Just Talked To The Doctor

And Bailey gets to come home tomorrow!!!! We are so excited.

This Is What We Walked Into Today

 

You gotta love it!

We got to hold her for about an hour and half total today. I don't know what they think is going to happen when we get her home. She'll be snuggled on for sure and Sid will try to tickle her to the point of irratation. haha! I fed her once and Sid fed her once. She is eating almost 2 ounces.

I guess the thing that makes me upset about this NICU is that they are small and therefore not very parent friendly. This is also the hospital that the Choctaws have a contract with to deliver all their babies at. So Bailey is the only white baby in the whole NICU and I don't think they are used to parents being with their baby all day long. I don't mean that ugly, but that's just a fact of life with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Reservation in the same county as we live in. They just have a different culture than we do. Anyway, in Birmingham, where Erin was born and other friends had babies in the NICU, they eventually got to move out of the NICU into a room so that Mom and Dad could care for them while they still needed to be "under nursing care." That doesn't happen at this hospital. If it did, Bailey would probably already be in a room that we could stay with her in. So that is frustrating for me.

Not much new news to report other than Miss Bailey is coming right along. She stays awake for about an hour after she eats and just looks at us, like who the heck are you people. I was thinking that she would get to come home tomorrow because they have basically just been observing her for 48 hours now, but the doctor and the nurse pract. seem to think it will be a few days longer. So we'll see. It's getting very tough for me and Sid both to keep it together. We had to give up our room today so I don't know what we will do tomorrow and the rest of the days until she comes home, especially since I am pumping. But we'll see.

From those of you who have been where we are, either in Mississippi or in Alabama, we so appreicate the words of encouragement. They mean alot to know that you all have perfectly normal healthy kids and there is life after this.

Sorry For The Delay

In updating. It was a long and emotional day yesterday for Sid and I both so when we got home we crashed. We are about to head to the hospital, but just talked with the doctor. He tells me everytime I talk to him how pretty my baby is and how good she is doing. She is making progress by leaps and bounds. Until today they were waking her every 3 hours to feed. Today they will let her wake herself to see how she does. She lost 3 ounces but that is expected because she didn't have any fluids yesterday. She maintained her own body temperature for 24 hours now so basically we will work on feeding. Dr. Boyd said if she continues to make this kind of progress she'll be home by the weekend. Please keep that goal in your prayers.

We are so thankful for Bailey and that she is a fighter. For those of you who know me and Sid well, you know you don't tell either one of us we CAN'T do something. Apparently she got that trait too!!!

Update

Sid and I just talked with the doctor. We are a little later than normal leaving this morning because we had to get some bills paid and such. Bailey's IV came out so they are leaving it out which means she'll have to gain weight eating or they will put it back in. She still has some temp instablity but the isolette is off for now too. This is the new doctor that will be on this week. He said he was just looking at my pretty baby!!! She is a pretty baby if I don't say so myself.

Please keep us in your prayers as he says he might be another week or so before she comes home. We have to give up our hospital room today probably so I don't know how all this is going to work.

We won't get to hold her much more today but I can feed her.

We are on our way to see her now. So I'll update more when we get back home.

Introducing Bailey Ellen Whitehead

 

 

 

 

Our wake up call this morning was Bailey's doctor, informing us that she was off the oxygen and all lines had been removed. He told us that we could hold her today and we were thrilled. She is eating from a bottle again, and eating quite alot at about an ounce every 3 hours. She got a bath today and all she has hooked up to her is an IV for fluids. That will come out when she starts gaining weight from eating. We don't know this for sure but we are thinking maybe Wednesday we'll get to come home.

Bailey's doctor was in the NICU this morning when we got there. Normally he is gone by the time visting hours start at 10:00 a.m. Anyway, he told us he's been doing this a long time and this baby gave him a few more grey hairs. So everyday we are more and more thankful for her progress and that she was able to stay in Meridian and not have to go to UAB or Children's.

Another Day Down

This was quite possibly the hardest day so far. Maybe it was the weather that made it so blah. Maybe because it is Saturday and it's been a very long week. Maybe it's just because the situation. But for whatever reason, it was a hard one. I can garantee you that the hardest thing you will ever have to do is let strangers care for your child, newborn or not. To leave your child, newborn or not, at the hospital and come home to an empty house. To lay in bed at night and wonder what your baby is doing and if people are being good to her because she isn't well enough for you to take care of yet.

Sid and I have been very pleased with the neonat and with the nurses. Bailey's nurse today has been her nurse before, but today she was much more open to the concept of us being there. We spent about 3 1/2 hours with her today, the longest amount of time yet. But we still aren't able to hold her. The doctor told me today that we could probably hold her on Monday. She isn't getting a bottle anymore because she was having to work too hard to suck, swallow, and breathe all at the same time. So she has a g-tube in her mouth. Not a big deal, but I wanted her to get better at sucking a bottle and eating from one.

When Sid and I talked to the doctor this morning, he told us that he had twenty babies between this hospital and another hospital and Bailey had been the baby that had worried him the most. That's a hard pill to swallow when Bailey NICU mates are 26 week old twin babies. She should certainly be better off than them, but apparently that isn't the way it works. The doctor said that she straddled the fence on developing pulminary hypertension. Had that happened, she would have been air lifted to UAB and put on ECMO. But Bailey pulled out of it and is now over that hump. We learned all this today and so it didn't make for a good morning. But the day did get better. The doctor decided to leave everything alone for today and let her rest and in his words, "Celebrate" because of the turn she had made.

She still has oxygen in her nose and they are turning it down by 1% every four hours. She is down to like 27 I think and the goal is 22. So hopefully by this time tomorrow she'll be off the oxygen, they'll take the lines out of her belly button and start a normal IV for fluids. She is eating 15 cc's every 3 hours and boy does she get hungry and get ready for it. It will be uped to 20 cc's at some point before in the morning. So she's getting there with that too. She is still under the light but the doctor said she'd probably come out from under that in the morning too.

She knows we are there when we are with her. She got all worked up at one point and nothing I did nor the nurse did would calm her down. So Sid starts lightly rubbing her back and BAM, she quit crying. He'd stop and she'd start again until he'd rub again. This went on for about 5 minutes until she fell asleep. It was comforting to know that we can comfort her even though we can't hold her at this point.

Again, we appreciate your calls and thoughts and prayers and visits. Please continue to pray that our little girl gets stronger and stronger each day and we are able to bring her home soon. I'll update again tomorrow night when we get home.

Bailey's Big Day

When we got to the hospital this morning, which was way before the doctor ever made rounds when we where actually in the hospital, we had already missed him. But I got to talk to the nurse pract. Apparently between 5:30 a.m. when we got up and called to check on her and 8:45 a.m. when we got to the hospital, Bailey had been taken off the vent. She is now on oxygen at 30%. We breathe 22% so not much further and she won't even have to have oxygen. We haven't gotten to hold her yet, but we were there today for 3 of her feedings. She actually had 4 the whole time we where there, but the first one was before visitors are allowed in the NICU and they told me she acted like she was hungry so I told them to go ahead. At the second feeding, which was at 12:30, the nurse was extremely nice. She offered to let me change her diaper but I told her I'd just observe since she had all these lines hooked up. Bailey opened her eyes and looked at us and responded to us talking to her and touching her. She got 5 cc's of milk for the first two feedings and moved up to 10 cc's for the rest of the day and night until the doctor comes back tomorrow. That is about 2 tablespoons. The nurses sit her up to feed her but they don't actually hold her either. She did have to start being under the billy rubin lamp (I don't know if that's how it's spelled or not). When we were there for her 9:30 p.m. feeding, she gulped the bottle so much she was smacking and she really seems to enjoy eating so that's good. The only problem today was with her oxygen gas levels in her blood. They were turning her oxygen down by 2% every so often and had gotten down to something like 25%. But at the 6:00 p.m. lab readings, the doctor decided to raise her oxygen level to 30% and leave it for the night. So throughout the night, other than feedings every 3 hours and vital signs, nothing should happen. There should be no change.

We are hopeful that she will get the lines out of her belly button tomorrow and get a normal IV. At that point, she can get a bath and we can hold her and feed her ourselves. So that should be the next big step.

For those of you who know me well know that I have always said I WAS NOT nursing. No way, no how. Well, when they take your baby and put her at the other end of the hospital, you feel so helpless that you will do anything you feel like you can to help her. Since she is sick and it is supposedly so good for her, I decided to go ahead and start pumping and I guess eventually she'll breast feed. I am still a little shocked at myself over this decision. But it really is what's best for Bailey. So far, everything is going will with it. But we'll see. She may like the bottle so much she doesn't want to breast feed. And that'll be fine too!

Mom and Dad got to come back over today. They were excited to see her. Sid's mom and dad and came and saw her too. Sid's Mom and Dad hadn't seen her since Monday and my Mom and Dad hadn't seen her since Tuesday. So they were all excited to get to see her. And I was excited to see Mom and Dad. There are just sometimes in life you need your mama and this is one of them.

I don't have Internet at the hospital so I'm not able to update this blog til I get home. I'm also not the best at answering my phone right now. Sid is better at answering and updating. It's still a little hard for me to talk about all this out loud. For those of you who have babies and take them home 2 days later, be very, very thankful. We are, however, grateful for the care Bailey is getting and the progress she has made. The prayers, calls, comments, concerns, etc. have all been so reassuring to Sid and I both. We know she is hearing your encouragement. Thank you all so much!

Bailey Ellen Whitehead

***UPDATE 8:00 p.m. Sid just called for an update and apparently the neonatologist didn't like Bailey's gas reading at 6:00. He ordered for the vent to be replaced. When they replaced the vent she got upset, as she usually does, so they are not turning her levels down anymore tonight. They will remain at what they were when we checked earlier and they did have to give her some the medication to help her rest that they had hoped they would discontinue today. Bailey's like her mama. She doesn't like anyone messing with her, poking tubes down her throat, then she gets all upset and can't calm herself down. They have to just stop the progress and let Bailey get control and then they'll move forward. I'll update when we update again.



Bailey was born Monday, December 22, at 2:32 p.m. She weighed 6 pounds and was 18 1/2 inches long. My blood pressure shot up Monday right before lunch and I had signs of pre-eclampsia. After about a 20 minute observation in L and D, the doctor decided it was best for me and Bailey that I deliver. We arrived at the hospital around 11:00 a.m. and 3 1/2 hours later Bailey was born by c-section. Although 6 pounds and 18 1/2 inches sounds like a full term baby, or not sounding like she was too early, she is considered a pre-mature baby. Bailey's lungs were not ready to operate on their own, so she has been in the NICU since birth on the ventalator. She had one big set back this week, but rebounded nicely and should be off the vent. by tomorrow, which is Friday. She obviously was much better off outside of me than still inside and as the doctor said, the only way to fix pre-eclampsia is to deliver the baby.

I was discharged today, but the hospital is letting us keep our prime time room right outside the nurses station until Monday free of charge. That is just so awesome. For the time being, we are at home for the night to get some much needed rest. At this point, Bailey doesn't like being touched or to hear loud voices, so we can't visit for long periods of time. We plan to be back at the hospital by 9:00 in the morning to converse with the neo-doctor and hopefully she'll come off that vent. We'll still have a tough road ahead of us even after she comes off the vent.

Right now, we appreciate all the phone calls, visits, and especially the prayers. Our little girl is a fighte and that's the main reason why she has come so far. I'll update this as we have new information.

Do You See What I See?

That ticker over there says something like 27 days. I feel like it's the day after Thanksgiving and am now anxiously awaiting Christmas. We all know at that point, it feels like Christmas is forever away. So yeah, it feels like 27 days is 9 more months!!!

oh yeah

If anyone can tell me how to get the video that I take from camera to the computer uploaded to blogger, I'd be forever grateful. As it stands right now, I can get it from the video camera to the computer to an application called picture motion brower and I can get it from there to a DVD, but I can not figure out how to blog it. Any suggestions????

Christmas Time's A'coming!

Bed rest has been good to me I suppose, at a crappy time of the year. I went to work Thursday for just a bit to tie up some loose ends and then to the daycare staff Christmas party Tuesday night. I stayed at home Wednesday and Thursday, leaving only to go to the daycare committee meeting Thursday night. Friday I was staying at home all day because we had plans for Sid's family Christmas on Friday night but ended up having to go to daycare unexpectedly and fire two people. I'll save those details for later. This is Christmas after all!

We went to Sid's mom and dad's Friday and had some yum, yum, yummy food. Sid cooked a beef tenderloin and we had hashbrown casserole, mac and cheese, green beans, pinto beans, rolls, I can't even think of what else we had. It was nice to have those foods because that is what my Mom would cook so it's comfort foods for me. And as always NeNe and Sid out did themselves. We exchanged gifts and little Mason was just hilarious when he opened his Justin Ostrich boots from NeNe and Jerry. I laughed until I hurt at him. Bailey got more presents than me and Sid did! haha! She got the cutest little outfit from Ben and Kylie and Sid even cried. NeNe had her a pretty white blanket made and she got a toy for her bed that NeNe so wanted her to have. Of course, we weren't left out by any means. Let's just say that I won't be hurting for Books A Million money in the near future, which really excites me!! Thanks NeNe and Jerry.

Saturday was a rough start as I started throwing up when getting ready to go to Sid's grandmother's for Christmas with the rest of the family. But Sid was patient and we made it out there. It was alot of fun and the food, again, was yummy. I've spent all weekend eating exactly what I was told not to eat. What can be the harm at this point? I didn't use any extra salt, though and nothing but water for me to drink so I'm getting in 60+ ounces a day. I got home from his grandmother's and was asleep at 3:30. Sid went hunting and I did not wake up til about 7 when he called me about supper. I was back asleep by 11 and slept til 10 this morning. I read somewhere that some women sleep instead of nest. So maybe that's what is up with all this sleeping.

I say Christmas Times A'Coming because we have now done all we are going to do with family that we are aware of for Christmas. But it's not even here yet. I get so upset thinking that I will not see my family this Christmas. The selfish part of me wants them to come over here but I know there is no way they can. I mean, Maggie and Bo also have to see his family. Chris and Leslie always go to her family's Christmas Day. And Mom and Dad have to be at home to do Christmas with all them. At our house, Christmas tradition is Christmas morning. Maybe I should make the ride over there and surprise them. What's the worst that could happen? Labor? But whatever happens, Christmas is coming and the only present still under our tree is a present that says to Mama from Bailey. That gets me everytime. Not only does Sid not have anyting from Bailey, he doesn't have anything from me either. Now, we did get a new TV that was suppose to be our Christmas and then we got a new video recorder, that was again supposed to be our Christmas. But I keep ending up with gifts. So it looks like tomorrow and Tuesday I've got to play Santa for my sweet Sid. He deserves the best after what he's put with this year out of me.

Speaking of family, me sweet Pap-Paw who is 80+ years old, is sick with a head cold. He even missed church this morning so I'm told. That's a sign to me that he is really under the weather. Again, I hate it I'm missing Christmas with my family. But don't you all fear, just as soon as the doctor says I can drive after giving birth, Bailey and I will be Bama bound, with her daddy in tow I'm sure. This will be the only year we miss Christmas Eve with the rest of the Self family, I can assure you of that.

Sid and I decided we'd go to Candle Light Christmas Eve service here and stay at home Christmas day together and just rest. It really could be any time now. I just wish I had a baby Bailey to snuggle with on Christmas Day!!!

I'll update if things change with my status or her's, but I don't see her wanting to come anytime soon on her own. So for the meantime, I'll be at home, keeping down the swelling and the blood pressure and keeping up the iron, hopefully!

Baby Bailey and her Abnormal Mama

So Monday I got to work relatively early for me and everything was fine. I felt fine. All was right in my little world. We had so much going on that my wonderful husband had made three trips to Wal-Mart before lunch, all for me! So all was well. And I headed out to my weekly check-up around noon, telling everyone I'd be back by 3 or so. Wellll, little did I know, crap happens when you least expect it with this baby thing.

To start things off, my blood pressure was 142/100. They waited and checked it again, this time it read 1??/94. So it had not come down much. The nurse took me to my exam room where she instructs me to undress from the waist down. I begin to think, this is it, my b p is high and he's checking me so maybe we can get somewhere with Bailey.

Dr. Purvis measures my belly to begin with and says, "37 weeks". Now if you will recall, he told me a few weeks back that when I started measuring 37 weeks we'd talk about a new due date. So I asked him can't we do something. He says no because I'm really only 35.1 weeks and she may not be mature enough to come. So I say ok, knowing deep down in my heart that I do not want her to be born any earlier than she has to be. But then, he looks at my b p counts and re-evaluated the situation. He decided to send me over to l and d to have them monitor my bp and said we'd go from there. He said if my bp continued to stay up we'd look at our options, but I needed to just get to L and D. So off I went, alone, thinking what the heck happens now.

Well I'll tell you what the heck happens now. They put me in the big, real deal, give birth, suite! And put my name on the outside of the door. I'm thinking, this is it. This is it!!! I need to call Sid. But I never got around to it. The nurse comes back in and is telling me that Dr. Purvis has ordered alot of lab work to be done and if it comes back not normal we wouldn't even have 45 minutes before we'd have to do something about the baby. At this point, I asked for some ice water and was told that I couldn't have anything in case we went into the OR. At that point I freaked. I called Sid and told him they wouldn't even let me have water so he might need to come as quickly as possible. How he made it down there in record time with everything he remembered to bring is beyond me. But he did and that will be another post unto itself.

We ended up with good news and bad news. Good news, Bailey is fine and really and truly so am I. Bad news is, we didn't get to have her yesterday, but for very good reasons. My iron is apparently so low that if Dr. Purvis had decided to take her, I would have had to have a blood transfusion. Not good! The blood work showed no protien in my urine, which is good. It also showed that I was not toxic although I had high bp and tons of swelling. So the decision was that we needed to do everything to keep bp and swelling down so that I do not become toxic while we do everything we can to get my iron up before delivery. I'm on a bp medicine that will pull some of the water off (and it has, I've peed about 10 million times since starting it) and on those nice, dreaded iron pills. Plus, strict bed rest to keep the swelling and bp down. They said I couldn't move any more than from the bed to the couch. I could tell a difference in the swelling after keeping them up most of the day, but they still aren't totally gone down. The doctor just doesn't want me to become toxic with high blood pressure, not because he doesn't think Bailey is ready, but because I need to get my iron up before we deliver so we are trying to get some time in on that.

I go back Friday morning I think and we'll see what goes from there. But for the record, bed rest sucks. Even though I have the best husband in the whole wide world, he has already started making comments about how someone around here has to earn a living, blah, blah, blah. Like I can help it. I just hope we can get through this. It's pretty nerve racking on my part too! Just say a prayer for us.

On a side note, Sid's mom has about a million things planned for Christmas and is also planning tons of stuff that I am not suppose to eat. I've already had a breakdown on Sunday when I realized that I wouldn't see my mom and dad again until Bailey gets here, meaning I won't see them at Christmas. Now, that's no excuse not to see Sid's family too, but now that this bed rest has come about I can only do so much. Since they have planned activities 3 days in a row, Sid and I find ourselves having to decide what we will and will not do. I think we are going to his mom's for Christmas on Friday night, but will just have to wait and see on the stuff at his grandmother's on Saturday and Sunday. But bed rest is bed rest and if I could do all that, I feel like I could go to work. And since I can't go to work, I feel like I shouldn't do anything else. And like I said, Christmas with my family this year is so not gonna happen because it doesn't matter when they do it, we can't go. So say a quick prayer for me that I handle myself like I should and not flip out and have a nervous crying breakdown. I know it's mostly 90% hormonal, but still, it sucks to feel that way.

Pictures

 

 

 

 

Pictures

 

 

 

 

PIctures

 

 

 

 

Oh What A Night!

The wedding was PERFECT. There is so much to tell about it I don't even know where to begin. I think the sweetest two things had to be Erin and my Pap-paw. I have some pictures to post of lots of stuff and of course video that I don't know how to get to the blog. But as soon as I get pictures uploaded, I'll send them here.

Maggie and Bo were fantastic at the wedding and reception. Maggie looked beautiful and so happy and I think that's why I couldn't stop crying. I started crying about 30 minutes before the wedding and stopped long enough to read my scripture part. She just looked so pretty and happy and I was so happy for the both of them. And then sweet Erin, as beautiful as always. She is the most well-behaved child I have ever seen. Pap-paw did a great job, as always, and sounded a little teary eyed himself, which didn't help matters on my horomonal end.

As soon as the band started playing last night and Dad and Maggie had their dance, Erin went to that dance floor and never came off. She stole the show at that point.

Maggie and Bo left in a white stretch limo headed to the hotel in Bham and then to Jamacia this morning. I assume they made it. I talked to Maggie about 9:30 this morning and they were in the Dallas airport. I haven't heard from her since.

I wish I could put the night into words, but words can't describe their night. Mom and Dad did a wonderful job planning this wedding. I hope you enjoy the pictures as soon as I post them.

Sid and I are home now. I slept most of the way home so I didn't get tired of riding or feel sick. My feet are the most swollen they have ever been this whole time. I been talking to Bailey, telling her it's time now. But I think she's getting more comfortable inside where it's all warm. The race is on now!!!

Wedding Eve

We had rehearsal tonight and it was quite possibly the calmest one I've ever been to. Rehearsal dinner was very nice and it appeared a good time as had by all.

Maggie and Bo seemed extra calm, which made me very happy for the both of them. I have some pictures and video to post. The pictures will likely come way before the video as I don't know how to get the video from where it uploads to my computer to the blog.

Tomorrow will be the big day. I still wish little Bailey Ellen had somehow made her arrival to be at her Aunt Maggie Ellen's wedding, but no such luck. And had she been born early enough to come to the wedding, she probably couldn't have medically come. So when you look at it like that, I'm glad she's not here yet. However, I can promise this was the last ride to Bama without her in a car seat instead of her mama's tummy. It was scary the way I started to feel before we actually got here. Very weird feeling.

Anywho, I suppose it's bedtime now, but I just want to say to Bo and Maggie that I love you both very very much and the road will be tough and long and hard at times. But you have to remember why you are with each other and that arguing gets you no where fast. But the road will always be smooth and beautiful much of the time and it's these times that must keep you going. Never ever give up on why you are starting your own family becoming one. And don't let anyone or anything get in the way of what the two of you want for yourselves. You are your own unit now and it's up the the Bo and Maggie Battles unit to determine where your road where go. Get out that and find it. Just don't ever forget where you came from!!!! We love you both so very much!!!!!

Some Pictures Got Left Out

These are two of the pictures that are described below. I just had to post them in two different postings.

 

 

Pictures That I've Promised, Some of Them Anyway

I'm not too sure what order these pictures uploaded in. So I'm just going to describe what I think should be here and we'll go from there. I have posted a picture of my Christmas tree. Sid and I always get a real one and even though we weren't sure what would be going down this Christmas, we still had to have one. So he took me to pick one out Thanksgiving morning, and here it is. Quite possibly the most perfect real tree I've ever had. And if you'll notice in one of the pictures, we only have one present under the tree. That present got put there today and on the tag it says To:Mama From: Bailey. Does my husband know how to send an eight month pregnant woman into emotional over drive or what??? How sweet is that??? I do have the best husband a girl could ask for. But I ask you again, what in the world can I surprise him with from Bailey, because I have absolutely no idea what she (he) got me.

One day while I was having one those glucose tests and we had time to kill at the hospital, we walked up to labor and delivery and saw the new babies and such as that. We noticed that the new babies all had these big hand painted signs announcing their arrival. I didn't necessarily want one with the birth statistics on it, but one with her name, hand painted, would be cool we thought. And Sid just happened to notice that one of the signs was painted by a guy from Philly that he actually had some connections to. So we got the guy a picture of Bailey's bedding, which is cherry blossoms, and wha-la!!! You should be able to see a picture of the end result here. We are oh so proud of it. The good news and best part is that it would have cost us about $100 to have the guy do it, but through Sid's connections it ended up being a way cool baby gift. So that picture will go over her bed. And we are very proud of it.

Some of these pictures are from the shower at Leslie's house. The cake was so cute. As you can see, it was a onesie thing with Bailey's name on it. I have pictures to post from some of the other showers too, but I they haven't been sent to me yet.

Oh, and good grief. Take a look at her closet. The diva has more clothes in her closet than her I do. And I might add that they are washed in dreft, dried on low, had a low heat iron to knock the wrinkles out and been hung in the closet just ready for her get here.

I do have other pictures, as my three favorite things have not been posted yet. But I'm getting there. I hope you enjoy these for a while!!!

Oh and any ideas on what Bailey can get her daddy, please pass them on.......

 

 

 

 

These Darn Doctors

So I went to my doctor's appointment today and guess what? No doctor there. The receptionist SAYS she tried to call but I had no message or missed called from their office. And I wasn't the only one coming in for my appointment. So she apparently missed calling some people. But anyway, when I got back to see the nurse, I told her I was going out of state at the end of the week. Welllll, she got way carried away and said I needed to go to labor and delivery at the hospital to make sure I was ok to travel. Which made no sense to me, but I did as I was told. Through admitting and into a labor and delivery room I go (which was kind of neat because now at least I know what the room looks like). Anyway, they checked me. Not dialated. They hooked me up to the machines. No contractions. And guess what else they told me? Your baby sure does move alot. Really? Please tell me something I don't already know.

Anyway, I missed the mark with yesterday's post because the visit was more crazy than I had expected. But the OB on call doctor cleared me for travel. So we are Bama Bound Friday morning for the big wedding.

I called Sid to tell him I was on the way home and he informed me that we have one present under the tree now. Bailey got me something he said. Sure enough, she did, but he says she won't tell what it is. She likes surprises. Now if I could just think of something ot surprise her daddy with.

Doctor's Appt Tomorrow

And I've walked enough this weekend that maybe it did some good. Welllll, I take that back. Actually, at this point we need to make it one more week at least. THE BIG WEDDING DAY IS COMING SOON!!! December 13th. I've cried so much this past week that I'm giving everybody who reads this that will be at the wedding fair warning, I will be a big bucket of tears next weekend. I can not believe that my baby sister is getting married. I repeat the poem I wrote about her when I was in the 5th grade (with my Dad's help:

My Mom's gonna have a new baby
That will probably drive me crazy.
But I can't wait
Til that memorable date,
When one way or another,
I'll have a new sister or brother!!!

I just can't believe she finished up at Alabama last week and is at home putting last minutes touches on her wedding. How exciting and sad at the same time. I just can't wait. I wish Bailey Ellen was here since she does have part of Maggie's name. But oh well!! It just wasn't meant to be. Sid's wearing a pink tie in honor of Bailey though and Mom and Maggie talked me out of wearing the dress I was going to wear and into wearing pants (thank goodness) so I don't have to look like a Christmas tree skirt. (Really, I would have!)

Anyway, this post got kind of random. I'm going to post later in the week about Maggie and Bo. And I'll update about whatever the doctor says tomorrow. But I bet you anything it goes like this, "Are you feeling ok? Yes, but I'm miserable. Ok, let's see what you are measuring. Yep, 35 weeks. Oh, listen, there's the baby's heartbeat. Good and strong. You do know what you are having right? (He asks me this every time and I have yet to figure out why, like he thinks I'm gonna forget.) Ok, well, you are already off work, right? No, you told me I could go back to work over a month ago and I've been working ever since. Oh, well you need to think about when you will stay off. Ok, I will but I dont' want to until I have to. Ok. Well, I'm sorry your whole body is swollen, you have restless legs, your arms and hands are going numb, your sinues are congested, your eyes are producing some random goo, your back is hurting, actually everything below your belly button is hurting, you are crying all the time, you're still throwing up at least half the week, blah blah blah. Let me know when you get REALLY miserable and we'll talk. Around 37 weeks we'll really, really talk. But for now, we'll see you in a week, kid!!!" I will sit there for 2 hours waiting on that same ole conversation that has taken place every week now for about two months. Hopefully soon we'll hear something different like, "Looks like you're in labor, kid!"

I'm Not Doing Much Better

On this blogging thing. And I do apologize. It's just gotten too much to lug the computer home and back every night and morning so I've been leaving it at work. Sometimes I use Sid's but not often. Maybe I should teach him to blog so his point of view and perspective can be journal ed, too! Then again, maybe not!!

It was a long week after I posted last time. But thank goodness I started feeling better. I just have a lot of swelling and sinus congestion, a little nausea and high blood pressure every now and then, but I'm determined not to have to stay off work until I it is absolutely necessary. I did get two of my workers qualified to stand in while I'm gone but I see it being a BIG problem with some of the other workers. I just hope everyone does their job. I keep saying "we aren't flipping burgers, we are taking care of people's children. What could be more important?" But apparently not everyone see's it that way. So we'll see.

Sid took me to look at Christmas lights tonight and we had fun. Went through two road blocks (well it was the same road block both times) during the process. We've got a big weekend and next week ahead of us, so let's all hope we make it through. Tomorrow we will be going to some of his extended family for Christmas and then I want to go to the Baptist Church tomorrow night to hear their Christmas music. Sunday Sid wants to go to a Christmas play that the art theater is doing downtown and Sunday night there is a program at our church. Tuesday night is the preschool program. Thursday night is Sid's work Christmas party and Friday we leave to come to Alabama for Maggie and Bo's wedding. So it will indeed be a long week.

Bailey has dropped down I think because my ribs feel a bit better. I go to the doctor on Monday and we'll see what he has to say. Hopefully all will be well so I can make it at least another week. After that, it's fair game. I am so uncomfortable, I am starting to feel disabled. Oh, and the hormones have surely kicked in high gear. Thank God I have a great husband. He is so understanding when I just break down for nothing. That makes me feel much better in and of itself!!!

Ok, So I Was Skimmpy

On the November posts. But it was a very busy month. And it seems it will only get busier as time goes on. No, I haven't posted pictures of the things I've promised. BUT we did get a Sony Handycam and after two more trips to the store, we can now upload video to the computer. So I hope to video Bailey's room and things and post it soon. I said HOPE so don't get your's up!!

We had another baby shower over the weekend. This time, it was at my church, the one where I work. And it turned out great. We got more cute, sweet pink things and more much needed diapers. This time Bailey got some toys, which we did not have any, so that was great. We appreciate FUMC of Philadelphia so much for lots of different reasons.

I was supposed to go for a non-stress test today, but decided to go in earlier because I just wasn't feeling right. I am having contractions but not dialated or anything like that, so she isn't even preparing to make her way into the world, the best I can tell. The doctor did say to stay off my feet and away from work for the next week, but we'll see how that goes. Some days I'm fine and dandy, some days, not so much. I go back to see him next Monday, the 8th. We'll see what happens between now and then. I'd love love love to be off of work I think, but I think it's one of those things that sounds better than it really is. As least I have peace of mind knowing that whatever pains and pressures I am feeling are normal and I'm normal and the baby is "beautiful" as the nurse put it today.

I still can't believe it's now December. We have a lot going on. Hopefully I won't be as skimmpy in December as I was in November. I should teach Sid how to blog so he can write to our fans, too!! haha!!!

We started off the Christmas month by attending the Neshoba County Christmas Parade. Fun..cold...but fun!!