AmyMckenzie.com

Well, the results are in finally!!! all of the blood work came back normal!! so I wont have to get the 3 hour glucose test until around 28 weeks unless something comes up before then. So more than likely the way I'm feeling is from the psuedo tumor, so I'll call the neuro when I get home and make an appt. Still going to find a new ob when I get home, after my first ob appt and u/s though, so I wont have wait to get in for that, I'll just find a new dr for my next appt that way I have time to look but can find out how the baby is doing soon. Thanks for the comments gals!!!

did I mention that the morning sickness is finding its way to ruin my life!! it's not nearly as bad as my first pregnancy, but for some reason I havent been able to stomach dinner lately. I end up finally eating something around 9 or 10 pm because by then I am starving but from 4-8 or so my stomach is always in knots. Last night we went out for pizza, and they ordered a pizza w/ the works or something and the sight of it made me feel so much worse. Not to mention the ride there made me oh soo nauseas, forgot about all of these country roads! so when we arrived I wasnt sure I'd be able to eat then the sight and smell of that pizza was it for me, so needless to say I didnt eat. I ended up fixing myself some pasta around 9:30. I figure I should at least eat when I am hungry, not eating cant be good for either me or the baby, but then I got sick most of the night. I havent figured out what I can eat and feel fine, it's especailly hard when nothing even sounds good let alone looks good. I've been wanting some chinese food for days so for lunch we are going out to a buffet that we love here. We are figuring if I wont be up for dinner Dean can go to the Indian restaurant and get something he likes, we're going to get a chance to eat dinner alone this evening!! and for the next two days we'll have meals w/ adults only!!! I am sooo looking forward to this next couple of days. we even have a hotel reserved for tomorrow night. the conference is about 30 minutes from the in laws but I think it would be harder on caleb to see us briefly then leave as opposed to us just not being around til the conference is over. but it's close enough if he needs us one of us will come home. I figure this is probably the last chance we'll get for a hotel get away w/ sitters lined up, and it will give Caleb some time w/ his family he doesnt get to always see. well gotta run and enjoy a yummy lunch, if my belly cooperates!!!

I am sooo finding a new ob drs office when we get home. I had blood work drawn friday, a week ago tomorrow. I called yesterday since the lab told me the results would be done monday tuesday at the latest. Called at 9:30 am left a message and was told someone would call back. At 3:30 I called back since no one had called, talked directly to the person who was supposed to call me and she said I'll call you back shortly w/ the results. Five o'clock came and went and no call. Called again this morning, just a few minutes ago and complained again, told them I am in Ohio have to keep using my cell phone to call and they always put you on hold for a long time, and told them it's been almost a week, my pregnancy is high risk and no one seems to care. the lady spoke w/ the same person I spoke w/ yesterday at 3:30 and she told her she never got my message. yeah ok sure. So she told me someone will call back, I asked for the office manager but she was on another line, I told her if I dont hear from them I am calling her back. I am calling her back regardless because this is the last straw. this office just doesnt seem to care about anything. If the results werent ready they could call and say that. if it's about needing a dr to authorize telling the results, as I know has to happen if the results arent normal since i have worked in a drs office before, then tell me , hey we are waiting for the dr to look at the results. but do something. Dont leave patients hanging. I am going to this dr because I heard some very good things about them, apparently I expect more than the normal patient, but then again, I am not the normal patient. they are going to get an earful if those results are not normal because thats crazy, if the test results are ok then theres no reason they shouldnt have called and said so that would be easy. but if something is wrong and they prolonged treatment you just wait.....not that I want something to be wrong, but the way I feel is not good so we'll see. Thats just my long drawn out whine for the day....I think after my first appt next week I'll be seeking a more thorough high risk ob, I am sick of dealing w/ drs who just dont think high blood pressure and ptc are risks to me or the baby. I no doubt will have to see my neurologist next week too, the headaches are growing as are the spots in my eyes. I hate to do it but I know not going or at least calling him isnt good for me or the baby.

other than that, I'm having a relaxing week so far in Ohio. Our conference we are attending this weekend starts tonight and we'll be leaving caleb overnight for two nights which is a first for us. I'm praying he does ok and that the puppy does ok too while we are gone. I am looking forward to the conference so much. I just hope I can endure the long sessions and start feeling better. I promise I'll post more after I talk to the drs office again, I so want to stop worrying about these results but having to fight w/ the drs office to get them just adds more stress to the whole thing. I dont think I'd be nearly as upset if I knew the call wouldnt be long distance or cost me so many cell phone minutes, which I know is not the drs office fault but they can at least do their best to return patients messages w/in the same day! Am I expecting too much from them?? tell me honestly....

Its quiet, dark and lonely here tonight. The family is out and I just finished watching White Oleander. I have been laying in bed most of the day, it's all I have the energy for today. I didnt even want to eat the great dinner my mother in law fixed. I was looking forward to going to get a peanut butter sundae this evening w/ Dean but my stomach doesnt really want anything but water and even then thats not cooperating!

we left Baltimore shortly before 6 yesterday and arrived here around 3 am, were up and out of the house for breakfast at 8! it's no wonder I am soo tired. I wanted to stop last night at a hotel but we didnt want to pay the price when we were more than halfway to our destination. I didnt sleep much at all on the drive, the puppy and Caleb did though. In true child style, Caleb awoke around 2:30 am wide awake and exclaiming he wanted to play at grandmoms, so getting to sleep didnt happen til around 3:30 am!! I am already fatigued w/ this pregnancy and add to it lack of sleep and I become quite the bear!! or sloth might be a better description!

the drive itself was very uneventful, I had to stop almost less than every hour to pee, love that pregnancy symptom when you have to go on a long car trip! well sounds like the crowd is returning and soon the house will be more than full so I'll try to catch up tomorrow!

still havent heard about my blood work results, checked our home voice mail messages a zillion times today but no message so I think I'll call tomorrow afternoon if I still havent heard , but they always say no news is good news right??? I hope so!!!

Waiting for test results is such a pain, I have no patience. Yes, I know I just had the test done Friday, but still, had I had the test done earlier in the week I'd know by now, the weekend screws everything up. Hoping to hear from the drs office tomorrow before we head to Ohio for a little much needed get away!!! I am looking forward to getting away but then again the drive is what I'm most worried about, esp. w/ a toddler, puppy and pregnant momma!!! with any luck all of the before mentioned will sleep most of the way and Dean will hopefully have enough energy after working all day to pull in the long drive by himself, but I"m almost hoping he cant and he gives in to getting a hotel!! for the sake of everyones sanity!!! I'll let you know as soon as I get the test results and hopefully I'll update while we are away. Have a great week everyone!!

Like I said things are never simple for me and drs! i went this morning at 11 for an appt w/ the dr for my cold. Told to let it run its course but that my bp was 140-90 and she was concerned about it. She insisted several times I call my ob and get seen sooner based on my bp reading. So we left there go home, call the ob's office, was given a 1:30 appt w/ the LPN I cant stand. The LPN at least is halfway nice for once and congratulates us on our pregnancy (dean went w/ me) but does no exam, doesnt put a finger on me. My bp (taken by an MA was 140/84) they made me lie on my left side for awhile and the LPN said I probably just have high blood pressure, that it's too soon to be pregnancy related high blood pressure. Says they'll watch is closely, but schedules no follow up appts, but I go in in 2 weeks for my first pre-natal. So I got in earlier but it was a waste of a $25 co-pay. The only thing good that came out of it was a lab slip for blood work including a glucose check. Oh yeah and they scheduled an u/s for me, but since we are gone next week and the soonest was of course then...I am just getting it done the same day of my first ob appt, May 6th. So we wont know anything much sooner than that, except for whatever the blood work shows if I can manage a sitter to go get the 1 hour glucose test. If not I'll just do that on May 6th too. So had a busy day running around, and Dean and I both feel horrible. I told Dean that I thought everything was going so good, no major problems yet w/ this pregnancy, and then this. He of course said I should have known things wouldnt be easy for me, real comforting yeah. So I dont know if we shouldnt have gotten pregnant or what, the LPN today made it seem like no big deal but I dont think it's a good sign that my bp is already that high. w/ Caleb it didnt hit that high til the end and the drs were super concerned about it. I no doubt need to be careful about my bp even if the dumb lpn didnt care. I am seriously considering finding a new ob office. Blah!! the boys and the puppy are napping, I guess all of my sleep yesterday filled my need for today.

It's also way too nice out to be sick or napping, it's a beautiful day! they are calling for rain soon though so I guess spring truly is here!

Attack of the killer allergies, or sinus infection. I"m trying to figure out which it is, but today I think I'll leave it up to the dr. we went to walmart yesterday after picking up Dean from work, came home and ate dinner. As is getting more the norm for my exhausted body, I immediately headed for the couch to lay down for a few minutes and watch reruns of Friends. Caleb and Dean took a walk to the park. When they came back I was asleep. I finally moved to the bedroom where I stayed til this morning. I went to bed around 6:30ish! isnt that horrible! I think it was aided by pregnancy and some benadryl. the few times I woke up I couldnt even lift my head up or get up because I'd be too tired or dizzy. So today off to the dr to find a better medicine to battle this bug. Overnight Dean became taken w/ this too so he's lying in bed now while I am up w/ the kid, only fair since I crashed so early last night. So today will be a lazy day and hopefully we'll both get to the dr. Dean's way overdue for a check up. Me, I'll be glad to see someone and get my blood pressure checked before my 10 week prenatal check. Hope this is just allergies, but then again not because that means it wont go away anytime soon! Hope everyone else is having a better day!

Happy Birthday Dana!!

why does everything have to be so difficult for me when it comes to doctors??? I called to make my first ob appt when I was 5 weeks pregnant. The next week I called to check to see if they do early glucose testing if you had gestational diabetes before and was told to wait til my 10 week appt. She assured me I could not possibly have gest. diabetes yet, that that would be rare. Yeah sure. So today I call to find out what to take for my allergies that are acting up like crazy and once again asked if it's normal to not have your first appt til 10 weeks if you have a history of being high risk and after telling her about high blood pressure and gest diabetes and also mentioning psuedo tumor she said I cant wait to be seen. Good, we're getting somewhere. But now theres no appts open til March 28th which of course is when we will be away in Ohio for a week! Doh! So I am just going to keep my other appt for May 6th. The nurse said, if I had called last week I might have gotten a sooner appt and I told her I tried to tell the other nurse and she kept saying I have to wait. She apologized but still didnt get me an appt sooner that I could go to. I am just praying the way I am feeling is normal for this pregnancy and has nothing to do w/ the blood pressure and all that other stuff. Except I know my bp was up the week I found out I was pregnant because I went to the dr that week and I know what the reading was, and that worries me. I know God will keep my baby safe and healthy but it's hard waiting to find out if things are going ok. At least while we are gone for a week I will be busy and wont have time to worry about it, I hope!!! then my appt is that week we get back. So just a few more weeks.... hang in there little baby!!!

I have always been told exercise helps fatigue, I never understood the concept but I'm beginning to see it might be true. I have been extremely fatigued to the point I dont feel like getting out of bed or going anywhere but since I have to tend to child and puppy I do. And since it's beautiful weather finally I've tried committing to taking them for a walk everyday. I had to force my tired self up off the couch this morning for the sake of child and puppy and after almost making it back home about 25 minutes later of walking I felt much more alive. I'm sure the lovely temps and blue skies helped, and I'm finding myself not needing a nap too much right now. It hits worse around 9:30-10:00 every day the worst , the fatigue. So I think I'll try to keep our walk scheduled around that time so I make myself get some exercise and not ignore the child and puppy. It's a wonderful day out for walking, and the last week has been that way. I just hope spring is here for good! If only it didnt bring these horrible allergy symptoms! We're all suffering from them around our house, everyone but the dog!

hope everyone else is enjoying the nice new season thats finally arrived! This time of year always reminds me of being pregnant w/ Caleb. I remember driving to doctors appts w/ the windows down, the breeze blowing and my favorite cd playing nice and loud. Remembering how my stomach was growing and how that made me more cautious when driving. Remembering the joy I felt on those days when I'd go find out more about the new life growing in me. About a week before we had the positive pregnancy test w/ this baby, the weather was nice and I was driving to the park w/ the windows down and the music playing loudly so we could hear it over the breeze blowing in the windows, and I had a dejavu feeling about being pregnant w/ caleb. Even then I said to myself, maybe I am pregnant right now! but dismissed the feeling as just a sensory memory. I'll never know what happened that moment, but I dont doubt God was letting me in on our little suprise even then! days like today remind me of how awesome a Creator our God is. And thoughts like those greatly outweigh my worries about the health of this new child He is creating in me.

It is a good thing it is Friday, I need some major downtime. Had a chaotic day, including a formerly patched basement ceiling flooding down water while Caleb took a bath, to top it all off, I have been home alone w/ the kid and pup and will be til around 8 when we all go out to pick up Dean. It's been a long long week for me for some reason. Add to it extreme exhaustion and a new puppy and you might begin to see why I am so down in the dumps.

Not to mention in my attempt to get our shy skiddish new puppy to go down the back stairs to the yard in the rain the other day I feel down the steps falling into the railing which is made of thick wood, causing my already sore breast area to now ache for days, as of course thats what smacked hard against the railing when I tried to stop myself from falling. The worst part of the fall was that Caleb had been in front of me and he too slipped and fell down a step or three. I could not catch him at all, watching him fall scared me like I've never been scared before, he of course thought it was fun becuase he ended up sliding down on his bottom and said he wanted to do it again!

Today the incident w/ the basement ceiling is the only major thing going on, except for my horribly bad back pain that is not going away w/ several doses of tylenol. So needless to say I've been grouchy all week and now I've had another long crazy day and am just starting to get close to Caleb's bed time which tonight for me will be the same since I didnt get a nap in today like usual. I am sooo glad it's Friday. I've declared tomorrow morning my time, I'm going yard saling, either by myself or I'm really hoping w/ my friend I havent seen since we've been so busy lately. So after we go get Dean that's it, I'm taking the weekend off. I've done my best to get all of the chores and laundry done, to the best of my ability w/ a now flooded basement.....but lets not go there again.

I'm praying for an easier more stable next week and exciting weekend.....

well the past two days I've awoken to headaches, and had them off and on all day. The spots in my eyes continue but havent gotten worse. I am torn between whether it's normal for pregnancy for me or I need to call the neurologist back. I hate to keep taking tylenol on a daily basis as it cant be healthy to do daily for the baby's sake and mine. Please pray for me.....I dont want my psuedo tumor acting up this early on in the pregnancy. I am extremely fatigued and feel like I"m getting a bug or something so hopefully thats all it is.

this pregnancy is so exhausting. It's just now 10 am and all I've done this morning is pay bills online, referree between dog and kid, and made breakfast and I feel like I just ran a marathon. I'm so stinking tired!! I want a day off but know I better get used t being tired. it would be so bad if I wasnt nauesas too but oh well. the weather is deceptive too, it looks beautiful out but it's windy and cool so I dont really want to take the kid and pup out not to mention I'm too stinkin tired too. Blah! just my whine for today......

more on the dog

Did I mention that the pup is housebroken and very well behaved? I am so happy with how our first day w/ her has gone. And since I forgot to mention it, she's a beagle terrier mix. She is about 13 lbs now and we were told she'd get to be around 20, but she's kind of taller than we thought she would be.

the pregnancy is going well so far, as much as I know, my first appt is still weeks away. I have been having a headache and some spots in my eyes today, but I am hoping it's just the change in barometer, that sometimes makes my pseudo tumor worse. So with any luck after a good nights sleep and after the warm front arrives I'll be fine. But other than today I've felt fine. little to no morning sickness unlike my pregnancy w/ caleb, and I really have hardly any preg. symptoms so that bothers me some, but so far I feel fine so I guess it's not a bad thing. I know I should be grateful that this pregnancy is going much better than my first.

well off to get some rest, I hope.....

Newest Addition

well we have a new baby!! Her name is Stella and she is 4 months old! caleb loves her to peices, and so do Dean and I!!

I want to apologize for not having gotten to people's emails over the last few days, we are in the process of switching isp's so it may be hit or miss or posting or returning emails so forgive me!! Doing well these last few days, eating way too much candy which I really need to be limiting but it's so dawg hard w/ all this easter candy!! hope everyone had a nice holiday! I know I did. More on that later....

I am so paranoid about losing this baby. Mostly because we didnt think it would be possible to get pregnant, that and I feel like we may be telling people too soon. With Caleb we told everyone right away but we had been trying for a long time so everyone knew we were hoping to be pregnant. This time round its been more of a shocker to everyone. I am not sick w/ morning sickness and throwing up like I was with Caleb, even this early. I had some of that a week ago when we were waiting to find out if I was pregnant, and then on Friday all of that went away. So it kind of worries me that that went away, but I do have other pregnancy symptoms that I dont remember having w/ Caleb so I guess when they say all pregnancies are different it's true. I am sooo glad I am not throwing up like I was my first pregnancies but it at least let me know I was pregnant!! I'm a worrier by nature so that doesnt help things either. I have complete faith in God that he wouldnt have given us a child then take it away from us but I know so many people that have miscarriages, so the thought scares me. So I know this is normal for all expectant moms but I dont remember worrying this much w/ Caleb, I think I was too overwhelmed w/ knowing it was my first baby and it was finally happening, I'm still in shock that we were able to get pregnant so easily and quickly. waiting til that first ob appt is going to seem like forever!! got 5 more weeks til my first appt!

well it's a beautiful spring day and Caleb and I went out and enjoyed it at a nearby park. But before heading out we painted and did other art work, dyed and decorated Easter Eggs, made and decorated 4 dozen cupcakes, cleaned up and put laundry away. It's no wonder I'm so exhausted come nap time if not sooner, but this pregnancy is wearing my out much more than my first. So it's off to a good afternoon nap! we're going out to friends for dinner so I am glad I dont have to worry about cooking so I can sleep later, if Caleb lets me!

Have a great Easter everyone!!

Big News

well most of all of the family members that we can notify have been told, now it's your turn:






oddly enough, my brother and his wife are expecting chid # 2 at the end of May. Dean's brother's girlfriend is also expecting his first child at that same time. When calling his sister we found out his half brother and his wife are expecting child # 2 in October!! So all of the men in Dean's family are expecting new babies w/in the year!! that's crazy stuff. must be in the genes!!

we are way too excited, especially since we werent thinking this would happen anytime soon for us. Luckily all it took was some good old fashion babymaking and no extra medical help!! I think what it really took was me giving up my desire for another child to God and giving him control, as soon as I did that before we got pregnant w/ caleb and once again that is the case here. Funny how that happens, letting the Creator do His job!! But our little bundle of joy is expected on or around Dec 7th/8th. My first appt isnt until May 6th but I have had one blood test to confirm that we are indeed preggo!!!!

Can spring time get any better?? Dean was inspired to find some summer clothes and He couldnt find them where I had put them so I went looking, and found a lot of my spring/summer clothes and of course his ONE pair of jean shorts, poor guy, it's his own fault, he hates to go clothe shopping! And I felt compelled to try on my shorts and for once in my life changing seasons feels good! all of my shorts were big on me!! that hasnt happened, ever I dont think!! I know I lost some weight over the winter months but felt like I had gained it all back, guess not!!! Wohoo for me! I wont have to buy new shorts this year, or at least not this soon in the season. Now if I just had a springy dress for Easter that I wasnt swimming in!! what a good feeling!!! I wonder how long it'll last! ;-)

tylers 4th birthday!

My nephews birthday cake that I just made