Overheard: On the Phone

Him: Hey Dad! Yeah, Anna's still on bed rest.

Father-in-Law (mine, not his): Well, tell her to lay down and put her feet up.

Him: I did.

Father-in-Law: But that's what caused the problem in the first place!


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So, yeah. I'm still on bed rest, although I can take a 10 minute walk every day. Against medical advice we travelled to Red Lodge, Montana so Stephan could attend a Rural Trauma Hospital Conference. I've stayed very still in the hotel room for the last 2 days and successfully avoided most of the regular contractions. Fortunately there's an amazing view outside the hotel window. The sad part is that I can't go out and walk around this adorable little town nestled in the Bear Tooth Mountains. I only have one more week of strict bed rest- I need to get to 34 weeks pregnant before the baby will be healthy enough to be born.

But I'm also convinced that I WILL NOT be birthing this baby in Red Lodge, Montana (like my doctor predicted if I dared go against her advice). So, I sit. It's great to have TV with channels to change and commercials to scoff at, but it's hard to not be able to distract myself with little chores like re-filing pay stubs, wiping down the kitchen cabinets, and folding laundry. Good for body and baby, bad for my overactive brain.

Oh, and why would it be a problem to deliver a baby in Red Lodge? Well, for one, we are a 4 hour drive away from the hospital and our house, plus, we are about 2 hours away from the regional NICU. Yeah... we have regional NICU's, they're not in every hospital.

On the Dock of the Bay

Last Monday I started having contractions. It wasn't too big of a deal, except that they were coming pretty regularly. I went home and laid in bed for a few hours and they slowed down. Tuesday we drove to Billings for a doctor's appointment, but on the way home the contractions got more frequent (not stronger though). When I called my doctor in Glendive she wanted to see me immediately. Which we did. She checked me out and gave me the ok to stay in bed for another 24 hours.

I called her after those 24 hours and she "let" me stay in bed for another day. Today is Sunday. I've been in bed for about 6 days. I've watched more movies in a week than I have the rest of the year. I have some great recommendations for both TV and movies. Thank goodness for Netflix and Hulu.

FAQ: How do you feel?
Answer: Fine. Except, I'm getting tired of the intermittent tightness in my belly.

What's next? I go back to the doctor at some point to see if anything has changed. Worst case scenario would be for the doctor to "sit on me" for the next week and a half until Week 34 (Sept. 24th) when they'd send me to the big hospital in Billings to have the baby. Otherwise, I just hang out and wait for the real deal.

That's what I'm doing! Just sittin'...

Warning

Obviously written for men: Even if using this infant restraint seems easy to figure out on your own, it is very important to FOLLOW THE OWNER'S MANUAL.

Overheard: On the Couch

Me: So I'm going to place this trial order for the cloth diapers.

Him: Ok.

Me: I just don't want to be at home one day, especially in Plevna, and run out of diapers.

Him: What do you mean? There are diapers all over this place! Cloth diapers are just t-shirts that have been cut into pieces. Look! You're wearing one now!!!

Catching up with Photos

The first two are the first two steps of quilt-making: selecting fabric and making patterns.






This third photo is the one I promised a few days ago of Stephan getting ready to go on a fire call. This was the first fire call he has responded to all summer, and it caught him a bit off guard. Not to worry- he keeps his fireproof clothes at the fire hall. In his defense, there was another guy who got there and put on someone else's clothes because he didn't remember which locker was his.

FAQ: Where are you moving?

Answer: Here! But you're not allowed to buy it, sorry!

And, just in case I missed anyone in my FaceBook spam list... here is the list of hospitals where Stephan is looking for work. I'm posting it because we both feel like it's not what you know, it's who your friends know:

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge
Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago
Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn
Skokie Hospital in Skokie
RHC St. Francis Hospital in Evanston
St. Alexis Medical Center in Hoffman Estates
Westlake Community Hospital in Melrose Park
Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago
Sherman Hospital in Elgin
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago
Norwegian-American Hospital in Chicago
Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood
Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Center in Chicago
West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park
Mac Neal Hospital in Berwyn
Rush Oak Park Hospital in Oak Park
Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago
VHS Acquisition DBA Louis A Weiss Memorial in Chicago
Loretto Hospital in Chicago
Vista Medical Center in Waukegan
University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago
St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago
St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago
Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago
Thorek Memorial Hospital in Chicago
Rush University Medical Center in Chicago
John H. Stroger Jr Hospital in Chicago
Sacred Heart Hospital in Chicago
Centegra Memorial Medical Center in Woodstock
St. Mary & Elizabeth Medical Center in Chicago
Methodist Hospital of Chicago in Chicago
Lincoln Park Hospital in Chicago
St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago
Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago
Adventist Glenoaks in Glendale Heights
Provident Hospital of Chicago in Chicago

Coming soon: Photos of Stephan on his way to fight a fire.

A Post Where I Talk about Pee

So you know that there's this general knowledge about pregnant women having to pee all the time. I wanted to write this down while I'm between the two phases: normal bathroom use (NBU) and Pregnant-Lady bathroom use (PLBU). With NBU you gradually become aware of a filling bladder over time, usually 30-60 minutes. You can plan for NBU. If you're driving down the road, you can rationally postpone NBU until the appropriate moment.

PLBU, however, feels entirely different. Not pregnant? Go get a belt or rope and tie it loosely around your waist. Give the long end to someone with unmedicated bipolar disorder. At random intervals the rope will tighten around your waist, resulting in the immediate and un-ignore-able need for PLBU. The rope tightens most often with altitude changes like standing or sitting, or walking, or turning around, or inhaling.

I would write more, but I have to pee.