Happy Birthday Baby Wilson

After much conversation with Dr. Rubino... at our 39 wk visit, it was decided that our little peanut was definitely NOT a little peanut... the Dr. discussed that he thought Miss K would be about if not over 10lbs! So he had his nurse schedule (and reschedule twice!) a Cesarian Section for Miss K to come into the world. We were all set to deliver at Overlook Hospital in Summit NJ at 11:30am Friday 9.25.09... So Mom & Dad to be made all the final preparations at the house and packed their bags! It was such a great feeling to know WHEN she was going to be joining our family... and for both of us, once the surgery was scheduled, we each had our own little freak out moments. NO matter how much you prepare (even me being the Type A person I am) you are NEVER prepared. Her room was done, the house was clean, laundry done, tons of extra food made and frozen... but that was only a very small portion!

The morning of Kayla's birth day came, we were so anxious & excited! We got to the hospital around 9am to get our stuff in order, get setup in our room and just wait! It was the slowest 2 hours EVER! Then they brought dad his little bunny suit to wear in the OR... they walked me into the surgery room, got me up on the table and a very LONG 25 minutes later they began the surgery. There were some issues with the spinal anethesia they gave... there was so much swelling in my back that they had to use the longest spinal needle and after three pokes, they FINALLY got it! Electricity shot down my legs and POOF, they were like wet spaghetti noodles! Dr. Rubino is seriously the BEST doctor ever! He explained what was going on and made small talk with Dad. A few minutes later we hear the nurses burst into laughter and Dr. Rubino says "Wow we have a very social little baby here"... It seems that after they made the incision, she poked her hand out and waved at everyone! Dad tried peeking over the curtain to see but the assisting Dr. was in the way. Mom of course is yelling, "what is it? what is it?". So they announce we have a new little baby girl and all I could think of was "I got my little girl!"... Dad looked so excited at that moment and I could totally finally understand why he wanted to wait to find out the sex! They whisked Kayla off and Dad followed about two steps behind the nurses. He cut the cord and they brought my baby girl over to me for kisses and our 1st meeting... then off to the nursery for footprints, tests and a bath! They called back to the OR to tell us that she weighed in at 9lbs 15oz! Measuring 21.25 inches long!!! Holy crap, those Wilson super sperm mean some serious business! At 12:48pm our family grew!!

Dad and Kayla met Mom back in recovery to have their official bonding time... it was so surreal holding that little baby for the first time! It was more weird to have lost 20+ lbs all at once and have no belly anymore... but I am not complaining. Mom and Kayla bonded and we tried nursing while Dad stood only a foot away making all the obligatory phone calls. Grandma cried and was SO excited to get her little girl... Grandpa finally realized he may have to look a bit more into some of the female sports and all Kayla's Aunt's & Uncle's were just super excited!!!

Here are some pictures of our little piggy's Birth Day!

Waiting in our room to meet our sweet baby!

Dad is MORE than ready (although he wished he was in real scrubs)...

Hello World! It's a Girl!

Dad doing the ceremonial "cutting of my cord"

Yeah Yeah Yeah... I know I am a BIG girl!

So this is what my mom looks like... it was much different looking from the inside!

Wrapped around her fingers already!

Daddy's Girls getting to know each other :)

Week 39 Update

Happy First Day of Autumn

Many many people are emailing and facebooking to ask "what's up?" with Baby Wilson. Instead of emailing the same note back or posting a new status (that will only be criticized)... I am going to give the update here!

Last Dr.'s visit, Dr. Rubino told us that our "little" monkey was in fact not very little at all... We go back at the end of this week for our 39 wk visit and its almost 100% that the Dr. will be scheduling a C-Section. Once we know the scheduled date, we are still not going to post that (sorry baby poolers)... we want it to be a surprise for everyone. The reason for the potential scheduled C Section is more because of potential complications the Dr. is concerned about... the baby's shoulders getting stuck could put us in a very bad situation. He measured the baby and my pelvis and is pretty convinced that a C Section is the way to go... You may ask: "Why wait?"... well he said that he'd prefer to have me go into labor, stop the labor and do the C-section... I know crazy right? Well he is a firm believer in letting things happen naturally and there are certain hormones that get released when you "go into labor" that help aide in breastfeeding (the milk comes in faster) and post pardum healing. But in the end, if they have to forgo waiting, they will.

Preparing for a "V" birth for the past 8 months has been a joy.... to find out that you have grown a large baby and now all the sudden have to have "major surgery" to remove the baby has been very hard for me to accept. In the end, all that matters is the baby is healthy and happy. I just feel a bit like I am already failing as a mother since I can not give birth the way "god intended". I know my safety in the main reason for the C section but still its very hard. Not just the part about having to have major surgery but the part about how I am going to "do it all" after the baby comes. Having a newborn after having a C section (from what ALOT of people tell me)... plus learning the nursing thing is just very hard when you don't have very many people close to you to "help". Don't get me wrong... Brian and I are a great team... plus we have my aunt & his mom... but I guess I am just feeling that I wish I had a sister or I wish my mom was still alive. I know that my relationship with my mom was not a typical one and we had not spoken in quite sometime before her death... but I wonder if having a grandchild would have changed ANYTHING for her? I was warned that I would probably begin to miss her in a way I had not expected - I just thought it would be once the baby was here. Most women really don't care who "sees them in all their glory" during birth or while nursing, I am not that kind of woman - so I just feel like this will be that much more difficult. I love my hubby so much and know we will get thru it all and it will be fine.... I just pray for a healthy baby and speedy recovery for me! The good thing about C sections is that you can stay in the hospital for a little bit longer... And we have made the agreement that we will let folks know whens its ok to visit at the hospital... so mommy and baby are both comfortable and up for visitors. I love that the baby gets to stay in our room the whole time once all the initial stuff is done in the nursery!

(HOLY CRAP - can we say pregnancy hormones???)

So the past few weeks off work have flown by... I know that February will be here so fast and I will be back at work. The baby's room is ready (as you saw in the prior post)... I made a bunch of dinners and have frozen them (although food is welcome when people come to visit)... we are trying to stay on top of the laundry so its not piled up for Brian to do later... we have our bags packed, phone numbers written down and the annoucement email drafted (with some obvious key bits of info missing)... We are ready!

Ok well hopefully this is the last blog before my little chunky monkey comes into this world! (Yeah I know I am gonna hear crap from the hubby about that remark... he is still convinced this thing is a munchkin!).... Below is the pic Brian took last weekend... 39 wks or BUST!

My New Room!

Just wanted to share some of the photos that were taken of the Baby's room and where he/she will be spending lots of their time in the coming weeks!

My bed in Mom & Dad's Room!

Just Kidding! False Alarm #1

After some "discussion" Tuesday night... we called the doctor b/c the mommy to be was not feeling well at all! Too much dancing last weekend at the wedding... All day Tuesday, I could not get out of bed, was dizzy, had a fever of 100.6, was in the bathroom every 30 minutes (food was not agreeing with me!), everytime I stood up I felt horrible pressure in my pelvis and the baby was not moving much since Sunday. I waited for the hubby to get home from work and we FINALLY agreed that we should just call the Dr. to make sure this was "normal".

The doctor told us to go to the hospital to get checked out... with all the symptoms and the fact that the baby's movement was decreased, they wanted to be sure nothing was wrong or that labor had not begun. We spent a few hours going thrut he normal stuff... IV got hooked up, blood was taken, fetal monitors attached to the belly... then the exam (ouch!!!) and ultrasound. We learned pretty quickly that the "pressure" I was feeling in the pelvis was in fact contractions and they were coming about every 5-10 minutes but very irregularly. No change to my cervix from the last checkup though. They were chalking the whole experience up to Braxton Hicks contractions and my body getting ready to have the baby. Baby Wilson is 100% in position and the comment the Dr. said was... "wow this is gonna be a big baby!"... how comforting!

It's now Thursday and while most of the symptoms have gone away... the food situation has not changed, the contractions are a bit more noticable, I am still getting dizzy. Thanks to my hubby's cousin in Texas telling me how to test my "nursing equipment" ... all signs are pointing to this baby being ready to come... I think I got the contraction thing down... Now I just need to figure out how to get my cervix ready for D-day!

Good thing I have been able to get alot on my "to do" list accomplished... The baby's room is ready, got a few meals cooked and frozen, scrapbook stuff is organized, all baby gear is together, We are ready!!!

Stay Tuned!!!

Uncle Kevin & Aunt Angie's Wedding

This past wkend we all celebrated the joyous occassion of Uncle Kevin marrying the love of his life... Aunt Angie... or Aunt "Cheese" as she will be known as... Lots and lots of people were very concerned that Baby Wilson was getting so excited that they wanted to make an appearance before the wedding... but we made it thru the wkend and are now trying patiently to wait for the grand entrance. As the reception neared an end, we got on the dance floor to help this little bugger along but nothing worked... not dancing, not a big glass of wine, not the spicy food... so now its just a big game of waiting. Below are photos from the wedding and some from the Wilson luncheon the day after the wedding.... Enjoy! We wish Uncle Kevin & Aunt Angie the best as the slumber on their first night in beautiful Hawaii!

BabyMoon / One Year Anniversary in Mystic, CT

Since Baby Wilson will be making their debut in the next few weeks sometime and its been a whole year since we tied the knot... we decided to take a little wkend trip away to Mystic, CT to enjoy some time as two married adults - with no children. It was a great wkend away... making us both realize how much our love for each other has grown not just over the 8 yrs we've known each other, but over the last year of being married. We are more in love now than the day we got married... maybe that is because we have become more of a united front this past year. They say the 1st year of marriage is the most difficult... well get pregnant and see how much MORE difficult you can make it! Its fun - seriously!

Some Highlights of our Wkend... and some pictures! Overall it was great but going in the Fall / Spring when the weather is a bit milder is more advisible!

1. Next time we go to New England... we will take the GSP to the Tapp and then cross over to 95... no more Cross Bronx Expwy for us (unless its going to see the Yankees!)

2. Mystic Pizza... great pizza and great staff... but more of a novelty and touristy thing to do.

3. Drawbridge Ice Cream.... 5 STAR!!!!

4. Great shops - but bring your money! We bought a bunch of stuff for our little muchkin, some really yummy fudge, some housewarming / xmas gifts for a special couple that just bought their first house....

5. The Hyatt is great - staff was amazing, pool was refreshing and rooms were perfectly ice box like! We are big fans of the Hyatt chain.

6. The Mystic Aquarium is really awesome. Lots of outdoors exhibits and great for kids. It was a bit hot for us so we kept it brief.

7. Mohegan Sun.... frankly it was really nice. Lots to do, lots of restaurants but I think the entire state of connecticut was there that night. We prefer Atlantic City... most ly b/c AC casinos are ALL non smoking and have designated smoking sections... whereas Mohegan Sun is all smoking and you have to make your way thru the clouds of cancer to the non-smoking gaming areas. (Sorry smokers - pregnancy and smoking don't go together!)8. Bobby Flay's Burger Palace - GREAT BURGERS!!!! We both love the Food Network God and had to eat dinner there. No big fancy anniversary dinner... we had burgers! Fabulous!

9. Brian had the sixpence I carried the day of the wedding made into a charm bracelet for me as a gift for the big one year event. Now I get to feel that luck all the time!

10. Great seafood - Lobster Macaroni & Cheese... how could you go wrong? And of course Brian had to get the New England Clam Chowder being that we were in New England! S&P Oyster's... highly recommended!

What to accept when you are expecting...

Ok time for some humor! I can not tell you how many different conversations I have had with fellow pregnant women, new mom friends, family members, people I don't know.... (you get the picture) ... about being pregnant. So I decided to put all those wonderful conversations in my next blog... a bit to vent, a bit to share what things people truly think are ok to say and a bit to make you chuckle!

Many of these are obviously things I have not experienced yet b/c well I still have 6 weeks until this child comes... but its entertaining reading!

1. The famous "wives tales"... just because you are sick or are gaining a ton of weight or your face changes... you are having a GIRL. If you crave salty foods or your ass gets huge... you are having a boy. Guess what, every person is different when they get pregnant... Each person has a different pregnancy... I know its fun to talk about the wives tales but I just can't wait till the baby comes and see what everyone says about their predictions!

2. Comments about your size / diet: I know that this is VERY general... but I am just amazed at what some people will say. Here are a few that people have mentioned or I have been lucky enough to get myself! Guess what, you get big when you have a baby!
* OMG are you having twins?
* When are you due? Really, that much longer?
* WOW, you look amazing, I really thought you'd be much bigger considering
* Are you sure you should be eating that?
* Maybe you are eating too much salt / sugar?

3. The breastfeeding controversy: No nip this one in the bud... yes I will be nursing... as long as the baby is up to the challenge. Yes it is legal to breast feed in public and no I will not be whipping my breast out to do so... Its funny b/c even on the news lately, there have been advocacy groups that gather and mass feed their kids in public to prove a point. Its a food source and its the best one for the baby. Now granted, neither Brian or I were breast fed and we came out fine... Its a choice we both made and think its best for the baby. People who judge or make comments about your decision are just arrogant... or maybe they are jealous b/c its not something that worked for them... either way, its another one of those personal decisions... But rest assured, you seeing my naked breast when I feed my child is not something I want and would be far more uncomfortable for me than for you!

4. The Name Game - My advice...Unless you really want to hear what people think, keep your mouth shut until the big day. It is much harder for people to say something about a name they don't like when its attached to a living baby.

5. The hospital papparazzi: (be mindful that this is a snapshot of what I have heard) Its so exciting when a baby is coming - well for some family's. But the bottom line is that a woman is pushing out something the size of a watermelon thru a hole the size of an apple! Its painful and uncomfortable... and then maybe you push and push and nothing happens... so they need to cut you open, shove tubes in places that are just not fun etc etc. Then everyone wants to barage into your room while you are all swollen and exposed and raw to see "the baby". Its a wonderful thing but the hospital is a place for sick or recovering people... its where someone goes to get better. While having a baby is the most exciting thing in this world... no one thinks about the mom that just went thru the ringer! Everyone waited for the baby to come... a few more hours so that mom is comfy and refreshed is not going to hurt anyone??? I truly feel bad for some of the woman who have told me their stories.
* I can tell you that Brian & I are playing it by ear. Granted, we know there are some people who are not going to listen and will show up anyway but once active labor begins, the cell phones are being turned off and the news will be shared once its all over... no text updates, no FB updates.... just good old fashioned waiting. Plus we have agreed that spending this uninterupted time with our first born is something we can never do over and try to do again... so we are going to take our time and be a family by ourselves for just a little bit.

6. What are your cravings?: What the hell are you NOT craving. One minute you want ice cream, the next you want chips... five minutes later you want fruit or water. Its great when someone tells you that your cravings are weird or abnormal.

7. How are you feeling?: These four words drive every pregnant woman insane! I know it seems simple enough but those words, although simple enough, seem very loaded when you are pregnant. The people that ask this question always do so with such concern (or so it seems). I feel at times (just like my fellow preggie's) that you actually have to bite your tongue so the hormones don't take control and make you say that you feel like shoving your foot up someone's behind... LOL... Although I have to say that when the question is coming from someone out of general concern - it feels good to feel like someone cares without an agenda.
* For those of you dying to ask me this question - to save you some time: I have to go to the Dr. every week now... its been above 95* with a heat index of over 100* for over a week... the AC is our house is set at 65* (yes Brian is freezing)... I fight with a guy at work over the thermastat control daily... my belly touches the steering wheel now... my feet get swollen in a matter of less than 5 minutes if its too warm... I can only sleep on an incline and on my right side... I eat all day long - all the meals run together b/c I can only eat small amounts at a time... My shoe size had grown one whole size so far... you can see the baby move around with the naked eye just by watching the belly... I have lost all bladder control... yes I will be attending my brother in laws wedding on Sept 5th... no we still do not know the sex of the baby.... updates from Dr. include: cervix is softening, baby is in position, blood pressure is perfectly fine at this point - all things normal for someone with a shortened cervix at 34 wks!... They do think this baby may come a few days early... No we have not picked one name yet (we are going into delivery with 3 of each and will wait for the baby to decide)... No we are not telling anyone those 6 names... Baby calms down when listening to piano music... Ok so that is the scoop! No need to keep asking... the only things that will change is that eventually the baby will come out - when its the right time :)

Week 33 Update

Not too much to report... other than the belly is growing everyday and we have documented official baby movement from OUTSIDE the belly. We are growing more and more anxious to meet our new little baby. All medical tests are good... baby and mama are doing great!... I would have never thought that I would lose weight with this pregnancy and still not end up a cow. Only gained 13 pounds to date! A few bumps along the way but we are managing. The heat has been a bit brutal and the long days are quite exhausting - although I really should not complain considering its August and we've mostly had rain! My general "comfort" level no longer really exists... sleeping and bending over are the two biggest challenges. Emotionally, its tough b/c I have always been someone who is "on the go" all the time and has trouble relaxing... this baby is forcing me to chill and my reaction is that I get frustrated. The nursery is almost done... Daddy still has some things he needs to put together... We need to find a pediatrician... We FOUND a great daycare!... We still are narrowing down our list of names... working on updating our wills and life insurance policies... etc etc etc. It looks like I will be in work a few more weeks - barring any complications that rise. I am hoping that in September I can FINALLY finish my honeymoon scrapbook (ok fine I still need to START it!)... Here are a few new pics of the belly bump.... we have a few more things to do in the nursery then we'll post those pics!

Week 30 Update

Lots happening in Week 30 - just wanted to keep the troops updated!:

• Gestational Diabetes test came back borderline - so now there are even more diet restrictions. They don't feel that its high enough for insulin.
• I am "officially" anemic. Most likely b/c I am not eating as much red meat due to the gall bladder issues. They gave me supplements so we will see how it goes!
• For my gift to Brian for our ONE year anniversary, I surprised him with a 4D Ultrasound (the fun scan)... Photos / Video below. He loves those appts and when I found out the next would not be for another 2 months... I had to do it! Baby Wilson was in the perfect position but we ended up at the Doctors office for almost 2 hours b/c there was not enough amniotic fluid between the Baby's face and my placenta for the depth of the pictures to scan right. So between the M&M's, jumping jacks, walking up and down the halls, yoga downward dog and the poking, we were able to move the peanut JUST ENOUGH for a few good pics.
• We are beginning to wind down and transition at work (not quickly enough though)... some definite growing pains thru the transition... guess its my fault for having a damn baby!
• Tomorrow is yet another wedding... can't wait to see everyone at Melissa & Russ' Wedding!
  

Our sweet little Baby sleeping....

The Big Name Game

Ok so seriously... I have to say that choosing a name for our baby has been so difficult! I know that we may not know the "sex" of the baby but coming up with just 5 girls names and 5 boys names is SO hard!

It seems that so many websites stress the important of picking the perfect baby name for your little muchkin... but what does that mean for us?
- Will we pick names like famous people have?
- Will we picked names based on a theme?
- Will we pick a family name?
- Will the name be inspired by literature or sports?
- Will we pick one of the "popular" names of the year?

The other factor making this difficult (sorry to vent here) is that people do not understand why on earth we would not want to share the options we are considering for naming our baby. We tried early on to inlcude people in the process and we have to say that may have been a mistake. We shared a few of the names with a few different people and because they had to give their opinion ... we decided that we will no longer be sharing any names on our list. A few bad apple's ruined it for the bunch. I know that it's a shame that people can't keep their opinions (no matter how light hearted they are) to themselves... maybe it's partly our faults for taking the comments to heart but to us this is a very big deal.

A few random thoughts: (1) If you had kids already, you had your chance and you should respect what other people want to do ... (2) If you haven't had kids yet, you will get your turn to have an opinion in this very decision and you will understand the first time someone does this to you how it feels... so be careful how you treat others now... something you may say now may come back to (3) No matter who you are, you should respect your loved one enough to let them enjoy this amazing experience of naming their baby - this decision gets to be up to the 2 people who made this little miracle and no one else ---- OK all done... sorry!

Our experience was not all that bad... we just don't get some people - maybe its out of love, maybe its just that people can't keep their mouth shut or maybe its just someone being mean.

Baby Wilson's Shower - 29 wks

Brian & I wanted to say thank you to all those wonderful ladies that came to our shower, to those that sent gifts and were not able to make it but most of all to Baby Wilson's two Great Aunts (Mary & Jacquie) for giving us such a great baby shower!

Although the shower was "not" a surprise (we knew when & where) all the other details were in fact a surprise. The shower was held on Saturday 7/11/09 at Italianissimo Restaurant in our town... Caldwell NJ. There was a great group of ladies there as well. People traveled all the way from Alexandria, VA to be here to share in our joyous event. I was sad that many of my girlfirends could not make the shower and hopefully will get to see them before Baby Wilson joins the family. The food was out of this world! The gifts were so generous - we really are blessed to have such amazing people in our lives. There were games with cool prizes as well.

Baby Wilson very much enjoyed the event as well. Kicking and rolling inside my belly the entire day... so much that even when Mommy was ready to call it a night and go to bed... baby decided at 3am that he/she wanted to continue the party! Baby got so much great stuff to start their new bedroom and life in this world!

We really are truly blessed by the friends and family we have that are able to share these events with us... We can't wait for little Baby Wilson to make its grand appearance in about 10 wks!

Can you believe how time as flown by?

Here are some great pictures (care of Tina)!

The Ohnmeiss Family

Cake and Prizes

Grandma, Mommy & Daddy

Aunt "Cheese" Angie & Mommy

Aunt Melissa & Mommy

The OFFICIAL Week 29 Bump!

Aunt Cara & Debbie's Wedding!

We had SO much fun at Aunt Cara's & Debbie's wedding.

There was a ton of food, dancing and good times!

Thank GOD the rain held off for the big day...

Here are some pictures from the wedding - Enjoy!

The Gang at Audrey's Farmhouse

Week 24 Update

Baby Wilson is doing great... kicking up a storm! We are now feeling the baby from the outside so daddy is getting to feel and see some of those jabs! The "new" diet is going ok but I seriously have never met anyone that LOST weight during their pregnancy. At weigh in Monday (our last Maternal Fetal Medicine appt)... I actually weighed in at what I did at the 8wk visit... crazy stuff. My regular OB seems to not be overly concerned but he said that I need to gain or stay steady by my next appt. in 4 wks.

The doctor informed us that we'd no longer have to come see them for measurements every other week b/c they decided not to stitch the cervix b/c it was looking good and strong! Great news! Although during my last few weeks of pregnancy I will have to take it easy and not do much, that is cool with me. I can catch up on scrapbooking and finish those books I have been dying to read!

That's all for now... it will be very weird to not go back to the Baby Doctor for a month! I have other appts between now and then so it will keep me busy. Plus work is going to get even more insane in the next few weeks... Until next update... the big glucose test!

Prepared Childbirth 101

Mommy & Daddy are definitely more "prepared" for this whole labor & delivery thing now that we went to our Prepared Childbirth Class at St. Barnabas last Saturday. The day was long and very informative. Our instructor was Sue and she was well versed in all aspects - she had all the answers. The class ranged from couples that were due anywhere from 20 wks to 38 wks.... good thing no one went into labor during class. The guys had a great time tossing jokes around while the women squirmed in the uncomfy chairs and dreaded the graphic videos... but in the end, it was money worth spending.... Here are some highlights:

1. Had a breakout session amongst the Mommy's & Daddy's where we were able to share some of our pregnancy likes and dislikes. Daddy's had some great likes and dislikes (IE: automatic designated driver was a popular one!)

2. Watched videos - some were ok and others were just scary!

3. Played with useful labor massage toys - we are gonna pick up one or two of those to save Daddy from killing his hands!

4. Practiced partner breathing... we definitely need to work of this!

5. Took a tour of the hospital (not that I did not already know my way around that floor!). Saw the actual L&D room where Baby Wilson may make his / her debut.

6.Got the low down on the recovery & visitation policy... as well as what happens to the baby immeadiately following delivery. They have this great program they are just starting called the "Lotus Program" ... the nurses will put a Lotus Note on the door of your post pardum room (if between the normal visiting hours of 11am-8pm) that lets security know that Mommy / Baby are not available for visitors... I think this is great for privacy during breastfeeding.

7. Practiced changing diapers, swaddling and bathing dolls! Mommy has changed hundreds of diapers already thanks to her many years of babysitting and all those little cousins she had. Daddy did a great job changing his "first" diaper!

At the end of the class, we definitely walked away with some great information and conversation topics... Its funny how much you don't realize what trama your body is going to go thru during delivery... I have no idea how any woman is up for visitors after that ordeal! Mommy & Daddy have some basic things to figure out regarding immeadiate post pardum stuff... But once we make some decisions, we will keep all of you posted!

*** This is where Baby Wilson will make their debut!***

Visit to the 3200 Unit...

Not a very happy post but since Baby Wilson was at the helm I figured that I would blog about it... Never is a million years did I think we would visit the hospital at 22 wks - other than for our big Prepared Childbirth Class on 6/7/09... but because I was having sever abdominal pain for over a week my OBGYN decided to admit us to the hospital to figure out what was going on. The pain came about an hour after each meal (or snack) and lasted anywhere from 2-5 hours. From the beginning, everyone who examined me thought it was gall stones.

I was admitted Thursday after going to ER early last week - thanks to the persuasion of a good friend. My OB and Gastro Dr. were concerned that I was having Gall Bladder issues (possibly a stone or gravel stuck in the gb or the bile duct) so on Thursday after a visit to both of those Dr's, they told me to go home, pack a bag and head to the hospital. Thank god I remembered what one of my preggie friends once told me "shower at home when you go into Labor / before you go to the hospital cause you don't know when you will be able to shower again!" - Great advice!!! They took me off foods until Saturday night and did a TON of tests - all that were safe on the baby. On Friday afternoon, the general surgeon came in to visit to talk about my options and said that b/c I was pregnant, they could not continue testing after they did the MRI. Their diagnosis was that I had a dysfunctional gall bladder... based purely on my pain and the fact that the tests showed no stones and my bloodwork came back normal... I will tell you that the MRI was difficult. The baby DID NOT like that noise that the machine made and proved so by kicking me clear in every organ possible during the 15 minutes I was in that tube! There is a test that they would normally do at this point called a HIDA scan but it involves injection of nuclear dye (radiation) into my system - which COULD harm the baby. (Since medicine does not experiment on pregnant women, they have no idea what actual harm this could cause to the fetus but they do not like to perform the nuclear tests on pregnant women). The other option is to let the surgeon perform laproscopic exploratory surgery... and they told us that the anesthesia could trigger early labor. The last option the OB / Surgeon gave was obviously what Brian & I felt most "comfortable" with... an amended diet until the baby comes... being that I was not in immediate danger and we did not want to chance anything affecting the baby... I have to revise my diet and revise the schedule I keep.

SO... my doctor discharged me yesterday (Sunday) but told me that I have to reduce stress, follow the diet, stay close to the hospital and followup should the pains come back. If the pains DO come back, the doctor may take me out of work so that the stress does not affect me and so I can eat and lay down to help deal with the pain - she said something about being put on pain meds to manage the pain so this would prevent me from driving as well. I am feeling better - just tired and starving b/c I have to get used to these small meals and amended diet! I am still feeling uncomfortable when I eat anything but the PAINS are gone. After I deliver, I have to go back to the surgeon b/c apparently once your GB function is messed up, the only resolution is to remove the organ... so 6-8 wks after delivery I will be back in for surgery! Fun stuff!

So I have to say thank you to the one or two people who came to visit... aside from my darling hubby and the daddy-to-be... the visits were great and helped me get thru the wk end. Baby Wilson's Daddy was just amazing thru this entire ordeal! He was at the hospital late with me each night and came first thing each morning to ensure he was there for the Dr.'s visits. He always asked a ton of questions and gave me lots of love when I had meltdowns! He brought his computer (cause he knows I can not stay away from Email & FB), brought cards to play, movies and books... mainly the big NAME book so we could go thru all the names to decide what we are going to name this little bug when it comes out! He stayed all day everyday and told me that there was no where else that was more important or anywhere he'd rather be than with me and the baby. I really don't give my hubby the credit he deserves most of the time and am just so thankful to have such an amazing man to share my life with ... He is going to be a great daddy! One great thing that came from this is that Brian FINALLY got to feel the baby kicking! He was a bit freaked out but somehow found a way to keep touching the belly!

The below picture was taken by my aunt when she came to visit so we could put on the blog!