We brought Kiah home today. Now it all begins!
Kiah wore an off-white onesie with a little bear and duckie on the chest.
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
The World Around Me
When I was born...
The news was ...
War in Iraq
Turning over of Power
Capture and Trial of Saddam Hussein
Scott Peterson Trial
Local News and Events...
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Marcus Wesson Trial (nine victims murdered, some children)
The President was George W. Bush with Dick Chaney as VP. They were running for Re-election against John Kerry and John Edwards
The economy was fair with complaints about unemployment rates
Blockbuster movies were ...
Spiderman 2
Shrek 2
Bourne Supremacy
Hit TV shows were...
CSI
The Apprentice
Without a Trace
Law & Order
The Olympics were starting soon in Greece
The Price of...
a gallon of Gas = $2.14
a house = $300,000 - $500,000 on average in Central California
a car = around $20,000 for a Standard size
a CD = $17
a computer = $600 - $1,000
a ticket to the movies = $9.50
a diaper = about $17 for a package
a bottle = $1-$3.50
The news was ...
War in Iraq
Turning over of Power
Capture and Trial of Saddam Hussein
Scott Peterson Trial
Local News and Events...
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Marcus Wesson Trial (nine victims murdered, some children)
The President was George W. Bush with Dick Chaney as VP. They were running for Re-election against John Kerry and John Edwards
The economy was fair with complaints about unemployment rates
Blockbuster movies were ...
Spiderman 2
Shrek 2
Bourne Supremacy
Hit TV shows were...
CSI
The Apprentice
Without a Trace
Law & Order
The Olympics were starting soon in Greece
The Price of...
a gallon of Gas = $2.14
a house = $300,000 - $500,000 on average in Central California
a car = around $20,000 for a Standard size
a CD = $17
a computer = $600 - $1,000
a ticket to the movies = $9.50
a diaper = about $17 for a package
a bottle = $1-$3.50
Thursday, July 29, 2004
How it all started
Things started around Thanksgiving 2003. We were in Utah visiting with Uncle Matt, Aunt Sheila, and Aunt Kami. I Aunt Sheila was pregnant at the time. I was beginning to not feel well and Aunt Sheila joked that I was pregnant; I laughed it off. We got back home to California late on Sunday night. On my way to work Monday morning I stopped and bought a pregnancy test and took it right when I got to work. I WAS pregnant.
I didn't know how to tell Chris. It was time yet. We had just gotten married a few months earlier. I couldn't call him at work, so I texted him "I'm pregnant." I thought it would be funny, since I knew he would have to wait to call.
I had morning sickness in the beginning. It actually gave me away. My co-workers knew pretty early on of my "condition." We told our family for Christmas. We found "congratulation" cards and baby cards, but we were sneaky and put them in red envelops and wrote "Do Not Open Until Christmas Day" on the outside. Everyone was pretty shocked.
I tried medication for the morning sickness, but it made me way too tired and groggy. I didn't have morning sickness on it, because I was asleep! I had to stop taking it, it just didn't jive with working full time. my childhood asthma also returned while I was pregnant. I ended-up in the ER because I had no medication, I had been symptom free for YEARS. By the way, I found out one of the fastest ways to get through an ER is to say you are pregnant and having trouble breathing.
Everything was great for awhile, but then the swelling began. And my blood pressure began to creep. I remember in early June the Nurse Practitioner I saw, Jane, told me that Dr. Swanson would put me on bed rest the next month. Sure enough, at my next appointment, July 1, 2004, he put me on bed rest. Thankfully, Jane had given me the heads-up and I was able to get things ready to turn over my caseload. The bed rest orders were for me to lie on my side 23 hrs a day. (The one hour was for bathroom purposes) I was to come in and see Dr. Swanson or Jane two times per week. I would also have no-stress tests two times per week as well.
Bed rest was hard. I was already emotional, but this was draining. Things are very difficult to accomplish while lying on your side. I could read books, I couldn't type on a computer. I could only watch TV. Luckily I bought Chris a TiVo for his birthday earlier in the year. (technically i bought it for is birthday, but actually, I had a feeling I would be on bed rest, and thought it would be handy. the weird thing was, I bought it before Christmas. I wasn't even 2 months pregnant at the time) I was already in love with the show "Law & Order," but I took it to a whole new level. Chris downloaded a list of episodes, all 14 seasons. I got to check almost all of them off. I am only missing a few episodes from season one. (I was truly heartbroken when Jerry Orbach dies a few months later)
On Monday, July 26, 2004, I awoke in the middle of the night to head to the bathroom. I had a small gush of fluid, and contractions started. After over an hour, we headed to the ER. The contractions stopped, and the fluid was from a forebag. We went to breakfast, then home. Later that day I saw Dr. Swanson I was dilated to 1 cm and he told me if I didn't have the baby by Thursday they would induce me.
Thursday morning rolled around and we headed to the hospital for the induction. They started the pitocin around 6am. Dr. Swanson came in and broke my water around 7am. Then he said "I'll see you in 12 hours." The external monitors were not working for picking up my contractions, so it appeared as if I wasn't having any. So they kept increasing the pitocin. By 10am I could hardly think. I couldn't talk or stand. I was very nauseous and vomiting. I asked for an epidural. Because I had been on bed rest the anesthesiologist wanted some blood tests, but my blood draw from that morning had already coagulated so they had to thin it back out, so it was an hour before I got my epidural. I felt much better once I got it. They also started to use internal fetal and contraction monitors at that point. They realized I was having very strong and regular contractions and backed me down a bit on the pitocin.
The epidural allowed me to sleep a bit. I was awoken by the room being flooded with people. Apparently Kiah's heart rate dropped. So they rolled me to my side and put me on oxygen. At that point I felt like an octopus. I had so many tubes and wires attached to me, it was humorous. At 5pm I was fully dilated and began pushing. The contractions were so close. I couldn't push on every contraction, I was just too exhausted. I pushed every other contraction. (I actually was secretly lightly pushing on the down contractions) At 7pm I was even more exhausted. There was also a staff change. My new nurse was and unwelcome change. She would yell at me to push every contraction. Dr. Swanson also showed up about this time; 12 hours later, just as he said. It was at this time I announced I was done. Unfortunately the next contraction came and said otherwise. At 7:30pm I became nauseous from the exhaustion. I announced I was going to throw-up. I ended-up throwing-up on the dumb nurse next to me. She had been annoying everyone in the room. Just as I threw-up Dr. Swanson did and episiotomy, and Kiah flew out. It was the most amazing feeling. What a sense of relief. 7 lbs. 8 oz. 20.25 in 7:37 pm.
I didn't know how to tell Chris. It was time yet. We had just gotten married a few months earlier. I couldn't call him at work, so I texted him "I'm pregnant." I thought it would be funny, since I knew he would have to wait to call.
I had morning sickness in the beginning. It actually gave me away. My co-workers knew pretty early on of my "condition." We told our family for Christmas. We found "congratulation" cards and baby cards, but we were sneaky and put them in red envelops and wrote "Do Not Open Until Christmas Day" on the outside. Everyone was pretty shocked.
I tried medication for the morning sickness, but it made me way too tired and groggy. I didn't have morning sickness on it, because I was asleep! I had to stop taking it, it just didn't jive with working full time. my childhood asthma also returned while I was pregnant. I ended-up in the ER because I had no medication, I had been symptom free for YEARS. By the way, I found out one of the fastest ways to get through an ER is to say you are pregnant and having trouble breathing.
Everything was great for awhile, but then the swelling began. And my blood pressure began to creep. I remember in early June the Nurse Practitioner I saw, Jane, told me that Dr. Swanson would put me on bed rest the next month. Sure enough, at my next appointment, July 1, 2004, he put me on bed rest. Thankfully, Jane had given me the heads-up and I was able to get things ready to turn over my caseload. The bed rest orders were for me to lie on my side 23 hrs a day. (The one hour was for bathroom purposes) I was to come in and see Dr. Swanson or Jane two times per week. I would also have no-stress tests two times per week as well.
Bed rest was hard. I was already emotional, but this was draining. Things are very difficult to accomplish while lying on your side. I could read books, I couldn't type on a computer. I could only watch TV. Luckily I bought Chris a TiVo for his birthday earlier in the year. (technically i bought it for is birthday, but actually, I had a feeling I would be on bed rest, and thought it would be handy. the weird thing was, I bought it before Christmas. I wasn't even 2 months pregnant at the time) I was already in love with the show "Law & Order," but I took it to a whole new level. Chris downloaded a list of episodes, all 14 seasons. I got to check almost all of them off. I am only missing a few episodes from season one. (I was truly heartbroken when Jerry Orbach dies a few months later)
On Monday, July 26, 2004, I awoke in the middle of the night to head to the bathroom. I had a small gush of fluid, and contractions started. After over an hour, we headed to the ER. The contractions stopped, and the fluid was from a forebag. We went to breakfast, then home. Later that day I saw Dr. Swanson I was dilated to 1 cm and he told me if I didn't have the baby by Thursday they would induce me.
Thursday morning rolled around and we headed to the hospital for the induction. They started the pitocin around 6am. Dr. Swanson came in and broke my water around 7am. Then he said "I'll see you in 12 hours." The external monitors were not working for picking up my contractions, so it appeared as if I wasn't having any. So they kept increasing the pitocin. By 10am I could hardly think. I couldn't talk or stand. I was very nauseous and vomiting. I asked for an epidural. Because I had been on bed rest the anesthesiologist wanted some blood tests, but my blood draw from that morning had already coagulated so they had to thin it back out, so it was an hour before I got my epidural. I felt much better once I got it. They also started to use internal fetal and contraction monitors at that point. They realized I was having very strong and regular contractions and backed me down a bit on the pitocin.
The epidural allowed me to sleep a bit. I was awoken by the room being flooded with people. Apparently Kiah's heart rate dropped. So they rolled me to my side and put me on oxygen. At that point I felt like an octopus. I had so many tubes and wires attached to me, it was humorous. At 5pm I was fully dilated and began pushing. The contractions were so close. I couldn't push on every contraction, I was just too exhausted. I pushed every other contraction. (I actually was secretly lightly pushing on the down contractions) At 7pm I was even more exhausted. There was also a staff change. My new nurse was and unwelcome change. She would yell at me to push every contraction. Dr. Swanson also showed up about this time; 12 hours later, just as he said. It was at this time I announced I was done. Unfortunately the next contraction came and said otherwise. At 7:30pm I became nauseous from the exhaustion. I announced I was going to throw-up. I ended-up throwing-up on the dumb nurse next to me. She had been annoying everyone in the room. Just as I threw-up Dr. Swanson did and episiotomy, and Kiah flew out. It was the most amazing feeling. What a sense of relief. 7 lbs. 8 oz. 20.25 in 7:37 pm.
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