Bank Blues

Today I decided that I'm going to change banks. Not a decision I take lightly, as my husband and I have been banking at the same place since we both moved to the area. But, lately we've been having major problems. One is their on-line banking. I had set this up as I am the one who deals with bills, but had never been able to get into it. Finally I had enough and called customer service and wanted it fixed. They said they couldn't give me information because the account was set up in my husbands name and he has an additional accout my name isn't on. First problem with that: I set up the account. Second: my husband has never set up access. After much debate, I explained that I would not set up on-line access in my husbands name, he explained he did not do it, they verified that no one had ever accessed the account from on-line and I re-applied for online banking. And I could finally use it...for about a week. Tried to get on today, and whatdaya know? I'm locked out. Succeed in changing the password with their secret questions, but still cant logon. Called customer service. They reset the password after insulting me by asking if I had the caps lock on. Uh, no maam, I wouldn't have thought of that. Anyway, she resests it and says I'm good to go. Great! Try to log on, a no go. Call again. Again, asked by new much ruder woman asking about the caps lock. They she says it looks like she doesn't see that I even have an online account. WTF? She also says that they periodically delete online accounts that haven't been active for awhile. I try to reamin calm and explain that I had just set it up last week and had been logged on a few days ago. She then says that she'd take care of it and that I'd be able to log on by noon today. It is 3pm and I cant get in. Blame it on hormones but I've had it!!
Ok, I feel much better now. Last night hubby and I moved the computer to it's new home. Where it had been will be the little beans bedroom, so we decided to move it now so we can get the new office and the baby's room ready before his expected arrival. We have a back porched that was recently enclosed and had just been an entry door and place to put junk. I must say it looks good as an office.

Loss

About 9 years ago I met my husband. My best friend and roommate, Julie was dating a guy at another college, named Mike. Mike had roommate that she tried to set me up with, but lets just say I wasn't impressed with him, plus he had a girlfriend, so I wasn't sure why she tried. Anyway, several months later, she asks if I want to go with her to visit her BF and casually mentioned that Mike's friend no longer had a girlfriend, but was going to be gone. I agreed to go since he wasnt going to be there and I didn't want her working her "magic". We arrive at Mikes and I find out that his roommie decided that he wasn't going to leave town. I, of course, was thinking, "great, now she's going to try, again, to hook me up with this dufus." To make a long story short, Mike's roomie and I actually hit it off the second time. Over the next year, Julie and I made frequent trips to visit the guys and my husband and I were married 5 years ago. Because of Mike and Julie, my husband and I found each other. We still hang out as couples and I consider both Mike and Julie my best friends. I got a call from Julie letting us know that Mike's dad passed away unexpectedly Saturday. I didn't know Mike's dad, but this is a very difficult time for the family. If you will, please say a prayer that they will receive the strength they need to deal with this loss.

Human ping-pong ball

This weekend at work wasn't too bad, except for the fact that I couldn't seem to stay at one part of the unit. Our unit is a connected post-partum and labor unit, and all labor RN's work p.p. Last night, I started out the shift at 7pm as charge nurse, but I had to take a labor patient. Of course as charge RN, I ended up catching a baby, running up to pediatrics (also part of the unit but 2 floors up) to help with an IV on a 1 y.o., and then back to labor. At 11pm, I handed over charge to another nurse and took post-partum patients. I get them and their babies assessed, and settled and then I go back to labor for a 35 week bleeder, just in case the RN back there needs help. She doesn't. So back to post-partum. I sit down to eat, and another labor patient comes in and I get to go admit her. But I finally got to stay there. This patient and her husband were hilarious. The dad kept making very bad, dry jokes and mom just kept rolling her eyes adn telling him to shut up. They were just a nice couple who was very easy to care for and bond with.
Baby bean is growing and kicking away. It's funny how I noticed not too long ago that I wasn't feeling much movement, compared to now where I feel his little kicks pretty regular. I'm also growing quite nicely. My backside seems to be growing at the same rate as my belly. Funny how that happens sometimes. A friend of mine told me that when she was pregnant with her 2nd, her little boy who was about 2 at the time came up to her, touched her butt, and said "Hi baby". Speaking of kids asking about babies, my oldest finally understands that Mommy has a baby in her belly. He of course asked how it was going to come out. But before I could answer, he pointed to the appropriate area and said "Is it going to come out down there?" I wasn't quite sure how to respond! I guess he got it from seeing "A Baby Story" a few times. Pretty smart for a 4 year old, I say, but I'm biased. Alright, I'm starting to ramble, so off to bed I go.

IT'S A BOY!!

Today we had a sonogram and we obviously found out we're having a boy! He wasn't shy at all about showing off his boy parts. Everything looked good with him. He's measuring right on schedule, heart has 4 chambers and working properly and everything else seems to be developing as it should. I am now 3 for 3 in "knowing" before we found out for sure the sex. I guess it's a 50/50 chance I'd be right, but sometimes you just have a feeling. Now I can shop for the fun stuff, like clothes and bedding.

A labor nurse birth plan

I decided I'm working on a birth plan. Yes, it's early, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. It seems that anytime a patient comes in with a birth plan, they end up with the things they don't want and their delivery culminates in a c-section. The more detailed, the greater the likelyhood things won't happen the way they plan and more likely they'll have a c-section. I don't know why that is. I think part of the problem in my area is people don't discuss their birth plan with their doctor. My worst experience with a failed birth plan was a couple years ago. This mom wanted no intervention, no pitocin, no internal monitors, no offers of pain meds, and absolutely no epidural. Seemed reasonable. But, her labor went on, and on and on and on for 2 days. She was ruptured and beta strep positive so she was admitted. She had changed her cervix a couple centimenters over the 2 days, so pitocin was started. She ended up direct fetal monitoring, an epidural and a c-section on day 4 after 6 hours being at 10 cm and after spiking a temperature. Baby also had a rough start and spend a day in the nursery on monitors, IV antibiotics and such. She obvioiusly did budge, but was very inflexible. I do think every pregnant woman should have a plan, know what they want and don't want, with each pregnancy. But, I'm sure there are other L&D nurses who will agree with me, you should be flexible. Anyway, back to my birth plan:

1. I want lots and lots of Magnesium Sulfate.
2. I'd like to have an emergency c-section without anesthesia due to a uterine rupture at my
old incison site. (yes, unfortunately, we have done c/s sans anesthesia, luckily not often)
3. If I dont get a emergency c/s and can VBAC, I'd like an episiotomy with a 4th degree
extension, please.
3. I also would like to be tethered to the bed for the duration of labor with internal monitoring.
4. I desire lots and lots of cervical checks
5. I also would like my baby taken from me straight away for at least an hour so it interrupts
with breastfeeding and bonding.

That's all I've got so far, but I think it hits the highlights. Maybe with this plan, I could have a nice, smooth vag delivery without complications.

What a pain!

So this pregnancy I've had a new experience: migraines. I have never really had headaches. Yeah, I'd get an occasional one here or there, and back in college after having one too many, but never anything too bad. This past month, I started having auras. I didn't realize at first that was what they were. The first one didn't preceed a headache. I just had a very small spot in the center of my vision where it was like I had looked at a bright light, but with zigzag lines. The second one happened the same way, but I woke up with a headache, but not too bad. The next day it happened again, but I got the full blown horrible headache, complete with nausea and spent 3 hours in bed. Just last night, I had the visual changes again, followed by a mild headache. Today I had an appt with my OB and told her about it. Apparently, when people have migraines before pregnancy, they usually don't have, or have fewer while they're pregnant, but its not unusual to have your first during pregnancy and not have any afterwards. Arent I lucky? I guess especially at the gestation I'm at, all the hormonal changes can cause it. But if they continue l'll have to see a neurologist because of the visual changes. I know thats how it goes, but it sucks. They have to make certain that it is migraines, but I really don't want to pay for an expensive test (MRI or CAT scan). And they probably won't do anything until after I've delivered anyway. I shouldn't complain because this is pretty minor compared to other things and I've only had one really bad headache. But it would have been nice if I was going to have this during 1 of my 3 pregnancies, that it could have happened when I was pregnant the first time, with no preschoolers to chase after.
I decided this week to start reading the Harry Potter books. Yeah, yeah, I'm behind most of the rest of the world. But I have this problem with patience. It would have driven me mad to have to wait months until the next book came out. I'm almost done with the 2nd book and I'll have to wait probably a day or two to get the 3rd and it will drive me nuts! They are very good so far. My goal is to have all 7 done by the time this little bean arrives, otherwise it will be quite awhile before I have time to read again!

Fair days

Today we took the kids to the county fair. And of course it was blazing hot. The avergae temperature this year was a record breaking 73 degrees for the month of July and today it was well above 90. And humid. I guess it wouldn't be fair time if it wasn't really hot. The kids actually were pretty well behaved. We got them on the rides that were appropriate for little tykes, and walked through the barns. They haven't ever seen horses, cows, etc up close. Seeing things through their eyes made it a lot of fun. We were only out for maybe 2 hours and I think I was more worn out that they were. Ah, to have their energy.
We also think we've decided on baby names. We have liked Heather for a girl so that was easy. But the boy name was more difficult. We had agreed we liked the name Isaiah, but weren't sure if we could see ourselves yelling Isaiah. But we haven't found anything we like as much so we're sticking with Isaiah. We aren't sure about middle names yet, but I figure we have some time.