Happy Halfway There!

Here we are, the halfway mark 20 weeks! This means that we only have 140 more days until I could deliver, 16 weeks until the cerclage comes out, and I am off bed rest, and 4 weeks until I hit my first mini goal. (Can you tell I have been counting down). In terms of the baby, her skin is becoming covered with a waxy-like substance called vernix which will protect her skin from becoming scratched or chapped. She is also starting to produce meconium, the result of digestion, which will accumulate in her bowels and eventually pass during delivery or in her first diaper :) Adorable. Now in honor of my 20 weeks, we decided to do one and only one belly photo in front of Sloane's chalkboard. When I was pregnant with Sloane I did a monthly photo to show my belly progress, and at 20 weeks was the last photo I took with her so I never erased the chalkboard and wont. I put them side by side so you can see the difference between the sisters :). I also did a fun little update.

Sloane on the left, Baby Girl on the right

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain: 5lbs
Maternity clothes? definitely tops, but being on bed rest I mainly rock yoga pants
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: it depends on the night, some nights I sleep like a rock while other nights all I do is toss and turn. It also will depend on the injections and how my butt is feeling after
Best moment this week: bringing jessica with me today to give her a look into the preggo world :) and her first ultrasound
Miss Anything? Life! ha getting up and just doing whatever I please 
Movement: This little girl has her times messed up because she is moving and kicking right when I am going to bed and will not stop. However I have been feeling her so much everyday, Marty calls her the female version of Bruce Lee haha
Food cravings: still buffalo sauce, and then just randoms. Portillos cheeseburger with cheese fries, gyros, and lime Popsicles
Anything making you queasy or sick: brushing my teeth
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: none and thank jesus!
Symptoms: crazy bloody noses, peeing every 15 minutes, heartburn, some rib pain and round ligament pain from my belly stretching
Belly Button in or out? in however it's stretching horizontally
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: honestly lately moody and if you ask my family they'd say I am always moody however now that its getting close to when I had all those problems with Sloane I am beyond nervous and moody and scared
Looking forward to: hitting my first mini goal of 24 weeks. We can do it!

 

Now on to our appointment with Dr. Khater today. Notice the sonogram photo of our "high maintenance" little girl because that's exactly what she was today during the ultrasound. Face down hands over face giving us everything but a cute little profile picture. One of my very best friends Jessica even came with me to see her first ultrasound and this is what her niece gave her Auntie Jess, nothing! I am even weary about showing you all this photo because of how silly it looks but if you can tell its her spine up top and her head to the right and she is facing down. Not one of her best. However we had an amazing appointment today. Cervix is measuring at 4cm (which at this point with Sloane my cervix was only measuring a 2.5cm) and there is no pressure on the stitch what so ever. For the baby's anatomy scan everything looks wonderful. All four heart chambers, brain looking great, eyes, ears, and nose all developed perfectly! We also decided to get the MaterniT21 test done today. The MaterniT21 PLUS test, is a laboratory-developed test (LDT) that analyzes circulating cell-free DNA extracted from a maternal blood sample. The test detects the relative amount of 21, 18, 13 and Y chromosomal material. So we should get the results back in 2 weeks. No matter what the tests shows nothing will change, our doctors just recommended that we get it done. So next appointment is January 14th with Dr. Font and then January 29th with Dr. Khater. Dr. Khater did say that if I feel the need to come in for an ultrasound at anytime in the next 4 weeks to call and they will squeeze me in. These next 4 weeks are going to be mentally and physically hard on me, I am not going to lie but I will remain as positive as I can for this little one. Keep the prayers coming especially now, for a quiet, stable next 29 days :). I hope everyone has a Happy New Year! 2013 is the year for the Mitchells :)

 

MFM Appointment

Today Marty and I went for our Maternal Fetal Medicine appointment with Dr. Font. We always get to see the little girl however today was a little longer than usual. He checked every bit of her body to make sure she was growing on time, and made sure her heart and brain were developing correctly. In Dr. Font's own words, "She was being "high maintenance" making it harder to see everything." So looks like our little girl is taking after her mama :). Everything looked good! My cervix was still long and closed and baby girl is actually growing about 5 days ahead of schedule. He printed us a few pictures however Marty and I both agreed to not upload those for they weren't her best side ha not really but they weren't very good photos. Very hard to see her, but we will be going to see Dr. Khater on Monday for our 20 week appointment and we should get a ton of new pictures of her! I questioned the braxton hicks I thought I was having and he said that it is a bit early for those and it didn't change my cervix at all, so it could just be from having a full bladder. So I need to make sure I keep drinking over the 64oz of water like I am, and also making sure my bladder isn't too full. I also have a rash on my right butt cheek from the injection from last week. (Sorry but I said from the beginning I'd share everything, the good, the bad, and the embarrassing). It seems as if I got an allergic reaction from the p17 shot and the doctor would like me to skip that cheek and continue on my left cheek until it goes away. It itches like crazy so I have been putting cortisone cream and now starting hot compresses to help the redness and bit of swelling go down. I am 4 injections down and besides the little rash they aren't as bad as I thought. I can handle it :). Oh and I also want to bring you all closer in our journey by introducing you to our doctor. Not only because I love him but because if you've ever see the show Shark Tank, he looks exactly like Mr. Wonderful.



Mr. Wonderful on the left, Dr. Font on the right

 In other baby news Marty felt her kick last night! We were laying in bed reading (well I was stalking on my phone) and I could feel her moving all around so I had Marty come and put his hand on my belly and within seconds she gave him two hard kicks! I love the look on Marty's face after feeling his daughter moving and kicking. I think it makes it all more real that a tiny human is actually in my belly! Not that he didn't already know this but it definitely connects him to his daughter more. She is for sure her daddy's daughter because she cannot stop moving! I love feeling her moving and kicking all over inside my belly. I am beyond in love with her, and she already reminds me of Sloane. They seem to hit the same milestones as one another and I love it. So the next MFM appointment is January 14th. He wanted to go 3 weeks and I made him go 2 1/2, I feel better about that since I'll be 22 weeks then. Oh I also made my Dad come over and work on putting ceiling fans up in our house with Marty, I have a long list for those two to work on before the baby gets here so I am glad they decided to start early :).

Working Hard!

Merry Christmas from the Mitchells!

 

 

 

Showing Mom how to use her new Ipad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lola as Ms. Clause

 

Sloane's 1st Christmas

I cannot believe Christmas is already here! That means I am also 19 weeks today. That means many of the baby's senses are developing as specialized areas in the brain are being designated for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch! I am also able to feel her kick from the outside as well. I have been able to feel her moving around for a couple weeks now but it wasn't until this week that I finally felt her give me a good kick from the outside! I have also been having some Braxton Hicks contractions. Maybe 3 or 4 a day for the past week. Nothing to be too worried about at least I don't think. I have been drinking plenty of water, but it will be something we mention to Dr. Font on Thursday. Besides that, my belly is getting bigger and my appetite is in full force :). I cannot wait for dinner tonight at my parents! I hope that everyone has a great Christmas, and from my family to yours we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Mitchell Christmas Card 2012

 

Baby Girl also was in the Christmas spirit. haha

 

On another note, it's also Sloane's first Christmas! Marty and I were just talking last night about what we thought Sloane was up to in heaven. We could only imagine that she is getting excited with all the other children about Christmas coming tomorrow. I can only hope that those children who had the chance to have Christmas with their families at one time are explaining to her just what it is all about. I know it's not possible but I wish we could be celebrating her 1st Christmas down here on Earth with her, dressing her up, giving her hundreds of gifts that she wouldn't be able to play with now but in the future. I wish we could have taken her to see Santa and laugh at her potentially screaming because she was afraid of him. These are the things I think about during our first Christmas without her. I know she is in good hands in heaven and I hope she knows just how much we miss her during these two days. A friend of mine from group sent this poem to me last week and I haven't read it until now. I want to share it with you and when you read it think of my baby girl up in heaven spending her first Christmas with Jesus and all her friends. Merry Christmas Sloane. We miss you more than you'll ever know.

My First Christmas in Heaven

I see the countless
Christmas trees
around the world below
With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars,
reflecting on the snow
The sight is so spectacular,
please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year. I hear the many Christmas songs
that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can't compare
with the Christmas choir up here. I have no words to tell you,
the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description,
to hear the angels sing. I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away,
We really aren't apart. So be happy for me, dear ones,
You know I hold you dear.
And be glad I'm spending Christmas
with Jesus Christ this year. I sent you each a special gift,
from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory
of my undying love. After all, love is a gift more precious
than pure gold.
was always most important
the stories Jesus told. Please love and keep each other,
my Father said to do.
I can't count the blessing or love
has for each of you. So have a Merry Christmas and
Wipe away that tear
Remember, I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year

Sloane's Christmas tree, with only her ornaments from family and friends.

One month down...5 months to go

Well I have officially completed one month on bed rest. A part of me thinks wow already a month, and then the other part of me thinks ugh just one month, I still have five more to go. However I can't think that way, I have learned to have short goals not long ones. I do miss the everyday "things" I used to be able to do, however I do try and keep myself somewhat busy, maybe not productive but busy ill call it.

Things I miss the most: (Side note, these things will seem materialistic. Most are however don't judge me please).

• Morning Starbucks runs. Just getting in my car and getting Starbucks whenever I want. I still sometimes get lucky and Marty or a friend will surprise me but still just being able to get it whenever. Love my Iced Vanilla Chai Tea :)
• Shopping! I know Marty doesn't mind me not being able to shop, but let me tell you the day we are released from the hospital, the baby and I are going straight to the mall!
• Sorry this is TMI however I miss pooping like a regular person. Haha not only does being pregnant throw your bowels off but so does bed rest. Lets put it this way, I either cant go or I cant stop going, ugh.
• Cooking, and cleaning the way I do it. It is so hard having to watch others do everything for you, and sometimes the way you don't like it. Everyone knows how they like their things and its difficult to just have to sit and watch. But that's what I do because I don't want to be any worse of a patient for Marty and my Mom by complaining on how they do things!
• Seeing Sloane. I had gone everyday since she had passed away and I never missed a day. Then once I had surgery and put on bed rest I haven't been able to go. Especially now I wish I could go and just let her know we are around during her first Christmas. Marty has driven me by and I shout from the car, "Sloane, its mommy remember me!" :)
• Pampering myself. By this I mean everyday things I used to do. My poor husband has to see me EVERYDAY at my worst. No makeup, hair never done and always wearing yoga pants. I only get dressed when I have a doctors appointment and that's every other week. I cannot wait to look and feel pretty again. Which I'll have to learn how to multi-task since it wont be just about me, it will be about my little girl!

Of course I miss way more than that but those are just the things that came to me as I woke up this morning. I cannot wait until May. I cannot wait to hold my daughter in my arms and walk out of the hospital with her. We will not walk out empty handed. I cannot wait to not get any sleep, I cannot wait to change dirty diapers, breastfeed, and smell like baby puke :). I have never wanted all those things more in my life than I do now. So here is to five more months of laying around, injections, doctors appointments and keeping this baby cooking inside of me!

This photo always makes me laugh up so I thought I'd share since we only have 5 days until Christmas!

On, Tuesday, December 18th, we will be having a blogger day of silence. There will be no posts. Only the button that shows you are honoring those lives that were lost, by being silent.

We are also raising money that will go to an organization in the memory of this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services. Here is the official description of the support service we are donating to:

"Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their highest potential. NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING.

Please visit THIS PAGE to make your donation.

Our deepest thoughts and most heartfelt prayers are with you Newtown. We are there in spirit.

Love,

The Blog World

 

Thank you Becca Paro for allowing me to share this :) 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday! So if you have her phone number or see her today make sure to wish her a very Happy Birthday! Every year I say the same thing, and I mean it more and more every year. Especially this past year. Without her I would be lost. I wouldn't have been able to make it through this year without her helping me along the way. I am so glad that Sloane was able to meet her and be held by her grandma. If I am half the mother she is, I know that I have succeeded. So Happy Birthday to the greatest woman I know, and here is to at least 50 more years!



 

 

 

17 Weeks!

Today marks 17 weeks pregnant and the start of my 4th week on bed rest. I cannot believe I have already completed 3 weeks on bed rest. Actually it feels like its been longer but who am I kidding. I get a lot of phone calls and texts asking me, "So what you got going on today/this weekend?" Really? Come on it's the same old everyday, just laying around :). So I thought I would give you a look into my wonderful world of bed rest and just give you an idea of what a week usually looks like.

Monday-Friday: Marty and I will wake up anywhere from 7am-8:30am. (It's usually Marty at 7am and then I am not far behind). Before Marty goes to work he will make me breakfast. Yes I am a horrible eater and I know I need to start eating better, I will. Breakfast can be cereal, glass of orange juice or milk, eggs, toast, waffles and a bottle of water. We mix it up. Marty then leaves for work and I make my way downstairs to the couch where I will spend the whole rest of my day. I am only allowed to use the stairs once. So once going down and once going up. I will then catch up on any shows from the weekend I didn't watch or from the night before. A lot of reality! Lately I have also been online shopping, for Christmas of course! I'll read some magazines, or part of a book that I have started and not finished (I am a terrible book reader), browse the Internet, or take a nap! Marty will stop home for lunch if I don't have any visitors and if he can and make me a quick meal. Lunch consists of grilled cheese, soup, chicken, pizza, left overs the usual. I know I need fruits and vegetables, I am working on it. I'll then do the above activities and wait until Marty comes home from work. We will eat dinner together and watch our shows together and usually make our way upstairs to bed anywhere between 9pm-1030pm. Dinner is whatever my handsome husband makes, pork chops, steak, cheeseburgers, chicken, or meatloaf. He comes up with some good dishes! Sometimes I get lucky and get some company and if that's the case we party! No, but my day then includes gossip and having adult conversations something you miss when your alone a lot of the day. Oh and Wednesdays I always have company, my mother. Lately we have been wrapping presents and she has been doing our laundry :). I know we are so lucky shes close!

I bet that was super exciting to read! I do get out every other week for my doctor's appointments and then one extra day a month when I go see my OB. Other than that I see my bedroom and my living room :).

Today we did have an appointment at my MFM Dr. Font and everything looks great! My cervix looks good and he said there was plenty of fluid around the baby and she was kicking and moving like crazy. He said to keep doing whatever I've been doing, so nothing :). Our next appointment is December 27th when I will almost be 20 weeks, Halfway there! I also received my second 17p shot and this nurse (who was not Debbie) I think thought that my butt was a dart board, because she went straight for my cheek jamming it in! Hurt like hell so I am now laying down on my other side since its burning. But I'll do anything for this little girl! Marty also let me go see Sloane. I haven't seen her in a couple weeks so it was nice to go talk to her and give her a kiss, something I used to be able to do everyday. She is all decked out for Christmas that's for sure! She has her tree all decorated, and her little snowman from Grandma, and you can see she is all warm with her winter blanket.

Visitors for me & Sloane :)

Today was quite the busy day for me and Sloane! First I had an early morning visit from one of my best friends Taryn and her daughter Dolly. They came bearing gifts for me, the baby, and for Sloane! We were able to have a nice little visit which also included Dolly dancing around and shaking her tooshy for us :). They also were able to go see Sloane and as soon as Dolly got out of the car she ran straight for Sloane's grave. Taryn was able to capture some adorable pictures.

 

Marty and I also ordered a Christmas blanket for Sloane and it came in today. My dad was able to pick it up for us and brought it straight over to Sloane to keep her nice and warm this winter :).

 

 



I am also ending this blog with the cutest gift Taryn bought for me. A while back she was shopping and saw this doll in the toy aisle. As she looked closer she noticed that what she thought it said was true. I present to you Sloane as Lollipop Swirl :)

 

I am missing Sloane a lot especially now during the holidays, but just being able to decorate her grave and having all these things to remember her this Christmas I am able to smile a little knowing she is not only SO loved by her daddy and I, but also all those around us. I hope you're having a great 25 days of Christmas up there Sloaney! xoxo

Shots, Doctor Appointment, and VIDEO!

I started my long awaited P17 injections yesterday. We knew this was going to be apart of this pregnancy even before we were pregnant. P17 or hydroxyprogesterone caproate is a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone. The thought behind getting these weekly injections is that they should prevent pre-term labor and calm the cervix. They are sent to my house monthly in pre-filled syringes, as shown below.

My amazing nurse (Debbie Mazzoni) came to my house and gave me my first injection :). Id like to say that everything I googled and heard about these shots were true, however piece of cake. Not bad at all. It is injected into my upper butt area and really didn't hurt like I had heard or thought it would. Now, that could be because I have a large butt haha however it burned for a minute and today I am just a little sore. So lets hope its like that every Monday!

We also had a doctor's appointment this morning at my regular OB Dr. Khater. We also had another ultrasound so we could take another peek at our little princess. She was in probably one of the most awkward positions we have seen, upside down head down. Shes still a girl :) and is growing right on track!

Now a video from our ultrasound last week. I mentioned it before about having trouble saving it, still having trouble so I just taped it from my computer so excuse the quality and please excuse Lola barking right at the end. It was difficult keeping her quiet for a full 10 minutes, what was I thinking!

Click and Enjoy :)
http://youtu.be/Id2I8T-lg0A

25 Days of Christmas

Being on bed rest during the holidays is actually really good, time wise. The holidays make bed rest go pretty quickly. I cannot believe it is already December 1st. That means a few things, I for sure need to get my online shopping completed, decorating at the Mitchell household is in full effect, and ABC family channel starts the 25 days of Christmas movies! Home Alone, Elf, A Christmas Story, doesn't get much better than that. Especially when you watch TV most of your life. I also have found a few hobbies that I can create while sitting of course. Thanks to Pinterest I found a cute way to make a holiday monogram letter for our front door. I wanted something different instead of the usual wreath.



http://pinterest.com/pin/110830840799502411/

I could have done a better job with gluing the cranberries however after 4 hours of multi-tasking trying to position them correctly on the M and watching General Hospital posed quite the problem :). Also I blame the photo, it looks a lot better than that. Another hobby I can do is wrap gifts! So my mom has been hauling over the Christmas goodies for me to wrap. So far so good. Other than that I can't do much decorating, I have had to leave that up to Mr. Griswold Mitchell :) and he has done a really great job.

 

 

Front Porch lights

 



Our mantel is my favorite. Last year I searched high and low looking for that reindeer on the left from Pier One. I couldn't find it to save my life so I gave up, until this year's Christmas commercials aired and it was back! I begged Marty to go pick it up for us and he did! It holds all the Christmas cards I cant wait to start receiving, so send them on over!

 

Handmade wreath by Marty :)

 

I almost forgot. In my creative work mode I came up with a centerpiece for our dining room with the extra cranberries and burlap. Not bad for something that took 5 minutes.

 

 

 



Sugar and spice and everything nice...

That's what little girls are made of. Baby Mitchell #2 is a GIRL! Apparently nobody wants to spend a whole day with me since only 5 of you commented :(. I'm fun I promise haha. So another little girl for our family! Of course it didn't matter to us boy or girl but we are both extremely excited for PINK. I have some of the ultrasound pictures that were taken and also a video. However since I am still new at this I am still trying to figure out how to upload the video for you all! So for now enjoy a few ultrasound pictures including some 3D ones of our little girl :).

 

 

Wasn't too shy showing us her hoo-ha :)

Covering her face, she was kind of shy

Waving to her mommy and daddy

As adorable as we all know she will be, the 3D photos are a bit alien looking right now since it's so early. She still needs time to get cuter :). She does look so much like Sloane though, we compared Sloane's 3D pictures and regular ultrasound pictures and it looks very similar. Sloane wanted us to be able to give all her bows and outfits to her younger sibling and she just knew daddy wouldn't allow them on a baby brother :) so I know she had a little something to do with bringing her baby sister into our lives!

 

Baby Mitchell #2 Is...

Our first doctors appointment after the cerclage was this morning, and things looked pretty good. Dr. Font said that my cervix was shorter than what the ultrasounds had been showing earlier. Not the best news but he said they were still able to do the cerclage successfully and stitch up what was left of my cervix. So bed rest it is. Staying off my feet as much as possible. Baby looked great. Strong heartbeat and measuring right on target if not ahead by a couple days. He however didn't take a look between its legs, but Marty and I were sneaky enough to schedule an appointment at Peek-a-Belly in Lockport a few weeks ago just so we could find out for sure. We went to Peek-a-Belly at 15 weeks to find out with Sloane so being right at 15 weeks again we figured lets go again! The baby was moving like crazy! Trying to flip over, kicking its legs, looking like it was having a ton of fun in there! He/She kept covering its face but once I moved over to my side, he/she put its hands down and started to wave :). We have plenty of pictures that I want to share with you all however you are just going to have to wait. I want to see what everyone thinks this baby could be, boy or girl. So after this post you have a place where you can comment. I want you to guess what you think Baby Mitchell #2 is and also give us a good name :). So if you think it's a boy give us a boy name you would like, if you think it's a girl give us a girl name you like. All of you that guess correctly win a day with me on bed rest!! Yup that's right you get to hang out with me for the day so guess wisely! Ill post a schedule for the winners so I don't get visitors at the same time :). So guess away! I'll leave you with one picture, and I'll also post Sloane at exactly the same gestation so you can see just how much they resemble each other. Good Luck :).




Sloane at 15 weeks

Baby Mitchell #2

Bed Rest Thankfulness

The Start of bed rest has begun, and it couldn't have come at a better time...The Holidays. I say that half sarcastically and half serious. These holidays are obviously a bit different for me with Sloane not being here like she should. They are all apart of my journey, my firsts. My first Thanksgiving without her, and then Christmas. However, I "celebrated" with her brother/sister in my belly and ate as much as I could for the two of us :). Thanksgiving is also a bit different for my family this year because 1. Marty is in Georgia celebrating with The Mitchells and 2. My parents are stuck with not only me living in their house for 5 days but also Lola and Lucy.  Oh and Zeke! It is a full house, and as I mentioned before, the four of us haven't been under the same roof for more than a day let alone five days since I was probably in High School. We are going on day 3 and all of us are still alive. So far so good :). Since I had decided that I didn't want to do anything for Thanksgiving and really couldn't do anything the highlight of the day was when my brother brought over my favorite dishes from their Thanksgiving celebration at my Aunt's house. Pasta, Aunt Nancy's Salad, and my favorite of all time Garlic Lemon Broccoli. The only way ill even think about touching broccoli. Most of it was gone by the time Zeke had dropped it off, let the dogs out, feed them and then made his way back to celebrate. Delicious! The actual whole point of this post was to be thankful, and as much as I have so much to be thankful for I am glad the holiday is over and its just another normal day. However without further ado a few of the things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving...

I must mention this is the first picture Marty and I took together xoxo

Now before I hear how come you're not thankful for me or you forgot...I must mention that I am thankful for EVERYONE who has supported Marty and I through everything this year and I couldn't possibly fit or find pictures of all your beautiful faces. Also keep in mind it was easier for me to be thankful for those who are taking care of me this week while Marty is away and if I wasn't thankful for them I'd for sure be in trouble :). So of course I am thankful for Lola and sometimes Lucy. I am especially thankful for my parents this week for taking care of me waiting on me hand and foot and giving Marty a break (even though Marty only had 2 days of bed rest with me). I am thankful for my friends who have called, texted, sent goodies, and visited. My two great friends, Lisa and Matt came to visit me Friday and I honestly can say that I haven't laughed as hard or as much as I did for those 4 hours in a really long time. I am also thankful for my brother Zeke. Even though he picks on me as if he is my big brother, he did give up his bed in my parent's house so that I could be comfortable. Something completely random, lemons. I am thankful for those too this year. Yes I eat them, yes I know they take the enamel off my teeth however they help with this nausea that this baby of mine has been giving me. Next, I thank god everyday for being pregnant again. I am thankful that I am in fact fertile mertile and have been given the chance to bring another child into this world. With that said I am obviously thankful for my husband! I can't do this without him. We just celebrated our first wedding anniversary and I think I heard the first year is the toughest? I might be wrong however we faced the worst year of our lives unfortunately during our first year of marriage. But in that worst year we created a miracle, Sloane Elise Mitchell, and although she didn't spend nearly enough time here on earth with us I am thankful for carrying her in my tummy for 24 weeks feeling her move and kick. I am thankful for those 2 hours we were able to spend with her. I am thankful for the memories I will cherish for a lifetime. So, that's my bed rest thankfulness, which also includes a long list of silly items like nail polish, my phone ha, pay pal (because that allows me to just purchase things online without having to get up because my husband's credit card information is already listed) :) and all my extended family, in-laws, and friends. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! 

Closing Time

Well, I didn't get a lot of sleep (I figured that) and for some reason when the alarm went off at 3:45am I woke up chipper. Odd. Especially with how nervous I was, and I am not a big morning person: SHOCKER! So I did what everyone would do before prepping for a surgery, I straightened my hair and applied my makeup :). Marty took one look at me and his face said it all, are you nuts!? Regardless, I felt better getting "done up" for all the nurses, and doctors who were about to get real personal with my bottom half. Always on time Marty, we were early checking in at 4:40am. I was nervous at first dreading being in the same room that I was in with Sloane, thankfully we were not. They had my room all set up for me already in Labor & Delivery so we were all checked in by 5:30am. Then the dreadful waiting happened.



Love the gowns

Dr. Font arrived fashionably 15 minutes late. So to say the least, those 2 hours that we waited to go into surgery were the worst. Finally my nurse came to take me into the OR to get my spinal started. Walking down the hall towards the OR I felt like I was leaving for school with my husband and mother waving at me until they couldn't see me anymore. Probably one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time. I was all anxious for the spinal and to be honest, not bad at all. Just like a shot only in your spine :/. The procedure itself, the actual stitching took maybe 15 minutes. I didn't feel a thing! I actually didn't even know that Dr. Font had started to work "down there" until my anesthesiologist asked how I was doing since he started 5 minutes ago. Unfortunately Dr. Font wasn't too happy with the length of my cervix. He said it was a lot shorter than it had been. However we were still able to place the cerclage so it was a success! We do meet with him next Monday and he said he would be able to go over everything with us then. My blood pressure did spike once my legs were brought down from being up in the air so I was given medicine for that, which caused instant nausea, so he gave me something for that. I had to wait in recovery for an hour with some woman who had just had a ceaseran section. She was a little out of it though :). From there I was able to be with Marty and my mom and just wait until my spinal wore off. Unfortunately it took longer than we thought.

 

 

As you can see, it was a lot longer than Marty thought as well. Poor guy couldn't get comfortable. I mean I wouldn't have been able to in those chairs after 10 hours of waiting. I wasn't able to feel any type of pain obviously until the spinal finally wore off. I was finally able to feel my entire body which was extremely sore from my lower stomach down and was able to use the restroom on my own so we were discharged!

 

 

Guess what's back now that I am on strict bed rest...

 

 

MY TRAY!!

 

 



 For those of you that dont know, my smart husband came up with the idea of using the tray back when I was on bed rest with Sloane so it was easier for him to wait on me hand and foot :). So I have just been resting ever since we got home. My lovely friend Jessica stopped over and brought me a bed rest basket full of all my favs and visited with me for a while, and Marty got in care taker mode already and made me dinner :). P.S. I have only had a little spotting, just a lot of cramping which should subside in the next few days. Next up, family weekend! My mom, dad, Zeke, and I all under the same roof for 5 days! Hasn't happened since I was a senior in High School :). 

 

 

Lemons, flavored H2O, nail polish, Taco Bell, Magazines, and a candle!

My last weekend as a free woman...

 

Let me just start off by saying I planned to do a lot of things this weekend. Most of which I did not even attempt to start. However we did have a fun jam packed weekend that I enjoyed immensely. Friday was what we are pretty sure was my last time teaching until after the baby. Not only was it by far one of the best classes I have had since I started, but I also took that little gem of a note you see above from two students during a quiz. Keep in mind these are 7th graders. In math class, taking a quiz on decimals, fractions, and sequencing. All things I didn't get back then and still didn't get as I was supposed to be "teaching" them :). At first I opened the folded note in front of them making sure it wasn't a cheat sheet, and as I read the first sentence I almost lost it in front of them but knew I just couldn't embarrass them anymore than the two of them probably already were just from me reading it. So of course I waited until after class. There was no way I was giving this back because A. It was wrong they shouldn't have been passing notes, and B. I was too nosey not to find out what this guy's answer was going to be. Apparently its just that simple, kiss me and you'll understand. I hope she decided not to kiss him already. I mean if this baby is a girl, my daughter better not be kissing in 7th grade. I know I wasn't kissing yet, I just wish I could say the same for good old Marty.

Marty and I had mentioned to Mason (the little boy I nannied) that we would have him over for a sleep over. So why not make it during my last hoorah! Side note: I say this was my last weekend as a free woman, and my last hoorah sarcastically. I cannot wait for this little baby to make his/her entrance into this world, and put his/her life in front of mine. However until that happens, the next 20+ weeks on bed rest probably are not going to be so much fun. So back to Mason :). We ended up taking him to see Madagascar at the movie theater, getting him popcorn, fruit snacks, and a drink. You know the "must haves" when going to see a movie. After the movie, we decided to go for some pizza. I ended up taking the most adorable picture of Mr. Marty (as Mason calls him) and Mason.

I love these two :)

The cuteness didn't stop there. The last time we had Mason over he slept with Marty and I in our bed, and we really didn't realize sleeping with a two year old was that big of a mistake. He kicked, he moved, he practically slept on top of us. All of which I may not mind if I wasn't trying to sleep myself. So Marty and Mason made a "fort bed" on the floor next to our bed. Where I obviously slept because I was not going to sleep on the floor :).  

 

 

Mason is looking at me in the second one like, 'Really Ash, I wanna sleep in the bed!" He had a blast sleeping with Mr. Marty though. He waited for Marty to make a move in the morning before asking him to go downstairs. They were really cute together. Marty is already an amazing dad, but seeing him with Mason I can't wait to see him like that with one of our own.

 

Without Sloane during the holidays, I decided I just wasn't really in the mood to really go crazy and decorate this year. Instead I came up with a great idea! Since I couldn't really help put up our big tree and decorate and then help take it down (which I never really did anyway) I thought about getting a smaller tree just for Sloane and all of her ornaments. We had already gotten a few and I am of course hoping for a bit more ;) having her own little tree was genius! So we went out and picked a perfect 4.5 inch pre-lit Christmas tree with baby pine cones. Its perfect and I know Sloane is checking out her ornaments that are already on the tree.

 

Miss Sloane's Christmas tree

 

So, I still haven't done the laundry, or cleaned a little and I am still not ready for Monday morning. I will get the laundry done tomorrow. I can feel it. The cleaning not so much, and will I ever be ready for Monday? I don't think so, I just hope all goes well and that my angel is looking down on me and her little brother/sister as we take the next step in our journey. Wish us luck!

Surprise!

Yes its true, Marty and I were given another miracle on Sloane's due date. On September 11th we found out we were expecting, and due May 20, 2013. Just two days before Sloane's birthday. It was definitely a bittersweet day for us, and we knew it was a gift from our little girl in heaven. Now fast forward 10 weeks :) I am currently 13 weeks pregnant, and so far so great! Our doctors have been absolutely WONDERFUL! Right at 6 weeks we went into Dr. Khater's office (OB GYN) to see exactly how far along I was. It was no surprise we were right on target and even got to see the little one's heartbeat :)



Our little meatball

At 8 weeks we met with our MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) doctor Dr. Font. We received another ultrasound and saw that our tiny meatball of a baby had turned into a tiny gummy bear :)

 

Meatball turned Gummy Bear!

At this appointment, Marty, Dr. Font and I all agreed that placing a cerclage (the placement of a nonabsorbable suture around a functionally incompetent uterine cervix) would be the best for our situation. At 8 weeks there really isnt any precautionary measures to take so from then until 12 weeks I saw Dr. Khater every other week and continued taking my progesterone cream (I took this with Sloane too from weeks 4-12). Last week I received another ultrasound at 12 weeks and we were able to see just how big our little baby was getting! Cervix looked good as well at this appointment. We are always looking at my cervix to make sure its at least 3cm. Just about every appointment my cervix has been anywhere from 3cm to 5cm. Which is fantastic. The longer the better. It gives Dr. Font more to work with when he places the cerclage. During this ultrasound we did ask the technician to take a peek and see if we could see anything between the baby's legs. After 5 minutes of searching and looking she was able to give us her educated guess :) However we will know for sure in the upcoming weeks!



Big Hand!

Our Baby's Profile

 

Finally we are up to date! This past Monday, Marty and I visited Dr. Font and once again got to see the baby with an ultrasound (we have been so spoiled by getting an ultrasound almost every week!) We then were able to schedule the surgery. So Monday November 19th at 645am I will be getting my cerclage placed by Dr. Font. Of course Marty and my mom will be taking me. From what we know, we can expect to get a spinal and the procedure itself will only take 15 minutes. I will then be monitored for the rest of that morning early afternoon until the spinal wears off and everything looks good. I will experience some potential bleeding or spoting and mild cramping which all should go away by the end of the week. On Monday my cervix was 5cm and the baby was kicking and swinging its hands all over the place!

Baby Mitchell #2

Now that we have caught you all up to speed I welcome you to our blog. As long as I am on bed rest and new updates come up I'll be sharing them with all of you. This is going to be a long but successful journey as we plan to meet Baby Mitchell at the end of May. He/She has one of the best angels looking after him/her and without a doubt I know Sloane is watching over us as well. g