Hospital Fun

Since Friday I have been quite ill. After 5 days of holding nothing down, including water, my doctor sent me to the hopsital yesterday for a little "fill up." They gave me 3 full bags of IV solution, and two syringes full of anti-nausea meds. After a few hours, they brought me some food and watched me eat it, to see if I would hold it down...which I did. Yay!
I learned that there is one advantage to being pregnant when one is dehydrated or feeling sick...you get a free ticket straight into the labor and delivery department, instead of having to sit in the waiting room with any number of diseased persons. The nurses are Johnny on-the-spot, and you get your own little room, as oppossed to having to wait in the ER hall.
We got there at 1:45ish, and I was back at home in my own bed at 8:30, which I found most impressive.
While there, they checked the baby to make sure it was okay. When they got out the little dopplar machine to check the baby's heartbeat, it took a while to find it. The baby was squirming around and wouldn't hold still, so she was basically chasing it across my ever-growing belly. The hearbeat was strong, and as the baby was so squirmy they assured me that all is well. Apparently even if momma is severely dehydrated and sick all the live-long-day, the baby is not affected.

Pregnancy woes

Horray! I am now officially 12 weeks, and we heard the heartbeat yesterday, so we are finally starting to feel excited. The baby seems to be doing fine, growing right along schedule. According to my maternity book, the baby is the size of an apple; according to Bryan's book, the baby now stands the height of "a fine cigar."
As I was so sick the first few months, I lost 10 lbs from all the nausea. I have finally started to feel a little better and my weight has levelled back out. I haven't gained anything, except to gain back the 10lbs I lost. So I now weigh the same I weighed before pregnancy. Apparently any nutrition I take in, the baby gets. Subsequently, I still feel really exhausted most days, and still have a lot of food aversions, but at least the puking has subsided to only a few times a week, as oppossed to several times a day.
My hormones are in full bloom and I've developed a lovely case of acne. I have to keep the tweezers close by for daily facial maintenance.
I've developed a little bubble on my front. Most maternity clothes are still a little too baggy, but regular clothes are way too tight. I spend most days at home in one of Bryan's T-shirts and a pair of sweats, (which is such a nice look.) I bought some maternity jeans at Target yesterday, but am finding the button over the zipper to be annoying and causing discomfort...not sure what I'm going to do about that yet. I was also saddened to discover that even size XL stretchy t-shirts are too clingy to be worn in public. All the maternity shirts fit me like tents, but it seems a tent is what I'll have to contend with soon. I have two button-down shirts that I can still wear without being innapropriate, so I save them for the days I sub, or go the store. I'm told that many women just wear their husband's shirts during this time. The problem is my husband is 6'2", whereas I'm 5'2". So to wear his shirts, I look like a little kid playing dress-up.
I'm not quite sure why it is some folks say that there is nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman; I just feel nasty.

Storm Watch- 2006

You may have seen on the news that we experienced hurricane-like winds this week. In Gig Harbor the winds "only" made it to 65 mph, but it was strong enough to do some serious damage. Everyone on our street lost a few trees. Luckily the ones we lost were in the creek bed to the side of our house, and subsequently left us unscathed. Our neighbor was not so lucky, and currently has trees inside his house. Aside from losing a wall, he also lost his truck and boat.
Everything on our back patio was moved to a new location in our back yard; our patio table and chairs were in the grass, our car-top carrier was shoved against the fence, and chairs, hoses and other miscellaneous items were strewn all over the place. Luckily I had shoved the BBQ against the wall and it remained in-tact.
We lost power Thursday night and only regained it this am. For fear of being crushed by a giant tree, I "slept" downstairs with the dogs. They spent Thursday night barking at the wind. Every time something would crash into our house, into our neighbors house, or just fly by, they would both freak out. Puck ended up trying to hide behind the piano and Portia squeezed on the couch next to me. The temp in our house got down to 52 degrees yesterday, (it was 30 outside) which is pretty chilly I must admit. Bryan was in LA flew home last night (Friday). His 5:55pm flight did not depart until after 8pm, and he didn't make it home until well after 1am. Our phone lines were also out, so I had no way of getting a hold of him to learn what happened. Needless to say we've had a few sleepless nights.
Thankfully, our neighbors had a wood-burning fireplace so I was able to spend some time with them in their living room before coming back to my own ice box.
Today we're going to Target to stock up on supplies in case this happens again, which could be sooner than later. It turns out we were out of batteries, matches, water and 2 out of our three flashlights were broken. Thankfully our neighbors were better prepared than we, and allowed me to share. I must admit I was shocked to see our emergency supply in such dis-repair, especially since I'm married to an eagle scout. :-)
We're very thankful to have power now, although apprehensive we will keep it. Most places in the area are still w/out power, and many lines are still down around us.
What is winter in the Pacific Northwest without a little weather adventure?

The many faces of Skylend

Christmas in Spokane

Last weekend Bryan and I went to Spokane to celebrate Skylend's 1st birthday as well as Christmas with our Spokane family members.
I can't believe how busy Skylend is! He was of course the main source of entertainment for the duration of the weekend.

Thanksgiving in the living room

It has been a while since I last "blogged." On thanksgiving, our friends Chris and Melissa Scheer and Khris and Marti Downey joined us for dinner. We don't have a dining room, so we had to make do w/ our small table and a card table set up in the living room.

Saying Goodbye to Spooley

I am sad to report that Spooley is no longer with us. After living a long 14 year life traveling the west coast with me, chasing rabbits and other farm critters, Spooley began to fail very quickly. Over the past month she tried to snip at a two small children, and had lost complete control of her bladder. Over the weekend, her snarliness hit a new level and we were spending the whole time cleaning up behind her. We called the vet yesterday morning and they helped us come to the decision that it was time. So today we took her in to be put down. It was much more difficult than either of us anticipated, but we were happy to be able to be with her in her final moments.
I have had Spooley since the end of my 8th grade year; she was nearly 14 years old. Although just a dog, she's been my little dog for half my life, and so losing her has proven a little tougher than I anticipated.

A little cheerio

As you can see from the picture, I am pregnant once again. We had our first ultrasound yesterday and everything is going very well. My levels are all very high, the baby is growing at the right rate, the little heart is pumping strong and fast (147 bpm in fact), and I am enjoying the worst 'bout of nausea I have ever experienced. It has become so yucky in fact that my doctor has now placed me on prescription meds to try to slow down the all-day puking cycles I have been having. They are slightly concerned as I have not gained any weight and have started to show signs of getting a little dehydrated, so now I take a little tablet a few times a day and suck down as much water and popcicles that I can. Today I have yet to puke, so hopefully this stuff will work.
I am two months along, and the due date is July 2.
Please keep "cheerio" in your prayers as we go down this road once again, apprehensive and excited all at once.

"Family" Photos

Bryan returned from his week in Kentucky, all hopped up on southern cookin', speaking with a funny accent. While losing his grandfather was obviously tough, he really enjoyed spending time with family in the home town of both sets of grandparents. He returned with peanut-butter fudge and Univ. of Kentucky apparel.
I will post some pictures tomorrow hopefully.
While he was in in Kentucky, many family members wanted to see pictures of the dogs and myself. He checked the blog and informed me that I have no picture of all our "kids." We will be using one of these pictures for our holiday card, in the meantime, enjoy a sneak preview.

A Rough Week

Bryan's grandfather passed away Friday night. Bryan will be flying to Kentucky tomorrow in the wee hours to attend the funeral and be with his family. Please keep Bry and his family in your thoughts and prayers as they go through the week.
In other news, I've been subbing regularly in the local schools as a band teacher. I subbed for the last 6 days at a middle school, and starting tomorrow I'll be at the high school doing the same thing.

Horrible Huskies

Saturday, Bryan and I went to the Husky game w/ our friends from church, James, Carrie and their little daughter Ruby. We had hopes for a win, as the huskies have been awesome and Oregon is not so hot. However, yesterday was not a great day. The Huskies played like crap, and they lost at home. Poorly done! To add further insult to injury, we had purchased a "family four-pack" which included tickets, one drink per person and a bread bowl w/ Ivar's chowder. However, they were all out of Chowder bread bowls, and we had to settle for a hot dog- I was deeply offended. :-)
On the bright side, we had a nice time with our friends, and even ran into my uncle, aunt and grandfather who also attended the game.
The game was fun until the last quarter, and then total disaster struck, so all-in-all not a complete waste of a day.

Oktoberfest

After making him spend 3 weeks in Los Angeles, Bryan's boss gave him Thursday and Friday of last week off. We subsequently headed up to our family's cabin on Lake Wenatchee, as we had to cancel our trip a few weeks prior.
We had a great time canoeing, walking along the beach and watching the dogs patroll the lake. Saturday afternoon, our friends Chris and Melissa and Khris and Marti came up to spend the day with us in Leavenworth for Oktoberfest.
It was a great weekend, and we hope to go to the cabin more often through the rest of the fall.

I can see the light

I finally was able to get on the sub list for the local school district today. I am told my paperwork should be processed by Monday at the latest...so hopefully by this time next week, I'll be working.
That's about it for news around here...B is still in Cali.

Still Unemployed and lamenting home ownership

As the title of this post says, I am still without employment. I have an interview tomorrow morning, hopefully I will finally be put on the sub list.
In other news, Bryan has been out of town for what seems like forever. His job and his company suckith at the moment, and the buck apparently stops w/ my husband and his counterparts. The poor fellow has been living in a conference room in Orange Couty for the past few weeks with no apparent end in sight.
In other news, I made the horrifying discovery of rotten potatoes in the back of our pantry last night- they no longer bore any resemblance to a potato, and in fact were a discusting stew of nasty. I found these at the same moment that I discovered the dishwasher is in fact not washing dishes, but spewing water and bubbles up into the sink, leaving the dishes dirty.
This was after I tried to clean the carpets to no avail (11 years of former owners kids, and one year of our dogs have rendered them beyond repair.) and spent an hour vacuuming and dusting, only to turn around and feel like I needed to do it all again.
I called my husband and told him I wanted to be back in my little apartment and no longer wanted a house or dogs to clean...he did not appreciate this sentiment.
Finally, I am starting my first round of fertility meds today. El Doktor says that if we want kids, we have to start now, and because my system is not working, and certainly won't be in the near future...as such, I need reinforcements.
And that is what I know....fun, fun.

Did I Make the Wrong Decision?

I have filled out applications, submitted resumes and cover letters, taken aptitude tests and filled out form after form. I'm not wanting much, just the chance even to sub would be nice. And yet, the hoops and politics keep me from doing anything but sitting around frustrated. Now that I'm thousands of dollars in debt with nothing to show for it, I'm feeling like maybe I made the wrong decision. I thought I was a pretty good teacher. I have strong references, a solid GPA, and yet I can't even get my sub paperwork processed until the end of this month.
So now I wonder if I should have done something else, and not wasted years of time, stress and money. Good times.

Headline News...

If you have watched the news in the past couple of days, you will know that our very own Gig Harbor made headline news. Of course, it wasn't because the town is so beautiful, rather it was because we've been infected w/ West Nile Virus. A couple who live close to us have been diagnosed, so now we all have to be ever vigilant about using bug spray and wearing sleeves. The sleeve thing won't be a big issue as the high at our house today was a whopping 58 degrees!
In other news, we can't eat spinach either. To me however, this is no big loss. I've always been a little bit suspect of bagged greens.
Here at the Scott house, we sit with baited breath. I interviewed for a job Monday, and had not heard anything since. I assumed that I didn't get the job and subsequently went again on-line and began sumitting more job applications. However, at 4:15 this afternoon, I received a call from the Asst. Principal at the school where I interviewed, who informed me that they are still in process of making a decision, and I am still "in the hunt."
So I sit and wait, looking for more jobs, hoping something will soon come to fruition.
I applied to be a sub, but have now twice been bumped for my processing interview. I'm trying not to feel discouraged, but I really need to be working. This sitting around the house thing has become very old.

An update

My wrist, it turns out, is in fact not broken. They checked it again this past week and determined that I have a really bad bone bruise, but the bone remains intact. As such, the cast came off (yay) and I was told to use my wrist as mucch as possible without pain, in order to get the "pooling blood" to break up and go away.
I have been following doctor's orders, and so far feel much better, although I still have pain when I try to squeeze or hold anything in my right hand.
Also, I received a call yesterday morning from the middle school I student-taught at last year. They would like me to come in for an interview on Monday afternoon. Apparently whomever they had didn't work out, I'm not really sure, but I'm going in Monday to see if I can't get myself a job.

The Injury of the Week

Tonight was my final softball game of the season, and I felt it my duty to go out w/ a bang- literally.
In the 5th inning, I was playing 3rd base, when the scariest player of the opposing team was up to bat. His last at bat he hit a screaming line-drive right at me, which I stopped w/ my gloved hand, which is now bruised.
So when he came up again, I was a bit apprehensive. Low and behold, he hit yet another screaming line drive, I got in front of it w/ my glove, but it bounced and ricocheted to my right. Unwittingly, I reached w/ my bare right hand to grab it. The ball smacked my hand where it meets the wrist. I dropped it, picked it up and tossed it to the shortstop, and then looked down at the now throbbing hand. Already, a large bluish cicle appeared on the inside of my wrist., and my entire wrist/hand area was puffing up and red.
I stayed to finish the game, but finished from the bench, my wrist growing bigger and more red by the minute.
After the game, I drove to the local urgent care for xrays. They determined that it's too swollen to tell for sure, but they couldn't find a break, although it looks and feels like a hairline fracture at least. The odd thing to me is the fact that the x-ray guy took xrays of the top of my wrist, not the inside of my wrist and hand, where all the swelling and pain is.
So, they put it in a soft cast, and told me to follow up w/ my regular doc next week, for more x-rays, once some of the swelling is down.
So that's my story, probable fractured wrist, in the last game of the season. Yee hah.
I'm typing one-handed, so this has taken quite a while to type. I think I'll go shower now, and wash away all the blood and dirt. :-) Grrrr.

The jobs are fillled

I received my teaching permit on Monday, finally!
The jobs I applied for remained posted until this am. I never received a call. So, I'm off to the district to submit an application to substitute teach. I'm sure there's a master plan there always seems to be. Trying not to be discouraged.

Think good thoughts, pray strong prayers...

School starts here next Thursday. As of last Friday, I was officially finished with my schooling to be a real-life teacher.
There are presently two open positions here in the local school district for history teachers that have not yet been filled.
I have applied for both, although my teaching permit hasn't arrived.
We're down to the wire here. Please pray that my teaching permit arrives in time, and subsequently the district to give me a job.

The Blodgett's Come to Town

My sister Sara, her husband Joey, and their little son Skylend came to visit us in Gig Harbor this past weekend. After they arrived late Saturday night, we had a leisurely morning before loading up and heading over to Seattle, as neither Sara or Joey have been since high school. We walked the waterfront, went to the Seattle Aquarium and had a lunch that turned out to be less than great. We would have done some more touring, but it turned out that it was "hemp fest" this weekend in Seattle, so after lunch, we headed back home. We did a little shopping of our Target, and spent the rest of the evening watching a movie. Twas a lovely time. Here are the photos:

Don and Lynette's Wedding

My cousin Lynette was married in Bothell last night to her new hubby, Don Kelly.
We had a great time, the wedding was beautiful, the reception a blast. I took the liberty of snapping a few shots during the wedding and reception- below is a small preview.

Pictures of Don and Lynette's Wedding

Concussion Land

Hey friends,
I realize it's been a little while since I've last posted to the ole' blog. The reason, or at least my excuse, for not posting lately is the fact that I am concussed.
I did not listen to wisdom of old, and I played with a ball in the house. I was standing in the living room, bounding a ball against the laundry room door when Puck came in and thought that looked like a game he could play. I continued to bounce the ball against the door, and he suddenly jumped up, bounced himself against me and caught the ball. Meanwhile, his bouncing off of me caused me to lose my footing and fall backwards. I landed slamming my head against the coffee table and subsequently fell asleep momentarily. This was last weekend...as in 11 days ago. I spent the whole of last week in my bed w/ ice packs on my head, taking pain pills. I went to the doctor a couple of times, who said it would take a while for me to feel normal again. Sunday, as I was still pretty much a lump, Nancy and Mike (my cousins,) came over from Wenatchee to help me out. I spent the weekend laying on the couch while Nancy commenced doing all the laundry, organizing my pantry and making me food. It was just so very nice to have someone here, I wasn't expecting such service, but I was so grateful to have everything done.
My headache has finally all but subsided, but I still have the feeling that I'm sitting on a boat in rough seas.
In other news, Bryan has been out of town for a week, and will return this afternoon. He flew to Detroit for the weekend to be w/ his grandfather who is in the hospital and very, very ill.
He then flew to Wisconsin for a work training event. He's on his way home right now. Yay.
And that is what is up with us. We hope all of you are doing well.

My Nephew is really growing!

I just realized I have a bunch of pictures of my nephew that I have yet to post. So here you go....my how big he's grown! Born December 12, Skylend can now cruise all over the house, and is pulling himself up on the couch, coffee table and my sister (his mommy) to use them to stable himself as he walks around the room. Sara thinks he's about another week or two from standing up on his own from the middle of the room. But knowing this kid, he'll be walking around this weekend.
Bryan was in town on business about a month ago, so he finally got to meet Skylend. And then two weeks ago, I was over there to play with my little monkey. He isn't quite sure what to do with me, as Sara and I sound pretty much the same, and we look just a little bit alike. He gives me the funniest looks, like "I know you aren't my mommy, but....you sure do sound like her."

Our Puppy has grown up!

I realized that the past few blogs have all been depressing or a rant. I thought perhaps something nice was in order. Remember our little puppy Puck, that Bryan brought home from California at Christmas time? He's a big, big boy now.
Here are a few pictures to show how much he's grown in the 9 months he's been on this earth.

Stupid things that irritate me

Bryan and I have both been keeping our schedules on our computers. When something comes up, or we need to remember when 'so and so' is coming to visit, or when my next softball game is etc., we have to ask whoever has that information saved in their email inbox, or on the computer desktop. A ridiculous system at best. As such, I decided in an attempt to get us a little better organized, that I would go to the store and purchase a calendar to hang in the kitchen, where we could consolidate our schedules and have one central location to refer to when in question. Little did I know that such a device does not in fact exist. I didn't know that to purchase a current calendar is in fact impossible, unless of course one is purchasing said calendar in January. February 1st apparently, is the best time to start selling the calendar for the following year. Of course, I could purchase a giant desk-sized calendar for the school year, but that isn't really practical for our kitchen, and we do have the rest of July and all of August we need to fill out first.
Why is it that I can't buy a current calendar now? Am I the only American who needs a new calendar half-way through the year? What happens if all those people who purchased their calendars a year in advance ruin theirs? Or lose theirs in a move or a fire? What if the calendar they start in December is now not the right size for their needs, or their sick of looking at puppies or lighthouses? They just have to wait until Christmas to start again? What a commitment.
And furthermore, why are they already selling school supplies at Target? I was there a week and a half ago, and they were selling school supplies! How ridiculous! School was only out a few weeks ago, and already people need to purchase for the next year? The really stupid thing is that if people in fact wait to purchase their school supplies until the week of school, when they have the confirmed supplies list from teachers, everything is already sold out!
"Sorry ma'am, I know it's September first, and school doesn't start until next week, but we sold out of school supplies in July. You really should be more prepared. I recommend you purchase your halloween stuff now, since we will have our Christmas trees for sale next week. Also, I have a lovely 2008 calendar for you to buy."
This epidemic seems to have spread to all retailers. Softball season started last week, but the sporting goods store was out of softball stuff when I went in to get a new pair of cleats two weeks ago. I think they're selling ski equipment now.
All the stores at the mall are now into fall and winter clothes. I needed a couple of new short-sleeved shirts, but all I could chose from were those on the clearance rack. I could however buy a new cable-knit sweater, wool pants and fleece socks, if I so chose. Never mind that it's 80 degrees outside.
Why are things this way? Is there no practical retailer in Washington state who is actually selling products one in fact might like to purchase at the time they need them?
In other news, our cable box receiver has died for the second time in the past month. We have satellite because that's pretty much our only option where we live. We have the most basic of basic service, and yet we are unable to watch TV, because the stupid thing keeps breaking.
We'd like to just stop having the service, since it sucks, but there's only one regular cable provider in the area, and they charge almost $30 more a month. So again, I am subject to monopoly and sucky service.
God bless America.

A lot can happen in two short years...

Today is Bryan's and my 2nd wedding anniversary. I found our honeymoon pictures yesterday; they had been lost since we moved up from California. As Bryan and I flipped through those pictures, we were both amazed at how much we have both changed (mostly horizontally-- Notice on the left the before and after shots...my arm is broken in the second picture (honeymoon)-hence the bump and no arm in the sleeve) as well as how much has happened in such a short time.
These past few years have tried and strained our marriage in unbelieveable ways. However, we have grown together and have a trust that probably would have taken a much longer time to develop had we not endured all that we have together. I can truly say that Bryan is my best friend, and I cannot imagine what my life would be without him by my side.
For me, this day is a bit bittersweet however. Our first year of marriage was spent with me caring for my mom as she slowly lost her battle to cancer. As I reflect and rejoice in Bryan's and my small feat, I am also saddened to think that less one year ago, my mom was still with us. It has been an emotional month to say the least- mom's birthday was the 8th, then we learned the sad news about our baby, and then today, a moment of happiness and a feeeling of accomplishment.
We are both looking forward, hoping for more good days ahead, leaving most of the bad ones behind.
Now I would like to take a moment to whine:
I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I feel like I have a pretty decent pain threshold. I've had so many broken bones, life-threatening illnesses and weird medical issues that it's almost comical. But because of this, I feel like I can pretty much handle most that's thrown at me. So, when the doctors said last week that I was going to miscarry in a few days, I was obviously devastated, but I innocently wasn't all that concerned about the actual physical implications of the miscarriage. My doctor's had said it would be just a little worse than my monthly visitor.
I would like to now take a moment and say how wrong I was- and furthermore, how wrong my doctors were. Never have I been in so much pain as I was on Saturday. I have had meningitis, 4 spinal taps, I have torn my rotator cuff and my achilies tendon among other things. Those seemed like bee stings compared to what I felt on Saturday. At one point, while I was writhing on the couch, and I declared to Bryan that "if this is what I have to look forward to when I actually have a baby, I'm here to say I'm going to need a lot of medication, or we need to seriously look into adoption."
I had had two miscarriages before, but they were both within the first month, so they really weren't horrible, physically. This time around, I was half-way through my 4th month. Things were a bit different.
We were on the phone w/ the doctor several times, who kept calling for status checks; we were debating whether I needed to go to the hospital, but I really didn't want to unless it was absolutely necessary. So she called a few times, to check in and by 11pm, things finally started to settle down, and we determined I would be okay.
I have to check in with my doctor tomorrow morning.
I would like to say that Bryan spoke with a friend of ours, who has had three miscarriages- (at the end of the first trimester, or into the 2nd.) She confirmed that in fact a miscarriage is worse than actually giving birth--at least for her. This is good to know, because I was seriously doubting my abilities to be that tough after all that I experianced this weekend. Perhaps I'm just a bit more dramatic or emotional right now, but I'm here to say that nobody should ever be in that much pain.

Specialist Day

Yesterday was specialist day at our house. Bryan went to UW to meet with the orthopedic surgeon, I went to a fertility specialist to determine if there are any problems w/ Bryan and I that have led to the three miscarriages I have thus far had.
Bryan's appointment went well, his arm is healing right on schedule, and he starts his physical therapy next week.
As for me, the doctor was wonderful, he came up with a few thoughts as to why we are having such a difficult time. First, my progesterone levels are really, really low, which is probably part of the problem in the lack of development. As such, I will most likely be going on a progesterone supplement in a couple of months, to remain on indefinately. I may also be placed on another supplement to aid in healthy ovulation, as each pregnancy/miscarriage has been close to a year apart. I have also been placed on a prescription strength prenatal vitamin to take until I'm done having children.
Finally, and perhaps the most enlightening, they determined that I am RH negative. Bryan is RH positive. More than likely, anytime I get pregnant, the developing child is also RH positive. My body, being RH negative, sees the child as a virus or threat and deals with it accordingly. Subsequently, the doctor gave me a shot to counteract the effects for any future pregnancies, and I will have another if and when I get pregnant, and yet another if and when I give birth.
I have in fact miscarried this pregnancy, and so we have to wait at least another month, and then the doctor will begin all of the blood work to get a baseline level of my progesterone etc., in order to determine which supplements I need, and how much.
I'm encouraged that I have such a great and helpful doctor who seems really on the ball in trying to remedy the issue. One may think we are really young to be worried about this, and in most cases we would be, but I also have the beginning signs of endemetriosis, so they are concerned that we need to have our kids sooner than later, to prevent even more issues.
We are not oppossed to adoption, but would like to try ourselves for a few years before we go down that route.
I'll continue to update this post as new information becomes available.

Some Sad News

Bryan and I went to the doctor early this morning to find out what's going on w/ this pregnancy. After a disheartening ultrasound last week, they ran a bunch of tests on me throught the week, and we got the results this morning.
All my blood levels, hormone levels etc. are plummeting, which tells them that we have in fact lost the baby, and are just waiting for physical evidence.
They are sending us to a specialist on Wednesday afternoon as this is the third time I have had positivie pregnancy tests, symptoms etc., only to find out the baby stopped growing, or never started. 4 months is the longest I've made it.
So we're pretty low today. Although strangly relieved to have some kind of answer.
They said we have to wait a few months and then we can try again if we so-desire....which we will.
So anyway, that's the situation. Thank you all for your continued prayers during this tough time.

The test results...

We went to the doctor's office today for another round of blood work. The results will be in tomorrow afternoon, and then the doctor will compare and we'll go over them on Monday. Currently, my HCG levels are apparently way too low for what they should be. They will compare them on Monday to see if they're going up or down, but as of right now, the medical opinion is that the baby has stopped growing and it is only a matter of time. We are still waiting to be sure, but they said there is a pretty high probability that this will soon end. We are praying that they will be wrong. Well, I am at least. Bryan has already resigned himself for the worst as far as I can tell.
In an effort to get my mind off things, I played tonight at the softball game (I usually just coach). Don't worry, I did not put much into the game, so there was no fear of causing further damage. I played at the catcher position and didn't do any diving or crashing to save plays. :-) It was nice to do something physical, and although I hit really crappily, it was nice to swing a bat and hit a ball.
I'll post more information when I have some to post. In the meantime, keep the prayers coming.

A Difficult Day

Well it seems our propensity for drama continues. After last week's difficult and confusing appointment at the OBGYN, we went in this am for my ultrasound to determine how many, or at least how far along I am. The ultrasound technician placed the little device on my stomach and immediatly said, rather abruptly "oh, you're hardly pregnant at all..." I said, no, I'm at least 12 weeks. She said, "well I can't see a fetus." (her bedside manner was astounding) So she did the more invasive ultrasound to see if it could offer any clues. She said she could see "a sack," but no baby. She and the radiologist then conferred and then he came in and started asking a bunch of questions as to whether I've had any bleeding or pain...which I haven't. They said they didn't know what to tell me, that perhaps I'm just only a few weeks pregnant. But that doesn't really make sense, as I've had many, many positive pregnancy tests in the last 3 months. Not to mention the fact that I have a growing bump, and have had a slew of symptoms since May. These are not the activities of a person who just became pregnant a few weeks ago.
So anyway, we're a bit concerned, thinking something has gone terribly wrong.
I went to the doctor's office and they did more blood work and got the ultrasound results. I got in touch with the nurse who basically said, that because the ultrasound doesn't show anything, the doctor is saying we just have to wait and see what happens. They are going to do another blood test on Thursday to see if my "levels" are climbing or staying the same, and if they are, then they'll do another ultrasound in two weeks. They said the most likely explanation is that I have a "blighted ovum," otherwise known as "early pregnancy failure," which is basically when the egg is fertilized and a placenta subsequently forms, creating the HGC hormone and making me feel all the symptoms of pregnancy, but the fertilized egg never develops into a baby. There is more info on this at http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/blightedovum.html
We have to wait for blood work to determine if my HGC levels are steadily climbing or falling- which will then give the doctor's more information letting us know what the next step is. If we have in fact lost this baby, this will be the third time for us to be pregnant unsuccessfully, but this one we actually thought was going to "take" as I have now "been pregnant" for 12 weeks; or three months, which means had all been well, I would have started my 2nd trimester this week.
So we sit and wait, and are really struggling. We can definately use everyone's prayers as we try to stay calm and wait to see what we need to do.

There's a Reason why they call is "Practicing" Medicine: Our first OB visit

So I went to my first official OB appointment today, where I was suppossed to get all my tests done, ultrasound etc. Of course, my doc doesn't have an ultrasound machine, and the earliest they could get me in is not until Monday, in Tacoma.
Then she did the physical exam (always a joy) and said she couldn't quite tell much b/c my uterus is tilted. (sorry if this is TMI) Then she felt my tummy and said I look and feel like I'm closer to 20 weeks, either that or I'm having twins...but she can't really tell--an ultrasound will allow more clear information.
Finally, she put the little micraphone thingy on my belly so we could hear the baby's heartbeat. No dice. She tried for 10 minutes, and found nada. She told me this is no cause for concern, the baby could just be turned a weird way or I could only be 11 wks, which means sometimes they are too small to hear their heartbeat yet. Again, an ultrasound is necessary for a clear answer.
So here's my question- why do they not have an ultrasound machine there?
Needless to say, I'm not in a very happy place today, what with all the uncertainty yet again, and no possibility for peace of mind for yet another week- which is either the last week of my first trimester, or right in the middle of my 2nd trimester. Either way, one would hope I'd at least know everything is okay at this juncture. But then again, why would everything go as planned? I should have had lower expectations upon arrival. I never learn.

Bryan needs a better story...

As he broke his elbow tripping over a lawnmower, Bryan has decided he needs a better story for how he shattered his elbow into a bunch of little pieces. As such, we would like to ask you all to submit any suggestions you might have as to how he hurt himself, or vote for the best suggestion already made.
So far, we have "jumped in front of a bus to save a blind puppy," "beat down an intruder, while protecting me." "testing out a new wakeboard and slammed into the dock," and "rode a bike"
When you go to vote or make suggestions, hit the link that says "comments" it's highlighted right below here.

We're home

Bryan's surgery was yesterday. He was scheduled to go in at 1pm, so we had to be there at 11am. Upon arrival, they took him to pre-op, placed him in a little cubical-sized room, and then informed us that there was a delay in the OR, and they wouldn't be ready to start for a few hours. So we sat there in the freezing cold, until they finally came to wheel him in at 4:45. The doctor came to see me at 7:00. Bryan now has three screws in his elbow, and a wire holding it all together. He described Bryan's elbow before he put it all back together- he said it looked like a pile of potato chips.
We really like Bryan's doctor. He is really good at what he does, (apparently one of the top surgeo on the West Coast) and he's also a really nice guy who will just sit down and explain as much as needed. Our friends Khris and Marti came and sat w/ me for a little while around 6pm, and brought me dinner. Marti decided Bryan's orthopedic surgeon was the real-life "McDreamy."
At 8pm, they wheeled him up to his room. He was doing pretty well except for the pain. This morning the doctor came back in and chatted w/ Bryan. They let him go home at noon. He had tickets to Kenny Chesney, and was thinking we were still going (I was trying to discourage this, but he would have not of it.) It only took about 20 minutes of him sitting in the bed, waiting to be discharged, that he decided maybe the concert wasn't the best idea. By the time we were on the freeway, he was starting to whimper, saying, "I need to go to bed." Needless to say, he's in bed asleep now. I had to crank up the A/C because it's in the upper 80's here, and he is having a difficult time staying cool.
So that's the update, I'll try to keep this up to date.

Today's News

The doctor's office called this morning to inform us that Bryan's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, (Friday) at around 1:30. We have to have him there to check in and be admitted by 11:30. He will be at the University of Washington, I don't yet know what room he'll be in.
They anticipate the surgery taking anywhere from 2-4 hours. I'll have my cell phone on for the day, If I don't answer, I will try to post updates on the voicemail, like I did last year.
In other news, today was the last day of school. Our neighbor Bob took Bryan out to brunch, so I could go up and wish my kids off. I was really glad to have the opporunity to bid them all farewell. After all my trials and triumphs, I'm really going to miss them...most of them that is. :-)
After we sent the kids off, Deb (my mentor teacher) and I spent about an hour working on cleaning up the room, posting grades etc. After that, we headed over to one of the staff member's house on the water where there was a big end of the year party. Deb had been really insisting that I go, at least for a little while. I now know why. They had purchased a big Azalea bush for our house, and made a little speech about my time at the school. I was completely embarrassed, but thankful for their kindness. I have had a really wonderful time (save the first two weeks) working at the school, and with the staff. Both the Principal and Assistant teacher even told me that when I go to apply for a job, to feel free to use them as references. That's a really great feeling. The Assistant Principal wrote a letter of recomendation for me which makes me sound like a superhero. :-)
I'm hoping to be a sub there in the fall. I have already been told by a few teachers that they plan on being sick. :-)

Our visit with the surgeon

This morning we got up at the crack of dawn so that we could get to the University of Washington by 8am for Bryan's meeting with the Orthopedic Surgeon. The appointment was great- the doctor was really helpful. He explained all the damage Bryan did to himself, and explained how the surgery will go. The surgery is scheduled for Friday morning, they anticipate it will take at least 2 hours. They will keep him overnight, just to make sure everything is okay.
The doctor gave Bryan a new specially hinged elbow brace to wear, instead of the big splint they had him wearing. He seems to be more comfortable now, although the pain meds aren't lasting...I'm on my way to the pharmacist to get him a new prescription that he will be able to take more often.

Bryan's Broken Elbow- The X-Ray

I did my best to make this scan, it is still a bit fuzzy. I hope at least this gives an idea of what he's dealing with. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Bryan was sent home last night. The damage he did to his elbow was so bad, that the surgeons in Tacoma do not feel comfortable operating on him, and are sending him to a specialist at the UW. We'll meet with the doctor tomorrow at 8:30 and will find out when his surgery is...they say probably Thursday or Friday.
So we're home, he's in pain, and I'm playing nurse. It seems like only yesterday I was in Spokane being my mom's caregiver, and now here I am doing the same for my husband. And then, in 6 1/2 months, I'll be doing the same for my child. Maybe when we retire we'll be able to enjoy the summer free of injury and illness. :-) One can hope.