bits and pieces

some info as of late...

1) Coy developed a rash yesterday and after being evaluated by the Pediatrician today...she diagnosed Measles! Good news is that he's no longer contagious and is feeling like his old self again. Bad news is that his cousin Ryder is now sick...pray for his healing!

2) Had another cervical ultrasound today. Tech said cervix still looked long, however, there was a tiny bit of shortening...3.5 to 3.2 (I think). I'll get a definite answer tomorrow morning when I see my doctor. All in all, she wasn't concerned. Praise God

3) I received two doses of steroids for Baby Sister's lungs. My doctor felt that it was best to go ahead and give them to me. At 29 weeks, I'll get another round.

4) Okay, I guess all the talk about Swine Flu was for good reason. A 22 month old passed away at Texas Children's Hospital on Monday from the virus. He was transported here from Mexico, but still, it's scary. I am praying for this family.

5) And, since there has been a confirmed fatality of Swine Flu in Houston, I am not wanting Coy to come up to the hospital. I miss him so much and haven't seen him since Saturday. Chris said he took a step on Monday night...he's growing up so fast!

6) Here is picture of Chris with Coy's sign at the March of Dimes walk on Sunday. I was so excited when he sent me this picture! Also, thanks to Aunt Mandy for all your hard work with orgainzing this year's team!

7) On Monday night, parts of Houston received a massive downpoor of rain. This is the view from my in-laws house on Tuesday morning (that is looking out from the front door). Many homes in their neighborhood flooded (although my in-laws house did not); please keep them in your prayers!
and finally...this is an old picture, but is he not the cutest thing on Earth? =)

3 weeks

Thanks to everyone praying for Coy. He is still sick with fever (101.5 today), but thankfully, acting more like himself. Although, he's not back 100%, I'm hoping it wont be too much longer. He's my heart and soul and I hate that he's not feeling good.

Tomorrow marks 3 weeks in the hospital. I have left this room 3 times, each for an hour, up one floor to the ultrasound room. My constant companion has been Mr. IV pole. I had a dream the other night that I went to Target...with my IV pole. I remember being confused about how to get my pole in the car. I mean, really, does that mean I've been here too long?

I have good days and bad days (as far as the uterine irritability/contractions go) and today has been a bad day. I've been having more contractions than normal with lots of irritability. They just drew a Mag level on me to see if the levels are therapeutic in my blood. If not, I'll be getting a bolus of Magnesium for dinner (can you sense my sarcasm?). I've been told by a nurse or two that I "pee a lot and have great kidneys." I'll trade someone a 'great' kidney for a uterus. I am not kidding.

I am 23 weeks on Wednesday, thank God! Baby Sister is kicking all the time and such an active little thing. It's so awesome to feel her movements; I'm not taking a moment for granted. If you will, please pray for me this week. It is anxiety-rearing to think what 22w6d brought with Coy's pregnancy: ruptured membranes. I am reassured knowing that God is present now, just like He was then. And, He is good, always!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who supported Team Coy financially and physically this weekend! I was moved to tears to see how many of you showed up at the walk and ordered t-shirts! We couldn't be more loved!

P.S.S. Anyone tired of the Swine Flu talk yet? I am!

Prayer Request!!

***UPDATE***
After being seen in the ER today, it was determined Coy has a viral infection. His chest xray was clear which ruled out pneumonia. He still has a high fever and is so, so sleepy. My poor baby looked like he was just not feeling good at all. My heart about ripped out of my chest when I heard he was so sick today; I felt so helpless and couldn't comfort him. Chris and Kathy (my MIL) will watch him closely tonight and alternate Motrin/Tylenol to keep his fever down. Thanks for all your continued thoughts and prayers and the calming comments. It helps me so much.

Please pray for Coy today. His fever is going up (103) and he's very lethargic. Chris is at the hospital with me now, and my MIL is on her way with Coy to bring him to the ER downstairs. I'm a mess and really need your prayers right now.

test results and such

Good news to report...fFN is negative and cervix is unchanged!

Basically, this means that I am NOT in preterm labor and the contractions I'm having are not productive (meaning they're not doing much of anything other than making my uterus hard). The negative fFN test is highly predictive that I will NOT go into labor and have less than 1% of delivering in the next two weeks. I will be tested again at 24 weeks, and every two weeks thereafter. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing, y'all.

Many, many pregnant women have contractions throughout pregnancy which can be harmless and are called Braxton Hicks. However, with my history of delivering at 23 weeks into pregnancy, my doctor can't take a chance that my contractions are 'harmless'. As long as I'm only contracting once or twice per hour and they're not becoming more intense/more frequent, all should be okay. But then again, things can change quickly, which is why I'm being so closely monitored in the hospital. The more time I'm here (at the hospital) means the less time Baby Sister will be (in the NICU). I will do anything for her.

Thanks for all the continued love, support, and prayers! We pray that Baby Sister stays in the mommy incubator for much longer, but we trust in God's plan. Regardless, He knows best and His plans and ways are better than ours.

Coy came for another visit today. He had the biggest smile on his face when he came into my room; it was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. In the two weeks that I've been gone, he's grown and changed SO much. He looks like a little man now, I can't believe it. He took a nap while here and slept in my arms for over an hour. I could have never imagined loving something so much.

I have a few prayer requests today and would be humbled if you would lift us up to the Lord. Coy has been waking up at night with a cough for a few weeks now; his Pediatrician thinks he may have allergies (his lungs are clear), but he also has an ear infection. Please pray that his cough subsides and his ear infection clears up. Also, (this may be TMI for some) I have that watery discharge again. I'm back on antibiotics to treat it; please pray for it to go away and for me to stay free of infection.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

brighter days.

Do y'all love the new blog design? I am really excited about it! It was done by Kelly at Fabulous K! (...I love re-decorating, although my husband doesn't have the same appreciation for it...) =)

By God's grace, I have been feeling much better these past few days. The sun has been bright and my attitude has been cheery.

My schedule is basically the same each day, which helps make me feel more 'normal'. Now that I'm an 'established' patient, the nurses let me sleep in a bit. The first week I was here, they were coming in every 4 hours (even during the night!) to take my blood pressure and temperature. It was exhausting! I've said it before, but lack of sleep can really wear on me...I'm not one of those people who can survive on 4-5 hrs. My body needs at least 8 hrs or so, and that's no joke.

Between 7-8 am, I am up and ready to start the day. Pam, from dietary, greets me each morning with my breakfast (I have to say getting breakfast in bed every morning is NOT a bad thing)! I love to start the day reading from my Bible and various books by Max Lucado, Beth Moore, and Ruth Myers. It puts my head and heart focused on God, instead of the 'what ifs?' and 'how comes?' and 'why Me's?'.

Before I know it, lunch has arrived and I'm checking email, twitter, blogs, or all the above. I have to admit that eating is a struggle for me (always has been), seriously. I know that sounds crazy, but I don't have an big appetite, nor do I like much. To complicate that, my doctor recommends I get 100 grams of protein per day (that's a lot) and this hospital food is testing my strength. If I didn't have a baby to grow inside me, I think I might starve to death in here. Thank goodness for Ensure shakes and chicken tenders! =)

After lunch, the afternoon is spent reading and studying more, chatting on the phone, and watching some TV. I usually check to see what Dr. Phil and Oprah are about, although majority of the time I don't watch either.
After he gets off work, Chris arrives and stays with me every other night. It's nice to have him here with me, but I do feel guilty that we're both away from Coy (although, Coy's been so well taken care of, I don't think he's minding that much).

At 9pm, the nurse brings me Ambien (gotta love that) and it's lights out. I have been sleeping through the night, unless nature calls me to the bathroom. I'm continuously hooked up to the contraction monitor, so the nurses watch that 24/7. Even through the night, I am contracting 1-2 per hour (I sleep through it).

For those who want to know, Baby Sister does NOT have a name as of yet. Chris and I have yet to agree on something that we both love. I decided when the time is right, we'll know what her name is suppose to be. Until then, she is Baby Sister.

Tomorrow marks 22 weeks, Praise God! I will have another cervical ultrasound and a fFN test (it detects preterm labor...if the test is negative, there is a good chance you would NOT deliver in the next two weeks). Will you please pray my cervix is still long and unchanged from the previous two weeks? Please also pray the fFN test is negative and I will stay pregnant for 14 more weeks!

Thanks for all your continued prayers and love. I promise to update as soon as I know test results.

take me out to the ballpark.

Chris's best friend and old college teammate, Paul, was in town this weekend with the Cincinnati Reds. Here are some pics of Paul & Coy before the game.

pics

snuggling with my baby today...