Christmas, Another Hospital Stay, & Progress

Where to begin...

Christmas sounds good. We had a wonderful Christmas. Santa brought Kason LOTS of toys and he loves them all (except for his beanbag chair). He got a Thomas the Tank Engine tent and tunnel that he absolutely adores and now wants to see the trains on tv all the time. We had a great time visiting with friends and family, too. Grandma O was here for a few days before Christmas and Christmas Day and my parents, brother, and his family were here for a few days after Christmas. We got to take my nephews to Kemah and even though it was so cold, they had a blast on all the rides. Kason had a blast watching and riding the carousel and train around the boardwalk. He did end up with a little cold after the holidays, but is starting to get over it now.

After Christmas, we were all set to have friends in from S.A. for New Year's Eve. My family left the morning of the 30th and friends were set to arrive the afternoon of the 31st. Wouldn't you know, though, I started having contractions 3, then 2, minutes apart the night of the 30th. They weren't too painful so I took a bath and figured they were the same ol' thing. Well, shortly after my bath, the uncontrollable vomiting began and everything spiraled downhill from there. I called my dr, who happened to be on call and she told me to come in. After some frantic preparations, we were able to meet our friend Randy at the hospital. He and his wife were nice enough to take Kason in the middle of the night and let him spend the night. Kason had a great time there playing with their little boy.

As for me, I still wasn't progressing, but we had to do something to get the nausea and vomiting under control. I had also developed a fever and Emily's heart rate was skyrocketing near 200bpm. I got dehydrated very quickly and ended up in the hospital for 2 days getting IV fluids and making sure Emily's heart rate was under control. So, after 2 days in the hospital and a couple days resting at home, I am now feeling much better!

Today, I went in for my 38 week appointment expecting nothing new. The contractions have been pretty much the same...close together and a little painful, but nothing out of the ordinary. To my surprise, though, we found out I am actually progressing now (if you do not want to read about the state of my cervix, STOP NOW!). I am 2-3cm dilated and 50% effaced. The contractions have finally started doing their job! But, as we all know, they doesn't mean a whole lot. I could still be sitting here in 2 more weeks waiting to meet Emily (and, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't mind going a while before seeing the inside of the hospital again). The only reason we have to believe that we will meet Emily anytime in the next few days is that I am still having contractions frequently - only about 3 minutes apart this morning - and, they are starting to work. Only time will tell what the next few days will bring.