Day 5: momma moves out (4/30)

Shea is 5 days old!!!  He celebrated with a visit from Auntie Rachel and Uncle Andy!  Andy and Paul took the first visit, they knew ours would be nice and long!  Yall I wish I had a video of Rachel being with Shea....she was so excited and happy and just...well let's face it...in love!! I mean who can blame her!

Dr Sutsko has been the neonatologist that has been doing rounds all week. We have talked to him and the resident several times. We like him, he is "old school"  Today when the resident (Amanda ) presented her report, I understood everything she was saying. Kinda scary...I mean cool, but whew...I have learned so much this week. Because of yesterday being a little tough at some feedings to bottle 30ml, I was concerned that jumping to 40 ml would be too big of a stretch. I asked Lauren (Shea's primary nurse) if Shea could tolerate 40ml. She thought he could but tolerate doesn't mean fully digest, or solely thru bottle. Just that it basically wouldn't set him back. Dr. Sutsko was on his phone immediately working out the calculations and we compromised on 35ml feedings.

11am feeding was all me!  He had no residuals!  And we tried several new positions. Shea and I both like sideline. He literally is laying on his side...he gulps down milk that way. I was starting to get a headache and knew I needed a hearty meal.

But first we stopped at the gift shop and rented a breast pump. Mine is coming this week but I can't not pump at night.  And since we are leaving the hospital today I need something!

We had lunch at Panera's and my family met us there. My mom and brother went to see Shea and my dad, Paul and I went to room. I pumped and tried to take nap. The headache was just getting worse and worse.

I didn't want to go down for 2pm feeding but Paul really encouraged me to. I'm glad he did. I love spending time with him. I need to see him...he is so sweet and I'm in love. I also was glad I went down because I got to see Paul feed him.  Paul also got a huge burp out of Shea and we realized that Shea squirms when his back is tickled...lots of laughing from our bay.  Paula and Shea are so adorable together. Just wait to you see the pictures. My heart is on fire!!

Dr. Green is the cardiologist on call this weekend. He came in to talk to us about the procedure they were talking about. He really explained it to us and also said he totally gets why we want to talk to Dr. P before agreeing. He said he thinks Dr.  P is the best he has ever worked with in the years he has done. Also he made me feel more confident in the fact that I'm asking these questions and wanting to feel sure. He said to follow my instincts and that no one was going to talk us into doing anything. We are learning how to advocate for our sons best interest. So far no one thinks we are out of line..hope it stays that way:)

Headache was pretty bad when I got back to the room so I took motrin and climbed into bed. I closed my eyes. I couldn't sleep but at least I was resting.  Paul had already packed everything up for the most part. So he and my dad got everything on Catt and down stairs. Then Paul came back and got me. I had a few sips of Coke  in hopes that caffeine would help. Headache was slightly better.

My brother drove me oh so delicately to the Hospitality House of Charlotte. It's literally across the street from the hospital, but walking that far is going to take me awhile to work up to. My brother did a great job helping me out of car, getting registered, unpacking car and getting things up stairs. Don't know how we would have done it without him.  Paul had gone back to nicu to spend time with Shea and do 5pm feeding.

My mom has me a sandwich amd some milk. Definitely started feeling better. About 5:30 I called nurse Lauren to see how Paul and Shea were doing. They were doing great of course.   He walked over to the House when he was done. My family left and Paul and I relaxed a bit. We decided to eat over at cafeteria and then go feed Shea one more time for the night.

Nurse Tiffany was our nurse again for night shift. It's such a small world in this hospital...I actually know her through Co workers and acquaintances.  After feeding him 30 out of 35 ml by bottle, I was able to snug my precious little man. We took our first selfies and I held him in different positions. Oh sweet baby love!!

Tomorrow my brother goes home, so Shea and him will be able to bond lots before he goes. We hope that he will be able to come back, but we understand working and being across the country makes it much harder. Sunday and Monday we plan on just coasting through in our schedule.

This blog is getting posted so much earlier than the others. :) I am going to try to work on photos  on Sunday and get you the next few albums soon. I know you are excited to see them!

Love to all!

Day 4: Pumping day (4/29)

I am actually starting this blog way earlier like 6:45 p.m. instead of the wee hours of the day. This morning started out a little rough. After I posted my blog I was unable to move my bed back, so I couldn't  go back to sleep. So I was awake at 7:30 when it was time to go down for 8 a.m. feeding. This momma was rough. I was tired I was cranky, I was hungry, and I could not move fast enough.

However once we got down there, our nurse Jenny said "Where do you want to sit to feed him?" My eyes shot open! What?! I was going to be able to hold my baby to feed him?! This is by far my favorite nurse! Just kidding, just kidding!! We have loved all of our nurses that we have had in NICU!  We couldn't have asked for a better group of people to help us take care of Shea!!!  But right now Jenny might be my favorite for letting us hold him. She also has him swaddled and he looked so cute.  He was just a little bundle where we didn't feel overwhelmed by all the wires and having to stress out about his umbilical line.  She got me all set up sitting in a chair and placed Shea  in my arms.  It was the most amazing thing ever. He ate all 20 ml for me  except 1.5 milliliters. Jenny was able to get him to eat the last little bit.  I was able to snuggle with him and cuddle with him even after the feeding. When I started to get super tired and feeling like I was going to nod off we got  another nurse, Calli, to put him back in his isolate.

We were heading abut but our resident Keerti wanted us to be there for rounds.   All good reports. They increased feedings to 30 ml...um that's an ounce!! They hadn't physically seen Shea yet but said they would watch his jaundiced. No one is worried because his levels were low to start with.

Back in the room I pumped and ate at the same time. Then I took a two hour nap. AMAZING!  I felt tons better.  Paul had gone down to NICU while I napped. He was able to hold Shea and even fed him at the 11am feeding. I am sorry we don't have pictures of that.  Then I ate and pumped again around 12. Hey look I can multi task!!  My parents and brother came in around this time and my mom and brother went to down to see Shea.

I chilled in bed and hung out with my dad and Shea. My dad and Paul switched places with mom and Josh.  My brother worked on our photos and is a huge reason...actually THE reason, why we were able to post pictures yesterday. He goes home on Sunday and I don't know what we will do with him!!  Thank you Josh!  My mom helped me shower. It's not so much a hard task. Mainly making sure that I don't fall. Even though, I mostly sit in the chair. I do try to stand at end for a bit.

Paul and Dad got kicked out for an admission so they didn't get to do feeding but Paul was able to help me get dressed. I was excited about wearing clean clothes!!  But guess what...it was time to pump again. So off we went!  My brother headed down to spend some one on one time with Shea and my dad went to fill my prescribition. I was also discharged during this time period. But the hospital has a wonderful policy and I was able to board here for the night. No cost to us. Down side, no meals, no nursing care and no meds....listen I am so close to my son, it just made sense to be here one more night. 

My brother came back about 3:30 because they were starting Shea's PICC line. We had talked with Jenny abut this in am and signed consent. This is an iv line that goes in his leg and is placed right above his heart. While it is procedure, it's done bedside in a servile environment. It's a longer term option for everything iv medicines and fluids than the umbilical cord iv. It took about an hour and half. Jenny called us when they were done and ready for feeding.

My parents were awesome and picked us up some Italian takeout. I got to hold and feed Shea for his dinner. Then Paul and I enjoyed a "date night" in the family waiting room!  Since NICU was still closed, I decided to try out the pumping room instead of going all the way up...but we forgot to grab the tubing...so up to the room went. When I was done pumping, Paul sat in bed with me.

He had done this earlier in the day and it felt great to have him next to me. Seriously, no one told me that moms needed "skin to skin" with dads afterwards!  Just sitting in bed watching tv, the act just made me instantly relax...I didn't even know I needed it. We said goodbye to my nurse Jessica. We had only had her today but we instantly connected with her. Then it was time to see our baby!!

New nurse tonight, and while we had our hesitations at first (honestly she is great! I think because she didn't know a thing about us, she felt like we had to go through her "tests")  By the end of the feeding session and pumping session, we felt super comfortable with us. She had come in to talk to us while I pumped and just doing that, really helped us all connect. And yall, I don't know how she did it, but she convinced Paul it was good for him to get sleep too!:)  he has been working so hard to take care of me and Shea, he has not taken the best care of himself. Aka the man needs more sleep!

Paul got to hold and feed Shea during this session. It was great. I got to watch the men that hold my heart, take pictures and take a little rest. No sleep. Just breathing a bit easier. Once I finished pumping, we came upstairs and got ready for bed. The only times we would get up during the night were to pump, clean supplies and fill up my water cup.

Oh my goodness...I am going to be able to post this blog before many of you wake up!!  So proud of myself, hahaha such a silly accomplishment, but hey being a mom means celebrating the small victories right?!:)

Day 3 let's eat! (4/28)

I know...you want pictures!!!  My brother has been super helpful in getting our pictures off our camera and on to a Google cloud for us. I promise when he gets in here today (4/29) we will have help him with getting it on to the Sweet Baby Shea Facebook page.

Since I was determined to get my breastmilk  up and going I made myself get up twice in the night to pump. It totally worked...because I was able to pump 5 syringe fulls. I was feeling good!  We never went back to sleep after the 5am one we were down in NICU for his 8am feeding. Little man had a great night. But he didn't digest the formula well or take it well by bottle. So glad milk came in so I could make Shea happy!

We were there for rounds with neotalogist and resident. The resident (Keerti) is so sweet. But she terrified me when she suggested going from 10ml to 25ml at every feeding. Dr said he was old school and said let's do 20ml instead. Paul and I were shocked but we have to trust what they say. (This would start at his 5pm feeding)

We had to leave before the 11am feeding because of something going on with another baby. We came back up to my room where I had my first bowel movement.  Yup folks I just shared that news worldwide. It's a super important part of labor and delivery. So there you go! I also showered and got off another layer of my dressing from my incision. Our heart nurse navigator came in to check with us. We had a great talk but nothing really dealing with Shea and surgeries. She was staying on top of the Dr's and making sure they knew to get back to me. As she was leaving the OB showed up. He was very impressed with my incision and said it looked great. I got a little confused about when he was discharging me. He mentioned today, friday or saturday! After talking to the nurses about when I was leaving, I think it's more likely Saturday.

Paul was going to head down to meet the cardiologist as we had heard he was looking to talk to us but he actually came up to our room. I very thankful for that. My family and I could hear the news too and we could all ask questions. We had been told that putting a Stent in the pulmonary valve may be an option to open it up more, but Dr. P said no just not possible. So a new option was a pulmonary balloon in the valve to open the valve up could be a good possibility. The cardiologist did a good job of explaining and answering all our questions. But both Paul and I  agreed that we wanted to talk to the surgeons involved before making a decision. While the procedure is less invassive and it could get us through to the Glenn. We just not sure that it's the best option for Shea. This weekend we will be learning lots and making a decision soon.

I need to be very truthful here for a minute. We keep talking about how great Shea is doing and that is correct. We are also being very hope filled and having faith that Shea will continue to be great. But I need you to know that this is because of the medicines he is on. Without them, we would be in a very serious situation. They are keeping his ductus open to keep the blood flow going and no this is not a long term solution. This can only happen for awhile and he can't go home on this medicine either. The other medicine he is on is caffeine to remind him to keeping breathing. Just like his momma he needs some every day.

Our nurse Michelle got me a hall pass!!  Literally a hall pass that allowed me to go outside! We went to Panera and got me some coffee and sat outside on this sweet little courtyard at Levine's. It was great to see the sky, feel the air, and smell different things for awhile. Although I did not enjoy the cigar some one was smoking!  It was almost time for 5 pm feeding and we wanted to be there. My family had been able to spend some time during the day with Shea so they headed home.

Y'all, Shea sucked down 14ml!  What were we worried about?! Paul took some seriously heart warming pictures of Shea and I. Shea is so focused on my face and we had some major eye contact. At one point I was clucking at him and I swear he mimicked it! I was able to pump over 20ml for his next feeding and then we got a happy surprise. Our friends came up and had dinner with us. At Panera...I know not super exciting. But I loved seeing them. And Shea was super excited to see his Aunt Emma again and meet his Uncle Shawn. The boys went back first and as far as I can tell enjoyed their time.

When we went back I got to feed Shea again!  Paul is spoiling me by letting me do the feedings, we were trying to switch back and forth. I did however get to change my first poppy diaper. It was so small.  Lol but they count it!  Shea sucked his 20 ml down in less than 5 min...even the nurse Haley was surprised!!   Then Shea decided he needed to see Aunt Emma's face.  It wasn't for long but oh friends, his fluttering eyes at her made my heart smile.

Tonight Shea was a little jaundiced. Which is super normal for every baby!  They will for sure be watching him and may do labs in am just to make sure everything is okay but the fact that he is eating, peeing and pooping means that it's probably on its way out! :)

Family, Friends, and readers...we are so thankful to have you. I am continually amazed at how much support you give us. If I don't tell you personally please know we appreciate you!!  So as 6am is here again...lol here is your morning read!

Picture for today is Paul and his little lion king...this picture is one of my faves!!

Day two of NICU

I'm going to try my very best to keep these updated...I want Shea to know his story and I definitely don't trust my memory.

So here we go!! This am Paul and I spent about 2 hours in NICU with Shea.  Shea is doing super well. (Pulse ox levels are in high 90's!) We have talked to cardiologist today but he has yet to meet with surgeon (Dr. Maxey) and another surgeon that deals only with catheterization(Dr. P) to come up with next steps. We could still have the bt shunt which is open heart surgery. But we possible could have a stent which would be done through a catheterization. The biggest problem right now is that the pulmonary valve is too thin. So they could put a stent in to help open up the pulmonary valve. Dr. P Wil be the one to really make this decision  based on Shea's echo at birth. (Lots of info I know!)  We took lots of pics this morning and will work on getting them up on the Sweet Baby Shea  Facebook page.

Paul and I took his temperature and changed his diaper.  Our day nurse, Lauren, fed him but we were able to assist and next time we will do and she will assist. He will be eating 10 ml every 3 hours.  At 11am he drank 2 ml from bottle and then the rest was fed to him through his ng tube.

I definitely pushed myself really hard this morning and paid for it in the afternoon. At 11:30 there was an admission coming, so we had to leave.  Good time for everyone to eat and for me to get some rest. I didn't nap, but was able to rest in bed, eat some food and recap with my mom, brother and dad. They have been such  a blessing these days. My mom especially has been helpful with helping take care of me and my basic needs: peeing and getting dressed. I feel like I'm 2 again with these needs.

At the 2pm feeding we checked his digestive system by pulling back on the ng tube, only 1.5 ml came back and we refed it to him. The best news here was that he digested 8.5ml from his first feeding!! Paul fed him all 10 ml in his bottle. Y'all I already knew that Paul was an amazing husband and I knew that he was going to be a killer father...but man, he is more than that.  He just loves his son and is wonderful with him. I was so impressed with the feeding! 

I went back upstairs to rest for a little and wait for our pastor to come. Our church has been praying for us for quite some time and Pastor Paul has been so supportive. He just has a great way about him. We prayed over Shea and Paul prayed over us. I have been strong only because of my faith in God, but no doubt it's still hard. I try to remember that He's got this. He knows the master plan and I have to trust it. Having Pastor Paul pray and talk with us just reassured me in all that!

I went back up to rest some and try to pump. I haven't been doing a great job at having a pumping schedule, but Shea needs it!  I was only able to pump a little bit out. But some is better than none!  My friend and photographer Lora was heading in to take pictures for us...so I made my way back down to NICU.  Our mutual friend Rebecca came too so she could help watch Loras adorable little girl! And of course see Shea.

I sent Lora and Paul back to NICU first. I didn't see any pictures, but I know they are amazing!!  I was able to go back and the three of us had some pictures including diaper changing ones and feeding ones.  This time I did the feeding! During that 5pm feeding  only 0.5ml came back in the NH tube...my kiddo is being a Rockstar at feeding!!!  We were able to get him to eat all 10 ml again by bottle. ..so exciting! 

After everyone got to see Shea and pictures were done, Paul went to dinner with his childhood friend who only lives 5 min away from the hospital. My family got me up to the room and settled. I sent them home. We all needed a break from this stressful time. While I can't physically leav, it was nice to eat dinner in peace. I did end up talking to my super dear friend/sister Emily for a long time. I escaped my world for awhile. This road is tough but definitely not lonely!  And sometimes it's nice to remember that the world is turning out there and others have struggles too.

When Paul came back we were going to go down for feeding but there was another admission. So Paul and I talked, caught up with each other. (Get out the tissues) He looked me in the eye and told me "no matter what happens with Shea, tomorrow, next week, in a month,  these last 36 hours have been amazing."  I agree. We are just totally in love with our son. We have had two great days so far but we know it won't always be like this. We know that tomorrow could be worse. That there will be some day that we are really scared and worried coming sooner than later.  We know a surgery of some sort is coming this week or next. But right now we are just enjoying every minute.

9pm we called down and admission was open...so down we went!  When we walked in Shea was all super cuddly in his body pillow as shown in his picture. We loved on him and then Paul helped me pump. Being near him really helped!! I was able to get 8ml!!

Not going to lie, it's totally weird typing that to the world, but if you have been reading the blog for a while you know that I tend to overshare. If you are new, please remember that I started this blog to document our journey to pregnancy so I could process everything. It has been such a healing/coping tool. And I have realized through my readers it has helped so many others through their process. If you know me at all, I am all about helping others. (It's killing me to ask for so much help here and not be the one helping them!)

Okay back to feeding our visit. While was washing out all the pump tools, Shea opened his eyes. This isn't the first time I've seen his eyes, but he was so awake, I stood up and got super close to his face and started talking. Man oh man, that little boy...just pure love. He and I talked for 10 min, eyes wide open!  Then it was feeding time. Tonight he was awake and hungry. But only took 5 ml. Listen first day on the feeding job...he has taken a ton of milk and kept it down...we are super proud!

Continued thanks for all the prayers, love, support, and messages. We are holding it together and so is Shea!!  So while 6am on Thursday approaches, I will go ahead and post this!  Sometime in the next few days I will post our induction/ Shea's birth story..I will need help as there were drugs involved and I need helping remembering it all in the right order. Love to all!

Last Dr's Visit (4/19)

Yesterday we went to our last doctor's appointment!  Yup friends that is right....we have an induction date set!  But I am getting ahead of myself...let me back up.

Last week, I was a little thinned out but not dilated at all, even after my fall, nothing was going on.  I was disappointed because while I know Shea is super safe right now and he is growing....I want him out!  I am sure every woman feels this way at 39 weeks, but the unknown of Shea's health is making me super anxious.  I want him out, so we can start loving on him and the doctors can start making him healthier.  I know he will never be "normal" heart wise, but they can start working on making his heart more functional for life!  

So this week we are 50% effaced and 1/2-1cm dilated.  He said he would give us 1 cm, because he was able to touch Shea's head.  This little boy is definitely making his way down south.  I have heard many a story about baby's becoming breached late in pregnancy, so I asked was it still a possibility, and our dr told us not really.  He is so far down.  I also asked about his weight.  I had been having a conversation with a co-worker about 8-10 lbs baby.  I just don't think I am big enough to have that size baby in me.  The doctor confirmed that Shea was def not that big....but there is no way to really tell until he came out.  And same with length.  So, any guesses on weight and length for baby Shea?!

Let's talk induction!  The doctor originally was talking about next Wed/Thurs (my due date). My awesome husband spoke up about starting earlier in the week to help with surgeons schedule and all the stuff.  We are lucky that the hospital has space for us and our doctor is working that night too!  We will be admitted Monday night with the drug: Cytotec.  This is to help with cervical ripening.  Officially we will start Tuesday with induction.  Sometime that morning I will start Pitocin.  This will help start contractions....wahoo!  I am ready to get this show on the road.  These plans are of course all based on Shea not making his arrival sooner.  Which would be fine with us too!

I am trying to take these last few days to enjoy the "baby exciting" feelings.  I know it will be tough goings once Shea gets here.  But I really want to enjoy the excitement of "My baby is coming!!  I am going to be a mom!!"  Thank you for the prayers, messages, sweet gifts and gestures.  We know you love Shea and us, and it just warms our hearts to know we are not in this alone!  

BabyMoon (4/8-4/10)

Here is the long awaited BabyMoon post you have been waiting for!  Sorry it took me so long to get it up, but I wanted to add pictures and everything! :)

Friday afternoon:  Paul and I drove up to Uptown Charlotte (that's downtown for people who are confused why we call it Uptown...I have no idea...we just do)  We checked in the hotel and relaxed for a bit.  Our room was really nice and we felt very lucky to be able to stay there!

Friday night: The plans were to eat at Mortimer's, but right next door they just open a "Red Eye Diner" made to look like we were back in the 50's.  My Jersey husband was stoked!  And this weekend was all about him and spending time with him, so of course we went.  Our waiter was wonderful and really was attentive.  Our meal took forever to come out and we couldn't figure out why....until it came.  The fried chicken I ordered is fried to order.  Which is what made it so amazing! I am not making this up friends...I told Paul he (or someone) would be making a trip back over here when we are at the hospital for weeks.  It was sooo good!

After dinner we headed to Time Warner Cable Area for a little Hornets game!  Our friend Matt hooked us up with his seats again.  We love being able to see games once in awhile and they always seem to win when we are there.  The Hornets did not disappoint...they won again! While talking to our friend after the game, Kemba Walker's mom stopped by to touch my belly.  I am not one to mind anyone touching my belly, but it was kinda odd, because I didn't know who she was!  We talked for a little bit and she predicted that Shea would be here by last weekend.  So..Shea still isn't here but one day we will get to share how a famous NBA player's mom felt him while he was still in my tummy!

Saturday: So we were supposed to order room service and have breakfast in bed, but nothing really called to us on the menu. We went down to the dining room and has a free breakfast buffet.  We had some time before the Funny Bus tour and we both wanted to see 7th street station, so we started walking.  It was so cold and windy, but we braved the weather. 

7th street station is pretty cool.  The outer walls have different eateries, while the middle has tables and some food/wine vendors for you to purchase and take home.  We wandered around until our Funny Bus Tour.  We really enjoyed the bus tour!  We went around Uptown, South End, Plaza Midwood and NoDa.  We learned some history about the area we didn't know and laughed alot!  We played a drinking game (I drank water) called "Church!"  Basically every time we saw a church we called out "Church!" and everyone drank.  If you don't live in the area...let me tell you, there are alot of churches!!  We stopped halfway through at a brewery called Heist.  Paul got something called a crowler.  A 24 oz can filled with a beer from the tap and then they were able to put the lid on, so it looked like a regular can of beer.  Pretty cool!  

     


After the tour we went back to 7th street station for lunch.  Paul went to Hazelnuts Creperie. There are several locations and my parents and I love that place! I was glad he was able to try it and love it too! I had a grilled cheese from Orrman's Cheese shop.  Now before you go and judge...it was a peanut butter and jelly with goat cheese sandwich.  So weird and so yummy.  Definitely glad I went outside my comfort zone!  We grabbed me a cookie from Cloud 9 and headed back to the hotel.  I had scheduled a nap for me...and boy did I use it.  I slept for about 2 hours, Paul slept for about an hour.  It was just wonderful :)








Saturday night: We got in the car and headed to Plaza Midwood.  Soul Gastrolounge didnt open to 5, so we walked around the area.  There was a tiny little music concert going on, and lots of little shops that we walked in and out of.  We went back to Soul and I am so glad we went early!  We had to wait about 5 minutes for a table and by the time we left the wait was unreal!  Our food was soooo yummy.  I wont be able to remember all we ordered but we loved the fried brussel sprouts, grilled caesar salad and pork belly tacos 
with watermelon!

Once we were stuffed, we headed to the Checkers game.  We were able to join our new Camp Luck/Baby Luck family and I am so glad we did.  These kiddos are just amazing and meeting their families was so encouraging!  Kim Jackson is one of the board members and she has just taken us under her wing.  She brought us a cute little onsie with Camp Luck's logo on it and some other Camp Luck swag.  We aren't "glad" that we are going to be a heart mom and dad, but we ARE glad that this community is such a supportive one!  Unfortunately, we aren't the lucky charms for the Checkers as we are for the Hornets.  Both games we have been to, they lost.  But we did see several fights and that's always exciting! Of course I needed some ice cream afterwards....back to Plaza Midwood for some Dairy Queen!

Sunday: Cowbell didn't really call to Paul and I, so we headed to Dandelion Market.  Now I do love this place for dinner, in fact, it's one of my favorite places to go and take visitors too! But my brunch, we just okay.  Paul loved his, and could I have ordered some other things on the menu, I would have been happier too.  Nothing wrong with the meal, but expected more I guess.  We decided that the weather was a bit too cold to go to the Whitewater Center and walk around, and I had walked alot over the weekend.  But we weren't quite ready to go home yet.  Paul loved the Plaza Midwood area and really wanted to check out this record store.  He was able to get two vinyl albums for decent prices.  We also needed to go to the grocery store (we go to Harris Teeter mostly) and there was one in Plaza Midwood.  What's cool about this one is that while it's new and swanky, it is built on the spot where the very first Harris Teeter was.  Probably our last time going to the store just the two of us...we enjoyed it!

There ya go friends!  Our babymoon/ 3rd anniversary trip in a nutshell! We had a blast spending time together and enjoying the Charlotte area.  I am sure it will be a long time till we are able to get away just the two of us.  Thank you to my parents and our friends for helping us plan and enjoy it!

We all fall down (4/11)

Well I forgot to write this blog and the baby moon blog is still in progress...so here is a little recap from last Monday.

Paul and I drove up to Zootastic in my hospital packed car.  Being so close to due date, we didn't want to chance something happening and 911 being the only option to get me to the hospital. We had a ton of fun with my class. And Paul have made a new friend with a certain giraffe named Melvin. He won't allow me to post pictures, but I promise, they had a great time together!!

We had a Dr's appointment later in the day, so I drove back to school to dismiss my kiddos are Paul went home to wait for my arrival.  I spent a little too long chatting at school and decided to head out the back door to the parking lot. I wasn't walking too fast or anything...but I totally face/belly planted.

I fell 97% on my belly, 1% on my right elbow, 1% on my right knee, 0.50% on my left hand, 0.25% on my right pinky and 0.25% on my left pinky.  I came out of my shoe and didn't even know I fell until I realized my glasses were hanging from my face and our sweet custodian, Frank, came running and yelling out of a classroom. He had seen me fall. One of my co-workers came running out too.

I was so embarrassed, I didn't register any pain, just sheer embarrassment. Since some things were bleeding, we did patch me up. My co-worker walked me to my car after a few minutes. I'm going to honest, I wasn't super worried about Shea, my water didn't break, there was no blood from that area and he is so protected in there.

I called Paul on my way home, he helped calm me down a little bit and when I got home we headed to the Dr as planned. Our Dr is pretty laid back and doesn't take my crazy antics too seriously. But he was very concerned about me and my placenta rupturing. (Even though there was no dilation yet) So we were sent to the hospital for monitoring.

Well you know, we decided to walk all the sky bridges to get there and ran into a volleyball friend of Paul's. It was actually nice to see him, but I had started cramping, and felt like I needed to be looked at sooner rather than later. It took us awhile to get to the right nurses station on floor 8, but once we got there, we were taken to a monitoring room.

Everything was fine, Shea's heart rate was fine, nothing much was showing up on my contraction monitor. However they didn't want me to eat anything. I had last eaten at 12...it's not going on 5...and they wanted me to wait until 9pm.  I warned the nurse that I probably would pass out that long not pregnant, wasn't sure how I was going to make it 9 months pregnant. She must have talked to the Dr (who we were waiting to come up from the ER) because she came back with a liquid tray. I must have been hungry because I gobbled up the chicken broth, jello and sweet tea!  But unfortunately, we had waited too long because the dull headache I had, was now growing and growing worse. Paul was helping me rub my temples and scalp when she came back in. She left to bring me Tylenol but she didn't come back, instead a new nurse, Kelsey, came in. 

Oh how we loved her! She was so attentive and helpful and she got the Dr in!  Dr agreed I was okay and could leave at 8:30 instead of 9!  Kelsey also tried to help me get into a better position, like on my side. But because of Shea's position, laying on my back was the only way to keep his heart rate on the monitor. Sweet nurse even wheeled me down to the lobby to meet Paul in the car.  I asked her to be our labor/delivery nurse! Yall that's how good she was:) 

Today (4/18) we are now 10 days (really 9, because it's my bedtime) out from due date. We have a Dr's appointment tomorrow and we are so hoping there has been some movement in the dilation area! 

Wonderful readers

I have wonderful readers!  One of them sent me a sweet card and necklace. I'm so lucky to call this lady a  friend as well. She has gone above and beyond and even joined Facebook so she could get more updates as our journey progresses!  Her message in the card was one I have seen before but never applied to myself:
(Might wanna grab some tissues)

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy." God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?" God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?" God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

Who will protect me?" God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore." God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, "You will simply call her, "Mom."

The BT Shunt

We have been doing lots of prep for Shea's arrival: nursery organization, buying last minute items, hospital bag packing (-ish...Paul and Sheas are done..mine is WIP!), car seat installing, oh and yeah preparing for his first surgery. (I also should mention I've been reviewing stuff about labor and delivery since I have to do all that before we even get to meet our little man!) 

So his first open heart surgery could happen within the first week of life. We also could be discharged and then be back in a few weeks to have the surgery. Only Shea's little heart and lungs will tell us that once he is born and we see how he reacts to the world!   The surgery is called Blalock-Taussig shubt, BT shunt for short.  

Here is a little video to explain why we will need it.  For more in depth information: here

People have asked how I'm doing, which is a totally normal question to ask a 37 week pregnant lady.  I'm doing well, ya know, minus the massive heart burn, acid reflex, zero bladder control, and the unability to walk up and down the hallways or climb stairs like I used to!

And then of course, I'm also wondering 'oh do they mean mentally/emotionally?!'  Because in that area I have no answer. Most days I'm okay, seriously, I am. But it's also because I think I have compartmentalized it too. I am focusing on my sweet kiddos at school and the pregnancy. Of course I slip into the scary part and the anxiety just gets the better of me. 

Tomorrow we start our babymoon/staycation/3rd wedding anniversary. I'm definitely looking forward to it. But I'm wondering if maybe I packed too much in? Sure hope not. This girl has a field trip Monday!  Luckily, Paul is going with me and if Shea should start to make his arrival, we will be ready to roll! I'm not thinking he is going to be an early baby, but we know all babies come on their own time. :)

Now this momma to be needs some sleep...so peace out!

Sweet Baby Shea

For those of you who may have missed it, (because Facebook likes to hide things) I did start a Facebook page dedicated to Shea. I will still be blogging, don't fret readers! But I wanted to have an easy and quick way for Paul and I to communicate what's going on in the world of Shea.  They won't be long posts (so I say now...) but hopefully informative ones as Shea makes his arrival!  

Here is the link:
Sweet Baby Shea

Make sure you hoover over the like button and make sure the "all on" for notifications is clicked so you don't miss anything!

Oh...and we had a dr's appointment on Thursday. We are officially at 36 weeks.  There is no movement "down there" and no discussion of induction yet.  He said maybe we could talk about it in two weeks.  It seems so far away!  But really it isn't...we will be there before we even realize it!  

Maternity Session- black and white edition

Wow!  Y'all are so sweet...we had over 200 people look at our photos from the last post.  And when we look back at the history of our blog...over 13k reads!  I had no idea when I started this blog, that anyone would really join us.  And yet, we are international!  Love you all dear readers!  

Now here are some of my faves in black and white, which is why you are really here :)  (Again big thanks to our photographer Lora Lynch)

 I love these in color and black & white...I can't help it!!