A Nice "Winter" Day

So they say when you live in Kansas, if you do not like the weather, just wait an hour. This could not have been more true this last week. It was almost 70 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday we had snow and it was back in the 20's. We did get out and enjoy the nice weather. The kids had a ball riding bikes and I was very happy to finally move Sami's bike she got for Christmas outdoors. It just didn't seem right to me to get her a bike for Christmas, only to put it into the garage and say, "You can ride it in the Spring." That would be no fun at all so since Christmas, she has been riding it in a circle around our house. She would go flying by us sitting on the couch in the Family Room, into the Kitchen, into the Dinning Room, through the Living Room and then back to the Family Room. It was quite the fun for her but I did get very tired of saying "Slow down, don't run into the ______________." Luckily, we managed to get through it with only one small dent in the fridge door. She did ride right down the stairs to the playroom one day, which took about a year off my life but she arose, unfazed and unharmed. Anyways, I am very happy to now have the bike outdoors where it belongs. Here are some pics from our outdoor fun.

I Love My Doctor

I had an appointment today with my own doctor and it was much better than last Friday's appointment. He did not think bed rest is necessary, thank God. He did say that if he were to put me on bed rest it would only be for the next 4 days until I hit the 34 week mark. He then said that if I wanted some time to myself he would be happy to tell Xan that it is necessary for the next few days. I thought this was very funny and as tempting as it was to take him up on his offer, I declined. He also was not the least bit concerned about the positive fFn test that was done last Friday. He told me that the test is only reliable if it comes back negative and a positive result really doesn't mean much but it does make everyone have to scramble to take the necessary precautions to "cover your ass" in case I were to go into labor, hence the steroid shots. He said that it wasn't a bad call to give me the shots since I have been having contractions as a just in case. We also discussed the whole C-Section thing. The doctor I saw on Friday seemed pretty certain that I would need one. After talking to Dr. Moulton today, he feels that I will be just fine to go on with a regular delivery. He said yes my placenta is low lying and yes there is a chance that I might have some bleeding but that most women do just fine. He said I do not have a true previa so a vaginal birth will be just fine. All and all it was a great appointment and I am so happy to have such a wonderful doctor in control of my care. I trust him 150% and I think in the future, if I should have to see a different doctor I will be declining any tests that he has not OK ed.

Positive Pre Term Labor Test

Last Friday I went in to see the doctor because I had taken a spill down our stairs. Actually, Xan was walking behind me and slipped and ended up taking us both out. Luckily, he braced my fall so I did not hit very hard at all. Poor Xan was really bruised up since he put all of his effort into cushioning me instead of catching himself. Anyways, when I called the doctor the office said I should come in and get assessed just to be safe. My own OB is out of the office on Friday so I saw a different doctor in the office. She was very nice and took good care of me. She ordered an ultrasound and also did a test on me that is suppose to predict if I am at risk for preterm labor since I have been having all of these contractions. When she first said she wanted to preform this test I thought to myself, "I wonder why Dr. Moulton (my own dr.) hasn't brought this up to me?" but I just went with it and they did the test. The test is suppose to be very accurate in determining if you will not be going into labor anytime in the next 2 weeks. She was pretty optimistic that mine would come back neg., indicating I was not at risk for going into labor in the next 2 weeks since my cervix is still closed and is still high and thick. Anyways, she said it would just ease her mind. The ultrasound showed that the baby was just fine but we did fine out that my placenta is very low lying. It has always been low but the doctor did not seem too concerned about it earlier in my pregnancy because he said about 90% of the time they move up as the baby gets bigger. Well, mine has not moved up, it has in fact moved down. They want it to be at least 2cm away from your cervix to indicate a problem free vaginal delivery. Mine is 1.4. What does this mean? The doctor I saw on Friday said it very well could mean that I am headed for a c section but that she would let Dr. Moulton talk to me about that. I have done a lot of research this weekend on this, which they call a moderate placenta previa and most of what I have read suggests that most doctors will let their patients with this type of previa labor on their own as long as they are laboring in a OR room so if problems do arise, a csection can quickly be done. I will talk to Dr. Moulton about this and see what he thinks but would like to avoid a csection if at all possible.

So back to this preterm labor test, which is actually called a fetal fibronectin test, I got a call back from the doctor and mine came back positive. Now what does this mean? Well, it means that I am at a higher risk for preterm labor in the next 2 weeks (30-40% is what I was told). So with this information we had to go on and proceed with precautions in case I am to go into labor. I went in on Friday and got a round of steroid shots to help to develop the baby's lungs and then I went to get my second round on Sat. They also preformed a non stress test to make sure that the baby is reactive. The baby's heart rate looks just perfect. The doctor also put me on bedrest for at least the weekend until I see Dr. Moulton on Monday. She said that if I were her patient I would be on bedrest until 36 weeks but that each doctor has a different take on bedrest. I am hoping that he does not think it is necessary to continue bedrest for the next 2 and a half weeks, as it is very difficult to do this with Tanner and Sami. I want to be up interacting with them, but at the same time, I need to do whatever I can to make sure this little peanut is healthy and stays put for a few weeks more so I will follow the doctor's orders whatever they may be. Anyways, that is the update for now. I will update more tomorrow after my appointment with Dr. Moulton.

Dad's Night at School

Xan got to go enjoy a night at ECC with the kids. He got to eat pizza, go to music and spend some time in each of their classrooms. It was a little tricky this year since we have two children there and their Dad's Night was on the same night. Luckily Bop was able to go along too and help divide up the time. Tanner was insistent that Bop go to music with him because he thought it would be really funny to see Bop sing and dance. They had a great time. Here are some pictures we took before they left.