Nursery

I think I'm finally done with Drew's nursery. As you can see it's a Monkey theme. So fun :)

This is the Build-a-Bear that we picked out for Drew. Each of our boys have one with a recording inside of their OWN heartbeat while inside my tummy.

Preterm Labor and Bedrest

Today we had the joy of visiting Triage again with contractions. After laying on the couch and drinking lots of water for over 2 hours, I finally decided I needed to call the doctor. So just like last time (3 weeks ago), it took 2 shots of Terbutaline to get the contractions to stop. Thankfully I wasn't dilating yet. This time they sent me home on oral Terbutaline and instructions that said: No lifting, cleaning, cooking, or physical activity. Basically BEDREST.

It's kind of a cruel joke to be told to be on Bedrest, but to also take this medicine every 4 hours around the clock that makes me jittery and feel wired. That along with the "Nesting" I've been having, is conflicting. But for the health of my baby, I'm trying to stay down.

My next appt is on Monday, and I'll be 34 weeks.
We're getting there. Hang in there Drew!

Let the Potty Training Begin!

Ty has been showing some interest in the potty lately. It helps that there are a few older kids in his class at school. He's been watching them and wanting to sit on the potty too. So his wonderful teacher, Miss Doughtery, suggested we start letting him wear pull-ups during the daytime so that he can learn to pull his pants down & up.

So far so good. He has learned to pull them down, sit on the pot (ever so briefly), point himself down, and is starting to learn to pull them back up. Still no results in the pot, but hey we'll take it! Since is is not even quite 2 yrs old (his birthday is coming soon on March 14th), and with the addition to the family coming, we will just take his ques for now and see where it leads :)

What's in a Name?

What's in a name? Well, when it came to naming this baby, I'd say it took a LOT of thought and back & forth. The other two boys seemed so much easier, the names just came to us (well, to Dennis). This time we struggled. Maybe it's b/c this is our 3rd boy, maybe b/c we knew it was our last. Some of the contenders have been: Trey, Owen, Zander, & Hayden. We liked them all, but none of them felt right. Then finally, it came to us: DREW! I love it! It is a name I have loved from before any of my pregnancies. It never felt right for Dennis until this kiddo.

We considered multiple middle names. Ty already has Dennis' middle name, Allan. We thought about doing that again with this kid, thinking that it wasn't fair for Ty to get his daddy's legacy and not this one. Then we thought about Nicholas, similar to my middle name Nichole. But it didn't flow well. The boys on my side of the family have the middle name Joseph. But we didn't care for him possibly being called DJ. So finally we decided to give him my dad's name for a middle name: Thomas.

DREW THOMAS BLACK
I love it!

I've started weekly doctor appts now. At each visit we are also having a NST (non-stress test) and ultrasound for a BPP (biophysical profile). Both monitor how well the baby is doing and maturing. These extra tests are due to the fact that I've had preterm labor before and that I am measuring 4 weeks ahead (mostly b/c I have extra fluid and big babies). This weeks tests went well. They are estimating that Drew is approx 4 lbs 12 oz, which is in the 88th percentile for babies at this stage. Needless to say, if he keeps up this pace, he's on his way to being a 10 pounder!

Bruiser

Ty woke up this morning with this big scratch across his eye & cheek. When I took him to preschool, they wanted him to be checked out because there has been a bout of pink eye going around. So while at the doctor, they did a test to make sure he had not scratched his cornea. They used this orange dye that won't come off for several days.

In the end...no pink eye and no scratch. Just a few battle wounds :)

30 Weeks!

I'm 30 weeks pregnant now with Baby #4.
It's been interesting this time around, to say the least.
With all the illnesses at this time of year, this pregnant woman has been no match for all the germs. I've had multiple bouts with the stomach flu, sinus infections, and bronchitis.
Over-all pregnancy-wise everything had been going perfectly until this week.
I think my body was finally saying it has had enough, and I started contracting.
After laying down and drinking lots of water, the contractions were still 2-5min apart and it had been 3hrs. So we took a quick trip to the hospital. After 2 doses of Terbutaline, they finally stopped and we were able to come home.

Today I had my 30 week check up with my OB. Turns out I have an infection which was likely the cause of the contractions. So she's putting me on an antibiotic which she says will most likely make me nauseous. So if it gets bad, I'm to take the phenergan I have left from the stomach flu, which in turn will make me sleepy. I guess rest is what I need right now anyway.

The baby seems to be doing great through it all. He's VERY active, which is reassuring. I'm measuring 34 weeks in stead of 30. So starting at my next appt and every week after that, I have to have an ultrasound and biophysical profile (BPP). The BPP consists of an ultrasound to monitor the baby's heartrate, tone, movement, breathing, and amount of fluid around him. They're just wanting to monitor him since I am so large to watch to see when he's ready to come out. My guess is, it will be before my schedule C-section on April 5th!