Times Flyin' For A Tuesday (Day 46)

I will admit that my brain has gone to mush right along with my body in here. But I have "exercised' it today by working. I've been hired to write a press release for Stevens-Henager College and I just finished it!!!! Once it's approved, I'll shop it to my media contacts tomorrow and hope for some hits. Keep those fingers crossed. It was actually quite fun and good for me. Plus, I figure I'll earn enough to keep Spartacus in diapers for a few months.
Reese kept Byron up all night with an earache. So plans for the kids to visit have been put on hold-- I can't afford to get sick (I know, who can?)... but really, I have to keep working at my new career as an incubator.
Spartacus (a.k.a. Aquamarine according to Reese) is still cooperating. He had one decel last night-- Dr. Lovelace says his M.O. is about one every three hours. I still go back to my theory that he's practicing being a teenager and trying to drive me crazy.
My dear, long-time friend David Glodt just stopped by --by way of Houston. I adore this man. I met him after my junior year of college in the elevator of the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Florida. I was majoring in Broadcast Journalism and went to Florida with another student and a handful of professors. We went for the Radio and Television News Directors Convention (News Directors are the ones who hire reporters). David-- at the time was the Los Angeles-based Bureau Chief for ABC News. He and I became friends and he ended up being my mentor for my career and has been so good to me over the years. I never made a move in my 15 years of television without his input and advice. He moved from LA to be the head of foreign coverage for ABC and was based in London. Then he "settled" down to be the head of weekend news and the executive producer of the David Brinkley Show. When I lived in North Carolina, I would drive up to Washington D.C. and he'd have me over to the taping of the Brinkley show (with Sam Donaldson, George Will and Cokie Roberts-- which was very, very cool when you are in your twenties and easily starstruck my big media players) and then we would go to breakfast at the Mayflower Hotel. He is brilliant and kind and has been a huge part of my life from college on. He is now retired. He lived and worked in Houston for many years when he was younger and has always had an affinity for the big rodeo based in Houston (I think it's the Houston Livestock Show). Now that he is out of news, he and his partner are over all of the television rights and production for the National Rodeo Association (I think that's what it's called). Anyway, talk about small world-- he comes to the Boise area every July for the Idaho Stampede-- I guess a decent sized but great little rodeo. So lucky me, I get to see him every year. This year, he happened to have to come visit me in the hospital-- but it was great. As I said, I love this guy!

Thankful for another day (Day 45)

I'm still here and still just pluggin' away. And yes, I'm still grateful to be here. After my visit to NICU... this is much, much better.
Byron, my mom and the girls were up here much of yesterday. The girls came armed with new artwork, candy, snacks and a little red fire truck for me and Spartacus to play with. We still don't have a name for him... even though Reese is pretty adamant that we name him-- Aquamarine. Nice, huh. I don't think she would get the explanation that he would be beat up starting on day one of kindergarten if we did that to him. Also the Borups came up with homemade coconut sorbet and icecream sandwiches. Yes, I know I'm very spoiled. The Borups used to be over the nursery in our church and Reese LOVES the Borups. We were laughing so hard-- because Reese kept calling Mark (the dad) Sister Borup.
I'm writing this Monday evening, I've had non-stop company today: Jean Richardson with her weekly bouquet of fresh roses, my "Aunt" Peggy from California and her sister, my grandma, cousin and Aunt RoEen. Plus tons of phone calls and a bunch of junk I had to work out on our insurance. So It's crazy how fast this day has gone.
I honestly can't remember anything about monitoring last night or this morning. But I just got off the "belts" and of course Spartacus had another deceleration. Thankfully, I don't freak out about them anymore. It doesn't do any good. I'll spare you the bodily fluids report.
I never made it to craft day today-- first, I had to much company and second, the nurse who usually does it-- is on vacation. It was too crazy last week, so we didn't do it then either. That's fine. It really just is to help pass the time and I have plenty to do in here.
One other thing worth mentioning... we had a freak storm blow in here yesterday afternoon-- lots of thunder, lightning, rain and wind. My family was just showing up at the beginning of it and when they got close to my room-- all the nurses were running down the hall. Evidentally, two women went into labor yesterday-- one right after the other. Both of them are abrupt (where they have lost their fluid)-- just like me, but I also have a weakening placenta. My nurse said whenever they have this "change in pressure" outside, they tend to have women go into labor. My doctor says that's a crock. Either way, I'm feeling blessed I'm still here.

A Quiet Sunday (Day 44)

I'm just a waitin' for my doctor to make an appearance today. This is one of the things that drives me the craziest in here-- the waiting for the doctor. Sometimes, he checks me at 7:30 in the morning and other times it's mid to late afternoon. As you know, I abhor the idea of him interviewing me through a shower curtain again... so I just wait.
Spartacus had a doozy of a deceleration with his heart yesterday. The nurse was in here and I kept flipping on to one side, waiting to see if his heart beat would stabilize, then flipping over to the other in the hopes of getting him off his cord. He finally got back on. Byron commented that it only felt like he was off for about a minute. The nurse and I were both like-- are you kidding? It seemed an eternity to me. So we checked it and it was nearly 6 minutes that he was down low. Another prime example of how men and women are just wired differently. Of course, Spartacus looked fine last night and this morning. I think he's just practicing to be a teenager-- to drive me loony.
I was so tired last night. I think I was overloaded with information yesterday. I had my ultrasound and then at 4pm, when Bryon came up for the evening, we were taken on a tour of the NICU. I've been dreading it. But since we've made it to almost 31 weeks-- all the information we were given when we first came in here at 24 weeks has changed.
First of all, it's like Fort Knox to even get into the unit. They currently have 44 babies in there and about a hundred nurses assigned to the unit. Byron found the entire experience comforting. He was impressed by all of the machinery, the set up and lay out of the unit and especially the fact that there seemed to be a nurse with every baby. I, on the other hand, was on the tip of tears for the entire tour. The nurse assigned to show us around kept asking me about my case and then complimenting me on making it this far-- but having to talk about my situation, for some reason was really difficult in that environment.
We didn't go inside any of the rooms, just (me rolled) walked by the doorways. We saw the tiniest little head in one of the incubators. The baby was only 2 lbs. As of yesterday, Spartacus is measuring at nearly 3 pounds (2 lbs 14 oz)... so when I got emotional seeing this tiny little baby, Byron quickly reminded me our little guy is already 1/3 bigger. He's right-- but it was very emotional for me to see where I'll be spending the next chapter of my life.
We asked the nurse what kind of time line we were looking at in there-- of course, it depends on health issues. But on average, if the baby were to be born now, we'd likely have him in NICU for the next 10 weeks, 8 at the best. Ug.
At the end of our extensive tour, we were back out by where you check in and I had it pretty together by then. However, all my emotions went to pot, when a Grandma came running by us sobbing. I know I'll get through the transition to NICU when I have to-- but I know until I get acclimated and my reserves built up-- I'll be a train wreck for the first few days. So once again, I have renewed my resolve to keep doing whatever I need to do to stay on this side of the hospital for as long as possible.
My Saturday night did end on an up note. The nurses let Byron take me on a wheelchair ride after dinner and monitoring. We went just outside the hospital chapel to a little courtyard. It was perfect weather and surrounded by trees and planters, we just relaxed and talked. (Byron says I did 99 percent of the talking-- but those of you who know him well-- know the real truth). Two of my CAP's (nurse assistants) were getting off shift and ended up hanging out with us for an hour. We laughed and laughed. It was a really nice night.

Just Got Back From My Ultrasound...

The news isn't really good but its not really bad either. Dr. Lovelace, himself, came and got me in the wheelchair. And just as we were getting into the elevator and heading towards the tunnels underneath the hospital to go to his office, my friend Dana and her son Will showed up-- so they went with us. Will (who probably had zero desire to go into the examining room) stayed in the waiting room. Poor Will. He's about 18 and I know from many visits that there's mostly a selection of Parenting magazines and the like.
The ultrasound showed that I had a pocket of amniotic fluid-- the most I've had since coming into the hospital (shocking since I've been leaking so much) and Spartacus had a full bladder-- so that was all really good. His feet are still cramped right up there next to his head-- that hasn't changed. And my placenta looked okay-- probably better than expected since it is torn. There are signs of what he calls "calcification"-- little white spots-- a sign it is getting old in the womb. Dr. Lovelace said that's not routine for a normal pregnancy-- but expected with my complications. But he said it's still functional, nothing to be worried about and okay for a while. He'll just keep an eye on that too.
Now for the measuring of Spartacus. I am, as of today 30 weeks and 5 days pregnant. The bones in his arms are only measuring at 27 weeks. And then his abdomen, legs and other areas they measure were showing at 28 weeks. If you remember, the last time we measured-- overall he was only a week behind. So I was disappointed to see he's slipped. However, Dr. Lovelace says he is still within the numbers they allow--he is not in distress, not failing to thrive and he is still "safer" in my womb than in an incubator in the NICU. Dr. Lovelace agreed he is still my miracle baby.
Also, Spartacus weighed in today at 2 lbs 14 ounces. I was hoping to be over the 3 lb mark-- but am hopeful he will start "packing" on the weight now that I am into the magical 30 weeks of pregnancy. Dr. Lovelace said he will in the "30's" put on anywhere from 1/4 lbs to 1/2 lbs a week.
I asked Dr. Lovelace how he felt overall about the ultrasound and he said he's concerned with the "asymmetry" (meaning the difference between weeks)... but he still feels I'll be okay to keep pushing along.
I did have 4 contractions (not painful) in my last monitoring session this morning... so things are changing a bit. But Dr. Lovelace feels like I can keep shooting for more time in here. He also feels the bones in the arm will grow just fine after the baby is born. I reminded him how small my other children are and that Byron and I were both short, stubby and skinny until late ages... so he agreed, some of this could be genetic.
So there you have it. I'm not sure exactly how to feel-- other than just to keep doing what I've been doing. And keep reminding myself of all the miracles I've witnessed.

Just Another Saturday (Day 43 in here)

Thanks everyone for your fun comments. I will try and fill requests by getting a picture taken of my belly (which is getting a bit bigger than when I came in-- I now look about 2 1/2 months prego instead of 7 1/2). So these pictures I've put on today are mostly for my dad who is home in Las Vegas holding down the fort and trying (in this market???) to sell their house.
On Wednesday, the girls went to the family "Doll Party". In a nutshell, the little girls bring their dolls for what started out as a Tea Party where they learned etiquette. It was such a hit, we've done it every year with a different theme. For example, years past have been Egyptian Princesses, Medieval/Camelot, World War II Nurses--- where they learned first aid... You get the idea. Totally fun and yes, over the top. This year's theme was Fiesta de Dolls.
This first picture is of the girls all ready to go in our backyard. Everything's so green-- I miss my yard.
The soiree' was held at my Uncle LeeRen (my mom's brother) and my Aunt Beverly's. By the way, the moustache is a fake. And the little girl in the middle is my cousin's daughter (Capri).

Look how cute my Senor Uncle LeeRen and Senorita Beverly are... the hosts of the party.

And here's my lovely mother (Grammy) with the little Senoritas.

Here's Uncle LeeRen "escorting" the girls and "presenting" the girls at the party.

Here's all the cousins. Aren't they cute? They learned how to make tortillas, made woven bracelets, tissue papers flowers for their hair and learned how to do a Spanish dance (which the girls performed for me here in the hospital-- it was hilarious!!).

I just got word I'm being summoned for my ultrasound. So I'll post later.

I've Survived 6 Weeks (Day 42)

Sigh... 6 weeks is a really, really long time. In case you were wondering. I've finally attached pictures so you can get a glimpse of my cell. First up, here's Reese showing off the "guest quarters"-- this is the bed Byron claims is made for 18 year olds, not 40 something year olds. Here's my life--- actually where I spend my life-- in this bed. Holland and Greer are snuggled in. By the way, if you had told me two months ago that I'd be putting pictures of me on the internet for all to see-- sans makeup--I'd have thought no way. But since my pride, my privacy and my dignity have been stirpped in here-- I've learned to let go of my vanity too.

Here's Miss Wanna Be Vanna White showing off my refrigerator. Notice the microwave on the right and all of the priceless artwork created by my girls.

This is the view of my ceiling from my bed. If you visit, there's no need to count the painted leaves-- I've counted them many times. 22. The girls all take turns snuggling with me in bed. The girls have asked to spend the night-- not gonna happen in this lifetime.

Okay, so now that you have a visual, I'll update you on all of the exciting happenings. Actually, I'm not being sarcastic. I did get to take my wheelchair ride down to the cafeteria yesterday with the girls and my mom for lunch. However, I did question what happened to the mother I grew up with. Listen to what she bought the girls for lunch: fried onion rings, fried tater tots, fried chicken strips, fried spring rolls, a huge doughnut to share, a bag of chocolate, caramel covered pecans and of course soda pop and lemonade. When I was growing up... I clearly remember spinach and brussel sprouts on the menu!!! We were quite the spectacle-- my mom pushing the wheelchair. Holland trying to help. Reese and Greer on either side of me holding my hands. It was really quite fun.

My close girlfriend, Pam showed up with lots of treats last night and the movie: 7 Pounds with Will Smith. We loved it-- but a warning, you'll be completely confused and lost for the first 2/3rds of the movie... before anything starts to make sense. But its worth it.

As for today, Dr. Lovelace did not show up until after lunchtime. He is going to get an ultrasound done sometime today or this weekend. So we'll have a much better picture of how Spartacus is doing. The other point worth mentioning is that the baby is now at only a 2-3 percent chance of having brain bleeds if he is born now. That was a huge concern when we came in at 24 weeks. The Neonatologist warned us to prepare for that expected consequence of pre-mature birth and told us all about it in great, horrible detail. So once again, I'm feeling very blessed.

My insurance has also assigned a Perinatal Nurse to me (she's in Minnesota and will check in every few days via telephone). She is specifically there to cheer me on, keep me focused and answer any questions I may have about development and complications. Pretty cool move but I also realize she's watching to make sure no unnecessary tests are run or money spent.

And late this afternoon, my friend Julie Pascente waltzed through the door giving me quite the fun surprise. She lives in Phoenix and I haven't seen her for probably 6 years. She and her boyfriend came to Boise to visit her sister and stopped by my room with a stack of what I call brain candy-- People, Star and the National Enquirerer. Plus chocolate.

Patience, Patience My Dear (41 days on hospital arrest)

This morning Byron told me I'm not really pregnant-- I've actually been committed and am in the insane asylum. He dared me to post this! So please, everyone, give him a hard time!!!
On the Spartacus front (yes, I'm prego-- he's kicking in my belly to prove it), all still looks good. At his morning visit, Dr. Lovelace said he will try to get an ultrasound done in the next few days so we can see how he is growing. Should we start taking some wagers as to how much he weighs? (You can't take the Vegas out of the girl).
I had tons of company yesterday-- including my Uncle Bill and Aunt Karen from Wyoming. No, they didn't come all the way over here just to see me, our Walker family reunion starts tonight. I also got a job. Yes, a little contract work from my hospital bed. Shocking, I know. My friend works for Stevens-Heneger College. I'll be writing a press release for them. Cool to have to engage my brain again.
My mom is coming up here with the girls. They made her promise they can get lunch from the cafeteria at the hospital. Whatever. I've never bragged about them having taste, have I?
BULLETIN: My fav. nurse just came in and I told her the girls were coming up for their big lunch. She got permission for me to go with them to the cafeteria. So I apologize for ripping on the food. I'm as giddy as the girls for our outing. They just brought in the wheelchair.
My mom is also bringing pictures they took from the mother/daughter extravaganza yesterday at my Aunt's house. The theme this year was: A Mexican Fiesta. So once they tell me all about it, I'll edit it down and tell you about their latest adventure.