Appointments and Blizzards

Well my grandfather ended up passing away on Sunday night.  He hadn't been awake since Friday morning, so it was almost a relief when he finally let go.  Unbeknownst to him he was soon to become a great-grandfather to not just one new baby, but two.  Turns out one of my cousins is pregnant with a little boy and is due at the end of September.

In other news, Eric's appointment went well last week.  He's now allowed to slowly start putting weight on his right leg.  Hopefully he'll be free of crutches in the next week or two.  We're supposed to go to a Rangers game on May 8th with our friends Brett and Allison.  It sure would be miserable to have to hobble around the ballpark on crutches!

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment.  He said my weight gain looks great, even though it kind of freaks me out.  I also learned that my stress, since it's not physical, has no effect on the baby.  Thank goodness!  Before Dr. F had me get on the exam table to measure my belly and listen to the heartbeat, he asked if I had been having any contractions.  At 23 weeks?  Uh, no.  Then he had me get on the exam table and as he started to measure he stopped and told me to feel how hard my belly was.  Apparently I was having a contraction right then and didn't even know it!  He said it's not uncommon to start having contractions this early and I'd begin recognizing them more and more as my uterus gets larger.

Yesterday I also typed my official resignation letter.  I really want to be home to raise my baby, but the thought of going from two incomes down to one scares me.  Despite my fears, Eric is insistent that I stay home.  I am so lucky to have a husband that wants the best for me and our baby!  Now I can officially begin the countdown to not only the end of school year, but also the end of teaching--32 teaching days!!!

One more thing, for the next week Dairy Queen is having a deal where you buy one blizzard and get the second one for $0.25. This is not good for a pregnant girl!

Oh yeah, and thank you for the advice about the baby registry.  We're working on getting one together and boy are there a bunch of baby products out there!  If you think of any more suggestions, please let me know.

Why?

*Warning--Not a happy post.

Why is everything happening seemingly all at once?  One of my aunts died unexpectedly in December after surgery complications.  My maternal grandmother passed away in January, a day short of the one year anniversary of my maternal grandfather's death.  Tragedy actually struck twice that day when we found out a longtime neighbor and family friend had also died.  Then Eric found out he had the tumor in his femur and had to have immediate suregery to remove it.  Thankfully, all of that turned out okay.  Now I've just been told my paternal grandfather's kidneys are failing and it's only a short matter of time.  Why?

This is supposed to be a time of happiness and joy for Eric and me, but instead we're spending our time at hospitals and funerals.  I know that probably sounds really self-centered and I don't mean for it to sound that way; I am truly grieved by each one of the incidents.  I worry about the baby.  I know my stress easily passes to her and I have been stressed, really stressed.  Please keep my family in your prayers.  The best way I can look at this is that our baby girl will be a blessing among all of these tragedies.

Hodge Podge

• Thank you for sharing your opinions on the bedding sets.  Hopefully Eric and I will make a definitive decision soon!
• A couple of you asked where I found the different bedding options...Most of the ones I posted can be found at multiple sites--babysupermall.com, Babies "R" Us, Pottery Barn Kids, and Target.
• I've decided that I'll probably never get around to a DC post.  If you really want to see pictures of what we did, look at Eric's blog here, here, and here.
• Today is class picture day.  I decided to wear the outfit that makes me the look the most pregnant.  I don't want to look like I'm just chubby!  :)
• Eric has his follow-up appointment this afternoon. We'll find out how his femur is healing and if he'll finally be able to put some weight on his right leg.
• Eric and I are going to start a baby regsitry soon and need advice from moms with experience.  What are the products that you couldn't have done without?  What was a waste of money?  What did you wish you had?  ALL advice will be greatly appreciated!

Choices, Choices, Choices

*Update #2:  I've changed the Tulip picture.  The new one is much better.

*Update #1:  I've included a poll on the right so you shy stalkers can share your opinion as well.  :)

There are soooo many options out there for crib bedding and if you know me, I don't need hundreds of choices.  I've spent HOURS looking at different designs and now I need YOUR help.  Tell me which one of these you like best, or maybe you can even point me in the direction of a totally different bedding set.  Keep in mind that we don't necessarily have intentions of buying all of the extras--diaper stackers, rugs, lamps, wall paper, wall hangings, etc--so try to focus on just the bedding.  Without further ado, here are the selections:

Hannah-$

Jacana-$$

Love Bird-$$

Madison-$$

Mod Butterfly-$$

Penelope-$$

Tulip-$

Apathetic and Misbehaved

Those are the two adjectives I'd use to descirbe 95% of my students this year. It is scary to look at them and think that they are "our future." I don't know how much longer I can stand to be in the classroom environment since I don't find it enjoyable or fullfilling. There's so much more I'd like to say, but can't because this is a public blog.  I guess I'll leave it at that.

Don't miss the MUCH happier post below.

The Results Are In

The pathologist called yesterday and said Eric's tumor was just what the surgeon suspected--a BENIGN giant cell tumor.  Yay!  Now we can just focus on his recovery.  Thanks for the prayers, calls, cards, visits and food!  We've been blessed with some fabulous friends and family.

There's No Place Like Home

Eric will be discharged from the hospital this afternoon.  Yay!  We're both going a little stir crazy sitting here in his room.

We reported to the hospital at 5:30 on Friday morning.  Despite it being so early, Eric had quite a crowd to see him off--wife :), parents, sister, mother-in-law, grandparents, friend, and pastor.  Of course Eric had to keep us entertained while we waited for him to be taken to surgery.

Finally at 7:30 the anesthesiologists took Eric to the OR.  Three hours later our family was called to the consultation room to meet with the surgeon.  He told us that he felt really good about the operation.  Based on what he saw when he removed the tumor, he's 98% sure it's benign.  The surgeon ended up using bone cement to fill the hole that the tumor left behind and he used a couple of screws and a plate to help support Eric's femur.  Because things went so well, he is anticipating that Eric will only be on crutches for two weeks, instead of the previously anticipated six.  Another yay!

The recovery from the surgery has been rough.  I don't think Eric realized this was going to be major surgery with intense pain that he's going to have to work through.  Yesterday afternoon he decided to start weaning himself off of the morphine since he won't be able to take that home.  The doctor prescribed a strong oral pain killer that Eric LOVES.  He says it makes him feel good, but it drives me nuts! The medicine makes Eric itchy and a little loopy.  From 5-9 this morning he was humming away.  I asked him what he was doing and he said he was singing to himself.  I didn't recognize the song, so apparently it is one that the pain killer made up for him.  The nurse decided we'll cut his dosage in half to see if that will keep him sane and still manage the pain.

Throughout this whole process our 21 week old baby girl has been dancing around in my belly like crazy!  It is so strange to not only feel her, but to be able to see her moving around.  Eric's been too drugged up to care, but I can't wait until he gets a little more rested so he can watch her too!  :)