Happy Birthday Dave!

Today is Dave's 35th Birthday! He's off to London to watch a soccer match with his buddy Chris from dental school. We weren't sure Dave would even get to go because of the crazy volcano ash cancelling all the London flights. But get this - the first flight from DFW to London was tonights flight that Dave was on! So wish him Happy Birthday, Brittish style.

If he sends me pictures like he's supposed to, I'll post a few.

I've got lots of time on my hands, so you can expect a few more blog entries than I've been up to recently!

BEDREST?!?!?!?

Awwwwww man!

I'm on bedrest now for three months.

THREE MONTHS!

Here's the complete story.

For the past few weeks I've been having contractions, but the doctors have been checking my cervix weekly since I turned 19 weeks and there hadn't been any changes. But last week, on Monday, I felt "different" and thought maybe I had been pushing it a bit too much. So much so that I actually sat with my feet up in a recliner and rested in an office I was working in one day. Then, I caught that stupid stomach bug which caused the vomiting, the other, and the dehydration, which can all also lead to contractions. So, needless to say, on Friday when my doctor checked me, my cervix had shortened and started "funneling". I'm not dilating yet, but any changes this early on are certainly cause to play it safe and rest. So I'll take my doctors orders and lay around as much as possible and make this home a little safer for Harper. I'll see my perinatologist this Friday and, hopefully, there won't be any further changes and, possibly, if after a few weeks of resting, maybe I can resume some limited activities. Right now, the worst part is that my physical cuddling and actual play time with Creighton is pretty limited. I hate to rely on this, but we are now watching tv together on the couch each day...its the only way I can get him to sit still so I can cuddle on him. Of course we still get to read books together, but I sit up for that and so I'm trying to keep that limited to the evenings before bed which has always been our routine and special time.

Soooo.....please pray that my body cooperates with these medications and the rest and that Harper has plenty more time in there to cook!

Some history:

When I was 31 weeks pregnant with Creighton, I was at my perinatologists office for one of my routine scans. My plans that upcoming weekend included a trip to College Station and then a work trip that following week out to Longview, and I just had this gut feeling that to make sure I was safe to do all this traveling I needed the doctor to check me "down there" which he had never done and normally didn't do. Well, my gut instinct was right on and I landed myself in the hospital for the next 5 days because I was in preterm labor and dilating already. They gave me all kinds of meds- steriods for Creighton's lungs, magnesium to stop the contractions (miserable!), terbutaline, procardia, etc - and finally sent me home on procardia for the contractions and strict bedrest. I delivered Creighton at 37 weeks! PTL!

This pregnancy, as a precaution, I've been taking progesterone shots once a week in my thigh because that can supposedly reduce my risk of preterm labor by 30%. Now I'm also on the procardia again and will continue with my weekly visits, alternating between the perinatologist and my OBGYBN. This pregnancy I see the perinatologist because of the preterm labor with Creighton as well as the Protien C and the blood thinner injections, which was the reason I was seeing the specialist when I was preggers with Creighton. So I feel like I've been under quite a watchful eye of some incredible doctors and will certainly follow their recommendations for my care of Harper while she bakes in this oven of mine! More importantly, though, I know I am in God's careful hands and that He certainly has control of this situation. And I have clear perspective on all this...it could be way worse: I could have no baby to be worried about in the first place, I could have lost her already, I could be on hospital bedrest, I could be on this bedrest with out the help of Rachel, my family and my friends, and so I am VERY thankful to be so cared for and blessed at all times but especially right now, when I'm down and out!

But keep the prayers coming : )

Bad Business - The Stomach Bug

I caught a violent vomit bug. It started Thursday night.

Yes, I am aware this is a very unflattering picture of me. I was MISERABLE!
I ended up in the ER for IV fluids because of dehydration. I don't recommend ER's or dehydration, but if that happens, I do recommend IV fluids and IV Zofran...they are my new favorite thing and I highly recommend them to bring a person back to life!
And yes, being pregnant with a stomach bug is NO FUN! Also not recommended : )

But this girl is my hero! TWICE now Cindy has taken me home from the hospital in emergency situations...what would I do without her? This picture was taken a few weeks ago at Kindermusic. Katie and Creighton are in the same class and I am SO thankful we live so close. I can't imagine my life without this girl who has been such a constant for me over the past 10 years! Thanks for your help, Cindy, in this dreadful situtation. You are THE BEST!

Baby #2 - 24 weeks pregnant...and she has a name!

We'll here's a look at 24 weeks of baby growing, a.k.a. 6 months pregnant!

And here's a look at our daughter

Harper Renee Seghers

in 4D.

And here's a profile shot in regular ultrasound.

We think she's darling : )

Girls Weekend

Every spring, my college girlfriends do a "girls weekend" so we can get away and catch up. It's nothing super fancy or outrageous...just a Saturday and a Saturday night with the dearest of friends. This year, we did up Plano! That's right...I went 15 minutes all the way up the N. Dallas Tollway for my girls weekend! And sadly, we were missing a few who couldn't make it this year, but it was still wonderful to catch up and remember the good 'ole days. I took my camera and planned on chronicling the events of the weekend, but once we got away from kids, all I got was an iPhone pic at dinner. In fact, we didn't get this picture until we were leaving and Tiffany had already left early (she wasn't feeling well). So, as far as the "girls weekend" goes, this is all I've got!

~

BUT we did start the morning Saturday with a play date at my house for the some of the kids who didn't have soccer games or other places to be. And I got tons of pictures of that:

This is the only shot I got of ALL the kids.

We have Rylee and Colton Cleveland, Oliver Fenn, Carter Sims, and of course my Creighton!

Here's Creighton and Carter. They are 6 weeks apart and would be inseperable if only Sheaffer and I lived closer, which would be a dream come true for mom and kids!

Rylee and Colton, showing the littler ones how to really play!
My boy, posing for the camera like a little GQ man.

Oliver took a turn on the rocking horse. Looks like he liked it.

Carter, too!

Then, it was time to explore the space shuttle.

Carter and Oliver had lots of giggles being our little astronauts.

Then it was Olivers turn to be the astronaut, and boy is he a cute one!

These might be my favorite pictures of the day: Colton lifting weights...

How stinking cute is that?!?!?

And after SEVERAL attempts to get a good shot of these 3 boys who are all so close in age and to duplicate the picture abovewe took over a year ago

this is the best we got!
But it was an AWESOME play date and I'm so glad to have all these girls and their kids in my life!

Where does Jesus live?...and other tricks

Catching up

I'm so behind. It's awful. This video is from a few weeks back, when the Aggies were still in the NCAA tournament. Dave and I took Creighton to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the game. We all wore our Aggie gear. Creighton was super excited! Here is what "super excited" looks like on Creighton: