Stomach Cramps or Contractions?

Last Thursday as I was eating lunch at my desk at work I was feeling a little funny, kinda like the leftovers I was eating were too old. My stomach started to cramp up. I went home and tried to sleep it off but I couldn't sleep through the pain. I got out of bed around 3pm or so and the stomach cramping was higher instead of all over with sharper, more intermittent pain. I figured if the food I ate was bad then I would have thrown up by then which I hadn't although I was nauseous. I called Heather (who's also had Previa) to ask what contractions felt like. I always imagined them to be a lower pain/pressure which wasn't what I was experiencing.

I called the doctor and they recommended I go into labor and delivery just to be monitored and make sure they weren't contractions. I waited for Lance to come home from work and we headed to the hospital about 5:00.

The worst part was getting the IV in, it hurt worse than the contractions and you better believe I was yelling and wincing.....oh my that hurt so bad! The nurse confirmed that I was contracting and started me on IV fluids right away as I was dehydrated. Who knew dehydration caused contractions? I sure didn't. And I'll admit I'm the worst at drinking water because I'm never thirsty but you can believe Lance is now the water nazi. After starting the IV's I couldn't feel the contractions anymore which is funny because it turns out I've been having contractions for several weeks - I just never felt them.

My two nurses were awesome, the first one I grew up with in Jerome and the second one we both knew from the college ward so it was great seeing both of them. The doctor on call checked everything and the something-something test came back negative (to see if I was dilated or effaced). They finally released us and we went home at 2am with some meds to stop contractions.

Luckily no bleeding, otherwise they would have done the c section immediately. So I'm taking it easy resting up and hope this little guy stays in his little home for 6 more weeks.

Funny though. I was starving but they wouldn't let me eat while I was on the IV. Lance eventually left to get himself something to eat and I told him when he comes back to bring my big purse and sneak me some food to eat. Well, I forgot I was hiding my peanut butter m&ms in there and he found them. Boy that made his night! I felt terrible though because Lance was so bored to death and starving and came straight from work so it was a long day for him. Poor guy.

Early Bird

Today at my doctor's appointment the ultrasound still confirmed that the placenta is low and covering the birth canal, AKA placenta praevia. If I were to go into labor or have contractions then I bleed to death and baby also dies. So bad news is I have to have a c-section. GREAT news is that my due date is moved to the end of October so I'll be pregnant 4 weeks less! YAY!!!!!! The baby is measuring and weighing in right where he should and is as healthy as we could expect. I loved the ultrasound today because we got to see more of his face......boy has he got the Cox cheeks! They're so round and plump and cute, I couldn't quit smiling.

We're down to the end, two months left and now I can mentally prepare for a c-section. I can't wait to meet this little baby and since we've shed off the last 4 weeks, I'm much more excited!

Ready or Not

This week I'll be 27 weeks along, almost to the third trimester and less than 100 days to go. The past few weeks have been both up and down (mostly down) as I've had to deal with the sharp rib pain, uncomfortable pressure from the baby moving and having nowhere else to go, morning sickness for a week which turned out to be an infection, and starting to wear maternity shirts. Ahhhh maternity clothes, God bless you and your utmost comfort! I don't know why I put off wearing them for so long although I have yet to buy some pants because they're too dang expensive and I refuse to buy pants for $30 on sale and only wear them for a short while. Call me cheap but I call myself practical.

I am sick of being pregnant and especially on days where I don't feel good, just want to get the baby out. But ultimately, with only 3 months and 1 week left I've been trying to prepare myself mentally. I keep seeing all these moms who make it look so easy and effortless. Then I think to myself and ask the basic questions: Can I go grocery shopping by myself and my baby? How will I handle going into the mothers room to nurse with other women in there? What if I'm in public by myself and can't get the baby to quit crying and screaming? Do I know how to bathe a baby? What about all the newness and pain of nursing? How will I function on such little sleep? Some days I'm confident in myself and have no problem at all with the prospect of being a new mom. Other days I doubt myself and am scared to death with all the unknowns. I'm hoping that as a new mom I'll just know what to do hour by hour, day by day, and trust that Heavenly Father will guide me in taking care of this new spirit just sent to earth.

Ultimately........I'm excited! I get to start a new chapter in my life. I get to quit work and do all sorts of wife things that I never did before like pack a lunch for Lance, get the laundry done before noon, and have dinner on the table at 5:30. I'm sure it'll be the biggest adjustment of my life but ready or not it's coming. Mostly, I'm so excited to see Lance bond with his son for the first time. I'm excited to count all his fingers and toes, breath in that good fresh baby smell, give him kisses all over, feel his uber soft skin, cradle and sing him to sleep, and just stare at what a miracle he is.

Graduation Celebration

Last night we had family, friends, and Lance's coworkers over for an ice cream sundae bar to celebrate Lance's graduation. He's got a few diplomas, certificates, and now the official license; he's completely done. I'm so proud of him! I wish I would have thought to take pictures of the evening but I was busy scooping ice cream. Thanks to everyone for all of their love and support through the years of this journey!

Photo Tour

For those requesting pictures of our new and first house, here is the uber spacious kitchen. Obviously we need to paint and do a little cosmetic updates but it will come with time.

This is the formal living room. See the end tables I refinished?

Technically this is the dining room with french doors to the back yard. But there's just the two of us and plenty of room in the kitchen for our little table so we're using this as the living/tv room. Notice the original hardwood floors Lance refinished before we moved in?

My 26th Birthday: The Good, The Bad, and The Yuck

A week before my birthday as my gift Lance took me on a surprise trip. We went to Boise to the Michael Buble concert! Luckily this is our second time going and it was just as FANTASTIC!!! That's the good part.

The bad part is that my morning sickness mysteriously appeared again out of nowhere. So I wasn't feeling too great for this trip.

Our seats were right in the middle of the row, about 15 chairs on either side of us. Luckily nobody was right beside us but it was still a trek to cross people to get to the stairs which lead up to the aisle/lobby area in the arena. About halfway through the concert I knew it was coming. I assessed my situation and quickly decided I didn't have time to cross all those people, hike the stairs, and then run to the nearest bathroom. I didn't want to cause a scene and certainly didn't want to throw up on anyone so I got my hospital barf bag out of my purse, told Lance to put his arm around me to cover me up, and put my head between my legs so nobody would see me. It was my only option, thank goodness for those handy hospital bags! Nobody heard a peep out of me because the music was so loud in there and nobody knew the wiser, I was quite discreet. Lance followed me up to the bathrooms after I was done and we sat in the back for the rest of the concert. I felt much better after that.

Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. I threw up in the car after the concert and again at his sister's house where we stayed for the night while they were out of town. (Don't worry J, I didn't miss the toilet and it's not contagious)!

Just us and me showing at 25 weeks.

23.5 Weeks

This shirt isn't even maternity but it works. For some reason I was actually ok with my belly that day. It wasn't weirding me out like it usually does. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that I can have a child and witness this miracle that's squirming around. It's just so weird to look down and have this volleyball sticking straight out. Pregnancy is weird and I haven't quite come to terms with my belly yet, it's weird to look at myself. But on this day, I was ok with it and this is more for family that keeps asking about how big my belly is and what it looks like.

It's Been WAY Too Long!

One of my best friends from Charleston was passing through to visit her folks in OR and she stopped by for a little picnic and chat. It's been far too long since we've seen each other and even though it was only 30 minutes or so, well worth it! Miss and love ya!!

House Progress

The house is slowly coming along and we keep working on it a little bit here and there each night. The past few weeks we've been working on the porch which was enclosed and we've now taken out all the windows and window casings. It really opens things up and we can't wait to use it! Too bad we have no money for a patio set although I found a super cute black iron bistro set at Real Deals for $128. We just patched up the stucco tonight and will sometime need to paint but for now it's open and we've always wanted a large open porch.

I've also slowly been working on the flower beds. About 3 weeks ago I got the front all weeded with new perennials and the front flower boxes have flowers. Unfortunately nothing is doing too great. Between the hot sun and the bugs, I'm afraid they're dying. But I'm keeping them sprayed with bug stuff and soaking them on non-sprinkler days. The northwest side of the house I got 80% weeded with two new bushes planted and some flower seeds sewn. I'm sure it's too late in the year for the flowers to do much but they're planted nonetheless. I have big plans for my own little oasis out back by the kitchen window but that will have wait until next year at least. Landscaping costs a lot of money and I'm doing fine right now keeping everything weeded.

Now that we don't have company in the house I've started to finish unpacking again. For a while I had to shove all the non essentials and other boxes into the baby's room. Lance has been helping me getting things hung where I'd like so it's slowly getting there. Last weekend there was a huge yard sale down the road and I got an old child's school desk for $1 and a little three-legged side table for $5. I'm going to refinish these and use them as our nightstands.......I can't wait to get started, I really love refinishing furniture!

I know I need to post pictures of everything and I've been trying to keep before pictures just so appreciate the after. Pictures will come..........sometime.............

Quick Wit or Quick Disgust?

Trish and the kids came over yesterday to visit and so I could store a few things while they're in the process of moving. The kids roamed all over the house and raided my snack drawer loving the fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, granola bars, crackers, popsicles, and whatever else they could find.

Charity took one look at my full kitchen sink and promptly asked, "Becky is your dish washer broken or something?" It made me smile and think to myself, " No, that is the only appliance that is working properly at the moment. I was just too tired to clean up dinner last night."

My Favorite Response

Me: Lance, can you come here please?

Lance: Do I have to right now?

He made me laugh as I frantically wiped up the water from the washing machine that leaked all over. And yes, he did come right away.

Pettingill Clan

All the Pettingill's minus Scott, Heidi, and Lance.

Just Us

and me at 21 weeks.

Scott & Jerusha Baker

Jerusha's wedding was practically perfect in every way! The weather was beautiful which made both outdoor receptions wonderful. Everything was just gorgeous and perfect and we are so excited to have Scott part of the Cox family.

Girls Night

We threw a tiny bachelorette/girls night for Josie, which was a little odd since the engagement isn't totally official yet. But we had fun anyway! This is the first pregnant picture of me, I'm 19 weeks here and this was taken over the July 4th weekend.

Halle Turns 5

Sally, Karen, and Christine came down for a few days which conveniently landed on Halle's birthday. Heather threw a water party for her which was a fun success although the kids were pretty sun burned. Here are a few snapshots:






Look close at Devin in this picture. See his gray boxer briefs? He got new swimming trunks which are a tad big. Big swimming trunks + water=more weight. What he couldn't tell was that his trunks were falling off so he ran around for a good 10 minutes like this before his mom cautioned him to pull them up.

Reupholstered Dining Chairs

First of all, thanks to Jerusha for giving us the dining table and chairs. The oak and green weren't really mixing all that well for me so while Lance was out of town I took a trip to Joanne's for fabric, and reupholstered the chairs. Much more cheerful and bright!

BEFORE

AFTER

"New" Living Room End Tables

I got these two tables from Paul's estate before they were sold at auction. I forgot to get a before picture but here's the after, initially they were spray painted a metallic gold. I put a few coats of paint on them and then applied an antiquing glaze. I LOVE them and they go perfect in our new living room.

The Little Guy

Yesterday we had our 20 week ultrasound. It's a boy and we are thrilled!