Morning Update

Last night the doc came in to take a look at the charts and wasn't completely satisfied, saying that he'd really like her to stay put another week. He was actually getting ready to feed me but changed his mind and decided to increase the dose of the medicine that is supposed to be slowing the contractions instead. So I sill haven't eaten since about 9:20 yesterday am. But, with the help of a little Ambien, I was able to get some pretty good rest. Despite the IV tubes and baby monitors that I am hooked up to and the comings and goings of nurses and meds and various alarms going off throughout the night (nothing to worry about - I ran out of IV fluids once, and the blood pressure cuff wasn't working right), I actually slept better last night than I have for the past week or so in my own bed! But,I am pretty sure that Jodie wouldn't agree - men get shafted in terms of sleep arrangements in labor rooms.

This morning the docs change shifts and we will get to see our main doctor. He should be in shortly and at that point I would assume that he will check for dilation and get his own base line for the nexy 24 hours. I am hoping that he will let me eat too! I will update later. Thanks for everything.

Baby Girl Update

Well, it looks like this little one is excited to be joining the outside world. We had our routine visit with the docs this morning and found that we are dilated 3+ cms. So, we were sent striaght to the hospital from the office. We checked in here around 11am or so. The doc started us on a drug that will slow/stop the contractions, anitbiotics to help fight off any infections that I may have/be exposed to, a steroid to help Girlie's lung development, and some IV fluids. I will be taking the drug that slows the contractions by pill every 4 hours and the antibiotic is through the IV and every 6 hours. I will have another shot of steroids tomorrow afternoon. They haven't checked me since about 12:30 or so, so we don't know if dilation has continued or slowed down yet. At this point, the ultimate goal is to get the steroids in me and contractions stopped and then get me back home on strict bedrest (I can only get up to potty and shower), hopefully staying pregnant for another few weeks. At the earliest, that will be Friday morning. At the very least, they want to stall labor until the full round of steroids has been administered. So, basically, we know nothing. We may have a baby by the weekend, maybe not. We have been told, however, that if we do have a baby, she will most likely be okay. She may have to spend some time in the NICU, but most likely not too long and for nothing major. Sam seems to be doing well. She was a little taken back when Mommy lost it this morning at the doc's office, but recovered from it quickly. She gave me a hug and told me that everything will be fine. We sent her to some friends' house to play for the afternoon until my mom could get here. Mom is here and she and Jodie are picking her up and bringing her to tell me good night before she and Mom head to the house for the night. Jodie will stay here with me. Please continue to pray for our girls and us. I will keep you all posted as we learn more. Thanks for your support.

32 Weeks and Counting...Possibly Quickly

Monday marked 32 weeks along. So far this pregnancy has been pretty easy, though very different from Sam's. I have been experiencing the famous Braxton Hicks contractions since about 16 weeks along - something I never felt with Sam. There are other things too, but I won't go into all of it. Today, we had our check up to see how this little girl is coming along. We measured about 33 weeks along, which didn't hurt my feelings at all. Sam was 2 weeks early and the thought of going all the way to October is a little daunting to me. But, when the doctor did the exam to check on dilation - something we weren't yet expecting, he found that I am already dialated 1 cm. He talked with a couple other docs in the practice and they decided not to give me the steriod for her lung development, but to go ahead and move me to a weekly patient instead. So, from here on out, we will be going weekly and the docs will check for dilation progress every week. If thing continue to progress prematurely, they may decide to give me the steriods at a later time. Today, I was told to start taking it easy (something that I do not come by easily) but did not go as far as to put me on bed rest. So, that's where we are today. I will give another update next week. In the mean time, please join us is praying for our little one - that God continue to help her grow and develop, that I can stay pregnant until she is good and ready to join us, and that I don't go absolutely insane trying to "Take it easy" and entertain big sister everyday too.

To All You People Who Voted "Boy"...

Okay, so my printer is broken - I can't even get the thing to turn on! So I can't scan the ultrasound pictures. But they are very cute, and our little one in looking just perfect! The technician was able to tell us that the baby's heart looked great. We are on track for an early October delivery and we can't even wait to meet the newest Nixon. Baby is kicking me more and more and Jodie felt it for the first time the other night. Everytime I put Sam's hand there, Baby runs the other way and will not kick at her. I am sure that will change soon enough. So, I guess you want to know if it is a boy or a girl! Well, all you people who voted "Boy" were WRONG!!!!!!! The newest Nixon will be a little girl! We haven't decided on a name yet, so we are still calling her Baby at the moment. But, she is perfect, we are excited, and we are so in love! We'll keep you posted on her and post her pictures as soon as I get the printer thing figured out.

Ultrasound Re-do

Whoohoo - we get to try again! The docs said that they did want to go ahead and try to get a better view of the heart, so we are heading back in for another ultrasound on May 29. And beleive me, between now and then me and this little one will have a few heart-to-heart chats about cooperating with the camara this time. When I talked to the docs this morning, they also told me that our AFP Test (the one that tests for Spina Bifida) came back negative. Yeah! We chose not to do any of the other tests, but we just knoe that our little one is just perfect, so no worries. Stay tuned to see the results on May 29. It's not too late to cast your vote for boy or girl over on the right side of you screen.

No News!

Well, Jodie says "It's clearly a girl!" Whatever this baby is will remain a secret at least for another 3 or 4 weeks. He or she just would not cooperate! How about that? This child would not show us ANYTHING, not even enough to make an educated guess as to whether it is a boy or a girl. It's legs were crossed, and the "area" was behind a bone, so the ultrasound technician could not see a thing. She did say, though, that everything else looked great (Thank you God!) and that all the measurements were right on for an early October delivery. She is recommending another ultrasound because there was one view of the heart that she was not able to get, although I really think she is doing it for me. So, we will see what the doctors say and will keep you posted. Cross your fingers that we get to sneak back in there. But even if we don't, at least we know that our surprise is so far a healthy surprise!

Dr. Appt.

This morning we had our first of many 15 second doctor's appointments. While I look forward to all of them, they really seam a little pointless when you spend all that time waiting just to see the doc for 15 seconds. But, there is always that little reward that makes it all worth it. It is always nice to hear that all is well with our Baby-To-Be. She didn't tell me the bpm, but we did hear the little heartbeat and, again, it was beating away. And, again, it brought tears to my eyes. I am constantly amazed at the miracle of childbirth, and everyday I wonder how someone can go through all of this, or just simply be a witness to it, and still believe that there is no God! I just do not understand it. Jodie couldn't go with us this morning (bummer) but Sam was there and was also excited to hear her Baby Brother or Sister (although Sam usually says Baby Brother and Sister - we keep telling her that there is ONLY 1!). As we were leaving, we were able to schedule the most exciting appointment of all - the ultrasound!!!!! In just 4 weeks, we will be able to tell you if this little one is a girl or a boy (assuming that we decide to find out and can)! I can't wait! There are so many things that I want to do, but can't until we know if we will have another daughter or a precious little son. So, make your vote to the right of this, you only have 4 more weeks! Pics of the growing belly to follow soon.