. Why it had to be pink lemonade, I don't know. All I knew was I was tired of soda, water, and milk. I wanted something tart. Of course, I didn't find any. And, I thought I was muttering under my breath when I said "why would I expect there to be any just because I want some" but I must have been louder than I thought. Vic heard me and asked what I was looking for and immediately offered to stop what he was doing and go buy me the mix for it. I love my hubby...I know he's a great guy...and things like this continually reaffirm it.

As for other pregnancy updates, I have an appointment tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I get home.

Sorry its been so long since I updated. I got hit with the mother of all migraines this Sunday. It lasted almost 24 hours...and, yes, I was taking my meds for it. They just didn't make a dent in it. I have never had a migraine last that long or send me running to the bathroom that many times. UGH. At least the migraines haven't been as frequent now that I'm out of the first trimester.

Not much to update here...

all seems to be calm on the pregnancy front. My bruised belly is getting bigger while I still manage to lose weight. I've lost another 3 pounds since my OB appointment 2 1/2 weeks ago.

I am finally back among the land of the living. That lovely cold my son gave me became bronchitis and it was kicking my butt. I went to my regular doc last Friday and got the antibiotics that were necessary to get rid of the bronchitis (thats when I found out I'd lost 3 more pounds). I am almost completely over the coughing and hacking...Thank God...and should be back to regular posting.

A HUGE THANKS to sweetisu, Jen P, Ana, the Barrenness, anonymous (was that you Penny?), Marivic, Jenn, and Angela for offering their opions on VBAC vs. sceduled c-section. I'm still pondering the question but will let you know my decision as soon as its made.