Just wanted to let everyone know we are home from the hospital. Miss Willa had to remain in the NICU. Even though we are home I want to continue to go through everything in detail.
Once the omphalocele was discovered during our 18 week ultrasound I scoured the internet trying to find all the information I could. Reading the blogs of moms like me really helped me plan, as much as that is possible, for what we were facing. I planned for the worst and hoped for the best. Each mom and baby story was different but I still learned something from each and every blog I found. The blogs helped me to know the sorts of questions to ask the doctors during the pregnancy and after the delivery. These stories gave me an idea of the many tests I would have to undergo during my many hospital visits. Some of the blogs were brutally honest and prepared me for the toll/strain of a marriage from caring for a sick infant - driving back and forth from the hospital is stressful, the importance of communication, remembering to love each other b/c we have someone who needs us to be strong, and we still need to have a life outside of the hospital. I was ready to face the many common complications associated with an om and how blessed we truly are with the potential simplicity for our treatment. Most of all the blogs reinforced my faith about how God will see us through.
So Daren and I are at home but I will do my best to try and recreate all we have learned and endured during our short time as parents to our little Willa Bean.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday - Delayed Visitor Recap
Doing a quick backtrack to talk about the folks who stopped by for a visit. This is just for our memory b/c we lose track of time in here.
Colleen and April from Special Olympics let me know about two months ago they wanted to visit Bean while he/she was in the NICU. The ladies wasted no time in making their way to the hospital. I don't think we could have stopped these ladies. I think we got the call around 1ish they wanted to stop by. It helped they were going to bring us a treat from Cafe Carolina.
I didn't get very many people sharing scary pregnancy stories with me. The most common thing said to me was sleep while you can. Most ladies shared good advice. My neighbor Heather is one of these people. She shared with me the importance of staying on top of having a bowel movement...comfortably. Heather drank an entire bottle of Milk of Magnesia after having Lexie to get "things in motion." Late afternoon on Sunday Heather stopped down after her shift at the hospital. After visiting Willa and walking Heather to the elevators she gave me the most amazing gift - a Fiber One bar. More on that later.
Dinner was served by Sally, Jonathan and toddler Jonathan. The food here at UNC is pretty good, but it doesn't compare to Los Portales. If only they could have brought me a margarita. Little Jon is a great window into the future of the fun yet to come. It was also great talking to Sally about how clueless I was about post-childbirth. Didn't know my uterus would bleed. I'm sure we discussed some other things but I can't remember.
Theresa was our last visitor of the night. We gave her a quick shopping list of some of the necessities we forgot. Pretty much all shower items didn't make it into the hospital bag that was packed by Daren. I wanted to take a shower soooooo bad on Sunday, but the nurses said I should wait until Monday morning to get the steri-strips wet. I'm a snob and I need my Dove bar of soap. Also, T brought me prunes. Again, more on that later.
That was a lot of guests and I was tired out by the end of the day. Remember, I had just started walking and that was a lot of trips to the NICU to show off our little Bean.
Ignore the mistakes. Daren has yet to read and this post meant only for our memory.
Colleen and April from Special Olympics let me know about two months ago they wanted to visit Bean while he/she was in the NICU. The ladies wasted no time in making their way to the hospital. I don't think we could have stopped these ladies. I think we got the call around 1ish they wanted to stop by. It helped they were going to bring us a treat from Cafe Carolina.
I didn't get very many people sharing scary pregnancy stories with me. The most common thing said to me was sleep while you can. Most ladies shared good advice. My neighbor Heather is one of these people. She shared with me the importance of staying on top of having a bowel movement...comfortably. Heather drank an entire bottle of Milk of Magnesia after having Lexie to get "things in motion." Late afternoon on Sunday Heather stopped down after her shift at the hospital. After visiting Willa and walking Heather to the elevators she gave me the most amazing gift - a Fiber One bar. More on that later.
Dinner was served by Sally, Jonathan and toddler Jonathan. The food here at UNC is pretty good, but it doesn't compare to Los Portales. If only they could have brought me a margarita. Little Jon is a great window into the future of the fun yet to come. It was also great talking to Sally about how clueless I was about post-childbirth. Didn't know my uterus would bleed. I'm sure we discussed some other things but I can't remember.
Theresa was our last visitor of the night. We gave her a quick shopping list of some of the necessities we forgot. Pretty much all shower items didn't make it into the hospital bag that was packed by Daren. I wanted to take a shower soooooo bad on Sunday, but the nurses said I should wait until Monday morning to get the steri-strips wet. I'm a snob and I need my Dove bar of soap. Also, T brought me prunes. Again, more on that later.
That was a lot of guests and I was tired out by the end of the day. Remember, I had just started walking and that was a lot of trips to the NICU to show off our little Bean.
Ignore the mistakes. Daren has yet to read and this post meant only for our memory.
Monday - Medical Update
So if you've watched the video of Willa sucking her thumb you've heard me in the background talking to someone. Those folks were the doctors doing rounds. It isn't like how you see it on TV. It isn't a whole mess of people b/c not everyone can drop what they are doing and round together. We will have doctors pop in from time to time but the rounds is where we get all the details that we can't understand. Don't get me wrong, they stop and explain stuff to us, but it is waaaaayyyy more technical than how it sounds on ER or Grey's Anatomy.
Let me see if i can remember how it starts - Willamina Streett born 37w 4d now in her 2nd day of life...that is all I've got. Other bits and pieces make sense but most of the time I wait for the normal lingo at the end. They have said her bili number is fine and for the time being she won't be a glowworm baby on a biliblanket. I love we have one thing "normal" about our little girl. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
The big news that came from the Monday rounds was the replogle tube (removing fluids and gunk from her stomach) was going to come out and I would start feeding Willa. It was to be 10 minutes max and not a lot of fluids b/c so far she was only being feed by the IV.
I also believe it was Monday that Daren saw Dr. Adamson (peds surgeon) unwrap and examine the omphalocele. Daren estimated the om to be the size of his fist.
A few other random things we learned were about Willa's left foot being turned out. This is called valgus. I did a quick google -
In orthopedics, a valgus deformity is a term for outward angulation of the distal segment of a bone or joint. The opposite deformation, medial deviation of the distal bone, is called varus.
The terms varus and valgus always refer to the direction that the distal segment of the joint points.
This is nothing to be worried about. It could be b/c of positioning while in the womb. If the issue isn't corrected by itself they will bring in a peds ortho consult and potentially create a splint or do physical therapy. No time frame for this has been given.
The second little random thing was they wanted us to know Willa has an extra piece of skin which we might notice when changing her diaper. I mentioned to to one of the NICU nurses and they hadn't even noticed. Anyway, if for some reason it needs to be moved they will consult peds plastics. Oh my goodness!
Again, Daren is sleeping so I'm going to post this before he wakes up. He has lots of proof reading to do! Time to make the doughnuts feed the baby.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday Recap
Wow!!! Yesterday was a very busy day. I'm not sure I will even remember everything. Daren put up the post about how we did our first feeding of Willa at 11am along with a video of her sucking her thumb. The doctors took out her replogle tube b/c I was going to start feeding Willa. Once that tube came out Willa found her thumb for the first time. My apologies you can hear me talking during the video. I was over talking with the doctors while they were doing rounds. The doctor asked me about where the name Willamina Grace came from. I only thought Daren was taking a pic...but of course I love having the video. This might also have been when Daren changed his FIRST diaper. I enjoyed watching him struggle with Willa. She didn't appreciate the amount of time it took for Daren to make the change happen.
As Daren said the first feeding went well. We are going slow to start and only letting her take in a small amount of milk. We also have to fight to keep Willa awake. While feeding Melissa popped in and wished us her best and all her love.
Dr Evers came to our room not long after we got back. We updated him on everything which had occurred since we saw him on Friday evening. We also shared all of our pics and videos. Ladies - if you are thinking of delivering at UNC you should ask to have Dr Evers as your OB.
Our friend Danielle came by with lunch around 130 and kept us entertained with stories from her Tough Mudder (envision lots of obstacles, mud, logs, and something called an arctic enema) competition from Saturday. It sounded super tough and fun. Next Danielle joined us for Willa's second feeding at 230pm. Mom and daughter are both learning the ropes of feeding. The lactation consultants are there to help us out.
Not long after Danielle left we had our first visitors from UNC Athletics. Stacey and Julie came by. Please be warned if you come for a visit you may catch me pumping in the room. Willa needs the milk and I'm not shy. Stacey also thinks Willa looks like Daren. Be on the lookout for a future blog with baby pictures to find out who Bean really looks like. Right now...I think she looks like a baby.
I found Bellemont neighbors Jayne, Larry and Janine visiting in the room with Daren when I got back after showing off baby Bean my UNC ladies. I'm amazed the Little's waited as long as they did to come visit. They came bearing gifts and Bean's wardrobe of pink has started to accumulate. Jayne also "broke" into our house and finished all our laundry, pressed our laundry, emptied the dishwasher and washed the dirty dishes. I just don't even know what to say besides thank you. Once again I was back down to the NICU to show the ladies their little girl and I stayed behind for the 530pm feeding.
Back in the room we ordered our supper and visited with Melissa (her second visit of the day) before she headed home from the hospital for the evening. I didn't realize it, but Melissa's OB is also Dr Evers and she has the same love that we have. Melissa also reinforced that breastfeeding/pumping is difficult and not to get frustrated b/c it will get easier.
The remaining feedings for the night were 830 and 1130. We are still having to continually fuss with Willa to keep her awake. The nurses said this is to be expected b/c the nursing tires her out and sleeping equals growth time.
Daren changed two more diapers since that first one in the morning. He is becoming a pro and hardly gets a squeak out of our little girl.
I'm going to come back and post some pics and have Daren do a proof read. He is still sleeping and I my breakfast is getting cold. Proof reading this post is not as important as me eating my omelet.
As Daren said the first feeding went well. We are going slow to start and only letting her take in a small amount of milk. We also have to fight to keep Willa awake. While feeding Melissa popped in and wished us her best and all her love.
Dr Evers came to our room not long after we got back. We updated him on everything which had occurred since we saw him on Friday evening. We also shared all of our pics and videos. Ladies - if you are thinking of delivering at UNC you should ask to have Dr Evers as your OB.
Our friend Danielle came by with lunch around 130 and kept us entertained with stories from her Tough Mudder (envision lots of obstacles, mud, logs, and something called an arctic enema) competition from Saturday. It sounded super tough and fun. Next Danielle joined us for Willa's second feeding at 230pm. Mom and daughter are both learning the ropes of feeding. The lactation consultants are there to help us out.
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| Honorary team member |
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| Jayne decorated our mailbox |
Back in the room we ordered our supper and visited with Melissa (her second visit of the day) before she headed home from the hospital for the evening. I didn't realize it, but Melissa's OB is also Dr Evers and she has the same love that we have. Melissa also reinforced that breastfeeding/pumping is difficult and not to get frustrated b/c it will get easier.
The remaining feedings for the night were 830 and 1130. We are still having to continually fuss with Willa to keep her awake. The nurses said this is to be expected b/c the nursing tires her out and sleeping equals growth time.
Daren changed two more diapers since that first one in the morning. He is becoming a pro and hardly gets a squeak out of our little girl.
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| From L - R Theresa Ramsey, Kaye & Sara Koenig, Shelly's family, UNC Olympic Sport Coaches & Staff |
I'm going to come back and post some pics and have Daren do a proof read. He is still sleeping and I my breakfast is getting cold. Proof reading this post is not as important as me eating my omelet.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Lunch time!
Today has been a pretty busy day so far. Daren was down in the NICU this morning when the ped surgery team stopped by to check Willa out. They examined the om and then wrapped it back up again to start applying a little bit of pressure to try to encourage it to start settling back inside. They also decided that it would be ok to start feeding her! So, after grabbing a coffee, Daren reported back to me with the story.
At 11:30, we went back down to give Willa her first real meal. But before that, Daren performed his first diaper change. Little Willa wanted to see him struggle, but after much squirming, the deed got done. After that, Willa got her suction tube removed from her throat (much to her pleasure, no doubt) and it was feeding time with mommy. And she found her thumb!!! Perfect timing, starting to suck on her thumb for the first time.
Things started slowly, but eventually Willa got a couple of nice gulps! We'll head back down around 2:30 to try round 2.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Peds Surgeon Update
Daren has the ability to come and go from the room as he pleases. I had to go through the process of having the catheter removed, getting unstrapped from the IV and leg massage thingies. While waiting for the nurses arrival, Daren sent me a pic of Willa just before she had an echo.
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| Pre-echo nap |
Not to worry about the splint looking thing on Willa's arm. She didn't break her wrist overnight. They moved the fluids IV from her foot to her left hand. The covering is holding the IV into her finger. She likes to flail her arms a good bit.
I showed up not long after the echo. Daren was cleaning up the goop from her chest. The tech thought he saw everything looking all good but the final sign off will come from one of the doctors.
Dr. Adamson stopped by and said he is very happy with the state of things. He said a baby with a giant omphalocele is not normally breathing on their own this early. Willa still has the tube down her throat sucking out the junk from her stomach.
Dr. Adamson said they are weighing two options of care. If the heart looks good, the breathing is good, the abdominal walls look like they can tolerate it, and the om shrinks a little (as a result of losing some fluid), it may be possible to try to start squeezing the om back into place. But, since the integrity of the om is sound, there's no rush to start anything. So, if any of the other things look like they aren't quite ready to start putting things back into place, we'll wait for the skin to start growing around the om and plan for the surgery later in time.
I got to hold Willa for about 30 minutes. This kid sure is prone to some hiccups. She also likes to bop herself in the face with the covered IV hand. I'm not sure she appreciated the bright flashes of light as daddy took pictures.
We are back in the room for the afternoon. I'm going to be watching UNC W Soccer v. UVA in the first round of the ACC Championships. Daren will be watching Nascar. I think we both want to catch a quick nap before heading back to the NICU at 5pm for care time.
Oh, just got off the phone with my older sister. Sheila does not like it that Bean is unclothed. Not to worry folks, the om is wrapped and she is wearing a diaper. Also, her "incubator" has a heat lamp. I think she is staying plenty warm.
Oh, just got off the phone with my older sister. Sheila does not like it that Bean is unclothed. Not to worry folks, the om is wrapped and she is wearing a diaper. Also, her "incubator" has a heat lamp. I think she is staying plenty warm.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
October 27th
Prep for the c-section started around 730am. We got pushed back slightly due to another procedure about to get underway. I think I headed to the OR around 945am. Never realized what a process it is getting hooked up and ready for a c-section. The epidural wasn't the funnest part of my day. Daren came in the room just before the cutting started which was around 1045am. It was about 1120am when the doctor said the baby is out and we heard the cries. Someone in the room, I'm guessing our nurse, said they don't know what they are having. The doctor quickly let us know that Bean Streett is a girl!!!
After a quick google session, we decided to spell Bean's first name as Willamina after my Grandpa Keizer. Her middle name is Grace after my Grandma Keizer. She is perfect. We had strong cries and breathing so the doctors didn't need to intubate. Daren got a quick peek of Willa and then went back a few minutes later to snap some pictures.
Once I was all sewn up, I was moved to the recovery room and Willa was at the NICU. Daren was with me for the first 30 minutes or so before he went to the NICU to check on our baby. Most of what was happening was Willa was getting hooked up to monitors. The pediatric surgeon, Dr. Adamson seemed happy with the current state of the omphalocele.
We spent most of the afternoon watching sports and texting/talking with folks. We've also had our first visitor. Our UNC doctor friend Emily Chang popped over for a quick visit. Daren made a second trip to the NICU to see what was happening. Willa has a tube down her throat to suck out air and fluids from her stomach. She also has an IV in her foot giving her fluids. The results were not yet back from the ultrasound of the om performed shortly after the birth. Dr. Adamson also said they were going to do an echo of her heart.
What I really wanted to do was go visit Willa in the NICU, but the nurses said I couldn't get out of bed until after 730pm. I was finally wheeled down to the NICU a little after 8pm. Willa has plenty of company in the NICU. I'm guessing there was about 8 other babies in the room. It appears each baby has their own nurse. We got there right as Willa's nurse was changing her bedding. I think Willa might have had an "accident." Daren helped with the linens and even got to hold Willa. I was just happy with getting to hold her hand and stroke her little head. She is such a trooper! While we were in the NICU Willa was wracked with hiccups. She handled them like a champ and promptly fell asleep. It seems she has my super power for sleeping.
Tomorrow I want to spend more time in the NICU and fingers crossed I get to have some skin to skin contact. We also want to see a doctor and find out the results of the tests they have run. Over the next 3-4 days we should know more about when the surgery could be. That seems to be the million dollar question.
Off to bed for me. I just took another Benadryl to help ease my itchiness from the epidural. Daren is tucked in tight watching his Tigers stink it up in the World Series. Thank you all for your love and support. It really means a lot to us. Here are some pics we got throughout the day -
Bean is a...
Hi everybody! Little sis Suzie here.
I just received the official word from Daddy Daren. Bean is a little GIRL!!!!!!
Willamina Grace Streett.
Stay tuned for more info.
She weighs 5 lbs 9 oz and is oh so beautiful! I can't wait to meet you baby girl!
I just received the official word from Daddy Daren. Bean is a little GIRL!!!!!!
Willamina Grace Streett.
Stay tuned for more info.
She weighs 5 lbs 9 oz and is oh so beautiful! I can't wait to meet you baby girl!
Almost game time!
We just had a visit from two of the doctors that will be performing the delivery, checking in on us. There is a procedure on the floor at the moment, but as soon as they're underway we'll be heading back.
4am
Well, I'm awake. The two biggest things on my mind are how long to wait before I page the nurse so I can go to the bathroom and that my arm hurts from the t dap shot. I have to hit the pager b/c when I'm in the bed I'm hooked up to the non-stress test monitors. I also forgot to mention about how they gave me the vaccine for tetanus, diptheria and pertussis just before I met with Dr. Vora. Sneaky little folks over here at UNC.
We still don't know the exact time for the c-section. Shift change happens at 7am so the thought is between 8 - 9 am. I told Daren he is not allowed to bring any food or coffee into the room because I know I will be super hungry and thirsty in the morning.
We still don't know the exact time for the c-section. Shift change happens at 7am so the thought is between 8 - 9 am. I told Daren he is not allowed to bring any food or coffee into the room because I know I will be super hungry and thirsty in the morning.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Surprise!!!
This has been a busy week. I accomplished most of the things I listed in the 36 week post. However, everything from after the Friday ultrasound has been cancelled.
I came in this afternoon at 1pm for my 37 week u/s. Daren didn't join me for this visit b/c things have been progressing smoothly. The u/s tech left me in the room to go show the pictures to the doctor. It wasn't long before Maya, our case worker, and Dr. Stuebe came into the room. Dr. Stuebe noticed there was some fluid in Bean's abdomen as well as the bladder looking a bit large. Dr. Stuebe wasn't sure if the fluid would be concerning to my regular doctor.
Well, the fluid did concern Dr. Vora. She thought there was a chance some of the fluid could end up in the Bean's lungs so I was sent up to be admitted to labor & delivery. Oh, and Dr. Vora wanted to know where Daren was b/c he always attends my appointments. Unbelievable.
I quick called Daren and let him know the craziness that was ensuing. At first it seemed things could happen as quickly as 630pm. The doctors needed to wait at least six hours before starting the c-section because I ate an apple just before heading to the hospital. Daren quickly left work and headed home to pack the hospital bag. We had yet to start packing but I had made a list which was posted on the fridge. After that I called my mom and texted my sisters.
Once admitted I saw a ton of people. The ball got rolling with the nurse who was going off shift at 4pm. Next came one of the anesthesiologists. I believe next came night nurse Sarah who will be with us until 3am. I'm not even sure who the next woman was. Oh, I also had an echo on my heart since I didn't have one on Wednesday at Duke. After speaking with all of the many people involved with the c-section, it was decided I will go under the knife tomorrow morning. This meant I got to eat supper!!!! I was pretty hungry at this point since I had planned to grab something while heading back to the office. Daren arrived just before I ordered my food so I added a chocolate shake to my order of mexican food. Gotta keep the boy happy.
I finished eating a little after 6pm and we had another visitor. Dr. Evers, my original OB, heard the news I had been admitted. He came to check on us and also gave us some more details of why they were taking Bean earlier than planned. To summarize - the fluid could indicate a number of things and could continue to collect. Dr Evers said right now everything looks great and Bean is close to full term. If we wait and more fluid collects, things could go downhill. Makes sense to me.
So now we sit and wait. My butt fell asleep about three hours after being in the bed. I'm also guessing Daren will have a rough night sleeping on the sofa/bed. I'm currently enjoying watching UNC M Soccer defeat NC State on ESPN3.
A combination of Daren and my little sister will attempt to update the blog as things occur. Thank you all for your texts and calls throughout the afternoon/evening on Friday. Our blog will be our main of way of keeping everyone informed. Feel free to share the address with others.
I came in this afternoon at 1pm for my 37 week u/s. Daren didn't join me for this visit b/c things have been progressing smoothly. The u/s tech left me in the room to go show the pictures to the doctor. It wasn't long before Maya, our case worker, and Dr. Stuebe came into the room. Dr. Stuebe noticed there was some fluid in Bean's abdomen as well as the bladder looking a bit large. Dr. Stuebe wasn't sure if the fluid would be concerning to my regular doctor.
Well, the fluid did concern Dr. Vora. She thought there was a chance some of the fluid could end up in the Bean's lungs so I was sent up to be admitted to labor & delivery. Oh, and Dr. Vora wanted to know where Daren was b/c he always attends my appointments. Unbelievable.
I quick called Daren and let him know the craziness that was ensuing. At first it seemed things could happen as quickly as 630pm. The doctors needed to wait at least six hours before starting the c-section because I ate an apple just before heading to the hospital. Daren quickly left work and headed home to pack the hospital bag. We had yet to start packing but I had made a list which was posted on the fridge. After that I called my mom and texted my sisters.
Once admitted I saw a ton of people. The ball got rolling with the nurse who was going off shift at 4pm. Next came one of the anesthesiologists. I believe next came night nurse Sarah who will be with us until 3am. I'm not even sure who the next woman was. Oh, I also had an echo on my heart since I didn't have one on Wednesday at Duke. After speaking with all of the many people involved with the c-section, it was decided I will go under the knife tomorrow morning. This meant I got to eat supper!!!! I was pretty hungry at this point since I had planned to grab something while heading back to the office. Daren arrived just before I ordered my food so I added a chocolate shake to my order of mexican food. Gotta keep the boy happy.
I finished eating a little after 6pm and we had another visitor. Dr. Evers, my original OB, heard the news I had been admitted. He came to check on us and also gave us some more details of why they were taking Bean earlier than planned. To summarize - the fluid could indicate a number of things and could continue to collect. Dr Evers said right now everything looks great and Bean is close to full term. If we wait and more fluid collects, things could go downhill. Makes sense to me.
So now we sit and wait. My butt fell asleep about three hours after being in the bed. I'm also guessing Daren will have a rough night sleeping on the sofa/bed. I'm currently enjoying watching UNC M Soccer defeat NC State on ESPN3.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
36 Weeks
Lots going on -
Tuesday - meet and greet at Chapel Hill Pediatrics & UNC M Soccer v. Campbell
Wednesday - cardio appointment at Duke
Thursday - either Daren's church softball game or UNC W Soccer at NC State
Friday - ultrasound at UNC & UNC Volleyball at dook
Saturday - UNC Football v. NC State
Sunday - UNC W Soccer v Virginia in the first round of ACC's (fingers crossed Thursday night goes well)
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Roy Williams Fast Break Against Cancer
This past Friday was the eigthth annual Roy Williams Fast Break Against Cancer. Proceeds raised from the event benefit the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center. Total monies raised as of last year was 1.2 million. This was my seventh year volunteering with the event, which is held on the same day as the first practice opportunity of the year for the Men's Basketball team.
It is hard to find someone who has not been personally affected by cancer. Daren and I both lost our father's to cancer far too early. My father passed away on March 22, 2003 after an eight month battle with prostate cancer. Daren's father passed away on August 3, 2005 from lung cancer after an off and on battle which lasted a few years. Neither of us met our father-in-laws.
Because this event is a breakfast, I had to be at the Smith Center at 630am. Even on the weekends I am up by 6am. I don't know why. Heck, this would be considered sleeping in compared to when I used to get up for opening shifts with Cafe Carolina. So back to this Friday...the alarm went off around 515 or so. It was not easy to get up. I also felt the need to take a bit of extra time and care with my hair and makeup. Well, this morning also became my first experience with Braxton Hicks. Not good timing. While getting ready I felt extreme tightness in my stomach. I thought going to the bathroom would relieve this pressure but it didn't. I'm not even sure how to explain how I felt. I will say that this was the worst I've felt during this entire pregnancy and the timing was awful. My role for the breakfast was to greet the guests and show them to their tables. I was trying to ignore the uncomfortableness/pain as I made my numerous trips across the floor of the Smith Center. I was finally able to sit down a little after 8am once the event began. I think it was shortly after the start of Coach Williams' speech that I realized I finally felt normal.
The breakfast was a huge success. I think a large reason the tickets were sold out because of Coach Williams' recent cancer scare. We also had an amazing guest speaker in two time cancer survivor, George Karl. The silent auction and the live auction brought in additional money for cancer research. I even put in a bid on a Nascar experience for Daren and neighbor Larry to enjoy. I didn't realize how passionate Tar Heels fans are about Nascar. I didn't even come close to winning with my one bid.
One new thing this year was the addition of a Roy Williams' signed basketball on each of the tables. The idea was for the 10-16 people at the table to bid on the ball in the same manner as the silent auction. I was assigned three tables as my focus tables to inform them of this new feature. As I was talking with my tables, the Michael Jordan Nissan car dealership motioned for my attention. They wanted to have a second basketball available for their table on which to bid. I scrambled and ended up snagging the basketball from the UNC Baseball table.
The event ended around 9am and I had to head back to the office to take care of my coaches. As I was leaving the building I came upon some of the guys from the Michael Jordan Nissan car dealership. They thanked me for getting them the second ball. What happened next really surprised me. The gentleman said, "Here, take the ball as a gift for your baby." I tried to refuse informing him that he had bought the ball, but he was persistent and insisted that I have the ball. So, I eventually graciously accepted.
Now I need to find a place for Bean's basketball. I hope the Carolina blue fits in with the gray and yellow. I'm writing this on Sunday and so far Friday was my only episode with Braxton Hicks. Will I be so lucky to make it these last three weeks without anymore? I would love that.
It is hard to find someone who has not been personally affected by cancer. Daren and I both lost our father's to cancer far too early. My father passed away on March 22, 2003 after an eight month battle with prostate cancer. Daren's father passed away on August 3, 2005 from lung cancer after an off and on battle which lasted a few years. Neither of us met our father-in-laws.
Because this event is a breakfast, I had to be at the Smith Center at 630am. Even on the weekends I am up by 6am. I don't know why. Heck, this would be considered sleeping in compared to when I used to get up for opening shifts with Cafe Carolina. So back to this Friday...the alarm went off around 515 or so. It was not easy to get up. I also felt the need to take a bit of extra time and care with my hair and makeup. Well, this morning also became my first experience with Braxton Hicks. Not good timing. While getting ready I felt extreme tightness in my stomach. I thought going to the bathroom would relieve this pressure but it didn't. I'm not even sure how to explain how I felt. I will say that this was the worst I've felt during this entire pregnancy and the timing was awful. My role for the breakfast was to greet the guests and show them to their tables. I was trying to ignore the uncomfortableness/pain as I made my numerous trips across the floor of the Smith Center. I was finally able to sit down a little after 8am once the event began. I think it was shortly after the start of Coach Williams' speech that I realized I finally felt normal.
The breakfast was a huge success. I think a large reason the tickets were sold out because of Coach Williams' recent cancer scare. We also had an amazing guest speaker in two time cancer survivor, George Karl. The silent auction and the live auction brought in additional money for cancer research. I even put in a bid on a Nascar experience for Daren and neighbor Larry to enjoy. I didn't realize how passionate Tar Heels fans are about Nascar. I didn't even come close to winning with my one bid.
One new thing this year was the addition of a Roy Williams' signed basketball on each of the tables. The idea was for the 10-16 people at the table to bid on the ball in the same manner as the silent auction. I was assigned three tables as my focus tables to inform them of this new feature. As I was talking with my tables, the Michael Jordan Nissan car dealership motioned for my attention. They wanted to have a second basketball available for their table on which to bid. I scrambled and ended up snagging the basketball from the UNC Baseball table. The event ended around 9am and I had to head back to the office to take care of my coaches. As I was leaving the building I came upon some of the guys from the Michael Jordan Nissan car dealership. They thanked me for getting them the second ball. What happened next really surprised me. The gentleman said, "Here, take the ball as a gift for your baby." I tried to refuse informing him that he had bought the ball, but he was persistent and insisted that I have the ball. So, I eventually graciously accepted.
Now I need to find a place for Bean's basketball. I hope the Carolina blue fits in with the gray and yellow. I'm writing this on Sunday and so far Friday was my only episode with Braxton Hicks. Will I be so lucky to make it these last three weeks without anymore? I would love that.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
34 weeks
We are now counting the weeks on one hand. That is a text sent to me by my good friend Layna. My little sister sent me a post via Facebook on September 28th "only 39 more sleeps until Bean is here!"
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| 34 Weeks |
Pre-pregnancy, the doctors said I would need to have an echo done on my heart to make sure everything is good with my aorta. I've done all of my cardio doctoring at Duke Hospital since moving to NC. I asked if I could just have Duke send over the scans versus having UNC run the exact same tests.
Yes folks, this kid will be here soon. The nursery is mostly furnished and undecorated. I realize this kid won't care if the nursery is complete. This baby will be focused on eating, sleeping, and pooping. The wall decal arrived from Etsy earlier this week. I think we are going to enlist the help of some experienced decal-putter-uppers. We have a few living next door. I am going to to try and tackle making a mobile. Daren just needs to keep hanging stuff on walls. He does very well with taking directions.
My stint as a part-time employee with Williams Sonoma has ended. I was there almost three years and loved every minute of it. The discount was also a good reason to stay. One of my managers is super talented when it comes to decorating cookies and cakes. Monte made the cookies we sent to family and friends when we announced the pregnancy. Sadly, I didn't take a picture of the beautiful cookies. Anyway, Monte had a present waiting for me on my last shift. Once again the man amazes me. I don't even know where he comes up with his creations. The pictures don't translate the amazingness of an elephant riding a diaper motorcycle.
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