Voicemail from Heather this morning went a little something like this: "Hello... just calling to let you know that I am headed to Pensacola so you can't have the baby this weekend. You are on hold until I get back Monday..."
Ha.
Today's appointment discovered that I am 1 cm dilated (for those who aren't in the know, 10cm is the goal). Woo hoo! Now, I could stay like this for the next 4 weeks or could continue to progress, who knows? Dr. Cottam said his head is still a bit high but the more he drops the more progress will be made. Hence my new motto: Lunge, squat, birthing ball, walk, repeat. She will check again at our next appointment on Tuesday. :) Here we go folks...
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
I'll Never Eat Corn on the Cob Again...
Before I get into the details, I will start by saying Grits is home and feeling MUCH better than she was two days ago... but not before much drama and a couple of rather emotionally draining days.
Sunday night Chris and I got home from hanging out with Matt in Etowah to find two rather foul deposits of diarrhea upstairs. No biggie, Grits has gotten into trash before that's made her sick to her stomach, and to her defense she had been in the house for about 11 hours without going out. We didn't think too much about it and got ready for bed...and to paint a picture, Grits has her bed at the foot of our bed, but normally she sleeps under our bed for the first hour or so, moves to her bed for most of the night, then jumps up on the end of our bed usually just before sunrise. Well, this night she was pacing around the room, occasionally whining, huffing, or moaning, trying to get our attention. She does this from time to time, but she was particularly persistent so Chris and I took turns getting up and letting her out four or five times. Now, we live at camp and she thinks the whole thing is her backyard, so each time she would kind of wander around, at times where we would have to go look for her with a headlamp. One time I found her behind the house eating grass like a little moo cow and she would NOT come inside. It wasn't a defiant "I am not listening to you" refusal, she just didn't want to come back inside. When we would finally coax her back in, she went in the bathroom and slept on the tile floor. This went on all night, every few hours...
So, around 8am Chris and I awoke to the horrendous sound of massive amounts of vomit being released on our bedroom floor (thank God, seriously, for hardwood floors). We both sprung up, Chris took Grits outside in case she was going to continue to be sick, I buried my head in my pillow in disbelief and exhaustion after a long night. They came back in, Chris began to clean up the mess, Grits stayed downstairs... where she continued to be sick in the kitchen. I went down to tend to her, letting her out on the back porch for some fresh air and hopefully some water that would relieve her stomach. She just got worse. She continued to be sick (sparing you the details), couldn't hold down even water, and quickly becoming withdrawn from me. After she would "get sick" she would have drool and foam on her mouth... at this sight I knew in my gut something was really wrong. I went to the kitchen to get a wet towel to clean her up and I LOST it. Absolutely fell apart. Chris came running downstairs, thinking I was now throwing up or that Grits has passed out, unresponsive, or something along those lines.
While I was losing it downstairs, Chris discovered (after bravely dissecting the specimen) not only a LOT of grass, but 2 pieces of corn on the cob (one about half, and the other about a quarter) and some waxy paper used to package meat. This was not good. We decided that we would try to keep getting her to drink water and watch her the next couple of hours before we took her into the vet, but I went ahead and called Heather to get the number to the clinic in Knoxville where she and Mike have vet school friends, just in case.
I decided I would head back upstairs and try to nap for a bit, which I did for about an hour when Chris woke me up. He said we needed to go ahead and take her, she wasn't getting better and she was becoming more lethargic as time passed. So I quickly showered, trying to wake myself up, and we loaded up the car and headed into town. It was going to take about an hour to get to the clinic so I made all the calls on the way... it was about 12:30 and I had just set our appt. with Tracy for 3:30 when Grits "got sick" all over the back of the car. We stopped at the Mom and Pop store about 10 min from the house and cleaned out the car, now contemplating if we could wait until 3:30 to take her in. We continued on, stopped for lunch, found the clinic, and shortly after decided that we couldn't wait another hour and a half, she clearly wasn't getting better and was obviously dehydrated at the least.
So we took her in to the Central Vet Hospital (highly recommend it for Knoxville locals) where they worked us in immediately. At this point, Chris is having to carry Grits in and out of the car, really having to make her walk on her own. I am still on the verge of meltdown when they call us back... I take one step into the exam room and walk right out, bursting into tears in the waiting room. I am sure the folks in the lobby were a little nervous to see the very pregnant lady sobbing in the waiting area...and it seems the first Dr. who looked at her said "Yeah, that's probably best..." when I walked out. :) They examined her, I gathered myself, went in and heard that she is in shock, her gums are cold, and she's very dehydrated. They took her downstairs immediately, hooked her up to IV fluids to try and get her stable enough for further exams and x-rays, then Tracy would be able to look at her.
They carried her back up and we followed her into Tracy's exam room. There he told us he was fairly certain he could feel the "obstruction" in her intestines, but wanted to see x-rays to make sure. If in fact she had corn cob in her intestines, she would have to have surgery to remove it. After a little while of waiting, we went back to see the pictures, and sure enough, plain as day, there was a corn cob sitting in her little intestines. Her stomach, which is supposed to be about the size of your fist, was swollen up to about the size of a large pancake. She was headed to the operating room, we were headed home, and Tracy would take her to stay at the Emergency clinic overnight where they would tend to her and watch her until morning. I was very upset, but very confident that Tracy would take good care of her and that she was in the best hands this side of the NC border. :)
So we are almost home and get a call from Heather telling us that she had just gotten off the phone with Andrea, Tracy's wife, who is also a vet. She came over to the clinic to ultrasound Grits' tummy, but before she could get there Grits took matters into her own hands and decided to pass the corn cob out on her own. So Andrea went ahead and ultrasounded her to see what she could see, and was pretty certain, along with Tracy, that she no longer had an obstruction. Now, leave it to my dog to say "Heck no, you aren't cutting me open. I will get this thing out right NOW..."
No surgery, two nights at the clinic, lots of IV rehydration, potential need for blood transfusion (because the corn cob wasn't too nice coming out on its own), lots of TLC from the Drs. and staff at the clinic, a shaved tummy and front legs, four prescriptions, a basketcase owner, and a corn cob later and she is now back home with us resting and recuperating.
I think I was given just a taste of motherhood during this adventure and ya'll better start praying now for Noah's emotional mama. Chris will have to be holding my hand and his every time we go to the pediatrician. I will conveniently blame this emotional breakdown on the pregnancy hormones...
A big thanks to Dr. Tracy Matthews and his crew at Central Vetrinarian Hospital for the support and comfort. Apparently, in Grits' fashion, she quickly stole the heart of all the staff who worked with her. We are very thankful for them all and especially for the Drs. Matthews who went above and beyond... apparently this could have been really intense and could have turned out not so good, but they never let on.
Thanks, family & friends, for praying for our Grits. You all know how much we love her and how much she is part of our family... though I never thought I would be someone to say that, they make their way into your heart and you just can't help it.
Oh yeah... we now have two big galvanized trash cans with serious lids...so hopefully there will be no more corn cob incidents in our future.
Sunday night Chris and I got home from hanging out with Matt in Etowah to find two rather foul deposits of diarrhea upstairs. No biggie, Grits has gotten into trash before that's made her sick to her stomach, and to her defense she had been in the house for about 11 hours without going out. We didn't think too much about it and got ready for bed...and to paint a picture, Grits has her bed at the foot of our bed, but normally she sleeps under our bed for the first hour or so, moves to her bed for most of the night, then jumps up on the end of our bed usually just before sunrise. Well, this night she was pacing around the room, occasionally whining, huffing, or moaning, trying to get our attention. She does this from time to time, but she was particularly persistent so Chris and I took turns getting up and letting her out four or five times. Now, we live at camp and she thinks the whole thing is her backyard, so each time she would kind of wander around, at times where we would have to go look for her with a headlamp. One time I found her behind the house eating grass like a little moo cow and she would NOT come inside. It wasn't a defiant "I am not listening to you" refusal, she just didn't want to come back inside. When we would finally coax her back in, she went in the bathroom and slept on the tile floor. This went on all night, every few hours...
So, around 8am Chris and I awoke to the horrendous sound of massive amounts of vomit being released on our bedroom floor (thank God, seriously, for hardwood floors). We both sprung up, Chris took Grits outside in case she was going to continue to be sick, I buried my head in my pillow in disbelief and exhaustion after a long night. They came back in, Chris began to clean up the mess, Grits stayed downstairs... where she continued to be sick in the kitchen. I went down to tend to her, letting her out on the back porch for some fresh air and hopefully some water that would relieve her stomach. She just got worse. She continued to be sick (sparing you the details), couldn't hold down even water, and quickly becoming withdrawn from me. After she would "get sick" she would have drool and foam on her mouth... at this sight I knew in my gut something was really wrong. I went to the kitchen to get a wet towel to clean her up and I LOST it. Absolutely fell apart. Chris came running downstairs, thinking I was now throwing up or that Grits has passed out, unresponsive, or something along those lines.
While I was losing it downstairs, Chris discovered (after bravely dissecting the specimen) not only a LOT of grass, but 2 pieces of corn on the cob (one about half, and the other about a quarter) and some waxy paper used to package meat. This was not good. We decided that we would try to keep getting her to drink water and watch her the next couple of hours before we took her into the vet, but I went ahead and called Heather to get the number to the clinic in Knoxville where she and Mike have vet school friends, just in case.
I decided I would head back upstairs and try to nap for a bit, which I did for about an hour when Chris woke me up. He said we needed to go ahead and take her, she wasn't getting better and she was becoming more lethargic as time passed. So I quickly showered, trying to wake myself up, and we loaded up the car and headed into town. It was going to take about an hour to get to the clinic so I made all the calls on the way... it was about 12:30 and I had just set our appt. with Tracy for 3:30 when Grits "got sick" all over the back of the car. We stopped at the Mom and Pop store about 10 min from the house and cleaned out the car, now contemplating if we could wait until 3:30 to take her in. We continued on, stopped for lunch, found the clinic, and shortly after decided that we couldn't wait another hour and a half, she clearly wasn't getting better and was obviously dehydrated at the least.
So we took her in to the Central Vet Hospital (highly recommend it for Knoxville locals) where they worked us in immediately. At this point, Chris is having to carry Grits in and out of the car, really having to make her walk on her own. I am still on the verge of meltdown when they call us back... I take one step into the exam room and walk right out, bursting into tears in the waiting room. I am sure the folks in the lobby were a little nervous to see the very pregnant lady sobbing in the waiting area...and it seems the first Dr. who looked at her said "Yeah, that's probably best..." when I walked out. :) They examined her, I gathered myself, went in and heard that she is in shock, her gums are cold, and she's very dehydrated. They took her downstairs immediately, hooked her up to IV fluids to try and get her stable enough for further exams and x-rays, then Tracy would be able to look at her.
They carried her back up and we followed her into Tracy's exam room. There he told us he was fairly certain he could feel the "obstruction" in her intestines, but wanted to see x-rays to make sure. If in fact she had corn cob in her intestines, she would have to have surgery to remove it. After a little while of waiting, we went back to see the pictures, and sure enough, plain as day, there was a corn cob sitting in her little intestines. Her stomach, which is supposed to be about the size of your fist, was swollen up to about the size of a large pancake. She was headed to the operating room, we were headed home, and Tracy would take her to stay at the Emergency clinic overnight where they would tend to her and watch her until morning. I was very upset, but very confident that Tracy would take good care of her and that she was in the best hands this side of the NC border. :)
So we are almost home and get a call from Heather telling us that she had just gotten off the phone with Andrea, Tracy's wife, who is also a vet. She came over to the clinic to ultrasound Grits' tummy, but before she could get there Grits took matters into her own hands and decided to pass the corn cob out on her own. So Andrea went ahead and ultrasounded her to see what she could see, and was pretty certain, along with Tracy, that she no longer had an obstruction. Now, leave it to my dog to say "Heck no, you aren't cutting me open. I will get this thing out right NOW..."
No surgery, two nights at the clinic, lots of IV rehydration, potential need for blood transfusion (because the corn cob wasn't too nice coming out on its own), lots of TLC from the Drs. and staff at the clinic, a shaved tummy and front legs, four prescriptions, a basketcase owner, and a corn cob later and she is now back home with us resting and recuperating.
I think I was given just a taste of motherhood during this adventure and ya'll better start praying now for Noah's emotional mama. Chris will have to be holding my hand and his every time we go to the pediatrician. I will conveniently blame this emotional breakdown on the pregnancy hormones...
A big thanks to Dr. Tracy Matthews and his crew at Central Vetrinarian Hospital for the support and comfort. Apparently, in Grits' fashion, she quickly stole the heart of all the staff who worked with her. We are very thankful for them all and especially for the Drs. Matthews who went above and beyond... apparently this could have been really intense and could have turned out not so good, but they never let on.
Thanks, family & friends, for praying for our Grits. You all know how much we love her and how much she is part of our family... though I never thought I would be someone to say that, they make their way into your heart and you just can't help it.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Our Bags are Packed and We're Ready to Go... Maybe
Once we got the car seat installed the last thing to check off the "prepare ahead" list was to pack our bags and load them in the car. We figured it would be smartest to just keep them in the car from now on considering we live so far out, it would be a trek back to the house to retrieve bags if we happened to be in town. Now, different resources will give you a list to go by for what to bring, but we kind of just winged it. I think we have all the important things, but in this day and age Target is only so far away that if we REALLY forgot something important it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I think the only thing that I still need to pick up is a nursing gown/robe for the hospital stay and around the house.
I also updated our Cloth Diaper registry at Cutie Tooties if anyone is interested in checking that out. As I've said before, I am not so concerned with colors of items, just no pink or purple, that might be awkward. We are really committed to doing this cloth diapering thing and are pretty excited to give it a go.
I have been subtly encouraged recently by the "band of mothers" who have offered advice, peace, love, and understanding of what Chris and I are about to experience. Not that the last 35 weeks hasn't been an experience, but we realize our world is about to change drastically. It feels like there is some secret society of young parents who want to help others however they can, even in simple ways. I have had a friend offer to share her recent natural birth experience and encouragement, a friend from high school thought of us when she found cloth diapers in her stash of baby items, our CJK family is hosting a shower to celebrate our little guy, and of course the ongoing love and support from our families. It's comforting to know that we are not alone in this adventure, though sometimes it feels like we are lightyears away in knowledge and our comfort zone. Thanks for standing behind us and letting us feel your warmth...
My dreams lately have been all sorts of random... mostly involving birthing scenarios. I did this about 3 months prior to our wedding as well, except in those it was crazy exes (not mine) sabbotaging our day, or marrying a stand-in because the real bride/groom couldn't be found. Now, I think I have given birth in my sleep a few times, in the woods a couple, and have had frequent dreams of having Noah and then going right back to Second Nature to work, carrying him in my pack like it's normal. If only labor can be so easy that I could do it in my sleep... I am not a dream decoder but I would be willing to say they must mean something. Not to mention, they disrupt my sleep, usually when I wake up laughing...
This has turned out way longer than I intended, but lastly, I picked up "Baby Wise" as recommended by my sisters and am really liking it. I underline and highlight and really feel like there is a lot of truth to the words on the pages. Only time will tell, but I think having an understanding and firm foundation of how to find the best balance for our family will be key. We shall see...
I also updated our Cloth Diaper registry at Cutie Tooties if anyone is interested in checking that out. As I've said before, I am not so concerned with colors of items, just no pink or purple, that might be awkward. We are really committed to doing this cloth diapering thing and are pretty excited to give it a go.
I have been subtly encouraged recently by the "band of mothers" who have offered advice, peace, love, and understanding of what Chris and I are about to experience. Not that the last 35 weeks hasn't been an experience, but we realize our world is about to change drastically. It feels like there is some secret society of young parents who want to help others however they can, even in simple ways. I have had a friend offer to share her recent natural birth experience and encouragement, a friend from high school thought of us when she found cloth diapers in her stash of baby items, our CJK family is hosting a shower to celebrate our little guy, and of course the ongoing love and support from our families. It's comforting to know that we are not alone in this adventure, though sometimes it feels like we are lightyears away in knowledge and our comfort zone. Thanks for standing behind us and letting us feel your warmth...
My dreams lately have been all sorts of random... mostly involving birthing scenarios. I did this about 3 months prior to our wedding as well, except in those it was crazy exes (not mine) sabbotaging our day, or marrying a stand-in because the real bride/groom couldn't be found. Now, I think I have given birth in my sleep a few times, in the woods a couple, and have had frequent dreams of having Noah and then going right back to Second Nature to work, carrying him in my pack like it's normal. If only labor can be so easy that I could do it in my sleep... I am not a dream decoder but I would be willing to say they must mean something. Not to mention, they disrupt my sleep, usually when I wake up laughing...
This has turned out way longer than I intended, but lastly, I picked up "Baby Wise" as recommended by my sisters and am really liking it. I underline and highlight and really feel like there is a lot of truth to the words on the pages. Only time will tell, but I think having an understanding and firm foundation of how to find the best balance for our family will be key. We shall see...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
34.5 Weeks: Place Your Bets
Alright... so here is the chance for everyone to "place your bet" of when you think Baby Ford will greet this crazy world. You can comment, email, or Facebook message your guesses to me or Chris and we will add it to the list to the right of this page. We are still playing with the calendar part, but we plan to highlight picked dates as well as list them below with who picked what. Here are the facts that may help you with your pick:
- First Due Date: 09/24/09
- Current Due Date: 10/01/09
- My measurements and his heart rate have been right on the duration of pregnancy
- I have been experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions for about 3 weeks.
- It's not confirmed yet, but I think he has "dropped", considering the newfound space between my belly and my boobs.
- Last Dr. appt. (08/11) his head was down.
- I feel great and am exercising (birthing ball, walking, riding bikes, etc.) but am quite tired at the end of the day.
I think that's about all the info that I have that may help you decide. I don't know what the "prize" will be for whoever is right/comes the closest, but we thought it would be fun. If you want to throw in guesses of time, size, weight, etc. that would be fun as well. (Please, Aunt Meg, do not wish a 12lb baby on me!)
Send us your guesses here or @ elizabethbford@gmail.com or christopherteele@hotmail.com
Thanks for playing!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Car Seat: Check
Our XTerra has now officially been turned into the Ford Family Baby Mobile. Chris lovingly cleaned out the car after a summer of camp driving (ick!) and installed the seat yesterday. We are going to get Eddie (camp's maintenance man/Volunteer Rescue Squad of Roane County Captain/engagement ring hero, etc.) to check and make sure that it's in properly, but we think it'll hold the kid safely. Our goal was to have it in by the end of August...now just to pack hospital bags and find a pediatrician.
Thanks, Chapman family, for the amazing deal on the carseat/stroller/baby backpack... we can't wait to fill them up!
Thanks, Chapman family, for the amazing deal on the carseat/stroller/baby backpack... we can't wait to fill them up!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Bathing Suit Bliss
I swore I would NOT wear a maternity bathing suit. I lost. When the nephews come to play, you just can't say no... In fact, I have said "no" to anything flowy that ties around the back like a smock because I am proud of this little dude hanging out in my belly and I am not afraid to show it. There, I said it. But because this is the only picture that's been taken of me in a while (at 33.5 weeks) I thought I would share the growth, along with a few other photos from the boys' visit.
And for another new hobby of Chris' that I can't participate in until next year:
A boy and his dog, best friends:
And for another new hobby of Chris' that I can't participate in until next year:
A boy and his dog, best friends:
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Jolly Green Baby
We have decided to embark on the cloth diapering adventure for our wallet's sake and for the love of the earth. Gretchen Smeltzer (friend thru my brother) graciously passed down a whole mess of cloth diapers and covers to us a few months back and the idea just expanded from there. I started researching all of the different ways we could go about taking on this challenge and finally have wrapped my head around it. We will use Chinese prefolds, Thirsties covers, snappies instead of clothespins, handmade flannel wipes, and Northern Essence wipe solution... I went to Cutie Tooties here in Knoxville the other day and purchased a few things to get us started. The owner was there and was extremely helpful, and should be, as she has cloth diapered toddler triplets! I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of laundry that family has done! I am going to set up a registry there, so if anyone is looking for gift ideas, this would be amazing!
A few fun facts about cloth diapering and why it's a great choice:
- On average, Americans throw away enough diapers per year to fill a football stadium three miles high (SICK!).
- It takes 500 years for one disposable diaper to break down in a landfill.
- From birth to potty trained at 2nd birthday, the average savings for using cloth diapers is approximately $1500. And if you use reusable wipes, add another $800 onto that.
- Once you collect the supplies for one baby, you can use them (or pass them on) to other children to use as well.
I'm convinced. Chris and I are going to need some practice, but we figure that we have to change his diaper anyway, might as well save cash and the planet while we are at it. Being good stewards of what God has given us serves more than just our needs... maybe it will teach others that they can do the same, even if it seems a small gesture.
In other recent happenings, I made a mobile of sorts to hang above Noah's crib. Though we weren't really going for a "Noah's Ark" theme, his room and bedding (thanks to the Giusti fam) has been decorated with animals...so I found these felt photo frame projects on super sale at Wal-Mart and decided to make a little mobile. Those are pictures of Chris and me throughout the past few years... the original idea was to use our baby pictures, but I got impatient and used current pictures of us together. I am no crafting pro, but I am pretty proud of the way it came out.
We started our birthing classes last night... let me just say that the videos we watched last night should be shown in every sex-ed class across America. Wow. One down, four to go... we are hoping we make it thru all five weeks. The biggest lesson I learned is that gravity works in your favor, so if being upright more often will kick this delivery into gear, I won't be sitting/laying very much in the next 7 weeks.
A few fun facts about cloth diapering and why it's a great choice:
- On average, Americans throw away enough diapers per year to fill a football stadium three miles high (SICK!).
- It takes 500 years for one disposable diaper to break down in a landfill.
- From birth to potty trained at 2nd birthday, the average savings for using cloth diapers is approximately $1500. And if you use reusable wipes, add another $800 onto that.
- Once you collect the supplies for one baby, you can use them (or pass them on) to other children to use as well.
I'm convinced. Chris and I are going to need some practice, but we figure that we have to change his diaper anyway, might as well save cash and the planet while we are at it. Being good stewards of what God has given us serves more than just our needs... maybe it will teach others that they can do the same, even if it seems a small gesture.
In other recent happenings, I made a mobile of sorts to hang above Noah's crib. Though we weren't really going for a "Noah's Ark" theme, his room and bedding (thanks to the Giusti fam) has been decorated with animals...so I found these felt photo frame projects on super sale at Wal-Mart and decided to make a little mobile. Those are pictures of Chris and me throughout the past few years... the original idea was to use our baby pictures, but I got impatient and used current pictures of us together. I am no crafting pro, but I am pretty proud of the way it came out.
We started our birthing classes last night... let me just say that the videos we watched last night should be shown in every sex-ed class across America. Wow. One down, four to go... we are hoping we make it thru all five weeks. The biggest lesson I learned is that gravity works in your favor, so if being upright more often will kick this delivery into gear, I won't be sitting/laying very much in the next 7 weeks.
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