Sick Sick Sick

Okay so as much as I want to enjoy this pregnancy, especially since this is my first. But so much for that fantasy. so far this pregnancy has been much harder then i ever expected it to be. The first trimester was the scariest because anything could happen to the baby and its just one of those things. So I held out faith that it was time for us to start our family and stayed very quiet about the fact that there was something growing inside me. I don't get morning sick really so it was pretty easy to hide it. Once we finally told my family we we're so excited to tell the world. Things seem to go pretty well until recently. I had a little congestion and a couple of colds but nothing that seemed unmanageable. Then the kidney stones, UTI, and Kidney infection. To date the total number of kidney stones is 7 the first two were unmanageable and i had to go to the ER. A gracious ER doctor gave me some pain medication so i could manage the kidney stones on my own. And with the pain meds and a warm shower they did become manageable and i have not had to go back to the ER (so grateful). Now its been almost 3 weeks since I've had a kidney stone episode. But along with the Kidney stones came another UTI. I thought I could just flush it out with water and cranberry juice but I was so wrong. So Monday morning i called the doctors office after struggling so badly with the symptoms I begged for medication. They were amazing and had me some medication within a couple of hours. With only one dose of medication I felt like a whole new person.

I'm so over being Sick though this pregnancy...I would have welcomed morning sickness if this is how to avoid Kidney stones, UTI, and other ailments. The depressing part is when i'm not preggo i rarely get sick I'm decently healthy so hears to hoping that things get better and i do get to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy.

Precious Moments

Last night we were lying in bed and the baby was being extremely active. when i say extreamly i mean pretty aggressive and seriously strong kicks. so since she was being so active i thought it might be a good time for Anthony to try and feel the baby kick his hand.

I moved his hand down on top of where she was kicking. He said he didn't feel anything. So i pushed his hand down into my stomach and waited a few seconds. she graciously kicked his hand several times and he felt it!

Daddy's thoughts:

"Ok so right before we hit the lights to got to bed, i was rubbing my
wife's stomach and she stopped my hand and pushed it into her belly, a
few seconds go by and i understood y she did it, our baby girl kicked
me, she did it a few times. AWWW first of many to come"

Prenatal Peek

Since they weren't 100% sure the baby was a girl we decided to have an ultrasound done at a place where they specialize in gender determination. so we booked an appointment and anxiously waited the week to find out if we were going to be having a girl or a boy. I prayed the night before that our little one would not be shy. we invited my grandparents to go to the ultrasound with us. it was a long drive out to the place because of the excitement of the whole situation.

we got there and i filled out a couple of legal sheets that said that in no way do they determine the health and well being of the baby just gender determination. we walked into the room and i sat in this really comfy chair that i have to say i wish they had this type of chair at all ultrasounds instead of the cold hard table. they put the image up on a large screen TV for Anthony and my grandparents to see.

Well needless to say we had no need to be anxious anymore because the second she placed the wand on my stomach and there was our little one's behind showing HER LADY PARTS!!

so needless to say we are elated that we are having a little GIRL.

Ultrasound #2 boy or girl?

We had an ultrasound of the baby done some time ago ... sadly I have been very sick so I have not been able to update this blog. It was the first ultrasound we had that the baby didn't look like a little blob. The ultrasound took much longer than we expected and they don't let the rest of the party with you in while they do the measuring and then they let you in to see the ultrasound image and watch the baby on the screen. The technician said he wasn't sure of the baby's sex that he thought it was a girl. Since I can somewhat read an ultrasound and pretty much know what I'm looking at. I was 99% sure that it was a little girl. We decided we wanted to be sure so I looked up a company called prenatal peek. They do gender determination for a small fee.

So here are the stats for baby Dayton that we know about from the ultrasound
- It currently weighs 217 grams (which is a little small for her age)
- As far as they can tell her heart and other organs are doing very well and developing normally
- Even though it’s small they did not change my due date (happy mommy)

We will know more in 1 week when we have the ultrasound done for gender determination.

Another Doctors appointment

On the 22nd we had a doctors appointment for the basics weight, BP, measurements, heartbeat etc... i have to say at this particular doctors I love the morning appointments. I don't think a lot of pregnant women are morning people but I happen to be a decent morning person soooo i try to always take the earliest appointment they have. we always get out of there so quickly they are very efficient.

This time:
My blood pressure was much better. its still higher than normal but nothing to be majorly concerned about like last appointment (I think it was high because the MA put the blood pressure cuff around my lower arm instead of my upper arm.) I'm use to seeing BP's of 110 and under but I'm not really complaining about a 130/80

we were going to tape the baby's heart beat for every one to hear but i failed to charge the batter to the camera. (talk about feeling awkward) oh well next time. I also love the fact that no matter how many times they listen to the HB they are amazed (not startled this time) at how strong it is.

The doctor came in and i have to say i was very thankful that i did not have to strip down to nothing and wear paper clothes this time. all he wanted was to measure the baby belly. last time the baby was measuring about about 17 CM which was a little big but nothing to be concerned about. this time the baby only measured 17.4 CM which means in two weeks it didn't grow much at all. so the doctor decided to do the ultrasound early instead of 20 weeks they will do the ultrasound Tuesday the 29th and I will be 18 weeks and 5 days along. The upside of them doing it early is we will get to know the sex of the baby that day too.

I don't care if the baby is a boy or a girl i just want to know its healthy and has 10 fingers and 10 toes, a healthy heart, and a developed brain.

Moving and Shaking

Felt the baby move for the first time on June 12th. felt really wired almost like butterflies or a gas bubble. It only happened for a couple of seconds. Can't wait to feel more.

Baby Dream #2

I finally had a long detailed dream about the baby. I went into labor in the middle of the night. I woke Anthony up and told him that I thought the baby was on its way. I asked him to check "down there" and he replied to me with a surprised look "I can see the head". I told him to call 911 and to get some towels, warm water, and a shoe lace. I was instructed to not push at all so I laid back and began to deep breath as much as I possibly could. The ambulance made it to our home (or where ever we were) and I made it to the hospital before the baby was born. Anthony held my hand and I pushed the baby out. I remember seeing the baby's head come out and Anthony telling me she's here she's here. the next thing I remember is looking into her face. she had lots of hair and her face was very round and a little scrunchy. When they weighed her she was exactly 6 lbs and 0 ounces. This is the last thing I remember. It was pretty detailed and it was interesting to hear that it was a girl. (I know there are no guarantee's when its a dream but this is the second dream I have had that our baby is a little girl)

I truly hope that this is not how my baby is born but it was interesting to have some part or an alternative idea to the story.

16 Weeks doctors appointment

Today was a totally different experience as far as doctors visits. Before today my OB/GYN was always a woman. Since we have recently switch insurance to Medi-cal I had to pick a new doctor and most are male. So I took a recommendation from the doctors office I have been going to. Unfortunately it was a male. so needless to say I was a little nervous...OKAY OKAY A LOT nervous. Then I was really hoping that they wouldn't have to do a lot of blood tests again and luckily since I sent my medical records over they did not have to draw blood (One Happy Mama). But I still had to have an internal exam :( I was totally disheartened but I did it because I knew it was important for the baby. The baby is apparently a little big for its age...which makes me nervous since I would prefer to have a normal to small sized baby (I REALLY DON'T WANT A C-SECTION). The baby is about the size of an 18 week old fetus and I'm only 16 weeks along. After the internal exam to measure the baby the nurse places the fetal heart Doppler on my stomach. She heard nothing at first then she moved it slightly to the side and the baby's heart beat came in so loud and fast it startled the doctor and the nurse. It startled the doctor so much he stopped what he was doing and quickly turned around to see what was going on. Next week they are going to draw blood to do the testing that detects spina bifida and down syndrome...time to start praying that everything is healthy. P.S. my blood pressure was high this time not sure why but its troubling me.

Cravings and Dreams

My current cravings are:

Teriyaki chicken wings
Hamburgers
Top Romen (yes i know its bad for me but i still really want it)

Crazy Dream #1
This is the first dream i have had about the baby and it was short sweet and to the point. i had to laugh about it so here goes...
I had a dream last night that I went out shopping and was buying a diaper bag for the baby. I purchased a blue one and later that day i had a baby girl and realized I had bought the wrong color diaper bag.

The First Trimester

I have been lucky to not have major pregnancy symptoms. I was especially lucky to not have morning sickness or nausea hardly at all. The hardest thing to have to deal with was the constant worry of weather we would make it to 12 weeks or not. But here we are we have successfully made it a full 12 weeks with no scares, complications, or heartbreaking miscarriages.
At 10 weeks we got to see our sweet baby and its tiny heart beat. There was nothing more precious than that sound on the screen and to watch our tiny gummy bear move around the screen.
As far as they can tell the baby is healthy and strong. We got to see our baby again a week and a half later when they did an "official" ultrasound where they measured the baby and checked the heart rate and the heart valves. The heart rate was running at 156 beats/ min which is really good and very healthy. On top of the heart rate being healthy the baby measured exactly where it was suppose to be down to the day which can be considered uncommon.
We both would like to be blessed with a little girl but it is too early to tell that. we have quite a few weeks before we know there is a race track buddy or a shopping pal. No matter what we will love what the Lord gives us. We know that the Lord knows the best and that in the long run he knows much more than we do.

some things i really want to remember about this pregnancy:
- I'm exhausted all the time
- I knew I was pregnant before the pregnancy test came back positive
- My breasts are the most uncomfortable thing possible
- At 12 weeks i could still fit in my regular jeans but my shirts were getting tight
- I crave hamburgers and sometimes one is not enough
- I'm scared to death to gain too much weight, i want to only gain the weight necessary to support my baby
- Anthony has sympathy cravings and eats things he doesn't normally eat like raisins
- Anthony's goal is to loose all the extra weight he has while i gain the weight
- Even though nobody else see's it I do have a small baby bump
- Everything gives me heartburn sometimes even water gives me heartburn (this kid better have a load of hair)
- I have the worst acne I've ever had in my life
- Anthony says that the gas is almost unbearable
- Constipation sucks
oh and did i mention I'm exhausted!!

Tender Mercies

I have been meaning to write this down for a while and just keep getting distracted. Since we got married in 2008 we have lived out of a mini fridge that had a freezer that didn't keep anything frozen. Well after two years we had finally grown out of the mini fridge. That poor fridge trucked on and held so much but after being called to the primary and the many demands that come with that as far as treats and food, plus the need to be able to hold food for more than a couple of days we had to do something different. My best friend was moving out of state and offered to let us have her fridge since she was moving into a fully furnished apartment. So we delightfully trucked over to her mom's house and picked it up. Much to our surprise we were given the wrong fridge. She told me to pick up a white freezer on top fridge/freezer. When we got there we were given a brown/beige side by side fridge. We used it and was grateful for a full size fridge. Much to our surprise our food kept spoiling before we could eat it. So we had a Sears come out and tell us if the fridge even worked or if not if we could save it or was it better to buy a new one. we found out that the freezer part of the fridge was 30 degrees and should have been around or below zero. The refrigerator part of the duo was measured to be running at 45-50 degrees and should have been below 30. So until we found a new fridge we decided to use the freezer as a fridge and go without a freezer once again. I decided we could not live like this for long so I began searching craigslist daily to find a fridge that we wanted and could afford.

The Lord in his tender mercy led me to the perfect fridge. it looked used but not abused and was only $75 bucks. I called the number on the add and asked if the fridge was still available amazingly a man replied yes that several people had called about it but never came to pick it up. I told him I would be there in 20 minutes with a truck to pick it up. I didn't expect to find a perfect fridge but from the picture it looked in good condition. when I got there the fridge was perfect. It was decently small but for the two of us it was perfect. Stainless steal on the outside and well taken care of. But the inside was a disaster. But for $75 dollars it was a steal the fridge was probably worth 200 bucks. It was made in 2008 and didn't have a dent in it. So after 3 hours of cleaning and scrubbing we had a brand new clean fridge that still had some of the original protective taping on it.

I feel so blessed and watched after. The Lord knew i was desperate and the fridge wasn't a want but a need and he provided.

cha cha cha changes

YEP, you guessed it we have recently made some changes in our lives. We are now part of the Sears/Kmart family. one of those changes was Anthony changing jobs. We didn't necessarily plan on this change but it happened and we have decided to take it with a light heart and with increased faith in the lord and that he knows whats best for us.

He has been at Sears for almost two months now. the lord has truly blessed us and had a hand in this transition in our lives. everything worked out for the best. Anthony is very happy at his new job. they were able to give him 40 hours a week plus overtime (which they are not shy with and they pay for it).
and to top it all off he is home in time for dinner every night!! what a BLESSING.

Valentines Day 2010

Every year for valentines day my Husband goes all out. its like its Christmas for him. the first year he took wrapping paper that said happy V-day all over it and inserted with a black marker the word 1st between happy and v-day. He didn't just do it on one he did it on every one through out the entire paper. then he stuck that paper all over the whole house. basically re-wallpapering the place. this is just an example of his V-day shinanigans. so here is the result of this year:

Who knows what he will come up with next year!! On top of all this he got us tickets to NHRA (national hot rod association) finals in the VIP section.

After Three wonderful years i feel so blessed and loved to have such a wonderful husband! Babe, YOU MAKE MY WORLD GO ROUND!!!!!!!!!!!

updates comming soon!!

-the new changes in our lives
-Valentines day
-Pictures
-final thoughts on nursing school
-Graduation

ALL COMING SOON

Amazing Clinical Day

So for the last year we have spent time in long term care facilities doing basic patient care. this was okay for the first level which was literally the nursing basics or the foundation that was needed to progress. as we got closer to Level 2 i was excited to shift gears and start working in the role as an LVN. unfortunately, that didn't happen. the only change in clinical's from level 1 to level 2 was some of us were allowed to pass meds. when i say some of us i mean like 2-3 people out of a group of 10. in all reality at the beginning of level two and during a good portion of that level we maybe got to pass medication twice. then a huge shift in teachers came. we lost all our clinical instructors and had a full flux in them. then our nursing director left and we got a new one. then... at this point the only instructors we had left were two of the ones we started with...then one of them left, she was offered a job at another school as a director (don't blame her for leaving). I am not a person that does well with changes so this huge flux in the staff and people i knew how to learn from were gone! part of me was ready to give up because academically i wasn't sure i could overcome this change. Amazingly enough and with gods help i stuck with it and endured the change.
In Level 3 which we began 2 weeks before Christmas break i thought things have to change now. but... they didn't only for a couple of people but many of us were still in long term care. we have rotated in and out of long term care and part of me felt defeated and that we were still doing the same thing we had been doing from the beginning.
But yesterday changed that completely. Our instructor felt we were not getting enough practice as a true LVN so she found a way for us to do that. everybody got two patients. our responsibility to that patient was to do exactly what an LVN would do. this included an initial Head to toe assessment, passing their medication, recycle medications when they run out, hang feeds, sign med book, check tidal volume and other vent settings for out patient and make sure they are accurate, accucheck and insulin administration as appropriate, morning vital signs, and any other needs that required an LVN such as calling the pharmacy with medications that ran out, chart on changes that occurred during our shift and give report to the nurse who was covering for us during lunch. all in all i felt very accomplished and like i could truly handle the day to day tasks of the average LVN!
I know that god truly put me in this profession to make a difference and i will work the rest of my life to make a difference and carry out his plan for me!

Reasons I Love My Husband

1. He makes me Smile
2. He works hard to make our life better
3. He has high expectations for himself
4. He does the Laundry
5. He knows how to make me laugh even when im mad
5. He loves me unconditionally
6. He makes my Lunch for the day when he is home and i have to be at school early
7. He loves the church
8. He encourages me spiritally, physically, and emotionally
9. He loves kids even when the're not his
10. He can Cook
11. He loves my Family
12. He has patience with me... especially when i mess up
13. He tells me he is proud of me when i do good in school
14. He drives when i dont want to
15. He helps me at work when we have too many babies for me to handle alone
16. He watches TV shows i want to watch even when he hates them
17. He has an eternal perspective
18. He does the Dishes
19. He takes out the trash
20. He cleans up the Dog poo and the hamster cages cuz i hate that smell
21. He has the most amazing kisses
22. His hugs make me feel warm and safe
23. He gets up in the middle of the night just to walk me to the bathroom
24. He has great patience
25. He is just plain AMAZING!


LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART BABE AND I WILL FOR ALL ETERNITY!

Nursing School Level Three

I Haven't updated my blog in a while but this just seemed necessary. We (meaning my nursing class) have just begun our third term we started it the last week in November. the classes got off to a start with a bang first subject to tackle was genitourinary. really didn't seem like a hard subject and i have to admit it really wasn't everything was pretty straight forward. if i hadn't had the disease or condition myself i knew someone who had. our final for that class was the last day before Christmas break. i did okay I'm proud of it and passed the entire Class with an A so in all honesty that's all that really mattered to me. we started the endocrine system or the hormone system. this subject is not going well. Its whooping my butt to say the least. Everyone in the class failed the 1st midterm and i have to admit i got that test and didn't have a clue about even one answer on that test. when we got back from Christmas break i was reassigned to Sunset Manor as my clinical site. my heart sunk when i found this out mostly because this site scares the crap out of me. everyone in the facility has a trach or a breathing tube coming out of their throat and connected to a ventilator machine which is basically breathing for them. They don't interact with you and most of them are vegetables that their life is sustained by medication and their breathing machine. i worked hard to make this work to gain something from it. so i volunteered to pass medication and take care of one patient. it was worth it the teacher was so patient with me as i somewhat struggled to pass my medication the right way. she spent a whole hour working with me and helping me to feel comfortable (what a blessing). needless to say the week as far as clinical's went well. we began pediatrics on Wednesday, it was okay but i have to admit i was so board i don't know why just the history is not really my thing i want to know how to make it all better. Needless to say Wednesday morning didn't really go all that well. level three continues until we graduate. We still have finals pending for Endocrine, Pediatrics, OB, Mental Health, and Leadership. wish me luck!!

A Much Needed Update

It's been a while I have been so busy i haven't been able to get on and post. I know this is old news but for thanksgiving we went upto my dad's parents house. it was so nice just me Anthony Amanda Andy and Kelly. we had a ball going up there and spending time with them. we also played card games (hand and foot) and just visited. we were there so late and i think we could have stayed much longer but Kelly had to play in the turkey tournament. they didn't do well unfortunately they lost every game they played but the girls had a good time and Anthony spent most of the weekend refereeing the games which he loved and had a ball doing.

The pressure of school is starting to get to me i really needed a break. i was getting to the point where i wasn't even studying and whatever i got i got on tests and assignments. but then the break came for Christmas and i was so ecstatic to keep my sanity and get back into the spirit of school.

We did Christmas with my dad's family on the 22nd which was so fun since all the cousins and their significant others were there which hasn't happened since i was very young, so young i cannot remember when. my dad gave us a Wii which we are so addicted to and have lots of laughs doing. we got some beautiful handmade placemats that match the theme of our house amazingly with some beautiful napkin rings and napkins. i feel so blessed to be able to spend time with all of my family. i know the day was crazy cuz there were lots of people but it was so fun!

The End of Level 2

today we finished level two clinicals and on Thursday the 12th we finished the competency and last final of the med surge unit. through this unit we have studied respiratory, integumentry, gastrointestinal, cardiology, neurology, and musculosckeltal. im proud to say i did well in each subject but they were defiantly not easy. there were classes that were harder than others and i truly felt i have grown so much and so fast in the last couple of months. i think about how much i have gained and i cant believe what i have learned and understand. i look forward to level three where we study GU, Pediatrics, OB, Endocrine, mental health and leadership in the next couple of months. we finish march 5, 2010 and im counting the days and cant wait to get out there and make a difference in the world of nursing! wish me Luck

Troop supporter

Pray for all those who are serving in the arm forces

you stay up for 16 hours, they stay up for days on end
you take a warm shower to help you wake up, they go days or weeks without running water
you complain of a "Headache", and call in sick, they get shot at as others are hit, and keep moving forward
you put on your ant-war/dont support the troops short, and go meet up with your friends, they fight for your right to wear that shirt
you make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket, they clutch the cross hanging on there chain next to there dog tags
you talk trash about your 'buddies' that arent with you, they know he may not see some of his buddies again
you complain about how hot it is, they wear heavy gear, not daring to take off there helmet to wipe there brow
you go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong, they may not get time to eat at all today
you're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over, they get told that there will be held over for an extra 2 months
you call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight, they wait for the mail to see if there is a letter form home
you hug and kiss your girlfriend/boyfriend, like you do every day, they hold those letters close
you roll your eyes as the baby cries, they get a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.
you criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything, he sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why they are fighting
you are asked to go to the store, but don't. they do exactly what they are told even if it puts his life in danger
you stay at home and watch TV. they take whatever time they are given to call, write home, sleep and eat

If you support your troops, copy and past this and sent to 7 people. If you don't support your troops well, then don't send this out. It's not like you know the men and women that are dying to preserve your rights
keep the troops in our hearts and in our prayers for the brave heroic things that they face everyday for their country

So the next time you think you have it hard/rough, re-read this and rethink your thoughts.

Anthony Dayton
Troop Supporter