4 years ago...

It all started 4 years ago today. The date was February 28th, 2007.

                                                                           Don't mind the sideways picture...

I was nearing 40 weeks of being pregnant. I was big huge. I had outgrown all of my maternity clothes. I was ready to meet our son.

I woke up around 4:00 am with contractions. I had been having pre-term contractions for about 6 weeks, but these were different. They were stronger. I finally got out of bed around 6 and got ready for work. Yes, work. I'm an accountant, so I had some month end stuff that I needed to complete before I was comfortable going on maternity leave!! :)

My contractions got progressively stronger throughout the morning. At about 11:30, I called Keith in tears telling him he needed to come pick me up from work. My contractions were very strong, and were 2-3 minutes apart. I wasn't able to drive because I was in so much pain. He picked me up, and we rode home together.

We called the hospital, and they told us to do whatever we were comfortable with. I didn't want to labor at the hospital for hours on end, so we decided to try a warm bath at home to see if that would soothe any of the pain. Well, after about an hour of crying and pain, Keith told me we were done laboring at home and headed to the hospital because he didn't want this baby to born at home.

I agreed. I knew I was almost fully dialated, and that our son was going to be born SOON. This was it. I was ready.

I got to the hospital, and through my tears explained to them that I couldn't possibly labor at home any longer b/c our son was about to be born.

I got in my gown, got into bed and hook up to the baby monitor. Yup... the contractions were registering loud and clear. Then they checked me. I couldn't help but think "Maybe not a 10, but for sure a 7 or an 8". I'll never forget the feeling of defeat I felt when the nurse looked at me with a grim look and told me that I was MAYBE A 2. You have got to be kidding me. If this was what a two felt like, what on earth would a TEN feel like??? Wowza.

The afternoon was hard. Labor is something that you can't anticipate until you experience it. I thought I could easily do it without an epidural. Little did I know I would be begging for one at just a measilly TWO. 

Finally in the evening, the nurses gave me a dose of Nubane. If you're not familiar with the drug, let me tell you all about it. It's pretty much the best narcotic e.v.e.r. I've never been drunk. I've never tried drugs. Nubane was was exactly what I was needing at the time. It helped me relax. It made me happy. It made me not realize that I was in so much pain, b/c I was on cloud nine million. :) The thing about Nubane though is after the first does, it doesn't work effectively. And it only works for about 2 hours. So I knew I needed to enjoy it while I had it. And let me tell you, I did. Enjoy it, that is. (In fact, sometimes I have days where I feel like a little shot of Nubane would go a long ways) :) I think that Keith secretly enjoyed seeing me on Nubane. I was happy. I was giddy. I was telling Keith how much I loved him, along with all the nurses...over and OVER AGAIN.

I remember looking at the clock, and it was almost midnight. February was almost over. We were going to have a March baby.

To be continued......

oh boy, it's a GIRL!!!

We had our level II ultrasound yesterday. Because of my heart palpitations and my pre-term contractions (I landed in the woman's health unit again for observation this past week-end) I was labeled "high risk". The high risk OB from Mayo Clinic in Rochester was in town so I saw him, along with an amazing ultrasound tech. Apparantly this tech has been doing ultrasounds for 20 years, and it was quite obvious. She was awesome. She was zooming around my tummy, and showing us all sorts of really cool things with the baby. They checked baby's brain, spine, heart chambers, feet (for club feet), lip (for cleft lip), spine, belly button location, blood vessels, kidneys, bladder... it was amazing. This lady obviously really knows what she is doing. She said that our baby is a text book baby, and is perfect in every way as of now.
With all of the symptoms I've been having and how crummy they make me feel, it was a HUGE relief to see that baby is healthy and thriving and doing well. I'm measuring right on time.
She also confirmed today that baby is a girl. (well, she was 99% sure...) :) It was good to get confirmation again. Now I can start going through baby girl clothes, etc. I can't wait. I THINK we even agree on a name. Yay!!
As far as my heart palpitations... the doctor is confident that once I deliver that they will go away on their own. I may have some additional testing to confirm that, but knowing that they are not harming the baby in anyway calms my fears. Knowing that the baby is healthy makes me not worry about the palpitations.
The appointment today could not have gone any better. I heard everything that I wanted to hear. Baby is healthy. Baby is thriving. AND.... baby is a girl. :)

Kramer Kids get Glasses!

Madelyn has had a crossed eye for a while now, so we went to the eye doctor to get it checked out. The doctor determined that she needed glasses! During her consultation, Maddie was having a hard time with the doctor looking in her eyes, so the dr said "watch how I look in big brother's eyes and how he's a big boy!". While the doctor was looking in Carsen's eyes, he suggested that we schedule an appt for Carsen, too.

Sure, enough... they both got glasses!!

 I choose pink glasses for Madelyn. She does quite well with them. The doctor said that when toddlers get glasses, they often leave them on once they realize that they can see better with them on. We already notice a huge difference. When she doesn't have them on, we notice she trips and falls much more often.

Carsen just got his glasses this week, so he's still getting used to them. Carsen picked out these glasses all by himself. These are definately not the glasses that I would have chosen for him, but I felt it was important for him to love his first pair. He thinks he looks pretty cool. Here he is being goofy for the camera.

This is a random picture taken on my birthday. Carsen wanted his picture taken with both of his sisters. :)

I'm nearing 22 weeks! Only 18 more to go!!!

Attitude- CHECK.

Yeah, so I admit it. I cried myself to sleep last night. I was having a pity party and feeling bad for myself. On Monday (which happened to be my birthday) I had an EKG for all the heart palpitations that I've been having. Yesterday at 21 weeks pregnant, I started contracting every few minutes and landed myself a front row seat up at the woman's health unit at the hospital for a few hours of monitoring. So last night I came home and felt defeated and tired.
However this morning when I woke up, I checked my bad attitude at the side of my bed, and decided it was going to be a good day. Yes, my heart is still palpitating. Yes, my contractions are still occuring every few minutes. But I'm choosing to focus on the positives rather than dwell on the negatives.
Have you heard of the saying "The grass is always greener on the other side"? Well, I tend to believe that someone is always worse off than I am, too. For example:
*Some childhood friends lost their adult son on Sunday.
*My grandpa has been mourning the loss of his wife for almost a year now, and wants nothing more than to go to Heaven to be with her.
*I know of too many people who are unemployed because of the horrible economy and even struggling to buy food and the bare necessities.
Yes, this pregnancy is taking a toll on my body and I'm in pain in places I didn't know could hurt, however I'm choosing to have a good attitude about it and not complain. I'm going to try to enjoy the next 4 months of being pregnant with our little girl. I'm going to continue to thank God that he has entrusted me with this precious gift.

And believe it or not...

I'm probably going to be sad in a year or 2... knowing that I'll never be pregnant again.

I am truely blessed... and I thank God for it.