Midnight Excitement

A bit of history: The daughter of one of our neighbors (we'll call her AH) has been in Paris for the last several months working on her MBA in International business... she is home for the summer even though her mom has been living on the East Coast and the house has been vacant for almost a year with the exception of the 2 kids coming and going at random intervals.

So the latest of my husband's favorite things to do is when we are about to go to sleep at night he knocks on the headboard and makes Bailey go crazy thinking someone is at the door.... yeah, he is pretty ornery.

So the other night, I am trying to sleep when I hear him doing this... Bailey goes crazy, then calms down, then he does it again... lather, rinse, repeat... this went on for about 15 minutes before he got bored... then I was out like a light.

A little later, I hear him doing it again, accompanied by Bailey barking like mad... I was about to get really ticked off when I realized the knocking was actually coming from the front door and it was more of an insistent banging than a knock. I feel him get up and head to the door... Then I hear a female voice in an absolute panic. I get up and head that way too...

Turns out, AH had been home alone when she got a text message that said "I'm here... unlock the door." She said she gets messages like that a lot and she just replies that they have the wrong number... but this time it really gave her the creeps. Whereas she typically just turns on the alarm before she heads to bed, she decided to go ahead and lock all the doors as well (something rarely done in our neighborhood). She had just locked one of the doors and headed to the other when she heard the beep of the alarm signaling that a door had opened... then the alarm was tripped and she froze, until the system voice came on and said "Get out of the house NOW!" and she thought "OK" and she took off out the door she was standing in front of... our house was the closest and she knew we were home.

So my husband grabs his gun and flashlight and heads over to check things out while she calls her mom (the one who the alarm company would call to inform that the alarm was tripped) to let her know she was out of the house, safe at our place, and that she was calling the police.

My husband came back and said he didn't see anything but that the dog, a standard poodle named Lu Lu, was about to lose her mind and snarled if he even got remotely close to her... so they headed over together to get the dog then came back to wait for the police.

Bailey and Lu Lu were so happy to play, they were oblivious to us heading outside to meet the cops. The police checked things out and found nothing... but they said that the door that tripped the alarm was unlocked but not open while 2 other doors were locked but not completely closed so they were able to easily push them open. The unlocked door was the one AH had just locked a minute or 2 before the alarm went off... we never did figure out how it came to be unlocked...

AH was really shaken up (not surprising given the events of the early morning hours and her history of being stalked as a undergrad and nearly being kidnapped last spring while in Paris) so we fixed her up a bed so she could stay the night with us instead of going home to the big empty house... although an hour later, her brother convinced her to stay with him, which was only 10 minutes away...

The whole thing was so strange... our neighborhood is so quiet that we would have heard footsteps running away or a car starting over the hill or around the corner and we heard nothing... And between my husband, Lu Lu, and the cops, it was clear there was no one in the house... very, very strange...

So that was our excitement for the week...

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31 weeks today... lots of Braxton-Hicks and a few really uncomfortable contractions...

Honey... Aahhh Sugar Sugar

Warning: This gets graphic...

So I went in on the 20th for the 3 hour glucose tolerance test (GTT).

I managed to do okay overnight with just water and no snacks... but by the time I got to the lab, I was actually looking forward to the glucose drink.

They open at 7:30, I got there at 7:15 and there were already 5 people waiting on the bench outside the door... I was a bit confused as to why no one (clearly not pregnant and strong enough to stand) offered me their seat... when the doors opened, I figured out that the seating arrangement was clearly the line as everyone started signing in...

So I get up to the front to sign in and I told them I was there for a GTT (there was a sign on the wall telling me to notify them of this when signing in). The tech said "Great! I'll grab you the drink!"

Me: Don't you need to do the fasting blood draw first?

Tech: Are you here for the 1 hour screen?

Me: No, the 3 hour test.

Tech: You have to make an apt for that.

Me: My OBs office told me I could walk in this morning!!!

I was freaking out! I took a day off work, I was ready to chew my arm off, and they were telling me I needed an apt!!! After a few questions about who my OB was and a phone call to their lab supervisor, they figured out they had spots designated for 3 people from my OBs practice every Monday... so all was well... kind of...

By the time they called me back for the fasting blood draw, it was 8:15. I apologized in advance to the tech for any snippy behavior or comments I might make since I probably would have eaten bloody road kill by then if I had it in front of me. She smiled and said "no problem."

So they take my blood and I gulp down the glucose drink and I head out to the lobby to wait with instructions to let them know at 9:13 if I hadn't been called back for the first hour blood draw.

I sat and read and people came and went and all was well.

Then Spider Baby decided my stomach was a fun new toy, all squishy and with out that lumpy food stuff in it... I changed positions and walked around and still we thumped away on the glucose filled water balloon...

It was 8:58... only 15 minutes to go...

And then came the taste... you know the one you get in the back of your mouth right before you toss your cookies? Yeah, this was gonna be bad...

I grab my purse and sprint to the restroom... I just made it through the door then it started to come up... I kept my mouth closed as long as possible as I flew into the first open stall I saw... but when I got there, the pressure behind my lips was too great and I projected all over the toilet and wall and floor...

Now how is it possible to throw up that much when all that was in my tummy was 12 oz of glucose and bile? There was easily that much on the wall and floor alone... And it kept coming!

There happened to be a nurse in there and she offered me a wet paper towel and asked if I was going to be alright or if I needed anything... I told her I was fine, thanks, and then she left...

And then I started to cry...

I was going to have to start all over... I was gonna have to drink that stuff again... It was gonna be another hour before I could eat anything...

I went back to the waiting room and when they called my name, I went back and told the tech what happened... She called my OBs office and I spoke with the nurse. She said that I would have to do the test with a diet instead...

Me: How does that work?

Nurse: 3/4 cup sugar frosted flakes, 1 cup skim milk, 2 slices dry white toast, and 1 cup orange juice... and the first blood draw needs to be 1 hour after the last bite.

Hoorah!!! I could still get the test over with that day!!! I ran to the store to get the stuff I didn't have at home then headed to my house to finally eat something... then back to the lab to wait my turn for the blood draws.

Why was I not given the diet option before? I guess I'll know for next time...

It is 5 days later and I still have not heard anything... where as I knew 2 days after each of the 1 hour screens that something wasn't right... no news is good news I guess.

Bad Nancy

Nancy, you should know better than to send an e-mail like this to a hormonal prego who cries at sappy pet stories... :-)

Post Office Response To A Little Girl

"Our 14 year old dog, Abbey died last month.

The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying that when Abbey got to heaven, God wouldn't recognize her, and could we send him a letter? I told her that I thought we could, so she dictated these words:

Dear God:

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much.

I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her.

You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith


We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven...

Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps on the front of the envelope to get the letter all the way to Heaven. That afternoon, I drove Meredith to the Post office and watched her drop it in a letter box.. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet.

I told her that I was certain He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith , ' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it.

Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope.
On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith:

Abbey arrived safely in heaven..

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away...

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog..

Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me.

What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

It's nice to know that there are still a few nice people in this crazy world we live in."

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30 weeks today... viable as far as I am concerned... hopefully we'll stay in there through September...

Sugar... Aahhh, Honey Honey

Now that song will be stuck in your head all day... you're welcome :-)

For those of you who are not familiar, around 27-29 weeks, OBs require women to do a glucose tolerance screen to check for gestational diabetes. You have to drink this really sweet drink in a 10 minute period of time then they draw blood at exactly 1 hour after you finish the drink... I did mine on June 30th when I was 26 weeks 5 days. You are not supposed to have any sugar before the screen but I had a case of prego brain that morning and had a big bowl of Lucky Charms for breakfast...

On July 2nd, I got a call from the nurse who told me my screen came back a little high and they wanted me to go on for further testing. I asked what I needed to do.

I would have to make an apt at a special lab. The night before, I can not eat or drink anything after midnight. The following morning (the earliest apt being 7:30), I go to the lab and they take a fasting blood sample. Then they make me drink the sweet stuff and wait an hour to take blood. I am not allowed to eat or drink anything during the hour... then they do this 2 more times for a total of 3 more hours of nothing to eat or drink... and they make you stay there in the office the whole time to make sure you don't sneak a drink or a bite of food... so basically, I will have nothing to eat or drink (with the exception of 3 containers of sickeningly sweet stuff) for about 11 hours. And if I throw up the sweet stuff at any point during the test, I have to start all over...

Sounds like fun, huh?

Me: Let me get this straight... you want me to go almost 12 hours with nothing to eat or drink?

Nurse: Well, you take a snack with you for afterward because you will feel pretty bad by then and you'll need to eat something as soon as possible after it's done. And you will probably feel bad the rest of the day...

Me: I can't go that long with out food or water. I eat every 2-3 hours no matter what... even at night when I get up to use the restroom I eat an apple or something...

N: Well constant hunger is a sign of diabetes.

Me: I never hungry... I eat so often so I WON'T be hungry... there's a difference...

So now I am shocked and appalled at the idea that a pregnant women would be forced to go so long without food or water... so I start thinking of what I can do to get out of it.

Me: What happens if I refuse to do the 3 hour test?

N: We treat you like a diabetic and you have to restrict your diet and test your blood sugar every 4 hours for the remainder of your pregnancy.

That doesn't sound fun...

Me: You said it was a little high... what does that mean?

N: Well the cut-off for the screen is 135, and yours came back at 140.

ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?! Go through all that for 5 points?!?! When it was probably the Lucky Charms anyway?

Me: Then I want to repeat the 1 hour test.

N: We don't do that.

Me: Well I want to do it...

N: I will have to ask the Dr and she won't be back until the 7th.

Me: That's fine. You ask her and let me know what she says.

So I get a call on the 7th and the Dr agreed to let me repeat the 1 hour screen... but if it came back at 135 or above I would have to do the 3 hour test...

YES!!! I was not going to mess this up again... I cut all sugars out (even fruit) for the 24 hours prior to the test just to be on the safe side... and I did the rescreen on the 14th.

I got a call on the 16th... 137... POO ON A STICK!!!!!!!!!

I go in on the 20th for the 3 hour screen... If I never post again, you'll know it's because they killed me by dehydration....

Water Dog

Bailey likes playing in water but she is not a swimmer.

Last summer, she was rudely introduced to the lake when she was riding too close to the front of the pontoon and, while learning to drive it, I slowed too quickly and she flew off the front. I quickly put the boat in neutral so she wouldn't get hurt by the propeller... the boat went right over top of her and my husband ran to the back of the boat to coach her back to the boat and to jump in to get her if need be. She was able to swim to the boat but it was quite clear she was not a dog meant for swimming in the lake... her "doggy paddle" was her frantically splashing the water with her front paws while her back paws dragged uselessly behind her. From then on, I put her life jacket on her every time we got on the boat together.

Later in the summer, I watched a couple of dogs jumping into the water off boats anchored in the middle of the lake to go after balls that had been tossed in by the owner. The dogs actually used the people ladders to get back on the boat. I figured I could try it with Bailey... so the next time we went out, I put her life jacket on and tossed her in right beside the ladder. I then guided her around to the ladder and held her front paws onto the top rung and waited for her to find the bottom rung with her back paws. We did this a few times and she hated it. Even if we were on the shore by our docks where she could walk in and out and be able to touch, she avoided the water at our lake.

But at the dog park, you couldn't keep her out of the water. She jumps and splashes and plays and loves it. I figure its not as scary since the water just sits there and there are no waves and she can touch the whole time...

This year, we got out boat in the water late and it had been too hot to take her on it once it was in the water... but the morning of July 5th, it was cool and I was taking my friend's 10 year old daughter out to swim while we waited for her mom to wake up... I figured I would take Bailey too since it was so cool and we didn't plan to be out very long.

So we get out to our swimming cove and drop anchor. I put Bailey's life jacket on just in case because she was acting so excited. We opened the door to the front of the boat and the little girl jumped in... and Bailey followed right behind her!!! I was so shocked! So I ran to the front and guided her in the right direction to get her back to the ladder and away from the girl so Bailey wouldn't drown her. I went to the back of the boat and called Bailey around to me and she swam right to the ladder. I put her paws on the top rung just like last year and she managed to get herself out with lots of help from me. Bailey walked around on the boat for a minute and the little girl climbed out so she could jump in again... But before she could get to the front of the boat, Bailey ran past her and jumped in again!!! Again I called her around to the ladder and again I helped her out... I closed the door to the front so she wouldn't jump in again.

Bailey is 82 lbs now... I had to do most of the work to get her up the ladder... I was 27 weeks 3 days... 2 times was enough to wear me out. We took Bailey back to the house because I couldn't keep doing that... She hasn't been back out on the boat since because I won't take her if I am by myself and my husband hasn't been out since then.

I don't know what made her jump in like she did. I thought the first time she was going after the little girl but realized she couldn't touch too late... she looked frantic when she got the ladder after the first time. But then she did it again before the girl jumped in again so that didn't make any sense, and she looked just as frantic the second time around... so I am confused...

Maybe we have a water dog on our hands after all... ?

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29 weeks today... our latest trick is testing the limits of my ribs and hip bones...

Doula Search

My husband has said from the very beginning not to count on him to be in the delivery room when the baby is born. He saw a baby born in real life while training to be a paramedic and said it was one of the reasons he chose a different career path. I told him all I expected was for him to try. He agreed that he would but that I should have a back-up just in case.

I chose my MIL as my back-up. She is really laid back and I think would be a calming influence when I needed it most. It is also her first and maybe only grandchild and I thought she would really like to be there.

Then my FIL was diagnosed with lymphoma.

I started my Bradley birthing classes the last week in May. When I found the class, it was only a week before it started and as it is a 12 week course, I couldn't wait for the next round because it would be too late. As it turns out, my husband had just committed to doing something on the same night of the week as the classes so he is unable to attend with me. My MIL wanted to attend but felt she should stay with FIL instead. So I am on my own where the classes are concerned.

Natural child birth (NCB) is something I really want to do, but with out a competent and knowledgeable coach, I will have a really hard time. So I decided to hire a doula (professional birthing coach). I figure she can help coach my husband and/or my MIL to coach me and coach me if they need a break.

When I told my husband what I wanted to do, he said it was a stupid waste of money. I told him to drop his Thursday night commitment and come to my classes with me then. He said no... "Then I am getting a doula."

I interviewed 4 and have it narrowed down to 2. The 2 I have it narrowed down to both have pros and cons and I am really torn between them... I really want my husband to meet them so I can get his opinion but he said just pick the best looking or cheapest one... so he's not a lot of help there... I am having a hard time getting in touch with references for one of them but I think it's just because it was a holiday week and they may not be in town so I am going to try again this week...

I really want to make the right choice here and I have been praying on it a lot. When I picture the birth, I can see clearly who it is but she's the least experienced and lives the furthest away from us. But she is also the cheapest. The other one used to go to my church and would be a good spiritual guide (and that's important because I will need reminding that God will not give me more than I can handle), she has the most experience and lives pretty close to me and the hospital.

I need to make the decision soon so whoever it is can go on the hospital tour with us and we can start the prenatal visits...

I am so TORN!!!!!