My Expected End

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

34 Weeks!

My new best friend. Yea.... silly me thought I would have gotten away with no stretch marks. No such luck. I literally woke up Saturday morning and wowza! There they were. Now I am diligent with applying this paste. Hopefully its not too late.

How many weeks: 34 weeks - Praise God!

How am I feeling: Excited, nervous, terrified!

Doctor’s Appointment: This morning (Last MFM appointment) and this Friday 04/01 (OB appointment).

Weight Gain: 8.5 lbs (but will know for sure after today's appointment.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity

Baby Preparation: More de-cluttering and organizing.

Gender: Boy!!! Spencer Nathan W.

Sleep: Interrupted. My nightly bathroom trips total 6 times per night between bedtime and 6:00 am

Best moment this week: Realizing Spencer is still baking away

Movement: Still seeing "waves" across my stomach as he moves. Such a wonder to watch and every time I see it I am in awe of God's creation!

Food cravings: Nothing this week (yet!).

What I miss: Getting up at night without having to wake up hubby to help me get out of the bed.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting the next milestones: 35 weeks (4 days away), and delivery (but not anytime soon!), and our 2nd baby shower this afternoon!

Milestones: Getting to 34 weeks.

I woke up Sunday morning an emotional mess. I could not stop crying. I am so grateful to have gotten this far. After losing Alyssa-Joy and Evan, we really thought we were not meant to have children, but when day after day passes and Spencer is still rolling around and God is still making a way, I feel blessed to have been given a third chance. God is indeed an awesome God and the TAC is a wonderful thing!

I will update on Friday after both appointments.

Awaiting my expected end,
Marie

Monday, March 28, 2011

Pediatrician? Check!

Thank you all so much for the questions to ask the pediatrician. As you can tell from the title, we loved him and have decided to use his practice.

Hubby and I sat down and chose the questions (from the list given) that we wanted to ask as well as some things to look for when we arrived at the office.

We chose the following and rated them on a scale from 1-10:
Proximity to home - 10 (5-10 minutes depending on traffic)
Cleanliness and set up of the office (child friendly/parent friendly) - 8. The have a sick waiting room and a well waiting room, toys and books for the kiddos, magazines and well-baby clips for the parents.
Friendliness of the office staff - 10
The wait time of the patients in the office - 8. Pretty standard. Most were called back after about 10 minutes.
Comfort and ease with the Dr. - 10
Comfort and ease with nurses - 10

Overall, they were pretty good and our consultation with the Dr. went well.
The one thing I liked was that he works out of 3 different hospitals, so we are not bound to one if an emergency arises. The only downfall is that when we deliver, one of his partners (there are 4) will attend to Spencer at the hospital and his first appointment a few days after birth. His son is getting married and he will be out of town that week.

Again, thank you so much for your help as they guided us in the right direction and we were able to find a pediatrician that we both liked (and who also comes with great referrals!).

Awaiting my expected end,
Marie

Friday, March 25, 2011

33 Weeks!

Thank you all so much for the comments and suggestions on the previous post. I tend to want to make things better and I have to learn that in her own time she will deal with her loss. Thank you all so much <3.

How many weeks: 33 weeks - Praise God!

How am I feeling: Excited, nervous, terrified!

Doctor’s Appointment: Next Wednesday 03/30 (Last MFM appointment) and Next Friday 04/01 (OB appointment).

Weight Gain: 8 lbs

Maternity Clothes: All maternity

Baby Preparation: Getting our carpets professionally cleaned and painting

Gender: Boy!!! Spencer Nathan W.

Sleep: Interrupted. My nightly bathroom trips total 6 times per night between bedtime and 6:00 am

Best moment this week: Realizing Spencer is still baking away

Movement: Still seeing "waves" across my stomach as he moves. Such a wonder to watch and every time I see it I am in awe of God's creation!

Food cravings: Jamaican Beef Patties (the spicy kind). Yum!

What I miss: Getting up at night without having to wake up hubby to help me get out of the bed.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting the next milestones: 35, weeks, and delivery (but not anytime soon!), and our 2nd baby shower next Wednesday!

Milestones: Getting to 33 weeks and fattening Spencer up to 4 pounds. Last week he weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces!

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes! They are greatly appreciated!

Awaiting my expected end,

Marie

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

On the Other Side of the Fence

My heart has been heavy lately. I am grieving for my sister and the loss of my niece or nephew. I am trying my best to support her and encourage her, but she does not want to hear it and I have no idea how to help her. I tried directing her to some support groups, blogs, and so on, and she refuses to even entertain the idea. I am at a loss for words and have no idea how else to help her. I know we all process loss differently and I am trying to help as best as I know how.

She did not attend my shower, but I expected that and let her know before hand that I would not be offended if she could not attend, because I have been there myself, where the thought of attending showers drove me into a fit of sweats. Well, she tried to come to the shower and had a breakdown in her parking lot. :-(. She refuses to be around me, and I know that the sight of my growing bump makes her relive those dark days. I understand, because I have been there. When we are together as a family and the talk turns to Spencer's upcoming arrival, she leaves the room. I have tried talking to my family to let them know to be sensitive, but their comments still hurt her. Again, I understand because I have been there.

I am afraid that she will not want to see Spencer or be in his presence because he may remind her of her loss. I am afraid that everytime she sees him, he will be a trigger. I am very sensitive to her grief, and I try my best to be there for her, but my being there will not take the hurt away.

I know she is happy for me, but I also know seeing me makes the process hard. I want her to be close to her nephew and not have the sight of him be a reminder of her loss.

I know of several BLM bloggers who have a sibling who is expecting, and though they are happy for them, they struggle being around their sibling and experience hurt by exposing their shattered hearts to the pregnancy.

For those of you who have had a sibling go through a pregnancy after your own loss, please help me. What would you have liked your sibling to do or not do around you? How would you have liked to be helped? How did you feel? Please help me. I love my sister - she was there holding my hand while delivering Alyssa-Joy and Evan - and I want to be there for her the best way I know how.

I am on the other side of the fence ---- it seems I can help others, but I cannot reach my own sister. :-(

Please help.

Awaiting my expected end,

Marie

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Normal and some more questions

I had what was supposed to be my last appointment with the MFM yesterday. He declared that I was/am NORMAL!!!!!!!!!!! Praise God! We did elect to see him one more time even though he was willing to release us. We will be seeing him in two weeks for a "peace of mind" appointment and for a 3D ultrasound. Cervix measured 3.6 cm!!!! Spencer passed his BPP, cord flow was perfect, organs were perfect, everything was perfect. God is so good and we are in awe of his blessings.

Thanks for the suggestions about choosing a Pediatrician. We have an appointment with one next week and we now have tons of questions to ask. I also have some more questions tonight. I tried getting them answered, but kept getting conflicting information. So..... I am asking all of you!

1.) I am packing my hospital bag this week (yikes!). I know what to pack for me, but what about for baby?

2.) What's the usual stay in the hospital for a C-section? (MFM told me 4 days, OB told me 2)

3.) When do I put the car seat in the car?

4.) Hospital tour? Necessary or unnecessary?

5.) Nursing Bras - do I buy a size bigger than I am now or my regular size?

6.) How many onesies/blankets/bibs do I pack for the baby?

Thanks in advance!

Awaiting my expected end,

Marie

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Some Shower Pics

I had an awesome shower on Saturday. Here are just a few pictures to share with you. Blogger is acting up and will not let me arrange them in order. We had an awesome time celebrating Spencer and honoring Alyssa-Joy and Evan.

What touched me the most was that my babies were included in the shower. There were pinwheels with their names on them, wind chimes (they would not stop ringing or blowing and it was not even windy!). I am so glad I was "forced" to have a shower. We were shown how truly loved and blessed we are.