Sunday, November 29, 2009

Letter to my baby




My dear, sweet little baby...

You've been around for eleven weeks now, which makes me fourteen weeks pregnant. You've managed to do some amazing things in those eleven weeks, like grow big enough that your daddy and I know you're there. Last night you curled up into a ball on my left side, and there was just enough of you that we could see you sticking out. And then the fire tones went off, and like you usually do, you flipped and flopped and rolled over till you were all stretched out. Your daddy can feel you, just barely, since you're still so small, and he thinks poking my belly to feel you move away is the greatest thing, ever. We can't feel you, exactly, just the hard spots you make, but we can feel that hard spot as it moves from side to side.

Your daddy just got a new job that pays almost $20,000 a year more than what he was making, and he only works two 24/hour shifts a week. This is wonderful, because your mommy right now is still too sick, and always exhausted, to think about working more than on call when she can. There's enough paperwork to keep me busy for a year, but somedays, I can barely get off the couch. This job has better benefits, too, and you and I can go spend afternoons with your daddy when he's at work and have dinner with him. Your daddy and I have decided that for the first year of your life, I will probably not work much. I will take one class a semester towards my RN degree, but for your first year, little one, it's going to be you and me. While I had never expected to be anything close to a stay-at-home mom, I suspect I will need lots of naps for a while, and not needing to worry about work. I can still pick up shifts when I want, especially when your daddy's home, but mostly, it's just not something I have to worry about for a while. We are very thankful for your daddy's new job.

Well, little Joshua or Olivia, it is late, and the only reason your mommy is still awake is because someone had chest pains, and she and your daddy went on the call. You bounced up and down when the tones went off, like you usually do, and then quieted as we talked to the patient. But now your mommy is very, very tired, and she has a paper due, and needs to go crawl in bed next to your daddy and fall asleep. And he will kiss you goodnight and tell you that he loves you, and, hopefully, you will fall asleep quickly inside me, nice and warm and safe, and know, in your tiny unborn baby way, that you are so very much loved.

Momma

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Baby update

We saw the baby this week. It looks like a baby now, instead of a blobby mass. We watched as it twisted and turned, rolled end over end. The doctor had a hard time catching the baby still enough for long enough to measure. My baby has two arms, and two legs, and a little head, and we watched as it sucked its thumb, which we have captured on the ultrasound pictures.

And we started making the decisions regarding prenatal testing; being me, I want everything under the sun, and early, so that if something were to be wrong, we would still be early enough in the pregnancy that appropriate decisions could be made. But in the end, we picked and chose through the prenatal testing(nothing invasive, unless a marker shows up regarding some form of birth defect), and made an appointment for December, and walked out with the doctor's confidence that this pregnancy will end in a healthy, beautiful baby.

My due date did change, though, to June 3rd, which is a little more in line with my dates. So I am 12 weeks pregnant, almost done with the first trimester. The nausea has lifted somewhat, though occasionally at night I still throw up if I haven't gotten a nap in. The tiredness and soreness is gone, too, so I'm getting back to exercising and school and keeping my house clean. And, of course, back to work...

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

What we do for fun

November 4, 2009

MONTEREY -- An underwater diver was rescued from a full water tower at the Monterey Correctional Facility early this afternoon.

He was working for a private contractor brought in to address problems with rust inside the tank.

Few details were immediately available this afternoon but the prison superintendent said the man got tangled in a series of lines and cables being used inside the tank.

The entire ordeal lasted over two hours, with the man trapped beneath the surface for about 75 minutes.

He was airlifted to Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse with unspecified injuries, although hypothermia from the length of time spent in the cold water was one of the concerns officials mentioned.

You can see the video here:

www.weny.com

Yes, that IS Rob and I bringing the ambulance in and then loading the patient into the helicopter.