Kite Flying

Wildlife Ranch

Over a month ago, we took Jackson out to the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. We had thought about taking him to the zoo but this lazy pregnant lady did not feel like walking around a zoo so the Wildlife Ranch was a better compromise since we'd still get to see animals but from the comfort of our own car! It was a lot of fun. Jackson really liked it!


Jackson & I looking at who knows what. Great shot of Jackson picking his nose!!


Feeding goats. They were all over the kiddo.




Don't know what this is but he was the first guy that came over to our car looking for food.


So many animals would come really close to the car. It was cool.


These 2 were totally loving on each other. It was cute!


EMU


The zebras were hiding in the brush.


The ostrich just sat there looking at us. Never even flinched.



This little guys was so cute & sweet. He just hung out there with his mom & dad, at least I think they're his mom & dad.


So we were busy just looking at the llamas in the water when out of the blue a big guy approached us out of nowhere!


He just came waltzing up.


And then he got closer and closer...


...and closer still. Before we knew it, he was practically in the car. I told Jerry to just hurry & throw food at the guy! Plus he was so slimy, it was gross!


Jackson & me checking out the giraffes.

This guy just really liked licking the side of the building!


Jackson loved the giraffes!

Our Stick Family

Seriously!?!?!?

Okay, this is just ridiculous! As if things can't get any more crazy around here, we had an interesting turn of events take place this afternoon.

I'll start off with yesterday's appointment. Nothing's changed. I'm still on bedrest. My BP was super elevated when I got there. No surprise, I was incredibly anxious about it. We talked with my doctor and went over some things. She wants me to have an ultrasound at next week's appointment just to check on the baby and make sure that all is well with her. We discussed induction and it looks like I might be getting induced during week 37...depending on how I'm doing and if I haven't gone into labor on my own by then. I'll be 35 weeks on Sunday so that's just 2 weeks away! I had been monitoring my BP at home so I took all those readings to her and she was pleased with how low they had been but still to be safe, suggested I stay in bed. After she left, the medical assistant took my BP again and it had dropped more than 20 points so that was a sure sign that my initial BP reading was totally anxiety related. We made our appointment for next week and left.

Well, this afternoon during my siesta, I had a message from the doctor's office saying that there was a scheduling conflict with my doc. and that I needed to call right away to reschedule my appointment. Since I have to work around Jerry's schedule, I just made him call the office and handle it. He left the room and quickly came back half chuckling. I thought, that was quick! He then asks me "Did you know Dr. Parekh is pregnant?" I said "WHAT!?! NO!" He says "Yeah, she's pregnant and has been put on bedrest for the rest of her pregnancy!!" I said "WHAT!??!!?? Are you freaking kidding me!?!?" He says "Nope! She's on bedrest so you have to pick a new doctor!" I thought, OH! MY! GOD! Seriously!?! I just couldn't stop saying "Are you freaking kidding me?! I can't believe this!" So close to the end and with my health issues now, I don't want a new doctor! I want MY doctor...I love her! We talked about it for a bit and I went ahead and chose the doctor I had seen a few weeks ago when my doctor was out. She was nice enough and really, what other options do I have at this point!?

But I still just can't get over this. I love, love, love my doctor! She's got such a great bedside manner, has a great way of putting me at ease, and we just get along so great. I'm so bummed that she won't be there for me throughout the rest of my pregnancy. What I also can't get over is the fact that now both my doctor & I are simultaneously on bedrest! It's almost comical. I told Jerry that I need to find out how to get in touch with her because I just want to tell her that I can totally relate to what she's going through. She's got a 2 year old as well so I completely understand how difficult it is. I feel really bad for her though. She's obviously pretty early on in her pregnancy because we had no clue she was even pregnant!! We couldn't tell at all! So whatever is going on with her is a pretty big deal and I feel badly that she's on bedrest so early on. Last, I just can't get over the fact that with my health issues, I have to start over with a new doctor. Like I said, the new doc. is nice and she's the one who initially had all those tests run on me to rule out anything more serious than gestational hypertension so I'm sure I'm in good hands. She's just not Dr. Parekh. At least, I'm towards the end of my pregnancy and hopefully all will go well from here on out. Fingers crossed!!

A Series of Unfortunate Events

So here's the story:

I went in Thursday morning at 9am for a blood pressure check. I had Jackson with me since Jerry was way out in SW Austin teaching a CPR class. I was really trying to relax but definitely had a hard time doing so, especially with Jackson around who kept saying "No, no doctor!" He did NOT want to be there with me. So when the nurse called me back there was no surprise that my bp was crazy high. I told her that I was having a really hard time trying to relax. She was pretty unsympathetic and left to go find my doctor.

Shortly after, she comes back over to me and says that my doctor wants to see me right away. She then adds "Yeah, it looks like you're going to have to be admitted to the hospital so I don't know what you plan to do with him" and points to Jackson! Holy smokes, I wanted to stand up and smack the crap outta her! Thanks for showing me some sympathy and having some compassion towards my 2 year old son! It still makes me so upset thinking about it.

So Jackson and I head over to a room where my doctor is waiting for me. I had already started crying. I was upset about the nurse, I was scared about what was going to happen, I was worried about Jackson, and I was totally freaking out because I didn't know who I'd be able to get a hold of to help me out. My doctor is awesome and she did a great job at calming me down and making me feel a little bit better. She said she'd get a wheelchair for me and that her & her med. assistant would wheel Jackson & me over to the hospital. I asked her if I could have a moment to make some phone calls to try to get a hold of someone. I also wanted some time with Jackson to explain to him what was going on. She said sure and left to get all my paperwork together and the wheelchair. I got a hold of my aunt first...crying, of course! She lives relatively close so I'm glad to have caught her at home. I then tried Jerry. I was worried he would have been teaching his class already but thankfully, he hadn't. He was getting ready to teach to a mom's group so they were pretty understanding about his need to leave.

My doctor came back with the wheelchair and Jackson & I hopped in. He was scared at first. He kept saying he wanted to leave and go get some blueberries. That had been our plan. After the doctor's office, we were going to hit up Super Target to get a baby gift for my friend Ann and to buy some blueberries for Jackson! I felt so bad that we couldn't do that anymore. It just broke my heart!

So Jackson & I got wheeled over to the hospital. He did well and remained really calm. I was glad about that. I just kept telling him that Daddy & Tia were on their way to help take care of us. They took us straight to the triage room where I had to put a gown on and got hooked up to monitors. Jackson had his backpack with him so before I got in bed, I had him get out something to work on. He decided he wanted to color in his tractor coloring book and ended up setting up shop on one of the chairs in the room. I was afraid he'd get scared with everything that was going on but he held up really well. The nurses were really good with him too. They made sure his chair was close to my bed and that he was able to see me at all times being as I was having to lie on my left side. All the while, I was still shedding a few tears. I was just so upset! Plus, I still didn't know what the heck was going to happen to me!

Jackson & I were alone for a while before my aunt showed up. I can't even begin to stress how proud of him I was. He handled the whole situation so well. Such a big boy! One of the nurses came in and finally let me in on what all they were planning on doing. They wanted to run some tests and have my blood pressure monitored every 15 minutes. After they got the results from the tests, my doctor would then decide what to do next.

Shortly after Annie arrived, Jerry showed up. I was glad to see him and of course, I started crying again when he walked in. I was a mess but having him & Annie there really helped to calm me down. My grandpa showed up as well. He ended up taking Jackson home so he could eat and get a nap in.

After 2 hours, all my tests came back normal and my blood pressure fell significantly. Still my doctor put me on bed rest for who knows how long and they diagnosed me with pregnancy induced hypertension. So no cooking, no cleaning, no shopping, minimal walking, etc... When I heard that, I thought, OH MY GOD how are we going to deal with this, especially with a 2 year old at home!?! I was glad though that I was able to be sent home. I would have hated to have to stay at the hospital. So sometime after noon, I was discharged.

I see my doctor again on Thursday and I'm hoping that all goes well. Since I've been home and on bed rest, my blood pressure has remained stable. It's a tad bit elevated but nothing like what it was at the doctor's office or the hospital but I definitely experience way more anxiety there than I do at home. My family helped us out over the weekend and my mother-in-law is here for the week so it's nice to get some help around here because I can only do so much.

I'm 34 weeks this week and am really looking forward to meeting this little girl soon. Although I definitely want her to 'cook' for a little bit longer, she's given me a sure run for my money and I am so over this pregnancy. It hasn't been too fun and now with the health issues I'm running into, I'm just ready to move on. Keep us in your thoughts!

Another Setback!

As of last Thursday, I am on complete bed rest now due to pregnancy induced hypertension. That is just great! I have no idea for how long, quite possibly until the baby comes, which at this point I'm hoping is in the next 3 weeks or so. I'll post the full story tomorrow.

Susan Boyle

I don't know how many of you have seen this or heard about it but I love it! It's awesome & I just had to share! Susan Boyle

When it Rains, it Pours...

...and I mean really, really POURS! (This will be a LONG post)!

So last week was one heck of a week. It started with Jackson coming down with one heck of a runny, snotty nose. I couldn't keep up with all the junk coming outta there! He continued with that yucky nose through Wednesday.

On Wednesday afternoon Jerry & Jackson went out for a run and then a trip to the park. When they came back, Jackson was pretty hot & sweaty and he just wanted me to hold him. He kept saying "Big hug, mama". So I sat there and held him. We were afraid that maybe he had gotten a little dehydrated. Shortly after, he laid down on the floor and asked me to lie next to him and give him a big hug. Just as I did, he started vomiting and it totally freaked me out! Thankfully, he remained calm, I was the one who was all frantic. He'd never thrown up before but he was quite the trooper. We cleaned him up, tried to cool him down, and just spent the evening cuddling with him. He kept saying his tummy had ouchies but thankfully, he never threw up again. So we thought the worst of it was over!

Nope, we were wrong. Thursday morning Jackson started with a bad case of diarrhea. I had my doctor's appointment that morning and both my guys were supposed to come with but we decided that Jackson definitely needed to stay home. He couldn't keep anything down. Everything he ate or drank went right through him. It was not fun.

At 10am, I headed to see the doc. My doctor was out so I had to see one of the other doctors in the practice. We did the usual stuff...weight check, urine sample (fun stuff when you've got a huge belly and can't really see what you're doing!!), and blood pressure check. I ended up having slightly elevated blood pressure so the assistant had me lie on my left side & relax until the doctor came in. Relax!?! Yeah, right. I can't relax knowing my blood pressure is up. The doctor came in and we talked about my pregnancy. Then she started warning me about the effects of high blood pressure, telling me all about preeclampsia and all the complications that come with it, and that she wants to run some tests so I need to give blood work and another urine sample, yadda, yadda, yadda. It was a blur because the moment I heard preeclampsia, I started freaking out! She tells me to lie down and wait for the assistant to come in and check my blood pressure again. Oh, and to relax. I'm like, what!?! I seriously can't relax now. You just scared the crap out of me and I'm worried sick!! Oh my god, they made me wait FOREVER! I was never able to relax. I felt hot, I wanted to cry, I just wanted to get the heck out of there, my heart was racing....there was no way for me to calm down, as hard as I tried. So of course, when the assistant came back in my blood pressure had gone higher. She left and made me wait yet again for the doctor, who came in ages later and told me that she thought I definitely needed to be on BED REST!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought, what!?! Are you kidding me!?! There is no way on god's green earth that I can be on bed rest! Not with a million things to do and an almost 2.5 year old with a stomach virus! After a visit to the lab for tests, I left the doctor's office in tears.

Friday, Jerry had to go to work and since I'm supposed to be on bed rest, my grandpa came over to help with Jackson. Poor kiddo, by Friday morning he was still battling a terrible case of diarrhea. His little bottom was so raw that he'd scream every single time we changed his diaper. Oh, I felt so bad! I wanted to cry with him. We had a terrible time getting him to eat or drink anything. His tummy just bothered him so bad. Thank goodness my grandpa was here. He helped out a ton and I was able to relax here & there. He spent the night that night, which ended up being a HUGE help because at midnight I woke up with some churning in my stomach!

I thought, oh no, please, I cannot catch that stomach bug! I tossed & turned for 2 hours and by 2am, I couldn't take it anymore. I was so sick to my stomach, I barely made it to the bathroom where I vomited like I'd never had before! TMI, I know, but oh god, it was horrible!! I felt awful!! I continued to throw up ALL. NIGHT. LONG! I couldn't even keep fluids down, which had me very worried for the baby. I started calling Jerry at work just before 7am. I needed him to come home ASAP because I was in desperate need of some care taking. My grandpa had his hands full already with Jackson and his runny diapers!

Jerry called me back around 8. He had been at a fire since 2 in the morning (where he rescued a dog, by the way). I told him I needed him to come home NOW. He said alright and a half hour later was on the road home. However, on his way home he started to feel really bad. My gosh, when the guy walked in the house, he looked awful! He couldn't stand up straight, he couldn't see straight, he was a complete mess. He thought it was maybe because he overexerted himself at the fire. Nope, he had caught the stomach bug too. Not too long after he got home, he was praising the porcelain god as well. I thought, oh my god, this just can't get any worse!!

Thank goodness for my grandpa. He took care of everyone! Most of his time was spent with Jackson, who was still having lots of running dipes. Jerry & I spent most of the day in bed as sick as can be. We tried to take care of each other but we were useless! We just had to fend for ourselves. Goodness gracious, it was horrible! Because everyone in our house was so sick, we totally missed out on Easter. Actually, my family ended up postponing our Easter gathering for next weekend. My mom and sister-in-law were in DC visiting my sister anyway so it worked out that we'd just celebrate Easter next week.

We're finally feeling better today. Jackson had a few yucky diapers yesterday but nothing today so I'm hoping he's passed that bug. My stomach is finally getting back to normal as well. Jerry was feeling well enough to go back to work today. No word on my lab results. They're supposed to call if something is wrong so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't hear anything! I go back on Thursday for a BP check. And as far as bed rest, well considering I had been sick for a couple of days and couldn't really get out of bed, it's been alright. I had to get moving today though. I just couldn't take it anymore. I'm not sure how the rest of the week will go. I'm going to do my best to just take it easy. It's so much easier said than done, though!

Here's to a much better week and a light at the end of the tunnel!!!!

That's What Friends Are For

A few weeks back Ann & I took the boys to our favorite park. As we were leaving, they decided to walk together & hold hands. It was super cute! They really do enjoy being together!! Oh & then they decided to do some pull-ups. Such strong, athletic boys! :)

Baby Shower!

Last Saturday my sister-in-law, my mom, and my aunt hosted a baby shower for little old me...well, not so little old me! It was held at a Mexican restaurant in downtown Austin. It was so much fun! I had a great time celebrating with my family & friends! I felt so special! :)

I was definitely missing my grandma, though. We really felt her absence, especially when I was given a small blanket that she had started crocheting for the baby. She didn't get very far but it means the world to me to have it. It's the very last thing she ever made. We didn't find out we were having a girl until late December, after she had already passed, but she absolutely knew it was going to be a girl and started making the blanket in late October, early November. I remember her mentioning to me that she had started a blanket in light girl colors. I told her she should wait until January or so, once we found out what we were having, that way she wouldn't waste her energy on it in case it was a boy. I'm so glad she didn't listen to me. I will treasure the blanket always. I'm incredibly grateful to my Tia Dolores (she's my grandma's aunt) for just tying up the loose ends of the blanket so that it wouldn't unravel. Unfortunately, I don't have a great picture of the blanket right now but I'll take one soon.

Okay, so on to a lighter note. Here are A LOT of baby shower pix! I look like such a dork in a lot of them and pretty crappy in most. Pregnancy is rough on this old gal. I look like a huge puffball! Two of some my grandma's very dear friends told me I was glowing. I think it might have been the sweat glistening off my forehead! ;) I appreciate their kind words, though!


Me & my momma! She's silly! She was supposed to be hosting but ended up playing games along with the guests. Some baby shower host, she is! :)


My wonderful sister-in-law & me! She set up all those lovely decorations. It was so pretty! I loved it. I mean look at those sunflowers! So pretty!


There's the awesome cake! It came out so good and tasted yummy! I hated having to cut into it! And for those of you who didn't know the baby's name yet...there it is!


Goodies galore! (why is this underlined!?)


Dear family friends: Mrs. Hernandez, me, and Mrs, Rodriguez


My awesome aunt (Annie) and me! She's a hoot! She was in charge of the games. One of the games we did was that toilet paper game. She thought one roll of toilet paper wouldn't be enough so she took 2 rolls! Sheesh, thanks a lot lady! : )


My cousin Jessica, me, and my godmother, Irma. I'm so glad they came!


Me getting ready for the toilet paper! Wow, I look dumb!


My friend, Christy, measuring me with the TP. Yeah, she lost...not by too much, though.


My friend, Amber's turn. She was WAY off! Too much TP...I sent her to sit down! :)


My sweet Tia Dolores, she was right on the money! In fact, she tied with Mrs. Romero (stepdad's mom) & my friend, Ann.


Cute little outfits from Amber!


The fantabulous quilt my Tia Dolores made for Delaney. I love it! My baby blanket is very similar to it.


Diaper cake my mom made for me.


I don't know what I was doing.


Cute little shoes from Mimi to Delaney.


Lovely gifts from Mrs. Carrizales. What a dorky picture!



Super cool blanket from my SIL, Crystal. I love it!


More awesome gifts from Crystal!


And yet another cute gift from Crystal!


And one more! Crystal & Diego really spoiled Delaney!


Bibs & onesies from my cousins, Michael & Steven. What sweet boys!