• May. 2, 2006

Quick update, people! Time is short, and my attention span is shorter......

Everything looks fine with the baby. I'm taking bets on the position of the placenta come this Friday (May 5) when they do another ultrasound. I have a feeling we've seen a shift and that it is headed right up the front. While an anterior placenta is not particularly normal, neither is it as abnormal as a previa so I'll take it. I think this, because normally I'm feeling scads of movement by this stage and I haven't yet. A few pushes at the top, and the bottom but the baby's yet to launch a full frontal assault which indicates that the placenta might possibly be there absorbing the blows. Let's hope!

And the move? Preparation is in full swing. I finalized an apartment today (more on that at a later time) and also made the reservations with the movers. A tenative schedule has taken shape. I'll be sharing more on this as we go along, but I'm in the middle of a massive packing project.

Talk with you all soon & hope this finds everyone doing well!

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• Apr. 11, 2006
Reworking Design

Pardon the remodeling mess. Seemed time to update a little. I'm off to do the supper thing, although the dust might remain around here for a few days as I work on it. I'm not spending much time online these days, so design reworks take a little longer. Happy Tuesday, friends!

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• Apr. 9, 2006
Sonogram Show & Tell

Told you I'd scan them! It only took me 6 days - my tendency to procrastinate must be highly improving. I'm normally an 8 dayer for sure. Anway, here's our full action presentation of our fetus! ;)


Here's the baby in the process of hitting itself upside the head but those cartildgey arms are hard to get going in the right direction, you know? He does manage to get it done (see picture below).



Remember how I said the baby kept smacking itself upside the head? Hmmm? Here's proof for everyone who thinks I tell tall tales. Check that hand out. Smack. Right upside the head.



Here is where we took that guess at the sex of the baby. 13 weeks is pretty early to do that, yet, I felt pretty secure with the tech's opinion. HOWEVER, when you actually look at the picture closely (which I have obviously done often), there appears to be a problem with what she indicates is a *****. What's the problem, you ask? There's three of them - big problem. I suspect what we're are seeing here is part of the cord, but time will tell.....

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• Apr. 4, 2006
Previa Happens..................

..............................evidently again and again.

I went in for my OB appointment this AM and started off with the sonogram. I AM going to upload the pictures later. The moment the picture came up we were mesmerized as the baby proceeded to rhythmically beat itself right upside the forehead with one little hand. It continued to smack itself around while we measured the placenta and graphed its location. It continued to smack itself as we measured its length. It continued to smack itself as we worked our way around the uterus sight seeing.....

I've known in my heart of hearts all along, but as I watched the itty bitty baby on the screen slap itself repeatedly right upside the head I absolutely knew it was a male child. Male children DO these sorts of things; regularly, in fact. Sure enough, a closer look in the area revealed a fairly clear picture of our son. Granted it's still early, and so we're going to wait to do the nursery in cowboys, but I'd say its pretty indicative. I mean, if they're wrong, then our "little girl" has some behavorial issues and a notably extra appendage growing out of her nether regions.

But, yes, on to the bigger point, when all was said and done the sonogram revealed a low lying placenta, affectionately called Placenta Previa. This drastically changes the picture of the upcoming months. I am on bed & pelvic rest now (click here for Julie's hilarious take on previa), but there is time. Time to pack the house for the impending move, make arrangements for the negative possibilities (a bleed, etc.), and believe for the positive possiblities which are for this placenta to move on up, to the east side............

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• Apr. 3, 2006
Guessing Games & Trials W/O Labor

Tomorrow is the scheduled day for the sonogram. Hopefully it will share some "early in the game" information in the placement of the placenta, and possibly what we are having (boy? girl? rodent perhaps?).

I had decided not to find out the sex with this one, as we have found out with all 4 of the other ones, but I think this time around we would actually benefit from having the emotional time to prepare. It seems everyone in the family has a preference (I call it a "horse in the race"). The girls are adamant that Lionheart is quite enough of the male species, and the husband is adamant that we are highly overloaded in the female department and nothing but another son will do. This is actually a unique situation as my husband put on a heck of a front through all the pregnancies that he didn't care one bit - that is until he got a son and then that facade faded away. LOL. Lionheart swears up and down it is a pancake, and considering the way the first trimester dragged, I'm pondering if its an actual human fetus at all, but is instead something that prefers to be furry and 3.5" long for its entire existence.

We are taking today off from school, and possibly a few more. We have a serious case of the spring fever grouchies circulating. A few days dedicated to free reading, the Animal Planet channel, and regular Sonic pops will be good for them. Or at least that's what they've convinced themselves of. Frankly I don't think it will matter at all, and in  the end we are going to have to come back to the homeschooling table and actually FIX our attitudes because there is no magic pill or break that's going to do it. But alas, like Marmee in Little Women, my girls want a trial without labor so we shall see how it goes....

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• Mar. 27, 2006
Trust Birth

There are a lot of expectant Moms in our community, and I wanted to pass along the site I found recently called Trust Birth. Trust Birth is a group ran by women for women and is specifically about our rightful choices and experiences in birth.

With my last pregnancy I had placental previa (abrupted by a "birth professional" at 21 weeks). I bled continuously for almost 2 months, and the situation was further complicated by unexplainable polyhydramnios that caused me to carry almost 4 times as much fluid as is normal (yes, someday I'll post a picture because it really was rather sad and humorous at the same time). They told us that our son would need to be instutionalized in the long run because he would not be able to swallow or pass urine. They also spent a great deal of time in the hospital convinced I had lukemia.

It was a true and literal mess - the end of the story is much better. Lionheart was born perfectly normal and I did not have lukemia, although I did spend 2 years trying to wean myself off the extreme anti-depressant drugs they said were medically necessary for me to function (yes, I did cry a lot in the hosptial but my placneta was abrupted, I was so big they took pictures of me, they insisted I had a cancer, and told me my son would most likely be a forever impaired beyond our hands as parents.... you do the math).

This time around will certainly be different. We are monitoring the placenta and will have some sort of information on its location come April 4th. Should the placenta again be low, I will obviously accept medical intervention on all levels although there will be no amnios, internal exams, or premature deliveries "just because" something might happen. However, if we find that placenta high up where it's supposed to be, I'm off and running to handle and experience this pregnancy differently.

Fact is the government has no right to dictate where, when or how we deliver our children. The governement only recently (last 50 years or so) established these rights by taking an active interest in the monetary benefits available to their medical community from pregnancy and birth. They further cemented these rights as medical technology became financially beyond the reach of the average American (thus insurance, medicaid, etc became imperative) and then legislated the act of giving birth to require the situation, interventions and oversight they saw would reap the most benefits in the long run dollar wise. We enter into the same rooms where the abort babies to deliver babies because the goverment saw further than we did and claimed it all as a "medical" right and ideal.

Well I say no more. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God, the creator and author of life, and not be forced to sit at the feet of and deliver at the whims of the medical "princes" of this world. Pregnancy and birth belongs to God alone. This is not to say that medical technology does not have a purpose or a place, but that it should not replace our faith and hope in the Lord, and should not be mandated by the government at risk of them sicing SRS on those who won't comply with their marching "orders". Yes, friends, we do need to rise up, whether it is comfortable or not, so that our daughters don't find themselves deeper in the corner than we already are. Off my soapbox now.... I'm just saying............... By the way, for those who don't know me, I am NOT a conspiracy theorist or an extremist. LOL. I am a mild mannered, homeschooling Mom who thinks the entire situation has gotten scarily out of hand in regards to birthing legislation. Me'thinks I best go hide now before the government tries to track me down and monitor my fetus.... ha. Little pregnancy humor there!

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• Mar. 25, 2006
News To Me? Nah, Olds

I don't tend to comment on current events. It all seems "overhashed" in the blogosphere in general, but today is Saturday so it's a "free write" day, right? So here's my "Becca-isms" on news & current events.

• Once when my brother-in-law (hello funboy!) was visiting he pointed out that rerunning news made it olds as it was no longer "new". While it may not seem necessarily profound, think on that for a minute. He has a point.

• Of the select news stories getting heavy coverage right now, the two top headline grabbers are Iran's nuclear ambitions and the Natalee Holloway/Joran Van Der Sloot connection. Now, if you watch the news long enough (while cross-stitching), things tend to run together. I knew it was time to turn off the news when my brain processed that "Joran was much closer to achieving its nuclear goals than we had originally anticipated." Go ahead: say Iran then say Joran - Ha. Surprisingly similiar, yes? Although I think the long term outcome would be substantially different. Joran would take out Natalee's Mom and Iran would aim for, well, I'm guessing just about everything.

• Certain Christian sects have decided to take up tree hugging which has also made headlines recently. I am all about protecting God's creation, good stewardship, practicing wisdom in dominion, etc. However, considering the unique point in history we find ourselves, you would think they would use their ability to momentarily captivate the skewed media, and focus in on, oh, say the gospel. And, if that fails, why not draw people's attention to Russia's alliance with Iraq, Iran, etc. and how just such an alliance is spoke of in Ezekiel 38 & 39. Nooooooo...................... wait. We can't all FEEL good if we think that biblical prophecy is literal. I mean there's that whole rivers of blood, judgement day dilemma to get around. Better stick with hybrid cars.

• Watch carefully (if you find time which frankly none of us really should be spending on watching the news), the current situation in TN where the minister's wife shot him in the back. Already the journalists are hinting that this might be another one of those situations where they percieve a submissive, religiously beat down wife finally breaks free from that controlling, backward good time religion of Christianity. I believe they are referring to it currently as "religious undertones". If she does play out that defense, watch for support from the media versus how it might be played otherwise. Already, they lean in her defense when the fact that he was a minister is referenced; being a southern minister is a strike against the victim.
  

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• Mar. 23, 2006
Praying For Gracie

*Update Below*

I came across this (hat tip: Carmon) and followed it to the baby Gracie's site. Tuesday's entry says this:

Today is, obviously, the Thursday they are referring to. Please pray for this young family (Gracie is their first child) through this.

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• Mar. 21, 2006
Tuesday's Introspection

Somedays you have to celebrate the small accomplishments in day to day life. This week:

•  I remembered to write my name on the cup BEFORE I peed in it. A huge accomplishment really. I get extra points for adding a smiley face.
  
• My husband's boss insisted on letting me know personally that my husband was not at work (he was watching the kids for my appointment - we aren't telling his work about the pregnancy though so the boss didn't know that) and insinuated I should be "concerned" about my husband's behavior (*hint *hint infidelity). I considered throwing my husband's things out on the lawn just for amusement value but I refrained. Extra points for that too - my husband didn't think I'd be able to let an opportunity like that go.
• I picked back up the cross stitch birth sampler I've been working on for 2 years. Of course, the moment I did the girls picked back up their long abandoned cross stitch projects, and with 3 uber beginners I should get extra points for not setting all the charts, thread, etc. on fire. I certainly considered it.

....and that about sums it up so far. There has, of course, been schoolwork, cooking, cleaning, and bathing, but I figure those things are "givens"..........

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• Mar. 20, 2006
OB-servations

I did, in fact, go to the OB today. I would say on the overall everything went fairly well. There were the usual quirks, of course...........

I went to the OB office and it wasn't an OB office anymore but a cardiologist's office. Interesting. So after driving 30 minutes there, I was sent back to the new location which is about 7 minutes from my house, but still required that 23 minutes of backtracking. I was quite of breath and flustered when I arrived there and ran the length of the parking lot trying to make the appointment on time.

I enter the hospital through the main entrance and the greeter immediately offers directions to the drug testing clinic. Hmmm. Note to self: Need to eliminate the wide eyed, confused look. I get offers equally from drug dealers & drug rehabbers which proves that both ends of the spectrum use the same criteria for recognizing drugheads*, but I digress. When I tell her I actually need directions to the OB wing, she looked very much like she was about to give the "get off drugs or your baby will be born funny" speech but instead pointed in the general direction. I appreciated her assistance, but couldn't help making some big sniffing noises, and twitching as I wandered away. I should feel bad about that and I'll let you know if it happens.

*Worth Noting- I'm not a drughead. I just look exraordinarily confused a lot of the time. It's genetic. It's also worse when I wax my eyebrows, but anyway...

Everything else went about as to be expected. The doctor remembered to order a Chlamydia culture as he gave me a pap (always encouraging). He displayed the unique capabilities of the "overly active" womb (read "has had too many children") by stretching and bouncing it which amused him immensely (think basketball like qualities here - I, myself, was a little disturbed). He did talk some about my last pregnancy and what an anomoly (?sp?) it was, therefore no accurate indicators were as to whether it would reoccur. If no one knows why it happened in the first place, how in the world, and by what data, can they estimate if it will happen again? He made a sonogram appointment for April 3 or so, and said we could begin at that point accumulating relevant information on placenta size, shape and position. He also gave me a gift bag which was a nice touch.

From there I was sent on to the lab for bloodwork (it's very important each pregnancy to verify that you didn't catch AIDS off public transportation - that's humor by the way) and I spent my time there trying to match the lab tech (read "bloodsucker") grunt for grunt on who could give shorter, more rude responses to each other. On the way out I learned he was hearing impaired which certainly made me feel a little bad, but don't worry. He did win the rude verbal contest, and started out ahead anyway as he had the rather large advantage of a needle.

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