Project Push

So I asked Preston what I should title this blog post... I guess he is ready for Baby #3 to be here!

The end of bed rest came and went. Now we just wait. I am slowly getting back to 'normal' and realizing that I am going to have a 'new normal'. These last 6+ weeks have really transformed the person that I am. Three things it has taught me:

{Make Each Moment Count} Multitasking my entire life away will only stress me out more and will leave me feeling less content.

{My Husband Rocks} So I kinda knew this already but this really brought it all to light. I have been SO blessed with an amazing husband.

{God Waits and Listens} I needed the quiet time to really bring me back to time with God. I have so many amazing stories from these past weeks that can only be described as miracles.

Baby and Body Update: As of last Wednesday I was at 4+cm, 75%effaced and -3. I could honestly walk around like this for awhile. (obviously) This past weekend I have had TONS of cramping, pain... but nothing consistent. My body is slowly getting ready... bed rest works. On Wednesday the 30th I will have my next appointment and will be 37 weeks along which means we will no longer have a preemie! (it is also my brothers birthday... so it would be a great day for #3 to enter the world)

Tomorrow I have plans to head back to the office. Wish me luck on making it up the 3 flights of stairs. :)

{Due Date Countdown} 23 days, 13 hours, 10 minutes*

*Note: If I make it to this date, you may want to stay clear of the Pettis house.

{Day 40} 21 hours and counting...

Today is my FINAL day of full bed rest! Tomorrow the medication goes away and the bed rest is lifted a bit. I have to do it fairly slowly since by body is totally used to being a lazy bum for the last 40 days! Now that it is almost over I honestly feel like it went SO fast. Thanks to so many great friends and family members we got through it all alive!

Update:

• Preston and I got to spend Saturday night in the hospital. I had major contractions all day and then in the evening was able to time them. 4 minutes apart for over two hours. We went in and were monitored for 6 hours and I went from 3cm and 50% effaced to 4cm and 75% effaced but I was still not considered in labor. They sent me home. It was bitter sweet. I of course did not want to have a baby at 35 1/2 weeks but heading into the doctor with bags packed and then to being sent home is always a downer. This pregnancy has obviously been different then all the rest but with my past history of fast labors I am being overly cautious. Now I have to figure out when is it time to go in??
• My next doctor appointment is tomorrow late morning and I will update when I get home.

I hope you all have a GREAT Thanksgiving!

{Countdown} 21 hours and 26 minutes

{Day 35} Nesting and Bed Rest

Nesting and Bed Rest are two words that do not go together too well. In the past couple weeks we had an organizer come over for the kids rooms to ease the stress of another child moving into one room or the other. I thought this would really help the nesting issue... not so much. Between that and spending WAY too much time on pinterest all I want to do is organize more! I am resisting as much as I possibly can but Preston gets nervous the more he sees me doing, only because he knows the baby will be here just that much sooner!

Doctor Update:

• Dilated to 3cm
• 50% effaced
• On a modified bed rest which means I get an hour a day to be up and semi active.
• Still on medication for contractions until 11/23 - after that she said the benefits do not outweigh the risk and of course Preston asked me what that meant but I didn't ask :P
• I asked my doc what the % of me going to 40 weeks was and she laughed. So... no chance.
• She would really like to see me get to 37 weeks but she is not sure that is doable.
• I have had a lot of cramping and contractions are still coming 3-4 times an hour.

Once again I want to thank EVERYONE that has been SOOOO helpful!

Preston's Grandpa woke up and is moved from the ICU to a regular patient room. Keep praying for his recovery. This is all really a miracle. God is good.

By this time next week I will be OFF BED REST (or will have a baby!)

{Countdown} 5 days 17 hours and 26 minutes

{Day 27} 34 Week Update

Doctor Appointment Update:

• Baby is MUCH lower
• I am now a 'generous 2' - so we have had some change since last week
• I still get one hour of free time per day but NO more than that
• I can finally deliver at my hospital if I was to go into labor
• Baby is measuring at 34 weeks
• At 36 weeks the doctor will take me off my medicine
• I will not be off complete bed rest at that time though since my body is de-conditioned

All in all it was good news. 34 weeks is another huge milestone! Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here!

*I have had some strange things since I left the doctor appointment this morning though... dizziness, nausea and feeling faint. I am home now, laying down and RESTING my brain too.

Side Note: Preston's Grandpa fell, hit his head and had to undergo surgery to drain blood off of his brain. He has not woken up yet and the doctors are only giving him a couple more days to do so. PLEASE pray for him and the family.

{Day 25} Single Parenting

Oh the joys of watching my husband as a single parent. 3 humorous stories for you:

{Story 1} Wednesday a friend of mine asked if I had received a package in the mail from her. Umm nope. I usually get the mail and it had totally not been on Preston's radar. We have not picked up our mail in over 3 weeks!

{Story 2} Thursday night we were KID FREE (thanks to Preston's parents). We got to bed early, Frank got put in the kennel so we would not be disturbed by ANY barking and we were ready for a good night sleep. Every 6 hours I have to take a pill for the contractions and usually Preston wakes up and occasionally goes to the bathroom. Well in this instance I hear the shower turn on... I wait for a little bit, check my phone time and realize it is 1am. Preston assumed it was his alarm and was getting ready for the day! He was not happy when reality set in!

{Story 3} Sunday Preston was getting our crazy house all put together for the long week and the kids were playing together nicely. Well I came downstairs for dinner and notice that Preslynn's Pink pants have a ton of white on them. I ask her what it is and she says "Mom it smells like a pool"... OH NO... we find a bottle of bleach in the downstairs pantry that they had opened and obviously played with! This could have been WAY worse and I have NO idea why bleach would be on their level. Preston looks at the bottom of his black socks... yep, white. Our red rug in the entry... white. Awesome. Thank God this story can be be laughed about now but it could have been super scary.

I broke the rules on Sunday and went to church. Pastor Phil says I get a few more points for coming to church when I am not supposed to :) Not real easy to be sneaky when getting pushed around in a wheelchair with 2 1/2 kids on your lap. Thank God Doctor Dean does not go to Crossroads :)

{Countdown: 15 days, 22 hours and 24 minutes}

{Day 20} NO change!

Great news at the doctor today, no change at all! My doc is very happy with how "good" I have been... I should have asked for a gold star or maybe even a cookie ;) The news gets even better though... if no change occurs by next Wednesday (34 weeks) she will give me an hour each day that I can be active!!! I am one happy Mommy!

The kids are off to spend a few days with Preston's parents. We are so blessed with loving people around to help! The meals, love, help and prayers keep pouring in, thank you everyone!

{Countdown 20 Days, 18 hours and 50 minutes}

{Day 18} Missing Out

I lay here in bed while my kiddos are out trick-or-treating. I usually dis-like walking to strangers houses asking for candy but this year I would give about anything to say those 3 little words.

Bed rest is getting old. This past weekend was just tough, tough for us all. We saw a little light on Sunday when we thought we were going to get out of the house to eat a simple meal (against doctors order of course)... well 1 mile from home Preslynn threw-up all over the car and herself. Happy day.

Preston is a bit stressed with being a single parent and I totally understand. I could go on and on but to sum it up we are stressed. I know this is better than the alternative of having a premie in the nicu but prayers are still appreciated. :)

In the midst of all the stress Preston was able to get out of the house on Saturday night... as me.... on steroids. We all got a good laugh. (picture attached)

Happy Halloween Everyone :)

{Day 14} Friends are Priceless

I can honestly say that I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I am surrounded by the most beautiful woman both inside and out. My doctor gave me the "okay" to attend Bible Study, it helps that is right next door but it was a breath of fresh air... literally. Thank you ladies for helping, caring and praying for us everyday!

Yesterday we hit a HUGE milestone! Not only did I get to to get out of the house, but I am now 32 weeks along! This is awesome for babies development and growth. I had another doctors appointment and they feel like it is promising that I will be pregnant for another 2 weeks (at the very least). I am 2+ centimeters dilated at this point so there was no talk of letting me off of bed rest, but they were happy with the fact that things have seemed to slow down a bit.

Today I am missing my kiddos. They are spending a couple of days at my in-laws. I am SO thankful for the help but I miss them like crazy!

{Countdown} 26 days 16 hours and 41 minutes

Top 10 on {Day 10}

Top 10 list of the last 10 days...

1. I have realized that my husband is a VERY patient man.

2. Everything does happen for a reason. I believe that this was God's way of telling me to SLOW DOWN.

3. The toughest thing so far has been watching everyone else do things for my kids while I sit/lay on the sidelines.

4. Leighton said his first official word last night and it was... ball. Why would it be anything else?

5. I miss doing chores. I can't believe I said that outloud.

6. I finally have time to catch up on Private Practice (thank you Netflix) :)

7. It is super strange to not go to my office, but I don't miss the 3 flights (48 steps) of stairs!

8. Preston has dibs on the baby coming the week of November 23rd-30th. I think the baby will be here on November 20th.

10. I am pretty sure I am having a boy. Thoughts from the peanut gallery?

Countdown: 30 days 12 hours and 15 minutes

And on the 8th day...

And on the 8th day... PRESTON bought me Ice Cream. :) So this bed rest thing isn't so bad after all. Pigs are flying and hell is freezing over. haha. Okay only slightly joking but Preston purchasing ice cream is kinda a big deal.

Really the only thing I find a bit depressing is the fact that Preston leaves when it is dark and comes home... when it is dark. Otherwise I am finding more than enough things to do on-line.

• I am just about finished with my Christmas Shopping.
• I started an ebay account and have become a bit addicted to the words "You are the highest bidder!"
• My quickbooks is almost up to date :)
• AND tena.cious is rocking!

Baby Update: The little one is basically using my womb for a jungle gym, which I am sure is fun for him/her but not so much for mama. We were a little bummed to hear from the doc that the anti-contraction medicine will increase babies heart rate and make them move around a lot more. I guess we can look at it as a better alternative than being out here with the rest of us, but it is still a bit sad.

Tonight we enjoyed a fabulous meal from Preston's sister Brooke and our freezer was stalked just a bit more full with meals from Tim and Kari! THANK YOU!

Thankful

Preston and I are both so thankful for everyone that has already helped us so much! We are blessed with such awesome friends and family, we feel your love and support!

The thanks go to:

• My Mom and Aunts for making us a countless number of meals!
• My Parents for taking the kids for the weekend!
• My Aunts for the Pj's.... since this is my new attire for the next 34 days!
• Katie for an amazing chicken dinner and pumpkin muffins! *Preslynn asked if you could make them everyday for her ;)
• Sabrina for making us two awesome meals, helping us with the kids and assisting with my boredom by bringing over Bridesmaids!
• Breyan for helping anyway you possible can with our children (and for putting up with Preston's schedule... or lack there of).
• Heather for taking the kids ALL DAY Monday!
• Dave and Diane for the awesome bed table I can use while laying down. It rocks!
• Brooke for bringing me stuff at the hospital Saturday night at 11pm!
• Kathy (preston's client) for feeding my children when they had to be at LifeTime during dinner. :)
• Jo Ann and Ella for keeping me company, making dinner and cleaning my kitchen!
• My entire team at tena.cious! Angie is the new Tena :) Angie.cious just doesn't have the same ring to it though. lol
• To everyone else that has offered help and prayers or that I forgot!!!

AND IT HAS BEEN LESS THAN A WEEK!

{Day 7} Time is What I've Got

More than likely this blog will be interesting to about 6 1/2 people. For those of you that have NO interest of hearing about Baby Pettis #3 and Me on bed rest... read no further.

To re-cap the last 7 days to those of you that are not up to speed:

Wednesday October 12th: Went to the emergency room because of increased abdominal pain and spotting. After monitoring me for a couple hours I was sent home and told to rest and was instructed to see the doc the following day. Came home and lost "plug". I called the Doc and she was as nice as can be (heavy on the sarcasm) and told me I was fine.

Thursday October 13th: Checked out by Doc and they stated I was dilated to a 1 with a firm cervix and was put on "pelvic rest". I basically decided I knew my body better and put myself on a mild bed rest.

Saturday October 15th: Increased pain, contractions, cramping and back pain... went to ER at 7pm. Was monitored for a couple hours and was dilated to a 2 with a soft cervix (major increase since Thursday for a gal in her 30th week of pregnancy). They kept me overnight in the hospital and monitored the baby until about Noon on Sunday. The Doc put me on a strict bed rest... I get to go to the bathroom, take a shower and occasionally eat at the dinner table.

Wednesday October 19th: Got an ultrasound and they were really positive about babies growth. They were estimating that baby weighs about 4lbs and is measuring two weeks ahead of schedule. This is AWESOME news :) Both Preston and I teared up during the the scan when we saw the profile of our little baby... identical side profile of our other two children. LOVE.

Countdown: 33 days 22 hours 19 minutes