Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Sunday, March 8, 2009

Rather sleepy this morning after losing an hour of sleep. Milena my AM nurse today came in to give me my meds and changed my clock to reflect the change. Dr Q (filling in for the practice) came in shortly to see how I was feeling and left. I got visited by Jim and Sally, they took Dave out to lunch and when they got here they brought me some sweet potato fries (yummy). Then after they left my Mom and Aunt Karen stopped by for a while. Then after all of them left I was entertained by the Caps game vs. the Penguins (but they lost in a SO) oh well. But watching the Harry Potter marathon after that certainly did help. Dave sent me some pictures of the nursery and to my surprise he had put some of the furniture together too. Then he sent a second set of photos to me (he decorated a little), he hung up the valance, added the accent pillow to the glider chair and put the stuff for the crib together including to mobile. Then the big surprise was the wall decals, I totally cried. It looks so perfect. He’s done such a fantastic job. Our baby is so lucky to have a Daddy like him. A woman from St Ann’s (I believe her name to be Joanne) came by to drop off a bulletin and give communion did something so unexpected. She asked if she could give me the medal she was wearing to me (a Mary medal). I was so touched by the gesture that I was shaking reaching out for it and I was in tears again. I couldn’t put into words how thankful I was, but she said my reaction said a million words. Stephanie came in to let me know she was my PM Nurse and we set up a plan for the evening, including meds and monitoring. Heather stopped by in between her patients tonight and asked Dave and I something completely amazing. She asked us to be God Parents of her youngest daughter (5 months old)…. Of course we said Yes. So honor for her to ask us. She is such a great friend too.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Saturday, March 7, 2009

This morning I was woke up by my AM Nurse Milena to let me know that the lab was there to take blood and such. Thank goodness it was one of the nicer lab phlebotomists’ and I barely felt the stick when she filled the vile or three she had. I spent the good part of the morning and early afternoon catching up my hospital stay journal and posting all of the entries on my blog. With all of the recent excitement and such over the past week and a half, it has been difficult to stay focused long enough to create a journal entry. It was enough for me just to write down my notes for the day (and I’m so glad I do that). I had many visitors today, which I was very happy about. Sam and Sherri visited first. Sherri brought me cake and Sam put a bead onto my blessing bead strand. We enjoyed our visit. They are both such a riot, I’m glad that I’ve been able to see them. They are such great friends and they even have visitors in from out of town. Later on Josie stopped by and Justin too. Josie is in for the hockey game tomorrow and also is staying in DC with her sister all the while her daughter is visiting with friends at GW. Josie looks fantastic and it was nice to see Justin (since it’s been so long) because he’s been getting over a pretty nasty cold. I was pretty exhausted after all of the excitement and visitors of the day. I relaxed the rest the evening with Dave as he finally came over after running errands at Ikea and visiting with Lindsey and Dylan at their home in Woodbridge. They gave Dave a present for me and it is totally incredible. They gave me a baby bootie bouquet. It is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. It even smells like baby powder. I’ll do what I can to get a picture of it and up. Oh and don’t forget to set your clocks forward tonight… we lose an hour of sleep.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Friday, March 6, 2009

Quynh was my AM Nurse again and happy to see there were no contractions this morning. I was so exhausted that I knew this day was going to be uneventful for me. The NRA’s came in and weighed me this morning (I gained a pound, which is right on track) and afterwards I went back to sleep. I didn’t get a Dr visit today (at least that I knew of, the might’ve come by while I was sleeping). But my whole day was spent sleeping and zoning out. I kind of came out of my daze around 2pm-ish. And around 5-6pm some random woman opened my door and walked into my room. Didn’t knock or anything. I said “hello??” and she answered back the same walked in my room and said “wrong room” and just walked out. I proceeded to get VERY Pissed off. I called Quynh and I just let loose. OMG. WTF…again?? Another random person walked in my room AGAIN!?!?!?! Who in their right mind just walks into a closed room, in a hospital without knocking or saying anything as you close the door behind you. The nurses didn’t figure out who it was, they figured it was a family member of another patient….but that’s no excuse. They put the sign back up on the door, to check in at the nurses’ station before entering. I’m not having it happen again. Because if it does, I will physically get out of bed and detain the person myself until a nurse comes. I’ve had it with that crap. The head nurse (in charge of all nurses on this floor) Mary, came to visit and asked about what happened. I told her and such and we talked about other things too since I’ve been here. But I told her overall this unit has been great and the nurses are just so wonderful. My PM nurse, Stephanie was so funny…she made sure each time she entered to over do her knocking…LOL…and I laughed every time she came in...HAHAHAHAHA. I went to bed after I sent Dave home. He fell asleep while I was on the monitor and when I was taken off, I got up and woke him up and sent him home. He was so sleepy and so was I.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Thursday, March 5, 2009

Overall, this was a day I never saw coming. My AM nurse was Quynh today. I woke up and had my breakfast and as I was getting ready for her to bring in my medicine and give me my NST, I started to feel a bit strange and my tummy felt weird. I called her and she set me up on the monitor right away…. And that is where the fun began. I started having MAJOR contractions. The first one they caught on the monitor was so big…I thought my belly was going to split in two. I was having sharp pains and the tightness was so insane. I even had trouble catching my breath. Another nurse, Milena came in to help Quynh with me so she could care for her other patients too. But my contractions were frequent, however very sporadic (meaning there was no actual pattern). The nurses finally got a hold of Dr W (who was in the OR) and she said she wanted me in L&D. However there was no room for me there so my care was done completely in my room. Another dosage of Terbutaline was given to me, but the contractions kept on coming. Sally AND my Mom showed up and got to witness some of the fun. They got to see me have MANY contractions and listen to the baby’s heartbeat a good part of the afternoon. Dr W decided I needed IV fluids so they got an IV started and opened up the fluids as fast as they could go. Needless to say the bathroom was my friend all day too. They did the bolus (fast fluids) two different times and I was still showing keytones in my urine. Oh well…what’s a girl to do eh?? However I was still having contractions. Now they were just moderate and not severe (a small improvement). Everything finally slowed down and eventually stopped. However my body was so sore and uncomfortable, when Dr W finally came to see me that evening she offered me some medicine to help me sleep. I took it, no question. Because I knew I was going to need help. I also didn’t really even care that the Caps lost again at home (3rd loss in a row….longest losing streak of the season) oh well. Grace, my PM nurse put me on the monitor for 30 minutes and was pleased to see no contractions and gave me my medicine for the evening afterwards. Once I started getting drowsy, Dave left so I could rest. I barely remember him leaving I was so exhausted.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Woke up to my AM nurse that I’m used to seeing in the evening, Rachel (she switched to Day shift). She got me on the monitor early and things looked good. Dr H came in and checked up on me. She told me that if my ultrasound showed good things or no change that I was OK to take a shower. (my fingers were crossed for good news). Had my ultrasound before lunch and Dr V and I couldn’t believe what we saw on the monitor….my cervix was closed. Yep that’s what I said….CLOSED. Almost 2cm of measurable cervix. After this whole time not having anything barely to measure because I was dilated so much. OMG…talk about crazy. Even Dr V said she had never seen anything like it. Was so happy with the news..I even told Dr V that she might have a new case study to write about. LOL. Got back to my room, had lunch and enjoyed a nice shower. Met my Case Manager, Saba today; she was so nice and it was a pleasure to meet her. Nice to know she’s also keeping up with my insurance nurses and letting all of the other departments that I’ve been utilizing up to date, as to my progress and such. My PM Nurse, Grace, came on duty and she was amazed too at the news. Lindsey and Dylan stopped by, Lindsey made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies….OMG they are soooooooooooooooooooooo good. Also got a visit from Steve and Claudia, they did blessing beads too. That strand is certainly getting long. The evening over all was wonderful. I really enjoyed the visitors and such. I had no problems going to bed. In fact, Dave left early because I kept yawning and getting heavy eyes.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Tuesday, March 3, 2009

HAPPY 32 Weeks!!!! We made a first big goal!!! YIPPEE. My PM nurse from the night before (Heather) made my white board all decorated with stuff congratulating the day. My AM nurse Jennifer thought it was so great too. Dr Co got a chuckle out of it and was so happy to see me reach this milestone. When I actually woke up, it was because of the b!#ch from the lab sticking me and bruising my arm, she treated me like I was stupid and that really pissed me off. (Not a way I usually like to wake up) At least my AM nurse and Dr cheered me up for the morning. My Mom called on Skype this morning, she was rather down and a bit concerned about Bill and his health. I told her if she was really concerned then she needed to call an ambulance for him. She did, but then he refused to go. She got upset and as a result, I got made and then REALLY upset. Today was the first time I actually felt trapped in this room. I am helpless to offer support to anyone other than verbally through my webcam or email/chat message. My day started out kinda cheery and then spiraled into an extremely sad/emotional one. At one point I was on the phone with Dave and I was hysterically crying (for over 30 minutes). My mom is fine, not to worry. But I think with her getting upset and it finally getting to me, all of the pent up frustration and emotion finally made it’s way to the surface and decided to come out at once. I was a basket case. Once I calmed myself down, I just isolated myself from everything. I turned off my phone ringers, turned off the TV and computer and just curled up with my body pillow and laid down for a while. I needed to relax and calm down. This extra stress was certainly the LAST thing I needed, especially for the baby. I didn’t help that the Caps lost again tonight (I actually didn’t really care) and my PM Nurse , Heather kept checking up on me to make sure I was doing ok (I know Dave told her I had a very emotionally low day). I had no problem falling asleep either. Crying so much certainly takes it out of you.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Monday, March 2, 2009

Was so glad Milena made it in as my AM Nurse this morning, her car almost got stuck on the way in (in the middle of an intersection) I woke up to a fire alarm and blizzard like conditions (4” already on the ground) and it was still coming down strong and heavy. We had 2 different fire alarms too that morning and afternoon that brought the fire department each time (including the ladder truck, at one point). Dr Ca made it in, she likes watching it snow like I do, and did for a little bit when she was checking up on me. Dave did make it into work (very carefully, of course) and made it home a little early because the snow got really heavy. It was a very slow day and I just relaxed and took it easy for the majority of it. Heather made it in too that evening and got to be my PM Nurse. It was a quiet evening. Arlington, VA got a total of 8” of snow….WOW. But it sure is pretty.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Sunday, March 1, 2009

This morning was a juggling act of AM nurses, I first started out with Dana who got overwhelmed with new admissions so Tricia took my care over to help her out. Dr Ca came to visit this morning and checked up on how I was feeling. I asked her if she was feeling better from being ill the weekend before, she said she was much better and that was the first sick time she had taken in over 18 years. WOW. It started snowing on and off all day long, our area was under a winter storm warning. Nothing really accumulated at all during the day. Fran & SK went over to the house and painted the nursery, the pictures sent over look GREAT! I’m so happy they offered to help. They will be back next Sunday to finish up painting the trim and such. In the early afternoon our friend James (Zammy) came by and brought wings for us to eat….he was originally going to come by and watch the game and eat wings but his work schedule had changed so we at them before the game and before he had to go into work. He also brought some DVD’s for me to watch. It was so wonderful having the wings and spending some time with him, I can’t express how much I appreciated just the little things he did. Some times a change of pace in this room really helps. The Caps played Florida and we lost, UGH. Can’t win ‘em all, eh?? Dave brought me dinner on his way back from the game, my fav Wendy’s salad (yummy, Chicken BLT Salad). The weather changed around 6pm to a solid wintry mix and then the major snow started to fall around 9pm. I was up for a late night but made myself fall asleep (I sometimes have to do that).

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Saturday, February 28, 2009

So nice to see Dana this morning, even if she did greet me with a scale to weigh me this morning. HAHAHA. I gained back the 3lbs I lost before and added an additional pound to it. Everyone thinks it is because of the overwhelming amount of fluid I got from L&D on Thursday. Ah, it’s ok. I’m not worried. Dr Co came by to see me this morning and she filled out Dave’s FMLA paperwork for his work. I’m glad that has been taken care of and it’s another thing off the checklist. I was allowed to take a shower this morning, so I got nice and clean. Kim was my first visitor today, she means so much to me and I really enjoy our time when she visits. The Caps played Boston this afternoon too, and they Won (in Boston, can you believe it??). Andrew stopped by later in the afternoon, he had presents too. He made me a build-a-bear with a red hockey jersey outfit. My original one that Dave made me now has a friend. He also brought a bunch of coloring stuff along with another Caps scarf like the one his mother made for me and our friends…..well this one was special because this one was baby sized….yep that’s what I said. She made one for the baby! It is so cute. My PM nurse was Heather today and I was so happy because I got to introduce Heather and Andrew to each other (yeah I know miss matchmaker, right??). Dana and Rachel (some of the other RN’s) came in too later on and did blessing beads as well and wrote in the little book. That meant more to me than they will ever know. Once all of the visiting and such was over and I was done with my evening monitoring I went to sleep rather easily.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Friday, February 27, 2009

Woke up to my AM nurse Joyce brining in my medicine. My NST in the morning was uneventful. I spent most of the day sleeping due to extreme exhaustion. Dr H when she came in to check on me, told me that the exhaustion was very common and to just use the day to relax and not to push myself. Joyce took out my IV (YIPPEE) and then I got poked again by the lab for CBC levels and a type & cross for incase I deliver. Spent almost the whole day just vegging out and sleeping. Got a visit from Tim, he’s so fun. Heather my PM nurse, was so happy to see me, especially after hearing what had happened the evening before. She did a blessing bead too. Dave stayed over a bit later tonight because he was making sure I was ok. I think both of us were still on edge from the night before.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Thursday, February, 26, 2009

A very interesting day, started out with Emily as my AM nurse but she was so busy that Milena took over for her. My morning NST (non-stress test) had a couple of contractions showing, and I was feeling just a bit off. But told Milena if I felt any of those “off” feelings again I’d let her know. Got a visit from Colleen, who had just been released from L&D after some early monitoring. Her and baby are doing good. They just monitored them both to make sure everything was alright. Was also visited by Sally (Dave’s mom), she’s feeling better and her shoulder is getting better too. I’m so glad she recovered so well from her shoulder surgery. Later in the afternoon I started to get that “off” feeling again, followed by a sharp menstrual like feeling cramp and then my belly got really tight. I called Milena immediately and by the time she got me on the monitor the belly had relaxed but I had already started freaking out and became hysterical. Dr W just happened to be in the hallway doing her rounds and heard the commotion in my room and came in to check up on me and she had to calm me down. We caught another contraction on the monitor as she was there. She calmed me down and then told me they were going to take me to L&D (labor & deliver) to keep a closer eye on me and the baby and see how things go after some fluids and tests. I called Dave to tell him he needed to be here and why, and by the time they got my bed to L&D he was already here (wow, talk about fast). I was put on the monitor right away and they caught more ctx’s (contractions) and started an IV to give me fluids. Dr H came on duty and took over for Dr W. I was feeling some pressure and she checked me to see if I was dilating more, and I was NOT. So that was some good news. The more fluid I got, the less my ctx’s showed up but then they stopped all together. They took a sample to check my urine levels and such to make sure I didn’t have an infection that might’ve been causing my cramping. No infection was found….but they did notice I was slightly dehydrated. And from what I was told…being dehydrated can cause ctx’s. I had no idea. But I drink so much water and fluids during the day that no one could believe I was partially dehydrated. But it seemed that all that I needed was some additional fluids and everything was stabilized. Got to start watching the hockey game on TV in my room at L&D. The nursing staff moved me during the first intermission, back to my regular room after almost 5 hours of monitoring. All is well with baby and me and better yet, the Caps won their game tonight. Donna & Arline were my PM Nurses after I got back to the unit. Slept rather well, after winding down from all of the excitement.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Thursday, February, 26, 2009

A very interesting day, started out with Emily as my AM nurse but she was so busy that Milena took over for her. My morning NST (non-stress test) had a couple of contractions showing, and I was feeling just a bit off. But told Milena if I felt any of those “off” feelings again I’d let her know. Got a visit from Colleen, who had just been released from L&D after some early monitoring. Her and baby are doing good. They just monitored them both to make sure everything was alright. Was also visited by Sally (Dave’s mom), she’s feeling better and her shoulder is getting better too. I’m so glad she recovered so well from her shoulder surgery. Later in the afternoon I started to get that “off” feeling again, followed by a sharp menstrual like feeling cramp and then my belly got really tight. I called Milena immediately and by the time she got me on the monitor the belly had relaxed but I had already started freaking out and became hysterical. Dr W just happened to be in the hallway doing her rounds and heard the commotion in my room and came in to check up on me and she had to calm me down. We caught another contraction on the monitor as she was there. She calmed me down and then told me they were going to take me to L&D (labor & deliver) to keep a closer eye on me and the baby and see how things go after some fluids and tests. I called Dave to tell him he needed to be here and why, and by the time they got my bed to L&D he was already here (wow, talk about fast). I was put on the monitor right away and they caught more ctx’s (contractions) and started an IV to give me fluids. Dr H came on duty and took over for Dr W. I was feeling some pressure and she checked me to see if I was dilating more, and I was NOT. So that was some good news. The more fluid I got, the less my ctx’s showed up but then they stopped all together. They took a sample to check my urine levels and such to make sure I didn’t have an infection that might’ve been causing my cramping. No infection was found….but they did notice I was slightly dehydrated. And from what I was told…being dehydrated can cause ctx’s. I had no idea. But I drink so much water and fluids during the day that no one could believe I was partially dehydrated. But it seemed that all that I needed was some additional fluids and everything was stabilized. Got to start watching the hockey game on TV in my room at L&D. The nursing staff moved me during the first intermission, back to my regular room after almost 5 hours of monitoring. All is well with baby and me and better yet, the Caps won their game tonight. Donna & Arline were my PM Nurses after I got back to the unit. Slept rather well, after winding down from all of the excitement.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Sleeping last night was good until I kept getting interrupted at many different times by resident doctors and then my AM nurse LaShawn. I knew I was getting my ultrasound today; I was both excited and scared. But my excitement for that was dwarfed by knowing my great friend Josie was on her way down from NJ to visit me during the day. I miss her so much and was so happy when she told me she wanted to come down and hang out for the afternoon. I was called to Dr V’s office for my ultrasound while she was still on the way. I ended up waiting an extended amount of time in the office down there; I didn’t make it back up to my room until almost 2 hours after I left. But the test itself had its good news AND bad news. Good news: baby is 3lbs 15oz (almost 4lbs, yahoo). However the bad news was that my dilation is becoming much more rounded and as a result the threat of my water breaking is much higher than ever before because of that she decided to weight the baby after all (because she originally wasn’t unless there was a possible chance of an increased risk and/or possible delivery). Josie was in the room when I got back from my tests, I have to admit I was so happy to have someone there because I needed someone to talk to a bit before I have to tackle some stuff for work. Josie went out and got us some great lunch and I worked while she was gone and for a bit after she got back. I got things done and turned off skype. Spent a GREAT afternoon with Josie, I can’t wait to see her when she comes back in a week and a half. Dave came home from work early and joined us for dinner and my PM Nurse came on duty and Danielle said as she came in that they “finally let me have you again”. I was so touched and glad to see her. Before dinner we got a visit from Father Paul. He gave me communion and gave all three of us ashes; well it is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. We had dinner and afterwards Josie had to leave to go home. Shortly after she left I got a visit from Lindsey and Dylan. They hung out with us for a long while, did some blessing beads and I had so much fun seeing them. They are both such a riot. I can’t wait for them to visit again. After they left it was time for my medicine and monitoring. Baby (like usual) has a strong heart rate and no contractions picked up. After the monitoring was completed Dave started talking to the belly and the baby was just moving like crazy and ended up hitting my bladder really hard and that equaled a mad dash for the bathroom…LOL. Afterwards I decided to send Dave home, because he looked so tired and I was fading fast too but I also wanted to be alone. I am coming to grips as to how high risk I really am at the moment and that my water could break at any time and I could be rushed to be delivered sooner than later. It’s a bit scary and I worry about the baby, but I know I’m in the best place to be and things will be OK in the long run. However, I’m still very scared. Going to go to bed and hopefully get some good sleep or at least get the chance to relax a bit.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
HAPPY 31 Weeks!!!! Each week is a blessing. Another week to go for our next goal, a day at a time. My AM nurse Quynh came in to give me my meds this morning and just let me sleep a bit longer. A few other doctors (residents) came in right before her, but I was able to fall back asleep just fine. When I got up and ate breakfast I called Quynh and told her I’d be ok for being on the monitor but before that I asked her to call my OB on duty to ask if I could have a shower today. She came in to put me on the monitor and told me the doctor gave me the OK for a shower. YAHOO!!!! (isn’t it sad..LOL…when the best part of my day is a shower?) Baby looked good on the monitor, but I had a contraction and they were able to see it on the monitor but it was very minor… so when I was done, I got to work for a bit and followed up on a few ongoing issues. I felt very productive with what I got accomplished today. Then got all cleaned up. Feeling good and had some lunch and then my afternoon medication. Decided to take a nap for a bit and asked Dave later to bring me some dinner, because I was in the mood for a cheese burger. I got a new RN I’ve never had before tonight. Her name is Ashley, she is a riot. I like her. Dr Co came to visit, she had a very busy day and because nothing major or imminent was going on with me she saved my visit for the evening when everything for her slowed down. She talked to us for a minute and reminded me there is an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow and that we’d see her soon. Dave brought me dinner and we watched the pitiful hockey game, Caps vs. Philly. I’m not even going into the details of the game, at one point I truly thought I was going to give myself contractions due to how frustrated I was getting. Oh and get this…the PCA’s came again to take my vitals near the end of the third period. I literally said to them “are you kidding me ladies, you want to take my vitals NOW??” LMAO…we all had a good laugh about it. The game ended and they got what they needed. Thankfully everything was just fine with my vitals. I sent Dave home to get some sleep and I updated my journal (what you are reading now) and posted everything online. Worked on the baby blanket I’m making until I got too tired and turned out the lights.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Monday, February 23, 2009

Monday, February 23, 2009
This morning I certainly was a little over tired. Then I got a call that made my morning even worse. I got a call from where we are trying to re-finance through, and because I’m in the hospital they can’t guarantee my income and if I will return to work after the baby is born, therefore they can’t approve the application. I was not happy hearing that news, I of course called Dave in tears and profusely apologizing because I’m taking the blame for not getting what we wanted. My AM nurse LaShawn came in and saw me upset, she sat and talked to me for a while before putting me on the monitor. She was so nice. Then when Dr Ca came in to check on me she saw that I looked upset and talked to me as well a little bit. Everyone is so nice; I’m amazed everyday by the compassion of the staff and doctors here. This afternoon I was able to work a good amount and keep my mind occupied. I am very thankful for the distraction. I finally relaxed enough in the afternoon to take a bit of a nap before dinner. When Dave finally got here later on he went to warm up his dinner only to find a visitor for me, Father Paul. He hung around for a good while and even put a bead on my prayer beads strand. He’s so kind to take time out of his evening to visit. We enjoyed his visit very much. Got to settle in and watch Heroes and some of our other favorite shows together too. Aicha is my PM Nurse tonight, she came in as was so happy that she was assigned to me tonight. She’s so sweet. Baby Girl looked great on the monitor tonight, Dave went home early cuz he wasn’t feeling 100%, just told him to go home and take some Ny-quil and go to bed. I am going to try and turn in myself, we’ll see how that goes.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Sunday, February 22, 2009

Over night my regimen of medicine got messed up a bit again. But at least that lets me sleep in a tad longer. I’m glad the resident doctor who came to visit this morning waiting until close to 8am to come and see me. Joyce is my AM nurse today, again. She’s not the charge nurse today so she will not forget about me and such. Dr H came in and sat down and talked with me for a while. She was concerned about me from yesterday (being depressed) and I told her about my journal and how that writing it is helping me. She thought it is very healthy that I’m doing one. I’m very tired but anxiously awaiting the Caps vs. Pens game on NBC at 12:30. I made sure Dave took my ticket to go to the game. He totally deserves it. He’s called me already after arriving at the Phone Booth, to give me the well wishes sent by a bunch of friends. I just hope I’m going to be able to stay away for the entire game, I’m still exhausted. But still hopeful at the same time; Let’s Go Caps!! OMG…what an amazing hockey game. The Caps won 5-2, eat that Pittsburgh! And we won on NBC (finally). *happy dance* I’m finally getting my “Grease” (the movie) fix…they are playing it on ABC family. What can I say, Grease IS the word. Dave made it over here to the hospital after the game and brought Sherri with him. It was so nice spending time with her, especially after such a great game and there was so much to talk about too. When Dave left to feed Glinda and such at home, he picked me up some dinner when he came back. Stephanie was my PM Nurse and came in after we finished eating to bring my pre-natal vitamins and put me on the monitor as we started watching the Academy Awards. Dave left after midnight and I stayed awake a bit longer to continue working on crocheting the baby blanket. When it starts looking more like a blanket and less like a scarf, I’ll post a photo. And thanks to Stephanie my medicine regimen got fixed. She's so good to me.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Saturday, February 21, 2009

Woke up completely exhausted, Stephanie came in before her PM shift ended to give me my medicine early this morning and I went back to sleep. I kept the room quiet all morning and only opened my eyes to get my vitals checked and to tell Joyce, my AM nurse that once I got up I’d let her know when I was ready to be on the monitor. I don’t really think I was fully asleep, but more like a relaxed state of mind. But after some time I was tapped awake by Dr H checking up on me and how I was feeling. She examined my belly and said everything looked good and that she’d see me tomorrow. I got to skype today with my mom; she was checking on me and totally noticed how I wasn’t acting normally. And uncovered the fact that the depression I’ve started getting is settling in. My Dad even called later in the day, he picked up on it right away too. I knew it was going to catch up with me eventually, it was only a matter of time. I even told Dr H about it when she was here this morning. She told me if I needed to talk to someone just to let them know. I’m ok right now. I’m just trying to get a handle on things. It’s proving to be difficult but you know…it’s not easy. So needless to say, today was a low day for me (emotionally). I got a visit from Justin; it’s always so nice to see him. We hung out for a while and just chatted it up. And while he was here I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Josie. They are so beautiful, so much in fact I placed them next to my bed. Dave went to church tonight before he got dinner. Right before he arrived I got a call from my buddy Wes; you all know him as the voice of the Washington Capitals. He sounded so much better in comparison to the last time I spoke with him. He was in full flu symptoms and missed the hockey game that night. He had a trip last weekend with his family and I told him the warm air would help him in clearing up his flu symptoms and it did. I told him we were all glad he was better and back at the Phone Booth. It’s not a home game without him. Had a good dinner with Dave after the phone call and realized that my AM nurse never gave me my medicine before she left. I got a little upset because it threw my whole medicine schedule off by another hour. When Stephanie came in to ask what medicine I didn’t get and to tell me she was my PM nurse, I was still upset and kind of lashed out at her by mistake…she said ‘hold up’ walked to the door and walked back in the room…LOL… pressing reset is how she put it. It made me laugh and I apologized so much, I still feel bad about it. Stephanie came in again to put me on the monitor and I apologized again to her and she was completely fine about it. Apparently there were many people today that had a bad day (including my AM nurse) and it didn’t make things easy for me. But I’m much better now, and it’s the end of the day. Hopefully tomorrow won’t as down and today has been.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Friday, February 20, 2009

Was able to get sleep, but not a lot. Quynh came on duty and let me sleep more after she gave me my meds. I spend most of the morning quiet in the room and just lying down. Kristen the nurse practitioner from my OB office came to see me today. It was nice to see her, it had been a long while. She just did the basic questions and made sure all was well…and it is. Got a visit from Sally (Dave’s mom) today; she’s still feeling her asthma a lot, I hope she gets to see her Dr soon and get better faster. She bought me a nice pink t-shirt and a lovely navy blue sweater. They are so nice. I can’t wait to wear them. I also got to work on the blanket I’m crocheting for baby girl. It’s coming along very nicely. It was a nice day, nice a sunny outside too. Dave came over later after work, because Diva has made it into town and will now make our lives a living hell for the next two months. Just what I need. We got to watch the Caps vs. Avs game but the Caps lost the game and rather sadly too. Dave left early, he was so tired. I ended up not falling asleep until after 2:30am.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Thursday, February 19, 2009

After another restless night, Quynh came in the morning as my AM nurse and got me my meds and put me on the monitor. Dr W gave me permission to take a shower today after she was doing her early rounds. Worked a good amount today, Got visited by Jen for a couple of reasons..First, being for disability paperwork and second, bringing my phone list to me. Also talked on skype with my mom, Jen, Race and then just chatted with my childhood friend Amy. Today marks me being here 3 weeks officially. I still can’t believe it. The evening was a very mild one. Rachel came on duty as my PM nurse. I just wish it wasn’t so difficult to sleep each night, I just have trouble getting to sleep.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Wednesday, February 18, 2009

I was very tired this morning and spend a good time of the morning just lying down. Emily (my AM nurse) got my meds for me and made sure I got my breakfast. Dr Co came in and asked when I was to have my next ultrasound, and I told her I didn’t know, either today or tomorrow (Thursday). She said she’d call down to Dr M & V’s office to see availability. After she left and I was lying down again for about 30 minutes, Emily came in to tell me that the wheelchair was ready and Dr M & V’s office was ready for me. So I got up and went down. It is always so nice to get out of my room for a bit. Even if it is for just a small bit of time. It’s out of that little room. Dr V did my ultrasound again and the first part of the ultrasound was to monitor the baby and her movement a bit. So we got to watch her move a bunch as I felt it too… she really is getting bigger and much stronger. And to my surprise Dr V turned on the 3D/4D monitor and got some amazing photos of my baby girl. Many photos of her profile and one really great one of almost her whole face. She’s soooooooooo pretty. I tear up every time I see the photo, I can (but really can’t) wait to meet her. Then I relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Grace came on duty as my PM Nurse and took good care of me. Dave came over after work and we watched the Caps vs. Mtl game and the Caps won. Went to bed right after Dave left to go home.