Update!

Well on January 3, Weston will be 5 months old!  It seems like time has just flown by.  Our poor baby is currently sick with a horrible cough.  In fact, he's been sick for like a month and a half so far.  The doctors won't give him anything to help though, because he's "too little."  They mean age of course, because he weighs over 16 pounds now!

It seems like every bit of "spare" time we have is taken with our little boy.  Our DVR is so full, and I have a stack of books begging to be read.  But, our time with Weston is so precious.

Weston is almost rolling over--he tries so very hard.  He's eating rice cereal, oatmeal, apples, and sweet potatoes.  He sits in his high chair like a big boy now and can hold his own bottle when he wants to.  He usually sleeps 4 hours at night before a feeding, then three more after that.  Last night he slept almost seven and a half!  We hope that becomes the trend where his sleeping is concerned!

Here are some pictures to get you caught up!

   

He's Here!

Weston Lane Dreher was born on August 3, 2010 at 6:28 p.m. after only 8 hours of labor.  He weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and measured in at 20 1/4 inches long.  Here is a picture of him at less than an hour old:

Not too long now...

Well a lot has happened since I last posted.  I had to visit the surgeon again, who said that he feels surgery is too risky still but again, as soon as I deliver, he can do gallbladder surgery when Sloan, my OB, releases me for it.  I knew this, and didn't want surgery but my OB wanted me to see him again because the pain has gotten worse.  Now I'm pretty much in pain constantly and can't do anything really that requires me to be up on my feet for longer than like 5 minutes.  This means no shopping, not much housework, cooking dinner is a problem, etc., etc.

So, my doctor told me to limit activity and put me on "modified bedrest" which isn't really bedrest at all...just that I should limit activity that makes me hurt because hurting could make preterm labor happen.  Also, I've been swelling pretty bad for about a week now, something I've not really had much of until now, and contractions to go with.

I saw my doctor Monday.  She checked me and said...surprise-----I'm already dialated to a 2!  She did the Group B Strep test also and we've yet to get those results.  Since I'm at a 2, she told me she wouldn't be surprised if I went into labor before the Amniocentesis we have scheduled for August 2 and that I had better have my bags packed and ready just in case!  Wow!  So, bags are now packed--mine AND Jarred's and we finally have the carseat installed..although we're not quite sure it's done right. 

I mentioned an amnio--basically they're going to use a sonogram to see how Weston is positioned, and use a really long needle that goes in my belly to pull out some amniotic fluid.  That fluid will tell them at 36weeks and 6 days if his lungs are mature enough for delivery...then we go from there!

Will try to keep you updated, but I've not been great about that yet, and it probably won't get better.  ;)  If you're a a facebook friend, that's where you'll get the best updates. 

-Melissa

Update

Weren't those 3D pics awesome?!  I keep looking at them and wishing I could actually look at Weston.  Of course I know as soon as he is here, the real hard work begins.

I've been watching A LOT of pregnancy shows on tv lately.  Baby Story, Deliver Me Home Edition, Birth Day, Make Room for Multiples, etc.  It is fun to see the new babies and imagine what it'll be like once Weston arrives, but it sure makes me nervous about delivery!  As of now, my induction date if I don't go into labor on my own, is August 24--my actual due date.  However, I'm thinking of moving it up by at least a week if the doctor will still let me.  If I go into labor on my own, there's only three days of the week the doctors in my office are "on call" which means if it's not on one of their days, they won't deliver Weston...a doctor I've never met will.  This makes me wonder about all this "pre-payment" stuff....if a doctor from another office delivers Weston--I won't have to pay them will I?  Will Craig Ranch pay them for me since I already paid them?  Anyway...the only way to even guarantee I get MY particular doc; Dr. Heather Sloan, is if I induce. 

We'll see what happens I guess.  As Granny would tell me--I'm worrying about things I shouldn't worry about yet. ;)

Oh-Jarred's work is throwing us a shower on Thursday and I think we're both getting really excited and are super grateful!

Weston in 3D!

Well we had the 3D/4D sonogram today. It was really neat to see him moving and all. He kept his hand up near his face and even got caught sucking on his fingers and thumb. He yawned and smiled and got stubborn too. He was too cute. We think at this point he's got Jarred's nose, lips, our cheeks, and my toes. ;) Here are a few pics!

Diaper Cake

Here's a cute pic of the Razorbacks Diaper Cake that our friend Brandy made for Weston.  It's adorable!  I'll put up more pics later hopefully!

Saw the Surgeon...

I had my appointment last week with the general surgeon about my gallbladder.  According to him, my gallbladder is probably just shutting down and deciding not to work since the sonogram of it showed nothing wrong.  He says since I had issues with it before pregnancy, the pregnancy itself is probably what caused the extra strain and caused it to want to just quit working.  He says he will operate and remove it AFTER baby Weston is here. 

That seems like a no brainer, right?  You're probably asking "why surgery in the first place?"  Right?  Well as my surgeon explained, the OB is right about gallbladder attacks causing preterm labor.  BUT...the attacks that cause preterm labor stem from gallSTONE attacks, and because I have no gallstones...I should be good to go.  I will still be in pain, and because it is simply shutting down and working when it wants to--there's not really a good way to predict when an attack will occur or prevent one either.  It may happen with a food once and never again, or vice versa.  So...I just have to hope and pray it doesn't give me too much grief.

So anyway, as soon as Weston is born and I am comfortable with going in for surgery, I will call him and schedule it.  As of now I figure a few weeks after he is born as long as I've not had a c-section.  If I have a c-section, hopefully we can put it off until Thanksgiving or Christmas.  We'll see....

I'll update the blog sometime this week about the wonderful baby shower we were given this weekend in Murfreesboro. 

-M

Doctor's Appointment, Sonograms, and Showers!

Well, I saw my OB last week.  She is concerned, as am I, about my "gallbladder" problems.  I had them before I got pregnant and they've occurred again since being pregnant.  Before pregnancy I had a HIDA scan done which revealed absolutely nothing--no blockage, no stones, a healthy gallbladder.  But, the pain I describe, according to my primary care physician, is gallbladder related for sure. 

Well, Dr. Sloan got concerned when I told her about it last week because she said it's quite possible that a severe gallbladder attack could cause preterm labor.  So...she set me up with a sonogram of my gallbladder and an appointment with a general surgeon.  She said that "nobody likes to operate on a pregnant woman, but if they're going to...the sooner the better."  Well...I got the sonogram done and the tech said that she saw a healthy gallbladder, no stones, no blockage, and the walls weren't thickened either.  So...although it seems as though the issue is my gallbladder...I will have to wait until Thursday when I see the surgeon to know what the next step is since the sonogram showed everything as normal.

Also, Weston is "measuring big."  Now what she really means by that is that my stomach is measuring big--I don't see how she can really know how big he is.  So, I have a sonogram on the 4th to measure him.  They don't think anything is wrong--just want to be prepared for a big baby and be ready to schedule an induction date so I can still try to deliver vaginally instead of going straight for a c-section due to a large baby.  My gestational diabetes test came back negative, so I don't have that...that's a good thing, but it would definitely have explained Weston's size (if he is, in fact, measuring big).  The nurse said some people just have large babies..no big deal.  So...we're going to pray he's not that big after all or that if he is, it's a "just because" thing.  The best part is just getting another sonogram to see our son.  Two weeks after that we are scheduled for the 3D/4D which will be amazing, I'm sure!

Also, I had my first shower and it was WONDERFUL!  The ladies I work with are amazing and I am truly blessed to have had them for four years.  I'm so going to miss them next year!  Weston received books, toys, diapers, pacifiers, adorable clothes, bath stuff, lotions, the mobile and bedding for his room and much more!  And I must say, the cake and strawberries were DELICIOUS! :)  This weekend we travel up to Arkansas for the second shower which is being thrown by the ladies at Jarred's church there.  I can't wait!

A couple pics!

Well, here are a couple more pics of Weston's room, it's still a work-in-progress.  You'll have to excuse the lighting on the recliner picture, it's a bit dark.

I'll update later this week on the other happenings like the wonderful shower my friends at school gave me, my doctors appointments, the upcoming Murfreesboro shower, etc.

Contractions...already?

Well it's been an eventful week and not necessarily all in a good way.  Let me give you some background first.  At my last healthy pregnancy appointment with Dr. Sloan, I found out that the weird tightening and aching in my lower stomach was actually the dreaded Braxton Hicks contractions I'd heard so much about.  They told me that if it was ever painful, I should notify them.  They also said I needed to increase my water intake and change positions any time the Braxton Hicks returned.  Dr. Sloan also reccommended I get a pregnancy support belt for days when I would be super busy or on my feet a lot.  So I did all that and the contractions lessened a bit for a couple weeks. 

Then Thursday happened.  At around 11:15 my whole stomach got really tight and my lower back began to ache and stomach began to hurt pretty badly all over, not just in one area like all the previous BH contractions.  I was worried...this was unlike anything I had experienced so far.  I thought it would go away and I would just count it as one of those things...but it didn't...not for about 30 minutes.  Then at the urging of my wonderful friends, I called the doctor's office and luckily got put right through to Carolyn, my OB nurse.

Carolyn told me to "drink a glass of water, empty bladder, lay on your left side for an hour."  If they didn't stop, even if they were just less painful or less tight...if they didn't STOP, I was to head on over to the hospital and get monitored at Labor & Delivery.  So, I notified the office that I needed to go home and lay down, let them know what was going on and then did all that Carolyn told me to....while worrying about having to go the McKinney hospital.  You see, I'm not a fan of McKinney Medical Center--but the doctor's office "likes you to go there when in preterm labor or potential preterm labor." Ugh...

So...after getting ahold of my husband, he came home, we waited while I rested for an hour on my left side.  The pain went away, but the tightening was still happening, so off to L&D we went.  I got a wonderful nurse at the McKinney hospital and if something causes me to have to go back, I'm going to hope and pray I have her again.  They got both the baby and I hooked up to monitors--one was to keep an eye on his heart rate and the other to monitor my contractions.

They did a test to see if I was at an increased risk of preterm labor in the next two weeks.  We had to wait a while for those results.  They also checked my blood pressure---surprisingly it was really good (been high at the dr. lately), and checked my cervix.  It was closed tight...a good thing...but I am now 50% effaced.  This was caused by the contractions the monitor noticed were truly happening.  So, they hooked me up to an IV and pumped a bunch of fluids in me to get me good and hydrated.  The contractions stopped on their own after about two hours of being in the hospital.  This was good, obviously, but even better because if they'd had to stop them...I'd have been in the hospital overnight and on bedrest which would've meant missing work.

Once the test came back negative for preterm labor, I was released!  Had the test come back negative they'd have kept me in the hospital and bedrest for a couple weeks would've been ordered too.  So, praise the Lord, we're now both okay.  Weston's heart rate was strong and steady and he was very active in the hospital and has been since.  So, now I just stay super hydrated and I see my doctor for a checkup on Thursday.  I'll post an update then!

Recliner & Cute Outfits

Here's the picture of the recliner we bought for Weston's room.

Then here are some of the cutest little outfits we've gotten for Weston so far.  We have more, but I figured posting four was enough for now ;)

Time for Some Pictures!

Here are some pics of Weston's room.  His crib, dresser, and chest are just beautiful.  We've also gotten one of the light switch plates installed.  It matches his room decor!

Here are some "belly bump" pictures.  The first is at around 22 weeks and the second is around 24, not much of a change in two weeks time but the bump is definitely obvious!

Furniture, showers, clothes, & pictures.

Well, we couldn't find a rocker and ottoman in a wood and fabric that matched Weston's furniture...well, that's not true.  We could, IF we were willing to spend almost $800.  No way was that going to happen.  So, mom suggested we go to furniture stores and start looking for a smaller rocker-recliner.  We found a couple we liked and picked one that was on sale and it has finally been delivered.  It was the same price as our original rocker and ottoman but it's way more comfortable and can be moved to the living room in the future and it will look like real furniture, not something originally purchased for a baby room that had to be moved. :)

Getting excited about the showers...the first will be May 17 and is being thrown by my friends at school.  Then we go to Murfreesboro for the one the church ladies are throwing Memorial Day weekend.  We still need to come up with a date for the one mom and granny are throwing...

We bought some really cute outfits for Weston.  Both look waaaay too big for a newborn but both are supposedly newborn sized.  I'll try to remember to come back later and put pics up.  It's really important to us that he not come home in just a onesie.  We want him to look super cute :)

Oh also, the latest thing I'm super excited about; http://www.kmdigitalimages.com/.  Kay McIntire will be doing pictures of our sweet baby.  She's amazing and well priced.  Weston will be photographed the first time by her before he is 2 weeks old, and then again at 3,6,9, and 12 months.  Can't wait!!

Will update more later!
-M

Painting & Furniture

Well, this past weekend we were busy!  On Saturday, Mom, Dad, and Granny came over to the house.  We got Weston's room painted, well...the one wall we're painting that is.  We changed out the generic fan pulls with baseball and football pulls.  We also picked up the furniture from Babies 'R Us and assembled the crib.  After they all left, Jarred also installed one of the adorable switchplates.  I swear I've been in there ten times since we first turned off the light to leave the room.  It's so cute and we don't even have the stuff up on the walls or in the crib yet.  If this whole baby thing wasn't real yet..it sure is now!

I'll try to put up some pics of the furniture soon..it's very nice looking...it seems like we made a good choice.  :) 

Tomorrow I'll be 22 weeks pregnant!  Sometimes it still seems so unreal.  But then Weston will get the hiccups or start doing somersaults and bam...it's real!  The nausea from the first semester seems to have returned but I'm hoping it doesn't last long.  Both the anti-nausea meds the doctor gave me have awful side effects, so I'm trying not to use them unless I absolutely have to.

Well, I'll try to update again soon or have Jarred do another one.  Have a great week all!

-Melissa

It's a boy!

Well we finally know our baby is not only healthy, but is a boy.  His name will be Weston Lane Dreher and we couldn't be happier!  We've already begun buying cute little outfits, even though we have been told by everyone not to...how could we resist?  One of them says "When God created me, he was just showing off."  Now you tell me how a pregnant woman passes that one up.  Hehe.

We have registered at Babies R Us, Target, and Walmart.  The bedding is adorable and though I'm not a huge sports fan..it's cute as can be. 

I hope to schedule a 3D/4D sonogram later today for sometime mid-June...so excited about that.  Seems to me that pregnancy is all about waiting and counting down to the next big thing.  It was counting down to the first appointment, then the first heartbeat, then the first sonogram, then the gender sonogram, now the 3D....then the birth! 

Boy or Girl?

This is my first post on the blog and I would like to just touch on the subject of the sex of the baby. If I knew what we were having, I would be glad to post at this time, but I absolutely have no clue. As you have read below, we find out on March 31, and this is driving Melissa and I crazy. She has this "gut feeling" that it's a boy. I have the feeling it's a girl.

I know we are both getting anxious about finding about the sex of the baby and we forget about the health of the baby. We hope and pray that this baby (girl or boy) will be healthy. This is the most important thing at the moment. At the end of the day, I would just love to have a healthy baby. This is truly a gift from God and it has been amazing thus far. We can't wait to see what else God has in store for us.

J

Update!

Well today is the first day of the second trimester, yay!  I'm 14 weeks pregnant.  Yesterday I had my appointment with Dr. Khan, my cardiac electrophysiologist....I usually just refer to her as my cardiologist.  LOL.  She was amazing as usual. 

The EKG was normal and she did not hear anything odd when she listened.  Blood pressure was normal.  She said I should expect the arrythmias to be worse while pregnany because 1. my body is making more blood than usual and 2. my body is making more adrenaline than usual.  She said that as the weather changes and it gets hot is when my arrythmias will increase and I will have issues.  She suggested I increase my potassium and always have gatorade or something along those lines with me when it begins to get hotter.  She said I shouldn't go outside in the summer, beginning in May, any more than I have to.  She said I can't go grocery shopping starting in May alone...that I need to always have someone with me due to the possibility that walking from the car to the store or vice versa could be too much for my heart.  A pregnant woman passing out and her grocery cart flying into someone else's car would NOT be a good thing. 

If my arrythmias "scare" me, because they're normal to me now, then I'm to call and make another appointment.  Otherwise, I have an appointment the first Monday in August.  If the EKG is normal then...good.  If not, we discuss an induction to help my heart go back to normal quicker.

I see Dr. Sloan Monday and then we also schedule the next few appointments including the next ultrasound which is where we find out if we're buying stuff in BLUE or PINK!  We can't wait!  Well, until we have more to post...have a wonderful week!

-M

New doctor, new sonogram!

After a rough experience with my old OB-Gyn office, Jarred and I agreed to go back to Craig Ranch and we're so glad we did!  My doctor is now Dr. Heather Sloan and I love her!  Even Carolyn, the OB nurse was amazing.  I'm very happy.  And to top it off, instead of having to schedule sonograms on separate days we get them the same time we schedule doctor appointments here. 

Went to the doctor appointment yesterday and were surprised to find out we would get to see the baby on a sonogram!  The baby was moving like crazy!  Dr. Sloan also told us she was pretty darn sure she could tell what it was, boy or girl.  But, since I'm only 11 weeks and they don't do the official anatomy scan until 20 weeks, we're waiting to tell the world...just in case.

Anyway, here are two of the latest shots of our little one :)

Wake Up Call...

So after laying around in bed this morning trying to convince myself that I should stay home because I was super tired, and failing miserably--I rushed around to get ready in time.  I tried to leave at 7:30 but remembered as I was pulling out of the driveway that I was not wearing my watch or rings.  So, I pulled back in and ran into the house to retrieve them.  I run back out to the car and bam--LOCKED OUT of the running car.  Or, so I thought.  I panicked momentarily.  The only two ways I have to call people are the OnStar which is inside said vehicle, and iPhone which was also inside my purse which was inside the vehicle.  Ugh.  Was I really going to have to ask to use the neighbor's phone?  Please, say it isn't my only option!

It was until I realized that any rational person would check all doors to the car to be absolutely sure they were all locked that I realized there might be hope.  Oh thank goodness...the passenger door was unlocked.  I, for the life of me, cannot figure out how the driver's side door and back doors got locked but the passenger door stayed unlocked.  I was thankful to get back in my car and on my way. 

However, it was a big wake up call.  What if my CHILD was sitting in his/her carseat in the back of the car and all doors were locked?  How awful!  This prompted me to tell Jarred that we MUST get a home phone.  I know they're an expense every month that we don't have to have....but what if?! 

Then we looked into prepaid go phones...those are out due to the expiration of minutes.  If we buy the phone to be kept inside at all times for emergencies only, we'd only need like a  $15 card.  But, a $15 card expires in 30 days.  Ugh.  What other options do we have?  I've looked into Skype.  Looks like we can buy skype credit and as long as we make a one minute call every six months, the minutes don't expire.  The catch?  One of our computers MUST be IN the house for us to use it.  I wish we had other options....but I know what you're thinking--why not just ask the neighbors to use their phone?  THAT is a whole other story for a whole other day. 

Have a good one!
-Melissa

P.S.....I'm having more good days than bad ones lately sick-wise, so yay!

And Baby Makes Three....

Yes, it's true...Baby Dreher is on the way! 

We found out two days before Christmas and it was a huge surprise.  After trying for almost two years, and being told our chances to get pregnant on our own were less than 10%, we were looking into adoption and/or saving for IVF.  We thought this would never happen.  Of course, we prayed constantly that God would bless us with a child of our own, promised he or she would be raised in the church.  That is the truth, we are beyond excited about this blessing and have already announced it in our church.  :)

I am almost 8 weeks pregnant, and we have seen the baby on an ultrasound.  Due to some complications that have since gone away (yay!) we've actually seen it twice.  A week ago Monday we saw the baby and heard the heartbeat.  That was awesome!  To go from thinking you might never have a child of your own to hearing it's heartbeat was indescribable.

I go for my first official prenatal appointment at the end of this month and at the last ultrasound my due date was calculated to be August 27, 2010. 

We'll do our best to update this at least weekly, but if we fall behind, forgive us...life is already busier and I hear it gets worse! :)

-Melissa