The One Mom Slept Through

December 14 - 16, 2018

But at least the girls were together!

Emma and Lara were together on Friday night here in Stillwater as they went to a birthday party for a mutual friend who was turning 16.  There is no photographic evidence of this, but I heard it is true!

On Saturday they went with their Horinek family for a fun day of exploring downtown Oklahoma City and taking fun family photos.  There is slight photographic evidence of this:

Saturday night, Lara had a babysitting gig for a friend of mine.  She was supposed to watch 2 sixth graders, a 5th grader, and a Kindergartner.  The Kindergartner ended up not being there, so she spent the evening watching tween boys play video games and in her words, she was just there "to make sure they didn't kill each other or set the place on fire!"

Sunday, Lara was a GREAT big sister and took her 2 little brothers to the movies.  They saw Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.  She was "meh" about it, but both of the boys LOVED it, and it allowed Dad and I to get a few Christmas chores knocked out.  Since I had surgery last Wednesday, recovery has been sow and extra time non-existent.

Next week: Finals and the start of Christmas Break!  BRING IT!

Pint Sized Hero

Finn & Family - Team Mercy Miracles OKC MOD March for Babies 2013

One of the preemie/NICU related pages I follow on Facebook posted this poem the other day, and it really spoke to me.

Pint Sized Hero
With every breath you take, you take my breath away.
With every beat of your heart, my heart skips a beat
With every hour you fight, you teach me winning takes patience.
With every tear you shed, I shed a thousand more.
With every gaze you give me, I see a clearer picture.
With every ounce you gain, I gain an ounce of hope.
With every step forward you take, I stand up taller with pride.
With every gentle grasp of my finger, you show me the true meaning of strength
With every bit of your courage, you teach me how to be brave,
You are my pint sized hero... super mighty and supremely loved.

Thinking about all the HEROS and the babies too beautiful to be here on this earth as we drove to Oklahoma City for the March for Babies had me tearing up more than once.  While Britt and I were super excited to be taking part with Team Mercy Miracles and to see what a walk in a big(ger) city was like, the emotion of WHY we were marching shook me to the core.  All babies deserve a healthy start.  All Mommas deserve to hold their baby moments after birth.  All Daddies deserve to see their whole family together, instead of in different room, hospitals or even towns.  There has to be a way to keep these babies from being born too soon and too sick.  THANK YOU March of Dimes for working to find help and cures!

We had to get ALL of the Six Dream Weavers up early EARLY to get to OKC in time for the March for Babies.  So, with donuts in hand and sleepy kids, we hit the road on a very cold morning in May.  Mother nature is off her meds and can't decide if it is still winter or if spring has sprung.  It was cold, and the wind chill made it VERY cold.  The wind was downright BLUSTERY at times! Especially while walking between the tall buildings in downtown OKC.  The wind would spin and catch us off guard and completely take our breath away!  Finn did NOT like the wind, plus he was tired, so I carried him for a lot of the walk.  Dspite the miserable condisitons, he did really well.  We even let him down to cross the finish line at the end!



We met (and exceeded!) our fundraising goal, made it on time to the walk, and Marched the entire way as a family and a Team for Mercy Miracles.  It was a day we will never forget!  So proud of how far our tiny, Pint Sized Hero has come!

Six Dream Weavers - Team Mercy Miracles! And our banner on Baby Boulevard!

 

 

It might have looked beautiful, but it was so cold...

Of course, there are TONS more pictures from the day!  I have posted all of them in an album on "The Early Adventures of Finn" Facebook page!  be sure to click the link to see all the day's fun and festivities!

Been BUSY!

I hinted at the end of my last post that I had a fun little adventure coming up the next day!  We sure did!  Not only did Daddy stay home on Thursday to get caught up around the house and to rest a little bit, but he also had Friday off.  But it was not as relaxing.  We were all 6 up and out of the house by 8am.  The 3 big kids off to school, and Britt, Finn and I off for our adventure.

This was Finn’s first trip that wasn’t to a doctor’s office or my mom’s house for a couple of hours.  We were off to Enid, America!  Finn (and therefore Britt and I) had been invited to “speak” at the Oklahoma Blood Institute staff meeting this month!  They love for blood product recipients to come and show them what all their hard work translates to.  While I knew I was speaking, and basically what I should cover, I really had no idea what to expect!  We made the trip in slightly over an hour, and Finn did really well in the car.  Once there, we were introduced to the crowd gathered in a small conference room, and I got to tell our miracle story – that included 6 blood transfusions!  The audience was GREAT, and my friend who invited us to speak even had a few pictures she stole from facebook in a slide show for me to use along with my talk!  What a nice surprise!  The audience was so receptive – ooh’d and ahh’d in all the right places – and they were SO EAGER to meet Finn when I was done.  Britt had been out in the hall with him, and it was like winning an academy award when we showed our sweet boy off to the folks in that room.  They were so impressed by his fight and his triumph!  I really enjoy public speaking, and they asked some excellent questions, so the whole experience really quite enjoyable!

Finn, Daddy and Mommy @OBI in Enid

A bonus to being in Enid – a trip to the in-laws!  We spent a few hours with them where they got to feed and love on Finn, and they even took us to lunch at the new gourmet hot dog place in town. That was Finn’s first trip out in public, and first trip to a restaurant!  He is back on quarantine for now…  The break from reality and getting out of the house made for an enjoyable day.  But, we had to hurry back to Stillwater to switch cars and get me on the road south to Oklahoma City!  I had another engagement to go to!

I met my sweet friend Jenny at First Church of the Nazarene in Bethany, OK for a Girls Night Live event featuring Mandisa and Laura Story.  If you go back to the blog entries around the time of my brother’s death, you can see songs posted on entries by both of these amazing ladies!  I have been a Mandisa fan since she was on season 5 of American Idol, and I love following her antics on facebook and twitter.  She is truly an inspiration.  Lucky for Jenny and I, we had early entry passes, and we got seats on the FRONT row!  It really was a great concert and a wonderful time of fellowship, singing, and dancing.  It was over a bit earlier than I anticipated, so I was back in Stillwater pretty early –just in time to get home to my sweet baby Finn who had just fallen asleep after what I hear was a VERY ROUGH evening!  He got off schedule and I suppose a bit overstimulated, and he had a hard time recovering.  But super dad handled it perfectly!

Jenny and I at Girls Night Live!

Saturday was fun as well.  That morning, after my husband shaved off his seasonal beard, the hair on his head, and his standard goatee and mustache (I was mortified, but am getting used to it), we ran some errands as a family, taking turns staying in the car with Finn.  After lunch, it was a GIRLS DAY as the twins, my mom and I went treasure hunting around Stillwater. We found some fun treasures, got some fun ideas, and enjoyed each other’s company.  Sunday was church and a lazy Sunday afternoon, getting the last few things ready for the girls’ “State Night” at school tomorrow night.  I can’t wait to tell all about that – it sounds like they are really going to have a good time and put on a neat presentation.   It was a fun weekend all around!  Now,back to quiet days at home with my baby for the week.  I think we both need it!

The thing about a roller coaster is…

...What goes up MUST come down.   I am sitting by my son’s bedside on this cold Wednesday morning, getting in my cuddle time and just being awed by God's grace.  It was 18 degrees in Oklahoma City when I got up early this morning.  BRRRRR!  It was a frigid drive in to the hospital, but I was really looking forward to getting here to see my 4 pound 10 ounce, 16.25 inch long ROCK STAR miracle baby boy! Handsome Finn earned his rock star status from the day nurses yesterday when he took all 4 of his day time bottles through a nipple!  And did it so well for such a little guy who had been on a ventilator for so long!  The Nurse Practitioner told me that that being on a vent so long usually causes some oral aversion that makes it hard to learn nippling.  Our Finn caught on right away!  But, as things go in the NICU, it was not a straight forward journey to get to that point.

When I last blogged Monday morning, we were riding the high from an AMAZING weekend.  Finn had a GREAT Sunday, and a good overnight.  But, Monday he struggled.  He couldn’t keep his oxygen saturation up, he was super sleepy (which was probably to be expected since he worked SO HARD on Sunday), and he was just generally having a rough day.  I stayed in Stillwater during the day on Monday to do some business, so I didn’t get to the hospital until about 6:30pm.  When the night shift started, the charge nurse basically told me we started Finn too early on the bottles, and that we would have to wait another week (!) for him to get going on the nipple feeds again.  I didn’t right then, but later when I was holding him, I cried.  I hadn’t done that in a long time. When I told Britt the news, here is what he wrote on Finn’s community page Facebook wall:

The immunization issue was that the night nurse told Britt she had already administered the shot, then when he called the day nurse to check in, she said she was about to do it.  When questioned, she said it wasn’t charted if the night nurse had actually done it.  He told the day nurse not to do ANYTHING until she was sure the night nurse hadn't done it.  A follow up phone call a while later revealed the night nurse had done it, and had charted it, it was just not where the day nurse expected it.  In the meantime, Finn has not had the other 2 immunizations yet, as the hospital has run out of needles.  Yeah, me either.  I have no idea.  I just hope they get it solved soon!

SO BUMMED (about the bottles)!  We had so much promise fed to us since he did so well with those first few bottles! I left the NICU about 9 that night, and went to stay with my friends here in the city.   I didn’t sleep well, and I was just FRUSTRATED! But I got up early and got to the hospital, knowing I could hold my little man.  When I got here, the night nurse, the day nurse, AND the night charge nurse greeted me at his bedside.  At first, I was a little shocked and scared, but they were all smiley and happy.  The story they told was that basically, Finn had the “POOP OF THE CENTURY” overnight!  He had a full bath at 11 with new bedding and new clothes, and after that poop display in the wee hours – which filled 5 diapers, weighed 100 grams, got on the wall, the bed, and the Vapotherm (machine that heats and humidifies the oxygen) – he got ANOTHER full bath, new bedding and new clothes.  WHEW!  And, the best news was, after he got all that out, he was doing SO MUCH BETTER!  All of his numbers improved, as did his mood and attitude!  SO PROUD of him!  So, the charge nurse told our day nurse to go ahead and try a bottle at 8 to see how it goes.

8:00am – drank it all in about 20 minutes.  11:00am – drank it all in less than 10 minutes.  2:00pm – drank it all in about 15 minutes.  5:00pm – drank it all in about 20 minutes.  All of these feedings were with no de-sats, and minimal episodes of tachypnea.  Those were his 4 day feedings.  Thus, ROCK STAR!  8:00pm – drank it all, but it was slower and l could tell he was pretty tired.  The night nurse had pretty good success as well; she got him to take the 11:00 bottle, and most of the 2:00am and 5:00am bottles – had to finish them through the tube.  This morning, he took about ½ of his 8:00am bottle for me, but he is super tired!  He had blood work this morning as well, so he has to be worn out.  His nurse and I have decided that we won’t even try a bottle at 11:00, just to let him rest a bit!  All the nurses are so impressed with him – as well as his Doctors and the Nurse Practitioners.  ROCK STAR!

So, here we are, back on track again for a Christmas homecoming.  I have taken to using the hash tag “#homeforchristmas” on Twitter when I tweet about Finn’s progress.  Helps me keep the goal in mind!  Bottle feeding is going well, so now we need to continue with good days, good growth, and weaning the oxygen he is on.  Since I have been here this morning, his oxygen percentage has gone down 10% - that’s GREAT since it didn’t move at all yesterday!  One thing at a time, right?  Go, Finn, GO!  My little Rock Star!

Wheels Keep Turning

I can’t believe I have let a whole week go by since I last blogged!  Finn is still taking baby steps forward.  And I do mean baby steps!  Very small steps.  Every day!  He seems to gain weight in spurts!  He’ll gain 2 ounces in 24 hours, then maintain that weight for 2 days! LOL!  As of last night, he is up to 3 pounds 8 ounces!  4 ounces from doubling his birth weight!  And the respirator is almost the same story.  We were told once we got the rate down to 10 and he tolerated it, we would get off of it.  Well, it has been at a rate of 10 for 3 days now, and he still has it.  Because, yesterday, they had to turn the pressure up. We were really ready for him to be done with that form of breathing support this weekend.  It was 2 Saturdays ago that the Doctor said we would be off in 2 weeks.  We really expected it to be gone yesterday, but late last night when I got here, it was still there.  He has been discontinued off all medications (no infections, stopped the diuretic) at this point now, and his chest x-ray was clear yesterday.  They reduced his feedings a bit (from 28 down to 26 cc’s) to help keep fluid off his chest.

Here is a little update from last Thursday for perspective:

* they started giving him some caffeine to stimulate breathing
* nurse thought he wasn't quite himself this morning so they drew some blood for testing. CBC and a CRP to check for infection.
* CBC was normal and the CRP was slightly elevated by the Dr is not concerned at this point. Will repeat a CBC and CRP in the morning.
* Blood count is a little low but not at a worrisome level. They have started him on an iron supplement.
* Blood gas was drawn at 2 and another will be drawn at 8. This is being done to continue weaning his rate on the vent.
* When we arrived at the hospital yesterday, his rate was at 22. We were VERY surprised!! This morning the rate was down to 17. The reason we are eagerly watching this number is because when the rate goes down to 10-12 ... they will EXTUBATE and we will be OFF THE RESPIRATOR!!

Friday, I got to hold him like a BABY!  Kangaroo care is great, but it is a bit awkward, you are 1/2 naked, and you have to be very still.  This was more comfortable and natural:

And again on Sunday - this time he was more alert!

I don’t know what kept me from blogging this past week.  It was a little busy, but not too bad.  Back and forth from the city a few times, my 6 week postpartum check (and pap smear – YUCK), took the big girls to the dentist, picked my cousin and her 13 month old son up from the airport, and saw Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 TWICE! (Don’t judge!)  But, it has been an emotional week beyond the busy-ness.  Besides all the emotional strain our family was under, my OSU Cowboy family suffered a great loss this past Thursday when a plane carrying 2 of our women’s basketball coaches went down in Arkansas while on a recruiting trip.  All 4 occupants were killed.  The pilots were OSU alums who had agreed to fly Head Coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna for a recruiting trip.  I got the call early Friday morning from a friend, before the media got a hold of the story, and it truly brought back memories of the crash 10 years ago that killed 10 people with the OSU men’s basketball program.  How could it have happened again?  To our program, our school, our community?  We lost so much on Thursday when that plane went down. I knew both of the coaches from my time in the Athletics Department, and Britt had talked to Miranda about our family just the other day.  They will both be dearly missed.  While my body is in Oklahoma City today with my baby, my heart will be in Gallagher Iba Arena at 1pm when the memorial service starts.  I am wearing my orange today for them.

I am currently in the lounge at the NICU waiting for the time to come for me to change Finn’s diaper, take his temperature, and see how he is doing this morning.  His night nurse saw me in here and told me we are back down on the pressure on the ventilator, so maybe in the next 2 days they will extubate! We can only hope!  As for me, I am doing OK.  Everyone keeps telling me I look good, so I am either good at faking it, or the pace and stress I am keeping up under is making me look better to others!  LOL!  I don’t know, but I’ll take the complements.  I was just thinking this morning about how since Finn was born, I have not spent more than 4 nights in a row in the same bed.  And that was the first week when I was with my friends in OKC and couldn’t drive yet, and then again at home when I was in Stillwater for Homecoming / Halloween weekend.  WOW!  This Wednesday will mark 7 weeks in the NICU.  7 long weeks.  But so worth it!  I was told by a nurse last night that I should have him home for Christmas.  I promptly sang “All I Want for Christmas is You” to Finn.  He liked it!  So do I.

Dear Finn Weaver

Dear Finn Weaver,

Well, son!  You are 2 weeks old!  I am so proud of all the accomplishments you've made.  They told me a couple of days ago that you are not the smallest baby on the unit anymore!  You weigh a whole kilogram (2 pounds 3 ounces) now!  Plus, you are off the photo therapy lights (again) so I can see your sweet face without that silly mask of goggles.  I know the oscillator is doing a lot of the breathing work for you, but it is your job to relax and let it do it's job.  Thank you for being such a fighter.  We know you were born too soon (14 weeks too soon to be exact), and without all the medical knowledge and equipment you have around you, and without your fighting spirit, and without the love of our all-powerful God, we know we would not have you in our lives.  What a blessing you are!

Finn, do you have any idea how many people are praying for you?  People you and I will never meet.  People you and I have no way of knowing.  Son, you are covered in the biggest blanket of prayer!  So many people reaching out to Jesus on your behalf for healing, growth, comfort, and love.  And they are petitioning for me and your Dad, too. For strength, patience, knowledge and healing.  I know we feel it, and I hope you do, too.  There are people all over the place thinking of you and pulling for you and reading about you on Facebook, Twitter, and our blog.  I am so thankful for the Internet and social media for letting me share you and our story with so many, so easily.  You are a tiny, helpless baby, but you already help your dad and I shine the light of Jesus to so many everyday!

I have spent the better part of everyday of the last two weeks by your bedside.  During the week, I have been staying with some friends here in Oklahoma City.  I get up early every morning to get a ride to the hospital, and I stay as late as I can every night before they take me back to their house.  On the weekends, your Daddy brings your sisters and brother up to visit you.  Nana and Grandpa have been here a few times, too.  Plus, you've had lots of other visitors as well!  Everyone thinks you are so cute.  They ask me who you look like, but I am not really sure yet!  The past few days your hair has looked a bit red - like your sisters', and you have your brother/dad/grandfather's Weaver ears.  We'll have to see as you get bigger which side of the family you resemble more.

You've given us a couple of pretty rough nights and a few scares, Mr. Finn.  And unfortunately, I hear that's not over yet!  When you scare us, we just pray harder!  Maybe that's the lesson you are trying to teach us.  Last Saturday night when they switched you from the traditional ventilator to the oscillator was rough.  Just because we were in Stillwater that night and there was nothing your Dad and I could do to help, plus this was not a sure fix.  But, it worked!  Then, this past Tuesday night when they couldn't get your blood gas numbers to do what they were supposed to and they were tweaking every setting and nothing much was working, that put me on my knees, too.  But, a new tube, some new settings, a blood transfusion the next day, and you were doing MUCH better.  "They" say the NICU ride is quite a roller coaster, and it is SO very true.  Not a day goes by that I don't cry for some reason - either happy tears because you are ALIVE and MINE and so adorably cute, or because I am scared, terrified, angry, or worried as you work so hard to stay cute.  You are my miracle!  My mom always says you never stop learning, and the last 2 weeks have been a crash course!

Tonight, your Daddy will be here for the whole weekend!  It is Fall Break for the schools, so Emma and Lara are spending time with their "other dad," Jake is staying with friends, and your Daddy is coming to OKC to spend the whole weekend with me and you!  We have a hotel room, and we are excited to hang out with you, and each other!  I've been on bed rest and then here with you for over 2 months, so you Dad and I have kind of missed out on just being a couple.  This is a welcome break, and we can't wait to share it with you!  Besides spending as much time as we can with you, we hope to go to the movies, eat good food, reconnect, and just celebrate the life God has given us!  I might even put on some make up for the occasion!  (I haven't done that in months, either!)  OH - and while we are gone, our dear friends are invading our house to decorate your nursery!  It's all a big surprise, and I can't wait to see it on Sunday!  But more importantly than that, I can't wait to bring you home so you can enjoy it.  can you work really hard for me and be home by Christmas?   I would really love for Santa not to have to find you in the NICU... It's only 12 days before your due date!  I know you can do it!

So, I will close my first letter to you with this.  I love you.  Forever.  No matter what.  Daddy says when you are 15 and driving me nuts I am not allowed to "hold it over your head" that when you were born I sat by your bedside for months on end willing you to grow and get stronger.  I said, "I'm his mother.  Yes, I can!"  LOL!  And I probably will.  Just so you know how much I love you.  And Daddy loves you!  I tell you everyday the first moment I see you, and again before I leave at night.  Emma, Lara and Jake -- they love you, too.  They ask about you when I call, and the look forward to coming to visit you.  I can't wait for you to be big enough for them to hold you and cuddle you.  And all the people I mentioned before!  Your grandparents (you've got 4 of the best, you know!), Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and the hundreds of others -- some I know and some I don't -- they all love you and want the best for you.  So, right now, you have a big job on your shoulders.  It is to sleep, relax, eat, and grow!  If you get stronger each day, you will be home before we know it!  I love you, Finn Weaver!

Love,
Mom

Deja Vu - All over again!

So, the last time I blogged was Friday.  It is now Wednesday night.  I have been to and from the hospital twice during that time.  Friday and Saturday were uneventful.  Getting used to this bed rest thing and sleeping whenever I wanted to!   Friday night was “date night.”  The girls were in OKC with their other Dad, and some friends brought us pizza, cheesecake, movies and flowers, and took Jake with them for a few hours so Britt could just RELAX and spend time with his bride.  I had a huge giggle fit during one of the movies, and we really enjoyed our time together.  Saturday was pretty quiet - Jake had a birthday party to go to and Britt made a Wal-Mart run for groceries.  Just a nice relaxing day.

Overnight  Saturday night I woke up to one of my infamous “gush” feelings.  Only this time, it didn’t feel the same.  I actually got some on the bed, and upon further inspection, it looks less like blood and more like fluid.  That’s no good.  That’s scary!  So, at 2:30 am, we loaded up Jake, his blanket, “Bobby” (his lovie) and headed BACK to L&D.  Because I was still bleeding, they could not check to see if what I was leaking was actually amniotic fluid, but they did over an ultra sound.  One of my favorite moments from the wee hours of the morning was when Britt and Jake had gotten all settled in on the fold out couch/bed thing, and I was hooked up to monitors so we could hear Finn’s heart tones, AND all his movement.  Jake looks up, looks around and says, “I can’t sleep with Finn’s heart beating so loud!”  Little did he know what a comfort that was to Mom and Dad.  

My doctor was in Colorado for the weekend, so one of his associates was on call.  She ordered the ultrasound, which again showed Baby to be doing SO well.  The only concern was that the dark spots (presumable clots) from last Wednesday were now bigger.  NOT what we wanted to hear, but still manageable.  So, they observed me for a few more hours, my bleeding never really got any worse, the doctor declared it a “bladder spasm” and that I had leaked urine (I still don’t believe that), and she released me to go back home to bed rest.

Monday and Tuesday passed by with lots of book reading and a little TV watching.  I had been gifted a Visa card for online shopping, so I had ordered Glee Season 2 on DVD (which arrived Tuesday) and several books for my Kindle.  In the meantime, my Kindle’s screen froze up (still haven’t called about that), so I had to download the books to my iPhone, but I still managed to read 3 books in 2 days.  WOW!  But, Tuesday evening I started not feeling well.  Just “off” somehow.  About 11pm, I decided I was constipated, so I sent the ever gallant husband to the store for some relief.  He got back, I took some meds, and we went to bed - hoping for relief in the morning...

I never really made it to “morning.”  I woke up at 1, still not feeling well, but not wanting to disturb my exhausted hubby, so I opted to try the couch.  At this point, I was feeling pretty crampy, and was praying it didn’t turn into contractions.  I slept off and on (and drank about 40 oz of water) until about 3:30, when I decided I was so uncomfortable I couldn’t bare it.  I made (yet another) trip to the restroom, trying for some relief - to no avail.  I laid on the couch some more, then decided I might feel better if I showered (it has been 5 days, and I know I am on strict bed rest,  but I was DIRTY and my hair - forget about it!).  That DID NOT help!  While I felt cleaner, I was now having contractions, and at a loss as to what I should be doing.  I was pacing the floor, I had finally gotten Britt in on the drama, and he was ready to go to the hospital LONG before I was!  I was not wanting to go BACK to L&D AGAIN!  I didn’t want to be poked and prodded.  I didn’t want an IV or blood draw, but most importantly, I didn’t want a nurse I had never had before that I had to explain my while story to AGAIN!  Needless to say, I was crying, in pain, and indecisive.  Britt got dressed, and said he was ready when I was.  At 5:30, I reluctantly got in the car with him - leaving the 3 kids at home and texting my mom to come hang with the littles.

The other thing I don’t like about coming to the hospital at that time at night is that it is still locked up, and you have to go through the ER, which adds TIME to the process.  Ugh Ugh Ugh.  And, lo and behold, I got a nurse who didn’t know my situation - AT ALL.  She was P*SSING me off, saying all the wrong things, and I knew more about what needed to be done with me than she did - simply because she didn’t know.  Once I was hooked up and being monitored, Britt and I were left to cry with each other.  I was having very painful contractions (which were not registering on the monitor, so the nurse kept saying I wasn’t having any!), and I just felt crappy.  That’s when it happened...

About 6:45... WORST. PAIN. EVER!  Up to this point, my blood had been pretty light.  I hadn’t even been bleeding when we left the house, but I did have a gush right as we got to the hospital.  But this next event is not for the squeamish to read.  if you are easily offended, skip to the next paragraph.  So, I was writing in pain, crying, and trying to spread my pain out by crushing my husband’s hand.  Then, I felt *something* come out “down there.”  The contraction let go, and i said to Britt, “I don’t know what just happened, but it was BIG!!!”  He asked if he should look, I said he could do what he wanted to - so he looked.  Then immediately pressed the nurse call button, got up, shivered, and crossed the room.   the nurse cam in to look at “it,” gathered up the pad I was sitting on and told us she was going to show “it” to the other nurses.  A little later, my day nurse came in, and we were talking about “it” - the blood clot.  She told me it was the size of a Chihuahua.  WHAT?!?!?  Of all the things in this world to compare it to, THAT’S what she chose???  LOL!  We had a good laugh about that all day.

Sonogram was next - and (as usual) Finn is doing great!  Having a dance party - just like he always does.  (Every time they came to monitor him today they had to chase him around my belly to keep a track on the heart tones!)  He has grown a lot, and now weighs 1
pound 7 ounces and measures right on track.  He had plenty of fluid, and all is great for him.  And, GLORY to GOD - she saw NONE of the spots and clots the other sonographers have been watching!  Is this it?  Was that the last of it?  The doctor came in not too much later (he was between surgery cases), and was pleased with the sono report, but was a bit worried about one of the numbers on my blood test, so he told me he wanted me to stay overnight and re-do the blood draw in the morning.  He also said we still have no idea what this is or why it is happening.  He said in his 30 years of having a medical license, he has NEVER seen a case like this.  I am causing him bald spots as he scratches his head while thinking about my case.  In the meantime, he was going to call my specialist at Mercy and see what they thought the next step should be.

I had a few more small contractions after I birthed the Chihuahua, and a few more after the sonogram, and none since then.  I feel SO MUCH BETTER!  And my bleeding has tapered off as the day went along.  I am comfortable in a regular recovery room, and settling in for the stay.  The afternoon/evening were a bit nutty getting everyone where they needed to be, but I got to see my kids for a minute, and even had a “mini” LifeGroup in my hospital room.

But, there was some not quite as exciting news this evening, too.  My doctor came in, and he had consulted with my specialist earlier today.  The verdict?  Since we don’t know what this is, and I only seem to stay stable a couple of days, I am being transferred to hospital bed rest at Mercy in OKC sometime Thursday or Friday for the duration of this pregnancy.  While we feel I am not in imminent danger of delivering, we need to be close to the NICU just in case.  It really is the best situation for all of us.

This is a scary time for me, and for my family.  A lot of changes are happening very quickly, and it is a bit overwhelming.  I know this is the right thing to do for my baby and the future of my family, but I worry about the strain this can cause for my kids, my husband, and my parents.  Please be in prayer for all of us during this time.  It is a time of adjustment, again!  I just know that this baby is going to do GREAT things all for the GLORY of GOD!  Can I get an AMEN?