June 20th 2008 (Summer Solstice), may have laid claim as the longest day of this year, but August 28 2008 is a close second. Needless to say today was a long day.
It started out around 7:30 this morning. We knew that we had another doctor's appointment today, and we knew that they wanted Shannon to eat a big breakfast before we came, so Aydan would kick away when we got the appointment. So we got up, and made pancakes.
It was my first time making pancakes, and I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. I even got a perfect Mickey Mouse pancake on my first try. With that kind of a start who knew, how long today would be.
With a belly full of pancakes and orange juice, off we headed to the doctor's office. When we got there they took Shannon in to do the NST (the test she took the other day, that tracked the baby's heartbeat) right away. With her all hooked up and good to go, the test began.
On Tuesday when Shannon was hooked up Aydan, needed a little help getting moving so the nurse brought in the "Baby Alarm." Today started off much the same way, except this time, not even the alarm could wake up the sleepy kid (he get's that from his mom ;) ). So off we went into the ultra sound room.
Normally all of this would take just an hour or so, but today was an extremely busy day at the offices of Dr. Morrison and Fong. In between getting us off the NST and into the Ultrasound room, Dr. Morrison had to jet over to the hospital to deliver his second baby of the morning.
When he finally got back, it was time for the ultrasound. Dr. Morrison said Aydan was good and healthy (approximately 6lbs 13 ozs), but he was still concerned that there wasn't enough movement. With that in mind, he said he wanted to send us over to the hospital for another test, a CST (Contraction Stress Test).
By the time we got out of the doctor's office, it was all ready noon and we had spent three hours in the office. Luckily, the hospital was so busy that we had to wait for them to call us to come in, so we got to go home, eat lunch, and get some rest.
At around 3:30 we got the call to head over to the hospital. Off we went to get another test done. This time things were a little better. After stimulating some contractions, Aydan's heart rate was up, and we were sent home to rest, with the stipulation being coming back on Monday.
With another day in the books, we get even that much closer to Aydan's arrival. Luckily he didn't come before Shannon's shower on Saturday. Thanks again for all of your prayers and comments. We are truly blessed, to have such wonderful friends and family!
-AW
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Another Day...Another Doctors Visit
With another day coming and going today, another doctors visit was upon us. As Aydan's arrival draws closer, we are at the doctors office so much, it almost feels as if its our home away from home. With Shannon's recent hypertension diagnosis, we know that every doctors visit will probably be eventful, and today was no exception.
When we got into the office, Shannon went through the normal procedures, and once again her blood pressure was abnormally high. For the second trip in a row, they sent her into one of their rooms, made her lay on her side, shut all the lights off, and told her to relax. Like clock-work, three minutes later all was back to normal.
Despite the fact that her blood pressure had returned to its normal level, the doctor still wanted her stick around for some observation, so they took us to another room and hooked Shannon up to a heart monitor and contraction monitor for the baby. The doctor was interested in tracking Aydan's heartbeat, and in particular what it was doing after he made a movement.
With Aydan strapped up to the heart monitor, Shannon was given an electronic plunger (it looked like the button they give to Jeopardy contestants). Every time he moved, Shannon was to hit the button, making a mark on the print-out and helping track the heartbeat.
After about five minutes Aydan hadn't yet moved, so the nurse came in with the "Baby Alarm." The Baby Alarm was a device that vibrated and made noise gently on Shannon's belly, waking the baby up, and making him move. After the alarm, Aydan wouldn't stop moving.
After a few more minutes, the doctor came back in, and said everything looked good with the baby, but that he wanted her to come back in Wednesday morning for some blood work and then again Thursday for the results.
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Prior to Shannon's hypertension diagnosis last Monday, things at the doctors office had been pretty smooth. Most times we were in and out of there within minutes, sometimes seconds. At times it would seem like we were whisked in and out almost too fast. Despite all of recent developments, its been nice to see the reaction of her doctors. They have been concerned, supportive, and most importantly helpful. I know that when the time comes (and its coming very, very soon) we will all be ready.
Keep us in your prayers,
AW
When we got into the office, Shannon went through the normal procedures, and once again her blood pressure was abnormally high. For the second trip in a row, they sent her into one of their rooms, made her lay on her side, shut all the lights off, and told her to relax. Like clock-work, three minutes later all was back to normal.
Despite the fact that her blood pressure had returned to its normal level, the doctor still wanted her stick around for some observation, so they took us to another room and hooked Shannon up to a heart monitor and contraction monitor for the baby. The doctor was interested in tracking Aydan's heartbeat, and in particular what it was doing after he made a movement.
With Aydan strapped up to the heart monitor, Shannon was given an electronic plunger (it looked like the button they give to Jeopardy contestants). Every time he moved, Shannon was to hit the button, making a mark on the print-out and helping track the heartbeat.
After about five minutes Aydan hadn't yet moved, so the nurse came in with the "Baby Alarm." The Baby Alarm was a device that vibrated and made noise gently on Shannon's belly, waking the baby up, and making him move. After the alarm, Aydan wouldn't stop moving.
After a few more minutes, the doctor came back in, and said everything looked good with the baby, but that he wanted her to come back in Wednesday morning for some blood work and then again Thursday for the results.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Prior to Shannon's hypertension diagnosis last Monday, things at the doctors office had been pretty smooth. Most times we were in and out of there within minutes, sometimes seconds. At times it would seem like we were whisked in and out almost too fast. Despite all of recent developments, its been nice to see the reaction of her doctors. They have been concerned, supportive, and most importantly helpful. I know that when the time comes (and its coming very, very soon) we will all be ready.
Keep us in your prayers,
AW
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
When It Rains, It Pours....
Andrew, Benny, Aydan, and I have had a very eventful week to say the least....and it still is only Thursday! On Monday afternoon I had an appointment with my regular doctor just as a little check up before Aydan arrives. It was supposed to be a no big deal appointment and my doctor, Dr. Shine, just wanted to see me about a month before his due date. So, I went to my appointment and no more than three minutes into the visit she looked at my chart and was alarmed at my blood pressure reading. She came back in the room with another blood pressure pump and checked it again. It was still high. Then she wanted my OB's number and went to call them. When she came back she told me that instead of me going to the OB's office I would have to go straight to the hospital. Now, this whole time I was feeling completely normal and totally shocked.
Andrew was at his big golf tournament event for Citrus College and so I felt really bad but I had to call him and tell him to meet me at the hospital. They checked my blood pressure about every five minutes, took my blood for tests, and a urine test for protein. It was pretty intense but sure enough my blood pressure went down and they sent me home after a few hours. All of the tests came back just fine and Aydan was perfect. My OB doctor, Dr. Morrison, was at the hospital delivering a baby at the same time I was there. He came in my room and asked that I come to his office first thing the next morning.
When I went to his office on Tuesday morning my blood pressure was high again! 160/100! Yet again, I felt perfectly fine and normal! They had me lay down for a little bit and then it went back to normal. When Dr. Morrison came in he told me that he was putting me on bed rest and that I needed to take it easy. He said I have hypertension and that I cannot work. The only real sign I had of this was the fact that my feet have been swelling but other than that I thought I was doing really good! Andrew, as always, has been very supportive and reminds me daily that God will take care of us.
So today, which is Thursday, I woke up to our little Benny being very happy and cheerful but when he turned around he had a bald spot on the back of his left hip! Somehow in the middle of the night he had a grand ol time of biting himself to complete baldness! I was shocked! He's never had any behavior like this before! I checked him over and over again, no bugs, blood, or dandruff. What is going on with my little dog! We called the vet and they said he could have just gotten a little bug bite or a little irritation and went to town on it. We bought him some medicated shampoo and are praying that he doesn't continue this little biting episode.
Then this afternoon, I went to have lunch with Andrew and as I was walking to his office I saw the civic parked in front with the driver's side window down. Now, Andrew has been known to make fun of me for being to paranoid about locking things up because he has a much more trusting spirit about him that people won't rob him. :) So, I went in his office and asked him why he would leave him window down. He said he had no idea what I was talking about. We walked outside together and sure enough it was not only down but broken! It would not roll up as we turned the car on and pressed the window button. We drove together to Pep Boys and spent a fortune today on our little Honda Civics window.
Man - to say the least - I am very tired for my first week of bed rest....and I would love to have a very blessed and stress free day tomorrow! Keep us in your prayers! :) Love to all and thank you for all of your support. Aydan sure feels it - trust me he dances a lot!
Andrew was at his big golf tournament event for Citrus College and so I felt really bad but I had to call him and tell him to meet me at the hospital. They checked my blood pressure about every five minutes, took my blood for tests, and a urine test for protein. It was pretty intense but sure enough my blood pressure went down and they sent me home after a few hours. All of the tests came back just fine and Aydan was perfect. My OB doctor, Dr. Morrison, was at the hospital delivering a baby at the same time I was there. He came in my room and asked that I come to his office first thing the next morning.
When I went to his office on Tuesday morning my blood pressure was high again! 160/100! Yet again, I felt perfectly fine and normal! They had me lay down for a little bit and then it went back to normal. When Dr. Morrison came in he told me that he was putting me on bed rest and that I needed to take it easy. He said I have hypertension and that I cannot work. The only real sign I had of this was the fact that my feet have been swelling but other than that I thought I was doing really good! Andrew, as always, has been very supportive and reminds me daily that God will take care of us.
So today, which is Thursday, I woke up to our little Benny being very happy and cheerful but when he turned around he had a bald spot on the back of his left hip! Somehow in the middle of the night he had a grand ol time of biting himself to complete baldness! I was shocked! He's never had any behavior like this before! I checked him over and over again, no bugs, blood, or dandruff. What is going on with my little dog! We called the vet and they said he could have just gotten a little bug bite or a little irritation and went to town on it. We bought him some medicated shampoo and are praying that he doesn't continue this little biting episode.
Then this afternoon, I went to have lunch with Andrew and as I was walking to his office I saw the civic parked in front with the driver's side window down. Now, Andrew has been known to make fun of me for being to paranoid about locking things up because he has a much more trusting spirit about him that people won't rob him. :) So, I went in his office and asked him why he would leave him window down. He said he had no idea what I was talking about. We walked outside together and sure enough it was not only down but broken! It would not roll up as we turned the car on and pressed the window button. We drove together to Pep Boys and spent a fortune today on our little Honda Civics window.
Man - to say the least - I am very tired for my first week of bed rest....and I would love to have a very blessed and stress free day tomorrow! Keep us in your prayers! :) Love to all and thank you for all of your support. Aydan sure feels it - trust me he dances a lot!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Update
It's been awhile since we've posted an update, so we thought tonight would be a good time to do so. There hasn't been anything too exciting going on around these parts, but time is definitely flying in regards to this baby.
Shannon is doing well, but her feet have begun to swell. All we can do is get her to stay off her feet as much as possible and get her feet up when we have the chance. I've been trying to do my part, rubbing her tootsie's every night.
Aydan has also been getting much bigger and stronger, kicking her all the time. While it's kind of cool to feel him kick and move during the day, all of that movement keeps her up most nights, and makes it hard for her to sleep.
When we found out we were pregnant 8 months ago, we had the summer broken down into three segments. First was our friends Ken and Lindsay's wedding towards the end of June, second was our friends Brandon and Rachelle's wedding in the beginning of August, and last but certainly not least was Aydan's arrival in September.
Well the first part came and went a month or so ago. Ken and Lindsay's wedding, which I was a groomsman in, was beautiful and we had a blast. This weekend it's Brandon and Rachelle's turn. Both Shannon and I are honored to be in the wedding party, and have been looking forward to it for quite some time. While we are excited to share such a special day with our friends, it's just one more reminder of how close we are to welcoming our son into our lives.
As always we appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
Until next time,
AW
Shannon is doing well, but her feet have begun to swell. All we can do is get her to stay off her feet as much as possible and get her feet up when we have the chance. I've been trying to do my part, rubbing her tootsie's every night.
Aydan has also been getting much bigger and stronger, kicking her all the time. While it's kind of cool to feel him kick and move during the day, all of that movement keeps her up most nights, and makes it hard for her to sleep.
When we found out we were pregnant 8 months ago, we had the summer broken down into three segments. First was our friends Ken and Lindsay's wedding towards the end of June, second was our friends Brandon and Rachelle's wedding in the beginning of August, and last but certainly not least was Aydan's arrival in September.
Well the first part came and went a month or so ago. Ken and Lindsay's wedding, which I was a groomsman in, was beautiful and we had a blast. This weekend it's Brandon and Rachelle's turn. Both Shannon and I are honored to be in the wedding party, and have been looking forward to it for quite some time. While we are excited to share such a special day with our friends, it's just one more reminder of how close we are to welcoming our son into our lives.
As always we appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
Until next time,
AW
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