Bed Rest

I am officially starting my thurd week of bed rest this week.  It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would.  Although the first week I was in the hospital most of it and my mom was here and then last week BD here was here most of it due to Thanksgiving.  So by the end of this week my attitude may have changed.  I do get to get out of the house at least twice a week for Dr's appointments. 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Thursday morning we had breakfast and then had a late lunch of all the usual Thanksgiving goodies.  BD has done so well with the meals and dishes although he swears doing dishes is his least favorite thing to do of all house work.  Friday morning we had to be at the hospital bright and early for a test that went well and then BD went to an estate sale and Home Depot.  Saturday we didn't do much but some things around the house and then yesterday was the same pretty much just sat around.  I can't even go downstairs so I am doing LOTS of sitting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I  know the TV schedule by heart  and have looked at every website a time or two.  I am just trying to let this little guy bake as long as possible. 

I will be 33 weeks pregnant this week.  I am still shooting for 36 or even later.  When this all started my Dr was hoping for 34 weeks which scares me because that is next week.  Even my goal of 36 weeks freaks me out because that is only 3 weeks away. Only time will tell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankful

Oh where to begin...............................................................

This year I have so much to be Thankful for.  I have to say that it has been one of the hardest years but at the same time one of the Greatest. 

1. I am beyond greatful for my amazing family.  My parents and my husband are amazing.  My parents did more for us this past weekend than some parents do in a lifetime.  And Andrew has really stepped up and done his part these past two weeks that I have been on bedrest.  He is very good about not letting me be on my feet too long.  He is just as determined as I am to keep Henry baking as long as possible.  I cannot imagine being on this journey without these three people.

2. I am so Thankful to have a great brother, sister in law, 2 nephews and a niece.  I miss them daily but know that sooner than later we will all be back together!!!!!!I sure miss going to Ryan's sporting events and of course watching the boys play their hearts out at what ever sport is in season.  I cannot wait to see how the kids react to having to share their KK with Henry!!!!

3.  Andrew and I are both Thankful for our amazing friends.  So many of you have called and texted to check on us during this whole adventure of moving to Minnesota and the pregnancy.  I am so happy that some of you have been able to come and visit and experience our life with us.  Thank you all.

4.  I am so Thankful for our move to Minnesota.  It has been hard but it has been fun.  It has made our marriage stronger than ever.  I think with our little guy joining us will make his dad want to move back to Texas sooner than later but for now well just stay warm here in Minnesota.

5. I am forever Thankful for both husbands and I's jobs.  There are so many people out there that do not have stable work.  I am thankful that mine is allowing me to be off all this time for my health.  I am thankful that we are able to spend as we please due to our careers. 

6.  Last of all I am Thankful for our new little baby.  We are so happy to be having a little boy.  We love Henry and at this point we are willing to do whatever we can to ensure Henry's healthy when he comes into this world.  Andrew and I can't wait to show him off to all of our family and friends!!!!!  We love him more than we could have ever imagined!!!!!!

Here are some pictures of things we are Thankful for:

This picture is OLD.  It is from the day before we got engaged!!!!!

Andrew and a few of his friends before moving to MN!!!!!

How adorable is this?  He is going to be a Great dad!!!

Three of the greatest people in my life

LOVE these Girls!!!!

We LOVE when our friends come visit!!!!!

How old is this?  At a friends wedding!

Love these 2!!!!

The BEST big brother!!!!!

Henry Joseph Van Bakel

Lifesaver

My mom has been our lifesaver the last 10 days. She officially left today so now we are on our own. But before she left she made sure we were taken care of. I truly enjoyed her time here but know it was not that fun and she needs to go home to take care of my dad and my brothers family. She cleaned our house,did our laundry and cooked. We have plenty of meals for the next few weeks. I can't wait for her to come back but told her she was NOT allowed to come back for at least 4 weeks. This is her super busy time at work so she is also hoping for the 4 weeks. That means I better continue to do what I have been doing which is Nothing!!! I am going to owe her and BD for a while once I give birth. I Love them both more than they will ever know!!!!

So the weekly photos I think have come to an end. I do have weekly Dr appointments but don't think she will be happy if I show up completely made up. So I guess I will have to be happy with what I have. I do have a few that I need to add but not sure when I will get around to adding them.

We went for another sono of our little guy yesterday and like usual he is doing great. He got a 10 out of 10 so I was super happy!!! I have another appointment on Tuesday and then another sono on Friday. He is still breeched but at this point that is my last concern. I hope the steroid shots helped his little lungs!!! He seems to have gotten the stubborn gene from both me and BD so our life will be interesting!!!

Here's to at least 4 more weeks on the couch/bed!!! This will be my last relaxing Thanksgiving and I am fine with it!!!!

Hospital Stay #1

Oh the joys of pregnancy. Who would have ever thought our journey would be this exciting.

So I have been in the hospital since Tuesday afternoon. I went to my Dr's appointment and was told I had more protein in my urine than I did 2 weeks before so she thought that Steroids for our little guys lungs were the best best. They recommend the shots before 32 weeks so we were cutting it very close. Thankfully my mom was with me as I had a minor breakdown. We went home to pack a bag and made it to the hospital. -SideNote- we had to change hospitals due to me now being high risk. Well this has sent BD into a complete tizzy!!! The original hospital was just minutes from the house and now this one is about 10 minutes and in a totally different neighborhood. Him and change could make you go crazy!!!!
Anyways mom and I got to the hospital,got checked in and I was given my first dose of steroids. I was really dreading that shot in my butt but it was not bad at all. BD finally made it to the hospital and we ordered pizza and watched our normal Tuesday TV. My mom stayed the night with me as I don't think I could have made her leave. Wednesday my blood pressure continued to improve and when the monitored Henry he of course was doing great. I got my last dose of roids around 5:30. BD made it from work much easier this time and we had Chinese and watched TV. My Dr is suppose to make rounds early Thursday morning and I am hoping to be discharged. My visit has been great with amazing nursing staff but I am ready to be home and not be back for at least 5 weeks. I am going home and laying on the couch/bed for the next few weeks. This stay has made me realize that bedrest does change things. I am dying to meet my little guy but he needs to stay in my tummy a few more weeks to ensure we are both healthy.

Notice the timing of this post- I must be getting on mommy time!!
Thanks for all the prayers and texts!! We need all the support we can get right now!

LIfe Unexpected

I will admit I am a HUGE planner.  I try to plan every aspect of our lives.  The scary part is is that BD is just as much a planner.  Well little did we know our little guy has plans of his own.  He has officially put his momma on bedrest.  Really its not him its more me.  My blood pressure is still high.  I had some protein in my urine last week and had to get retested today and will get the results tomorrow.  My Dr. is hoping for at least 4 more weeks and I am shooting for 6 more weeks.  There I go again with my planning.  Regardless I feel absolutely fine and even better is that Mr. Henry looks perfect.  We had multiple tests on Friday and he scored great on them all. He is right on track!!!!!!!!!!!!  That sure puts his momma at ease.  So tomorrow we will find out if we need steroids.  My blood pressure was better today so things are looking up.  I am trying to stay positive.  And we did get some good news about daycare today so life really isn't that bad. 

My parents have been here for the weekend and we had fun.  We ate,cleaned and cleaned.  I will admit I did not do very much.  I am very blessed because my mom was able to stay a few extra days to give me company and to finish cooking. 

How can you be negative when these are your 3 biggest cheerleaders in life!!!!!!!!!!

Recovery Weekend

We are recovering this weekend from a pretty exciting week.

I went back to the Dr on Thursday and got a good report. I am still trying to take it easy the rest of the pregnancy. I plan to work until the day I have Henry. And of course we have to get his room ready. We started on it today so we are a little closer! We should finish the BIG stuff tomorrow and then finish it next weekend. Our new room downstairs is almost done too. It feels good to have these things done!!!!

My mom and dad come this week. I can't wait. Mom and I are going to finish the nursery and cook while dad does some deep cleaning. Don't worry we are going to do plenty of shopping and eating. Its going to be a blast. Of course we will miss my brothers family but he starts basketball this week so I'm sure he is excited about that.

Good Luck Uncle Mike in the NYC marathon tomorrow. Now you just need to come visit me and Andy!!!

Recovery Weekend

We are recovering this weekend from a pretty exciting week.

I went back to the Dr on Thursday and got a good report. I am still trying to take it easy the rest of the pregnancy. I plan to work until the day I have Henry. And of course we have to get his room ready. We started on it today so we are a little closer! We should finish the BIG stuff tomorrow and then finish it next weekend. Our new room downstairs is almost done too. It feels good to have these things done!!!!

My mom and dad come this week. I can't wait. Mom and I are going to finish the nursery and cook while dad does some deep cleaning. Don't worry we are going to do plenty of shopping and eating. Its going to be a blast. Of course we will miss my brothers family but he starts basketball this week so I'm sure he is excited about that.

Good Luck Uncle Mike in the NYC marathon tomorrow. Now you just need to come visit me and Andy!!!

Glucose + Other excitement

So yesterday I had my glucose screening. The appointment itself did not go as planned but we are all safe and sound for npw. The nurse took my bloodpressure soon after arriving. It turned out being high but we proceeded with the testing. When I went back to see my Dr my BP hadn't really improved and the she questioned my heartburn. She then suggested I go to the hospital and get monitored and have more blood drawn for immediate results. So then I had to hold it together to get my blood drawn for my glucose test. Thankfully I passed!!! So then I headed over to the hospital. Upon arriving my BP had improved a lot!!! But we continued with the plans and hooked my belly up to the monitors to check on HenMan. He was fine,actually I think he enjoyed momma just relaxing!!! More blood was drawn and it all came back looking good!! So thankfully we were released after a few stressful hours. Needless to say this momma is relaxing today and I have to go back tomorrow to be checked on again. Who would have ever thought. I have felt fine all along and feel like I have really tried to take care of me and our little guy. I am hoping this was all just a fluke. I hadn't been able to eat as I shoud due to the lovely glucose screening and might have been too active at work. So I am going to cut back on work a little. It was also mentioned that maybe my due date is off and he may be here sooner than originally planned. That is fine with me as long as he is healthy and ready to come! I have said all along that I thought my due date was off so I guess well wait and see. Thankfully we plan on getting his crib moved in his room this weekend and my mom and I did some nursery shopping online today! Had to make today exciting while laying on the couch.

Please say a little prayer for our family. Poor BD has been amazing taking care of me and our little guy!!!