March Madness

March 2nd
James' business trips to Pennsylvania that started January 7th were supposed to end but were extended again. He came home for the weekend.

March 4th
James flew back to PA.


March 8th
International Women's Day (IWD) is marked on 8 March every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women. Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc).
In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them - somewhat similar to Western Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together. In others, however, the political and human rights theme as designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner (blue text taken from Wikipedia).

March 8th also happened to be our 4th Wedding Anniversary. We did not realize that it coincided with International Women's Day until a year or so after. James flew back from PA and his extended business trip finally came to an end! Here are some pics from the archives on our computer!




March 12th
I went for yet another doctors appointment to discuss the blood test results and other findings. My doctor had her baby so I am having to meet with another doctor in her practice. He is the same doctor that handled my miscarriage in January. They do another blood test for comparison. Although my first test was positive for APA it was a low positive.

March 14th
The results of my blood test done on the 12th show another low positive for APA. The doctor decides I am clear to try again and that my next pregnancy will be closely monitored, but I probably not have to take blood thinning treatments. Since both positives were low, and I have a healthy 16 month old, the risks of the treatments outweigh the possible benefits.

March 16th
We close on our house.



March 17th
St Patrick's Day and we begin the moving (and cleaning) process. Jake makes friends with Jafar (sp) one of three cats that live next door. Jafar is a young male cat, but is very patient, loving and friendly. Maybe we won't have to get a pet of our own after all!




March 20th
We have absolutely everything out of our apartment and into our new house.

March 21st
James turns 25! We are now the same age for 4 more months! This makes two years since the day we found out Jake would be joining us, and we discovered that we are once again expecting. I call and schedule a blood test to confirm.

March 22nd
Blood test results are fine. I was only 11 days past ovulation (due to my calculations) and my HCG was 38, my progesterone was 15.8. My progesterone levels seem lower than I remember them being the initial time they checked them with my pregnancy with Jake. My blood work to confirm Jake was done at around 13 days after ovulation (based on later ultrasound dating of him and the range of my HCG results). I remember that my HCG was 95 and my progesterone was somewhere in the upper 20s. I think this baby is perhaps one to two days behind Jake's due date two years prior. Our first ultrasound is scheduled for April 11th, which is the same date two years before that we had our first ultrasound with Jake (another coincidence--I didn't get to pick the appointment date).

March 27th
Another blood test is done.

March 28th
Blood tests are back. My HCG has more than doubled (every 48-72 hours it is supposed to double) to 949. My progesterone dropped slightly to 15.2. They schedule another test for Friday.

March 29th
Jake starts running a fever and not acting his usual self. He has had a few teeth (two molars and one incisor tooth) come in lately and at first I thought that was the problem. After 5 pm his fever raises from around 99 to 101. Too late to take him to the doctor and not serious enough for emergency treatment. He does not sleep more than 45 minutes all night long (in the bed with us all night because he won't let us put him down at all). He also didn't eat or drink well today.

March 30th
It is Friday and after our rough night I decide to take him to the doctor. I have to go in to work for only 2 hours today because of a field trip and then I have to go for another blood test (results back Monday hopefully). I go home get Jake and we go to the doctor again (Jake's first time that day, my second). It turns out he has a really bad throat infection (and three molars coming through). The strep test came back negative but she gave him an antibiotic that would treat strep as well as she is worried about me getting strep at this point in pregnancy. She said it is possible that we caught it too early for the strep test to have picked up on it and it probably didn't help that Jake vomited when the test touched the back of his throat!







March 31st
James starts work on the fence. He gets all of the holes dug and posts leveled and set in concrete. Before long Jake will be a little less free range and a very tired (and growing tireder--only symptom with this pregnancy so far) Mommy can watch his antics from a chair. Jake seemed to be feeling much better today. This is the first night since moving here on the 17th that he has not screamed his way through bath time! I bought him a little duck that swims in the bath to try and cheer him up and it worked. Since we moved Jake has cried every time we try and give him a bath. He doesn't cry when he gets a bath at my mom's (even since the move) so we feel it is connected with the house in some way. We thought he would be excited about having his own bathroom. He would look at all of his bath toys and just cry and cry and cry. I think he thought we were trying to trick him with his toys so we could leave him there (like we sometimes do with a babysitter or at the church nursery). Here he and Daddy build a tall tower in his new room. He really does like building with his blocks. He will stand on his tip toes to add blocks on!

Jake models some new summer clothes!

What size is this? Jake is in between 2 (or rather 3) sizes currently. He is about 31.5 inches tall and 25.5 lbs. Depending on the brand he can wear 18 months (very, very rare), 24 months (mostly) and 2T. Last year Sam's Club had all of these wonderful Carters one piece play suits. They were great and I thought that even if they had them they would't have any big enough. Luckily, their cutoff for height and weight is higher than most 18 month outfits, so I bought him three for this summer. Jake hasn't really grown since his birthday. Well he gained a pound and a half, but he hasn't seemed to get much taller. Although I know the minute I cut the tags off of these outfits and wash them he will grow three inches! Oh well, Sam's did have a sign saying they went up to 24 months but there weren't any in those sizes. Maybe they will get more in later!

Yummy! A label.

James came home this weekend, but he had to go back yesterday (Sunday). He was supposed to be coming home for good Friday, but it didn't work out. Actually, he was supposed to be home for good January 26th! Anyway, they wanted him to go back and stay until the 12th, but he told them NO!. This Thursday is our 4th Wedding Anniversay and he told them he could not miss it. I am glad he feels that way. It is no fun him being gone for so long, especially with all of the things we have going on currently. So he flies home on Thursday and after that who knows!

Jake and I have been sick, but Jake has had it a lot worse. At first I thought it was the stomach virus as he kept vomitting. Then I noticed he seemed to have chest congestion and only threw up when he laughed, caughed, or cried. He was running a slight fever, but that seems to have cleared up over the weekend. I am giving him medicine for the chest congestion and not letting him have solids (except crackers and banana) or milk. They only make childrens mucinex (what the pharmacist suggested for his congestion) in cherry and grape flavors. Jake doesn't like those, but I found some bubble gum flavored Walgreens version Pedialyte stuff and I mix it with that. I don't think our washing machine has been inactive for more than 30 minutes with all the cleaning and recleaning, etc. His appetite has returned a little bit today, so hopefully he is on the road to recovery.

We are scheduled to close on the house on March 16th. Things seem to be on schedule so I guess we will see. Although I am excited about the house (especially the yard) I hate moving and I will be sad to leave where we are now. This is where we brought Jake home from the hospital. This is where he took his first steps. Today Jake and I took a walk (it was almost 70 outside) and as we walked I kept looking at the things we normally see on a walk, wondering what it will be like not to see them so often. I guess we could always walk uptown (where we live now). It isn't like we can't park at the courthouse and go for a walk. It is just that we can't step off the porch and go for a walk like I have been accustomed to. I have very fond memories of all the walks James. Jake and I have taken here in the past year and a half. There have been many good conversations and many big changes in our lives along the way. Maybe we will find new places to walk when we move...

Cousin Joe from England

Joe (on the left) and Jake (on the right) about to knock over a tower my mom built.

Above, Jake and Joe playing at the window. Below, Jake and Joe posing for a picture.

My mom's first cousin Cameron and, his wife Sheila and their son Joe came to Fulton to visit. This was our first time meeting Sheila and Joe. Joe is about two weeks younger than Jake. They really seemed to have fun together. The last time I saw Cameron (and possibly the first) was at Uncle Robert and Aunt Anne Marie's wedding. I was five and I guess that would have made him around 13. Sorry it took so long to edit in the text. I am perpetually tired these days and being slightly depressed probably doesn't help.

Blood Tests

Okay, so my lab results are in and I did have one abnormality. I had higher than average levels of antiphospholipid antibodies (often referred to as APA, aPL and APS). I have been advised to start aspirin therapy and not to try and concieve again for two more months. I took my first aspirin (ever in my entire life) on Thursday. I am supposed to take them even if I don't try to conceive, to lesson my chances of developing a clot. I asked why we have to wait three months until we try and conceive and it is just my doctors' standard miscarriage advise, it has nothing to do with the APA. I have done TONS of reading on the subject since then and I will post below the article I have found most useful. I have to go back to the doctor on March 12th. Until then:

Taken From www.sharedjourney.com

What are Antiphospholipid Antibodies (APA)?
Antibodies are special cells that are supposed to help our bodies attack foreign invaders, like bacteria from colds and infections. Sometimes though, the body mistakes its own cells for invaders and attacks them, causing a host of problems. This is the case with antiphospholipid antibodies - they attack our own cells.

Antiphospholipid antibodies are proteins that circulate around in the bloodstream. These proteins bind to cell membranes, making them sticky. This prevents our blood from flowing properly, resulting in blood clots. These antibodies can endanger the health of both you or your baby.

Types of Antiphospholipid Antibodies
There are 21 different types of antiphospholipid antibodies. All are tested in the antiphospholipid antibody screen. Certain antiphospholipids can also be tested on their own. Some important phospholipid antibodies include:

• anticardiolipin
• antinuclear
• lupus

Who Has Antiphospholipid Antibodies?
Though they can cause problems, surprisingly, 2% to 15% of the healthy population actually has antiphospholipid antibodies in their blood. However, these people have very low levels of the antibodies, and therefore they don't really cause a problem. It is only when they are at high levels that the antiphospholipid antibodies begin to make trouble.

Antiphospholipid antibodies are also commonly found in people with:

• unexplained infertility
• Lupus
• Migraine headaches
• Deep vein thrombosis

Complications Caused by Antiphospholipid Antibody
There are a number of complications associated with high levels of antiphospholipid antibody. These include:

• blood clotting
• stroke
• heart attack
• miscarriage

Infertility and Antiphospholipid Antibody
High levels of antiphospholipid antibody are often associated with unexplained infertility including:

• recurrent miscarriage
• stillbirth
• placental insufficiency
• implantation failure
• increased rates of IVF failure.

It is thought that antiphospholipid antibodies compromise the placenta which nourishes your baby. Because the antibodies cause clotting, the embryo is cut off from oxygen and nutrient support. As a result, spontaneous miscarriage or fetal death can occur. Clotting can also cause distress to the placenta, making it difficult to have a successful implantation.

Testing for Antiphospholipid Antibodies
The antiphosolipid antibody test can check for elevated levels of all of the different types of antibodies. Tests can also be ordered to check on specific antibodies. The test is performed using a small blood sample.

The Results
The results of the antiphospholipid antibody test are measured in titers. This is a measurement of how much your blood can be diluted until there are no more antibodies in it. Results can be normal, borderline, or high. High levels typically measure between 1:100 and 1:400.

If you test as having high levels of antiphospholipid antibodies in your bloodstream, it is likely that these antibodies may be playing a role in your infertility. Your health care provider will discuss your results with you.

Treatment
If you do test high for antiphospholipid antibodies, you may decide to try to treatment. Treatment is aimed at reducing the number of clots in your blood, and restoring blood flow to the placenta. Low-dose aspirin and the anticoagulant Heparin are often recommended.

****end pasted text*********

I don't have any lupus antibodies, so I am really grateful for that. However, I am nervous about having to possibly give myself two injections of heparin a day. Okay, lets not even pretend that I will be giving myself the shots. I don't know if James will still want to stay married to me after having to chase me around the house twice a day to give me the shots. This article doesn't elaborate on the inflammatory response part of the disorder. For some reason, women who have high levels of these antibodies in their blood, but don't have a history of clots (like me for example) have a problem with implantation, because the antibodies actually attack the placenta. That is what happens in the "implantation problems" category. Since the baby still had a heartbeat after my contractions were well underway (I thought I had lost the baby that is why I went to the ER), it seems unlikely that it was due to placental clots, which would not cause me to miscarry a baby with a heartbeat. They can give you prednisone (a steriod, which I had to go on before for a bad allergy flare up) to try and keep you body from rejecting it. I am sure Miranda and Meredith (and Kelly who practicly lived with us at Turtle Creek) will be only too happy to explain how moody prednisone makes me (remember, it was the same month Kendall spent fixing our AC). I can only imagine how that and pregnancy would mix. Well anyway, James and I have got a lot of things to thing about. He comes on (for good, for a while anyway) March 2nd! I have missed him so much. We are two weeks away from closing on a house. I will post pictures soon.

Duck, Duck, Goose!

Uncomfortably Numb

I started cramping around 3 pm yesterday, but I kept telling myself it would go away or it was my stomach or something. I kept checking for blood and there wasn't any so I kept trying to stay positive. Around six p.m. brown spotting and clots started, but my cervix was not dilated. I called Nurselink, a 24 hour hot line with the hospital here and she told me to go straight to the emergency room. I called a baby sitter and called James, whom I was supposed to pick up from the airport in a few hours, and left for the emergency room. I have never felt more alone and scared in my life. I have never been to the emergency room here so I parked in outpatient and walked all the way around the building until I found it. They admitted me, did an internal exam, a blood sample, a urine sample and a very long detailed ultrasound. Every thing looked fine, the baby's heart was still beating and everything was in the right place just as it had been on Wednesday. They looked for a possible second pregnancy in my tubes, a cyst on my ovaries, anything else to explain what was going on, but they couldn't find anything. Even though they kept telling me we were still in the game and everything was fine I just knew that it wasn't. My cramps were getting more painful and frequent instead of dying down. I was so shocked to hear the doctor say that the baby's heart was still beating. I almost wish he hadn't because now I feel like it was my body's fault, that there wasn't anything wrong with the baby. He assured me that it is pretty rare to miscarry a living embryo or fetus once they have developed a healthy heart, that most miscarriages happen because the baby has died or quit developing. They sent me home with a long list of instructions. I made it to the airport to pick up James and was only 20 minutes late because his plane had been delayed in Atlanta. I told him on the way home that if I was going to lose the baby I would rather it be tonight when I knew he would be here with me, and that is how it happened. As soon as we got home I paid the baby sitter and went straight to the bathroom. Now the blood was red and within few minutes I passed the baby. It was recognizable from its ultrasound picture. There was no mistaking what it was. I called the emergency room back and told them and asked if I had to come back now (I really didn't want to go anywhere). My nurse was great. She had a tubal pregnancy last month and she sat there and cried with me and told me she was praying for me. She came to the phone and told me under what conditions I absolutely HAVE to return. I couldn't sleep last night because the cramping was so intense and I am still cramping and passing clots right now although it is finally dying down. I folded the baby in a tissue and we put it in a zip lock bag and froze it. I don't know if my doctor will need to see it or test it, but it felt wrong just flushing it down the toilet. I am glad that if it had to happen, it happened on a day when James was here.

I am glad that I have such a wonderful and perfect little miracle walking around trying to cheer mama up. I think going through this has made me realize, even more than I thought I did, how amazingly complicated the whole process can be. I am very glad that I got to see and hear the heartbeat at my doctors appointment on Wednesday. When they did the ER ultrasound I did not get to see or hear anything. I am glad that I have the memory of seeing the little healthy heartbeat that belonged to Baby Carr #2 and that I have a picture to remember him/her by. I am glad that I have such a supportive family. James' mom keeps calling and checking on me and I had a really nice talk with my mom this afternoon. It really is just hard for me to talk right now, because I start crying so hard I can't breathe. I have so much to be happy for and I am trying to focus on that right now, but it is not very easy. Maybe my doctor will have some answers for me. Right now I think I am just in shock. When I woke up this morning I still had morning sickness. It is just hard to believe and accept that it is over.

Baby Carr: The Sequel

I got to see and hear the heartbeat. The baby was easy to find. I didn't post the whole ultrasound pic, just cropped off the rest. Everything looks good. I know it is just a grainy looking clump of cells, but I am already in love with him/her. In 10-12 more weeks they will do another ultrasound to determine, among other things, if it is a him or a her. It is amazing how much the baby will grow between now and then. I love my new doctor. The appointment was at three and I didn't get back from Amory until about 6:30. It has been an emotional day. I really, really miss James right now. It seemed strange him not being there today. They also did a blood test to make sure I am not reacting to Jake's chicken pox, but they are pretty sure it won't be a problem. It is just a precaution my doctor is taking. I am exhuasted. I think Jake is too, but he has switched into high gear to make up for it. Hopefully he will sleep good tonight so that I can sleep good tonight too. James comes home Friday. He flies in at 7:45! I know I will sleep better this weekend at least. Well, it is time to put the Jake to bed.

Just for fun go to the archives and click on April 2005 to see Jake at the same stage!

MORE MONKEY POX!!

A little less than two weeks after having his chicken pox vaccination, Jake came down with a mild case of the chicken pox. He is not feeling good at all. He is lethargic (went to bed almost two hours early last night), not very hungry and fussy fussy. He even has the cough. The break out is worse in his diaper area, so changing him is like surgery without anesthesia (to hear him scream anyway). Hopefully it will go away soon. He has had them for a few days now, but it took awhile to put it all together. Poor Baby!

Fun with Mama!

Jake and I had fun with his bath paints. I didn't read the label well enough. I read that it was non toxic, etc and then quit reading. Turns out it stains porous surfaces (ie skin) so I had to really scrub him to get it off least he have blue bruise looking marks all over his body. I am sure that would merit some funny looks at the grocery store! Jake didn't mind the scrubbing and he quickly resumed his normal color. Maybe he has a future on Broadway or in IBM commercials with the Blue Man group?

He is my child! Even if he doesn't look anything like me. Yes, Jake is eating an orange peel. He like the inside or an orange too, he just enjoys snacking on the outside while he unpatiently waits for me to peel it. He holds a segment in his hand and chews/sucks all the juice out of it. Then he bring me back the pulpy bit (his daddy doesn't like the pulp either)! At least he doesn't through it on the floor! He has also been known to eat lemons (I have been known to do that since and early age as well). No I don't mean, a slice in water. I mean eat them like an orange!

I wasn't feeling well Saturday morning and so I was laying on the couch. I guess I should say I was trying to lay on the couch, because I kept getting tackled by a little monkey. He can get on and off the couch no problem and he loves to climb all over me. Knees and Elbows once again being used as weapon like they were so many months ago in utero!

Even though Mama is a lot of fun. He still misses his Daddy. Here he is calling James last night!

Family Resemblance.

Here you can see the strong family resemblance between Jake and his Uncle John! Actually, Jake just likes wearing his sunglasses as night and John is having lasic surgery. What is sad is that Jake is wearing my sunglasses. He has a BIG head for a baby!

Publish

Our Family in 2007!

This picture was taken Sunday, January 7th, right before I took James to the airport. He is on a business trip in Pennsylvania. He will be gone until the beginning of March, but he gets to come home to Jake and me every other weekend. One the positive side this trip might translate into a promotion for James. We will have to see. Shortly before he left on this trip James got his notification in the mail that he passed his Fundamentals of Engineering (State Licensing) Exam. I am very proud that he did it the first time. That is quite an accomplishment! Yesterday he drove to Niagra Falls. It sounds like he had fun, and he said he took lots of pictures.
Jake and I miss James a lot. My neighbor said, "Your like a single mom for two months." That is exactly how I feel right now. And like most single moms, I have moved back home. Well, not full time, but Jake and I are making a BUNCH of trips back and forth and we are spending the night over there frequently. I have been wondering if Jake realizes what is going on. He gets really excited whenever the phone rings and says, "Dada?" I have caught him calling James with my phone twice! This morning he called Da Da all by himself. I was laying on the couch and he was sitting on the floor in front of me playing with the phone. I thought he was just pretending to talk to someone (he does that sometimes) but then I heard James' voice. Last night James called right before Jake went to sleep and Jake heard his voice (he was cuddling on my chest), he started grabbing at the phone, but then James said he needed to call me back in ten minutes and hung up. Jake started crying. I felt so bad. I let him stay up until James called us back and he went to sleep just fine after that.
At the end of this term in May, I will resign my position and be a full time stay at home mama! I am very excited about this. I am also going to take this time off to work on my writing. Hopefully I can get some freelance assignments. I am in the process of finishing an online course through Ole Miss on parenting the first 5 years. I haven't really learned anything yet. It has been a nice refresher survey, since it has been a few years since I took any child development courses (and then I didn't have children so I didn't pay attention as closely as I should).
We are planning to purchase a home sometime this spring. We have been looking for a few months now but we have additional incentive. For my new years' resolutions I plan on gaining (and then loosing) 20-35 lbs, giving up alcohol and cutting back on caffeine. That's right! This year we are planning on adding a fourth member to our little family. The tentative date for this is September 8th, 2007. This Wednesday is our first ultrasound so then we will know more. Already this pregnancy is very different than mine with Jake. So anyway I have a documented reason to be tired and moody. I really really miss having James here with me to comfort me and take care of me like he did during the pregnancy with Jake. I know he is upset about missing the first ultrasound, but he will be home a few days later for his first weekend back.
Well Jake just found me in here on the computer. He was playing nicely with the dryer. Now he is saying "Debaahh ahh ahh." He has one hand in his mouth, so I am assuming he has decided he wants to eat his breakfast after all. It has taken me a whole week to right this. I get to type a few lines and then I have to save it. It might be a while before I can reply to e-mails, blog anymore, myspace, etc. It is part of that single parent thing I guess. I will try and post a short update Wednesday after the ultrasound. Here's hoping for a healthy bi-pole embryo tube with nice limb buds and a heartbeat! Until then, duty calls...

PS James has nicknames this one "rice nugget", for those of you that remember Jake was "peanut lizard."

Signs of the Season

I thought these pictures were pretty. James took them from our house. I like the way the fog makes the lights glow. It almost looks like the whole place is on fire.

I guess Cinderella got home a little late last night. I took this picture about one week before Christmas. Isn't it disgusting (it is my neighbor's, mine are long gone).

Jake at 13.5 months.

Some good pictures of Jake (especially of his eight teeth)!

He is smiling so big that you can actually see down his throat in this picture!

Jake tries to give us a closer look at his teeth. Look at those big blue eyes.

Jake ate a lot of the fruit and gelatin and then proceeded to try and pick up the leftovers and put them back in his little bowl.

Jake in his room.

Super Baby! I love these PJs. The dinosaurs glow in the dark! When Jake's bib gets turned around backward we call him Super Baby. Above he is chewing on a sock (clean of course) from a laundry container we keep his socks and bibs in under his crib. Below, he uses his super human strength to throw the diaper bag around. Of course it isn't that heavy after he has pulled all of the stuff out of it!

At his one year doctor's appointment Jake was 24lbs and 32.5 inches tall! He now wears 24 month or 2T clothes, but 3-5T socks, shoes, hats, and gloves. His height and head size are both in the 97 percentile for his size. His weight is around the 70th percentile. He is tall and slender like his dad and, just like with James, it is hard to find clothes to fit him! Although his height puts him in the 2T category, his weight isn't enough to hold them up all of the time. It really depends on what brand of clothing it is as to whether it will fit him or not! His waist size is closer to the 18 month old range. He can still wear most of his 18 month old clothes from Old Navy and some from J.C. Penny. I think their sizes run longer or something. So I constantly have the problem of having to keep pulling his pants up all day or having to pull them down to keep his legs from showing! I am considering starting to alter the waist in some of his stuff, but where would I find the time?

Jake can speak around 11 real words. He doesn't speak them often as he has invented his own language as you might have seen from the video on my mom's blog. He is very vocal and very entertaining. James and I just sit around and watch him in the evenings as he babbles away. He really likes playing games with us as well. He will run away from us and then wait on us to come get him. He really likes to run away from James and come climb on me as if I am going to save him. He gets really excited about the whole thing and screaches and squeals at us in his made up language! He likes other babies, which might come in really good soon!
As you can tell from videos on my mom's blog and pictures, he has been walking really good since about a week after his birthday. He can also do pretty well with stairs (supervised of course).
He is a very loving baby and gives me the sweetest hugs. It is nice to know that he appreciates my company. I am constantly amazed at how big he is, how fast he is growing and developing and how smart he is. He is really good at figuring things out. Every button has to be pushed, every container dumped out (and refilled). He love electronic things. He constantly makes a dash for the computer which he tries to type on. He also like to pull the camara memory card out of the front of the computer. Our on and off switch is encircled in a blue light and he just loves that!
I am sure that there are many things I am probably leaving off. If I think of anything really important I will edit it in later.

Disclaimer:
Well I meant to post this a month and a half ago, but as you may have noticed I am backlogged on pictures right now. Our new camara comes with a even larger memory card than our old one but they both work in the new camara. So this past month we have had three hundred million pictures from two different camaras on two huge camara cards so sometimes it gets confusing as to what pictures from when are where. Most of these pictures are now at least a month old, but oh well!