Announcing...

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but it is still hard to sit at the computer for any length of time. I have big news...



My water broke at 9:30 the morning of my sister's birthday, and 29 1/2 grueling yet boring hours later, TJ finally made his grand entrance on November 25 at 2:56 pm! At 7 pounds, 2 ounces, and 21 inches long, he was awake and alert at birth, didn't fuss (after his mouth and nose were cleaned out with the suction bulb, that is), and was eager to see and touch everything in sight. He even grabbed his daddy's thumb as he was cutting the cord! He cooed at all the nurses and techs, already stealing hearts.
After a short bout with moderate jaundice and much trouble learning to nurse, we went home Thanksgiving afternoon, where my mom made ham and vegetables and had to feed me on the couch. I had a third degree laceration and couldn't sit up well, and I needed help getting to the bathroom for a few days. I'm still on oxycodone for the pain.
Black Friday saw me in the ER clutching a ziploc bag with a pear-sized clot in it, waiting and worrying for two hours until I was seen. Mom and I both agreed that it looked like a piece of the placenta, but that had been checked in the delivery room and was whole. My ultrasound was clear, so I was sent home with yet another needle hole in my arm. Two IVs, three blood draws, and a failed attempt in less than a week sure leave one looking like a heroin junkie. At the follow-up appointment, I got the pathology results: the clot was indeed placental tissue, but not part of TJ's--it was a completely separate placenta, but without a baby in it. ...How close did I come to having twins? Scary.
I have much to be thankful for with this precocious child, not the least of which is that he's a generally happy baby with no colic. He fusses only until his needs are met and not when he simply wants attention. He falls asleep on his own. He has no physical defects. He has a beautiful smile.
This is my baby.

It's Ok, I Would Have Given Up On Me Too

It's been far too long, and far too busy. I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but sometimes it feels like it.

First announcement: DH and I have decided to settle here in Fayetteville instead of moving back to Georgia! In the short run, this means I get to keep my OB and give birth with the facilities and staff I know, instead of "Podunk General" in the mountains. I'm very happy about that. On the down side, we won't be living with my parents, so instant baby help will not be available. On that note, I should be able to continue to take advantage of at least some of the free or reduced rate programs on post, even though DH's ETS date is in November--he joined the Reserves for the family health care. He's now on terminal leave from active Army.
I feel much better, much more stable and supported, finally knowing what's going to happen in the next few months, rather than the flipping back and forth between moving and staying. That indecision was killing me. I think I'll be more willing to post more often now that I know somewhat where my life is going.

Ooh, did I reveal that it's a BOY?!??! Healthy and normal, as far as the ultrasounds can tell. We've decided to name him after DH's father and my maternal grandfather. MAN did we fight about the name. I'm not thrilled about his choice and he's not thrilled about mine, but at least we're on the same page (heh).

What else of interest? Ummm... well, at least you know I'm not dead. I'll get my thoughts in order later.

Twiddling My Thumbs

I haven't seen my baby since it was barely 6 weeks old.

My baby.

Wow, that sounds so weird... still. I've spawned.
Next Monday we have our second ultrasound, an if the kid cooperates, we might learn the gender. DH is declining to discuss girls' names, as he is fully convinced (read: desperately hoping) that it's a boy, and we have rather grudgingly settled on a boy's name. First he was dead set on a junior. I feel that a name should be unique to its bearer, more than a tiny suffix. Long fight short, we decided on his father's name and my grandfather's name, in that order, and to call him by his first and last initial.
I still have the feeling it's a girl.

ER Visit

Quick update before I head back to bed. Yesterday was spent in the ER because I couldn't keep liquids down. The IV was the worst insertion I'd ever had; it was a student trying to get experience with unusual IV sites, so instead of using the perfectly good vein in the bend of my elbow, she was instructed to go after the "rolling" vein just short of my wrist. The supervisor said she'd probably hit a valve in the vein, since it gave two vials of blood and then stopped. A nurse had to come back later to get another vial. I'm sure it was an interesting experience for the student, as I am horribly needle-phobic and usually pass out when getting blood drawn, but this time it made me dry heave until I produced bile. Poor girl was a bit frazzled with a puking patient and a shaky arm that wouldn't give blood.
I was finally hooked up to the saline, covered with a nice warm blanket, and left alone for a while. The doctor came in later to inform me that my urine sample was "contaminated" and instead of letting me try again, they were going to catheterize me. Augh! I wasn't looking forward to that at all, but holy crap-tastic, I didn't think it would hurt SO MUCH! It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out just to get the urine sample, but I think they were using a Foley catheter first, and that thing felt like she was trying to skewer me with a plastic spear! I screamed louder than the poor guy next to me with the dislocated elbow. (That was interesting; I almost peeked around the curtain to watch the setting. It was definitely the thing to see in the ER that afternoon--all the students and nurses were crowded around.) The nurse finally decided that catheter wasn't going to work, and got a different kind with flexible rubber. It was still uncomfortable, but bearable. If I ever need a catheter again, I want to be very unconscious for it. Geez.
I had no symptoms whatsoever, and since I found out I'm pregnant, I've been drinking lots of cranberry juice to prevent this, but I was diagnosed with a UTI. Yippee. At least I didn't have to go through the painful symptoms to get the antibiotic. I finally got anti-nausea pills too. Since I've been home, I've kept everything down, so I'm on the mend, but I'm still very tired and weak.
Back to bed with me.