A few more pictures

Gma and Gpa stopped by the hospital before I was discharged.  They played with Ashlyn for a little while so Chance and I could stop by upstairs and say hi to Ella and Wells on our way out!  Medical City has so many fun play areas for kids!  This is part of the new Children's hospital entrance.  Lots of fun stuff to occupy kids.  She had a blast running around! 

 They also have a beautiful patio area.  Here are some shots of Ashlyn getting some fresh air!

Tailspin

Another disclaimer-lots of talk of female anatomy...and a very long post!

As great of a day as we had on Monday, Tuesday sent us into a little tailspin.  I woke up Tuesday morning, feeling ok but not great.  I couldn't really pinpoint what was wrong...I just didn't feel good.  I went to work hoping it would pass, but around 9 am I decided I probably should head home and call the doctor.  I was having some cramping across my lower abdomen and back and a sharper pain in my right side.  I was kind of freaked out because that was kind of how I was feeling before I went into labor with Ashlyn!  I called the doctor and they couldn't get me in until 1 pm.  I went home and laid down, but Chance was not accepting the 1 o'clock appointment time.  He insisted that I call back and ask to be seen immediately.  I asked for my favorite nurse when I called back and explained to her how I was feeling.  She agreed that I should come in immediately, but warned me they were very backed up!  We waited for a while before we saw the doctor but she got to work right away.  My urine sample had a lot of blood in it, but no signs of infection.  She was pretty convinced there was some type of stone moving around my kidneys or one that had settled into my bladder that was causing the blood.  She "checked" me to make sure I wasn't dilating and my cervix was still closed which was a huge relief.  She also did a fetal fibronectin test that assists with predicting preterm labor within the next 2 weeks.  She sent me over to have an ultrasound to check on the baby and take some measurements of my cervix.  The baby looked great, but I was starting to have some funneling at the top of my cervix and my water had dropped.  Not great signs at 27 weeks!  After getting this report, she hooked me up to the monitor in her office and I was indeed having some mild contractions.  She made a few phone calls and sent me down to labor and delivery for closer monitoring.  By this time, I was in freak out mode, but Dr. Waldrep was very confident that we caught it early and would be able to stop and hopefully reverse the progression.  We started rallying the troops and my mom and dad were both at the hospital before I even knew it!  Up in labor and delivery they gave me a shot of steroids to help the babies lungs develop in case delivery was in the near future.  They also gave me a dose of Terbutaline to relax my uterus.  The contractions stopped and they monitored me for a while longer before moving me to the antepartum unit.  The fetal fibronectin test came back negative which was also relieving!  The plan was to monitor me over night and then have a follow-up sonogram with the Maternal/Fetal Medicine doctor in the morning.  Chance and Gpa went and picked up Ashlyn and my mom hung out with me.  Once things were pretty stable Chance decided he would go home with Ashlyn and manage the dogs and my mom would spend the night with me.  I had to have one more dose of Terbutaline over night and had a few more contractions in the morning, but they stopped on their own.  I had another sonogram first thing in the morning and the funneling had decreased!  Great news!  Chance and Ashlyn were there bright and early and hung out until he took her to school.  They monitored me throughout the day and the doctors were in and out.  Dr. Waldrep pretty much decided that I had something going on that was kidney related (likely a stone that had settled in my bladder).  My uterus is "irritable" (cracks me up) and any little thing like that causes cramping and contractions.  In most circumstances these mild cramps and contractions wouldn't be enough to cause changes in the cervix, but I also have a slightly incompetent cervix that responds to the subtlest events!  Not a great combo!  Even Braxton Hicks contractions may cause a problem.  So the decision was made that I could go home on very restricted activity.  I am not confined to bed rest, but the list of "don'ts" was pretty long and included no work, no exercise (easy:), no long walks including malls and grocery shopping, no driving, no leaving town and the hardest part...no picking up Ashlyn!  Ugh!  They also prescribe an oral medication that is to be used when cramping or contractions start, but the problem with that drug is that it used to treat hypertension.  My blood pressure is already low (as low as 80/40 while I was in the hospital) so that isn't a great solution for me.  So...doctor's orders: stay VERY hydrated and do nothing that could wake up my irritable uterus!  We are taking it one day at a time and very thankful for all of the prayers!

On the monitor in the doctor's office 

Everything was better when my peanut
was there to snuggle!
That was only my 2nd night away
from her ever!

God is Good!

Correction...God is GREAT!  What a wonderful day we had...full of good news and blessings!  The day started out with the healthy arrival of our Godbabies Ella Lane and Wells Liam Garrett!  Kourtny was scheduled for a c-section bright and early and everything went smoothly!  Momma and babies are all doing great!

Ella Lane Garrett

Wells Liam Garrett

Our next stop of the day was at the Maternal/Fetal Medicine doctor.  We have been closely watching Baby Wimberly #2's kidneys because they have been mildly dilated.  They are still just slightly dilated, but almost within the normal range.  Apparently this is more common with boys because they aren't quite as good of "pee'ers" yet and they get a little back up in their kidneys.  The doctor feels that it is benign and is something we will just continue to watch and once the baby is born, he may be seen by a Urologist just for a check-up.  Other than that, the baby looks great!  He is measuring 2.5 lbs!  More good news!

Our final appointment of the day was one that always leads to much anticipation and a little anxiety for me!  The Pediatric Cardiologist!  Ashlyn goes every year to have her heart studied to determine the status of her atrial septal defect.  This appointment involves an EKG and an echocardiogram.  I wasn't exactly sure how she was going to do with these procedures, but as always, she was a CHAMP!  Here are a few shots of her being such a brave, big girl.

Waiting to see the doctor for the results

Dr. Laird came in a listened to Ashlyn's heart and gave us the best news!  She said the hole is completely gone!  It closed up on its own, just like it was supposed to!  Her heart is absolutely perfect (not that it ever wasn't)!  We don't even have to follow-up with her anymore.  Another one we can cross off our list...yahoo!  Such a relief and a prayer answered.  Praise God!

Amazing weather

I just can't get enough of these sunny days and trips to the park!  Here are a few shots from our outing today.  Loving the fresh air!

Favorite picture!

Can't wait to meet the Garrett babies

We had our last dinner with The Garretts before they welcome their twins on Monday!  Kourtny is scheduled for a c-section Monday morning.  I have loved being pregnant with my bestie.  She is amazing and inspiring...most women don't carry 1 baby to 38.5 weeks!  Kourtny has made it this far with TWINS!  She has about 14 pounds of baby in there!  Nice work momma!  Can't wait to meet these babies.

38 weeks & 26 weeks

Same couch...same comfy clothes
at 31 weeks & 19 weeks

Large Marge

Dallas had the grand opening event for the new "iconic bridge" The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (named after the donor) or The Calatrava Bridge (named after the architect) or my personal favorite...Large Marge!  The Trinity Trust Foundation was responsible for the event and they enlisted Chance's help to secure the local music.  We didn't make it to the concert (Lyle Lovett) Friday night because it had been a long week and we I was beat!  We did enjoy the firework show from our loft...perfect view!

We ventured out for some fresh air Saturday afternoon.  The forecast called for perfect weather and there wasn't a cloud in the sky...until we arrived.  It suddenly became overcast and windy!  And was a bit on the chilly side.  We stayed for a few hours and watched one of the bands.  It was an awesome event and an opportunity to walk across a bridge that will soon be open to traffic and no longer accessible on foot!  It was nice to get out of the loft for a bit!

Ashlyn had a great time
running around on stage! 

Loading in her gear 

Getting ready for sound check

So proud of Daddy!

The view of downtown from the bridge

Mother of the year

And the 2012 Mother of the Year Award goes to....ME!  Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.  This was Ashlyn's toy of choice while we waited to see the doctor on Monday.  It was a spur of the moment trip that didn't leave me a lot of time for packing an appropriate bag.  After one of the many diaper changes while we waited, Ashlyn decided she wanted to entertain herself with the roll of disposable bags I keep in her diaper bag.  She was closely supervised while she played with a plastic bag...and wrapped it around her neck!  I was just prayed that her doctor wouldn't walk in at this moment.  He did.  Oh well...I am sure he has seen worse things!

Lunch with daddy

We surprised Chance with a quick lunch on Friday after our doctor's appointment.  

Ashlyn was dining on Saltines

A long week

Disclaimer:  bodily fluids discussed in this post!

This week started off with Ashlyn waking up Sunday night barfing!  I stayed home with her Monday...only to find out they were performing the annual inspection of the fire alarm system in our building all day Monday.  Awesome!  A nice relaxing day!  No more barfing after about 4 am...but then the bowel issues started!  She pooped no less than 5 times before I decided to take her to the doctor.  I figured since I had already taken off work for the day, might as well have her seen.  The doctor thought it was most likely a stomach virus that would just require time to run its course...up to 5-10 days!  Great!  Chance stayed home with her Tuesday and it was more of the same...maybe not quite as frequent but still a lot more than usual.  We sent her to school on Wednesday because she has been pretty perky and still eating ok.  She had a good day at school but the issues weren't really slowing down.  Her bottom was starting to get VERY sore and each diaper change was a battle.  Gma came and stayed with her on Thursday thinking maybe she just needs more rest and a little TLC.  By this time her bottom was raw...so painful!  Thursday night was the worst...she woke up at 2 am and didn't stop pooping until 10:30 am!  I stayed home from work Friday and took her back to the doctor thinking this should be getting better not worse!  The doctor agreed and decided to check a few labs to rule out bacterial infections and parasites...YUCK!  That required a stool collection...what a fun day!  The doctor is pretty sure this is just a bug and will likely clear up before the lab results even get back.  I changed 15 poopie diapers on Friday...that is more than a newborn!!  Maybe she is just preparing me for the arrival of her little brother???  We started oatmeal baths to help soothe her tush and have tried to keep her diet pretty bland.  She went to bed last night around 8:30 and made it in her crib until 5 am!  She got in bed with us and slept until 7.  So far this morning, only 1 diaper change and her bottom is looking better.  The good news is that she is happy and isn't too phased by this bug...until it comes time to change her diaper!  But hopefully that is getting better too.  We have plans to head out to the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Celebration this afternoon after nap time!  Fingers crossed this is coming to an end!

The most expensive pot of chili ever made

We had our 2nd annual chili cook-off at work this week.  I decided to try my luck with a white chicken chili recipe that I used last year.  Chance and I started cooking after we put Ashlyn to bed, so we got a late start.  I deboned and shredded the rotisserie chickens while Chance chopped all of the veggies.  I put the "remains" in the trash and tied up the bag and set it out to be taken out in the morning.  The morning turned out to be a little hectic with Ashlyn's tummy bug still roaring (see next post).  Chance re-opened the trash to put some diapers in it before taking it out.  While he was changing a second blow out diaper the dogs were in the kitchen enjoying the chicken bone buffet!  Chicken bones and dogs don't mix.  When Chance walked in and saw the scene, he immediately called the vet.  The vet said either he could induce vomiting at home or he could bring the dogs in, but it had to be done within the hour.  He quickly loaded up all 3 girls and rushed the dogs to the vet.  I envisioned hundreds of dollars worth of emergency vet bills.  A morphine drip, IV fluids and all day monitoring doesn't sound cheap!  I was pleasantly surprised when I showed up to pick them up after work and the bill was only $80!  The dogs survived and the most expensive pot of chili ever made won an award at the cook-off!