Been very manic here due to family still being in town. They leave today and then tomorrow we're off to Portland for the NY weekend because we need a break!
Anyway - on to news about 'Mr/Ms Bump' seeing as I haven't actually written much of anything so far!
I'm 13 wks on Saturday......and the nausea and tiredness that I've suffered for the first 12 weeks seem to be abating somewhat, although not entirely. I'm also in a permanently grumpy mood according to Gareth. Everyone else is convinced I'm having a girl because the symptoms are so different from the first two pregnancies, but I'm not so sure because the odds are something like 75% in favour of a boy given we already have 2 boys. I guess we'll find out soon at the next scan mid January!
The care here in America is somewhat different to Canada and obviously different again to the UK. It's interesting to experience the different ways different countries & health providers have in looking after you. In Canada I saw a Hematologist who referred me to the High Risk pregnancy clinic who then looked after me for the whole pregnancy. The Hematologists managed my blood issues and the HRC managed everything else. They treated me as if I had Gestational Diabetes from day 1 (because I'd had it the first time) and I was seen every 2 weeks and managed very closely carefully.
My initial reaction to care here is that it's not quite as full on as Canada, which is odd considering that this is the land of overdoing medical intervention for fear of being sued. I first had to make an appointment with an OB .. this is where my checkups will be done. She saw me at 6 wks , then at 12 wks, then I'll go again at 16 wks...etc. This is quite 'normal' but less than I was seen in Canada and obviously being 'High Risk' I fret and worry a little. They just tested me for Gestational Diabetes at 12 wks and I tested negative. They don't test again until 28 weeks which worries me a little - surely the period in between is a bit lengthy!
For the 'High Risk' aspects of my care I am referred to the 'Maternal Fetal Medicinie' unit at the hospital. An appt with the Perinatologist at 6kws resulted in my being put on to Lovenox (a low molecluar weight Heparin similar to Fragmin that I was given last time). Much earlier than the last pregnancy - last time it was around 15 wks. I quizzed the Doctor quite intensely as I was concerned about not seeing a Hematologist but he was rather reassuring that they deal with pregnancy related blood disorders far more often than a Hemo will and that they knew what they were doing! He is the one also diagnosed me with MTHFR (bastard) and on top of the Lovenox I'm also having to take 5mg of Folic Acid daily (this is alot compared to 800mcg the average person takes) and a baby aspirin daily. Consequently my stomach is far more black and blue than it's ever been.
The MFM clinic also did the 'Nuchal Scan' last week ... I only qualify for this because of my 'Advanced Maternal Age' (35!). This differs again to Canada where everyone is offered this scan, and the UK where we were offered it 8 yrs ago with Dylan because they were pioneering it there!
The MFM clinic will also do the further scans (a 'normal' person would have their scans at the OB's office). I have another at 16 wks then they'll do the 20 wk and so forth. They'll do regular scans looking for blood clotting issues on the placenta (thankfully). I'll continue to go to the OB for my regular checkups and the OB will be the one doing the (c/section) delivery at 39 wks.
So yeah, it's a bit different, but I think I'm being looked after rather well.. which is always a concern given my health problems.
Otherwise I'm a bit nervous about having more children than adults in the house. I'm also nervous about the house being impractical in layout. I'm nervous that we'll never afford to do anything or go anywhere again, and I'm nervous that I'll never have a minutes peace! Aside from that - bring it on, I'm excited about this little one!
Merry Christmas to all....... we are busy preparing for tomorrow, haven't wrapped everything yet but cooking is in full swing and the house is full of the smell of mince pies (which aren't going to last long!).
I am feeling tired and vile and hope that this will pass somewhat so that I can fully enjoy tomorrow! I am at least not nursing the 3 day migraine that I had earlier in the week.
Dylan is very excited and tracking Santa's movements across the globe every hour. God knows how we're going to get him to sleep tonight before midnight! Harry is still a bit small to understand much but seems to be picking up on the excitement. I know he'll love the pile of presents under the tree tomorrow!
When I noticed I was approaching 1000 blog entries, I decided I'd save up something important and post it as the 1000th entry.... so here goes.
Gareth and I are very delighted (and a bit nervous!) to announce that we're expecting child #3!
We had a 12 week scan this morning (the Nuchal Translucency scan to check for neural tube defects) and everything looked great...... we got to see the little baby's heart beat and see it wriggling around.... and everything suddenly became very real!
Not that it hasn't been real for me thus far anyway as unlike my previous two pregnancies I've been suffering almost constant nausea and feeling utterly vile. Hopefully now that the 12 week mark is reached this will subside a little and I will begin to feel a little more normal again.
It's been hard not to write about this but I wanted to wait until the scan to be sure everything was OK...... something about the age factor I suppose (35 = ancient!)
No words can describe how nice it is to be at home with power and heat! It's glorious to have all these luxuries that we take for granted everyday......lights! hot food! christmas lights! internet! television!
Our power and the rest of Seattle / Eastside went out last Thursday night. Ours finally came back today - that's nearly a WEEK.... argh.
We suffered 4 nights at sub zero temperatures burning what we could find to keep alive and huddling under as many covers as we could put onto the beds. For the first couple of days there were no shops or restaurants open within 100 miles due to them also losing power too and we had to make do with what we had in the cupboards (very little). My family had literally just arrived from the UK as it went off and after my 80 + yr old grandmother almost died of hypothermia on the 4th night we managed to escape to the mountains to a friends cabin which although situated in 5 feet of snow, did at least have power and heating. After a couple of nights there we've finally been able to come home. Woefully behind on Christmas shopping and preparations as a result and desperately in need of washing some clothes and getting rid of the smell of woodsmoke from the house.
All because of a sodding windstorm - not even a hurricane or anything major, just a mere windstorm.
Bah Humbug.
The day that the family (mother, grandmother, aunt, uncle) fly in for Christmas. I am hoping we'll have a great time! It's going to be a squash and Dylan is a bit miffed about having to share a room with Harry, but he'll and we'll cope! I am running around like a blue arsed fly this morning trying to get everything in order so no time to write. Bye!
G has been out the last two nights in a row with Cub Scout related things to do (lol at will readers!). Today he's on some 'off site' meeting until late. I've been looking after the boys pretty much single handedly all week and with Harry being ill it's really wearing me out. I dunno how single mothers do it.
The house is now clean (thank goodness) in advance of the family arriving tomorrow. Of course the various menfolk have done their best to untidy it over the last 24 hours.
I didn't know Leslie very well. I never met her. She was a regular contributor to Haddock, an email list I've been on for several years. She was always entertaining and friendly and I thought she was one of the nicest people on Haddock. Today we learned that she died, unexpectedly. It's an enormous shock and a very very sad one. I don't even feel qualified to write anything about her but I am profoundly saddened to hear the news of her death and I didn't want to leave it unmarked, she deserves to be remembered.
I've been to the Chiro 3 times now in the last few days and my lower back is considerably better at night. It's not pain free by any means but I can at least get out of bed in the morning and turn over in my sleep without waking up in agony. She wants me to go every day for the next while...... which I can do because the insurance gives me 25 visits per year and the year ends soon, so I may as well make the most of them! Having said that, we're away with the family next Mon /Tues so I might not be able to go daily but I'll do as best I can to get there so that we can make some progress into this soreness.
Harry is still coughing away but seemed a little happier in himself this morning.
Meanwhile being housebound with a sick child means I cannot get any errands done - argh !
Poor little Harry has Pneumonia!!
The Doc took a good look and listen and determined that his right lung is full of nasties and diagnosed him with pneumonia :( On top of that he has a viral infection that's giving him all the cold symptoms (again). The lump on his neck is NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT (thank God), just a swollen lymph node due to the virus.
He's on yet another course of antibiotics - his 2nd in as many weeks. I have to keep him home and warm and not take him out to play with his little friends as he's likely to be contagious.. and meanwhile hope that the little chap gets better soon. Poor guy.
Harry hasn't eaten for days. He won't eat anything at all, with the exception of approximately 5 goldfish crackers yesterday. I don't know if it's illness related but he's very chesty and wheezy now. He won't touch any food and I have tried to give him so many different things but he's simply not interested. The fever has broken but he's very miserable and this morning I found a hard lump on the side of his neck so I'm completely freaking out and have a DR's appointment in an hour.
Harry woke at 6 with a fever then Dylan had an early morning footie game at 7.30am (who the bloody hell books games for that time of day??) so we've all been up for ages and I'm v knackered!
Oh, and G has to re-wire part of the house today after discovering one of the circuits is seriously overloaded. Great.
Poor little Harry is sick AGAIN. This cold (or a new one) seemed to rear up again and yesterday he was coughing alot. Then last night he woke up with a fever and did what he always does with a fever - throw up everywhere. He can't stop coughing and is feeling really sorry for himself :( I've been shoving medicine down him since midnight.
Meanwhile my back yesterday reached a point of no return. It's been bad really for the longest time but it peaked, pain wise, after Harry was born. I had been seeing a massage therapist during my pregnancy and I went back to her only for her to tell me she thought my pelvis had gone out of alignment and that I needed to see a Chiropractor. I saw one and he seemed to fix it. Then it got worse again and we moved, so shortly after arriving here in Seattle I found a local Chiro and went to see him about it. He managed to make me pass out by over-cracking my neck which is incredibly dangerous & needless to say I didn't go back.
I've basically been in pain for the last year but recently it has become alot worse, and yesterday morning I woke up in agony. So I finally bit the bullet and went to see another Chiro here. She was actually rather good, she did a very thorough investigation and determined that my lower back is 'profoundly inflamed' (and also that my right leg is lots shorter than my left?!) and did some initial treatment. I have to say I slept alot better last night! I'm not pain free but it is significantly better than it was. I have to go back this morning and again on Tuesday and hopefully it'll soon be alot better.
When you live overseas and have family visiting for weeks at a time your 'real life' tends to go on hold. Obviously you want to spend time with your family as you don't see them very often! I'm lucky here in that all of my friends are in exactly the same boat and nobody thinks twice when someone has to disappear for a week or more and doesn't get in touch or keep long standing committments. We all do it, and often.
I do, however, find a tiny bit difficult to keep picking up the threads of life. Dad left on Weds so after a week of constantly having someone with me to talk to and hang with I suddenly find myself alone with Harry in the house and with no plans. Friends obviously make plans a little ahead of time so it's hard to immediately line up a schedule of things to be busy with.
I have made plans for Monday and Tuesday next week but I've cried off plans for Wednesday because I have to get things arranged for Mum, Mama, Kay and Ken arriving on Thursday.... so by then I will be once more surrounded by people and fine, but it's just this couple of days that are proving a bit blah as I feel a bit isolated again.
So yeah, blue-ish. Nothing major, just a bit lonely. Which I'm sure will pass come lunchtime when I go to the chiropractor and then to my friends house for a cuppa!
Poor Dylan was so upset. He cried at the airport. Harry was really cute saying with a little sad face 'buy bye gwandad' and then asking where he was this morning.
I now have to get this place looking reasonable again before the next bunch arrive next week! I have been out this morning and appropriated some new bedding as we were short and the miraculous cleaner is coming again on Tuesday so hopefully there's not *too* much to worry about.
Harry was so grizzly after Thanksgiving and on Friday last week we noticed him pulling at his ear so I took him to the pediatrician and lo and behold he had a nasty ear infection. One course of antibiotics later and he's well on the mend, but now the rest of us have got a nasty cold and I cannot stop sneezing.
Dad goes home today :-( A week is never long enough. Dylan, who has inherited the soppy / worry genes from the Jones side of the family, is desperately upset and has been crying every time he thinks of his Grandad leaving. He really doesn't want him to go. Today he's taken his Grandad to school for 'Sharing' which has amused me no end. He is sharing him with the class. I'm not sure if this means he has to buy them all presents and play with them non stop. Dylan is a little nervous that his Grandad will deliberately embarass him (dad has been winding him up) but obviously he won't.. lol.
Joy of joys, I have a brand new shiny blood clotting disorder. Namely 'MTHFR'.
I have inherited 2 defective genes (one from each parent) which means I have the 'Compound Heterozygous' type of MTHFR.
What this means. It means my body may not properly absorb B vitamins, particularly folic acid, and it puts me at increased risks for clots / strokes / heart attacks.
How lovely.
Dad is here and aside from all the other lovely reasons to be happy to see him he has taken over in the kitchen which for me right now is an enormous relief as I've been really hating cooking and food shopping of late!
We're off up to the mountains for the weekend now so will post more when I return :)