36 weeks.

Shew....we have made it to 36 weeks!  At this point, she can come at any time :)  Last week we had an ultrasound to check on everything and fatty girl was estimated to weigh 5 lbs 6 oz.  One more pound and she will be at Gage's birth weight and we still have 4 weeks to go.  The good thing is, if she is born early, she will more than likely be at a healthy weight :)  However, I have this feeling that she is going to come late after all the drama.

I am carrying very low with her.  People keep thinking I am pregnant with a boy.  With Gage I was big everywhere, especially at the end.  With Lyla, my belly looks like a basketball and I haven't gained that much weight (well as much as I did with Gage), but apparently she is pretty healthy herself :)

We have had two great weeks with appointments!  So good that I am back down to once a week.  I should knock on wood because I have to go tomorrow.  My blood pressure is great (considering) and so is her heart rate.  Although I feel like I could be working, I know resting and not having to work has been the best thing for me.  I am a busy body so I do have to run at least one errand a day but I am trying to take it easy for the most part.

As far as my hair....it is still falling out BUT there is growth in several spots, yah!  It is VERY thin, obviously it keeps getting thinner and thinner and I am preparing myself for several months of having very short (not bald, hopefully) hair, once the strands I have left fall out.  I am getting comfortable wearing my wig so I have been wearing it a lot more often lately.  I got a new hat too (not a huge fan of how it looks)....they are just hard to find because I like them to fit a certain way.  Although its still annoying, it doesn't really both me as much anymore.  Seeing some growth has definitely given me hope.  We did see a genetic specialists and it is very likely that once it all grows out, it could fall out again.  So please pray that doesn't happen.

With all the drama these past 9 months, we are finally ready!  Lyla's nursery is ready, we got a normally $600+ double stroller off of craigslist for $300 and our bags are packed!  Gage has been kissing my belly and Meemaw asked him yesterday who was in my belly and he said, "Lyla".  So, I think he is starting to understand....ha, we shall see.   I have tried to update the blog so that I can tell Lyla all about this pregnancy when she is being a drama queen :)  Don't lie, you'd do it too.

My sweet PREGNANT sister, Lindsay took maternity pictures yesterday.  Gage did pretty good and we got what we needed :)  Although I don't like the way I look in some of them (you know how that goes), Lindsay did a fabulous job.  She went home that night and edited some.  So far, here is my fav :)

36 weeks.....

Here is my hair about a month ago and then now with some growth (don't look if you get grossed out easily).

March 23, 2014

April 27, 2014

As you can see, there is hope :)  Thank you again for your prayers....they are working!

Easter 2014.

Our family did Easter a little differently this year.  My mom and aunts were headed to the beach for the following week so we celebrated Easter on Saturday instead of Sunday.  We all went to my moms and had the usual Easter meal.  You know, the plate of carbs?!  Seriously, I didn't eat any ham.  But I did eat mac and cheese, hashbrown casserole, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, green bean casserole...I should probably stop now.  It was yummy!

It was a yucky day so the Easter Egg Hunt had to happen inside.  The little ones searched for them in mom and dads room and the older ones searched in the sun room.  Gage didn't get so lucky this year.  He probably found 25 eggs and half of them were filled with....goldfish.  No money this year, boo!

On Sunday we went to church.  I always love Resurrection Sunday.  Its nice to be reminded that God had a plan on the third day and he is NOT dead...he is very much alive!  After church the Gibson's, Bergman's, Meemaw and us went to Outback.  I'm not one to like to break tradition but my mom works hard to host many, many family gatherings so celebrating Easter on Saturday was fine...this time :)  Just kidding mom, love you!

Here are a few pictures from Easter Sunday.

Lyla and I are batting a 1000.

I'm so sorry it has taken me forever to update.  I will do the best I can to use the right "terms", but doctors/nurses....don't count on it.

So this week we had 4 appointments and so far, Lyla and I are 4 for 4 :)

Tuesday Update
On Tuesday we had an OB appointment and Lyla had her first echocardiogram.  At the OB office my BP was pretty good and Lyla's heart rate was at a steady 135, whew!  I didn't have a headache that day and felt better.  They drew blood, set me up on the monitor for about 15 minutes and we were on our way out the door....in a car :)

A couple hours later we had to go to the Children's Levine Hospital for the fetal echo.  Worst experience ever.  Really because of the whole appointment thing (I'll explain later) but also I could NEVER work with sick children.  The hospital is beautiful and very bright and colorful but there is just something about walking in there that makes you sad....I just couldn't do it.  I have SO much respect for the special people that can help those sweet, sick babies, I seriously don't know how they do it.  I just feel like I would probably "take work with me" every time I left and be an emotional wreck when something didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to.   It made me realize how lucky Erik and I are to have a healthy child....well make that 2.

Anyways, I was very nervous about the appointment because I had no idea what to expect.  Well, my nerves got worse.  So the fetal echo is basically an ultrasound of the heart.  Seriously, they didn't even show us her head, feet...nothing.  I had to lie on my back on a very uncomfortable table for 30 minutes (lying on my back is SO uncomfortable at this point).  The tech zoomed in on her heart (Erik and I could see it on the big screen) and just started taking film/pictures.  Blue and red colors were flashing (now I know to detect the flow of the blood but didn't at that time), you can see the 4 chambers in her heart pumping, and nothing is said, NOT.A.WORD.  I felt like I was going to throw up.  Here they are looking at our daughters heart and saying nothing. You know we were thinking the worse, is something wrong?  Is she ok?  Does her heart function properly?  SAY SOMETHING.  So finally I said, "Um, is someone going to explain what's going on?"  The tech said that the doctor would when she was done.  Great lady, we appreciate that.  So let's just sit here in silence until then.  I had to ask to sit up and get water, it was HORRIBLE.  After 30 minutes the tech said she would go get the doctor, he would come in (he was in another room watching the ultrasound as it was going on) and probably take some more pictures.  He did.  He had as much personality as she did, ha.  After he took more pictures, we met him in the "reading room". The doctor showed us this picture:

He said Lyla had atrial tachycardia which is a rapid pulse rate...makes sense.  Since her heart rate had been in the 230's that weekend before (when I went to the hospital) and was actually in the 230's during the fetal echo, that diagnosis made total sense.  Thankfully, it was nothing major and the doctor said he felt like if it got worse, we could treat it with oral medication.  If her heart rate continued to beat rapidly after birth, they could treat her as well.  Whew....what a relief.  We felt much better when we left.  He did want us to come back weekly to monitor her heart and wanted us to come back Thursday.

Thursday Update
On Thursday we had another OB appointment and another fetal echo scheduled.  Lyla and I passed with flying colors at the OB :)  Her heart rate was great and my blood pressure was 110/80....much better!  They did get all my blood work back from Tuesday and so many good things happened :)  Thank you for your prayers. My thyroid had dropped from 4.08 to 2, my platelet levels had increased from 108 to 138 (yay.......epidural!!!), and no other issues were found.  Please continue to pray that my platelets continue to increase because although they have since the hospital, they are still "out of range".    If they are below 100 and I can deliver her without a c-section, I cannot get an epidural, ugh...I don't want to even think about that.  I felt contractions with Gage without an epidural, horrible.  Back to the visit.

After being hooked up to the monitor for 15 minutes (I have to do that everytime now to check Lyla's heart rate), we got to leave.....again, in a car :)  I have to go back Monday and they are going to do an ultrasound to see how Lyla is growing.  This girl has had probably 6 or more ultrasounds....can you say high maintenance? Ya'll know I'm not high maintenance so her and I have some work to do when she gets here :)

On to the fetal echo.  This experience was not nearly as miserable!  The tech and doctor were awesome and we left feeling comfortable (not physically for me obviously) and more informed about what was going on.  So I did have to sit on the uncomfortable table again but I made sure to ask for water before they started :)  I secretly asked for water because they have crushed ice :)  The tech did let me lay on my side for some of is so that was good and get this....she actually TALKED.  It was still more silent than I would like it to be (ya'll know I'll talk to anybody) but I guess they are supposed to let the doctor explain everything.  So the doctor came in after about 25 minutes and he was awesome.  He said "Her (the tech) and I are going to use a bunch of "doctor" terms, but don't worry, I will explain it all".  So they talked to each other and us (about normal stuff- not the fetal echo) and I could feel myself relaxing.  At that point I knew everything was going to be ok.  Anyways, it was a much better experience and the doctor was awesome.  We told him we appreciated how much he explained to us and we felt much better about the whole situation.  So...here is the picture he showed us:

Just by looking at this picture, you can tell he is way more awesomer :)

Ok, so he explained things much better.  Your heart has four chambers (that's the only part I knew, ha):  Right and Left atrium and Right and left ventricles.  The right side helps pump blood to your lungs and the left side helps pump blood to your body.  All looks good there for Lyla's heart!  Keep in mind that her heart rate was at a steady 130ish during this fetal echo (not at 230 like the last one) so the doctors didn't necessarily see the same things.  Ok so looking at the picture (second heart) he drew a faint dotted line.  This is a membrane he found.  It is very flimsy and has holes all in it.  He said all the blood is able to flow through it right now and he has "a very low level of concern" that it will change BUT when babies are born, obviously things change.  However, if it became an issue and blocks the flow of the blood then she would have to have surgery.  He said of course no one wants their child to have open heart surgery (please pray this is not necessary), this is the one you would want.  Its very minimal (I know no surgery is but....) and she would live a normal, healthy life afterwards.  He did not feel it was necessary for us to come back until she was born (unless her heart rate continuously goes back up).  He wants her to have an ECG to check for rate/rhythm and another echo to check the anatomy when she is born.

He said, "So in a nutshell I want to let you know, do not worry".  That's all we needed to hear :)  Now you can tell why we loved him, he could definitely relate and we were thankful for that.

Although the fetal echoes went well and no real issues were found, we still ask for your prayers.  Pray that her heart rate does not go back up.  Pray that there is NO need for surgery....it makes me sick to think about that part.  Pray that outside of the womb, she is a perfectly healthy baby and when she is born, the echo solidifies that.

It has been a long week but a reassuring one.  I have been taken out of work and told to "lay low".  I know rest is the best thing to keep both of us healthy so thats what I am doing.  If you know me well, you know I am not a "sit still and rest" sorta person (thanks Dad).  I DO NOT like to sit around so this has been hard for me.  As a teacher, its hard to be out of work too but I know everything will be just fine without me.  Pray that I do ok with the whole rest thing :)

From now on, we go to the doctor twice a week to monitor both Lyla and I until she decides to make her debut.  After this past weekend I have packed our bags, made the check list, and washed her clothes.  So we are ready whenever she is.

Again, thank you for your prayers.  We love you all and appreciate your concerns!

This Girl...SHEW.

Well.....its been an interesting start to Spring Break 2014 :)

Last Sunday (4/6) I was having shortness of breath.  I tried for 2 hours to see if it would go away but it didn't.  So I called the doctors office.  My midwife said to drink 4-5 glasses of water in one hour, lay on my left side and see if it goes away.  So I did, feel asleep and felt better.

I woke up Monday morning having shortness of breath again.  I decided I would just drink lots of water and go to work to see if it would go away.  Well, it didn't.  So, I called the doctors office and they wanted me to come in.  They hooked me up to a monitor to check on the baby and she was fine.  My BP was a little high but not too alarming.  After 2 hours of listening the baby, checking my BP, and having some blood work, they told me to go home and rest.  They said the shortness of breath could be from allergies or the position of the baby.  The doctor did find a small heart murmur in my heart but said that was probably due to pregnancy.  I was instructed to drink lots of water with added electrolytes, take Claritin D, rest, and wear diabetic socks to help with blood circulation.  Ok....so I did what I was told and pretty much laid in the bed the rest of the day.

On Wednesday the lab called and said my platelet levels were low (They were 151 and the range is 153-350 something) and I would need to come in have blood drawn again.  Well I already had a scheduled appointment on Friday as a follow up from Monday so they said I could just wait until then.  So.....I worked Friday and went in for my appointment at 2:10.  Little did I know....it was going to be no bueno.

As soon as I got there, they took my BP which was really high.  If you know my history, I had preclamsia with Gage (very high blood pressure) so they have been very careful to watch my BP.  The doctor was concerned with my BP so she wanted to hook me up to a monitor to check the baby.  Well.....her heartbeat was EXTREMELY high...230 (normally around 135).  It stayed that way for an hour.  When her heartbeat would go off the charts, the machine beeps....very scary.  I actually went to this appointment by myself, not knowing all of this...so needless to say I was very nervous.  My midwife then wanted to check my reflexes which were not responding and she thought they should.  She told me she was sending me to the hospital.  My first question was, what will they do there?  I heard the words...deliver.  Deliver?!  I'm not ready to deliver, I'm only 34 weeks....I still have stuff to do to the nursery, my bags aren't packed, Erik is working in Greensboro.....I can't deliver!  Clearly that all took a back seat to the fact that Lyla and I were not in great condition.

So, I texted my sisters, mom, and Erik and asked someone to come get me to take me to the hospital.  Erik left Greensboro immediately but obviously had a 1.5 hr drive.  Lindsay said she was on her way.  Well this was about 3:00 and I am in Huntersville so we all know what the means....traffic (seriously, when is there NOT traffic in Huntersville?!).  After about 15 minutes Lyla's heart rate was still up and so was my BP.  Next words...Ambulance.  Ugh, ambulance, there goes $1200.  Anyways, Lindsay got there about the same time as the ambulance and they said she could ride in the front seat.

We get to the hospital, and the doctor comes in.  He starts explaining the process of an emergency c-section.  Not what I wanted to hear but anything to help this baby, I would do.  I signed the papers to approve the c-section and was preparing myself.  Well....you know how fast things can change.  They hooked Lyla up to the monitor and she had calmed down.  THANK YOU GOD.  My BP was still a little high but it had lowered.  They said Lyla and I had one hour to stay steady/improve or they would go ahead and deliver her via c-section.  Well.....as I am writing this, she is still in my belly :)  God is good, ALL the time.

I had to spend the night so they could keep monitoring things.  They did take my blood and my platelets had dropped even more, down to 126.  Platelets help clot your blood so its concerning (I think more to my sisters than the doctors).  I was told below 100, when I do deliver...I can't get an epidural.  Ok, WHAT?!  No epidural, are you kidding me?!  Um...I can tolerate pain but if I can avoid it....I will. So that was not good news.  Then they checked my platelet levels again, last reading was 108.  Come on.  Good thing, there are some things they can do to help increase platelet levels.....steroids.  We all know my last run in with steroids, no good.  So anyways, please pray my platelets do not continue to drop.  Obviously when you have a baby, you bleed a lot.  So...I really need my blood to clot so we can have a SAFE delivery.

So Erik and I spent the night at the hospital Friday night.  They scheduled an ultrasound at 8am Saturday morning.  Again, God is good.  Lyla looked great, had to right amount of fluid where it should be, her heart rate was steady around 135, and the doctors were pleased.  We even saw hair on the ultrasound (yea, you know what I''m thinking.....that girl better have some hair because I sure don't).  She weighs 4.5 lbs. so we would like to her "cook" a little longer, at least 2-3 more weeks.  So everything went well overnight and I was told the doctor would come in at 1:30 to discuss what to do further.  Well.....at 5:30, yes that would be 4 hours later, the internal fetal medicine doctor came in.  She explained a lot of things but felt like we would be ok to go home.  She said they wouldn't be too terribly concerned about my platelet levels unless they drop below 70.  After a long talk with her, I was told I could put on regular clothes (YES!).  So I did.  Well.....the nurse came in and said, "the midwife and doctor (from my OB office) want to talk to you before you leave".  Uh o, ok?  I was convinced I would be putting the hospital gown back on.

My mid wife left her house to come and talk to me so I had a feeling it wasn't good.  So anyways, the doctor and midwife came in to explain EVERYTHING.  I was so glad they did.  They wanted me to be seen at the office weekly (if not more),  get a echocaridogram on Lyla on Monday, and recheck my blood work on Tuesday.  They said since Lyla's heart rate looked good and my BP looked better overnight, it was ok to go home.  Except I get to "catch my urine" for 24 hours....yippeee.  I had to do that to make sure there was no protein in my urine.  So when we got home at 6:30, everytime I had to pee...I had to do it in a bucket, pour it into a jug, and stick in the refrigerator (sorry, TMI).  So I did that and Erik had to take it back to the hospital at 6:30 on Sunday.

So here we are, its Monday.  I had a rough day yesterday.  I laid in bed all day (my mother-in-law was here all weekend, she was a HUGE help) and had a pretty bad headache almost all day.  I took 1 dose of tylenol and it didn't help so I took another dose 4 hours later and felt better.  Lauren came and got Gage to spend the night at her house.  So I got almost 12 hours of sleep!  I woke up today feeling MUCH better.

Now its a waiting game.  I am waiting on the doctor to call and fit me in for an echocaridogram on Lyla.  This is like an ultrasound but focuses on the heart and bloodflow within the heart (more detailed than a regular ultrasound).  I am supposed to have it today but again....doctors are never in a hurry.  Tomorrow I go for a check-up.  They will take my blood again, check my BP, check Lyla's heart rate, etc.  I feel like after these 2 appointments, I will be able to rest and have more answers as in what to do next.

This is all very scary.  I have to do a fetal kick test everyday where I sit for one hour (it never takes that long with this crazy baby moving around) and count how many times she moves.  It must be at least 10 times for a "good test" and she always does beyond that :)  But its scary because things can change so fast.  I was supposed to have a c-section and then not long after, everything was great.

If you want to pray specifically...pray that....
Lyla's heart rate stays at a normal, steady rate
My blood pressure stays at a normal rate
My platelets stop dropping (I would love for them to increase)
Lyla comes when she is ready; she doesn't have to be forced out due to complications
The echocardiogram shows no abnormalities and her heart looks perfect
My weekly appointments all go well
Lyla and I stay healthy
The doctors who are giving us answers
Erik, mine, and my families piece of mind that God is in Control and everything will be alright

Thank you all, I know there are so many of your praying and we greatly appreciate it.  We know that God has a plan and we are accepting that plan.  Although we still remain faithful and accepting of his plans, it doesn't make the road easy :)  We can't wait to meet our sweet little girl and just want everything to be ok.  This has been a roller coaster ride for sure but the end result will be a little slice of heaven :)

Love you all!

Erik, Abbie, and Gage