For. Like. Ever.

So it's literally been almost a month since I have blogged, which in today's world is for. like. ever. Yikes! I was doing SO much better about keeping up with my pregnancy post this time around, but some how the days have slipped through my fingers and here I am now 31 weeks pregnant and I haven't posted a bump update in 5 WEEKS. Honestly, all I can do is laugh!

 

Taking a weekly bump picture and updating the blog completely took a back seat to all of the many happenings of the Ring fam! We have been so crazy busy lately that stopping even just for a moment seemed almost impossible. Until now.

 

Currently I'm on bed rest (that's one way to catch up on blogging right?). I'll get back to that, but first allow me to fill you in on life lately!

 

 

Back in July (I think? It's a blur. I've slept since then.) I joined Team Baby Chick as the Social Media Manager of Bassett Baby Planning. The position is part time and I am able to complete all of my daily tasks from home early in the morning prior to Emerson waking up, while he takes his afternoon naps or post bed time. I couldn't have dreamt up a better job for me, it's the perfect fit and I thank my lucky stars every day that Nina kept in touch with me, followed this very blog and had the faith in me that I would be an assett to her business. So humbled, honored, amazed and grateful. Nina Bassett our founder/owner/baby extroidinaire is so beyond incredible to work with. Over the past months she has allowed me the priviledge of developing a monthly company publication, establishing an ultimate online registry and hospital bag check list, managing all social media accounts (follow us on facebook, twitter, pinterest & instagram!) and even take part in business developement as we anticipate the grand opening of her Houston office in January. But by far, the most amazing opportunity Nina has given me is that which connects me with other moms. Also, our October trip to the ABC Expo in Las Vegas wasn't too shabby! You read that right, my boss flew me to Vegas. For a week. Without my toddler. It deserves a whole post of it's own.

 

 

Unfortunatly when I came home from my week long business trip, a stomach bug had hit our household. Bad. I flew in Friday night and was beyond exhausted but greatly looking forward to spending Saturday with our dear friend Kelly who was coming to visit from Sugar Land and my favorite two guys at the Texas State Fair. Fried oreos, corn dogs and giant caramel apples were calling my name. On Saturday morning we headed to the airport to pick Kelly up and Emerson spit up on himself in the car. It was super odd. We pulled over and cleaned him up and proceeded to pick up Kelly without incident. That is until we began to make our way to the fair. The freeway was majorly backed up with fair traffic so Derek decided to take us on an alternate route which of course led us through the most sketchy part of South Dallas. We started gabbing and catching up as girls do. We were talking a mile a minute when Emerson projectile vomitted all over himself and his carseat. Honestly, I was shocked at what came out of him! How someone so small could produce that much vomit was grossly facisnating. Derek pulled over in the safest spot we could muster and we went into auto pilot. He wiped Emerson down with 1000 diaper wipes and changed him into his "back up car outfit" (never leave home without one moms!) while I detailed the carseat with nothing but butt wipes and travel febreeze. Kelly sat in shock, "I'd offer to help... but I think y'all got this." she said quietly. I kept apologizing, obviously the fair was out for us, but she was so sweet about it. I expected nothing less, she is a beyond amazing friend. We had 6 tickets to the fair from a client of Derek's, so when we dropped Kelly off with some girlfriends we gifted the tickets to them. Luckily they had a fabulous time without us while we headed home after picking up some pedialyte for Emerson and Tex-Mex takeout for Derek and I. Sunday morning Emerson was back to his usual self. His fever was gone and he never threw up again.

 

 

Flash forward to Sunday night, Derek starts puking his brains out (among other things, I will leave it to your imagination). I love this man, I do. With all my heart. But vomitting is just NOT my thing. I brought him water, pedialyte, gatorade. Over the next 24 hours he couldn't even keep a sip down. His fever wasn't going down because he couldn't keep tylenol in his system long enough for it to work. It was miserable. By Tuesday morning I drop Emerson off at school and take Derek to Urgent Care. After an ultrasound, x-ray, blood, urine and physical they can't find anything wrong with him and all we're offered is "It's not appendicitis". Wow. Thanks? They give him Zofran for the vomitting, pump him full of saline and we wait. The doctor comes to the conclusion that it's a stomach virus. That Emerson likely picked it up from MDO and gave it to Derek. A few IV bags later and we're sent home with some prescriptions, but overall Derek is feeling much better and I am so relieved.

 

 

That is, until it's my turn. Tuesday night it begins for me the exact same as it did for Derek, with the addition of contractions (or I think they are contractions, I'm vomitting so violently at this point it's hard to discern). Derek heads to pick up my mom so that she can take me to the hospital and he can stay home with Emerson. The minutes it takes them to get back and pick me up feel like hours and I have no clue how I am supposed to get in a car in my condition but some how I manage. I get to the hospital closest to our house. They have no clue what to do with me so they send me to labor and delivery. I am vomitting so loudly at this point there is a congregation of nurses standing in the hallway whispering. "I think you're scaring the laboring women. It sounds like an exorcism in here." My mom remarks. Which is fitting because I feel like I'm having an out of body experience. This continues all. night. long. In the morning they decide that I need to be transferred to my doctor at my hospital and so off we go to Baylor Frisco. I kid you not, when I arrive the lights look like Heaven's gates after the hell I have been through. It's Wednesday morning and I don't even know my name anymore I'm so exhausted and all I can think about is Sawyer. I head to L&D where they check me and baby. His heart rate is elevated, so is mine. But he is moving well. I'm told I'm one centimeter dilated and that we'll keep an eye on my contractions via the monitors. They give me more saline, phenergan because zofran doesn't work for me apparently, and terbutaline to calm the contractions all via IV, I don't have enough saliva at this point to swallow anyways. For the first time in hours I feel enough relief to fall asleep. When I wake up I'm greeted by my sister in law Kara. Derek's dad had come in during the night to stay with Emerson, Derek and my mom had returned to work and Kara kindly came to keep me company. It was honestly so great to have her there. When Derek got off work he came to the hospital first thing. I was on a no contact order because of the virus beging assumed contagious so we couldn't hold hands, hug or kiss and that was miserable. I missed him and I wanted to go home. Unfortunatly my doctor felt it best for me to stay the night and as much as I wanted to be home I knew it was for the best. I was far too weak and still feeling so sick that home wasn't where I needed to be.

 

 

Thursday morning I had breakfast. I picked at it, ate what I could and sent the rest away. When I kept that down they took me off my IV's. By the time I was served lunch I was starving. My appetite had returned and Sawyer was wiggling all around so must have enjoyed it as well. By late afternoon Kara got to take me home. I showered and slipped into some comfy clothes and took what was perhaps the best nap of my entire life. I was so happy to be home. Friday morning Kara returned to Sugar Land and Emerson and I spent the day resting and recooperating from the crazy week from hell our family had, had.

 

 

Derek brought home some "get well flowers" and we all reunited on the couch for a family movie night in. Saturday the 26th I knew would be our last chance to head to the pumpkin patch prior to Halloween, so we got dressed, loaded the car and headed out to the pumpkin farm in Celina.

 

 

We didn't last for but two hours when we were all ready to head back home. I could tell at the farm that something wasn't feeling right. That I was still sick and uncomfortable and exhausted. We all napped upon returning home.

 

 

After resting we got ourselves into the Halloween spirit by putting Emerson in his skeleton pajamas and socks and watching The Great Pumpkin while we gave Emerson his Halloween Happies! He loved them! The Frankenstein plush was a huge hit.

 

 

On Tuesday Emerson turned 19 months old and I could hardly believe it. He is so smart, charming and kind hearted. I just adore his gentle soul so much. I took him to MDO in the morning and per usual his two teachers just gushed over how sweet he is and how happy they were to see him. I ran some errands while Emerson was at school and met my Dad who was coming in town to check on us since we had all been so sick. He arrived at the house just in time to go pick Emerson up, so he hopped in my car and off we went. When we got to school Emerson saw us in the hallway and lit up with a huge smile. My Dad doesn't get to visit a ton, so I am always very curious as to how Emerson will react to him. But he hugged him sweetly around the neck like he sees him everyday, like old friends! It was adorable. My dad is so great with Emerson. He completely lets Emerson boss him around and E loves calling all the shots. My Dad really was trying to get Emerson to say "Papa Tim" while he was up this time, but Emerson kept calling him "Paw Paw" or "Pop Pop" or some sort of gibberish in between.

 

 

Sorry Daddy, I think your going to just have to roll with whatever Emerson decides your name is! Something tells me you won't mind. The guys and I had a lot of fun on Wednesday. It was rainy but we took Emerson out to lunch and for a much needed haircut. Then we hit the outlet mall and Buy Buy Baby to pick up some odds and ends for Sawyer's arrival.

 

 

My dad headed back to Houston on Wednesday night and on Thursday I ran to my follow up appointment with my OBGYN while Emerson attended his MDO Halloween party (which also deserves it's own post, so cute!!). While I was at my appointment my doctor asked that I see the perinatal specialist a block over, since I had a previous experience with pre-term labor with Emerson and I started dilating in the hospital last week, he wanted to get a second opinion on how my amniotic fluid looked via ultrasound. So I headed over to the perinatal specialist who informed us that while my amniotic fluid is not dangerously low, due to the severity of my dehydration from the stomach virus I had it's enough of a concern for them to order bedrest for the next two weeks and plently of hydration. I do have to say, my favorite part of the visit was getting to see our sweet Sawyer. He is incredible. He is so long. All of his fingers and toes look so slender and long. He is also such a strong boy, his movements hardly go unnoticed, my belly often bounces with each kick.

 

This morning's time change was completely forgotten about when Emerson decided to join us in bed. We played and tickled and began to wind down and curl up in the covers when Emerson rested his head on my bump. Quietly and oh so sweetly he began to hum the alphabet song into my belly. I looked at Derek and he smiled. It was perhaps the most adorable thing we had ever witnessed. Big brother singing to baby in our big bed, just us three. Makes being on bedrest sort of bittersweet. So farewell October, hello November and good morning sweet Sawyer! Mommy, Daddy and your amazing big brother can't wait to watch you grow over the next few weeks and meet you after Christmas!