Guess the baby wants out!

I called my Nurse Friday AM.....she wanted me to go to Labor and Delivery. I was like WHAT? I guess with the bleeding and hardened belly she wanted me to have more tests. I got on the phone and Bill left work. My Mom was on standby if Bill couldn't leave. I drove myself to the hospital, but realized I didn't know where to go and you know how it is when you are a nervous! I got to Labor and Delivery and was checking in. The girl behind me was due in a week and had fallen up the stairs on her belly. YIKES! Glad that wasn't me! Bill got to the hospital when I was getting undressed and getting ready for the fetal monitoring. He helped fill out the paperwork and they strapped me in. The babies heart beat again was great, but they were showing me having contractions. Now I wasn't feeling them much, but I did one good one and told Bill I wanted and EPIDURAL as a joke! LOL Gotta keep your humor :) They spoke to my Dr. and decided to give me a shot to slow down the contractions. They gave me one and then another a little later. Then they decided to let me go home with a prescription to do the same as the shot. I took a pill right before I left the hospital and then again every 4 hours. I am now home this weekend doing nothing, but relaxing. Which is kind of funny because the side effects of the pill are jitteriness,
increased heart rate, and tremors. It is fun fun....I feel like I have drank a case of JOLT Cola and chased it with a case of Mountain Dew. So hopefully this helps the baby stay in. The good thing is....If the baby did come.....it would be ok! I am far enough along. So that makes me feel a lot better! Guess the baby feels that the living quarters I have given it aren't quite adequate! LOL I have a Dr.'s Appointment Monday so.....

TO BE CONTINUED......I am sure :P

Bit of a scare ~Everything is fine tho!~

Well....had a bit of a scare. Last night before I went to bed....I started bleeding. Not a lot, but more than spotting. I figured I would go to bed and if it kept happening through out the nite or in the AM....I would call the Dr. I didn't bleed anymore, but didn't feel quite right, so I called the Dr. anyways. They had me come in for a NST (Non-Stress test)
The Fetal Non-Stress test is a simple, non-invasive test performed in pregnancies over 28 weeks gestation. The test is named “non-stress” because no stress is placed on the fetus during the test.
How is a NST Performed? The test involves attaching one belt to the mother’s abdomen to measure fetal heart rate and another belt to measure contractions. Movement, heart rate and “reactivity” of heart rate to movement is measured for 20-30 minutes. If the baby does not move, it does not necessarily indicate that there is a problem; the baby could just be asleep. A nurse may use a small “buzzer” to wake the baby for the remainder of the test.
Why would a NST be performed? A NST may be performed if:You sense that the baby is not moving as frequently as usual
You are overdue
There is any reason to suspect that the placenta is not functioning adequately
You are high risk for any other reason
The test can indicate if the baby is not receiving enough oxygen because of placental or umbilical cord problems; it can also indicate other types of fetal distress.
What are the risks and side effects to the mother or baby?
A NST is a noninvasive test that poses no known risks or side effects to mother or baby.
When is a NST performed?
NSTs are generally performed after 28 weeks of gestation. Before 28 weeks, the fetus is not developed enough to respond to the test protocol.
What does the NST look for?
The primary goal of the test is to measure the heart rate of the fetus in response to its own movements. Healthy babies will respond with an increased heart rate during times of movement, and the heart rate will decrease at rest. The concept behind a non-stress test is that adequate oxygen is required for fetal activity and heart rate to be within normal ranges. When oxygen levels are low, the fetus may not respond normally. Low oxygen levels can often be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.

I am happy to say that everything was ok with the baby! My Dr. and Nurse weren't there today, but the Nurse that helped me said that if I kept having issues....go to labor and delivery! WHAT.....I don't think so! Man I need to get my bag packed and stuff...lol Guess I know what I am doing this weekend! Got to pack that bag!

You just know

So there are things about pregnancy that people tell you about and you can't imagine it....until they happen. The baby having the hiccups is one of them for me. I never could imagine what it would feel like and wondered if I would know. Well...you know. It feels exactly like you would think. And they get them a lot! Another thing I am wondering about is Braxton Hicks. Wonder if I will get them and how they will feel? If you had them let me know.....post a comment. I would love to know more.

Tomorrow we have our 3rd child birth class and she is going to talk about medications. I know some of you say that the only way to go is an epidural. I think it will be interesting. I used to be totally against having an epidural...until I was pregnant! I wanted one the day I found out I was pregnant! LOL Darling Husbands sometimes don't understand why you want an epidural. I told Bill that I would try the "ball twisting therapy" first if he would like ;-D He asked the Dr. what he thought about that and he said "she won't be doing that to me, you got her that way!" I think Bill ordered a case of epidurals just in case.

Recipe #14 Scalloped Potatoes

I had never made homemade Scalloped Potatoes before and decided I would like to try it. I made these and WOW! I will never make them from a box again! I know some of you say "it takes too long" But it is worth it! They are delicious!

Scalloped Potatoes

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated cheese, to sprinkle on top
paprika

In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
Let sit for a minute.
Add all of cold milk, stirring with a whisk.
Season with salt and cayenne.
Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish.
Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Top with some paprika for color.
Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350F.

Its Official! plus ~misc pics and updates~

My turkey timer has popped! (Unfortunately, that does not mean the baby is ready to come!) and no...I am not cooking a turkey. Well....maybe I am...it could be a boy :D Some of you are wondering what the hell a turkey timer is, but some of you know :P My innie belly button has become an outie! (not to be confused with and Audi...that would have been nice :-D) The funny thing.....I have been waiting for this! I don't know why??? But I have been.

We have decided we better start getting our wonderful animals ready for the new addition to the family. So I went to YouTube and found a video of a baby crying. I played it for Crash and he jumped up and came around the corner. He stood and turned his head one way and then the other, trying to figure out what the hell it was. He was very confused, but concerned. I played it again the next day and he was less concerned. He still cocked his head a little. I did it the next day and nothing. I am going to keep doing it to get him ready. I am sure these crying baby videos would also be a great birth control method. If you get the feeling to have a baby....just listen to one of those videos for 12 hours and you may think twice about it! As for Queen Zora....I don't think she cares....crying or not! I am sure she will want to see the baby when it gets here and sniff it out.

The weather has been very cold! I am tired of it! I want SPRING! I can say we are warmer than Chicago! This week it was very foggy and played havoc with driving/flying conditions. It is supposed to be a little warmer this weekend. I hope so. My back has been killing me this week and I woke up this am with a headache. I am going to take it easy this weekend and I hopefully my back will get to feeling better.

Heart Burn is not cool! Lately I have been getting it quite frequently. My wonderful Mother says I am lucky I didn't have it since conception. That's what happened to her. Guess I should thank my lucky stars. Also, say a BIG thank you to TUMS! One day I was out and about and a lady said to me "If you have heartburn a lot....your baby will have a head full of hair" I looked at her and said "I don't care if the kid has hair or no hair...I just don't want it to be wearing ZIPPERS!" Obviously she did not know my sick sense of humor. She looked at me strange and laughed. OH well! LOL Also I love to mess with people I don't know. They will say "When are you due" I say "I am not pregnant!" You should see their face O-O or I say something like.....I really should just change over to lite beer!

I decided that our family does not get enough vegetables and I came across a V8 V-Fusion.
V8 V-Fusion® is an innovative 100 percent juice blend that delivers vegetable nutrition that tastes like fruit. Made from a delicious assortment of produce, V8 V-Fusion combines fresh fruits like strawberries and mangoes with colorful vegetables such as purple carrots and sweet potatoes. Each 8-ounce glass of V8 V-Fusion delivers a full serving of vegetables and a full serving of fruit (½ cup of vegetables and ½ cup of fruit) and contains powerful antioxidants A, C and E. Plus, it has no added sugar. I am not a fan of Tomato juice. So I thought it was worth a shot! We tried the Pomegranate-Blue Berry one first and everyone liked it. They have a light version also. I would definitely recommend trying them!

Oh and lastly.....the baby has been moving like crazy. If its a girl...I think it is going to be a gymnast...tumbling and doing somersaults. If its a boy...it is doing some kind of Karate or Taekwando! Hi Yaww Momma! I guess that's a good thing tho....we know its active. I am always telling the baby I can't wait to see it! But I will...no coming too early!

First Child Birth Class

We had our first Child Birth class. I think it is going to be very beneficial. Our teacher is Janet Jackson....haha :P There are 12 couples there and I was surprised a lot of them are due in Feb! I am happy to say I am not the BIGGEST or the OLDEST there! WOOOOOT! So Janet started by explaining what the class was all about, then we watched a video on labor and delivery. I am not sure about anyone else, but my eyes almost popped out of my head! LOL I know how babies are born,but to see it.....it is not pretty and scared me a little. I think that by the time I am done with the class....I will feel a little better. The end of the class we spent doing breathing exercises (he he who) and relaxation techniques. I really enjoyed this time and slept like a baby when I got home. I am looking forward to the rest of our classes! I think my DH even enjoyed himself.

Recipe # 13 Beer Bread

We were having Ham and Beans for Dinner and I decided that we needed some Beer Bread with it. I made this recipe and everyone loved it!

Beer Bread
3 cups flour (sifted)
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can beer
1/2 cup melted butter (1/4 cup will do just fine)
Directions


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients and beer.
Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Pour melted butter over mixture.
Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.


Notes Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must-do. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure in the flour canister and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a "hard biscuit" . That's because they aren't sifting their flour! If you do not have a sifter, use a spoon to spoon the flour into the 1 cup measure. Try it once the "correct" way and you will see an amazing difference in the end product.
The final result should be a thick, hearty and very tasteful bread, NOT A BRICK! ;).

Christmas

Well we had a nice and quiet Christmas. Next year I am sure will be different! We got the kids around 12:30 PM Christmas day. I was a little bummed, but dealt with it. That means we will have the kids late next year :P My parents came over and we opened presents. The kids were very shocked and excited when they opened their new Wii from Grandma and Grandad. I was also very excited because I am looking forward to getting the Wii fit (for after the baby is born) Bill and the kids did a training thing and I was glad I didn't join. They were worn out at the end! I did however try the Wii fitness when no one was around. Now the first time it said I was 64! Are you kidding me 64!? $%$!%@^$% The next time I was 55 and most recent was 42. I am happy that my Wii age is coming down! I have also come to love boxing. I am quite scary! I usually KO during the 2nd round.