Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Another Bad Appointment

Yesterday, Noelle's blood pressure was down - not normal, but closer to normal (123/72). Today that was not the case. The first time her blood pressure was taken at the doctor's office it was 160/100...not good. We were going to have to go back to the hospital, but a little later it was down to 150/90. Still not good, but a little better. Noelle apparently does have preeclampsia, but since the baby is so far along, everything should be okay. We just have to deliver fairly soon. If Noelle doesn't go into labor over the weekend, we are heading to the hospital on Monday night and she will be induced. The doctors have to take some special precautions because of the blood pressure - like magnesium sulfate in her IV. The baby is far enough along and definitely big enough, so it's safe to deliver before 40 weeks.

Noelle has been put on bed rest so she will be working from home to finish tying up loose ends this week. Then, she's having a baby! Now we just need a name...

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Puppy Love

While Noelle worked from home today, this is how Ruffles and Schuley spent their day. Notice the new haircuts...

Schuley

Ruffles

We love our puppies...

Happy Birthday William! (Sunday, April 26)

We wish we could be there to celebrate with you, sing to you, and see you laugh! Here's a little message for you little man.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Happy Birthday Felicia!

Felicia:

Even though we are not there to help you celebrate in person, we hope that you have an amazing night and we're there in spirit! We are both looking forward to seeing you soon and introducing you to our little Tator Tot.

P.S. We have your birthday card sitting on the counter... We decided to wait until after your birthday to spread out the birthday love. It's pretty, too!

School Baby Shower


On Thursday, April 23rd Rob and Noelle were showered once again. Lauren, Jenn, and Nadine helped host the shower in the school library. We received many kind words and generous gifts. We are lucky to work with some many great people. We were given our first bag of diapers for one! Lauren also made us a diaper cake! It's the only one we received and was supercute!

You can see that Noelle's belly is getting big, too!

Our First Moment of "Panic"

We had our routine check up on Earth Day (4/22). We also had our first moment of panic. Rob almost didn't join Noelle at the appointment, since it was earlier in the day and required him to find someone to cover a long class period. The appointment started out business as usual. Noelle did notice her blood pressure was high after the nurse entered it into the computer. We dismissed it and figured it was a fluke and just had to do with stress from the day. When her doctor came in and took her blood pressure again, we thought it was concerning. She didn't say anything about it and finished the exam as usual. Then, she told us she was a little concerned because Noelle had several warning signs of preeclampisa. As you can read - it's very dangerous to the unborn baby and the mother. She told us we needed to check into Labor and Delivery and that if the tests showed preeclampisa we would have to deliver the baby that night. Although we both know, the baby will come when he comes - we were NOT ready. We also (thank goodness) didn't know at the time how deadly it could be.


We got to the Labor and Delivery area and checked in. Our maternity tour wasn't until the following Saturday, but we got the sneak peek. We were at the hospital for about four hours, during which Noelle had her blood pressure taken every four minutes, a bunch of tests run, and a super-long ultrasound. Although Noelle’s blood pressure was still high (usually it's 115/72ish and instead it got as high as 160/90), the other tests came back okay, so we were able to leave. We also learned that our baby at 37 weeks is a big baby and already measure 7 pounds 11 ounces with two and a half weeks to go. Oh boy! He's a big boy! Rob is forever grateful to Noelle for carrying and eventually delivering this big boy!

Tator Tot is still inside Noelle, her ankles are still swollen like godzilla feet, but we are now closer to being ready for the boy. We're very lucky that everything worked out and both Noelle and Tator Tot are okay. Rob doesn't even want to think about life without either one.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Birthday Stephen Morris!

Congratulations on entering another year of blissful living! We’re so happy to have you as part of the family and are glad that Penny found you. We have loved watching your family grow and look forward to what the future brings. We wish you didn’t live so far, so that we could spend more time with you and get to know you better. We look forward to seeing you in September and introducing you to our growing family! Keep smiling and keep Penny, William and Neil laughing. We love you!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Morals and Morale

This past weekend, we ventured up to Austin for the 25th Annual MS 150. Noelle went in comfort with Rob's parents, Rob went in discomfort on his bike. It's Rob's fourth time to ride, but he had a feeling it would be the worst, due to his lack of training. He was scared heading in.
When we saw that the weather was going to be bad Saturday, Rob was wondering if this would be his escape from the grueling bike ride. When he asked a co-worker if he planned on skipping it if it was rainy, he was told, "Yeah, it's going to suck, but it's the kind of adventure you'll want to tell your son about someday."

That sealed it. Rain or shine, Rob was in.

Well, it rained so hard Friday and Saturday that they cancelled day one of the ride, from Houston to La Grange. Some idiots went ahead and rode anyway, through the downpour and the tornadoes that flooded a good deal of West Texas. Rob was not one of those idiots. He played cards with Noelle and his parents and had a nice lunch, instead. The moral to that part of the story, son, is to know when an adventure is just plain stupid and dangerous.

But Sunday was on, and Rob headed out with his friend Jess to La Grange, to go the sixty-five hilly miles to Austin. He got on his mountain bike and started riding and quickly realized that the lack of training and the wind in his face and the hills and the breakfast kolache were all conspiring to make this a difficult trip. Jess zoomed ahead, and Rob sweated out each hill, going through all eighteen gears on his bike.

It was a long trip. At one point, Rob's allergies almost got the best of him. See, as much as we love Austin, Rob can not touch any plants there or the allergies go haywire. It's a big mess. On Rob's second MS150, one of his eyes actually sealed shut due to the irritation. It was gross. Around mile forty-five, Rob could not keep his eyes open and his muscles were cramping. He was very afraid that this ride might end up like his second. He was thinking about you, son, to keep him going, but eventually he had to flag down a ride and get to the next rest stop to clean out his eyes.

That was tough. So much of the ride he had focused on creating this story of Dad persevering and being awesome to fill his son with awe and admitration. When he pulled over and let the Sag Wagon pick him up, he felt he was letting his son down. But once he got his eyes washed out, he got back on the bike and started riding again. And he kept on riding, slowly, until he made it to Austin to see his parents, his friends, his wife, and his son (in womb) cheering him on.

The lesson I want our son to take from it is to not let setbacks slow him down. Bad things will happen, but if you let it defeat you, you're defeated. The only way I made it to Austin is because my heart wanted me to do it, for the people waiting and myself and the people afflicted with MS, but especially because I want to be a dad our son will look up to. But I'm not perfect, nor am I in shape, apparently, nor can my allergies handle the beauties of nature, and all of that is okay. I'm human, I have setbacks, I have weaknesses, but if we put our hearts into doing something, we're going to do it, no matter how long it takes. Of course, having a Noelle waiting at the finish line that believes in me was a big help, and I know it will be the same for our son.

Speaking of finish line, we're getting a few weeks away from meeting/delivering/naming our little Tater-Tot. I look forward to helping Noelle over that finish line. And next time I ride the MS150, I will request an epidural.

Thanks to everyone who supported us this weekend. It was quite an adventure that you helped make possible.


Here's me at the top of the killer hill outside Bastrop. I didn't walk up a single hill, and now I ache.

And from now on, I won't try and write third person narratives on here.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Doctor Appointments All-Around

Here's an update on 2 appointments:

First - the MacGregors had a rather boring and routine appointment. Of course, boring can be good. Baby is measuring how he should and mommy is doing well. Nothing else to report. On Monday Baby is "full-term" but we should have a few more weeks to go.

On to the more exciting appointment!

The Reynolds had a special appointment today and it came with some special news! Not only are they expecting a little one...they are expecting two! That's right...twins!

Visit http://reynoldsintexas.blogspot.com/ for more information and cute ultrasound pictures!

Congratulations Shannon and Joe! We're so excited for you! Thanks for creating two playmates for our little one.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Joys of Pregnancy

I'm going to preface this post by saying, I know I am lucky because I have not had any major issues during pregnancy. (Knock on wood.) Sure I puked for months, am anemic, and I can't wear my wedding ring anymore, but when it comes down to it, Tator Tot is healthy and that is what matters.

Now, I complain.

Have you ever looked at my ankles? They are quite petite and perhaps even edge on bony. It's not a source of pride (and I even hated them when I was younger), but it's a fact. They are little... They have been a little swollen on and off depending on how much time I spend on my feet in any given day, but today.... today... they are out of control. If you are about to eat, you may not want to look at this picture... it's gross.

Look at my fatankles...

The left foot is from July in the Maldives - not the best resolution, but the only pic I would find of my foot. The right foot is my current state...

Enjoy your normal ankles for me.

Monday, April 13, 2009

GDIM

To give you an idea of how we are soaking up the precious free hours before the arrival of Tater-Tot, today we spent a solid thirteen hours at school - after a full day of work, Rob graded papers for about five hours straight and Noelle registered about 100 kids for next year for about four and a half hours. Then after a quick 9:00 59 Diner dinner, we got home to give our little puppies about an hour and a half of freedom before bed time. Rob has about two-hundred essays to grade tomorrow, Noelle has two papers to write for her masters class and another three hours of registering ahead, not to mention her Masters class after school, and, oh yeah, we apparently owe the government some money and have to sort that out before Wednesday, when our next doctor's appointment is. If our kid hits the ground running, you'll know why.

Did I forget to mention the time Rob set aside to train for the 180 mile bike ride he's doing this weekend? Yeah, that's cause that has not been happening. If you'd like to help him raise the money he still needs, go to this site and spend away. He appreciates the help, but would appreciate you taking his place even more.

We know it's a busy life, but when we see those students engaged in the learning process, we know it's all worth while.


Sunday, April 12, 2009

Wash-n-Fold


Much of today was spent sorting by color and wash directions, washing, drying, folding, and sorting by size. Wow. We still aren't finished, but we got a LOT of laundry washed today. This is a shout out for Big Pig who has passed on much of William/Neil's clothing. You are keeping our baby from becoming a nudist at an early age. Thanks big sis.


Saturday, April 11, 2009

T minus 1 month

Today is exactly one month until our little baby boy is due. Of course only 15% of women actually deliver on the due date, but at least we know it's coming soon. With each day we grow more excited to meet our little Tator Tot. With each day we also realize how much we still need to do (like come up with the right name).

The nursery furniture is here...clothes, blankets, towels, sheets, and more are being washed and folded...the car seat is being installed tomorrow... things are beginning to come together.

Each day Tator Tot's movements grow stronger and are becoming more instense for Mommy. Daddy gets to feel them all the time. Tator Tot especially likes to hear Daddy sing to him. Sometimes Tator Tot gets annnoyed when Mommy eats because it takes away some of the precious available space left for him to move around - and boy does he let her know when this happens! Our puppies are also anxiously awaiting Tator Tot's arrival. Ruffles thinks that he can hatch the baby, and he constantly tries to lie down on Mommy's tummy. Schuley gives the baby a little more space, but is waiting to lick those toes.

We love you, Tator Tot!
Click to play this Smilebox postcard: Tator Tot

Showered with Love

We are lucky to have so many caring people in our lives and look forward to their involvement in our son's life as well. We thank everyone who came out to celebrate. We were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and appreciate the love in ways we will never be able to express.

Bethany, Felicia, Kristen, Nichole, Penny, and Shannon hosted our baby shower on April 4. We appreciate all the time and work that went into the shower. We didn't have time to take pictures, so we will steal other's and post those when we have a chance.

That weekend we also had two of the greatest people ever (Shannon and Joe) paint our son's nursery. Not only did we get a beautiful nursery out of it - we also got to spend time with two adorabe girls - Maddie and Emily. They are as cute as ever and we got some parenting practce. Below are some before pictures (Dalmatians) and after (pretty blue with cream). Our furniture has arrived and updated pics will be added soon. Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: Painting the Nursery

Baby Moon

The weekend of March 27 we stayed at a Bed & Breakfast in Brenham, Texas. The house was nice, the yard was nice, and the other guests were.... nice. Although we've stayed at other B&B's, we've never stayed in a mainhouse with other people... where you can hear everything they say.... and you sit and eat breakfast with them.... Wow. Interesting experience.
We were planning on taking pics with Blue Bonnets, eating Blue Bell ice cream, relaxing, and coming up with a name for our Tator Tot. Although we didn't relax as much as we should have - we did get our pictures and our Blue Bell. Unfortunately, we did not come up with a name for Tator Tot. We did eat at some good places though including a hole in the wall steakhouse in nearby Somerville. It specializes in fried food, though Rob did manage to find something pretty healthy. Noelle had the best chicken fried steak she's ever had - which is saying a lot. If you ever find yourself in Somerville - stop by! We also had some great dessert at the tiny airport diner: The Southern Flyer. They are famous for their hamburgers, but the dessert was great, too!
All in all it was a great trip. Of course it was too quick and the baby name is still up in the air.
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: Baby Moon - March 27-29