Kentin Riley's Arrival.....

Ok so it has been awhile. So get ready to read a long post.
Well we got to the hospital on Dec 8th at about 8:30/9pm. They got us back into labor and delivery a lil after 9. Once they got us settled into a room they started my IV. The first one blew so she had to stick me again. The first one left a terrible bruise that just now went away. While waiting on the doctor to come in to give me the medicine to thin out my cervix they came in to go over the epidural and told me that when ever I wanted it just to let them know. He said that they could start it right then but I had no pain and just wanted to sleep. After starting the thinning medicine they gave me an ambian to help me sleep. I don’t remember much until about 5:30am when I started hurting. I called for the nurse and she said she could give me something for my pain or I could get my epidural. I choose the epidural. When they set me up in the bed to start the epidural my water broke. After getting it I went back to sleep. They came in every few hours to check me. I was able to get to 6 cm before they started the patoecin drip.
Mom, Ainie, Uncle Gary, Emily, Laurie and Momma Carol got there sometime that morning. Anine and Uncle Gary didn’t stay long (well they could of stayed longer than I thought I was in and out a lot). Uncle Gary lead us in prayer and then they had to go.
The nurse came in 2 times that I can remember to move me and to slow down the drip. I really didn’t know why. Then the doctor came in and placed an internal heart monitor on Kentin’s head. It wasn’t until about an hour later when the doctor came in that I realized something was wrong. They told me that my contractions were to strong and long and were making Kentin’s heart rate drop. They had to stop my labor a few times just to get his heart rate back up. After explaining to me what was going on the doctor said that I had made it to 9 cm. Then she said that one word that made my heart drop. BUT with the way things are going a c-section is the safest way to deliver. I started crying, this was the one thing I didn’t want. I was scared to death. I was worried about the baby and scared b/c it was major surgery. It wasn’t 2 min after she told me I was having a c-section that I was wheeled into the OR. They upped my epidural and got started. Everything was going great until they were starting to close up. I started feeling pain, my medicine was wearing off. So they went to push more in and the syringe wouldn’t budge. She had to tell them to stop until she could get me something. She worked on the syringe for a bit then just asked if I wanted to go to sleep. So she gave me something that made me sleepy.
When they got me back to my room Bubby and Becca had made it. Christon said that he was 6lbs 4oz. And 18 ¼ inch long and he had his nose and lots of black hair. The next few days was terrible. I had a hard time controlling my pain. The worse was getting in and out of bed. The great thing was Kentin got to stay in the room with us. They came and got him each morning to do his vitals and brought him right back. They have this great thing that all the babies wear on there legs that if they go so far it will lock down the doors and elevators.
We got to come home a day early and I was so ready. With a c-section I had a few restrictions. I couldn’t drive, pick up anything heavier than Kentin and a few other things but those were the most important. Bubby, Becca, and lil mac were at the house when we got here. Lil mac watched Christon carry the car seat in and just looked at it real hard. Christon sit him down it the floor and lil mac looked at the car seat and said “Baby”. We just laughed. She wanted me to pick her up but I couldn’t b/c she was to big. She was so mad at me.
Well Kentin is waking up for his 1am bottle I have to go. I will update soon. PROMISE.

A time and date have been set......

Just wanted to give everyone an update from my doctors appointment.
We had and ultrasound today and everything looked great. He is growing and moving just fine. We have also scheduled his arrival time. We are to be at labor and delivery Monday Dec. 8th at 8:30pm for an induction. We are hoping that he will be here sometime Tue. Anyone that wants to come down is more than welcome but I don’t advise coming until Tue. If you do come make sure you got to the hospital and not the clinic.

Here are directions to the hospital:

1. Take William H Natcher Pkwy South ramp on left
2. Take Exit 1A (I-65 S, Nashville) on right
3. Take Exit 84A (I-40 E, I-65 S, Knoxville, Huntsville) on right
4. Take Exit 209B (US-70S, US-431, Broadway, Demonbreun St) on right
5. Continue onto US-70 E (TN-24 W, 14th Av N)
6. Turn right onto Medical Center Dr
7. You are at 1210 Medical Center Dr, Nashville, TN 37232-0008

When you get to the hospital you can park in any of the parking structures or use the valet. Labor and delivery is on the 4th floor.

If you get lost we are only a phone call away. Also Laurie said that anyone that wants to go down with her give her a call or email.

Thanksgiving.....

Well hello everyone. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving week. Mine was a lil hectic.
After our trip to Nashville on Tue I wasn’t feeling well so I didn’t go to work on Wed. After lying around the house all day I felt well enough to go to the grocery to get my stuff to start cooking for Thursday. After a trip to the grocery I came home and got started cooking. I get everything started and realize I had gotten Lime juice and not Lemon juice. So I had to go back to town. I get back and finish my red violet cake with cream cheese ice. And no it didn’t come from a box, I made it from scratch. I was so proud of myself. (sorry but I had to “toot” my own horn a lil…..LOL) Then I made my cheese cake. After being on my feet for a so long they started to swell. So after getting my cheese cake out of the oven I had to sit down. I went on to bed without cleaning the kitchen.
Thursday I was going to go over to mom and dad’s early and help mom but I had done to much the night before. I figured I better take it easy. We got ready about noon and headed to Provo. Christon help dad and Emily finish up the fencing and I went on over to Maw and Paw’s and helped Aunt Rita finish up dinner. We had a great meal and had great time visiting with everyone.
Becca and Morgan were going shopping the next morning (I told them they were crazy). So lil Mac came home with me and Christon. She woke me up about 4am throwing up in her sleep. I woke Christon up and he helped me change the sheets and clean her up. We went back to bed and Becca called me about 6am to let me know that Garrett was sick and I told her about lil mac. She said she wasn’t feeling well herself and was cutting her shopping trip short. After me and lil mac got up she was feeling fine. Becca called me later that afternoon and said that her and Garrett both had the stomach bug and asked if I cared to keep lil mac a lil while longer. After talking with Becca we got ready and went to mom and dad’s. We were going to put mom’s tree up but didn’t get too. Emily came home with me so she could help me with lil mac while I cooked for our Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Angie’s on Sat. (I had 20lbs of potatoes to peal, cut up and mash). It wasn’t long after we got home that Emily started to feel sick. So she went to bed and it wasn’t but about 20min later she was up throwing up. Christon got her situated and back in bed, me and lil mac went to bed. Then I woke up at 2:30am throwing up myself. I woke Christon up and moved lil mac to the bed with Emily. I was up and down all night running to the bathroom. I was sick all day Saturday. Mom came and got lil mac and brought me and Emily some sprite. Aunt Rita called and asked if I needed anything that she was going to get phenergen, Tara, Morgan, Carson and Paw were all sick too. I had taken one of Emily’s and it had helped but if I needed more I would call her. Christon called every 30min to check on us. Needless to say we didn’t make it to Aunt Angie’s for dinner. I finally got up about 8pm and took a shower and went back to bed.
I got up Sunday and felt fine. Mom came and got me and Emily after church. Mom was cooking dinner for Emily’s 16th birthday. Yeah Emily my baby sis is 16 now. Mom made chicken noodle soup and cooked a ham. Me, Becca, Emily, Kelsey played cards while Garrett, Justin, Tooter and Cody played pool. Christon came over after he got off work. Daniel and his family and Karen didn’t make it over they were all sick. We got home about 11pm. Poor Christon was worn out, he hadn’t had a decent night sleep all week for taking care of all of us. So we both went straight to bed.
Well I better get off here. I have all kinds of laundry to do and plenty of cleaning that I could do.
I go to the doctor tomorrow so I hope to update later tomorrow. Everyone have a great week.

Small update....

We went to Nashville today. Everything went well with our visit. The tech that did our ultrasound said everything looked great.
She did check me and there is nothing to report. She thinks that I will make it to my due date of Dec. 8th. She said that she didn't want to induce if my cervix wasn't ready. It would only make for a longer and maybe more painful labor. With me not being able to push during labor, inducing before my cervix is something I don't want to do.
We went to straight home from Nashville. I got sick on the way home and haven't felt well since we got home. I am hoping to be able to go to work tomorrow.

If I don't see or speak with anyone before Thur. everyone have a great thanksgiving.

Short but sweet update....

Last week we went to the doctor on Tue. I seen Dr. Linzy this time. She told me that if I nothing happened by my 39th week (first wk of Dec) she plans to induce me. I go back to the doctor tomorrow and will know more then. I also had my MRI of the spine done Tue. It took all afternoon to do it but it was fine I just sat in a chair and watched TV the whole time. I will get those results tomorrow also.

I didn't make it to my appointment on Fri. I was up all night with a bad nose bleed and just wasn't able to make the trip. I slept in for most of the day then laid on the couch and watched some movies.

Saturday and Sunday I hung out with Garrett and Mackenzie. Saturday we just sat around the house and watched football. Garrett went to the woods about 2:30 and me and lil mac laid down for a nap. Sunday I got over there and we went to town to eat. We got to see Mark and Tiffany Hampton's newest addition Tucker. I think he looks like his momma. She said everything went fine and she and baby are doing great. After eating we went back to Provo. I dropped Garrett and Justin off at Garrett's and I went to mom and dad's. Dad and Emily went to pick up her horse in Indiana. Me, mom and lil mac played until they got home. After looking at the horse we went in while dad and Allen went and got hay and water for her. After getting the horse settled in for the night we all went in and ate. After supper we went down to the basement and played some pool. I got home about 8:30pm.

Well I have about 10min left of work and somethings that have to be done before I leave.

I will update tomorrow when I get home if I have time.

Last week was too long....

Even though I only worked my normal 3 days a week, I thought last week would never end.




Saturday was Leigh's baby shower. I was excited to see her and compare bellies....lol. Sheena Brown (Lawerence) was also there so the three of us took some silly belly pics together. We had fun playing games and chatting with everyone. Sheena has 2 lil boys already and has a girl on the way. Leigh is staying strong (which would be really hard for me with having an ultrasound every week) and not finding out what she is having. What a surprise they will have when it gets here.



We made are trip to Nashville on Tue, which was not that eventful. Everything went just fine at the doctor's appointment. With the ultrasound I had she did measurements that put him at about 6lbs. After my appointment we went and ate at IHOP and then headed home. We made a stop at Wal-Mart in Franklin after getting gas for $1.89 which was exciting. I had to get a few thing before my stay in the hospital. I didn't have any house shoes or a robe and I still had a few things that the baby needed. I used all my gift cards I got at my showers and paid only $16 for over $200 worth of stuff. Needless to say I felt real good about myself....LOL.

Mom left Tue morning for the Smokie Mountains. She went with the Belmont Ladies Aide. I called her on the way home from Nashville to up date her on my doctor visit and she told me that LeAnn Daugherty had had her baby. She told me that he (I think it was a boy) was born with some serious health issues and asked it I would see if she was at Vandy. Then one of the girls that was with her told her that they had went to Louisville. I do know that he had surgery on Wed. so we need to continue to pray for the Daughtery Family.


We stopped at the shop on the way home. Christon ordered a set of wheels for my new Jeep. I wasn't too happy that he was spending that kind of money on something we didn't have to have. Don't get me wrong I did want a set of wheels but I didn't have to have them now.



Jill and I made another trip to Nashville on Friday. I thought I was having an ultrasound but it was a non-stress test instead. Everything went just fine. I had noticed that I could breathe a lot easier on Thur afternoon so I told the nurse that I thought he had dropped and she said that he had. After my test we went on to Galitin to the River Gate mall to do some shopping. They have huge Motherhood and they were having a sale. I got me a shirt that is very comfortable. We walked the whole mall. Jill was on the hunt for a "My 2nd Christmas" ordiment for Samuel. We found one a Hallmark but Jill forgot her coupon in the truck. So after leaving the mall we went and ate at our usually spot.....Red Lobster. While there we got the phone call that Wendall Embry (John Embry's dad, Beth (Mastin) Embry's father-in-law) had passed and that they were taking Debbie Shane (Jana (Shane) Allen's mother) off life support (she passed today around lunch). Wendall is Debbie's great uncle, so we need to remember that family. Also I was told that Beth and baby IF made it home on Thur but Wendal wasn't able to see her.
We headed back to BG after eating and stopped at K-Mart so Jill could get some diapers and formula. Then we went over to the mall so Jill could go to Hallmark and get Samuel's ordiment. While she was in Hallmark I ran into Old Navy and got me a few things. We got back to Morgantown about 5 pm.

Later Friday night Garrett and Becca brought lil mac over to stay the night with me. Becca had all weekend off and I called and told them I wanted to keep her for them to go out and do something. So they went to the football game and had big plans to do some serious house cleaning on Saturday.

Saturday Christon had to work so me and lil mac hung out around the house all day. Garrett and Becca got to the house that afternoon and hung out until Christon got home. Then we all went out to eat at Texas Road House for my birthday.

Sunday Christon went to the shop and put his new tires on his truck. I went and got him later that day and we ran to Beaver Dam to get shocks for the front of his truck. We got back to town and ate lunch. I dropped him off at the shop and I ran to Pamida to get him some duck tape. I had bought a large wicker basket there last Thur for $15 and thought I would get another one but they weren't on sale anymore. I took him his tape and went home. I stayed on the couch the rest of the night. I wasn't feeling well and tried to take a nap but the phone wouldn't stop ringing. Christon came back to the house and got my Jeep and put the wheels on it. He finally got home about 9pm.

I go back to the doctor tomorrow for my OB check up then later that afternoon I go to get my MRI. I have a lot to do tomorrow and none of it any fun and it is my birthday. Well I think I am going to hit the bed I have to be in Nashville by 10:30am.

Hope everyone has a great week and please remember all the pray request.

SOOOO much to tell.....

Ok so it has been a long time since I have posted. I do apologize for that but thing have went crazy.

Were to start.....

I had my baby shower with Christon's family on Oct 25th. His mom and dad got me my bed and I got a lot of other great things. Later that night we went over to Jason and Tiff's and watched UFC. I had pictures with Laurie the next day. We had a great time catching up and goofing off. I LOVE my pics...Thank you Laurie.

After taking pics with Laurie I went home. I was having some pain. I just thought it was something I had ate and put it off and went to bed. I got up Monday morning and got ready for work. I was still in pain. The more I moved around the worse it got. I made it to work but didn't stay long. I left and headed to Vanderbilt. After making sure I wasn't in labor they ran all kinds of blood work and an ultra sound. The ultra sound was to see if anything was wrong with my appendix, or gal bladder, which they couldn't find anything wrong. They kept me in L & D and monitored me and the baby. They went ahead and gave me the steroid shot for his lungs for "just in case". I hadn't eat all day so after they decided I wasn't in labor and it was anything surgical they FINALLY let me eat. Christon ran down stairs to McDonald's and got me something to eat. It was about 7pm and they moved me to a regular room. Not long after one of the 20 doctors came in. Even though I wasn't in any pain they decided to keep me. I had to have a few test ran anyways and I also had to have the second part of the shot for his lungs. We got home about 9pm that Tue night.

Coming back to work things were crazy. After playing catch-up for a few days at work I was ready for the weekend. Saturday was Carson and Emma's birthday parties. Also Garrett and Becca were going to get pics made at Laurie's. So I went along with them to help with lil Mac. They had Christmas pics done and lil Mac's birthday pics. To get the lil turd to smile I would say "wuz up" and she would repeat me.....Laurie was laughing at us. The pics turned out great, even though the kid really needed a nap. Needless to say she was out before we got 1/2 way down Laurie and Scoot's drive way.

We got back to Provo and dropped Garrett off at home. Becca, lil Mac and I went to Carson's birthday party at Paw's. He is the funniest kid. He tore into that cake like none other. He had some much fun. Morgan had gotten a cup cake cake. It was really good. After cake Carson opened his gifts. Him and lil Mac had fun playing with each other. I got me a cup cake and was helping Aunt Rita clean up the kitchen. Lil Mac wanted a bite of my cup cake so I gave her some. Then she went on her mary way playing with Carson. I was walking through the dinner room and she was following my screaming "bite bite" so I would give her one and she would go back to playing. We left there and went to mom and dad's. Garrett and Becca went over to Heather and CJ's and lil Mac came home with me and Christon.

Monday I had a doctor's appointment. They put me on medication for the gestational diabetes. We also discussed labor and delivery. She said that I could have a C-section but really doesn't want to do that b/c of how much blood I could loose. So she said that to do it vaginally I wouldn't be able to push. Because if I have a bleeder in my brain pushing that hard could cause serious problems. So she said what we would do is let me labor and when it came time for me to push she would just use forceps. She has reassured me that it is safe and the best way for me to deliver. When getting ready to leave I asked the doc if I was starting one day a week appointments. She said yeah we will start seeing you once a week. Well one more doctor came in to give me my prescription and told me that it would be twice a week until I deliver. Christon about freaks. He had had time to get use to the idea of driving to Nashville once a week and then they tell us twice a week. I see the doctor one time a week and have a non-stress test done on the baby and on Friday's I have an ultra sound to measure the fluid and make sure baby is moving fine. We did ask if there was any way we could have the ultra sound done in Bowling Green and they wouldn't let us. So now I go every Tue and Fri. Also I was scheduled to have a MRI that afternoon. So after registration and the long wait to have the test they call me back. I get 15 min into a 2 1/2 hour test and I almost pass out. I was afraid wouldn't be able to do the test to start with. You have to lay on your back the whole time. I can't even get through a ultra sound lying flat on my back. When lying on my back my uterus falls onto my vena cava (sp?) and makes me light headed and I almost pass out. So needless to say I didn't finish the test. Not sure what they are going to do now. I have to have that test so I can have an epidural, which I want more than anything.

I returned to work on Tue. Things weren't that bad b/c I have great coverage when I am gone. Thanks Kathy you really don't know how much I appreciate you helping me. After work I planned to go vote (which is something really important to me). I did have a few errands to run in town before heading to North Butler to vote. So I get to North Butler to vote about 10 til 6 and they tell me I am in the wrong place. They had changed my place to vote to 5th district fire department. There was no way I could make it over there in 10 min to vote. I was furious!!! I told the woman at North Butler that I should have been notified and I left there mad. I went over to Jason and Tiff's to take Emma her birthday gift. I visited with them for awhile and went home.

Well I think that is enough for now. Hope I didn't bore anyone and again I apologist for not updating sooner.

Pics of Mackenzie's Birthday Party

I forgot to add these in the last post.

Getting ready to go.

Ainie and the Birthday Girl



Happy Birthday ME



Morgan & Carson


JB and Jayce


Ainie, Carson, & Lil Mac


Mamaw Mary and Lil Mac

My First Trac From Aunt B and Uncle Zeek

YUM....CAKE


SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR

Daniel, Garrett, & JB enjoying some cake

All cleaned up

I want daddy

Now I don't

A car accident, 2 b-day parties, and a doctor appointment.....

This past 2 wks haven't been the best. Last week seemed to never end and the weekend was just so tiring, but I survived.



Last week was so draining. I just felt like I could not get anything done. We had seven new evals last week and once I got one done Brad would bring me another one. By Wed. afternoon I was looking forward to Thurs. afternoon to get some things done while I was here alone. Needless to say I didn't make it to work on Thur.
Thursday morning I wrecked my truck on the way to work. The rain made the road slick and I fish tailed and landed on a concrete culvert. I am fine but my truck isn't. There wasn't one thing underneath it that wasn't broke. I wasn't hurt (thank God) but to make myself feel better I went on up to the hospital and got checked out. They monitored me and the baby for an hour and sent us home. We got back into town and went by the shop to look at the truck. I didn't want to look at it but decided to anyway. I was so mad at myself. The longer I looked at it the madder I got. I just sit there and cried. Jason and Christon was laughing at me but I didn't care....that was MY truck. We met with the insurance woman Friday and she wrote us a check. So we are going truck shopping this Friday.

Saturday was Mackenzie's 1st birthday. Becca picked me up that morning and we went and got everything for the party. We got the community center decorated and went over to mom and dad's to get Mackenzie. They had a great turn out. She wouldn't open any of her gifts herself Becca had to do it all. She just wanted to play with them. Then we had cake. Mackenzie ate hers and had fun. After I was worn out. I had Becca take me and a load of stuff home. She went back and her, Karen, and Emily finished cleaning and I stayed at the house getting toys out of there boxes. There were all kinds, thank God she got a toy box from her Mamaw Mary. After they got home Becca gave Mackenzie a bath and we played with her toys. It wasn't long after she was ready for a nap. She was asleep in no time. After Bubby got home me, him, Becca, Emily, and Mackenzie went to town and ate at Garcia's. They took me home and I went to bed.

Sunday I slept in a lil. Christon's mom came over and finished painting the baby's room. I had another birthday party to go to. So I got ready and headed to Provo. Riah's 1st birthday party was at Mykel's parent's house. They had all kinds of food so we ate and played with the kids. Riah enjoyed her birthday cake. After cake we watched a slide show while gifts were open. Mykel had to open them all b/c Riah was to busy dancing, it was cute. After gifts we went to mom and dad's. Karen had papers to grade and Becca had a test to study for so me and Emily took Mackenzie down to the river to ride the combine with Bubby. I was only able to ride a lil while. I just couldn't get comfortable and Mackenzie was getting sleepy. So I got off and Emily road some with Bubby. We rode up with dad in the grain truck.
Mom cooked veggie soup and everyone came over. Mom and dad gave the girls there gifts. They got them both John Deere riding toys that opens up to a farm scene with animals. We got home about 9pm.

Jill and I made an adventure to Nashville yesterday for my prenatal check up. Everything went well. I was unable to do the 3 hour sugar test so now I have check my blood sugar 4 times a day. Once when I get up, and then 2 hours after I eat each meal. I have to keep record of it and turn it in at my next appointment. I did have an ultrasound and everything looked great. We even got to see that he has hair, he weighs about 4 lbs now and all the measurement came back great. We went and ate at Red Lobster and headed home. We got back in town about 3:30. Then mom picked me up at Jill's house and we headed to Bowling Green. I went with them to get Emily's outfit for homecoming. I thought we were never going to find anything. Finally we found what she wanted at Dillard's. We went and ate at Fazoli's and then went to Shoe Carnival. She had to get a pair of boots to go with her outfit. I was ready to go home but happy we were going to Shoe Carnival b/c I needed some black dress shoes. I found me a pair of Clark's. I wasn't to happy with the price but I really needed them. We made our last stop at Wal-Mart, a trip to BG is not complete with out a stop at Wal-Mart. I was very proud of myself. I went into Wal-Mart and came out with NOTHING....LOL. Christon and mom were impressed....LOL. I finally got home a lil before 10pm and crashed.

Well hope everyone has a great rest of the week. I have to get to work.

8 wks and counting....

Well we are into the single digits in the count down for the arrival of baby Howard. That also means that it isn't that far away from Christmas....LOL

I went last week for my 3 hour sugar test. I didn't go so well. I got there and they took my blood for the fasting test, then gave me my sugar drink. It was terrible. The one that I took before wasn't that bad, this one was so sweet and on top of that I had to drink it with in 5 min. Well after I drank that I had to wait 30 min and they would draw blood again. About this time Christon had left and went and got him something to eat. I told him he could eat in there with me b/c there was me and 3 other pregnant women having this same test done and we couldn't eat and that would just be mean. After my 30min stick I was checking my email and my stomach wasn't feeling that great, by this time heart burn had set in. Christon had just gotten back and we were sitting there talking and it hit. I barley made it to the bathroom before throwing everything up. I felt better but I knew this was going to mess up the test. So after cleaning myself up, I went and told them that I had lost everything. She told me ok we are done. I couldn't finish the test. So now I have to do it all over again. I'm not sure when I will be able to, I just have to have it done before I go back to Vandy.

I got up Saturday morning sick at my stomach and it has yet to go away. It just feels like I have morning sickness all over again. I have been told that it could come back during the 3rd trimester. I didn't have it that bad at the beginning, I just felt nauseous but now I am nauseous and throwing up. Who knows.

I think we have a name.....Kenton Riley Howard. The other night I told Christon that we were gonna have to come up with something and he said I guess its going to be Kenton Riley. I wasn't really expecting that to come out of his mouth. I thought we were going to have the same argument we have had for the last 2 months over Memphis, but it wasn't....LOL. Then last night he said he had changed his mind he was still fighting for Memphis, so who knows. I do know that it isn't going to Memphis.....LOL.

Christon started on taping the walls so they can be painted. When we were trying to decide what colors we wanted Christon suggested we paint it tan and have an accent wall in navy blue. I thought that would look really great. Then the other night we are watching tv and he said do you really want to paint that one wall blue? I was like yeah why not. He said it was going to be too much trouble. So now he has changed his mind on that now. Which I am NOT very happy about. I probably won't win this battle b/c they are painting it on Thursday while I am at work BUT I will not allow my child to be named Memphis.....LOLOLOL.

I have alot to get done today so I better get back at it. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

Two Doctors Appointments and 2 Test Later

Well it has been awhile since updating and I apologise once again. We have been to see the lung doc and OB again since I last updated.



At my last OB appointment I had gotten my sugar test results back that were 170 and they want them to be 135 or less. So we did another 1 hour test. I got those results back yesterday. NOT good....they were 176 so now I have to get the 3 hour test...YUCK. I have to fast after 12am tonight and be at the hospital by 8am to have blood drawn, then I drink a sugar drink and they draw more blood (like I have enough to go around...LOL) every hour for 3 hours. Did I mention I can't eat until the test is over. Other than that everything is going great. I got my Rh factor shot yesterday, which wasn't fun. I am scheduled for an ultrasound next visit (Oct 21st.). Christon has to work so I am hoping that mom will let Emily skip school and they go with me.

After we left the doctors office we did a little shopping around for strollers. I am wanting the travel system that has the stroller and baby carrier with it but we can seem to agree on one. I know us not agree on something.....LOL. We did find a few that we both liked but the price was to high at the many stores we went to, and I was able to find them cheaper online. The truth he may end up winning this battle b/c I'm still not going to let him name the baby.....LOL



We went to the lung doctor last week. Everything went fine. They wanted me to do a test called a bubble echo. They got us in for that day so after grabbing a bite to eat at McDonald's we went to the cardio diagnostics and waited forever to go back. Then when I finally got back there he told me why I had to wait so long. He wasn't comfortable doing the test on me being pregnant. (Bubble Echocardiogram: A bubble cardiogram is the same procedure as an echocardiogram, except with this test you will have an IV placed in your arm. During certain portions of the imaging, agitated saline is injected into the vein. This enables the cardiologist to see if there is a tiny hole between the upper chambers of the heart, known as a PFO or ASD.) So he was waiting on a cardiac doctor to get back with him. So we went ahead and done the echo but not the bubble part. The doctor finally got back with the tech and they decided not to do the test. So we were done. I go back to the the lung doctor in April next year.

Mom, Becca and Tiffany had me a baby shower this past Sunday. We had fun. I got alot of great stuff. Thanks to everyone who attended and the gifts.

Well I better get back to work. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

What is HHT and AVMs?

I have done some research for everyone. I hope this answers some questions everyone might have.





What is hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT)?

HHT is a genetic disorder that causes abnormalities of blood vessels. Most blood vessels in the body of someone with HHT are normal. However, a small percentage of the blood vessels in a person with HHT have a specific type of abnormality.
Blood vessels are the tubes that carry blood around our bodies. There are two types of blood vessels: arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood under high pressure out to all areas of the body after being pumped by the heart. Veins carry blood that should be under low pressure, back to the heart. An artery does not usually connect directly to a vein. Usually there are very small blood vessels called capillaries that connect an artery to a vein.
A person with HHT has a tendency to form blood vessels that lack the capillaries between an artery and vein. This means that arterial blood under high pressure flows directly into a vein without first having to squeeze through the very small capillaries. This place where an artery is connected directly to a vein tends to be a fragile site that can rupture and result in bleeding. We usually call a blood vessel that is abnormal in this way a telangiectasia (tel-AN-jee-eck-TAZE-ee-ya), if it involves small blood vessels. We tend to call it an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) if involves larger blood vessels. So, an AVM might be thought of as a big telangiectasia. The basic abnormality in the blood vessel is the same.
Telangiectases tend to occur at the surface of the body such as the skin and the mucous membrane that lines the nose. AVMs tend to occur in the internal organs of the body. The telangiectases (plural for telangiectasia) and AVMs of HHT occur primarily in the nose, skin of the face, hands, and mouth and the lining of the stomach and intestines (GI tract), lungs, liver and brain. It is not currently known why these abnormal blood vessels tend to occur in certain parts of the body and not others.

What is an arteriovenous malformation (AVM)?
Normally blood flows from the heart through large arteries to all areas of the body. The arteries branch and get smaller until they become a capillary, which is just a single cell thick. The capillary bed is where the blood exchanges oxygen and nutrients with the body tissues and picks up waste. The blood travels from the capillary bed back to the heart through veins. In an AVM, arteries connect directly to veins without a capillary bed in between. This creates a problem called a high-pressure shunt or fistula. Veins are not able to handle the pressure of the blood coming directly from the arteries. The veins stretch and enlarge as they try to accept the extra blood. The weakened blood vessels can rupture and bleed and are also more likely to develop aneurysms. The surrounding normal tissues may be damaged as the AVM “steals” blood from those areas.
There are four types of AVMs:
1. Arteriovenous malformation – abnormal tangle of blood vessels where arteries shunt directly into veins with no intervening capillary bed; high pressure.
2. Cavernoma – abnormal cluster of enlarged capillaries with no significant feeding arteries or veins; low pressure.
3. Venous malformation – abnormal cluster of enlarged veins resembling the spokes of a wheel with no feeding arteries; low pressure, rarely bleed and usually not treated.
4. Capillary telangiectasia – abnormal capillaries with enlarged areas (similar to cavernoma); very low pressure.
AVMs can form anywhere in the body and cause symptoms based on their location.

Lung AVM
Approximately 30-50% of people with HHT have one or more AVM in the lungs (pulmonary AVM or PAVM). AVMs in the lung are at risk of rupture, particularly during pregnancy when blood pressure and blood volume tend to increase. This can lead to life threatening bleeding. In addition people with lung AVMs are at risk for stroke (a clot in the brain blocking off blood flow) or brain abscess (a bacterial brain infection). Stroke and brain abscess can be life threatening or disabling. In the normal lung, the capillaries between an artery and vein act as a filter for impurities (clots, bacteria, air bubbles) in the blood, before the blood circulates to other parts of the body, including the brain. When lung AVMs are present, these particles can pass through the AVM, go to the left side of the heart and then on to the brain or other organs. Fortunately, lung AVMs are usually easily treatable.

Brain AVM
Brain AVMs are found in about 5-20% of people with HHT and can also be successfully treated in most cases. They can be life threatening or disabling if they bleed. Since they often do not cause warning symptoms prior to causing a brain hemorrhage, we recommend screening for them in all people with HHT. Spinal AVMs are more rare and can also be removed. They can cause pain in the back over the spine or loss of feeling or function in an arm or leg.

Liver AVM
Liver AVMs can also occur, are relatively common, but rarely cause sudden, severe medical complications like lung and brain AVMs can. Liver AVMs almost never bleed and most are not currently treated. Large AVMs in the liver occasionally cause heart and liver failure, usually later in life. Heart failure can occur if the heart has been overworked for years, pumping extra blood through the low resistance pathway of an AVM (in this context an AVM is sometimes called a “Shunt”.

It's been a lil crazy....

Sorry I haven't updated in a long while. It has been crazy here at work since I have been out. I was out 2 days last week and I've been playing catch up since last Thur.

Well all my doc appointments went great last week. We don't have to go back and see the heart doc or my blood doc unless I need them. The heart doc said everything looked great from what an ultra sound could tell us, and that I won't have to see him again unless we find something wrong after he gets here. The blood doc was happy w/ my progress and my counts so I won't have to see him unless I need blood or iron which will hopefully won't be anytime soon.

I got my glucose results back that weren't so good, it was 170. But Dr. Garrison thinks they gave me the wrong test. So I went today to have the test again. I should get those results back w/ in a day or two. I will see Dr. Garrison next week for my 2 wk check.
I go back to Nashville this Wed. to see a lung doc. Hopefully we will pass all her test too. This actually one of the most important exams I will have. They will be looking for AVM's in my lungs. They already know that I have one in my liver (which isn't a big deal) but we are praying I don't have any in my lungs. I can also have them in my spine and I will have a MRI done to see if I have any there. So please remember me in your prayers on Wed.

On a better note.
There are so many other things I need to tell.....were to begin.....

Mackenzie is walking!!! But still wants to craw b/c she knows she can get there faster that way.

Emily is in football homecoming.

Mom and Becca are planning my baby shower for this Sunday at Provo Community Center at 2pm all are invited.

Can't remember if I told you or not but I do have the baby's room cleaned out and is ready to paint. His bedding is almost done (Christon's mom is making it). I didn't go with a "theme" just certain colors, navy blue, tan, burgundy, and hunter green, all plad.

One last thing we still don't have a name......

Well I better get back to work only an hour left to go. Hope everyone has a great week.

12 wks and counting....

Believe it or not I only have 12 wks to go. I haven't gotten nervous yet but I am sure that part will show up soon. I am quite a bit larger than I was a few weeks ago and we (baby and I) are continuing to grow.


I go to the doctor or I should say doctors next week. I was to go back this week but was able to push it back one more week so that I can see all my doctors with in 2 days of each other. I see Dr. Peera (baby's heart doc) 8:30 Tue morning, then from there we will visit w/ Dr. Garrison (OB) at 11 then hopefully find a hotel room and rest some before we go out on the town that night....lol. We will most likely eat and go to bed, b/c we have to be back at the hospital to visit w/ Dr. Stein (my hematologist) at 8:30 Wed morning. After this appointment I will start going every 2 wks and Christon isn't very happy about it at all and I don't really understand why. He knew that it would eventually have to happen but I think it has snuck up on him also w/ gas prices up and having a gas hog to drive he is a lil worried about the money, which I am too. Not sure yet what I am going to do when I have to start going every week. With his schedule he won't be able to go with me and I hate asking anyone else to go, but I will cross that bridge when it gets here.

We have started on his room. Christon's mom and dad came over on Sunday and we got it cleaned out. Before we started you couldn't even see the floor let alone walk through it. His mom has started on making the bedding and she is picking up the paint sometime this week. I hope to get it painted in the next week or two.

Mom and Becca are planning my baby shower for October 5th at 2pm at the Provo Community Center. We are registered at Target and Wal-Mart. I hope everyone can attend. This weekend is Friend and Family Day at Belmont and Leigh is coming in. I am excited to compare bellies w/ her once more. Hopefully this time we can get some pics made so I can share. Heaven's Gaits and Hell's flames has been rescheduled for Oct 12th, 13th, and 14th just wanted to let everyone know.

Also I want to think everyone for praying for my grandmother. She is still in the hospital but doing good. She had a cardiac cath done Monday. She had one 100% blockage and one 99% blockage. They wanted to do surgery but with her other health problems they were afraid healing would be a problem. So they put 2 stints in and we are praying for the best. So if you will please continue to pray for her and our family.

I want to give you a name up date.....WE STILL DON'T HAVE ONE. When he came up with Riley I said no then I started to like well then he changes his mind. Now he is stuck on Memphis, and that isn't going to happen at all. So we are still looking and taking suggestions.

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

Way COOL new web site.....

I have found a way cool web sit. You have to try this it is SO much fun.

http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

You make your year book pics. Here are some that I have made:

Just thought I would share that with everyone.

Also an update on mamaw. She was to have her heart cath the morning but they weren't able to do it b/c something was wrong w/ her kidney's. They are going to wait and make sure they are working correctly before doing the cath. Please remember her and papaw in your prayers.

Thank yous, prayer needed and sorry its been long...

I just had a few minutes to stop in and update. There are only a few things I have time to share with everyone.

I want say thank you for all the names that have been sent to me. I think some of you all (I won't say any names LAURIE...lol) have had a lot of fun with this. We are still trying to find one that we agree on so keep them coming.

My grandmother Anna Rose (mom's mom) is in the hospital. They took her yesterday morning after she had fallen. They think she has had a heart attack. They weren't 100% sure as of last night when I last talked to them. They were going to run more test. They have yet to tell Mamaw or Papaw what is going on. I think they are waiting until they are 100% sure. So please everyone remember her and papaw in your prayers.

I need to get back to work. Hope everyone has great rest of the day. I will update on Mamaw when I learn more.

Name update....

Here are some that we have liked:

1. Kenton Levi
2. Kenton David
3. Ethan - we need another name with that
4. Riley - this is a name that Christon just loves but I'm just not sure, we also need another name with this one.
5. Winston - we both like

When we first found out that we were having a boy Christon came up with a few names him self:

1. Earson
2. Eldabrock
3. Jegs
4. Summit
5. Jeep

After laughing my butt off at him for even thinking I would go for any of these I had to ask were he got the first one from. It is a brand of a camshaft. I told him he was crazy if he thought that my child was not going to be named after a motor part. The second one is a name brand of a motor, third and forth is are places he orders motor parts from, and the fifth well I hope everyone knows what Jeep is also there is a guy named Jeep Vanworner that races in the Lucas Oil Late model Series (why would you do that to a kid). To explain his thinking for the ones that don't know my husband, he is what they call a gear head. He loves anything to do with motors, cars, you name it.

Thanks for all your help. I hope I have given you all some idea of what we are looking and NOT looking for...LOL.

Needing some help....

Ok I truely believe this kid is goin to come home with out a name. We can't decide on anything. We have choosen a few names but now Christon has changed his mind on some of them. I am about ready to kill him.

I was hopeing you all could help. I need some ideas. Laurie has been emailing me lists of names and I was hopeing you all could do the same. Just send a comment if you don't mind.

Thank you and remember it is a boy.

Sorry...

Sorry it has been so long updating. With the short week it has been crazy here at the office.

I hope everyone had a great labor day weekend. We didn't do much b/c it was so hot out.

Saturday Christon's dad put his car in the car show at Greenville. They left about 7:30 and Bubby, lil mac and I met them over there later that morning. It was SOOOO hot. We did stay for a while. We looked at all the cars, I think there were about 180 there. Me, lil mac, Christon's mom and aunt went into a store so they could look around and cool off. After that I told Bubby I was ready to go, I knew if I was miserabley hot lil mac was too. So we went on home. I hung out there for a while and watched tv w/ Bubby while lil mac played. Let me tell ya watching tv w/ Bubby is not fun. He puts it on a channel long enough for you to get interested in the show and then turns it. If you have ever rode in a car with Jonna Lee she is the same way with the radio, he is as bad (if not worse) as she is. Laurie you know what I am talking about. Well back to my story. He got ready to go to the river and helped me get her bags together for her to stay the night with me. On the way home I called Christon and they were still at the car show so I stopped at Jason and Tiff's to visit w/ them. On the way there I noticed lil mac wasn't happy at all and when I got her out of her car seat I knew why. She had messed her diaper and it was all the way up her back. It was on the car seat, her clothes, and now me. I get her in the house and Tiff helps me get her cleaned up. We let the girls play while we caught up with each other. She said that they had had a rough day. Earlier while she was cleaning Emma was pushing one of the kitchen chairs around following her and fell, as she fell the chair went with her and landed on top of her giving her a pretty nice brus on her fore head.

Then while Emma was in the laudary room w/ Tiff she cut her leg on something. Tiff said she's afraid someone is going to think she beats her kids. I told her no one will think that they know that accidents happen and kids will be kids. Then Jerry (Tiff's dad) came in. He had walked over just to see what was going on. Hannah ended up walking back home w/ him. Tiff wanted to get Emma asleep so I went on to Christon's mom and dad's. We ate dinner and then went outside for a bit. Lil mac LOVES it outside. We went and swung in the new gazeebo his mom had gotten.

Isn't she just adorable.

We left there about 9pm and I knew she was goin to go to sleep on the way home and she had to have a bath. She had sun screen on and where we had been outside most of the day she had to have one. So when getting her out of the car seat I woke her up. We got in and I give her a bath (which she was not happy about) and I figured she would go back to sleep. So I jump in the shower hopeing Christon will have her asleep when I get out. NO they are both wide awake playing. I was ready to go to bed but she wasn't. So I just let her play, there was no since in fighting w/ her. When she started to get fussy I fixed her a bottle and she went to sleep before finishing it and we both went to bed.

I have to get some stuff done today before I leave and I have to leave early today. I am having my glucose test done today and doing some shopping for Hannah's birthday on Saturday. So I will update so. Everyone have a great day.

It's almost Friday....

I am so ready for this 3 day weekend, even though Christon has to work on Monday. We don't have much planned. On Saturday we are taken his dad's new car to the car show in Greenville, Bubby is coming over to help move some things at the house on Sunday and Monday I think lil mac is going to spend the day with me.

I'm not feeling to well this morning. I have had a few rounds with my nose the past 2 - 3 days and I think it has caught up with me. This weather is to blame though. Other than that my stomach has been upset also, I hope to go home early from work and take a nap.

Well they called me the other day from Dr. Garrison's (OB doc) office to tell me they got me an appointment with their pulmonologist. The only thing is it is exactly a week after my other appointments. I'm not to happy about it but there isn't anything I can do about it. They had to pull some strings to get me in then to start with.

Last night we went over to Bubby's for a lil while. Becca was working on homework when we got there. Bubby and lil mac were watching TV. I played with lil mac so Becca could get her homework and studying done. I really don't see how she does it, she works full time, has a 10 mon. old and going to school full time. I am really proud of her though. Becca got done with her studying we got lil mac ready for bed. While Becca was folding and putting up clothes lil mac was playing with her swing. She would push the buttons so hard that she was shaking, it was so funny. I was going to put her to sleep but Becca said she probably would go. So we went back into the living room and watched TV with Bubby and Zeek. While sitting there lil mac fell asleep, then she would sit straight up. At one point when she sat straight up she fell a sleep while sitting there we just all died laughing. I took her and put in her bed. When I got back to the living room Bubby and Zeek both were asleep. So I woke him up and we went home.

Hope everyone has a great 3 day weekend.

Not much to tell.....

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We didn't do much, but I am still worn out.



Friday night Christon and Bubby worked on Bubby's truck all night. They mostly took things apart to see what parts they would need to go after in the morning. I went up about 9pm to see how much longer they were going to be. Craig was up there with them, and not long after I got there Eddie and Richie showed up. We all caught up with each other for a bit and then headed home.



Saturday Bubby was at the house early to get Christon. They headed to the shop and I headed to the couch. I didn't feel like doing much. After finding nothing on TV to watch I fixed me some pan cakes. Then Christon called and said they were going to Owensboro to get parts. I ask if I could go along for the ride. He told me he would be there in about 5 min for me to be ready.....yeah right, like I could get ready in 5 min. I ran and through my clothes in the dryer and ran a flat iron through my hair. I was proud of myself, I was ready in about 15 min and I even put on a lil make-up....lol. After we go back from Owensboro they dropped me off at the house and went back to shop. I started another load of laundry and fixed me something to eat. About 2:30 Christon calls to tell me we have to be at his mom and dad's at 3 to meet Craig to go to Bardstown to watch the Lucas Oil Late Models. I was like I don't think that is going to happen. You aren't even at home yet and you need a shower. So I ran and took a quick bath and finished getting ready. I really wanted to wear my Bloomer shirt but it was still in the wash soaking wet. So I put Christon's new Fransic shirt on and it didn't fit. I was not happy. I finally found a t-shirt and we were out the door. We had fun at the races, other than it was sooo hot and I started hurting some. I had to get up and walk around and I felt better. I think it was from sitting so long on those hard bleachers. After the races we went and ate at Steak'n Shake. It was about 1am by the time we both got a shower and into bed. Christon was hard to get up the next morning.

Sunday I went to mom and dad's after church. Emily, me and lil mac watched tv, well me and Emily did while chasing lil mac around the house. Mom was trying to cook so we put stools up were lil mac couldn't get into the kitchen. It wasn't 10 min and I look up and she is gone and mom is yelling at someone to come and get her....the lil shit found a crack in our barriers and went through....lol. Bubby and Justin came in and said they were going to wash there trucks. Dad told them to do it here b/c his grass needed water. So while they washed there trucks me and lil mac went outside and watched. Dad made Emily was mom hoopy(that is what we call her Expedition). While we were sitting there I put lil mac on the ground and she didn't like the grass at all. She tried to get away from it and the next thing I know she is standing up by herself (she didn't pull up she stood up), but after she realized what she was doing she fell. We had to go in b/c the bugs were biting us both. Mom had supper ready so I fixed me and lil mac a plate. You would think she hadn't eatin' for days the way she was acting. I couldn't get food in her mouth fast enough. She at 3 big spoon fulls of mom's squash and some mash potatoes. She wouldn't let me eat, I had to feed her first. It was funny though b/c she would get mad if I didn't get it to her when she wanted. After we all ate me and Emily gave lil mac a bath, which she hated. She was so sleepy that I got her diaper on her and went to brush her hair and she was asleep on my chest. Becca came in after she got off work. We discussed when we wanted to have my baby shower. Becca has to work every weekend so she said it didn't matter b/c she could take a vacation day. We decided to to it sometime in October. I told Becca to pic a day and just let me know. Lil mac woke up while we were getting her stuff together to go home. I helped Becca get lil mac loaded up and we headed out. I stopped at Bubby's house to get a charger for Christon's phone. Before I left there lil mac was back asleep. I got home about 8:45 and Christon was already alseep. So I just laid in bed and read my book.


Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Things have been a lil crazy here at work.

Hope everyone has great day. Tara I am thinking of you today.

Best Wedding Dance......EVER!!!

This was emailed to me this morning. I just had to share....

Quick update....

I know, I know it isn't even Sept. yet and I have up a fall back ground. I am just ready for it I guess, plus it is my favorite season.



So Dr. Garrison's office just called to tell me they made my appointment with Dr. Stein (my hematologist) for this Friday. I was like look woman I was just down there Monday and I can't afford to make 2 trips down there the same week. SOOOO I call everyone back and was able to get all 3 appointments I had in Sept. in two days. That means we will be stay over night again but with the discounts I get with hotels being a patient at Vandy is cheaper than the gas. The only thing is they can't get me into there pulmonologist until Oct. which isn't good. I need to be seen before that. Everything else has worked out so far, I know that this will too.

Hello everyone....

Happy Hump day. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Nothing really exciting happened just really busy with lil mac.

Saturday I sat around the house and watched tv all day. Garrett and Becca brought lil mac over about 4:30. I got cleaned up and we went to the grocery to get a few things. On the way home she fell asleep which was great. I just laid her down and I could unload everything. I fixed Doritos salad for supper, we fixed our bowls and I just sit down to eat and she woke up. Needless to say I didn't get to eat until Christon got done eating so he could hold her. We played and watched tv. I finally got her to sleep about 10:30.

Sunday she woke up at 8:30 took a bottle, changed her bottom and we went back to sleep. We got up about 11:30 and went to Wal-Mart. I stopped at Wendy's and got me a cheese and bacon potato and a Cesar salad. We stopped at Christon's mom and dad's so I could feed her and I could eat too. After I got her fed I was getting my salad ready to eat and after putting my dressing on I noticed they give me ranch dressing for a Cesar salad. I was mad so I just ate the chicken out of it and tossed it in the garbage. We visited with them for a lil while and went on home. Lil mac was out of it before we even got out of the drive way. We got home and I put her in her pack'n play while I unloaded my wal-mart stuff. She was still asleep when I got done so I ran and took a fast shower. I got out and she was awake and mad. I didn't get out of the shower fast enough to satisfy her. After I got done drying my hair we watched Mickey Mouse Playhouse and played in the floor. She was bored with the tv and wanted to go outside. So we go outside to play for a lil while on the back porch. Christon got in from work and when she saw him pull into the drive she was all excited. She was happy to see someone else other than me...lol, and she loves her Uncle Zeek. We all went inside so Christon could take a shower and play with her. We rented WWE Summer Slam on PPV and Garrett and Becca didn't come in long after that came on. They left about 10pm.

Monday I had to go to Nashville for my OB check up. Christon had to work so Jill went with me. We made great timing. Traffic wasn't bad at all on the way down. I am so glad Jill went, if I didn't have a question she did. They answered all of them that we asked too. Also she was my ears, I can't remember crap anymore. So if I don't remember it I am sure she will. Everything went fine. I measured right at 24 wks and the baby's heart rate was 145 bpm. My biggest concern is going into labor at home. So I asked when I would have the baby. She told me probably at 39 weeks. She wants my cervix to be "ready" meaning some percentage efaced. So I asked her what will happen if I go in to labor. She said if I get to Bowling Green and I am stable they will transport me to Vandy. If I can't be transported then Vandy will come to me. I thought that was great and it made me feel alot better. After all that we discussed what needed to be done about my lung doctor. Dr. Thompson in Bowling Green has been seeing me but is not really sure on what he needs to do. After ask for instructions for Dr. Thompson, Dr. Garrison (my OB) asked if I was willing to see there pulmonary doctor there. I was like why not I go to everyone else down there what is one more...lol. So they are to set that up for me. I am scheduled to return to Dr. Garrison in 4 wks.
After leaving there we went to Red Lobster. I know we went all the way to Nashville and ate at Red Lobster. You have to understand I never get to eat there. Christon hates it and he says it to expensive. Well it does cost too much but that is what I wanted. So after eating a great lunch we headed to Opry Mills. Jill had a coupon for Charter's. We walked the whole entire mall. We just took our time, stopped at the apple barn store and ate an apple turnover (which wasn't that good) and a Cinnamon doughnut (that was good). Jill was to be shopping for her and not Samuel but I think she ended up buying more for him than she did herself. We got to Charter's and they had the cutes Halloween outfit, it had a ghost on it and it said " I am so cute it's scary". I wanted it so bad BUT mine won't be here until Christmas. I got me a purse and a matching wallet, I absolutely love. Here is a pic of it:

So after shopping we headed home. We made it a good piece down the road and traffic came to a stop right at the Goodletsville exit. So we just got off and took 31w home. Jill needed to stop at Kroger to get diapers for Sameul, I need gas and got Mancino's for supper. We got home about 6:30. I came in and hit the couch. I was worn out. On top of being pregnant with the heat we had and driving over 200 miles I just wanted to go to bed. But I knew if I went to bed that early I would be up at 4am. Well I took my shower and got ready for bed and I made it to 9:30 before I fell asleep.

Small update, my chest x-ray I had done last Thur. came back fine, no AVMs. Also I know that I really haven't went into detail about what AVMs are. I know what they are but not sure of what they can do to me or the baby but I really don't want to scare myself until I have to. That may sound stupid to some but I have enough to worry about at the moment. But if you really want to know Jill did some research on it and has put a link on one of her blog entries if you want to know more about it.

Well hope everyone has a great rest of the week and stay cool.

Emily's pics from Hawaii

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Last Vandy Visit....

Good morning everyone. Today is going to be an easy but long day. We don't have patients until 1pm today. Brad and his wife Kim are at the Doc office as I type finding out the sex of there lil one on the way. They already have a lil girl, Taylor. Me and Jenel told him that me and her would have the boys and he would have another girl. He sort of agreed with us but didn't really want to.



With Brad being out last week and the coverage we had just half done everything we are all playing catch up. Everything I had planned to do this morning while I was here alone Brad had to take home with him last night to finish. So needless to say I have nothing to do this morning.

Well since I have the time I will fill everyone in about my last visit to Vandy.

We get there, I make my routine bathroom stop and we find a seat and a magazine to help pass the time. After waiting for what seemed to be for ever they call us back. We get in the room, she take my vitals and hands me a cup. She wants a urine sample, I just look at her and laugh, she was like you just went didn't you. She said it was fine and left the cup just in case I could go. I just laughed at her. One doc (Dr. Brown) came in and asked how I was doing, she asked me a few questions about what test I had had done since my last visit. I told her that I had my liver ultrasound and been to see the pulmonologist. We talked a lil more and she said that the other doc would be in just in a few min. Not much longer she came in. It wasn't Dr. Linzey (the one I had seen before) it was her partner. She asked me almost the same questions Dr. Brown did. Then she asked if I had any questions for her. I asked about the results of my liver ultrasound. She was like Dr. Beverly didn't go over these with you? I told her no. She said that I do have a small AVM in the lower part of my liver but nothing to worry about and that we would just keep an eye on it. I also asked her about were I would deliver at. She came back with the same question as the last question. Dr. Beverly didn't send you a letter on that? I told her no, that I had an appointment with him the next week and that was it. She pulled up the letter in my cart and read it to me.
-Dear Dr. Linzey,

In reference to patient Brandy L. Howard I am releasing all care to you and your staff.

There was more than that in letter but after I heard that I didn't hear anything else b/c I was so mad. I wasn't mad that I had to move all my care to Nashville, that was fine. I was mad b/c Dr. Beverly's office had never informed me of this. I felt that I should have had a letter before or the same time Vandy did. I just felt like I should of found out about this from his office. Also the main reason I wanted to know was b/c there was no since in me paying Dr. Beverly money for my care and Vanderbilt also. When knowing in the back of my mind that when it really came down to it Dr. Beverly was probably going to back out at the last minute after he had my money. After she had told me about this she knew I was mad. I told her why and she understood completely and also was upset that Dr. Beverly had not told me about this either. After all that we discussed what we needed to do next. She told me to keep my appointment with the pulmonologist, and that I needed to see Dr. Stein again, my hematologist at Vandy. She ordered some blood work and sent me to the lab. After getting my labs done we went and grabbed a small bite to eat there in the hospital. We had to be back up there at 1pm for our ultrasound. Everything look fine with ultrasound. After that we were done with docs for the day.

We went and found us a hotel room for the night and went to IHOP to eat. We ran by wal-mart to get something for Christon's headache and went back to the room. I was worn completely out so I took a nap. We got up about 9pm to go eat and went back to the room and went to bed. We had to be at the Children's Hospital at 8am for the baby's heart echo. Everything looked great with the baby's heart. I have to go back to see them in a few weeks.

After all the doctor visits were done we went shopping. Well we didn't buy anything we just looked. It was great to look at things knowing to look at boy stuff. They have huge babies r us there. I wanted everything. We did pick a few things out that we wanted and got some paper work on the beds that I liked.

I am to go back to Vandy on Monday the 18th and go to the Pediatric Cardio doc the next week. This week I go to my Pulmonologist on Thur.

Well hope I didn't bore everyone with this one. Everyone have a great rest of the day.

Man its Monday already.....

Hope everyone had a great weekend. The weather was great.

Well I did it. I cut all my hair off. It is hits just about at my chin. Not sure if I like it yet or not. I haven't really played with it enough to see what all I can do with it. This weekend I just ran a flat iron through it and went. That part I like, it doesn't take long to fix. I haven't tried it curly yet, may do that tonight.

I didn't get into much this weekend. Christon had to work so I went to Mom and Dad's. Bubby and Becca both had to work so he took lil mac over to Emily to watch on Sat. I go up about 10am and took a shower and went on over there. We played outside and watched TV. I went home about 7pm. Me and Christon watched some TV and were in bed early.

Sunday I got up and watched some TV. Bubby called about 10am and wanted me to bring him some dip. So after my movie went off I got ready then headed that way. Him and dad were helping Wally put in steps into the river and Becca had to work again, so lil mac was at mom's with Emily. Lil mac had just woke up from her nap when I got there and was hungry. So I fed her some apple sauce. We watched CMT and danced, lil mac LOVES to dance. Later that evening I took her outside and we just sit on the front porch. When I got outside I noticed the wasp nest over the door. It only had one wasp on it so I was like if we don't mess with it we will be fine. While lil mac was watching mom's wind chimes I notices more on the corner of the house. I think I counted about 16 on one nest. So we went in. Not long after mom yelled from the kitchen supper was done. We had pork roast, squash, scallop potatoes, mac and cheese, broccoli casserole, dressing, green beans, brown beans and corn bread. I ate enough to make my self sick. After eating we went outside and put lil mac's swing up, she had a blast. We hadn't been out there long and some of Emily's friends rode up on horses. Lil mac loved them, I was afraid she would be scared of them b/c they are so big. They put her on one and she LOVED it. Emily rode her around the yard for a lil bit. When Emily stopped she got mad, she wanted to keep going. After they left we went in b/c the bugs were getting bad and lil mac had gotten eaten up the day before. I gave lil mac a bath so Becca wouldn't have to and we sat back down at the table with Bubby. I fixed me a small plate and lil mac and I shared it. Not long after Becca came in. I fixed a plate to take home to Christon. I left there a lil before 9pm. I went straight home b/c Army Wives was coming on. I missed the first 15min of it but I will watch that today at lunch. After that went off I took shower and went to bed.

Everyone have a great day.

Crazy week....

This week at work has been so stressful and crazy. We only seen patients 2 days this week. Brad (the therapist) has been on vacation and we had Joe (the owner) here to cover. He didn't type out notes just hand wrote them so I had to type all of them plus the 10 evals we did this week. I have Tue. notes done and almost done with Thur. and I haven't even started on the evals....lol.

I am so excited it is finally Fri. I am going to get my hair done today at Melissa's. I am wanting something new but not sure what yet. I need something easy to fix that I can wear curly or straight. With this pregnancy and my anemia it takes all my energy just to blow dry it then I have to straighten it or style it when it is curly and I just don't have the energy to do all that any more. So hopefully Melissa will have something in mind for me.

I don't have any real plans for this weekend. Christon has to work so I will probably go over to Jason and Tiff's and visit. Tiff called me the other night to check on me and Hannah had to tell me about her pool party they had for t-ball. She said that she had jumped off the high dive 5 or 6 times and loved it. She said she can't wait to do it again. That kid isn't scared of anything. Poor Emma is sick again. After getting over the hand, mouth, and foot virus she has a sinus infection now. Tiff said she took her to the doc and the put her on an antibiotic but she didn't think it was helping.

Well as I said before I have tons of work to get done and I need to go get me something for lunch. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Sorry Sorry Sorry....

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated. With missing 2 days last week things at work have been crazy. Then when I get home it is straight to the couch.

This past weekend I didn't even leave the house but it was quite eventful. Garrett and Becca brought Mackenzie over on Saturday afternoon to stay with me all weekend. Garrett had a company thing on Sat night and Sun they went to BG to watch wrestling. Christon had to work all weekend so it was great to have her for company. We played and watched Mickey Mouse Play house all day. The lil booger is getting really brave now. She use to only want to go in the kitchen and living room but now it doesn't matter. I was in the kitchen washing her bottle and I here her in the living room playing and then I don't. I look and she has made a bee line down the hall to the back bed room. I go to get her and she thinks it is funny. While we are playing in the living room she wonders into the kitchen (no big deal I can still see her) then she takes off. As I am going to get her she crawls as fast as she can over to the corner of the stove and cabinet. She thinks I can't see her or something when she goes there. She just thinks it is the funniest thing when I get her and bring her back to the living room. Becca said she did the same thing to her the other day. She was washing dishes while Kenzie played in the living room. Then she heard something in the back. She goes back to see what it was and finds a lil girl with the trash dumped on the floor. Lil booger is getting into everything, just wait until the Christmas trees go up...lol
Garrett and Becca came and got her about 7pm Sunday night. I cooked supper and I was in bed by 10pm. She had worn me out. Christon asked me what I was goin to do when ours got that big and into things like that. I told him I won't be 5 months pregnant then....lol.

Well I better get back to work. Please remember Tara McMillin's family in your prayers. Her uncle lost his battle with cancer yesterday. Also remember all the sick, we have had quite a few patients cancel because of this bug that is goin around.

The Million Dollar Question has been Answered.......

If you couldn't tell from my new background..............





IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!



We went to Vandy on Monday and Tuesday this week. Everything came is going great with me and the baby. We did recieve some bad new well not really bad I guess you could call it difficult news, I WILL be delivering in Nashville. I just hate it b/c I know everyone that would want to come and visit will have to make that drive and with gas prices getting higher it will be hard for some. No I don't exspect everyone to come down but for the ones that want to it will be hard on. Maybe some can get together and car pool....lol.

The plan is to not let me go into labor. They will be indcuding me the closer I get. If I do go into labor we will go to The Medical Center and they are to transport me to Vandy via ambulance.



That is all I have time for as of right now. I have to get back to work, but will tell more later today.

Is this week over yet???

This has been a terrible week here at work. With everything happening with Jenel last Friday (and even more on Wed morning tell more in a bit) to a stressful meeting at Leitchfield. I am just ready for this week to be over with.

Other than all that terrible stuff, Richie and Alicia Ellis brought a new lil one into the world on Tue. afternoon. Baby Eli was born about 5:30pm Tue. He weighed a whopping 9lb 6 1/4oz and was 21in. long. Mom, dad and baby are doing great and will be home sometime today.

Becca and I planned to go to the hospital to see Alicia and them. But after taking lil mac back to the Dr. yesterday those plans were changed. The dr diagnosed her with the hand, mouth and foot virus, which is very contagious. We didn't want to pass it on to Eli or Alicia so we stayed home. Lil mac had been broke out on her face for the past month or so and we just thought it was heat bumps. Then she developed this head cold this past weekend and it hadn't gotten any better. Well Becca thought that it was just where she was cutting teeth. Then after Becca talked to her mom about it she decided to take her back to the Dr. So after Becca called and told me what was going on I freaked. Knowing that I had kept her all weekend and the night before she was kissing me and everything, what could this do to me being pregnant. So I called my doctor and she told me that not to worry about it unless I started having flu like symptoms. I am feeling fine, it just scared me a lil.
Tiff called me last night and I talked to her a lil bit. I was telling her about lil mac and she said she thinks Emma has it too. I took lil mac over there this past Sat. to play. I am sure she gave it to her then.

Well back to Jenel on Wed. That morning Mike decided to go over to the house to continue with there list making. When he got to the house he seen that it had been vandalized. Not only did they try to take the TV and some other things, they messed up his truck (it is messed up and he was unable to move it after the fire). They had taken all the emblems off it, cut the leather seats to pieces, beat the dash in and keyed the outside. He called the cops and when they finally show up (2 hours later) they did a report and everything. After having 2 estimates done it was determined totaled. They are having some real bad luck so please remember them in your prayers.

Today started off terrible for me. I got up an 1hr and 1/2 early with a nose bleed, after getting it stopped I had about 20 min to sleep. Then the alarm went off and I get up. I go to brush my teeth and my nose starts again. I couldn't get anything done this morning. I had to change clothes 3 times b/c I got blood on me. I didn't get into the office until 9:30 this morning.

Well tomorrow is Friday and I am hoping it brings a whole different weekend then the week has been. Everyone get out and enjoy this great weather we are having and have a great weekend.

Emily Hawaii Pics

Sissy is in Hawaii until next Tue. She has called me everyday so far. They are having a great time. She went snorkeling yesterday and they plan to go para sailing and do a helicopter ride to see the volcanoes and things. She has sent some pic and I thought that I would share with everyone.

I know she is having a great time but I just wish I could be there with her. When she gets home from Hawaii her, mom and dad are going to the Mountains.

When she send more pics I will post them for everyone.

Monday already....

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't updated in a while. It has been really crazy here at work and Friday afternoon it just got worse.

Friday I worked all day. We were booked solid. At lunch time Jenel went to her grandmothers and I ran home to get the GPS system for our trip to Nashville after work. Jenel calls me about 10 til 1 and said that she wouldn't be back to work, her house was on fire. Of course I had to ask her twice what she said b/c she was crying so hard. Her biggest concern was her husband, he was a sleep b/c he had worked the night before. Thank God the dog woke him up and they both got out just fine. It had started in there bedroom closet with the hot water heater. It was a total lose. Please remember them during this long process.
When I got off work Jill picked me up and we headed to BG. We had to drop Samuel off at his grandmothers and pick up Jonna at her house then we were off to Nashville. We were all going out with Kasey b/c she is moving to Pigeon Forge. We are going to miss her so much. But our plans for the night were to go out to eat an P.F. Chang's and then to a movie. We all ate and had a great time. When we got done eating we weren't able to go to the movie b/c it was sold out. So we went to The Parthenon and took some pic and goofed off. Then we decided to go and get ice cream. We all sat around ate ice cream and had a great time sharing old stories. I made it home about 1:30am.
Saturday Bubby got there about 5:30am to drop Mackenzie off. She woke up but went back to sleep thank goodness, I had only had 4 hrs of sleep. She woke up about 8am and Christon fixed her a bottle and she usually goes to sleep after her bottle but no not today. So we get up, Christon takes her to living room while I change out of my P J's. As I am brushing my teeth my nose busts wide open and bled for ever. Christon was hoping to be outside by then but wasn't able to b/c he had to watch lil mac while I was messing with my nose. After I finally got it to stop bleeding I asked Christon to fix me some muffins and I changed lil mac. The nose bleed really took a lot out of me so I laid on the couch and watched tv while lil mac played in the floor. After I ate she was ready for a nap and so was I. I rocked her to sleep then we both went to the bedroom and slept till 1:30. Christon came in and woke me up and lil mac didn't get up much after. He had gotten her lil pool fixed. So I put a lil swimy on her and we went outside and played in the pool. She had a blast as long as she didn't get it in her face. I got her out and we went to see Tiff and the girls. Tiff cooked supper, after I ate we went home, lil mac was sleepy. We got home I cleaned her up, fixed her a bottle and she was out like a light. I wasn't far behind her. She had a terrible time sleeping. She is cutting teeth and her sinuses are draining which makes her cough a lot in her sleep. We were up and down 2 or 3 times that night.

Sunday we got up about 8:30 she had a bottle and tried to go back to sleep but just wouldn't. So we got up and played. Christon went to his mom and dad's to get the trailer ready. They need it to haul his dad's new car home. She laid down for a nap and I fixed me something to eat. I decided to take a nap with her after I ate. We slept til about 1pm. Christon called and woke me up to tell me he was goin to be longer than planned for me to go on to Becca and Bubby's. I was hoping to be able to get ready while she was a sleep but she woke up when I hung the phone up. When she woke up she didn't feel good at all b/c of her teething. She was hungry so I fed her some apples and cherries baby food and she didn't eat it all and thats when I knew she didn't feel good. She didn't even want a bottle. I gave her some Tylenol and put her in the floor to play. Well she wouldn't have that. I had to hold her to do everything. I set her down for 2 min to put my hair up and that was the longest she would sit. We finally got everything together and headed to Provo. She was excited to see momma. I stayed there for a while and we watched movies. Christon called about 6pm and said he was going home. I didn't leave to long after that. I took some movies back for Becca and got me stuff to make BLTs. We rented the WWE American Bash after that I went to bed.

Allie Snell called me while I was on lunch. They are going to induce Alicia in the morning. So hopefully baby Eli will be here sometime tomorrow.

Today isn't that bad. Jenel didn't work today b/c they were meeting with the insurance people and had a lot to do. Ashley came down from Leitchfield to help this morning and left at lunch. Also sissy should be landing at Maui soon. I know she is going to have a blast, I just wish I could have done this with her. I will worry about her the whole time she is gone. I have a few thing that need to be done so better get back to that. Hope everyone has a great week.

Please remember all the prayer request, The Hood's and sissy have a safe trip, Tara Fugate McMillin, Tyree family, Richie and Alicia Ellis, Jenel and Mike Brooks, Beth and John Embry (I heard they got good news last week), and everyone else that has slipped my pregnant mind (lol), He knows who everyone is.


Just a lil FYI on Dr. appt:
Vandy next Monday and Tuesday
Dr. Beverly on Aug 4th