Hello Again

I'm sorry it has been so long since my last blog...this has fallen short on my priority list over the last few weeks. Since I last wrote, I have been back to the hospital twice more, and still no baby. I came home on the Friday I told you about, the 5th...just to return the following Thursday, Jan. 11th. The pain had returned with a vengeance and I was admitted for another 3 days, and came home on Saturday the 13th. Frustrated, there was still no sign of the stone and no answers. We came home just praying the pain would not return. But, it did. On Sunday the 14th (which happened to be Kris' birthday...CRAPPY timing!) the pain returned. This time I tried REALLY hard to tough it out at home with the oral pain medications they gave me. You would be surprised how much you can actually take while pregnant! Well, I did not sleep, but writhed and paced in pain all night and hurt all day Monday. By that night at about 8:00, Kris and I decided I should go back to the hospital because not only was the pain not letting up, but I now had a fever and was throwing up. So, here we are at the hospital for the 3rd time, not for the reason of having a baby! This time, we were not leaving until we had more answers or they did something more about getting rid of this stone. My doctor felt the same way when she came to see me Tuesday morning. I was now at 37 weeks, a little less scary to have the baby at this time. She did another ultrasound of the kidneys, but still can't find the stone, and doesn't want to do xrays because of the baby. So she decided that after being fever-free for 48 hours she would do an amniocentesis to find out if the baby is ready to live outside the womb without complications. If so, they would induce and deliver this baby and more deliberately treat the stone. So, I waited the 48 hours, and she came in to do the amnio. It didn't work. There was not enough fluid to reach that didn't have baby or chord floating around in it. I couldn't help but cry immediately...I thought I was going to have a solution to the whole mess, and it was not happening. I have never felt more discouraged. So, they kept me one more night and sent me home on Friday, again to pray for no pain and take it easy. So, I have been taking it easy, and Kris has been taking very good care of me since I have been home. We are now just thankful that I have been pain-free for a week and just waiting for this little one to make it's arrival and treat the stone. As long as I don't move much, the stone doesn't move, and I stay out of pain. The doctors have not said so, but I wonder if this stone is simply to big to pass on it's own, if that is why it is still here after almost 4 weeks. But I am not a doctor...who knows? I'm sorry if I rambled a bit...this has been a long, complicated ordeal to write about in a short format. (And I am certainly not the writer my sister is.)
On another note...I would like to thank those of you who have been praying for me and putting me on prayer lists. I know God is still in control, and as my mom always told me, He doesn't give you anything you can't handle. I have been very fearful and depressed through most of this, and He has truly given me a peace and calmness that can only come from Him. I still worry when the kidney starts to hurt a bit, but lying down to pray and relax has a tendency to ease the pain as well as my nerves. I cannot imagine going through this (or the upcoming fear of childbirth) without my savior!!! Praise Him!!!

Oh... and if you were wondering, I am now 38 weeks, and this is how our angel looks this week:
Your baby has really fattened up. She likely weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds now, and she's probably between 19 and 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon feel when she wraps her little hand around your pinky! Her organs are fully developed and in place, but her lungs and brain — though developed enough for her to function now — will continue to mature right through childhood.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Yes, I'm still here...

I'm sorry I have been absent from Blogger for a while...life has been busy! I have no excuse for the weeks before January 3rd, but as of then, I have been a bit out of commission for a while. You see, I was driving home from the courthouse on Wednesday, January 3rd ( Jury Duty called...woohoo!), and all of a sudden felt a lot of pain in my lower back and lower abdomen. On the short 15 minute drive home the pain went from bad to worse. By the time I got close to home, I was in excrutiating pain and calling my OB/GYN. I got home during the phone call, thankful Kris was still homeat 9:00 a.m. When I finally reached the nurse, she told me to come on into the hospital, she thought I might be having contractions. I was terrified something was wrong with the baby! I was right at 35 weeks...still 5 weeks to go before my due date...I was NOT ready to have this baby! So, Kris and I went to the hospital in Beaumont and discovered after some monitoring and urinalysys that I had a KIDNEY STONE!!! So, I was admitted Wednesday and given IV pain medication that dulled the pain a little. I was there until Friday at about 4 P.M. Thursday was the worst, and Kris and I agree that we cannot convey the ordeal that this was. I have never been in so much pain, they say childbirth is sometimes less painful! That just means I want my epidural quickly!!! I am home now, but I am not convinced it has passed. It is most likely out of the kidney because the side pain is pretty much gone, but it still hurts low, so it might still be in the bladder. I am ready to feel back to normal and quit hurting!!! But, the pain now is a cake walk compared to that in the hospital...I shouldn't coplain. The good news is that the baby is completely fine! The movements never slowed, and the heartbeat never dropped. So, the concern for the baby was nothing. Praise God!!! Now I am home, and my nursery and the rest of the house are still yelling to be cleaned and organized. Ugh! Thank you to all who were praying for me!
Oh...and if you are interested, here is how the little bambino is this week, at 35 weeks (but I will technically be 36 weeks as of tomorrow. :)

Your baby's getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds (think bag of sugar) and is just over 18 inches long from head to heel. Of course, he's still curled up inside you: It's getting so snug in your womb that your baby isn't really floating anymore and he isn't likely to be doing somersaults. But tighter quarters don't mean less frequent movement; your baby should still be kicking at the same rate he always has. If you notice a decrease, call your healthcare provider. Your baby's kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — the next few weeks are all about putting on weight.