23 and 24 weeks and a trip to LeBonheur

We have ALL been sick in this house. Thankfully we're getting over it. First Daniel got sick the Friday before Christmas, then I got sick the Wednesday before Christmas and didn't get to hold my baby girl until Christmas day. It was a tough week and tough Christmas!

We thought we were all better, then the Thursday after Christmas Nyla came down with a high fever of 102.8 and it wouldn't go away. We called the Pediatrician on call at our office that night and she was concerned Nyla had the flu (a cousin she was around the previous Monday had the flu) and we should take her to the hospital. So off to LeBonheur we go and we're there from 1-5 a.m., yikes!

Long story short, Nyla tested negative for RSV and the flu, the short term test, but the next Monday we got a call that the long term test came back positive for the flu, strain B. Thankfully, it's a very mild strain with high fever and vomiting as symptoms. She only had high fever, was very congested and her face was runny. Her eyes watered, her nose ran and she continued to drool.

She is a definitely better. She's still a little junky, but thankfully no fever in days!

Here are a couple of pictures from that night.

Lots of drool and in her hospital gown. Yes, they have baby hospital gowns and they're really sweet.

Chunky legs. She wouldn't let me put her down. She only wanted to snuggle with me and not her sweet Daddy. My arms were exhausted after holding her for basically 4 hours.

Before she got sick, her 23 and 24 weeks old. We were late in taking these because we were sick and kept forgetting.

Looking up at Daddy.

Sweet baby!

More Pictures!

Hello, world! It sure has been weird not seeing much of you! Of course, we've been busy with our darling little girl. We had a rough night last night with some tummy troubles, but we are doing much better this morning! While she is soundly sleeping, here are a few pictures to share!

This was yesterday morning. Waking up in Daddy's arms and to a cell phone camera near her face.

This is from this morning. Glad to see her sleeping so well after a fussy night.

And then there's this sweet picture. Waving to her Daddy, at least that is what I am telling myself!

Ginny is recovering well, and the doctor said she could go home this afternoon. We will see how the rest of the morning goes and make a decision after lunch.

-D

Today is the Day

Well, dear readers, your old pal Daniel is a bit tired. It's been a long 28 hours, and it will culminate hopefully in the next hour or so with a Little Giant Baby Nyla in our arms. G began having some mild, widely spaced contractions around 4 am yesterday. They gradually got stronger and more frequent. However, with no water break, there is not much that can be done. We thought her water was leaking at about 10:30 last night, so we ventured again to the hospital with the hopes of staying. No such luck. 1-2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, no water break. With the effacement, the nurse we saw did tell us we would be back within 24 hours.

So of course at 2:00am this morning, Ginny's water breaks explodes floods her side of the bed. Back to the hospital, where we come to found in a short time she went to 5 cm dilated and 70% effaced. Now we currently, er, well really she currently is almost 10 cm dilated and 100% effaced, meaning it's just a matter of time.

Continue to pray for a safe, quick, healthy delivery and for a beautiful healthy Little Giant Baby Nyla.

-D

It's Been a Looooooong 24 Hours

Good Monday afternoon, our readers, at least I sure hope it is Monday afternoon, because quite frankly, the last 24 hours have been long, tiring, and a little scary.

Let's get to the good news - Baby Nyla is still cooking and still kicking. With that out of the way, our story begins last night. We had just finished up a nice dinner with Ginny's parents and sister as well as my mom and brother. Around 7:30, Ginny all of a sudden felt a sharp pain in her back. She immediately sat down on the couch with an ice pack. The pain progressively got worse. Around 8:30, after my scurrying around to pack up a suitcase for the both of us, we set out for the hospital. I have to say, after Ginny went back to get examined, the 20 minutes I had to sit and wait in the waiting room before being called back were not fun. After finally getting called back to see her, she said, "I'm in labor. I'm 1 cm dilated." Wow. At this point, I'm preparing myself for a long night of labor. BUT not so fast, my friend. 1 cm dilated was it. No water break, and Baby Nyla was still up high. After an hour, Ginny was discharged with instructions to come back if the pain increased, her water broke, or a couple of other "women" symptoms. Oh yeah, she got 10 mg of Ambien to take to help her sleep. All would be good now, right?

WRONG! At about 2:30, she wakes me up (after sleeping for all of 45 minutes), and the pain is worse. On the road again to the hospital. This time, she is now 2 cm dilated. Ok, so we're progressing well. Still no water break, and Nyla is still riding high. (She also is such a wiggle worm or rebel, because the nurses had to move their heartbeat-sensor 3 or 4 times to find a place where her heartbeat was detected.) The pain is still intense, and Ginny is so, so uncomfortable. She finally got some pain medication and was able to grab a nap. One of the doctors in her OB/GYN group (not the one she sees but one in the practice) walks in, tells her she is going home, and that she is getting some antibiotics. As it turns out, she has a urinary tract infection. That would explain the terrible pain in the lower back and the nausea.

After sleeping for much of the day, I am extremely happy and thankful to report that Ginny is doing much better. She's gradually been getting down some fluids, sitting up in the den on the couch, and snacking on that delicious snack of Saltines. Again, to reiterate, Baby Nyla is still in there, still kicking, and still being persnickety when it comes to finding out where she is.

So to recap, we had a false alarm but got good practice on packing up and heading out. Ginny has a UTI. Baby is still cooking. And Ginny is 2 cm dilated. So it looks like we're really heading down the home stretch. Let's hope we don't have to go through another night like last night!

Continue to pray for Ginny and Nyla. G has been in a lot of pain the last 24 hours but is improving. And Nyla's little heartbeat (when they can find it!) is strong.

Long post, but a lot has happened. And if there are any grammar errors or missing words, I blame it on the 90 minutes of sleep I've gotten in the last 30 hours.

-D