Change of Plans...

Apparently the second opinion was a good idea...

In the hospital being induced!

We'll be meeting Miss Bailey sometime tomorrow!! :) :)

Doctor's Office Meltdown

Today was ROUGH!!! I woke up this morning thinking "Yaaay the end is in sight!"

I went into my appointment today- fully prepared to schedule my induction (according to what the doctor I saw last Monday said). The house is ready- Matt has been going nuts doing it himself since we're expecting to be induced at 38 weeks... 2 weeks early and I am on bed rest and can't do anything. They do an Non Stress Test while I wait for my doc. He comes in and flat out refuses to schedule the induction!!! Says he doesn't see a medical need for it. Seriously?? I've been hospitalized twice, am on strict bed rest, had to do FOUR 24 hour urine tests (ew), and we've already checked to make sure our LO is fully developed. And oh yeah- I have pre-eclampsia!! Don't get me wrong- I want Miss Bailey to be healthy and bake as long as possible, BUT if we've established that she is full term and fine, why are we dragging this out??

He then tells me he can schedule an induction for the 10th, 39w1d... but it won't be with him. It will be with ANOTHER doctor that I've never seen and never even heard of. If we're freaking scheduling my baby's birth- why can't I do it with a doctor I'm comfortable with?!?! I'm bawling my eyes out at this point- he pats my leg and says "I know it's hard. I need you to do another 24 hour urine and I'll see you on Monday," and walks out of the room while I sob. Lovely.

I get to the lab to pick up my stupid jug again and the nurse is AMAZED to see me still pregnant. Comments on how she's surprised my doc hasn't induced me yet based on my lab work and of course I burst into tears again. Poor woman was handing me tissues and hugging me since I couldn't control myself. Then she has to draw blood once I can stop sobbing long enough for her to get the needle in. Of course this is the one appointment Matt hasn't been able to go to with me. :(

THEN I get to the front desk to schedule my appointment for NEXT Monday... and guess who's not in?? MY FREAKING DOCTOR. He's not in Tuesday either. His next available appointment is the 9th. If I'm scheduled for an induction on the 10th- why on earth would I come in on the 9th?! Stupid stupid stupid. So I ask if I can see any of the other 5 doctors I've seen in the past three weeks being in and out of the hospital. Nope- not a single one is available. So they schedule me with ANOTHER DOCTOR!!!! That will make seven doctors total and not a SINGLE one of them being the one I'm scheduled to be induced by.

This is absolutely freaking ridiculous. And to top it all off- once I get to the parking lot (at 4:30 and the office is now closed) I realize that he didn't even bother checking my cervix!!!! I'm 37w4d!!! How do you not check my cervix!!! It's been done at my last 4 appointments and daily in the hospital! So I could be dilated and nobody would have a freaking clue.

Sorry for the rant... I'm just seriously about to lose it. I've had an end date in sight and I feel like my little girl was just torn away from me. A little dramatic? Maybe. But bed rest will do that to you. At least take me off of bed rest and see if I'll go into labor naturally. :( I'm going to call tomorrow and beg one of the other doctors (that I've seen) to see me and give me a second opinion. If they have the same answer- that's fine... I can deal with that. But if one doctor thinks an emergency induction is necessary and one wants to keep waiting and waiting (one who hasn't bothered to see me since I've gotten pre-eclampsia) who am I supposed to believe?! Baaaaah.

I hate Mondays.

Update Time!

Things have been rather interesting in the Alt household the last two weeks. It's been quite an adventure! I've been watched closely by my doctor since about 30 weeks for "Pregnancy Induced Hypertension". Basically, my blood pressure has been very high so they have been worried about pre-eclampsia. I had a list of symptoms to watch out for and was supposed to call the doctor right away if I noticed any of them.

Last Wednesday I was at work and noticed two of the scary symptoms... hand trembling and facial swelling. So I called the doctor, went into an emergency appointment, and 2o minutes later was wheeled over to Labor & Delivery. They admitted me and I was stuck there until Saturday afternoon.

They did LOTS of tests on me and Miss Bailey, ultrasounds, non-stress tests, etc. If anyone has been in the hospital for more than a day or two- especially without any answers- you know how agonizing it is. So I sat there, I lay there, and I took 500 showers since that was the only thing they would let me do!

Finally on Friday evening the doctor came to see me and gave me the official diagnosis... I have "mild pre-eclampsia". So they sent me home on strict bedrest.

Perhaps a little better than being stuck in the hospital on bedrest- at least I have my own pillow, clothes, couch, bed, etc. But still not the most fun. But I am willing to do anything to get this little girl here safely.

My labwork on Monday was "normal" for someone with mild pre-eclamsia, so I have another weekly appointment this coming Monday, and hopefully we'll be able to schedule an induction!

I was given permission to go to Matt's parent's house for Thanksgiving. :) Unfortunately my camera batteries died right after I had Matt take this picture of me! *Up and about, it's amazing!* So I didn't get to take any pics of the amazing food or fun. But it was wonderful to not be stuck in the house.


As of Monday Little Miss Bailey weighed in at 5lbs 14oz, and is in the 25th percentile. She's a little tiny- but scores a 10 out of 10 on all of her tests! She's moving great, practicing breathing beautifully, and is developing just right! We can't wait to meet her! Hopefully we'll get to meet her next week! :)

Owwwwie!!

I’ve been having Braxton Hicks since around 20 weeks. They’re mostly annoying and just started getting painful in the last week or so. Last week I even ended up in labor and delivery because they were getting closer and closer together and I was having trouble talking through them. They were just hefty Braxton Hicks.

Last night I was sitting in bed reading with the hubbs and had a REAL CONTRACTION.

Oh my gosh- I had no idea what I was in for. I thought the Braxton Hicks were painful. I seriously thought I was going to cry… and I only had ONE!!! It was HORRIBLE!! I know I know, labor is going to hurt, but with all the BH I’ve had- I thought I’d be more prepared for what contractions would feel like.

Turns out- I was clueless. I can’t imagine what it will feel like when they’re coming close together. Bring on the epidural.

On a happier note- I am super ready and excited for Miss Bailey to get here!!! Bring on the crazy painful contractions! LOL.

Maternity Pictures!

If I was forced to pick a favorite... I think it's this one.

I know: my favorite pictures are always kissy pictures. Sorry.

Holy cow my hubby is a HOTTIE!

We had such a fun time on Halloween taking our Maternity Pictures.

Our photographer, Maddy, did an AMAZING job! I am so pleased with how they turned out and I can't wait to blow them up, frame them, and put them on Miss Bailey's wall! :)

Check out Maddy's work at http://photosbymaddy.blogspot.com/

And go ahead- schedule a session for Christmas cards. Trust me, you'll be SO HAPPY you did! :)

O Christmas Cards, O Christmas Cards...

As a Mommy-to-be I am learning the art of timesaving and practicality. I love to craft and scrapbook. So ideally I would create my own homemade “cutesy” Christmas cards. Right… like I have time like that on my hands. Haha.

So I do the next best thing… I’ve been using Shutterfly for a few years now and I am always happy with the results. I was given an amazing photo book for a wedding present (thanks Jen!) with tons of gorgeous pictures from our wedding day. Since then I’ve been hooked!

Last year I did our cards through them and I loved the way they turned out!

There are soooo many cute new styles of cards out this year that it’s so hard to choose.

Don't be surprised if you get one like this for 2011! A year of Miss Bailey?! Yes Please!

Hmmm do you like this one in blue or green??

LOVE this one. I think it's my second favorite.

Bailey should be here by Christmas, (don’t anyone worry if your cards don’t quite get to you by then- they’re coming!) so I'm thinking I’ll combine our cards with her Birth Announcement. Which means…

It must be pink. But how to combine pink and a Christmas card??

Leave it to Shutterfly to have the PERFECT card!

What do you think?

Obviously we’ll add pictures of Miss Bailey when she gets here. But I LOVE the layout and design!

And I have to add: my all time favorite thing about ordering my Christmas cards from Shutterfly… you can print them at Target!!!!

No extra charge, and they’re ready within the hour. You just go pick them up from their photo center! So convenient.

If anyone is interested- Shutterfly is running a promotion for 50 FREE Holiday Cards just for bloggers! Follow this LINK and check it out!

Does anyone else have their Christmas cards done yet? I still have to get a jump start on shopping. I can't believe we only have 48 Days, 12 Hours & 58 Minutes. But who's counting?

Why A Man Needs A Woman...

Life is crazy.

Sometimes you are turned upside down on your head without a moment’s notice.

Welcome to the Alt Family.

This last week or so has been CRAZY. Absolutely insane. A bazillion things have happened. Yet somehow, someone has to keep it together and make sure the family keeps on going.

I’ve heard that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. I COMPLETELY disagree. I need my man. I need him like I need air. Like a fish needs water! But it turns out that he needs me too.

Why does a man need a woman?

- To hold everyone together when you feel like everything is falling apart.
- To talk to someone when you feel like you’ve exhausted every way of explaining yourself and the person just isn’t getting it. Let them deal with me. They’ll get it.
- To bounce back and forth between two insurance companies and four doctor’s offices to get the answers we need, when you feel like flinging the phone across the room after talking to two people.
- To make sure that he doesn’t walk out of the house in shorts, dress shoes, and knee high dress socks.
- To make a yummy dinner on a small budget.
- To snuggle with when everything comes crashing down.
- To say, “You’re amazing” when you don’t feel like it.
- To be good to him, when it feels like the whole world has taken a poo on his shoulders.
- To carry his child.
- To be encouraging.
- To lift and support.
- To help heal.
- To have someone to vent to when nobody else will listen.
- To have someone to TAKE CARE OF.
- To just love.
- To make sure the sheets on the bed actually get changed every now and then.
- To make sure there’s coke in the pantry and milk in the fridge.
- To have someone you can count on for a smile when you feel like you’re going to explode.
- To clean you up and put you to bed when you’re sick or have just had surgery.
- To just hold your hand when things are overwhelming and you won’t admit it.
- To do the sweet little things- like hiding your favorite candy from the kids on Halloween so all of your favorites are what’s leftover.
- To force you to enjoy the holidays, even when you feel like a Scrooge-Grinch love child.
- To be your family.

I need my husband, and sometimes it's nice to know that he needs me too. We work pretty darn well together and I would certainly be completely lost without him.

Even when things feel hard, or darn near impossible- at least we have each other.

Ok- sappiness over.