We have been very BAD bloggers as of late. We would like to formally blame this on the
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Sam Houston State University.
When we last left you we had
just registered for baby items. Needless to
say we have gone in to the registry since then and had to revise some of our choices. We are not really sure what we were doing
when we made some of our selections, but at this point we think we have it
pretty well set (but don’t hold us to it!).
Now for the latest and greatest...Lisa had a doctor’s appointment on the 14th of
February. Everything looked good, with
the exception of a mild bladder infection that was completely unbeknownst to
her (apparently this is very common). This has been a consistent problem that we have been trying to get resolved since the month before. It
was not taken care of with the previous round of antibiotics, so further
testing was done to see what the cause of it might be and also so that a
specific line of action could be taken.
We needed to know exactly what we were dealing with. So after the appointment, blood was drawn to
check this and for the one-hour glucose test. While in the waiting room, prior to the appointment, Lisa had to chug a half bottle of
fruit punch flavored sugar water. Her only instructions were to drink it as quickly as she could and try not to puke. Nice!
Honestly, she said it wasn’t that bad (LISA’S FAMILY, PLEASE NOTE – it
tasted like the “spicy” fruit drinks we had on our way to Florida in
1986). Now it was time to wait for the
results…
The results came back later in the week and as it turns
out Lisa is a carrier for Group B, which is good to know for the delivery and
future reference. This gave the doctor a
specific course of action to treat the bladder infection. Also, the results showed that she is RH
negative (meaning a RHogam shot was necessary) and also failed the glucose test
by two stinking points (apparently this is also VERY common). So, heavy duty antibiotics were prescribed, a
shot in the butt (“hip” as the medical professionals call it), and a 3 hour
glucose test were all set-up. Lisa was
feeling like quite a failure at this point.
The shot was given (by the way…the bill just came in for
this and it was $25 for the medicine and $150 for the nurse to stick the needle
in Lisa’s butt - outrageous!), the antibiotics were taken, and the 28th was
the big 3 hour glucose draw. Luckily the
lab is in the same complex as the doctor’s office so it was timed so that the
blood draws and the appointment could all be done at the same time. A 3 hour glucose test consists of a fasting
blood draw, drinking more “spicy” fruit punch, and for three hours after the
drink is consumed - the blood is drawn in hourly increments. So, 4 blood draws total over a 3 hour time
period. It really wasn’t as bad as Lisa
thought it would be, but doing it again is not on her top ten list!
Lisa was told by the doctor at this visit that she needs to
schedule an appointment with a specialist due to some results from a blood
draw in October and the one from the 14th. Apparently her “neutrophils” were slightly
elevated in both tests. This indicates a
possible infection. Lisa asked her doctor if it could be because of the bladder infection or because she had an
upper respiratory infection during the entire first trimester and her doctor
said that it could be, but that she was not an expert in that field and wanted
to get a second opinion. So that appointment
is being scheduled (oh joy).
In the meanwhile the 3 hour glucose test results came
back and Lisa passed it! We were so
thankful! If she had failed even one
portion of the test it could have meant a variety of treatments such as seeing
a dietician and changing her diet (not so bad) all the way to blood sugar monitoring and
insulin injections (bad!). Once again, we were
so thankful that she passed the test!
You know, when you get pregnant, no one tells you about
all the possible other “stuff” that could happen to you. You expect some things to come up that need
to be addressed, but these past few doctor’s visits have been tough. Lisa has tried to keep her chin up, but it
seems like every visit there was something new that needed to be
addressed. We needed to hear some good
news, too! But we understand that it was
all done in order to address what is best for baby and mom, too. So we are staying positive!
Now that we are relegated to doctor visits every two
weeks there was also one this week. Lisa
saw Nurse Jane and everything looked awesome.
Blood pressure was great, the baby measured right on track, and the
heartbeat was spot-on! We were so happy
to get a good report. Also, the
urinalysis did not indicate a bladder infection anymore, but will be sent off
for further review just to be careful.
Preliminary hospital and doctor’s estimates have started
to come in. Holy business! If you don’t see us for the next year or so
it is not because of the baby, but it will be because we cannot afford to do
anything outside of the house.
YIKES! And as we have heard from
so many…this is just the tip of the proverbial financial iceberg!
At about 29 weeks Chickpea’s movements started
change…instead of just little kicks and bumps we started seeing and feeling BIG
movements. Lisa laughs because at night,
Tuna does not simply just roll over, but it is more of a “flop” from one side
to the other. Lisa calls it a “Tuna
Flop”. Well, it is VERY clear that
Chickpea has inherited this trait from Daddy!
And it is particularly strange because all of these movements seem to be
above the belly button and are primarily around Lisa’s rib cage. Almost every
morning before the alarm clock goes off Tuna lays in bed with his hand on
Lisa’s tummy and almost always there is a “Tuna Flop” and we both freak out at
the same time! We think that Chickpea
likes to freak us out like that!
Here are some fun things that the Chickpea has already
participated in (sort of):
1.
Galveston Mardi Gras (we are sorry, baby)
2.
3 days of HLSR BBQ (again, sorry baby)
3.
3 days of Horspitality Team 4 shift work
4.
Trudging around the Reliant complex for various
activities for Rodeo…and it ain’t over yet!
Some of you have been asking about the nursery. Well, here is a picture:
For some reason, we aren’t in a rush to get the baby’s
room finished. We think that we will
have enough for the first few weeks once the baby arrives and we can decorate
the room once our little one arrives. We
really want the baby’s room to be meaningful and special and do not feel like
we want to just get a room done to mark it off the list. We want the room to be as timeless as possible
and to be able to grow with the baby as he/she grows.
Even though things have been a little tough for Lisa
these past few months, we are so thankful that the baby is healthy and we are
healthy. We are employed, have a loving
family, a roof over our head, food on the table, and an amazing network of
support from our friends. We count
ourselves as lucky and blessed.
Thank you for coming along this crazy ride with us. It is almost “baby time” and we can’t wait to
find out what we are having and to share that with you all (along with the
name!).
Much love!
xoxo,
Tuna and Lisa
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