just to update:

abigail is doing much better. thank you to all who have prayed for her since before she was born until now! her infection is getting better - her blood work shows it's down to 3.1 from 6.5 yesterday. this is fabulous news! she's taking all her feeds by bottle right now - not her feeding tube - and hopefully she'll continue that as they increase her feedings back up to full feeds. (a full feed for her is 37 ccs, right now she's at 15ccs. one ounce is about 30 ccs just for reference.) she will be on 2 antibiotics for the next 7 - 10 days and then hopefully things will be back to where she was before she got sick. the dr likened it to when we get colds or the flu and we are down for a few days then we feel better and have another little bit when we've done too much and need to go back to bed until we're completely better. thankfully she's responding to the meds so well that right now a blood transfusion is taken out of the equation for now. but mom is going to donate some blood for abigail just in case she does end up needing it later on.

again, thank you for all your prayers. if you want to keep up daily (or however) with how she's doing and pictures, you can visit her website that i update daily HERE.

i know i haven't posted on here in a while. and even this post is mainly a copy of what i've already done elsewhere. but i am asking for prayer for abigail. things are pretty rough for her (and us) right now. i copied my journal entry from last night (from her website) so that you can know a little better how to pray. i do understand that there are those of you out there who don't care (no, those comments are not forgotten) and if that is you, just ignore this post. but for those of you who do care - and i KNOW that's a lot of you!!! - please take a minute and read this then pray for abigail. she is really needing prayers right now! thank you!!!

well, today was filled with much anxiety, nervousness, and freaking out! i called this morning to let abigail's nurse know that i was on my way and asked how abigail was doing. she says to me "abby's just not herself. we'll talk when you get here." so of course i'm freaking out the whole way up! apparently she had been screaming bloody murder for a while and NOTHING would soothe her. this is not like her! she's usually very happy and when she cries, it doesn't take much to comfort her. when i got there, abigail was very upset and i just grabbed her and held her. dr ahmed was late coming in today b/c he had a drs appt but as soon as he got there he looked at her and agreed that something wasn't quite right. he ordered a CBC and another type of blood thing. the CBC came back normal but the other one came back the slightest bit high (5 or above would show concern, hers was 1.4.) he asked if i had seen any changes in her and i said ABSOLUTELY! we went over what i have seen in her (low energy, very lethargic, not alert, pale, brady epidodes, desat episodes, etc) and with my observations added to his chart stuff, he decided to go ahead and start some antibiotics and move her back into the more intensive care nursery. he put her on a nasal canula to help with her desats, took her off feedings for the next few days, put an IV back in, and told us to prepare ourselves for a blood transfusion tomorrow. he also took a chest x-ray to make sure her lungs were doing alright. it looked great. so that was good.

so we moved her into the other room and when they were about to start her IV, lisa (her nurse - one of my favorites) said it would probably be better if i waited outside. well, i just fell apart at that! i didn't want to leave abigail. so she made an exception to their rule and let me stay, after all i had been with abigail all day long at this point! it took 4 sticks to get her IV going. the nurses tried 3 times and finally went and got dr ahmed to do the 4th one. abigail is so worn out that she really didnt' even flinch at the first 3 sticks. it wasn't until the 4th that she cried. i was really happy to hear that cry, though! it meant that she realized what was going on!!!

all in all, dr ahmed said there is no threat to her life right now. this is normal preemie stuff. he told us that ALL DAY LONG! and i believe him. it's just wierd and scary for us right now b/c we haven't had any of this before. i am completely wasted and exhausted from today. i have been an emotional wreck since before i got there! then just going through the whole thing was overwhelming. i didn't want to leave her at all tonight, but i know i need to rest up and take care of myself as well. but i just want to be with her at her bedside. they did let me hold her for all but about 1 1/2 hrs of the 8 hrs i was there. that was comforting.

so there's my update. i have a peace that she is going to be okay. i know she will. this is just something that she is going to have to go through. and it is normal. just pray for her to make it through this time as quickly as possible and that she will be back to her normal self soon. and for strength for me and robert as we walk this with her.

abigail's first 2 weeks of life

i know i'm a day early but tomorrow will be filled with LOTS of activities (including but not limited to the parade!) so i thought i'd go ahead and give my "i'm thankful for..." list now.

I'm Thankful For...

- a wonderful, loving husband who cares about me and takes amazing care of me
- a wonderful mom who still is my best friend
- my beautiful, amazing daughter who is showing us even now that she is a strong fighter
- good doctors and nurses who are extremely diligent in taking care of my daughter
- good insurance so our medical bills don't have to be so scary
- friends who have helped us out along our journey of bedrest and delivery in every way imaginable
- and most importantly, a loving caring heavenly father who takes care of me and my family in the most amazing ways.

How Preemie Moms are Chosen

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressure and a couple by habit. This year thousands of mothers will give birth to a premature baby. Did you ever wonder how mothers of preemies are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting His instrument for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a great ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint, Matthew"
"Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint, Cecilia"
"Rutledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint, give her Gerard, he's used to profanity"

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a premature baby". The angel is curious, "Why this one, God? She is so happy." "Exactly," smiles God, "could I give a premature baby to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel." "But, does she have patience?" asks the angel. "I don't want her to have too much patience, or she will drown in the sea of self pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it."

"I watched her today, she has that sense of self and independence that are so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect, she has just enough selfishness." The angels gasps, "Selfishness; is that a virtue?" God nods, "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child who comes in a less than perfect way. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied."

"She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says, "Mommy" for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. When she describes a tree or sunset to her child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations."

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see; ignorance, cruelty, prejudice, and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side." "And about her patron saint," asks the angel, pen poised in mid air. God smiles, "a mirror will suffice."

i think things are different now. i know, that's an understatement. but in me, like ME, i think things are different. i was trying to explain to robert the other night now i feel just....different now. it didn't work very well - my explainations, that is. and it's true, i don't know how to explain it but something is just different now. the way i feel. the way i think. for (a small) example: those of you who know me, know that i am NOT a morning person and hate getting up period! however, now, i have to get up at 2:30am to pump then start my day at 7:30 pumping. this means that sleeping in is no longer an option. some days i go back to bed for an hour or so after, but i can't really sleep when i do that. this is weird! this isn't like me!!

i know that in general having a baby changes your life and your lifestyle, but i guess i was more expecting the changes to come when abigail got home. but they were pretty much immediate!! just knowing that she is in the world now and is counting on me to sustain her does something to the way i think about everything.

and it's great!!

for some reason i can't figure out how to upload videos to Abigail's site...so here's one from today. she does NOT like to have her temperature taken, which we have to do when we have "hands on" time with her. she definitely makes it known!!!

Abigail Grace Snelson – Birth Story

After 2 rounds of going into labor and it being stopped, Thursday, Nov 9, 2007 at 12:00am contractions began and this time were accompanied by bloody show. Time to go to the hospital…again! So off we went. We got to the hospital and they quickly began another round of terbutaline but to no avail. The contractions kept coming every 2 -3 minutes. For a few hours they were tolerable. But soon they started coming harder and harder. My entire labor was back labor – which is almost worse than having all the contractions up front (so I’m told…and I believe it!!). At 1:00pm the doctor came to assess me and I was 4 cm 100% effaced. They kept trying everything they could think of to stop my labor from more terbutaline to procardia to narcotics but nothing worked! She was just ready to come!!! Funny insert here: when I was on the narcotics, they dulled the pain just enough so I could nap in between contractions. Apparently when I was “out of it” I began asking to use the bathroom IN FRENCH! I haven’t used my French in about 2 years! Robert also go a kick out of me seeing my IV and pointing very enthusiastically saying “BUBBLES!!!” Finally around 12:30am (Saturday morning) my doctor decided this was going to happen no matter what he did so he ordered the epidural. Thank God!!! My contractions at this point had been VERY hard for 12 hours straight and I was exhausted and completely worn out. Epidural meant relief!!! Once I got the epidural I had progressed to 6 cm 100%, 0 station. I met the anesthesiologist (my new best friend!) and he hooked me up! I screamed at the local anesthetic – he didn’t tell me it would burn (BURN!) and it scared me! But once it was in, the epidural took about 2 minutes to take effect and all my pain was gone. 10 minutes later my doctor came to check me and said “it’s time to push!” so I got into position. Robert held my right leg, my nurse held my left leg, Erin and Mom stood right behind the doctor watching the whole thing from a front row seat! So here I go! I started pushing and couldn’t feel a thing…just pressure. I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right, but apparently I was because my I kept hearing “I see her head!” I pushed for a total of 6 minutes and out she came!!! From the way I was sitting/laying in the bed I could see the entire thing.

She immediately turned pink (THANK GOD!) and cried just a bit. The doctor suctioned her out and quickly passed her off to the NICU team (3 nurses) who took over Abigail’s care. I finished up with the delivery of the placenta and such. But honestly I had no idea at that point what was going on “down there” – I kept my eyes on my baby girl! She seemed so far away from me, but the way the nurse was standing, I could see everything they were doing. She started out breathing on her own but they decided to put a breathing tube in just to help her out a bit. The first try didn’t go so well: Abigail didn’t like it and she coughed it out! (a very good sign!) The second time worked. They put her in an incubator and wheeled her over to me so I could touch her and spend a quick minute with her (through glass) before she went to the NICU. I wasn’t going to see her again for another 5 ½ hours…

I still didn’t know any of her stats: weight, length or anything. That came later.

My first visits with Abigail

If anyone ever tells you that your epidural will wear off in an hour, do not believe them! It took 5 hours for me to feel my legs again! Then again, she was born 20 minutes after getting it. But I couldn’t get up until I could walk and having no feeling in my legs doesn’t make walking very easy! So as soon as I felt strong enough, they moved me to a mother/baby room – but on my way I was allowed to stop in and see my daughter. When I got there, she was hooked up to the breathing tubes and had an IV in her right hand. She also had what looked to me like a gazillion wires coming from every part of her body measuring everything imaginable: heartrate, breaths per minute for both what the machine was doing and what she was doing on her own, body temperature, etc. She looked so small!!! But she was here and the nurse assured me that she was doing quite well. I was told that she weighed in at 3 lbs 10.5 oz and was 15.5 inches long. Apparently that’s quite big for a 31 weeker! (that’s my girl!) I spent about 20 minutes with her then had to head back to my room. It was 6:30 am at this point and I was exhausted! We were told that we would be able to go back in at 8:00am to see her during her “hands on” time. “Hands on” is when Mommy and Daddy (and 4 other previously approved people) can go in and change her diaper, check her temperature, hold her, feed her, and do whatever she can tolerate at the time. The first time we had our “hands on” we were only allowed to touch her. We took about 50 bagillion pictures of her!! She was doing very well – the nurses were very pleased!

The second time we went (12 noon) she was doing so well that we were allowed to hold her for about 15 minutes each. I cannot describe how it felt to hold my daughter for the first time! She was so tiny and beautiful and perfect!!! I kept looking at her thinking “this is MY daughter! WOW!” Robert also held her and to see him with her made me melt! It was even more amazing then the feeling I had of me holding her! Seeing my husband hold my daughter just did something to me that I have no words to describe.

We got a call from the NICU at 2:00pm telling us that Abigail was doing so well they were taking her off the breathing machines. She was able to breathe completely on her own!!! The only thing she had was a nasal canola to keep her oxygen level up – but she was doing all the work herself! We went in again at 3:00 but weren’t allowed to hold her. She got a little stressed by us holding her at noon and I didn’t want to push it. I kept telling her how much I love her and how beautiful she is!!!

On Sunday I went in at 8:00am with Auntie Erin who got to change her diaper! At this point she had had 4 VERY full diapers! Her kidneys seem to be working just fine! At noon JoJo (grandma) got to hold her for the first time and everyone cried! She was completely free of any help and the only machines she was hooked up to were for nourishment! AMAZING!!! I held her again for just a few minutes then put her back. Thankfully, this round of holding her did not stress her out in the slightest!

At 3:00pm we went back for our last visit of the day since I was being discharged from the hospital. Just before we were on our way down, we got a call from the NICU telling me that she was doing so well and was so stable that she was being moved down from the NICU to the Intermediate Nursery!!! Robert and I went to see her and tell her bye and that we would be back tomorrow.

Delivery Pictures

First Moments With Abigail

alright. seriously, my child is the most impatient baby EVER! (okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but here we go again....)

i was admitted monday after my regular check up for being 4 cm dilated and 50-60% effaced, -2 station and membranes present. and this time they told me i would have to stay until i delivered.....

I contracted every 2 mins for 3 hrs monday with PAINFUL contrax. they expected to see abby tuesday morning. but they were able to stop labor and today has been much better. still contrating but not as bad. the dr won't allow anyone to check me b/c my membranes are RIGHT THERE and she could easily break it with her fingernail if she wanted...so no more cervix checks til I'm in active labor. lovely.they gave me some narcotic monday night for pain and it completely knocked me out. I won't have that again...had I progressed, there would have been no way that I could have pushed.

they completey blind-sided me this morning and let me come home!!!! (i think it's because i freaked out on the nurse last night and completely went ballistic...on accident!) here's the story:i have been having to stay on my back almost completely b/c abby is still too small for the monitors to really keep track of her and the best way is on my back. the problem is that laying on my back constantly HURTS! so at night when i was sleeping, i didn't realize i was turning to my side...until the nurses came in to adjust the monitors. well, last night after about the 25th time (literally) in about 45 minutes i had had it! plus, my IV kept going off every time i got up to go to the bathroom -- which was about every 15 minutes. so i'd have to call to have them silence the stupid thing. we couldn't do it. so finally i had just had enough and i started balling my eyes out and yelling at the nurse (which i later apologized for!) and just couldn't calm down! it was just bad...so this morning when my dr made her rounds she said, "i heard you had a rough night last night!" i felt really bad but she said that IF i wanted to go home, i could. there wasn't anything else they could do to stop the contrax and i could just as easily take both meds (procardia and terbutaline) at home as in the hospital. well, it took me 4 hours to decide that i did, in fact, want to come home. at first i didn't because i felt like i had a better chance at getting the epidural/phenergan quicker if i stayed since i was already hooked up to the IV. but she said that that was going to come out if i decided to stay. and abby is in no danger whatsoever....she's constantly moving and had the hiccups almost the whole time! her heartbeat is good so i feel comfortable with that. so after a 4 hour deliberation with robert,, my mom, my dr, my nurse and erin, i decided to come on home. so here i am!

i got the COOLEST ultrasound on monday when they admitted me....the tech was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sweet and printed me out the pictures i've been dying for my entire pregnancy. i've wanted her face so badly but could never get it. now i have 2!!! and she looks EXACTLY like Robert! it's scary, really! she has his chin, his nose and his forehead! it really isn't fair: we go through all this crap with them then they come out looking like their father! what's up with that!??!

alright, well, i think that's it! i'm hoping that the next time i go to the hospital i'll come home with a baby OUTSIDE of me! i'm nervous about breaking my water...i'm afraid that any sudden movement or anything will break it. apparently it's just kinda hanging RIGHT there.....i have to go to the dr 2 times a week from now on (fun!). my next appt is friday. i have no idea if i'm more dilated from the active labor monday night - they refused to check me until friday. so right now i'm 4 cm, 50-60% effaced, -2 station with membranes present. but i'm fairly certain that the labor and contractions i was having monday did some more dilation....i won't tell you why - just trust me on that one!!!

and on top of all this, NaBloPoMo is completely shot!!!!

last night i had severe (and i mean SEVERE) lower back pain. now i know this is a sign up labor so i'm freaking out! when i say severe, i mean like nothing i've ever felt before. and i had a good number of contractions last night about an hour or so before the pain started. this morning i've had some, too, but i can't really tell if they are regular or not. they don't hurt, but i'm still worried.

i hate this whole "not knowing" thing....it sucks.

i really only have one thing to say today:

I HIT 30 WEEKS!!!!!

now on to my next goal: Thanksgiving Day! (think i can make it?!?!?)

today i have been in tears for a good portion of the day. i know this whole bedrest thing is the best thing for abigail right now, but it's getting so hard!!! what i wouldn't give to go to target for just 5 minutes!!! but i know i can't...

but rather than sit here and give myself a pity party, i will tell you my really good news!!!!!! i need a few more winterish maternity clothes -- not many b/c i can't go outside anyway and i'm hot inside all the time. but i do need stuff for when i have to go to the doctor every week. i was wondering what to buy and what was worth spending the money on...then i came up with this idea!!! i've only gained 8 lbs, right?! maybe i could fit into a few of my pre-pregnancy clothes?? so i sent robert to the attic to get my clothes and lo and behold! THEY FIT!!!! not all of them, of course, but most of my shirts and at least 1 pair of pants! woo hooo!! so i have about 25 long sleeved tshirt that i can now layer and all robert has to buy is one pair of jeans for me! that's awesome!!! i'm so excited!!!! WOOO HOOOOOO!!!

and just for good measure, isn't he the cutest bee ever!?!!?

so i signed up for the NaBloPoMo deal just to give me one more thing to do while on bedrest!!! so uness abigail decides to make her entrance into the world this month, i'll try my hardest to do this successfully!!!

here's to blogging!!!!

alright. weekly dr appt update:

still dilated to 3 but found out today that i am also 50% effaced. that freaked me out a bit, seeing as they hadn't told me that before!! but apparently i've been like that since i went into labor. so i seriously am halfway there!!! i asked if he thought i would go early and he said, "your guess is as good as mine. what do you think?" i, of course, said no. he says, "well, i don't think you will either!" hmmmmm....so when will she make her big debut!??! i wish i knew! i'll be 30 weeks on saturday...my new goal is Thanksgiving Day, if i pass up 32 weeks.

i've had a LOT of contractions today and i've had a lot of uncomfortable-ness along with them. not pain, really. i actually thought it was pressure in my lower abdomen, but apparently it's not. (so my next question is what does real pressure feel like then!?)

on the weight thing, i haven't gained or lost. i'm still what i was last week, which means i've net gained 8 lbs to this point. i was worried about it, but my dr assured me that as long as abigail is growing - which she is - my weight is fine. WHEW!!! less to lose later on!!!!!

alrighty, that's it for the dr! i went to erin's after my appt and since i can't drive, she brought me home. it was nice spending a good chunk of the day with her and the kids. amber and ava completely crack me up and andrew is good at breaking all my baby gear in! he was the first in my car seat and today he took a nap in my crib. i should have got a picture of it, but alas, i did not. shame on me.

abigail has taken to liking to camp out in my right ribs. and can i just tell you that IT HURTS!??!?! it's like she pushing my ribs with everything she's got! and i can't get her to move! not comfortable in the slightest!!!

wendy and roni are coming over tonight which i am COMPLETELY stoked about! i miss them both and am excited to see them! i can't wait to see wendy's preggo self!!!

alrighty, have a fabulous rest of haloween!!!!!

did my annual pumpkin carve tonight. here's the results:

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've hit 29 weeks! Which is FABULOUS! Not only is Abby better off in than out, but that also means I'm that much closer to having this child! It's really a catch-22!!

I decided that I have had enough of bedrest so Mom and I went to Wired & Fired to paint some pottery for Abigail. It's a compromise, really: I get to be out of the house for a bit, but you have to sit down to do the painting. So Mom thought it'd be okay....here's our finished products!!!! (my pig really is painted pink, although it's VERY light pink so you won't be able to tell well until it's fired.)

i am LOVING outback's curbside service right now!!!

in other news:

thought this would be a good haloween costume for me this year....

had a great dr appt today!! i'm still holding steady at 3 cm, even though i've had about a bazillion contractions since friday! so i'm really happy about that! abigail sounds and looks great! again, happy about that! my dr did up my meds to every 4 hours instead of every 6, which is kinda upsetting, but hey, what are ya gonna do!?

i lost 2 lbs again...not sure how that's happening but it's the 2nd time i've lost 2 lbs between appts in a row. now my net weight gain is 8 lbs. not fabulous, but my drs aren't too worried yet. if i lose again at my appt next wednesday, then they may start worrying. the thing is, all i eat is junk food! how am i not gaining anything?! wierd...

after my dr appt i went to lunch with robert, bernie, laura, nick, roberta, and marty. it was SOOOOOOOOOOO nice to be out in public, feeling like a part of society again! but now i'm back in my "solitary confinement" (as some people call it) until next wednesday!

laura came over last night a cut my hair --- which felt SOOO nice! i owe her big time!!! maybe i'll put a pic up later...or you can check the video site if you're really that interested.

YAY for a good day! now it's off to sleep, since i got none last night!

28 weeks today!!!! if i can get through 2 more weeks, we're good to go!!!!

Erin brought the kids over tonight and Amber & Ava painted my belly. It was pretty funny. Here's the video:



Erin, being the awesome Suzy-Q Homemaker that she is, also made a FANTASTIC pumpkin pie from scratch...from a real pumpkin! NOT a can! It was great!! Here are other pictures of our night together:

One thing I’d grab if my house were on fire: pictures, definitely
One thing I wish I could throw away: some past memories
One thing I’ll never, ever throw away: pictures of Abigail's ultrasounds
Something I lost and still miss: my first baby
Something I’ve kept since childhood: a few dr seuss books
A food item I never run out of: ginger ale
A household brand I’m very loyal to: suave
Something I sleep with every night: 2 pillows (and my husband!)
One thing that’s on my wish list: to get off of bedrest
Something I take with me wherever I go: phenergan and/or pepto bismol
Something that makes me smile when I see it: my baby's picture
Something my children fight over: don't have to deal with that yet
Something I hate to clean: anything that needs to be cleaned, really
Something I show off when people visit: Abigail's pictures
Something I hide when people visit: my laundry
Something I’m embarrassed to admit I like: can't think of anything embarrassing...
Something I collect: dr seuss books
Something I avoid at all costs: throwing up
Something that reminds me of my mother: books
Something that reminds me of my father: not going there
The best gift I’ve ever received: the love of my husband

everyone needs to listen to this (CLICK HERE)....it is FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!!! it's a clip from a morning radio show somewhere....trust me, it's funny!

so i just got home from the doctor. it was a good visit. no change: still holding steady at 3 cm. which is better than being dialated more!! she did "modify" my bedrest a bit: i am now allowed to go fix stuff for myself in the kitchen a little, which is always nice! and i can walk around the house a little more than before, but i still pretty much have to stay mostly down.

mom let me go to THQ for lunch today, which was AWESOME! i ate with the guys that are recording Sing Praise. it KILLS me to not be doing it....but there ya go. it was really nice to be with other people, even if just for a short amount of time.

when i got home, my fetal doppler was waiting for me on my doorstep!!!!!! i am so freakin' excited about it!!! i've been playing with it for about an hour now! i'm trying to get a good recording on my computer. that way, maybe i can figure out how to put a sound file on this blog then everyone can hear my baby's heartbeat!! (for those of you who don't care, sorry. this is my life right now! you'll just have to get over it!)

anyway, there it is! (have any of you seen AMADEUS? the movie about mozart? the king guy said "there it is" all the time in that movie....i've kinda taken to saying it now...wierd...)

it's sunday and i wish i were at church. not being able to go KILLS me! but it's all for my baby, right?! (kinda ironic if you think about it....who would have ever thought you'd say "i can't go to church for my child?")

anyway, so far things are okay. the medicine i have to take every 6 hours makes my heart race and makes me shake pretty bad...especially when i eat. but i guess after having zero exercise, any kind of work my body does will make my heart work overtime. so that's great fun!

abigail has been moving quite a bit, which makes me happy. the only real breakdown i've had since i've been home was on friday night when i hadn't felt her in a really long time. i finally felt her and i just lost it completely. i think it's just nerves, really.

i'm really excited about getting my fetal doppler in the next few days! mom rented me one from storkradio.com so we can check in on her whenever we need to. it's the same doppler that my doctor's office uses, so i am really excited about that! once i get it in the mail, i'll try to put her heartbeat up on here for all y'all to hear! :-)

other than that, things are okay. i'm not going stir crazy...yet!! i'm looking forward to my "outing" tomorrow when i get to go to the doctor!!! that'll be a couple hours of "freedom" for me! and hopefully there will be no cervical changes to speak of!!!

until then, here's to laying on my back for 24 hours straight!!!

alright! so here's the story:

tuesday night i started bleeding out of nowhere while at dinner. i called the nurse line and she said it was probably nothing to worry about but if i was still anxious in the morning, to come on in. of course i was anxious so i called. i went to the dr's office and sat for over 2 hours while they tried to fit me in. once i finally got checked by the dr, i was told i was 3 cm dialated and needed to be rushed to labor & delivery. (commence jill's freak out here.) i was taken over to L&D and hooked up to 2 monitors and an iv - just in case abigial decided to make her appearance. i was also started on steroids to help her lungs mature rather quickly.

up to this point, i had not been having contractions. this was a positive sign. until 1:15 this morning when i went into labor, having contractions every 3 minutes. it was here i was given 2 shots of some medication i can never remember the name of to stop the contractions. when the dr came to check me this morning, i was still 3 cm, which was good. i hadn't progressed any further dialation even with being thrown into labor. the dr said that if by my 2nd steroid shot at 1pm i still hadn't dialated more, they would send me home on complete bedrest. so when i got my 2nd shot of the steriods for abby's lungs, the dr checked me again and i was only 2 cm!! not sure how that happened, but i'll take it!!!

now i am home and on complete bedrest until abigail is born. this could be anytime now, but we are hoping for at least 30 wks gestation. i'll be 27 wks on saturday, so it's not that far. when i was admitted to L&D i was given an ultrasound to check abby and she weighed in at 2lbs5oz which is really good. even if i deliver her now, she will be fine. she'll have to stay in the NICU for a while but she will make it, barring any unforseen circumstances.

thank you to all who have prayed for me over the past couple days. i have gotten so many calls and emails letting me and robert know of your thoughts and prayers. they are working! my dialation is going backwards and my labor stopped!! that's amazing! so thank you!!!

now i just have to come up with what i am going to do for the next few weeks/months while i am at home alone. i'm not allowed to do anything but be in bed, go to the bathroom, and shower. nothing else. any ideas are VERY welcome!!!!!!!!

it's 2:56am and i'm awake.

this is a much too common occurance now-a-days.

AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

i got new fish yesterday. i didn't know that angel fish could be in a freshwater tank, but lo and behold, i got 'em!! i also got another betta as my other one didn't last the move from one room to the other. it's amazing how fickle they are!

in other news, i got a full-time temporary job at the corps today! the receptionist who was there quit and they asked if i would come fill in until abigail is born. i can honestly say that i never thought i'd be excited to be a receptionist, but i am just so bored and tired of being alone all day! this will be good. so wednesday (after recordings for sing praise are over) i will be the new corps receptionist. WOO HOOO! (yes this meant i had to call the 2 families i was working extremely part time for, but this, i feel, is more important and better for me at this point in time!)

here's to god looking out for us!!!!!

i'm gorging myself at the moment...seriously, i cant get enough!

tonight, in accordance with my "celebrate birthdays/anniversaries over a whole month (or at least a week) tradition", robert and i went to Roy's for dinner. it was this really nice "hawaiian fusion cuisine" that was REALLY good! we told them that it was our anniversary so they brought my dessert (creme brulee) out like this! robert had a molten chocolate lava cake thing that looked really good, but since abigail has pretty much made it impossible for me to eat chocolate, i had to settle for just smelling it! and it smelled GOOD!

anyway, our anniversary week/month celebrations are now over and it's back to normal life.

that's how i like it!

we went to the Atlanta Opera last night as our anniversary present to ourselves. it was PHENOMENAL!! we saw Turandot, which is the opera with "Nessun Dorma" in it. i've been to several musicals at the Fox before, but this was my first real opera. it was absolutely amazing! we had the best time!! i love getting all dressed up for a good night out every once in a while. and what made this time even more special was that i found a dress that didn't make me look like a cow! you would never know my dress wasn't a maternity dress! (but i won't tell you what size it was....!!!)

anyway, if you ever get the chance to go to the opera, GO!

so today my stroller and pack-n-play came in the mail!! of course that means i have to set them up and play with them! the pack-n-play has a detachable bassinet in it and also has a changing table. the stroller folds up so small (which is one of the main reasons i picked that one) and my car seat fits into it!

i'm so excited!! the time is getting closer and closer!!

check out www.wheresgeorge.com and find out where your money has been! it's kinda cool if you get bored....

my belly is changing. now, i know that seems like an obvious statement, but literally it changed overnight!! when i went to bed last night, i wasn't quite as "popped" as i was when i woke up! i seem to be somewhat more round. here's a look:



















and i can no longer see my feet:















we have been getting our room ready for abigail the past few days. living with mom, we only have limited space in which the 3 of us can live! so lots of organization is needed! but we are definitely moving into the "getting ready to bring her home" phase of this pregnancy! it's really strange, but exciting as the same time!! here's my favorite part of our organization so far:














alright. i'll get off the baby stuff for now! i'm off to bed!!!

so i am pretty pissed at the moment! the guy that won my auction on eBay for my jeep.....yeah, he's a jerk! i got an email from him after the auction ended saying that he couldn't buy the jeep because of some "emergency" that he needed the money for instead. i was under the understanding that when you win an auction with eBay, it is a legal and binding contract. so i went on eBay's live help section to ask them what to do and technically I can take this guy to court! now, i won't do that. but i am pretty livid right now. so now we are back to square 1 with the car. but on the bright side, this means i get to drive it a little longer....:-)

where do such stupid people come from???

so today has been a wierd day. i felt good most of the day...until i got home. then i started having wierd feelings in my stomach. not quite sick, but not feeling real great, either!

i went to the dr today. had a good check-up! i have gained 7 lbs since my last appt, so my dr is really happy! they are saying i am right on track to gain 25lbs total. that would be good! abigail is doing well. she's already being hard-headed: she ALWAYS hides when the dr looks for her heartbeat. well, today she did a great job of hiding. it literally took 6 minutes for the dr to find her!! she said, "uh, jill, do you think you could get your daughter to be still long enough for me to find her?!?"
i am just thinging to myself, "self, it's starting already!! you're gonna have your hands full!!" but all in all it was a good appt.

we start childbirth classes on monday. that should be fun. every monday night for the next 3 weeks we'll be learning how to breathe, what exercises to do, how to lay, when to call the dr, when NOT to call the dr, what robert can do to help me and NOT get killed (or at least severely hurt!), how to relax (ha! that would be good for me in labor or not!), what pain medications are available and which are good, and so much more!! all for the bargain price of $100. i'm excited. and scared. and nervous. should be interesting.

i went to an interview today and got a job. a part-time job. a VERY part-time job. keeping 2 boys (2 & 4) on thursdays. the family lives 3 miles away from me. that's nice. i've been looking for a job since TMI...do you know how hard it is to get something when you're pregnant?! it's pretty hard!

the jeep is selling. i cried. that's all i have to say about that.

i am working on a HUGE project that i am hoping will work. it's bigger than anything i have ever done in my life! i am praying that this is something the lord is opening doors for, but the leg work on it is crazy! if i can pull it off, i'll be able to do exactly what i want where i want. but it'll be a while before it happens. that's a prayer request to add to your list.

alright. i'm exhausted. i need to go sleep. that's one the that i don't do well anymore. not that i ever did. but especially now. sleep is a rare commodity. but before i go, i'll leave you with a picture of the AWESOME crib bedding set that aunt erin bought for abigail the other day...(thank you aunt erin!!!!)

married for 2 years today! now a baby on the way!
wow. who'd'a thunk?!?

happy anniversary, honey!!














10 things i've learned from 2 years of marriage:

1. i've learned to be silly together. don't be afraid to sing stupid songs you sang as a kid even though your husband is looking at you like you have lost your mind. it makes for great road trips!

2. i've learned that going into your wedding day, there are lots of experiences that both of you bring to the table that make up who you are individually. you have a choice on what to make of the experiences that your spouse had as well as the ones you had. are they completely in the past? if so, leave them there. (trust me, it's harder said than done!)

3. i've learned that conflict can be good. even though i really hate it.

4. i've learned that no matter what happens in your day to day lives, it's ALWAYS better with your spouse.

5. i've learned that i take up way more of the bed than i ever thought i did!

6. i've learned that my husband doesn't need as much much of the bed as he says he does!!

7. i've learned that it's possible to trust my husbands words and actions of love as a true, honest expression of his love for me.

8. i've learned that laughing together and "wrastling" can make a bad day a million times better!

9. i've learned that the simple times of laying in the hammock or talking on the bed make for fabulous conversations.

10. i've learned that even though i am wild and crazy at times, my husband loves me all the more for it. or in spite of it. whichever, i'm loved!!!

it is a sad, sad day in the snelson household. click here to see why.

Got this from my sister-in-law. Thought it was funny...and true!

What do you expect from such simple creatures?


Your last name stays put.

The garage is all yours.

Wedding plans take care of themselves.

Chocolate is just another snack.

You can be President.

You can never be pregnant.

You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.

You can wear NO shirt to a water park.

Car mechanics tell you the truth.

The world is your urinal.

You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one
is just too icky.

You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

Same work, more pay.

Wrinkles add character.

Graying hair adds attraction.

Wedding dress~$5000. Tux rental~$100.

People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.

The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

You know stuff about tanks.

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.

You can open all your own jars.

You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.

Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.

You almost never have strap problems in public.

You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.

Everything on your face stays its original color.

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life.

Your belly usually hides your big hips.

One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.

You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.

You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.

You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25
minutes.

No wonder men are happier. Send this to the women who can handle it and
to the men who will enjoy reading it.

i used to be skinny.

one year ago today.

now abigail is coming!

2 things that are scaring me today

(but even though they are scary, i am very grateful to have them both! they have both been gifts!)

we're home!!! it was a crazy busy weekend! the conference was really good...especially for a first time of doing it ever! i worked my tail off which resulted in an eventful friday evening for robert and me. just suffice it to say that it was probably the most emotional i have been up to this point in my pregnancy. it wasn't pretty! but other than that, things went well. but i'm happy to be home.

the ride back was probably the most enjoyable of the weekend. 1 caravan of 4 cars. car 1 = marty and evelyn. car 2 = lex and amy. car 3 = bernie and darryl. car 4 = me and robert. each car had a walkie-talkie radio. we play trivial pursuit games the ENTIRE way home! it was hysterical! it made the 6+ hours trip seem much shorter!!! so thanks guys!!!!

alright. i'm out. i've got a car seat to figure out and a home to find for TONS of baby clothes!

this week has been filled with family and friends that we haven't seen in a while! it started out with going to augusta so see robert's dad in the hospital. turns out that he got a good report and will be going home tomorrow. after augusta, we came down to jacksonville to see my grandmother, but took a detour through waycross to see jonathan, amanda, and amelia. here are pictures from that stop. (amanda, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the clothes!!)

we've been with manamana (my grandmother) today and will leave to go to keystone tomorrow for this conference. it's been a nice week to relax.

here is the most recent picture of my ever-expanding belly:


it's so wierd to think that i'm only a week and a half away from my 3rd trimester! i've been saying all along that i'm ready for abigail to come....but now i'm getting a little nervous!! she's been moving a lot --- last night she decided to have her own disco party as soon as i laid down for bed and proceeded to literally dance the night away! lovely. it is at those times that i have to remind myself that she doesn't know that she's keeping mommy up! (or does she...??) :-)

erin, i miss you!!!!!!

any of you ever sold a house? and of you ever rented a house that you are selling out to people? if you haven't, just a word of advice: DON'T! if you have, then you know my pain!

stupid people.

so we're back in augusta. robert's mom called friday night and said that his dad was taken to the hospital for high potassium levels. he had a whole crazy slew of tests done yesterday and hopefully we'll get some results on those today. but seeing as it's sunday, it's not guaranteed. so we're not completely sure how long we'll be here. but whatever it is, prayers would be appreciated.

in other news, i LOVE this picture from amanda's site and had to steal it. i miss both of them!!!

mom got her master's degree from psychological studies institute on monday!! so here she is with her bachelor's and master's degrees!!! we are so proud!!!!

We went to the Braves game with Erin and the whole Sellers/Johnson clan today! It was great! We had great seats -- in the shade -- and it wasn't so blazing hot! Plus, we won! That always makes it great!

Click Here for the most hilarious eBay auction possibly ever!!

it's no secret that i LOVE dr. suess books. i've never come across one of his books that i didn't like. i originally wanted to do my baby's nursery in dr. suess and have a whole suess library ready for when she is born. my favorite book (BY FAR) is "Oh The Places You'll Go!" but today i received in the mail a completely different kind of suess book: "Oh Baby, The Places You'll Go!" a book to be read in-utero. now, usually i am not sappy like this, but when i got this book and read it, both my mother and i were completely in tears!

it's still sinking in that this is happening. my life is completely inundated with baby stuff - whether i want it to be or not! between the physical symptoms (indigestion, lack of sleep, utter exhaustion, etc) and then the other stuff that other people bring into play (wanting to know everything that's going on, wanting to touch my belly and feel her move, etc), i am literally in baby world! it's just still strange to me that this is happening to ME, not one of my friends. MY child will be here in about 4 months and MY world will be rocked with sounds of crying, dirty diapers, and sleepless nights. (well, that's already the case!) but i am overwhelmed with the idea that i am about to be a mother and that i will soon be holding my baby girl. it blows my mind!

anyway, here's the cover of the book:

Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid

ONE
Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets.
'We don't have half dozen nuggets,' said the teenager at the counter. 'You don't?' I replied.
'We only have six, nine, or twelve,' was the reply.
'So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?' 'That's right.' So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets

TWO
I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those 'dividers' that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the 'divider', looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she said to me, 'Do you know how much this is?' I said to her 'I've changed my mind, I don't think I'll buy that today.' She said 'OK,' and I paid her for the things and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

THREE
A lady at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When I inquired as to what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM 'thingy.'

FOUR
I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. 'Do you need some help?' I asked. She replied, 'I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door unlocker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenience store) would have a battery to fit this?' 'Hmmm, I dunno. Do you have an alarm, too?' I asked. 'No, just this remote thingy,' she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, 'Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries. It's a long walk.' (she had no clue either!)

FIVE
Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, 'I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?' 'Just use copier machine paper,' the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five 'blank' copies.

SIX
I was in a car dealership a while ago, when a large motor home was towed into the garage. The front of the vehicle was in dire need of repair and the whole thing generally looked like an extra in 'Twister.' I asked the manager what had happened. He told me that the driver had set the 'cruise control' and then went in the back to make a sandwich.

SEVEN
My neighbor works in the operations department in the central office of a large bank. Employees in the field call him when they have problems with their computers. One night he got a call from a woman in one of the branch banks who had this question: 'I've got smoke coming from the back of my terminal. Do you guys have a fire downtown?'

EIGHT
Police in Radnor , Pa. interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine. The message 'He's lying' was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth. Believing the 'lie detector' was working, the suspect confessed.

NINE
A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid was eating ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and it should be fine.The mother says, 'Okay, but, I just gave him some ant killer..... ' Dispatcher: 'Rush him in to emergency room!'