30 weeks...we made it!

hello friends! this post is going to be a little short because i currently have an IV in my right hand. I don't like it and it makes it difficult to type. so to reduce my amount of complaining, its best i use this hand as little as possible. :)


anyway, yesterday i was officially 30 weeks! woo hoo! we made it! when we first arrived here at our new home (a.k.a.- memorial hospital of carbondale) the goal was to make it another week! now the goal is to make it to 31 weeks! the longer Gabe can stay inside me...the better! we're told that for everyday he stays in shaves 2 days off of his hospital stay once he's born. 


so, latest news... saturday we had a scare. i had to be put on oxygen because our baby wasn't cooperating and doing what he was supposed to do. so, in order to help him they put me on oxygen. thank goodness that eventually worked. this was also the night they decided to put another IV in just in case. my worst nightmare. i absolutely HATE Iv's. anyway, my protein levels have gone up to 7000. so now, like before, we're just taking it day by day....hoping to get at least another week.


how's baby boy doing? he's just fine. he's been passing all of his tests and moving like crazy. i don't think he likes being monitored because he doesn't always cooperate when we're hooked up! can't say i blame him...i'm not a fan of it either! He's getting much better at practicing his breathing. seems like every day when we get our ultrasound he always has his hand or foot in front of his face. the other day he had his toes in his mouth! we've been lucky enough to get a lot of pictures of him while we're here. we do ultrasounds everyday so along with that we get lots of pictures! we have tons of 4D pics as well! :)


alright, that's it for now. my hand hurts! :(

Baby Boy

Gabriel Lee Schiff. Yes, that's is our baby boy's name! Gabe, for short! :) 


So, not to much to update on here right now. Other than our baby boy's name. He's still doing good. Doctor says that we're going to still try to wait at least another week before delivering, if not longer! The goal is to keep Gabe inside as long as possible, that way he can grow healthier and stronger! We got our own private room tonight! It's nice! :) 


Jesse and I definitely appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers from everyone. Also, everyone that has already come to visit in the  2 1/2 days that we've been here. It's all so much appreciated. 


So, what are my plans to stay busy? Well, i'm going to start crocheting my baby boy a blanket! My IV got taken out today, so I got full function of my right hand again! yay!! I also have lots of magazines to read, the internet, and some crosswords and sudoku to work on! All of that should hopefully keep me busy for awhile! 


Jesse's been great throughout all of this! He hasn't left my side unless it's to go home or to go somewhere and get me something. The Dr. told him that he needed to stay here....not like he wasn't planning on it anyway. He's slept right next to bed every night so far...in a chair that can't be comfortable at all! But, i'm very thankful that he's here. 


Now, that's about it for tonight. I don't have much to say right now! I'm going to leave you with a few pictures! We got a few 4D pics of our baby boy today. The lady was nice enough to do them for us... they just got the machines here in the hospital to do the 4D and they haven't trained on them yet...so she did it for practice and fun! I was sooo excited when she said she'd do it and give us pictures! Enjoy!  :) 

*27 weeks (sorry this pic is a bit late)*

*Gabriel Lee Schiff- 4D*

*Our Baby Boy again*

*Flowers from our church- SIWC*

*Roses from Josh &  Shelly Schiff and their kids* 

28 & 29 weeks...and then some

Hey friends. as most of you probably know, i'm writing this blog to you all from the comfort of my own room in carbondale hospital. I apologize i haven't posted more this past week. Looks like i'm going to have even more free time on my hands for awhile, which should make updating a bit easier. I'm going to start by doing an update on what's going on and then finish with a baby update for my 28th and 29th week combined! 

My, my, where do I start? well, as i said in a previous post, I was put on bed rest over a week ago...exact date, Thursday, May 26, 2011. The dr. told me to go on bed rest until my next appt...10 days later. So, under strict orders from Jesse, I was only allowed to leave the bed when i had to go to the bathroom or eat. I was restless and bored by the end of it. Actually somewhat looking forward to getting to go back to work...i think i was just wanting something else to do. In those 10 days, i watched a lot of netflix. I actually managed to watch all of the seasons of army wives within about 5 days. Yes, I was bored. When we went to my next appt on June 6th, the doctor immediately told us we were going to the hospital. My blood pressure was still high and the protein in my urine was still high as well. 

We left the doctor's office, headed across the street to the hospital, and checked in. Luckily, we were given on our room! Our Dr, Dr. Bishop, came in to see us that night. Now, when we checked in I had a 24 hour urine sample to give them. When Dr. Bishop came in he informed us that my protein level was very high. Normal is less than 300...mine was over 3,000!!! Needless to say, Not good! I had many tests done that night. He explained everything to us very thoroughly and answered any questions we had. He diagnosed me with mild Pre-eclampsia. I won't go into details, but basically: I'm more than likely staying in the hospital until the baby is born. I'm under constant monitoring with tests being done everyday. The goal is to prevent this mild pre-eclampsia from advancing to severe pre-eclampsia. If it advances to that it is simply called: eclampsia! 

We weren't aware at just how serious this is. We were reassured when he told us that if was nothing that we had done to cause this. It's more common in first time mothers and you can't really see it coming until it arrives. A lot of the signs coincide with normal pregnancy symptoms, so it's hard to distinguish until the protein and blood pressure start to show serious signs of concern. 

This is our second night here in the hospital. My protein levels in my urine are still pretty high, but luckily my blood pressure has continued to go down. At first we were told that we would more than likely have to deliver this baby this week! As you all know, it's verrry early for him to be here. However, our Dr. has been on the phone and in close contact with an OB at the StL hospital and they are working together on my case. Both agreed that with constant monitoring that we could more than likely hold off delivery for at least another week! We're thrilled about this! So, hopefully everything will continue to go well. 

Now, I'm sure most of you are wondering...why in the world are you still in carbondale and not at the St. Louis Hospital!? I assure you, we took this under careful consideration. Our Dr. is one of the best and we have full confidence in him. He has tons of experience in working in cases of pre-eclampsia and he also has lots of experience delivering baby's early, with a very, very high success rate. He is on our side in the whole matter, and agreed with us that if we decided or if he decided that StL was definitely the best option, he would transfer us there. However, we're happy with our choice of staying here in carbondale. We're positive we're receiving great care. Our doctor has been by our side every step and checks in on us at least twice a day! 

So, I seem to have a case of insomnia since being in this hospital. I can't sleep...at all! It's frustrating! With constant monitoring and just not being able to get comfy, it's hard to fall asleep! Hence the reason i'm blogging at 1:30 in the morning! 

You may be wondering about Rylee! It breaks my heart that we have to be here and she can't be with us! Jesse is under my strict orders of going home once a day to play/visit with her! I know she's just a dog...but like i said before, she's my dog and i love her very much! :)

I'm sure there's tons of things that i've left out but for now i'm going to finish with an update on baby. I'm going to do this update a bit differently, seeing that I don't have my baby books with me. However, in the past few days, I've learned a lot about his development so I feel like I have a better insight into how he's actually doing. 

Size of Baby Schiff: Our baby boy is a whole 2 pounds and 14 ounces (as of June 7, 2011). So, obviously he's a bit too small to be delivered now! We're hoping and praying that he'll grow and develop a lot more before he has to be delivered. 

Baby Schiff's development: His lungs aren't quite ready to work on their own. I received 2 shots to help with the development of his lungs the past 2 nights. That way, if he does come as early as we're expecting, his lungs will hopefully be able to function on their own. We're praying that this works. He's also began to practice breathing while in the womb. We're told that at this early in the pregnancy, the fact that he's already practicing this is a veryyyy good sign! 

Other news about Baby Schiff: The first night we were admitted into the hospital, his heart rate was 146. It has continued to stay within the 145-160 range th

roughout the time we've been here so far. He's definitely a little mover inside my belly...moving all the time and kicking! He's also been getting the hiccups some lately. It's funny, because the monitor that I'm hooked up to will pick this up! Poor guy! Also, during one of our sonograms (we get one daily now) he was playing with his umbilical cord. It made it hard for us to get the info we needed....but we managed! :) He's very active...which is good! 

Message to Baby Schiff from Mommy: As much as we want to meet you my boy, we also want you to be big and strong when you come into this big ole world. That's why we're trying everything we can to help you stay in there a bit longer. So, my boy, stay in there as long as you'd like. I promise I will do everything I can on my side to stay healthy and well so that you can stay inside there and get healthy and strong. We love you so much! <3

We've officially decided on a name for our Baby Boy! Once we let all of our family know... I'll fill you all in as well! 


I'm going to finish tonight's post with a poem that Pastor Melissa from our church read on Mother's day. 

A baby asked God, “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?”

"Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in Heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile and to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, “Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.”

“And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?”

God said, “Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.”

“Who will protect me?”

God said, “Your angel will defend you even if it means risking it’s life.”

“But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.”

God said, “Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.”

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, “God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel’s name.”

“You will simply call her, ‘Mom.’”

boredom and then some

we found out yesterday that Jesse doesn't have to go to the Ukraine! yay! Thankfully, one of the top guys in the marine corp also had a wife that had to be put on bedrest for the same reason...so he completely understood the severity/importance of Jesse staying home! I'm very happy that he gets to stay home with me. however, he has me under strict orders to stay in bed unless it's to go the bathroom or shower. otherwise, i have to depend on him to do everything else. Now, i understand, most of you are probably thinking...why are you complaining? I'm not. But there's just so much to do and I could get it all done if i didn't have to stay in bed! haha. But, i've left the house-cleaning, laundry, and food all up to Jesse. Of course, with my reminding demands he won't forget! :) 


So what have i done with all this time of laying around being lazy? well, i finished a book in one night. and for those of you who know me, you'll know this is unusual because i'm not a big reader. Other than that, I wrote down birthdays on our calendar, wrote down addresses for the shower, and have done nothing but sit on facebook refreshing the newsfeed every couple of minutes. Yes, i'm that bored. However, today I think i'll have Jesse get out my scrapbooking box. I have Emeri's scrapbook that needs finished, so this is the perfect time to do so! :) 


Rylee got sick this morning. I'm not sure why. All i know is I woke up to her coughing and gagging and then yep, she was throwing up. ewwwwww!!! now, i'm not a person that deals with throw-up easily...actually, it disgusts me. I'd rather be in another room when it happens. But, since i'm the adult and Rylee's the dog I had to take care of it. So, I did the only logical thing there was to do...I woke Jesse up! :) Thankfully, she's feeling much better and she's now laying next to me taking a nap! 


Well, it's lunchtime. So it's time to give my menu to Jesse. 


Later friends! :) 

27 weeks and bedrest

well friends, I realize that my baby update is late this week. i'm very sorry. a lot has happened and i've been very tired as well. So an update first, and then we'll do the pregnancy update as well. 


Thursday we had a dr. appt. At our doctor's office we have our main doctor and then we rotate between the 3 who are on staff there. This past appointment we met the last doctor that we had never seen before. Jesse and I really liked her. She didn't keep us waiting, and she was very informative and answered all of our questions. However, she put me on bedrest for the next 10 days until or next appointment. She's worried that I might have preeclampsia. So at the next appt they're going to do some more tests to see. Now, I'm not complaining about the fact that I don't have to work for the next 10 days...however, i will say that I'm already very bored. I've almost completed a book today. all of my dvd's i've seen...so i guess it's going to be time to start grey's anatomy over again! Or i could just order some netflix! :) Jesse has me on strict orders to not get out of bed unless i have to go to the bathroom! i can't complain though, because he has faithfully refilled my water cup and gotten me snacks when I have asked. He even gave Rylee a bath for me tonight...as well as finishing a few loads of laundry! So, i'm not complaining about any of that. 


I guess neither of us really realized how serious preeclampsia is. However, both of our parent's quickly filled us in...which is why i think Jesse is so persistent on me staying in bed. Now, we all know that Jesse is suppose to leave for the Ukraine in a few days. And i know he's slightly worried that I won't listen to his commands on staying in bed while he's gone. haha. But, I will...even if it means that my house doesn't get clean. This would be the perfect time to work on my baby's room...if i wasn't restricted to this bed!! 


On another note, our wedding pictures are in and i'm soooo excited! I can't wait to order them and hang them up in our house! I've had spots picked out for quite some time for our pictures... so i'm super excited to see how it all looks! Now, of course, those pics will prob soon be replaced with new family pics! haha. 


and now...the pregnancy update. I'm officially in my third trimester! Time sure has flown! Only 13 more weeks to go! It seems like time is going by so fast and there's still sooooooooo much that we have to do! 




- What I'm craving these days: well, i've been craving hotdogs...especially the chicago-stlye ones from sonic and steak-n-shake! also, chocolate...like peanut M&M's! yummmm!!!! 

- How I'm feeling: tired... and huge. my feet are still swollen. nothing new. 


- What I don't like: that's a hard one these days. i still have no desire to eat steak...but the smell doesn't bother me as much anymore. 


- Sleep: It's only possible for me to go to sleep when i'm laying on my left side with my body pillow. i also have to have lots and lots of pillows to keep me comfy as well! 


- What I'm looking forward to: not having swollen feet and being able to wear heels again! :) also, finishing the baby room...that is, if i ever get off of bedrest! 


- Size of Baby Schiff: our baby boy is now a little more than 2 pounds! he's about 9 2/3 inches long. 

- Baby Schiff's development this week: Baby Schiff is starting to rotate to make his head-first grand entrance! at about this time in pregnancy, his eyes are no longer fused, trying to open. His retina, at the back of his eye, is light-sensitive. t's starting to develop its normal layers. These layers receive light and light information...and transmit it to the brain for interpretation (sight). He's also starting to move a lot more.  


-Message to Baby Schiff from Mommy: well, i was hoping to get to work on your room these next few weeks, but it seems that I have to stay in bed to make sure you don't come too early and stay just fine inside my ever-growing belly! Which is ok with me...we'll just make your daddy do all of the work. Only 13 more weeks until we get to meet you! We're so excited Baby Boy! Love always <3




Sorry I don't have a pic to post tonight. I'll try to get one tomorrow! :) 


Time to finish this book now! :) 

The Lottery

I realize that I've been failing miserably at updating this blog the past few weeks. I'm determined to get back on track...so we shall see how this goes. 


Currently, we're in the midst of trying to get things ready for Jesse to leave for a few weeks. This means last minute shopping, sewing things, ordering uniform stuff, etc. oh yes, lots and lots of fun. Seems that I still have a lot to learn about this military lifestyle. haha. For example: sewing his name tags on correctly. I'm not quite convinced that he fully trusts my ability to do it correctly. 


and this pregnancy...let me just say that i'm ready for it to be August. My feet are constantly swollen and it doesn't seem to get any better, despite my best efforts to do everything I can to keep them from getting any bigger. My fingers seem to be even more swollen too. This is especially apparent when i took my rings off and realized how swollen my fingers actually are. And my face... i'm going to blame the fact that it seems a lot bigger than usual on this pregnancy and being swollen. One thing I am happy about...the baby shower and registering. I'm not completely done registering, however I did start the process online. Now all that's left to do is actually make it into the store one day and finish! I'll gladly accept any diaper donations from anyone! :) 


I'd like to win the lottery... or at least fall into about a million dollars. Money doesn't grow on trees....but sometimes I strongly believe that it should. A million dollars could potentially solve a lot of things. For example: new house or at least remodeling the one we're currently in! 


we're looking forward to this weekend. We have a wedding to attend and then we're spending a few nights in StL! One thing we definitely want to do is see the Hangover Part II while we're there. It'll be Jesse's last chance to see a movie for awhile as well! :)  I'm hoping that I can sneak a trip to the spaghetti factory in there as well. Jess isn't as big of a fan of the spaghetti factory as I am...but that's ok...I'm almost positive I can convince him to go! 


Rylee's sure going to miss her daddy while he's away. When he's home she doesn't have to be locked up all day in her kennel. I'm not quite sure what she's going to do all day when she has to be in there! One things for sure...she's going to be absolutely CRAZY when I get home from work and let her out! Oh, that will be fun! 


I'm hoping that Jess and I can sneak in some time to work on the baby room before he leaves. There's still a lot to do and not enough time left to finish it! My goal is to get a lot done while he's gone...that way when he gets home we just have a few final touches to do and decorating as well! I at least want to get it painted and partially decorated...as well as getting some of my crafty ideas done as well! Of course, if we had a name picked out, this all would be a lot easier! =) 


Alright, well that's it. Night! 

26 weeks!

- What I'm craving these days: sweets... i just made some cookie bars tonight cause I really wanted some chocolate! Other than that, nothing too crazy! 


- How I'm feeling: tired, of course! But that's nothing new. My feet also hurt...but I'm thinking that's only because they're HUGE!!


- What I don't like: hmmmm... well, Jesse cooked some steak the other night and it didn't bother me...so I guess I can't say steak anymore! So, right now, I really don't know! I stick to things I know I like! :)  


- Sleep: I can still only sleep on my left side! It's the only way I get comfy! I've also learned to put a pillow underneath my belly to help make me more comfortable, as well as having my body pillow! Our bed is full of pillows these days... in fact we have 8 plus my body pillow...so 9 pillows total! haha. 


- What I'm looking forward to: The material for the bedding finally came in...so I'm super excited to start working on that with my mom! Also, I'm looking forward to the baby shower and starting the final trimester! Can't get here soon enough!! 


- Size of Baby Schiff: Our baby boy is around 9 1/4 inches now!! He almost weighs a whole 2 pounds...so I can't blame all this extra weight on him! haha. 

- Baby Schiff's development this week: Baby Schiff now has a distinct sleeping/waking cycle. Hopefully, it's a good cycle! :) He can start to see things now because his eyes are beginning to open, if they haven't already! He's able to somewhat move his heard around as well these days and his hair is starting to grow in! 


-Message to Baby Schiff from Mommy: You're bedding is finally here and I can't wait to start working on it! Your daddy has to leave in about 9 days for 3 weeks for the military... so it's just going to be You, Rylee, and Me for awhile! Oh the fun we'll have!! :) Only 14 more weeks until we FINALLY get to meet you! <3

*Please excuse the spot on my shirt...I had just finished washing the dishes and didn't feel like changing! haha*

and now...a little update. So, about 3 months after Baby Schiff is born we have the annual Marine Corp Ball in StL! I'm using the ball as my motivation to immediately start working out after Baby gets here... or at least as soon as possible! I bought a dress for 10 bucks at TJ Maxx for the ball, so it's going to be my inspiration to lose all this extra weight! I love the ball...Jesse doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as I do...but I love having a reason to go out, dress up, and get pretty! It kinda feels like prom...only more formal and a lot more fun! 

What else is new!? I've found a new love for my new cup. It's one of those Plastic cups that you can take with you anywhere...it has a straw and everything! I'm sure it has an official name but I can't think of it right now! Go figure! Anyway, I love it. I take it EVERYWHERE with me. It's so convenient at work as well, because I can just fill it up with water all day long! It helps me to drink all the water I'm supposed to drink in a day as well! 

It's been a lonnnggg day today! Jesse had classes for the mines and somehow ended up with both sets of our car keys. Yes, that's right...He took my car and somehow took his jeep's keys with him as well. What's funny is before he left I reminded him to leave the keys and he said ok, they're on the desk! So, I was going to be extra nice today and take his Jeep up to the car wash and clean it as well. Too bad I couldn't because I didn't have the keys! When I called to ask him where they were he said they were on the desk... when i informed him they were not he said.."oooh, that's because they're right here!" hahahah. Oh well, I got a lot accomplished by being stuck at home all day anyway! I did about 3480923840923850 loads of laundry. Yes, that many indeed! At least it felt like that many. Good news is:: It's all done...except for some towels..but that's no biggie! I also cleaned our bathroom, cleaned out some cabinets, and did the dishes. And since Jesse seems to think I don't cook enough anymore, I made us some delicious tacos and mexican rice! I also made dessert... which we have yet to try because we're both full! :) 

Rylee...what's she been up to you may wonder!? Well, Today she hid some more of her chewy bones and stuff because I found several of them while cleaning today. So, of course she had to find a new hiding spot. It's hilarious because she'll hide them in the covers that I have laid out and then I'll move them to make the bed and she'll just have to hide them again. So I get to hear her whine even more!! She's so funny though! I woke up early this morning because I had to pee...yes, that seems to be a continuing trend these days...and it's only getting worse! Anyway, she usually wakes up when I get out of the bed for any reason and this morning she didn't. So I got worried because I didn't see her. I "quietly" tried to say her name but apparently it wasn't quiet enough because I woke Jesse up. Turns out, Rylee was snugged right between his legs down by his feet passed out. According to Jess, she went from sleeping in his arms to sleeping in his feet last night! She's such a baby...but that's ok, because we've kind of made her that way! 

Alright, I think that about does it for tonight! I promise to update a lot more from now on! 

*The material for Baby Schiff's bedding! <3 it!!*

*My dress for this year's Marine Corp Ball... definitely different from last years*

*My new FAVORITE cup!*