My first experience with triage...

Today I am 35w6d pregnant. I had my 2nd OB appt here in AZ today, and Mark and our doula, Julie were with me. We had planned on taking a tour of the hospital after our 4pm OB appt.

Got to the OB appt, peed in the cup (and actually hit it!), got weighed (didn't gain anything this week), and then got my BP taken.... It was 151/115. Yikes. I was hoping it would be lower since I didn't feel nervous but obviously I was. So the nurse took it again, and it was something high again over 105... Still way too high. So Dr. Branaman comes in and checks me and I'm 4 and a 1/2 cm dilated, and about a -3 (still not sure what that means - something to do with how low the baby's head is) and 60% effaced. And then she said she was worried about my BP and asked that we go to triage so they could check me out more. At first she said that she wanted us to go straight there and skip our hospital tour, but they took my BP one more time before we left and it was in the normal range, so she said we could go to triage after our tour. (I should add that she said she's especially nervous about this bc they had a patient (mother) die of eclampsia last week and she just didn't want to take the risk.)

I was thinking the hospital tour was going to make me nervous, but it really didn't at all. Our talk with the triage nurse made me WAY more nervous, but more on that later. The hospital seems nice and they seem to have most of the things I'm wanting for the birth (birthing balls, squat bars, mirrors, etc) and they said they do everything to the baby in the room with you if everything goes okay, so that was encouraging too. We'd told the tour guide that we had to go to triage after the tour, and she tried to make us go before, but we assured her that my dr had said that we could do the tour first. During the tour she kept asking if I was okay, and when she took us down to triage after the tour she asked Mark to call her tomorrow and let her know how things went. I thought that was sweet.

So we got to triage around 6:15pm. I had to pee in a cup (hit it again!!), and then I got hooked up to the fetal monitor and the contraction monitor and the pulse rate monitor and the blood pressure machine, and I had to lay on my left side the whole time. That was pretty uncomfortable bc I was bending kinda weird and my ribs started hurting. But I survived. Then the girl came in to take my blood so they could check my kidney and liver functions and she had a hard time finding my vein (partially bc I was dehydrated). Finally she found it and it took FOREVER for my blood to fill up the little thinger. Then when she was putting the blood in the other little vials a clot clogged the needle so she had to poke me again! Grrr! So she took it out of my hand vein and that kinda hurt, moreso than the arm one, but the arm one was uncomfortable since she kept it in so long and kept moving it. Oh well. Again, I survived. They determined that my BP was okay (not great, but okay), and my blood tests and pee tests both came back fine, so they finally let us go around 9:15pm. I felt terrible that Julie was stuck out with us for that long. (She rode with us.)

I think in general, the hospital visit will help in the future, especially since I got the special tour of the triage area. I feel like I know a little more of what to expect now. The thing that did make me worry is that I've been having contractions, and I had NO clue I was. They said I was having them about 10-15 mins apart, but I honestly haven't felt anything. I guess I should say I haven't felt anything painful. The top of my stomach gets hard sometimes, but I really thought that was just her butt or foot or something pushing up, but apparently some of those were probably contractions. I felt one when we were there, where everything got a little hard, but still didn't hurt at all, and the monitor verified that it was a contraction. Now I think everything I feel is a contraction. The other thing that made me worry more than anything else was when I asked the triage nurse (Jen) about having high BP during labor. I'm almost 100% positive that my BP will be high then next time I'm in traige, bc I'll be in labor, and I'll be nervous, and I'll be at the hospital. That's the recipe for my high BP. She said if it's high and the dr's are nervous, they'll make me lay on my left side and keep me on continuous monitoring during my entire labor, which means I'm not going to be able to move around to deal with the pain like I had hoped. I'm not sure I'll be able to do a drug free labor if I'm confined to a bed, on my left side, the entire time. She said even if they do the blood tests and pee tests and everything comes back normal, the dr might still want me on continuous BP monitoring. That'll really throw a wrench into our plans. I'm going to talk to Dr Branaman next week at my appt.

Anyway, that was enough excitement for me for one day... or one week. Mark starts training on Thursday, and everyone seems to think she's going to be early - as in the next week or two - so I don't know. I'd really like to make it to 37 weeks, which is next Wednesday, but we'll see. I'm exhausted now and my head hurts bc my neck is out of whack from laying there for 3 hours, so I'm off to bed. We'll keep you updated! (And I'm not proofing this, so sorry if there are tons of mistakes.)

Baby stuff

Here are some pictures of the baby's room and other things we got her.

South side of her room. (Ollie wanted to be in the picture too.)



View from the closet



View from the doorway. (We decided to forego a bedding set since we got so many hand made blankets for her at the shower.)



Her swing



In true Mark and Monica fashion, we had to try a few things out on the weina dogs....

He would have stayed like this all day. I'm fairly certain Ollie thinks this stuff is for him...

They both enjoyed a ride in the stroller around the kitchen. We'd take them for a stroll in the neighborhood, but we didn't want our neighbors to think we are weird.

They weren't in any hurry to get out of it, especially Ollie. He loved it!

Some of her clothes - Mark says she already has more than he does, which could be true..

The only things we really have left to get are a baby monitor and a breast pump. Other than that, I think we're set. The diaper bag I ordered for her should be here soon. I'm excited about my appt on Tuesday - hopefully I'll be even more dilated!

A few house pictures

Here are a few pictures of our house. Naturally, they're in backwards order since I ALWAYS forget that blogger posts them opposite of how you select them. Oops. But you'll get the general idea anyway.

Here's the guest bedroom.


View of the living room from upstairs



My crap, I mean, craft closet, off of the study/ 2nd guest bedroom



Study/ 2nd guest bedroom - that's our new sleeper sofa couch!




Half of our master walk-in closet




Master bathroom (it didn't look this messy when I was taking the pictures, but I guess it was... oops!) Door on the left is a linen closet, door on the right is the toilet.

Master bedroom (view from master bath)

Master bedroom again (view from doorway)

Guest bathroom upstairs

Backyard (The weinas are hilarious bc they think the bricks are their little sidewalk and they pretty much only walk on the bricks unless they're in the yard going potty. Too funny!)

View of the neighborhood at sunset.

Front of the house (and my mom and Sadie)

So that's most of the house. I still haven't taken pictures of the den/dining room/ kitchen bc that's where most of our junk is still laying around. We don't have many pictures up yet either, but we're getting there. We finished the nursery at 11:30pm on Thursday, so I'll post pics of that next.

Productive afternoon

I got quite a bit done today. ... Well I guess I should say that I got quite a bit done today, considering I'm 8+ mos pregnant. I did laundry (AND folded it AND put it all away), and cleaned the kitchen and the master bathroom. I've been having quite a bit of pelvic pain again, and I'm absolutely exhausted! I lay down with the intention of reading for a little bit, and I zonk out almost immediately. I guess I might as well take advantage of being able to nap while I can.

Mark went onto base for a little while to finish some in-processing, and then we went to Wal-Mart to finish up some baby shopping. We needed to get her crib mattress and mattress cover, and we also got her a humidifier and diapers and more wipes and a first aid kit and a few other things. Wandering around Wal-Mart is exhausting now. It completely wore me out. Luckily Mark patiently waits for me to waddle around. As we were checking out, the check out lady felt inclined to tell us all about her births of her 2 kids and how her second one was hard and she was due May 25, but her kid came on the 11th because they had to induce her bc the "afterbirth" came out first and she ended up needing a c-section and then she got her tubes tied, etc. (Apparently I was listening pretty well.) I find it hilarious that people you don't even know tell you all about their birth experiences. After we left, Mark was like "Lady, I don't even know your name! I don't want to hear all about your "afterbirth" coming out." LOL!!

**Side note, when we got to Wal-Mart, we parked next to a van, and I noticed a dog was in this van. It REALLY bothered me to see this poor animal in a van in 95 degree weather. The front windows were cracked MAYBE a half an inch and the very back side windows were open, but still, I just feel like that's completely inhumane to leave an animal in a vehicle in that kind of heat. I wonder if AZ has laws against leaving animals in cars. If the van had still been there when we got out, I would have called the police. Next time I'm leaving a note on the car. Last week Mark and I were talking about how we can't take the weinas with us anymore when we run errands unless one of us sits in the car with them with the air on, so it really rubbed me the wrong way when I saw that dog.

After Wal-Mart, we ran to Target and got a changing table pad and little tiny headbands for her. By this point I was really pooping out. We were going to head to base to go to the commissary for groceries, but Mark suggested we go out to eat instead since I was hitting my limit and it was almost 6pm. He said he could pick up groceries tomorrow after he meets with his commander in the morning, but I was worried bc I had specific things on my list since I'm trying new recipes. He was like 'Monica, the government trusts me to fly their multi-million dollar jets. I think you can trust me to get groceries." *grins* Okay, well when you put it like that.... =)

So we're pretty much ready for her arrival now. I'm going to try to get her nursery set up tomorrow and I'll take pictures for everyone to see. I absolutely LOVE the fact that Mark is so involved in choosing things for our baby. He has an opinion on everything and he's been doing the majority of the research, along with making lists of what we still need for her and what we need to take to the hospital with us, etc. Sometimes I still can't believe that I found someone who truly is my perfect match. I can't wait to have this baby with him.

Our birth plan.

Our wishes for Childbirth - Monica
Due Date: 05/27/2009
Patient of Dr. Rebecca B****
Scheduled to deliver at ***************
4/23/2009

To whom it may concern:

We have a few requests regarding the birth of our daughter. While we realize that births often don't go as planned, we would appreciate your support in helping us obtain the requests we can achieve.
Sincerely,Monica

LABOR
I would like to be free to walk around during labor.
I wish to be able to move around and change position at will throughout labor.
I would like to be able to have fluids by mouth throughout the first stage of labor.
I would prefer to keep the number of vaginal exams to a minimum.
I would like to wear contact lenses or glasses at all times when conscious.

MONITORING
I do not wish to have continuous fetal monitoring unless it is required by the condition of the baby.
I do not want an internal monitor unless the baby has shown some sign of distress.

LABOR AUGMENTATION/INDUCTION
I do not wish to have the amniotic membrane ruptured artificially unless signs of fetal distress require internal monitoring.
If labor is not progressing, I would like to have the amniotic membrane ruptured before other methods are used to augment labor.
I would prefer to be allowed to try changing position and other natural methods (walking, nipple stimulation) before pitocin is administered.

ANESTHESIA/PAIN MEDICATION
I realize that many pain medications exist I'll ask for them if I need them.

CESAREAN
Unless absolutely necessary, I would like to avoid a Cesarean.
If a Cesarean delivery is indicated, I would like to be fully informed and to participate in the decision-making process.
I would like Mark present at all times if the baby requires a Cesarean delivery.
I wish to have an epidural for anesthesia.
So I can view the birth, I would like the screen lowered just before delivery of the baby.
If the baby is not in distress, the baby should be given to Mark immediately after birth.

EPISIOTOMY
I would prefer not to have an episiotomy unless absolutely required for the baby's safety.
I would appreciate guidance in when to push and when to stop pushing so the perineum can stretch.
If possible, I would like to use perineal massage to help avoid the need for an episiotomy.
I would like a local anesthetic to repair a tear.

DELIVERY
I would like to be allowed to choose the position in which I give birth, including squatting.
I would like Julie and/or nurses to support me and my legs as necessary during the pushing stage.
I would like to try to deliver in a squatting position, using Mark or a squatting bar for support.
I would like a mirror available so I can see the baby's head when it crowns.
I would like the chance to touch the baby's head when it crowns.
Even if I am fully dilated, and assuming the baby is not in distress, I would like to try to wait until I feel the urge to push before beginning the pushing phase.
I would like to have the baby placed on my stomach/chest immediately after delivery.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER DELIVERY
I would like to have Mark cut the cord.
I would prefer that the umbilical cord stop pulsating before it is cut.
I would like to hold the baby while I deliver the placenta and any tissue repairs are made.
I would like to hold the baby for at least fifteen minutes before (he/she) is photographed, examined, etc.
I would like to have the baby evaluated and bathed in my presence.
I plan to keep the baby near me following birth and would appreciate if the evaluation of the baby can be done with the baby on my abdomen, with both of us covered by a warm blanket, unless there is an unusual situation.
If the baby must be taken from me to receive medical treatment, Mark will accompany the baby at all times.
I would prefer to hold the baby rather than have her placed under heat lamps.
I would like to delay the eye medication for the baby until a couple hours after birth.
I would like to see the placenta after it is delivered.
I would like to avoid being catheterized if at all possible.
I would like to hold off on the hepatitis shot until the baby is a few weeks old.

POSTPARTUM
I would like a private room, if available.
Unless required for health reasons, I do not wish to be separated from my baby.
I would like to have the baby "room in" and be with me at all times.

BREASTFEEDING
I plan to breastfeed the baby and would like to begin nursing very shortly after birth.
Unless medically necessary, I do not wish to have any bottles given to the baby (including glucose water or plain water).
I do not want the baby to be given a pacifier.
I would like to meet with a Lactation Consultant.

PHOTO/VIDEO
I would like to take still photographs during labor and the birth.
I would like to make a videorecording of labor and/or the birth.

Ready or not....

.... here she comes!!!

(34w6d pregnant)

Mark and I had our first OB appt with our new dr here in AZ, Dr. Branaman. I was nervous before hand, but as our appt time got closer, I got less nervous. Kinda weird. My blood pressure wasn't even THAT high! Only 138/87 or something like that. At my first appt in OK it was like 169/98... Noticeable difference. Anyway, our new dr is a female and she's probably in her mid-30's. We really liked her. I told her I was planning on trying to have a natural birth, and she was all for that. She said that unless it's absolutely medically necessary, she won't intervene at all, and the only thing she asks is that I get the hep-lock (the IV port) put in as soon as I get to the hospital in case something does go wrong and they need to give me IV meds asap. But she said I don't have to be hooked up to an IV machine, or a fetal monitor the whole time, and I can stay as mobile as I'd like if everything goes fine. She's also open to using other birthing positions, such as squatting, kneeling or side-birthing. So we were very encouraged by what we heard from her. She also asked that we do a birth plan so she knows exactly what we'd like to get out of the birth experience, which was a pleasant surprise for us. We were kind of under the impression that many dr's and nurses kind of think, "Oh, she's one of THOSE people" when you give them your plan, and roll their eyes, and set it aside. So I was impressed that she actually cared enough to ask us to do one.

Then came the surprise.... All during this pregnancy, I haven't really had any internal exams done, with the exception of our first appt - they did the vaginal ultrasound bc she was too little to do the normal kind. So I was expecting her to do an exam on me, since I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow. What neither of us was even remotely prepared for, was the dr saying "You're already 3 cm dilated and I can feel about an inch diameter circle of the top of her head." ...... Um... WHAT?!!? I still have 5 weeks to go! I thought people don't get 3 cm's dilated until they've been in labor for hours already??? I'm not ready for this!!! Okay, actually I am, and in a weird way, after we both got over the initial shock of what she said, it made me feel more prepared for what's ahead of us. Dr. B told us that her head is fully engaged in the birth canal, and when she pushed on the top of her head, she didn't budge an inch. (She said normally at this stage they'll bounce up and down a little bit, but our blueberry wasn't moving.) She also said that once I'm past 36 weeks, if I go into labor they won't stop it bc they feel like all the medicine's they have to give you aren't worth the risk to the baby. She also said that babies who are born at 36 weeks, about 80-85% of them go home with you when you're discharged from the hospital, and at 37 weeks, that percentage goes up to 90-95%. Dr. B said it was a little surprising I was already 3 cm's dilated since this is our first baby, but she also said that it's conducive to the natural birth we want and she wasn't worried about it at all. She predicted that Abbie will be at least a week or two early, so we shall see. My next appt is in a week, and our doula, Julie, is going to that with us, and then for a tour of the hospital afterwards.

So I guess it's time to start thinking about packing her (and our) bag for the hospital. We just got her bedroom furniture this afternoon, so Mark's already upstairs putting it all together. Hopefully her travel system will be here in the next day or two.

It's all so exciting, and a little scary, but we're ready for this.

He likes to sit on my belly now. I think he knows something's up bc he's been even more needy than usual lately.

The "oh sh*t" factor is kicking in....

We dropped our mom's off at the airport early this morning. It's a lot different here without them. They did all the laundry and cooking while they were here, along with most of the cleaning and helping with the dogs. They unpacked, washed, organized by size and put away ALL of Abbie's clothes, which is a HUGE task in itself since she has quite the wardrobe. They helped me re-pot my new plants, and completely organized the kitchen. (It's going to take me a while to figure out where everything is in my own kitchen since I really didn't help all that much with the kitchen part of it.)

Now that it's just Mark and me (and the weinas), it's a little weird. I feel like we're kids living in this grown up house that is out of our league, and I also feel like we're on vacation or something and this is all going to come to an end and we're going to have to go back to Oklahoma. Also, the reality that we're having a baby in about a month is very prevalent, hence the "oh sh*t" factor. During this entire pregnancy, I knew there was so much going on before her arrival, that I was focusing mostly on going home and the move here and getting settled in, etc. Now that most of that stuff is behind us, her birth is the next big event, and quite honestly, that's pretty scary. I liked having other things to distract me some, but now that I'm big as a bus, and we're in the house we're bringing her home to, and in the state I'm giving birth in, those distractions are quickly disappearing. We drove to Scottsdale on Friday, which is in the same direction of the hospital we'll deliver at, and all I could think about was that in a month or so we'll be driving down that road with me in labor and we'll be coming home with a newborn. I feel like I'm ready for this, but I'm also scared - mainly of the unknowns of labor.

We ordered her bedroom furniture on Friday, along with her stroller/car seat. I'll post pictures of that, along with the rest of the house (hopefully it'll be ready by then), when it's all set up.

cell phone drama....

We just signed a new contract with AT&T in February. We've been with them for over 4.5 years and have never had a problem with them... until now.
When we're in our house in AZ, we get no service, at all, none. Every once in a while a call will actually get thru, but you can't really hear the person on the other end and 9 times out of 10, it drops the call. Most of the time our phones give us a message that says "Emergency calls only". As soon as you get out of our neighborhood, the phones work fine. We went to Best Buy and an AT&T store here, and both have told us, yes, you live in a dead area, but they can't help us get out of our contract. When we call AT&T customer service, we get the full run-around. We called them from the AT&T store today, and had the guy at the store tell someone there that we are in fact, in a dead area, and Mark talked to at least 5 different people in 5 different departments before we got frustrated and hung up - a good 40 mins after being on hold with them. They keep telling us that we have to submit a request to have the termination fees ($165 per phone) waived after we cancel the contract. We don't want to cancel the contract until we know for sure we're not going to have to pay $330 to get out of it.
The whole situation is frustrating and we're not quite sure what to do about it. The customer service people keep telling us we're in a "moderate coverage area". Their definition of "moderate" is that the phones work fine outside in open areas, away from buildings. Ironically though, I don't want to have to go stand out in the middle of the street every time I need to make a call, especially when it doesn't even work out there half the time. They also said that based on our call log, we get service, but again, ironically, we don't sit in our house 24/7, and it works perfectly fine outside the neighborhood. I guess our only option is to switch providers and pray to God that they don't charge us the termination fees. Grrr....

Absolutely loving AZ

It's been a crazy week for us. My mom and I surprised Mark and left Dubuque at 8am on Monday (4/6) and got back to Enid around 7:30pm. When I knocked on Mark's hotel room door, he didn't answer at first. When he finally opened the door, he just stared at me for a few seconds before it sunk in. *grins* He graduated at 5pm on Tuesday, and we were on the road to AZ by 1pm on Wednesday. Mark went from having 7 flights and 2 sims left, to being IFF complete and graduated in 8 days, and that includes a weekend. CRAZY! I'm so proud of him. He handled that pressure really well, considering we completely packed up and moved out of our house in the middle of all that too. He never ceases to amaze me.

So the ride through Oklahoma is REALLY boring. Think Iowa or Nebraska boring, except worse...

Luckily Ollie was my co-pilot for part of the trip....

Until he got bored too and cashed out with Mark and Sadie... =)

Luckily I had the occasional windmill to look at.

Texas was just as boring as Oklahoma.

But Sadie kept us company too.

When we got to Tucumcari, NM, we were greeted with a rainbow. Actually, it was a double rainbow, but it was on the other side of the car so I could only get a picture of one of them.

The dogs were on my lap for 90% of the trip, but when I kicked them in the back, Ollie positioned himself here...

The west side of NM got much prettier.

We were SOOO excited to make it to Arizona! (I can't believe how huge I look.... Ew....)

So we are officially in our new house. We got here around 8pm on Thursday. All our goods were delivered on Friday morning and we've spent the past 3 days trying to get somewhat organized. I'd say we're about halfway done. We absolutely LOVE this house. It's about twice the size of our place in Enid, but we have so much junk we're not really having any problem filling the whole house. We went to the commissary (grocery store on base) for the first time on Saturday and it was pretty overwhelming. The produce section alone was at least half the size of the entire commissary at Vance. We have any type of restaurant you can imagine within a 5 mile radius of our house. There is a huge park with soccer fields and basketball and volleyball courts and a nice playground about 4 blocks from our house, and we LOVE our neighborhood. Most of our neighbors have 3-5 kids each, ranging from 6-12 years old. We've already met quite a few of our neighbors, and the neighbors right next door invited us to a barbecue at their place on Saturday night! They're having a bunch of neighbors over so we can meet them all. I'm really excited. I'm kind of sad we're only going to be here for a year, because so far, we absolutely love it here. (Of course it's been in the 60's-80's so far. When it's 110, I might not like it so much...)

Mark's mom is coming here on Wednesday and we're all super excited to show her around. My mom has been here helping us a TON since we got here and she drove our Jetta from OK to here, which was a huge help also. We wouldn't be half as far as we are with organizing this place without my mom's help. We're excited to spend some time with just our moms.

I'll post pictures of our house once we get everything organized. Basically we could be living in the garage of this house and it would have been better than our place in Enid. Right now, it feels like we're in paradise. I hope you all can come and visit!!!!

PS - Our cell phones don't work here. They work in Phoenix, but not in our neighborhood. We have to see if we can get out of our contract with AT&T and switch to Verizon, and I'll try to do that tomorrow. In the meantime, our home phone is 623-236-3168. We don't have long distance service here though, which is why we're not calling anyone. Hopefully we'll get it all figured out soon.

Good times with great people!

This weekend was the shower in IL at my parents house. I got to see so many people I hadn't seen in quite a while so it was a lot of fun catching up with everyone, although I didn't get to talk to everyone nearly as much as I wanted to. I think half the reason I wanted Mark to be at the shower also was because I didn't want to be the center of attention by myself, and I was nervous about that before hand. It just seems so indulgent or something to have everyone buying gifts for our baby and I didn't want all eyes to be on me, but it wasn't as bad as I was anticipating and we got so many nice things for her.

Here is the cake that Mark's brother, Alex, made for us. It was 4 layers of yellow and chocolate cake with oreo filling in between them. It was AMAZINGLY good! I have a few pieces frozen for Mark so he'll get to try it too.


I think there were about 30 people there.


Mark was able to "attend" via Skype. You can see the computer set up beside me so he could see what was going on and I was showing everything to him as I opened it and telling him what we got. The internet is pretty amazing.

Here's a picture of my family members that were there. From left to right - Brenda and Michael (my cousin), my grandma, my mom, me, my dad, and Ruthie and Allison (cousins).

All I can say is Abbie is going to be one well-dressed baby! We got a TON of clothes for her. Luckily, they ranged quite a bit in sizes from newborn to 18 months, so I'm going to keep them all. I can't wait to show them all to Mark and get them all organized. We also got toys and bottles and towels and bibs and books, etc. And we got 2 handmade blankets and a handmade mei tai with it's own case. (That's the beige thing in the bottom, right corner.) Amazing!

Thank you so much to those of you that attended. It was so nice to see all of you, even if it was for too short of a time. I'll be back sometime in July with Abbie, and hopefully Mark will be able to join us also, although, as usual, we won't know until the last minute with that.

Home again

The past few days have been kinda crazy. Monday the packers packed up our entire house between 8am and 4pm. Tuesday the movers came and took all the boxes and furniture onto the truck, and it only took them about 3 hours. Tuesday I started cleaning the apartment... The amount of cat hair that was under our furniture was absolutely disgusting. Wednesday I drove 2 hrs to Tulsa to pick my mom up from the airport, and then we came back and cleaned some more. I had an OB appt that both my mom and Mark where able to go to (more on that later) and then we came back and finished cleaning the house and moved all the stuff my mom and I weren't taking with us to IL over to Mark's hotel room on base. Then we packed up as much as we could in our cars so we didn't have much to do in the morning. Thursday we were up by 6am, Mark got ready for work, and then we loaded all the rest of the stuff and the animals into our cars and took out the rest of the garbage and did the final walk thru. Mark left by 6:45am and my mom and I left a little after 7am, but got tied up at the hospital on our way out of town. Mark went back later in the day to check out with our landlord and luckily he gave us our full deposit back, which was good. We were both a little worried he was going to hassle us about the carpets because they had some snags on them, but he couldn't have put cheaper carpet in there if he tried and it was FILTHY when we moved in. Anyway, luckily it wasn't a problem and we're out of that place. My mom and I ended up getting on the road just before 8am and we got back to Galena just before 8pm. The drive wasn't all that bad. I was expecting it to be worse, but as far as me being uncomfortable, I was okay most of the trip, despite both weinas laying on me the entire time.

My OB appt was interesting. My bp high, as usual, so they wanted a pee sample. They found ketones and protein in the sample, which made my dr worry. He came in and asked how my diet was, and admittedly, it's not the best right now. It's hard to eat right when you have no food in the house, no dishes, silverware, etc. We've been eating out a lot. Plus I purposefully didn't drink much on Weds because I already have the constant "I have to pee" feeling, and I didn't want to have to stop 4 times to pee on the way to and from Tulsa. PLUS I'd been doing a lot more than normal with the cleaning and packing and loading and moving, so I probably should have been drinking more, but I wasn't. I asked him why he was worried, and I could tell he wasn't being 100% honest with me. He just said well it's probably a sign of you being dehydrated but he wanted me to do another pee sample in the morning and drop it off at the hospital lab on my way out of town. Mark and mom got to see the last U/S we had here. She is head down now and he thought she weighed about 4.5 lbs and her heart rate was 142bpm. He didn't do any pictures because she's pretty big so it would have been like part of her head or something like that. I did a little research online when I got home to find out why my dr looked worried and it basically said that protein and ketones in urine can be a sign of pre-eclampsia. Yay. I called my dr on our way home to find out the lab results from my 2nd test but they never called back, so I'm assuming it wasn't a big deal... ??

It's nice to be home, but I really hate leaving Mark. I feel guilty leaving him by himself and taking the dogs and cats and leaving him alone. I cry when I'm going HOME to see my friends and family and I'm only going to be away from him for 5 days.... What am I going to do when he goes to war and leaves me for 6 months?? I seriously don't know how I'm going to deal with that at all... Luckily when I said goodbye to him I was fine, but before we got up in the morning he said he was going to miss me and I completely lost it. And the night before when we were loading the truck I had a little melt down, and even now just typing this I'm starting to lose it again, so I'm going to stop. I'm a mess....

Packers and pregnancy

Well the packers are here. Neither Mark nor I slept very well last night. We didn't fall asleep until after midnight and Mark was up by 5:15am. I got up with him at 5:30am, but I also got up at least 4 times between 12am and 5:30am to pee, put a sock in the door to keep it from rattling, and shut the window bc the blinds were blowing and it kept waking me up. And I woke up with a headache. Every time I'd wake up I'd have a hard time falling back asleep bc I kept thinking of everything I had to do before the packers got here, and I was worried about how Ollie would be with them. He's a handful at times and during our first move with him, he bit one of the movers and made the guy bleed. Lately he's been EXTRA protective of me too, so I knew it was going to be rough. Luckily, he hasn't been too bad. Both the dogs are sitting on the couch with me right now and they're finally not barking or whining.

There are 3 guys here packing up our stuff. All of them keep saying how much stuff we have..... We do have a lot of junk, but we've also gotten rid of a lot of it too! I think when we get to Phoenix I'm going to go through all my clothes and get rid of a bunch of them. I have clothes that are too small though, and I still have hopes of getting back into them, which is why I haven't gotten rid of them yet. And now I have bunches of clothes since I don't fit into my normal clothes anymore.

Here is a picture of the stuff we're moving ourselves. I'm still not 100% sure it's all going to fit in our SUV and Jetta...



Ollie's been pretty worried. He knows something's going on, but he hasn't figured out what yet, so he's been extra needy lately. (2 days until that damn mustache is gone!!!) As soon as we get the suitcases out, Ollie positions himself on top of them.



This week I'll be 32 weeks pregnant. I've been feeling pretty good lately, considering all the stuff I've been trying to get done. I have my last appointment here on Wednesday and my mom will be with me for that one since it's right after I pick her up from the airport. My hip/pelvic pain hasn't been too bad at all, and I think she might have finally flipped, although I'm not sure. I've been feeling her up high a lot more lately, but not at all in my ribs, like everyone else always talks about. I feel her on top on the sides and on top in front, and she really wumps me sometimes. Mark's been able to feel her a lot too lately, which is neat.



My stretch marks are pretty much getting out of control.... They're terrible. And I've been putting lotion on like crazy, and they're still getting worse. Pretty soon they're going to be from my belly button all the way around my side. You can see the new ones coming in further away from my belly button. Luckily I can only see them if I look in the mirror, but it's shocking every time I do bc so many more have popped up. I hope to God they at least turn white and shrink a bunch after she's here. I know they won't ever completely go away, but as long as they don't look this bad forever, I'll be happy.



I'm still getting used to the fact that other people (strangers) can tell I'm pregnant now. For some reason I have it in my head that I just look extra fat, so when people make comments about me being pregnant, it sometimes catches me off guard. Mark and I were renting a movie the other day and the check out girl was like "How are you, besides very pregnant?". Haha! I think I look like I'm more than 7 mos pregnant too... I'm not sure I want to have 2 more months of gaining weight... I'm already up about 20-25lbs.... Yikes.

Last week in Enid (hopefully)

I feel like I've been busy all week, but haven't gotten much done. I mark one thing off my "to do" list, but then add three more to it, so I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. However, I have gotten quite a bit done. I just have one more utility to set up a shut off time for here, and 2 more to set up in AZ. I have a BUNCH of stuff separated out and set aside, that we want to move ourselves. The cats are up to date on their shots, and I got the dogs more heartworm pills. I made my friends sling last night (before my sewing machine started giving me problems again... Stupid thing!). I've thrown out some stuff in the freezer and fridge that I know we won't use. I've organized all the baby stuff and I have my packing lists ready. This weekend we just have to organize a little more and then get our suitcases packed up. I'm going to start taking inventory pictures today so that will be done too and maybe do some laundry. I really want to sew some more, bc last night put me in the sewing mood, but the machine was really frustrating me when it kept messing up, so I gave up. Maybe it just needed a break.

Mark didn't fly yesterday, because they cancelled flying due to the Special Olympics being on base, or today, due to weather. So he flew once this week. He has 7 rides and 2 sims left to complete (as do 2 other guys in his class), one guy has 5 rides left and 2 guys have 3 rides left. He heard a rumor that they're going to try to get them all done by next Friday, but I think there's a higher chance of me giving birth next friday than them being done. We'll see though. I just hope his graduation isn't on Friday because I'd be bummed if I missed it.

Not much more to report. Better get back to work!

Almost funny

Mark was cancelled for the FOURTH day in a row today. It really is almost funny. In fact, when he tells me he's been cancelled now, I actually do laugh. He told me today that he'll just meet me in Phoenix and hopefully he'll be there by the time Abbie arrives (due date May 27). EVERYONE else in his class flew today and he's now officially behind everyone. Good thing his CO told him a month ago he'd make him a priority. I'm seeing that pan out quite well. Mark said he's going to shave his mustache today because it's been bad luck. Hopefully he'll stick to his word on that!

All I have to say is it's a good thing that I already have it in my mind that he's not going to the shower. If I was still holding out hope, I probably would have had a complete breakdown today, in the middle of Wal-Mart, when I found out he was cancelled again. Instead, I just laughed. What else can you do at this point? As long as he's done with training by April 10th (instead of April 1), we'll still be able to stick to our current plan. Although at this point, I wouldn't be TOO surprised if he wasn't even done by then. He said that he'll just call his mom (who's flying into Phoenix on the 14th) and tell her we'll pick her up at the airport on our way into town. We'll see how close to the truth that is... =)

Finally a few answers..

Even though it's not the answer I wanted, at least it's an answer and something to go with. Mark talked to his CO (commander) today, and the CO said there is no way he'll be done by next Friday, which means Mark doesn't get to go home with me for the shower. Big bummer. But I'm much more calm about this whole thing now that I have a definite answer. Now we can plan accordingly instead of waiting to find out what's going to happen.

So as far as planning accordingly - the movers will be here in a week to pack up our house. On Tuesday, they will load up our house and take all our stuff to AZ. On Wednesday my mom is flying down to Tulsa, where I will pick her up at 11am and then make it back to Enid by 1:30pm (it's a 2 hr drive) for my last OB appointment here. We're thinking Mark's graduation is going to be postponed, but if it's not it'll be at 3pm Wednesday. Wednesday night I'll spend cleaning the apartment. Thursday we'll move Mark into TLF (temp lodging facility) on base along with stuff we want to take ourselves to AZ, but that I don't want to drag all the way up to IL and back and then I'll "check out" of our apartment and my mom and I will hit the road as early as possible to head back to IL. It's an 11hr20min drive alone. I'm not sure how long it'll take with stops. Depending on if Mark already had his graduation or not, we might head back to OK Sunday evening or Monday morning. If he doesn't graduate on Weds, there's a possibility he'll graduate at 3pm on Monday, so I want to get back by then so we'd have to leave Sunday night. Otherwise we'll leave IL on Monday morning. Monday and Tuesday of the following week, we'll spend the night in a hotel in Enid while Mark outprocesses and then we'll take our time getting to AZ. We'll probably get to AZ on Friday or Saturday, but the earliest our stuff could be delivered will be on Monday, I think. Mark's mom is flying down to Phoenix Wednesday night, and both of our mom's are heading home on Sunday (4/19).

I'm much more relaxed about everything now that I have somewhat of a plan in place. My biggest fear (that Mark wouldn't be able to come home with me) is a reality now, so now I just have to deal with that. I'm not NEARLY as worked up about when Mark will be done because I guess it really doesn't matter now. Mark, on the other hand, came home pretty stressed, because once again, his flight was cancelled today. He's slightly worried about this block of training that he's in because it's tough, and he will be going on 5 days since he's flown last night. We seem to alternate when we stress out, so that past 3 weeks were my time, and tonight was his. He's better now though and so am I. We'll get through all this craziness one way or another.

On a different note, it's weird not working now. I still have a ton to do, but I barely made a dent in my list so it feels like I didn't do much today, even though I was busy almost all day long. And I miss my work friends.

The Lipizzaners

Mark and I went to see the Lipizzaner Stallions in OKC on Sunday. My mom took me to see them when I was younger, since I've always been a horse lover, and I wanted Mark to have the experience too. They are beautiful animals and we enjoyed the show.


Only 7 more days and he can shave that damn thing off....



They train the Lipizzaners in Vienna, Austria

This one they rescued from somewhere in the US. He was starving when they rescued him, but now he's one of their top performers.

They used the stallions in battle.

They used this manuever to break through enemy lines.

One of the reasons the show is called "Airs Above Grounds"

Hard to tell in this picture, but he's
completely in the air.

More war manuevers. All Lipizzaners in the world stem from 6 bloodlines.

This is an Andalusian - close relative
of the Lipizzaner.

Final routine.

We had really good seats. This photo wasn't
zoomed at all.

I couldn't take my good camera, which is why the pictures didn't turn out the best. They said no professional cameras, and I didn't want to risk not being able to take pictures, even though I'm not sure our SLR would be considered a professional camera. Either way, we had a good time.