Busy Weekend

Friday morning I woke up around 3:45am with some stomach pain and back pain. Of course I woke Josh up and we laid in bed watching an episode of The Andy Griffith Show while he tried to convince me that the baby was not trying to come out. By about lunch time I was still feeling anxious because my back pain continued and I started feeling more pressure in my lowerr abdomen. My mom recommended I call the dr and they quickly got back to me with the recommendation that I head to the hospital. So as anyone who knows me can imagine, I walked into the hospital determined not to cry but upon being told to head up to labor and delivery I promptly fell apart. The nurses in L & D triage were truly a blessing that afternoon... they completely understood my fears and ushered me straight into a room. They quickly hooked me to a monitor to monitor for contractions... GOOD SIGN #1- no contractions! They called my primary care OB and she ordered an internal ultrasound to measure my cervical length. (At this point Josh is becoming well versed in OB vocabulary and norms as well as now having a practice run (#1) for when the baby comes.) So... we got in the ultrasound room and they checked my cervical length and it was 4.1-4.2, which is great! What we did discover is that in a few short hours our little girl completely rotated around (to a standing position) and rolled to the other side. My back pain was from pressure on my bladder where her foot was stomping on me. Let the record be set that I am not complaining about the absolutely normal pregnancy pain, I was merely alarmed at what I was feeling. Here's a little pic from our visit...

A little sidenote- for those of you reading who attend FBC Ellisville, my nurse in the L&D resembled Debbie Mace... even her voice sounded like her. So as we left and she hugged me goodbye we explained to her that it was like seeing a familiar face. Her name was Becky and she said to request her when we returned, Josh's response, "Ok, well we'll see you in a couple weeks."

On Saturday Clark, Lyric, Josh and I packed up and headed to Cincinnati to "look at the Fishies!" We visited the Newport Aquarium for something different to do on a Saturday. Here are a few pictures from our day...



Progesterone Shot: Take 1

Today was my first shot of progesterone at home... and may I just say that for absolutely no experience Josh was quite an expert. The shot goes in my hip and we rotate left to right each week. Josh was slightly nervous but he puntured the skin quickly, injected slowly and removed the needle carefully. He may as well have his certificate of nursing, he was THAT good. Because of my extreme fear of needles I thought for sure we'd have a few good stories over the next few months but it seems like Josh has mastered the task at hand. I am so grateful for his desire to take such good care of me. Lately, there isn't many nights that I don't go to bed without some nervous tears but I am comforted by Josh laying his hand on my belly and praying for me and the the life of our sweet baby girl. I am so blessed that Josh is crazy about me... and already crazy about his little girl. Even as I type this it is still sinking in that baby Mathews is a she, we're going to have a daughter! Please pray over the next few weeks as I have already began to worry as I approach 20+ weeks and the time in which we lost the boys. God has been so faithful and I am working to continue trusting in His perfect plan for this baby... Josh is a lot better at this. We go to the doctor tomorrow but no new pictures until next Wednesday. We look forward to seeing her progress!

Baby Girl Mathews

 

There she is! She is 16 weeks and 4 days in this photo. And every time I look at it and look back at her pictures from week 12 all that comes to mind is Psalm 139: 13-14

"For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother’s womb.

14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are Your works,

And my soul knows it very well."

We are so thankful for the gift of this sweet baby girl. She is growing appropriately to her gestational age, weighing in at about 7 oz. She has long little legs, arms and even hands. We are not too surprised because even at 23 weeks her big brothers were 11 inches long and they had what their Daddy calls "monkey arms." The doctor was pleased yesterday with my cervical length as well as the baby's brain, heart and kidneys. Josh was able to go yesterday to the appointment so that he could be instructed on how to administer the progesterone shot I recieve weekly until week 36. The shot helps to sustain pregnancy and keep the uterus from contractracting, thus hopefully preventing early labor. The doctor has had a positive response with this hormone compound and there is no research supporting any adverse effects on the mom or baby. The only- VERY minor side effect is a bruise and soreness at the injection site. It is injected into my hip and it was and still is very sore but completely worth it to keep our sweet girl growing until at least 36 weeks. So... now knowing who I was buying from my mom and I were in Target and Sam's today and HAD to pick up a few things for her. Here's what we found...

and...

and Will wanted to model the last one, but not without making sure Kerry, Chachi and Susie were in the picture.

Lastly, is a little onesie that her Mimi got her to honor the lives of her big brothers Liam and Tate. This little shirt is especially important to me for that reason.

Thank you for reading and for the continued prayers of our sweet baby girl!



14 weeks 4 days

There's our little sasquatch! Everything is still looking great! The doctor was able to visualize all the brain, heart and other vital organs and was very pleased with baby Mathews' development. The question of whether Baby Mathews is a boy or girl will not be answered for another two weeks... no girl parts or boy parts are differentiated yet. One thing I am certain of is that this is one active little person. As you may have noticed the ultra sound is somewhat of a blur because the doctor had to snap fast as the baby was rolling over and over. I am now certain that the fluttering I have been feeling is absolutely my sweet baby! Our next adventure as a married couple will be as Josh learns how to give me progesterone injections weekly in my hip! We should have some interesting stories to share as soon as those begin. If you are reading this I am so grateful for your interest and prayers for our sweet baby.

A Little Taste of Early Spring

Saturday was a beautiful day in Louisville. The sun was shining and the temperature reached 50 degrees! So after Josh got off work and Lyric finished with her One-year old pictures, I picked up Will and we headed out for a walk. Clark made Will's day when he offered to let Will ride in Lyric's new "deluxe" wagon... it has cup holders! These are a few pictures from our afternoon. 

Will was yelling for "Baby Lyrical" to look at Anna... look at the camera! Obviously Lyric found Will's yelling much more entertaining.

This is a classic Lyric face...

Thumbs up! He was allowed to "push" the wagon. He is getting sooo big.

This was Lyric's favorite part of the walk... the view from Daddy's shoulders.  And Will was "fixing Josh's hair." It is times like this (and the rest of the afternoon) that make me look forward even more to watching Josh raise our kids. He is going to be such a wonderful Daddy! I am so blessed.

Later that night Josh sacrificed sleep for me to babysit, even though he had to leave for work at 4:30 in the AM! Yes, Sunday morning meetings are downtown Louisville at 5am... other than his very early morning he is really enjoying his job. He has already begun evaluating displays at other stores and lets me know how they can be improved. He is such a hard worker. I am certain he's already dropped 5 lbs in this one week of work. Seems only appropriate that I find the weight he's loosing... hopefully I am passing it right onto our sweet baby.

Josh's Adventures at Coca Cola

Today was Josh's first day as Coca Cola Enterprises' newest merchandiser. We were both so excited when we got word last Wednesday that today would be his first day. He left the house this morning in his business casual wear and fresh new haircut (cut by me) looking pretty terrific. He had a fun filled day of paper work more paper work and training videos... not so eventful but you gotta start somewhere. Tomorrow he heads out into our neighborhood  Kroger to be trained "in the field." We went shopping tonight at good 'ole Wally World for the always fashionable steel toed boots. Our shopping trip was a success and Josh's toes will be safe from 2 liters and 24 packs for tomorrows training adventure. The Lord really blessed us with a good friend that was able to help get Josh's foot in the door, and now I am confident Josh's hard work will speak for itself. As for me, I've become quite spoiled over most of the last year. With Josh's past job being on an as needed basis I was able to talk or text him as often as I liked... this is not the same situation. However, I am not complaining I am just stating that this wife missed her husband for a good portion of the day. Another plus to Josh's new job is that his shift is 6am- 3pm so once the baby is here Josh will be able to spend the afternoons with us!

Baby Mathews is cooking!

This is our little "Baby Sasquatch" at 12 weeks and 4 days. Measuring about 3 inches from head to rump, I am certain that this baby's length at birth will not disappoint! Everything is looking good so far. After we lost the twins in April we met with a specialist that told us that the primary cause for my early labor was the amount of fluid and the size of the boys, my body thought it was full term and therefore set things into motion. When we found out we were expecting #3 the specialist wanted to scan me early so we got our first look during week 8. During that appointment Dr. Jamie was concerned that I may have a Bicornuate Uterus. This means that the uterus is heart shaped to some degree and that the placenta is typically only able to grow in a portion of the uterus. This could have been a missing piece to the puzzle with the boys except that upon a second look during week 12 she is not seeing any indication that my uterus is at all misformed. Praise God! This also means no cerclage as of now (stitching the cervix closed for reinforcement). I am being watched very closely (every other week) by a specialist that Josh and I feel very comfortable with. God is sovereign and the doctors and nurses that he has placed in our life, since my labor the night with the twins, have been wonderful. We get another look on Wednesday of next week! I will try to be faithful to update. Thank you so much for your prayers and concern. Specifically pray for my peace of mind as my body is growing and changing.