It's a girl! We went to the ultrasound and promptly to celebrate over lunch at our favorite Mexican place El Loro. I really celebrated with this delicious Fried Ice Cream for desert. Pumpkin liked it!

Big Event with Little Lydia

Last Monday I was admitted into the ER for shortness of breath and minor heart palpitations. Before I get into the details, let me say that I am okay. I wouldn't have been as worried except for the little baby growing inside of me... Pumpkin is six months along and she has been a handful! I was literally sitting at work when I lost my breath. I have a desk job, very sedentary, no reason to be out of breath. It was so persistent that I called the nurse line. They advised me to go to the ER and my heart really started racing then. I immediately called Brent for comfort and rescue to come and pick me up from work. I tried to keep it together but of course, could not seem to manage. There were a few private tears, some concerned conversations between myself and co-workers. Brent arrived to pick me up and we went to the nearest hospital. I haven't been to the ER personally since I was stung multiple times by bees in high school. I was also having trouble breathing in that occasion as well, but this was totally different. I am an adult now, a mom. I was so worried about Pumpkin and not at all about myself. I knew in my gut that I was okay, but I wanted to make sure that nothing was causing the discomfort, that nothing was wrong with my baby. The doctor's name was Alex and right away I knew we were in good hands. Brent was amazing. He stayed calm, supportive, and took the information from the Dr. Alex that I was sure to forget. He asked the right questions which was key. We spoke softly to one another between tests. They did an EKG right away. My blood pressure was good. Oxygen level a little low. They did a chest x-ray, blood work, and an ultrasound of the legs to rule out a blood clot. Lots of tests, and they were able to rule out quite a few things. What they didn't find is what caused the issue. If it happens again, I need to get a Cat Scan. They didn't want to do that because one CT is about 100 x-rays worth of radiation... and Pumpkin would not like that very much. Hopefully it was just a fluke as the doctor suspected. But being out of breath for over 4 hours is definitely not normal. I took it as a sign to slow down. No more plans with friends during the week. No more running out to the store after work if I am tired. Lots more sitting on the couch. Lots more resting. I had my scheduled 6 month appointment this past week as well. My doctor agreed that it was probably a fluke and could have been the baby sitting the wrong way making it difficult for me. This early on that is not normal, but it is a likely cause. Bottom line- we're okay but need to slow it down. We spent time as a family on Saturday night at the local community center swimming and playing. I let Brent take the lead on chasing Alex through the play gym and I walked on the indoor track. I am still trying to walk, but slowly. Seems odd how quickly life can change. I went from losing 35 lbs on Weight Watchers and doing a walk/jog combo 3 times a week to gaining weight and walking so slow it's laughable. At least I'm still walking!! That's all I can say. I can already tell that Pumpkin is going to be completely worth it. She is spunky and opinionated. This is a completely different pregnancy and I was convinced I was carrying a girl from the beginning. And I was right! She is kicking me as I type. She just seems feisty to me. I am so excited to meet her. I just hope we make it through the next few months with ease. On that note, time to get ready for bed!