Hey,
Mom is here, so I am not going to spend a lot of time talking. I'm about 33 1/2 weeks along... I'll be going off bedrest (hopefully) in a week and a half...that will make it 5 1/2 weeks total on bedrest, yeesh. I'm going a bit nuts! I finally got dressed in jeans and stood up a bit to update our photos. Here they are:
Pregnancy Pics
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
God as my strength
Gabriel means "God as my Strength." That is one reason we chose to name him this, and this name is becoming more and more appropriate as the little man develops. The pregnancy started with quite a scare-- I was on bed rest then too, and in fact, the hospital told me I miscarried Gabriel in the first weeks of pregnancy, only to call me back an hour later and tell me I didn't. I knew he was miracle.
On Saturday, January 30th, I went into preterm labor. Sean and I were actually at the movie theatre, and it felt like Gabriel did a cartwheel under my rib cage. It made me jump a bit and yell. I thought he bruised or cracked my rib, or possibly tore a muscle. I went on with night as usual, and I went to bed. The pain did not subside, and it started shooting into my stomach more. I was still pretty convinced he had just torn my muscle, but I woke up with a feeling that I should go into the ER. I trusted that feeling, and I dragged Sean to the ER at 1:00 a.m. The nurses suspected he had only torn my muscle or cracked a rib, but they decided to keep me for monitoring anyway. After an hour, they came in, and I was expecting them to just tell me to go home, but they told me I had started having contractions, which I couldn't feel, and my cervix had started to dilate. They immediately gave me a shot to stop the contractions, and continued to do so every 20 minutes. They hooked me up to an IV to keep my hydrated. I woke up Sean, told him everything that had happened, and he went home to let out the dogs and change clothes. While he was gone, they had to give me more relaxers because I had severe tremors from the medicine and was shaking uncontrollably. The medicine had also stopped working on the contractions. When Sean came back, I was pretty loupy, but I was still with it enough to tell him what had gone on, and he slept by my side all night.
Currently, I am on the same medicine that they gave me in the hospital to control my contractions. I went in again today to get my second shot of a steroid that will speed up the development of Gabriel's lungs in case I do end up delivering him early. Dr. Vaughn did a sonogram on Gabriel today, and he said he looks perfectly healthy. He is changing my medication because I still have some severe tremors, and it is making my heart race too quickly. He said the new medicine is just as effective, and I only have to take it every 6 hours instead of ever 4, which means more rest.
I go in again on Wednesday, and he will tell me where we go from there. I may be on complete bed-rest for the next 10 weeks, or I may be on partial bed-rest--which trust me, I know doesn't mean I'll be able to clean house or workout, so don't worry! I am doing everything Dr. Vaughn is telling me.
If I am still on bed rest after Valentine's Day, my mom is going to come stay with me for 2 weeks. I know it is so hard on my family. They feel helpless. My church family and friends are taking excellent care of me. They are bringing me food and visiting me everyday, offering to take me to appointments, etc. I can't even explain the out pour of love they are showing us. They are the salt of the earth, and God's love exudes from them and their actions. They are living testimonies of God's love. My mom is so thankful to them. She cried when I told her what they are doing for me, and she just kept saying, "Tell them thank you. Tell them thank you."
Sean is also taking good care of me. He bought me magazines to keep me occupied, and he's even been picking up around the house a little bit because he knows that I can't, and I am a clean freak! The puppies are keeping me plenty of company, and I am able to continue working at the TAMU-C writing center because all my work is online, so I can do it in bed.
But truly, God has been my strength through all of this, and I'm sure he has been little Gabriel's as well. As much as I love Gabriel, which is more than I thought humanely possible, God loves him even more, and I find peace and strength in knowing that. I can only do what the doctor's tell me, but Gabriel and I are in God's hands, and I would rather be there than in my own. God is much more powerful, wise, loving, merciful, gracious, all-knowing, and everything good, and he is certainly more capable as well. God is our strength. I ask that you continue to pray for Gabriel Michael. I know we are all excited to meet him, and he's probably excited to meet us too, but he's got to stay in there a bit longer! Maybe he takes after his mama, he likes to get things done early. If things are don't a week or two in advance, they're considered late... he's about 10 weeks early right now, so we need to tell him not to jump the gun and just hold on for a bit!
I love you all, and I will keep you updated. You can call if you want. I have all day and night to sleep, so don't worry about waking me. I enjoy conversation. We have a new number (903) 739-9491
God bless, and may God be your strength also.
On Saturday, January 30th, I went into preterm labor. Sean and I were actually at the movie theatre, and it felt like Gabriel did a cartwheel under my rib cage. It made me jump a bit and yell. I thought he bruised or cracked my rib, or possibly tore a muscle. I went on with night as usual, and I went to bed. The pain did not subside, and it started shooting into my stomach more. I was still pretty convinced he had just torn my muscle, but I woke up with a feeling that I should go into the ER. I trusted that feeling, and I dragged Sean to the ER at 1:00 a.m. The nurses suspected he had only torn my muscle or cracked a rib, but they decided to keep me for monitoring anyway. After an hour, they came in, and I was expecting them to just tell me to go home, but they told me I had started having contractions, which I couldn't feel, and my cervix had started to dilate. They immediately gave me a shot to stop the contractions, and continued to do so every 20 minutes. They hooked me up to an IV to keep my hydrated. I woke up Sean, told him everything that had happened, and he went home to let out the dogs and change clothes. While he was gone, they had to give me more relaxers because I had severe tremors from the medicine and was shaking uncontrollably. The medicine had also stopped working on the contractions. When Sean came back, I was pretty loupy, but I was still with it enough to tell him what had gone on, and he slept by my side all night.
Currently, I am on the same medicine that they gave me in the hospital to control my contractions. I went in again today to get my second shot of a steroid that will speed up the development of Gabriel's lungs in case I do end up delivering him early. Dr. Vaughn did a sonogram on Gabriel today, and he said he looks perfectly healthy. He is changing my medication because I still have some severe tremors, and it is making my heart race too quickly. He said the new medicine is just as effective, and I only have to take it every 6 hours instead of ever 4, which means more rest.
I go in again on Wednesday, and he will tell me where we go from there. I may be on complete bed-rest for the next 10 weeks, or I may be on partial bed-rest--which trust me, I know doesn't mean I'll be able to clean house or workout, so don't worry! I am doing everything Dr. Vaughn is telling me.
If I am still on bed rest after Valentine's Day, my mom is going to come stay with me for 2 weeks. I know it is so hard on my family. They feel helpless. My church family and friends are taking excellent care of me. They are bringing me food and visiting me everyday, offering to take me to appointments, etc. I can't even explain the out pour of love they are showing us. They are the salt of the earth, and God's love exudes from them and their actions. They are living testimonies of God's love. My mom is so thankful to them. She cried when I told her what they are doing for me, and she just kept saying, "Tell them thank you. Tell them thank you."
Sean is also taking good care of me. He bought me magazines to keep me occupied, and he's even been picking up around the house a little bit because he knows that I can't, and I am a clean freak! The puppies are keeping me plenty of company, and I am able to continue working at the TAMU-C writing center because all my work is online, so I can do it in bed.
But truly, God has been my strength through all of this, and I'm sure he has been little Gabriel's as well. As much as I love Gabriel, which is more than I thought humanely possible, God loves him even more, and I find peace and strength in knowing that. I can only do what the doctor's tell me, but Gabriel and I are in God's hands, and I would rather be there than in my own. God is much more powerful, wise, loving, merciful, gracious, all-knowing, and everything good, and he is certainly more capable as well. God is our strength. I ask that you continue to pray for Gabriel Michael. I know we are all excited to meet him, and he's probably excited to meet us too, but he's got to stay in there a bit longer! Maybe he takes after his mama, he likes to get things done early. If things are don't a week or two in advance, they're considered late... he's about 10 weeks early right now, so we need to tell him not to jump the gun and just hold on for a bit!
I love you all, and I will keep you updated. You can call if you want. I have all day and night to sleep, so don't worry about waking me. I enjoy conversation. We have a new number (903) 739-9491
God bless, and may God be your strength also.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
You have to hear this!
I know I just posted, but I wanted to share this song with you guys. It is everything I hope Gabriel will learn. It is exactly what I would say to him, and I am sure many of you, and I know that it is appropriate since we're not all together! Check it out--just click the link!
What I would Say
What I would Say
Week 30 Visit
I'm in my 30th week of pregnancy. Gabriel will be arriving soon, and honestly, I can't wait to meet this little man that I already love so much.
First and foremost, the doctor said that Gabriel looks to be a very healthy young man! Woohoo! Our prayers have been answered, but continue to pray for him, and then never stop! :) The doctor said that he is about 3lbs right now, so if he continues on this track, he will weigh about 7.5 lbs. Amazing what they can do, right?
I was super excited because we were going to do some 3D imaging of his face, and I thought I'd have all these cute photos to post, but he is bashful. He had his hands covering his face the entire time. The doctor even used a little machine that vibrated my belly to to try to get him to move, and after about 15 minutes of trying, Dr. Vaughn gave up. We could get him to move, but he still wouldn't move his hands from his face, haha. My friend told me that he was shy because he knew people were taking his picture, and he remembered that he was naked, haha. I thought that was funny. He's certainly not shy about his boyhood. We have another " 'boy' with arrow" shot of him.
I might try to get the pics up, but I am having difficulties with the CD they are on. I can view them, but I'm having problems uploading. I don't know how much I am going to fuss with it because honestly, if someone isn't there pointing out what is what, you'll never know.
Anyway, we did see that the man has at least a little hair. The doctor said it could be super fine; you can't tell, but hey, I was born bald, so any hair is good! :)
I started both of my jobs, and they are going well. I work 10 hours at PJC, and I am in charge of the whole online writing center at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Some weeks I will probably have 40 hours of work there, and other weeks only 5 or 10. It just depends on how many submissions there are. I can't go over 19 hours a week, though, so on the weeks that I have a lot of work, I will just have to spread the hours of the weeks I don't have as much work, as far as time cards go, but I have 24-48 hours to respond to each submission, and some days we get 15-20 submissions, so I'll be a busy girl. I also have all the responsibilities of the house to take care of on my own, and I'm a bit of a neat freak, so that keeps me busy.
Sean is still really liking his temp position that might turn into a full-time position. I'm glad he's happy at work and loves his job. That's the whole reason we moved here, so I'm glad it makes him happy.
We start lamaze classes with a church friend tonight. I am very excited. She will come over every Thursday night for 4 weeks. We also have a childbirthing class at the hospital on March 6th. I've been reading more and more about labor, and I am officially FREAKED OUT! I'm also freaked out to breastfeed, but I'm going to give it a go.
Well, I've had two beautiful showers: one at work, and one my mom threw with my side of the fam, and I have the final one coming up at the end of February with my church. I'm super excited for that!
I have a busy day ahead of me, so I better run, but here are pics of the belly! Love you guys!
Belly Pics
First and foremost, the doctor said that Gabriel looks to be a very healthy young man! Woohoo! Our prayers have been answered, but continue to pray for him, and then never stop! :) The doctor said that he is about 3lbs right now, so if he continues on this track, he will weigh about 7.5 lbs. Amazing what they can do, right?
I was super excited because we were going to do some 3D imaging of his face, and I thought I'd have all these cute photos to post, but he is bashful. He had his hands covering his face the entire time. The doctor even used a little machine that vibrated my belly to to try to get him to move, and after about 15 minutes of trying, Dr. Vaughn gave up. We could get him to move, but he still wouldn't move his hands from his face, haha. My friend told me that he was shy because he knew people were taking his picture, and he remembered that he was naked, haha. I thought that was funny. He's certainly not shy about his boyhood. We have another " 'boy' with arrow" shot of him.
I might try to get the pics up, but I am having difficulties with the CD they are on. I can view them, but I'm having problems uploading. I don't know how much I am going to fuss with it because honestly, if someone isn't there pointing out what is what, you'll never know.
Anyway, we did see that the man has at least a little hair. The doctor said it could be super fine; you can't tell, but hey, I was born bald, so any hair is good! :)
I started both of my jobs, and they are going well. I work 10 hours at PJC, and I am in charge of the whole online writing center at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Some weeks I will probably have 40 hours of work there, and other weeks only 5 or 10. It just depends on how many submissions there are. I can't go over 19 hours a week, though, so on the weeks that I have a lot of work, I will just have to spread the hours of the weeks I don't have as much work, as far as time cards go, but I have 24-48 hours to respond to each submission, and some days we get 15-20 submissions, so I'll be a busy girl. I also have all the responsibilities of the house to take care of on my own, and I'm a bit of a neat freak, so that keeps me busy.
Sean is still really liking his temp position that might turn into a full-time position. I'm glad he's happy at work and loves his job. That's the whole reason we moved here, so I'm glad it makes him happy.
We start lamaze classes with a church friend tonight. I am very excited. She will come over every Thursday night for 4 weeks. We also have a childbirthing class at the hospital on March 6th. I've been reading more and more about labor, and I am officially FREAKED OUT! I'm also freaked out to breastfeed, but I'm going to give it a go.
Well, I've had two beautiful showers: one at work, and one my mom threw with my side of the fam, and I have the final one coming up at the end of February with my church. I'm super excited for that!
I have a busy day ahead of me, so I better run, but here are pics of the belly! Love you guys!
Belly Pics
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hello, all!
I'm closing out my 28th week and starting my 29th. I get to see Gabriel next Wednesday, which I am super excited about. I've been feeling him move around a lot, lately. He's mostly active at night.
Exciting things are happening. Sean is filling in for an asset leader at work. I got a job tutoring at Paris Junior college for 10 hours a week, but what is most exciting is that I know have my foot in the door there! They seem really impressed with my work, so I'm very thankful for that. I am also getting possibly up to 19 hours working at the Texas A&M University-Commerce writing center online. I will find more out about that soon. The good news is, I can do that work from home! I'll get to work and be a stay-at-home mommy! I'm hoping I get the full 19 hours, but we will see! We are also praying that I will be able to work a night at PJC so Sean can watch Gabriel and I don't have to find a sitter!
I had the best time ever in Michigan. My mom got to take off every day with me, except one, and when she had to work, I went in and helped her. It was amazing spending two weeks with my best friend! I also got to spend lots of time with my daddy, which is also just as fun and amazing. He even drove me back to Texas so I wouldn't have to deal with the crazy airlines again, and so I could get all my wonderful gifts home. For those of you who don't know, my flights got cancelled to MI. I was in the airport for like 14 hours, and finally I ended up having to spend the night in Minnesota. Thanks to my wonderful brother picking me up in Grand Rapids, I made it to my shower only 20 minutes late. Speaking of the shower, my mom threw me the most beautiful shower ever. She had so much yummy food: Panini sandwiches, meat and cheese tray, veggie tray, a cool watermelon fruit bowl, lots of chips, crackers, and cheese spread, an adorable Winnie-the-Pooh cake, cookies, etc. The list goes on! Emma's mom made a wonderful artichoke dip and apple salad as well. It was all too good. We had a great turn out, played a fun game, and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful presents we got! I am so thankful to my family for hosting the party. I know my mom put a lot of time, money, and energy into making it perfect!
While I was in Michigan, I also got to see all my best friends. I miss them so much, so this meant the world to me.
I'll post pics from the doctor next week if he gives us another C.D. If not, I'll mail them to you if you want. Just let me know!
Love you all so much!
I'm closing out my 28th week and starting my 29th. I get to see Gabriel next Wednesday, which I am super excited about. I've been feeling him move around a lot, lately. He's mostly active at night.
Exciting things are happening. Sean is filling in for an asset leader at work. I got a job tutoring at Paris Junior college for 10 hours a week, but what is most exciting is that I know have my foot in the door there! They seem really impressed with my work, so I'm very thankful for that. I am also getting possibly up to 19 hours working at the Texas A&M University-Commerce writing center online. I will find more out about that soon. The good news is, I can do that work from home! I'll get to work and be a stay-at-home mommy! I'm hoping I get the full 19 hours, but we will see! We are also praying that I will be able to work a night at PJC so Sean can watch Gabriel and I don't have to find a sitter!
I had the best time ever in Michigan. My mom got to take off every day with me, except one, and when she had to work, I went in and helped her. It was amazing spending two weeks with my best friend! I also got to spend lots of time with my daddy, which is also just as fun and amazing. He even drove me back to Texas so I wouldn't have to deal with the crazy airlines again, and so I could get all my wonderful gifts home. For those of you who don't know, my flights got cancelled to MI. I was in the airport for like 14 hours, and finally I ended up having to spend the night in Minnesota. Thanks to my wonderful brother picking me up in Grand Rapids, I made it to my shower only 20 minutes late. Speaking of the shower, my mom threw me the most beautiful shower ever. She had so much yummy food: Panini sandwiches, meat and cheese tray, veggie tray, a cool watermelon fruit bowl, lots of chips, crackers, and cheese spread, an adorable Winnie-the-Pooh cake, cookies, etc. The list goes on! Emma's mom made a wonderful artichoke dip and apple salad as well. It was all too good. We had a great turn out, played a fun game, and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful presents we got! I am so thankful to my family for hosting the party. I know my mom put a lot of time, money, and energy into making it perfect!
While I was in Michigan, I also got to see all my best friends. I miss them so much, so this meant the world to me.
I'll post pics from the doctor next week if he gives us another C.D. If not, I'll mail them to you if you want. Just let me know!
Love you all so much!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Gabriel says, "Merry Christmas, y'all! Can't wait to celebrate with you next year!" (Heh, just kidding with the 'y'all.')
We're off to Dallas to stay in the Hilton, go swimming, and work out in their cool workout room. We're having dinner at the hotel restaurant, The Bonnie and Clyde Getaway. Looks yummy.
The Christmas treats are catching up with me; I gained 4lbs in the past week and a half, woops! I'll have to scale back on those (no pun intended)!
Yesterday, I made a big Christmas Eve breakfast: eggs with ham and mushrooms, turkey bacon, and turkey sausage links, and Sean one-upped me this morning with the same plus hashbrowns and toast. He made extra and we shared with the pups. I think Christmas is officially their favorite holiday.
I am excited to see everybody, and I am certainly looking forward to the shower.
God bless you, and may the true Spirit of Christmas fill you!
Love,
Mandy, Sean, and Gabriel
We're off to Dallas to stay in the Hilton, go swimming, and work out in their cool workout room. We're having dinner at the hotel restaurant, The Bonnie and Clyde Getaway. Looks yummy.
The Christmas treats are catching up with me; I gained 4lbs in the past week and a half, woops! I'll have to scale back on those (no pun intended)!
Yesterday, I made a big Christmas Eve breakfast: eggs with ham and mushrooms, turkey bacon, and turkey sausage links, and Sean one-upped me this morning with the same plus hashbrowns and toast. He made extra and we shared with the pups. I think Christmas is officially their favorite holiday.
I am excited to see everybody, and I am certainly looking forward to the shower.
God bless you, and may the true Spirit of Christmas fill you!
Love,
Mandy, Sean, and Gabriel
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
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