Feeling Better

I'm finally feeling better and more like myself! Yay! When I went to my OB appointment on Monday, my midwife took one look at me and was like let's get you out of here quick! lol I still wasn't feeling well from the surgery. I was so glad she took care of me quickly. :-) Oh! I found out what blood type I am! I am O- so that means I had to get a shot. LOL I just find it too funny that I've always wanted to know what blood type I am, and I've been stuck a bazillion times in my life and now when I finally find out I get another shot! Just like me to make it difficult. ;-) It's b/c of the RH Factor when you are pregnant and have that blood type.

So I drank that horrible stuff for the bloodwork, and of course, it made me super nauseated and hurt my stomach a lot. BUT I kept it done. :-) Talk about living on nausea meds. The thing that bugged me the whole time I was drinking it was that I know I am not diabetic. I actually get low blood sugar more than anything else. Ah, well.

Yesterday I had my tote class!!! I love it! I'm giving it as a gift, and I can't wait to make more as gifts. :-)

I used a different pattern for the front and back so it's more interesting. It was so fun and easy. I have a banner order! She wants it like the dragonfly one I just did but w/o the ladybugs and in her school's colors. She's a teacher so it will be in her classroom. :-) Also, it sounds like there is another banner order coming soon. The big kind this time.

I go to GI today. I'm going to bring my Audrey Hepburn picture and work on it. I'm doing her in pencil, and when she's done I'm hanging her up in the art/craft room. Since I go to Temple so much I'm going to bring her to all my appointments until she is finished. Then I'll bring something else. I love finally hitting on to this idea. Before I was kinda like, but ppl will see.... I hate to be in the spotlight, but I need to get some things finsihed so I'm going to be brave and do it! I'm so excited at the possibility of getting some pics done this way!!!

Well, I need to clean the bathroom. I also want to make Ben a dessert today. I just haven't decided WhAt to make. lol It might be tomorrow, though b/c the day is going by fast, and I will be on the HOP later. We'll see what happens. :-)

Surgery Update

My surgery turned out more complicated than it was supposed to be. Ben and I got there a little before 9:30 and didn't leave to go home till 2:45! It was a looong day. :-) They got me in a room by 10 and started an IV, and then the anesthesia guy came in and went over all my info with me. Then the assistant to the GI doc came and talked to me. The GI who did the replacement I've never met before, and I never did meet him!!! I was knocked out before I saw him. So that was kinda weird. lol Anyway, they took me to the surgery room at 11 and got me all set up, and then I was asleep.

When I woke up, I could hear myself coughing, wheezing, and having a hard time breathing, but I was still so out of it. They were trying to get me to use my inhaler. I tried but just didn't have the strength and wasn't even sure where it was. lol They finally got it in me. I heard them telling the recovery nurse my blood presure was staying really low, and I was having tachycardia the whole time in surgery. And now the asthma attack. So they got a nebulizer to me really really quick. I don't even remember all that. I remember them telling me several times to wake up and breath. I finally woke up enough and was breathing the stuff in better. I had the treatment for about 20 minutes, and I felt lots better when it was done. My blood pressure finally rose so I didn't have to take any meds to raise it. But my heart rate stayed fast the whole day. I think when they went in to suck up the stuff from my stomach that my pill must have still been trying to digest. I don't know, but it was fast all day so I felt miserable.

I wasn't able to feed after midnight and then the surgery took 2 hours instead of 30 minutes! Then they told me I couldn't drink anything for an hour and couldn't feed until 8 pm!!! I was like oh, no.... I was feeling so shaky and weak. I fell while trying to transfer to my power chair. Ben helped me. It was just like oh, wow I am weak. So I was sick all day and just needed rest and lots of it. I finally managed to eat a little something and drink some Ginger Ale. I was so happy to start my feeds!!!

The other problem was that when they went to replace my tube, they noticed that the tube was really coiled up and was in stomach. The end of the tube was going into the small intestine, but it was too close to my stomach. So that probably explains why I have been sooo sick the past couple of weeks with intense nausea, feeling full, stomach upset, and losing weight. I'm glad we got this thing fixed and out of me!!! They think it messed up so bad b/c of my growing stomach, and I didn't have enough cord to continue down into my small intestine. They made sure I had enough this time so I'm hoping and praying it stays where it's supposed to so I don't get so sick again!!!

I slept for about 11 hours before the surgery, and last night I got about 10. But I still don't feel well today. I was ok for the first hour I was up, but the more I moved and did stuff they sicker I got. My head is really hurting, my throat is super sore from the tube down me for 2 hours, the sides of my neck near my ears are very tender to the touch - probably from the tube, too - and I just feel exhausted. I wanted to paint today, but I don't know.... Ben said I should just rest and not do anything. :-)

Ben's 12 hour shifts started up today. He will be working 12 hours every day for 3 weeks. That means weekends, too. I miss him already. lol I'm used to him being around on the weekends so it's weird. :-) We might not be able to get leave for our anniversary. It would be nice if we could just b/c next year the baby will be here and this is our last time of just us for awhile. But it's ok. As long as we spend time together that is what matters. :-) He's going to see if they will let him use his 4 day for reenlisting for our anniversary. So we'll see what happens. :-)

I might have another banner order! That will be nice. :-)

Well, that's my long update. Hope everyone is doing well!

Another Banner

Here's my latest banner. It's for a little girls room. Dragonflies and ladybugs. I hope the Mom likes it!!! The little one is just one, I think so she's not going to care yet. lol

I'm really happy with it. :-) I'm glad my orders are done before the surgery tomorrow. The thing is I'm so out of it I don't think I'm going to get much accomplished today. Sigh. I wanted to sew, but I need Ben here to change the needle for me. I was going to paint, but I'm too tired. I honestly don't want to do anything. I had to get up too early, and I have to get up early tomorrow, too. Yuck. I'm just going to watch movies tomorrow probably. Anesthesia makes me feel tired all day. Oh, I can't feed after midnight. I hope I get home at a reasonable time tomorrow. I don't want to be stuck there for too long....

I read a book on the bus ride today. Like usual. But this one I started and finished on the bus. lol I already wrote my review on my other blog. It was pretty good. Not boring at all. It was about Anne Bradstreet - the Puritan poetess. :-)

I can't wait for my tote bag class!!! So excited. :-) Should be lots of fun. The women at the shop are always really sweet.

It's still really hot here. It's just too hot to walk Kaylee. She hasn't gotten out much in a couple weeks. With the heat index, we stay around 108. 

That's about it for now.

Surgery Again

So I will have my g-j mickey replaced Friday afternoon. Sometime around 1-4. The bad part is I can't feed until I'm done! I just went through a stomach bug and lost weight, but I have finlly gained it back!!! Thank you, God!!! I don't want to lose again b/c it was a hard hard battle to gain it back. :-) Anyway, they are planning on giving me IV fluids at least. So that's good. I will have it in the OR this time so they can monitor me better since I'm 6 months pregnant now. The OB will also send down someone to check the baby's heart rate before and after surgery. So Thursday I have the anesthesia appointment. My GI appointment got switched t next week - well, they are trying to switch it to next week. Good news! I finished the baby quilt!!!



Good news! I finished the baby quilt!!! It's a rail fence quilt, and it is my first quilt! I alternated green and blue pinwheels. So excited it's finished! I'm thinking of doing the Square Dance quilt next.

Also, I'm taking a class on how to make a tote bag with a pocket. That will be next week. I already have the fabric. I'm going to give it one of my sister-in-laws. I plan on making more tote bags as birthday gifts, too. :-)

I finished a commissioned banner on Saturday. I'm hoping Ben can send it out today. Here it is.

Here's my fall banner. I finally took the time to finish the little details on it.

I have another banner order I'm working on. It's for a little girl's room so it should be fun. I'm doing a smaller size. It'll be 10x15 b/c her name has 7 letters. Also, I'm adding ladybugs and dragonflies, and if I figure out how to paint lightning bugs, I'll be adding them, too. I've done the background color, and a coat on the border so I'm hoping to get the boring stuff done today so I can get to the fun of drawing and painting the dragonflies and ladybugs. ;-) Oh, I also have to draw her name, too. Letters are kinda fun to me. :-)

I've also been sewing some Christma gifts for the women I know. I need to finish my dad's gift, too. It's a painted figurine. Ben added the porch to the dollhouse, put the door in, and added the windows! It's coming along!!! I can't wait to make the furniture and stuff. I can see cute little lacey curtains in the widows.

Oh! I drew Peter Rabbit!!! I want to paint him so bad, but I need to finish this banner first..... But he's all ready now!!! So excited. I need to go ahead and add him to the paper so I can just paint right off.

Oh, no! I just remembered I was supposed to make a painting for Ben's work! Oh, man! I need to work on that ASAP! I have to decide what to put it on first. Ben kinda wants an Apache blade and a Black Hawk blade.... Sounds boring to me. lol I wanted to draw a sillhouette of both of the helicopters. But that's way more difficult. lol So we'll see. :-)

I'm off to work on the banner. Oh, I still haven't gotten my school assignment back, and I haven't heard anything from my story I sent out. Unusual to take this long with my school assignment, but not unusual for the story I submitted to the magazine. lol Ok, I'm going for real now. ;-)

Skype Time

I have a growth ultrasound tomorrow! It's so nice to see him and that he is groing on schedule. :-) Definitely alleviates my fears. I didn't find out till Monday evening that I had this appt. b/c they didn't call me to let me know! So annoying. I am hoping to get home at a reasonable time.

My best friend and I are Skyping and talking on the phone all this week since neitherone of us was able to travel to each other. I am so thankful we live in this time!!! Makes staying in touch super easy. We have watched a movie together so far. Basically we have just been taling and talking. lol We never run out of things to say. ;-) Plus, it's nice to see each other. We are hoping to paint together eventually. I love my sister in heart so much!!! She is the bestest. :-)

I think I will draw until we can Skype. I've been dying to watercolor lately. I have to make time to work on the lion picture and Peter Rabbit. I need to work with my true painting love. It's nice to get paid for the banners, but I get tired of acrylic when I love watercolor so much. Oh, my midwife wants to see pics of my work so I'm hoping order some pics so she can see them. Probably banners and watercolor pics.

Oh, I painted this saying, but I sent it off to my friend without taking a pic of it!!! Frustrating. She is going to try to get a pic for me so I can have it on file. :-)

I had a pretty good day Saturday! Ben and I went out and had so much fun together. I love him lots! :-) I was so glad I was feeling well enough to do something with him.

I've found some pretty good Christmas ideas on the internet now that I can sew. So excited!!! Can't wait to make them. :-) And they look pretty easy, too so that is awesome.

I'll try to post some pics next time.

The Day

I had my OB appointment today. My friend, Charity, took me b/c the HOP (Special Transit Bus) didn't have a Medicare/Medicaid patient going at my time. I can only go to Temple as long a Medicaid patient is onboard. I have no idea why they have that rule. I mean c'mon I pay there and back. Oh, well. So I had to use my manual which I hate b/c 1) it is uncomfortable 2) it won't fit in the small bathrooms in the OB rooms 3) it would be a pain to weigh since I didn't know its weight (Now I do. lol) and 4) I can't move myself in a manual. But we made it. :-)

I got to see the baby again today!!! He is getting so big. And cute!!! In 2-3 weeks I have to have another growth ultrasound to make sure he is still on schedule. I go back to my OB in two weeks. Well, less than two b/c I already had an ortho appointment scheduled that day. I'm not about to change that one! I would get way to behind in my braces schedule. We can't have that! lol Anyway, I'm going to be going to the docs a lot in August. Sigh. Not fun.

So they ran bloodwork!!! They agreed that they need to make sure there is nothing wrong befor ethey say officially it's this or that. But my midwife was actually there this time!!! She is so so nice. Anyway, she told me that in the 2nd trimester is when most women experience a lot of headaches so that could be what it is. I was like why didn't anybody tell me that before??? That's what I kept saying - is this something to expect or could this be something else. Crazy docs. Oh, she also told me I most definitely do not have to sleep on my left side!!!!!! YES! It bothers my j-tube so much I couldn't take it. I am so glad. Now it won't bleed anymore. :-) And hopefully, stop hurting me. Oh, when the midwife came back with my OB, she said he agreed with all the bloodwork you suggested. LOL ;-) He added a couple more, too. I thought that was hysterical, though. I can't believe I'm 24 weeks!!! I so hope I can make it the whole way.

I finally had a good doc appointment when my midwife and OB are there. The OB I like. lol I hope he is the one there for my delivery.... I really really don't want the other guy..... But if Pattie is there maybe it won't be so bad. :-) Oh, she wants me to bring pics to show her my watercolor paintings. Any of my artwork, actually. So that's cool.

I need to work on the baby's pics tomorrow. I've been so exhausted the last few days I coudln't do much of anything. If I get lots of sleep tonight I should be able to. I sent my story out to Highlights yesterday. So excited! hope it sells! I haven't heard back from my school about my last ever assignment with them. As soon as I do, I will fix what they suggest and send it on out. :-) I really want to sell my stories. I write them for kids to read and enjoy. Not sit in a box at home. Anyway, that's all for now. I have to go finish supper real quick. Chicken and pastry - one of Ben's faves. :-)

Frustrations

I go to the OB on Thursday, and they better listen to me and help me!!! I am so super bugged at all my docs right now. I have been having horrible headaches for 5 weeks. They thought it was dehydration, but I've been drinking more and flushing more , and it is not helping!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so sick of this. Plus, they haven't checked my bloodwork in awhile, and I want to make sure everything with my nutrition is good. I am so tired of being the doctor and nurse and having to deal with all  this at the same time. C'mon people, DO YOUR JOB! I'm doing mine and then some. I am so sick of this.

God is def helping me through this, though. Even though I'm bugged, I know He is in charge, and He is more than enough for me. I know He will work this out. I just need to keep trusting Him. :-)

I need to go to the post office tomorrow, pick up some meds, and take some library books back. Then home to rest. Oh, I'm sending out a new story tomorrow!!! I'm hoping this is the one that sells. :-)