30 Weeks Pregnant and I Hate My Stupid Placenta

30 Weeks Pregnant and I Hate My Stupid Placenta

     Hi my name is Crystal and I have placenta previa. So, for those of you who don't know what that is, it is when your placenta decides to make your life a living hell by planting itself into your uterus covering up your cervix. There are different grades of previa, and I happen to have the worst. Complete placenta previa. Supposedly like 90% of cases resolve on their own as the baby and uterus expands. So the odds should be in my favor right? Well they aren't. So far I have had at least 5 minor bleeds since about 14 weeks along.  I have lost count so I am guessing 5. Two of them landed me in the ER for about 4 or 5 hours each time. Luckily the bleeding stopped and they let me leave. Each time I was grilled on whether or not I had sex or stuck something where the sun don't shine. Ummm...gee dr., you mean I can't keep my keys there any more? Well what about my cell phone? I have followed all the rules...complete "pelvic rest", no bending, twisting or lifting anything over like 10 lbs, and have not been on my feet for more than like 10 minutes at a time, and complete bed rest for a few days following my small bleeds. Geesh. Moms...stay away from Google!!! Yeah right. That is going to happen.  Ok...moms...google the hell out of it, but take it in with a grain of salt.  Most people that post online only share the bad parts. Just do what your doctor tells you and ask questions.  I have my good days where I am all positive and happy, and then there are the days that I feel all doomy and depressed about it and that is usually when I start googling. Not a good combo.  After the first 2 bleeds and the talks my dr had with me about viability, I started really freaking out, so I started setting goals for myself in weeks.  Even though I could not determine or help myself reach these goals, just getting there made me feel some relief. My first was to reach viability, which my hospital says is 24 weeks.  I was so happy to meet that one.  The next was 28 weeks when survival rate goes to 90+%, then it was to make it to my own baby shower, which happened to be 2 days ago. Yes! My next goal is 35 weeks.  My hospital is supposedly equipped to care for 35 weekers and beyond, anything earlier and we will be shipped off to the nearest hospital available with a NICU.  My ultimate goal is to go all the way to 39 weeks (my scheduled c-section) without any complications.  Wish me luck!! Fellow previa moms feel free to send a message!

Dancey Dance Party!

Oh wow this is late. Better late than never though I guess. Gavin's 3rd birthday is like 2 months away and I am just now sharing with you a few of the details of his 2nd birthday party. If you can't tell by the title, his theme was Yo Gabba Gabba. He loved those weird little creatures so much! I made most of the decorations myself with a little help from the hubs.

 

DJ Lance boomboxes out of animal cracker boxes

                not sure why this uploaded sideways..but you get the idea

 I did order the hats and napkins online. The backgrounds I found on the Nickjr website along with some more really cool printables for that show. We made the faces on the buckets and balloons ourselves on paint or Gimp or one of those programs...I really can not remember since it has been so long.  Then printed them onto sticker paper.  Cutting them out took forever and a day and probably gave me carpal tunnel syndrome, but it was worth it. He loved it.  I made some character cutouts for the lollipops and put character faces on the buckets. they were so cute! He actually used one of them as his Halloween trick or treat bucket later on. yay.  Well , I could go on and on about all the little details but I really don't have time today. I just wanted to share a couple ideas with ya. Enjoy!

A summer of Unfortunate Events

I have not been able to keep up with blogging like I had wanted to so I will give some updates. I won't go too far into detail because I feel like a couple of the things that happened this Summer deserve their own entries. Too much to talk about. Okay, so to kick off the Summer we planned a very nice vacation in St. Augustine Florida. My parents were going to meet us out there for a few days to relax and spend time with Gavin..and us of course. The day before we leave to go on Gavin's first beach trip EVER, he dropped a huge garden stone on his poor little toe and busted it all up.  Poor thing! He did end up losing the nail on that toe. That really did no stop him from enjoying himself though. I think what killed this trip for him was Memorial Day. It will sure be a memorable Memorial Day for me!! He got bitten by a Cottonmouth snake (aka water moccasin) right on the edge of the patio!! My 20 month old baby got bit by a freaking venomous snake right in front of my face and there was nothing I could do to stop it. He is okay...don't worry. I will give all the details in another blog.  Okay, I am not done yet. My mother has also been to Hell and back This Summer. She had a routine outpatient surgery for a hernia that turned into a nightmare.  Long story short (for now..that will be a future entry too), It went from outpatient to inpatient, on and off oxygen, discharged and spent a week or so at home, ambulance, Icu, pneumonia, ventilator, oxygen, ventilator again, lung surgery,kidney failure, physical rehab in a nursing home, blood clot, walkers, canes, to now 2 months later she is starting to feel normal again. A lot to take in. All resulting from a careless physician and his staff who did not follow procedure correctly and for allowing my mother to be over medicated for what should have been a simple procedure. I have been so stressed out these last few months that my hair was literally falling out.  Here is to hoping for a better rest of 2011!!

Culinary Adventures

Those of you who have young children know what it is like to take your family out for dinner. The outing that once used to be relaxing and enjoyably can sometimes become quite the opposite.  First, your toddler decides that he will just die of starvation if he has to wait 15 minutes at a table for food, so you give him a little cup of fruit loops to hold him over or at least take his attention for 5 more mintutes. But he decides that it is so fun to shake the cup and then everyone within a 6 foot radius gets to enjoy a fruit loop or two as a side their entree.  Then comes plan B, the cereal bar, this is the one that works long enough until you get your food. The problem with that one is that he will scarf the thing down, get full and then have a meltdown because he is ready to go.  The trick to that method is to give it to him a little piece just when he is about to just freak the freak out. Yes that is the name of a song from a show on Nickelodeon.  If you do it this way, it is sure to work, and you may even get to taste a few bites of your own meal before you decide to give up and get a to go box.  I guess the easier thing to do is to take him for a little walk around outside for a few minutes while waiting for the entree, but then what is the point in going for a nice dinner out? So after 21 months of experience...yes it took me that long....I have decided that easiest thing to do is to just order it all to go or just cook at home!!! Here is a picture of our latest adventure....This poor man was his unsuspecting victim..... The wrapper went flying (from his cereal bar) and landed on this mans back, I was too embarrassed to pick it off and after about 10 minutes it somehow ended up in his pants!!

The Most Delicious Salad EVER!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• 9-ounce bag of fresh spinach
• 1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
• Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Directions

Combine the brown sugar, pecans and chili powder in a small saucepan.
Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat until all of the brown sugar is melted and the pecans are coated.
Remove from heat and spread the pecans out on wax paper to cool.
Place the spinach and strawberries together in a large salad bowl.
Toss with the vinaigrette.
Once the pecans have cooled, break into pieces and sprinkle over salad

*walnuts would probably be good in place of the pecans

1 cup of halved strawberries has 49 calories, 2 tbsp of the dressing has 120 calories, spinach has 20 calories in 4 cups. The sugared pecans are where the calories really come in if you use a lot. but really you just need to sprinkle a few, remember they are broken up and you really don't need a lot at all. It just ads a little crunch and extra sweetness to the salad. Enjoy!!

My Kitchen Needs Some Spice!

I am thinking of painting the kitchen. I really like the color green we have in there now, but I feel like I need a change. 3 years of green is long enough don't you think?  So this is the color I was thinking....I absolutely love it! It is called Woodlawn Blue and it is from Benjamin Moore's historic collection.

What do you think? This is what we have now.......

Just a glimpse

So I guess this whole blog thing does not just start itself. I have had it set up and ready to go for about a month now and I have no idea how or where to get started. I was going to say that my life is an open book, but it is actually a lot of open books, or maybe one of those choose your own adventure books. Expect randomness. This is not JUST a mom blog. It is a mom blog, a wife blog, a life blog. Any and every random little tidbit I feel like sharing. I just hope my husband won't be the only  one who reads this. I love you Joey! So here goes nothing......
Gavin has been sick now for what seems like a month! Hopefully this second round of antibiotics and the inhaler will nip this in the bud.  The inhaler should be interesting...I expect to be posting pictures of that little adventure soon.  So since this sickness keeps getting bounced back and forth I have learned that I have given birth to the poltergeist. I now know to expect projectile vomiting with the slightest sign of a viral infection...yes, even common cold.  I have never been one to blow chunks so this is all new to me. In the past 2 months he has spewed more than I have in my entire life and I am learning to deal with it one towel and clorox wipe at a time.  I think I should blame my friend Daphne for always saying "Crystal Ann! Crystal Ann...come to the light!" (like Carol Ann in Poltergeist) in high school.  So since all Gavin will eat and drink are peaches and milk....my house and my family smell like Peaches and Cream Gavin style....yuck!
Note to self: When they say stick to the BRAT diet....stick to it!! (bananas, rice,applesauce and toast)