Belly Pictures 30 Weeks

Two words that no one wants to hear: Bed rest

I made another trip to the hospital last week. Luckily I really like my doctor because I am seeing more of her than I ever expected! Now I'm getting to know all the labor and delivery nurses at Mansfield Methodist Hospital. The nurse on Friday was so wonderful, she even told me that if she is working when I come in to deliver I need to ask for her and she'll make sure that she is my nurse!

The contractions were very regular, every three minutes, so they ordered another round of tests but everything came back clear. I'm not dilated and my cervix is still longer than 2.5 cm so hopefully Avery will stay put for at least 6 more weeks. Not sure what I'm going to do with myself during that time but it's better than sitting in the NICU.

The contractions continue to be stubborn and no matter how much water I drink and how much time I spend in bed, they just wont stop. So, doctor's orders, no more work, no more playing, just home in bed. So, I am looking for movie and book recommendations (especially books). I've found that reading is the best way to pass the time and keep myself from worrying about things that are out of my control.

Contractions at 26 weeks

We had quite a scare this week. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling "not right". I went in to work and continued to have abdominal pain so I called my doctor who asked me to come in immediately. She hooked me up to a monitor which confirmed I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes. They immediately ran tests to determine whether or not I was going in to labor. Thankfully, everything came back negative but the contractions weren't easing up so they sent me to labor and delivery for additional monitoring. While in the hospital, the nurses gave me a shot of a muscle relaxer to help ease the contractions, it seemed to work so they gave me strict orders to stay off my feet, drink a lot of fluid and relax.

I woke up again Wednesday morning with the same cramping and we headed back to the hospital. The contractions were back so my doctor did an ultrasound to make sure that Baby Avery hadn't dropped and that nothing had changed since yesterday. Again, everything looked good, her heart is strong and she's just over 2 pounds now!! They were still concerned about the contractions though so I headed back to labor and delivery. I received another injection of the muscle relaxer which I respond well to and they gave me a steriod shot to help develop the baby's lungs (just in case).

I am now back at home on bed rest. Because I responded so well to the muscle relaxer, I am on a continuous flow that is administered through a cathader in my leg. Most likely, I will stay on it until 34 weeks which is the safe point for preemies when health risks from pre-term labor drop dramatically. At that time, they will take me off and hope that I can keep her in until 40 weeks.

Please keep our little girl in your prayers.

Matt and Lindsey

Getting ready for Avery Lynn

I'm only a week away from my third trimester and proud to say the nursery is getting close to being done!! We still have to touch up the paint, buy a dresser and get the shelves hung but I'm satisfied with the progress! After much indecision, we decided to go bright in Avery's room. Raspberry pink, bright green and white!! She will have a bright personality :) It took us almost two weeks to paint the stripes but it was worth it in the end!!

My belly seems to grow everyday now... there's no question that it's a baby bump!! She is very active and I love sitting in the rocking chair with my hand on my belly, reading "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" (thanks Lyndsay :)) and daydreaming about what she will be like.

Snow day in Dallas!!!

We had record snowfall in Dallas yesterday, 10 inches!! Pretty impressive, especially for Texas! Matt is traveling and missed all the fun but Cash and I have been out making snowmen and playing in the snow. He was a little cautious at first but now I can barely get him to come inside. Hope it snows like this next winter for Baby Williams!!

Baby Williams is all PINK!!!

Ok, I know I'm a little late posting this but we had our anatomy ultrasound in December and found out that baby Williams is a girl!! She is kicking and moving around all the time now. I'm so excited to have a little girl, it's hard to resist all the cute clothing. Matt and I are still working on her nursery. We took down the plaid wallpaper and blue valence so it no longer looks like a boy's room. We hung a beautiful chandelier and bought bedding for the crib but have a lot left to do!! Hopefully it will all come together soon!

Nursery

Our second spare room is really starting to feel like a nursery!! Thanks to the plaid wallpaper that was there when we moved in (and will come down whether it's a girl or boy), a crib and glider (thanks mom!!) we've got a good start.

Now all we need to know is the sex of the baby so we can begin decorating!! Can't wait!

'Tis the Season

We are so excited to spend our first holiday season in our home. We have so much to be thankful for this year, 2009 has been a bit of a whirl-wind but we've enjoyed every minute!! From moving into our house to experiencing the joys and frustrations of a puppy to the most wonderful surprise, a baby on the way, we are very blessed.


We decided to get a real tree this year and I'm so glad we did!! We found a beautiful tree we love and the house smells wonderful. Cash is very interested in the ornaments and presents.




His favorite place for an evening nap is right next to the presents!!

Pregnant!!

After not feeling well for a week, I decided to take a pregnancy test last Wednesday the 7th. To our surprise, it came back positive... as did the second one!!! We went to the doctor yesterday, my estimated due date is May 30th and we have our first sonogram October 28th. Our family is growing quickly, our puppy, Cash is almost six months old. He's going to have to learn to be gentle with the little one on the way - he's definitely a bruiser!!

Home Sweet Home

We are all settled in to our house and absolutely love it!! Last weekend we finished our first major project - installing a garage door!! We had a great time tearing down the existing wall. Matt even knocked the existing doors down with the back end of his truck! Our next project will be decorating the guest room for our November guests. My parents, sister and grandma are coming to stay with us the week before Thanksgiving so it will be a full house. I can't wait to cook my first Thanksgiving dinner (with a little help from Mom and Stef of course).