It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

A few shots of our backyard.

Wow! It's been 2 weeks since I've posted last. I guess I don't have as much free time as I did in the hospital. Things have been going well since I've been home. The first big thing I got to do was attend Sydney's first ballet recital / Christmas program. That was Friday night 12/10. Here are a few pics of us before we left for the show.


She was so excited!
My hubby wheeled me into the show in a wheelchair. :) Sydney did great. I thought she was going to be stage freight, but that wasn't the case at all. I guess she has her Dad's outgoing personality. Here are some (quite a few) pictures from that night.









Back home on bedrest, Sydney's been enjoying it also. She sits next to me with her doll tucked in her pants and pretends she can't get up either. :)


Wednesday the 15th I had my 26 week appointment. My cervix had started to shorten, so that was disappointing. It had been 3 cm long for the previous 2 weeks, and then went down to 2cm. My Dr wasn't too concerned about it though. He said as long as I don't start having contractions, it should be ok.

Thursday night the 16th, I had a lovely group of girls come over for a cookie exchange. Needless to say, all the goodies are almost gone already!

Sydney and Adam went to church Sunday morning. He dressed her all by himself.


Good job Gaga!
Sunday night my family and my brother's family went to my mom's for dinner. My mom bought the kids matching PJ's for Christmas.

Sweet cousins.
Monday, the 20th I had another Dr's appointment. My cervix remained the same (2cm) so that was good. My dad took off work all week so he has been my babysitter. He comes over in the mornings and stays until Adam gets home.

My mom helped me finish up everything for Christmas. Everything is wrapped and ready to go now. This month has just flown by!

And today, I am 27 weeks! Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Home Sweet Home - 25 Weeks

Wednesday, I got wheeled across the street again for another ultrasound. It is so fun going for wheelchair rides! I was all dressed and ready this time (complete with a new Gap Maternity shirt that made it's way from the internet to my hospital room.)

Here is a picture from the ultrasound yesterday. I hit 25 weeks and Sebastian is 1 lb 11 oz. He gained 3 oz since last Wednesday. This is a side profile of his face. He had his hands around his legs, holding his feet over his head. :)

So, after my ultrasound, my Dr checked me and everything still looked good. My cervix is still closed and Sebastian is doing great. He discharged me and my mom and Sydney came to pack up all my stuff and take me home!

Sydney got to go in the wheelchair ride to the car with me.

While my mom got to push the big cart. :)

We got home around 3pm and my parents stayed late and decorated our house for Christmas.

I'm still on bedrest at home and I still have to take the Procardia to prevent contractions, but it is so nice being home. My friend Bri had a delicious supper waiting for us at home and we have another one coming tomorrow from my Aunt. It's so nice to not have to worry about cooking.

I slept AMAZING last night and it was so great to be in my own bed. Sydney slept with her arm around me all night. :)

I'll still be going in for weekly ultrasounds and checkups and in 3 more weeks if everything is still going well, I can start to move around a little more. I'm starting to feel somewhat normal again! Until next time, have a great weekend everyone!

An early Christmas Present

Things keep getting better and better around here. It sounds like I will be going home very soon; as soon as this coming Thursday! I got to go for a wheelchair ride across the street to my Dr's office for an ultrasound. Little Sebastian is now 1 lb 8oz and doing great. My cervix has completely healed itself and my Dr was amazed. He printed out a picture of it and even had his office staff come in to see. He said it looks totally normal again, as if nothing ever happened to it. It was truly a miracle!

I will have another ultrasound this coming Wednesday and if everything still looks good, I should be able to go home and finish my bedrest there. I received my 2 steroid shots this week to boost Sebastian's lung development. My Dr also cut my Procardia, (medication to stop contractions) from 6 pills a day, down to 3. So far they haven't started back up, so that is looking good also.

I had a prenatal check done today and that went well also. My belly is measuring 22 weeks (so a little behind), but Sebastian's weight is perfect so that is fine. Also, I managed to lose 10 lbs since I've been in the hospital! I'm right back to where I was before I got pregnant. I thought I had gained a lot, sitting in bed and eating all day, but the nurses said it's normal to lose on bedrest because you aren't burning any calories so you aren't nearly as hungry. They told me to keep eating whatever I want, so I plan on taking full advantage of that. I started last night, with a Big Mac meal. :) Then this morning, I got a nice delivery of Christmas goodies from some friends. So everyone, feel free to keep bringing me food!

On the day I had to go across the street for my ultrasound, I quick called my friend Julie to bring me some real clothes so I didn't have to go out in public in my pajamas (if you can even call them that.) I'll tell you that story in a moment. I planned on taking a shower, getting dressed, and even doing my hair and makeup. My appointment time ended up getting moved up though and I didn't have time to do anything, not even get changed. After I got back, I decided to get ready anyways and sat in my room by myself with my makeup on. :) I had to take a few pictures since I made such an effort!

It's amazing how much I'm showing now. I came in here, not showing at all. Sebastian was so low and actually falling out a few inches, so I didn't even look pregnant. Now he got pushed back up to where he is suppose to be, and ta-da, I have a belly!

Now, the funny husband story. When Adam went home to grab me all my essentials a few weeks ago, he brought me back a very strange variety of pajamas. They were all sets with matching tops and bottoms, but he only packed me the tops. I asked why he didn't bring the pants, (since he would have actually had to move the pants out of the way to get to the next pair in the drawer), and he said, "He didn't think I should have pants, so the Dr's could get 'down there' quickly if they needed too. Where do guys come up with this stuff? So, back to the ultrasound. I went with my pajama shirt (without my pajama bottoms) in a wheel chair, wrapped in a blanket. I sat in the waiting room with all the normal looking people and can only imagine what they were thinking about me. :) Next Wednesday, I will be ready for my appointment. I managed to find myself quite a few good Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals from Gap maternity. I think I might even where a dress! I'm starting to have my packages delivered to the hospital, as too many have already gone to my house and caused many questions from my hubby. :) I still think I'm spending much less though than if I were out and about wondering the malls. Plus, I haven't spend any money on eating out and that is normally a big one for me! Sydney was just here and a commercial came on for Olive Garden. She said, "Remember when you lived at home and we got to eat there. I really miss it." :)

Thank you again for all your visits, calls, cards, and prayers. I'm truly blessed with such great family and friends. I would still love visits from you all when I go home. Not much is going to change there. I'll still be on bedrest and only can get up to go potty. My mom is going to move into our house during the week and then take Sydney with her whenever she has to go anywhere. Then, my mom can go home on the weekends when Adam isn't working. At least I'll be able to see Sydney a lot more and will have someone there with me every morning.

I'm still amazed how God has worked in this situation and turned everything around. We are so thankful and hope this can be used to impact many other people's lives.

Only 16 more weeks to go!

Happy December everyone! Today is a great day. It is the first day of December and my first big milestone. I'm 24 weeks along today! A few weeks ago, I didn't think I would make it this far. Because of all of your prayers, I did!

Today is also the first day of winter and it's beginning to look like Christmas in my room. Sydney brought me up this cute little tree along with some homemade decorations. I got moved to a new room again. It is much bigger and has a wall of windows. It's very private too. We are all unpacked and settled in now. Everything has it's place and it is starting to feel homey. I have lots of beautiful cards, balloons, and flowers adding cheer to my room.




Adam and I had a date night the other night. We ordered Pizza Hut and rented "Grown Ups". It was fun. :)
Here's a cute little story. When I switched hospitals, Sydney walked in with "a baby" (her doll) in her shirt and told the nurses she needed to stay too. :) They are really great with her. They "admitted" her and even gave her a hospital bracelet to put on. She is quite entertaining. :)


And here's the update on me. My contractions have almost stopped entirely now. This new medicine I'm on for them, Procardia, is working really well and I don't feel any side effects from it. Sebastian is very active and is doing really well according to the monitors. I have settled into a routine now and the nurses have me on the same schedule every day. My morning sickness is finally gone now, too. The only complaint I have is bad body aches. I have a physical therapist that comes in to do bed exercises with me, but everything is sore from just laying here for so long. If my contractions don't start again and I don't have any more bleeding, my Dr is thinking of letting me go home in 4 weeks and finish my bedrest there. That would be an AWESOME Christmas present! Happy December everyone!

Week 2

Sunday

Sunday was a good, relaxing day. My mother-in-law came to visit me after church and then Adam came up to visit at half time. (I know, priorities, right?) I was allowed to take a shower on Sunday so that was very exciting. I had to sit down and keep the door open so I could stay hooked up to the IV, but it was still a great shower. I put on some cozy jammies from home and got back in bed.

My parents took Sydney to see Elmo at the arena and then they all stopped to visit after that. My aunt and uncle also stopped to visit and brought me my favorite cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory....Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. It was a great treat!

Monday

Monday I got a visit from a girl who went thru a similar experience. Her water broke at 22 weeks and she was on hospital bed rest all the way until 30 weeks when she had her son. She made me a bookmark with the verse Isaiah 26:3. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." She was very encouraging and I'm looking forward to more visits from her. :)

Tuesday

Tuesday I got a visit from my friend Julie & her daughter Allie. They brought me Little Caesars breadsticks (my request for the day.) Allie watched Barney while Julie and I chatted and the afternoon passed by very quickly. Adam and Sydney came up after work. That is my favorite time of the day. We all eat dinner together and hang out, just like at home. My parents came to pick her up around 9:30 and then Adam and I went to bed. Adam has been AMAZING. He sleeps at the hospital with me every night that he has to work. It is so nice having someone there. He never complains about the constant IV beeping, monitors going off, or nurses coming in every few hours and waking us up. I'm so thankful for such a great husband!

Wednesday

I made it to 23 weeks! The morning started off great. My Dr examined me and said my cervix is still closed and the cerclage is still holding nicely. He gave me "bathroom privileges," which means I can get up and walk to the bathroom anytime I need to. Very exciting news! Then, I had a nice visit in the morning from 3 friends that I've known my entire life.

After they left, the madness started. My Dr. called me on the phone in the afternoon and said that he and the hospital were not in agreement over my care and he wanted to discharge me and move me to a different hospital. You can call me for all the details, but basically the hospital was trying to order all kinds of additional things my Dr didn't want done, just so they could bill insurance for it. So, I was the gossip of the nurses station all day! My parents picked me up and drove me 20 minutes across town to another hospital where my room was waiting for me. I got all settled in, had a visit from my doctor (where he gave me the whole scoop) and then had dinner with Adam.

Wednesday night my friends Lisa, Jessica, and Bri came to visit and brought chips and salsa. I got to shower after they left and Adam spent the night here again. We got a good nights sleep and were able to sleep in until 10am!

Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I'm enjoying the day by myself today. I was able to catch up on all my e-mails and paperwork and watch some QVC. My brother and his family came to visit this afternoon and the rest of my family will be coming up after they eat their Thanksgiving dinner. I'm doing well and am in good spirits. This will be such a short period of my life and I have so many things to be thankful for. Hope you all have a great holiday and great weekend!

Sydney

Someone asked me to write about how Sydney is doing. Only my 2nd blog entry and already a request! Thank you Heather. Anyway, Sydney is doing amazing. She is staying with my parents on Sunday-Thursdays and then Adam takes her home on the weekends. She comes up to visit me almost everyday and brings me handmade cards and crafts that she makes with Grandma. She told Adam that she "Likes her new home" :) and she understands that Mommy is sick and has to stay at the hospital to keep her baby brother safe.

Last night we had a family movie night in the hospital. We watched Shrek 2 and ordered some awesome cheese curds and chicken tenders from room service. (You know, you can order free food whenever you want from here? It doesn't even have to be on the menu. You can just write down what you want, and it arrives 10 minutes later. Not too bad! One of the perks, of being a long-staying guest.)

Anyway, back to Sydney. She loves to help the nurses and knows her way around the hospital quite well already. She told us that, "After Sebastian is born, we will all go home and be the Surbers again." Precious. It definitely brightens my day getting to see her little smiling face.

Pray for my parents, as they are all ready getting tired. My Dad told me he knows why people have kids when they are young. She is a busy girl to keep up with! I know many of you have offered to babysit so we may be calling you sometime soon! Stay near the phone. :)

My new life

I thought I'd start this blog to document my journey and keep all of my family and friends up to date. First is a quick recap of week 1 in the hospital. One week down, 15 weeks to go!

I came in to the hospital on 11/13, (21 1/2 weeks pregnant) after some convincing from friends. I started leaking some fluid on 11/12, but didn't think too much of it since Dr. Google said it seemed somewhat normal. :) My friends however, thought it sounded like my water had broke and said I should come in. I arrived around 11pm Saturday night. After some tests, I was told my water had broken and my doctor would be in in the morning to see me.

Sunday morning, the Dr. checked me and my water was still in tact. I was dilated to 3cm though and the bag of water was hanging out (graphic, sorry) a few inches. He diagnosed me with an "Incompetent Cervix" and pieces of cervix tissue is what was actually coming out. He immediately prepared for a procedure known as an "emergency cerclage" or "rescue cerclage."

http://www.webmd.com/baby/cervical-cerclage-to-prevent-preterm-delivery

I had a spinal, but was awake. I laid with my head near the floor and my legs hanging from straps in the ceiling. He was able to push my bag of water back in and sew shut my cervix to 1/2 cm. He said it was the first successful time this procedure had been performed at this hospital. We were very thankful for a successful surgery, especially after hearing those odds!

The next few days were up and down. I was put on complete hospital bed rest. I continued to have some bleeding so they were concerned that the stitch had opened. The Dr checked me and the stitch was still in tact. The bleeding continued, but he didn't want to keep checking to disturb things further. He assumed that I was having contractions and that's what was irritating my cervix and causing the bleeding.

On Thursday, 11/18 the Dr started me on an IV of Magnesium Sulfate to stop the contractions. The side effects are rough. It makes you very sick and very hot. It is worth it though everyday we keep little Sebastian in there.

Friday, Adam and I had a visit from one of the doctors in the NICU, letting us know what we can expect when babies are born early. It was a lot of information, but I like feeling prepared for every possible outcome.

I'm still on the Magnesium Sulfate and tolerating it very well. I was told a lot of people are only on it for 24 hours or so and a lot of people can't handle it at all. I guess my body is used to toxic substances already from what I normally eat and drink. :)

Last night, I was moved to a much bigger, nicer room. It has a DVD/VCR combo player, much comfier bed, and a big whirlpool tub in the bathroom (so I've been told. I haven't been able to see the bathroom yet, but soon hopefully!)

Thank you to everyone who has visited, called, and sent cards and flowers. Most importantly, thank you for your prayers and keep them coming. My due date is March 23 and every day we get closer to that, the better for Sebastian. Love you all and thanks for all of the support.