Journal

Thursday, November 6, 2003

 Lets see what's going on in the Holmes life here.

 We had a doctors appointment last Wednesday. The baby is measuring 28 cm,  and I was 28 weeks, so that's perfect. The heartbeat is great and I weighed  126 lbs. They still want me to gain a bunch of weight. I started out at 107,  but went down to 100. So they wanted me to gain close to 40 lbs, so I would  be healthy. So I am slowly getting there.

 Shawn had a camping trip from Sunday to Thursday, but he came home on  Tuesday. They had an episode there and the commander sent everyone home. Woo  hoo for me cause I came down with a cold and needed some more medicine.  Shawn gave it to me, and I didn't come down with it until Sunday after he  left, so I had no medicine for it. Lucky our landlady drove me to Wal-Mart  and we got some meds. She's really nice.

 I got to see the dolphins on Saturday. It was so cool. There are some pics  on the website. They were so cool! I love them. I want to see them again.  And now I want to go to Sea world!

 Aunt Donna and MaryJo came down for the weekend. They brought some great  gifts for the baby! The brought some crib things and now all I want to do is  decorate and get the crib ready for Blayne!  But I don't have one yet, so I can't. (I can't wait to though. I am really starting to get excited).  The good news is that Shawn's mom and dad bought one for us.  We are planning to go down there for Thanksgiving weekend and are going to bring it back with us.

 It seems like a long way off though. It's still really warm here and it's  NOVEMBER!!! I am suppose to be wearing a coat, but I am not, I can still  wear shorts and tank tops! We even went to the beach on Saturday!

 The people at the Arby's down the street are really starting to get to know  Shawn. It's like every day he goes and gets those curly French fries and  strawberry soda. I love that meal. It's like all I want! Oh and Little Debbie has become my new best friend.

 Shawn is really supportive. He rubs lotion on my belly and sometimes feels  the baby. The other week he pressed on my stomach and Blayne kicked back.  He's really getting to be like a little baby! He moves around and I can feel  him moving his arms and legs. It feels really funny sometimes. He does have  a bad habit though of getting his foot up in my rib cage, I have a bruise  there from him being there so much.

 I'm feeling pretty good now a days, except for this cold. I do still get  nauseated every once in a while, but I take a phenagran and it goes away. I  am getting really nervous about labor. I just don't really know what to  expect, so it makes me nervous. The doctor we talked to last week was really  nice and she sat with us and talked about all kinds of things. Hopefully she  will be able to deliver my baby. But I doubt it, because it's the  military... but I liked her.

 That's all for now. Just can't wait until this baby is born!

Wednesday August 13, 2003

WARNING!!!! This e-mail is a little LONG. So for easier reading you might want to print it first. Just to warn you. I had a lot of time to write and a lot to say...(dad could you forward this to Adam, and write me an e-mail (you too mum) about the kids and everything that's going on) Everyone else too. I would love to her about what's going on in you lives.

Well, things are just peachy keen here! Well not really. Some things are great others are not.

So... bad news first. I went to the doctors today. Which by the way I just LOVE! (Yeah, right...) I seem to be in and out of there. Well, I am 17 weeks this week and I had had an ultrasound done during the 15th week. So he had to check on that and make sure everything was ok.

Well first the doctor was running 40 minutes behind. Ok this might not seem that big of a deal, but he is the only doctor in the clinic that does this, everyone else manages to run on time. Then they measured my fundus and got the heartbeat, stuff like that. And the whole time the doctor was rushed. It seemed like he didn't have the time for us and that we were the soul purpose of him running behind. But I got him to answer my questions.

And I got yelled at, by him. I was drinking a coke this morning, cause I like the sugar rush and it wakes me up and calms my stomach. I like to drink it first in the morning cause when I do, I always feel better than when I don't. And you know what, it's caffeine free. So... but I should be drinking water he said. Which I do... after that first coke. oh well.

Then he yelled at me again. Because I never told him (which he NEVER EVER asked before) that my side of the family has risk for diabetes and that people in my family are borderlines. So that means that I have to be glucose tested to see if I am at risk for that. (see isn't this day fun so far)

After that I got to finally tell him what's been going on since well, I last saw him two weeks ago. So I told him that I was still really nausea and I had been getting really bad migraines almost every other to every day. Well, last appointment he gave me something called phenergan. Which is a lovely little drug that knocks me out, but when I wake up the nausea is gone. So.. since I am still feeling sick, he gave me more of them.

Also since my head hurts still and Tylenol is doing NOTHING for me. He decided, since I can't have Tylenol with codeine, to give me a very important drug. Now, everyone remembers that I am pregnant right... ok... he gave me Percocet. A narcotic. Wasn't that nice. I don't want to take this. So now I have two drugs to knock me out. And he gave me a recommendation to see a neurologist. So... now I have to make an appointment for that.

So we leave the OB/GYN and heard down to the lab. After the lab I have to go to tricare to update my information, for some reason, the computer doesn't
see my phone number. And then have to make an appointment for the head doctor.

Now it's that time for my triple screen test! You have to have this between 14 and 20 weeks,(or close to that) Which I actually don't really know what they are doing, but they take some blood and if it comes back abnormal then I have to have a lot more tests done. So... I had to have my blood drawn today, which I hate, I can't stand needles. It always hurts so much and my arm always hurts afterwards, but this time, the guy was really nice, he let Shawn come in with me, and he had heard me complaining about how it always bruises and hurts and how much I hate it. And so he did something different than anyone else has ever done. He used a child's size needle. It's smaller and thinner, but otherwise the same, it's make for smaller veins, and makes a smaller hole. So... it actually hurt a lot less and I don't have a bruise. So, lesson learned today, ask for smaller sized needles. Oh I love this lab, it's also latex free! Supposedly the whole hospital is going that way.

I am also suppose to be getting a one hour glucose test. Ok, I am going to explain this very simple procedure to you and see if you can guess why, me
being me, can't do this very simple test.

Well, first you go to the lab and they give you a orange glucose syrup drink. Then you get to sit in the lab for one hour and then when the hour is up... they test your blood sugar. And if you are abnormal then you have more tests, if it's normal, then you are done.

ok who guessed right? I bet Cyndi did! Well, probably most of you. Yes, the orange drink. The first step. You would think that someone other than me would have a problem with orange and they would have another flavor, right. No... only orange. And now the lab has no idea what to do with me. They have to talk to the head of the lab department in Eglin to find out what they can substitute. Seriously. So they have to call me when they figure out how to test me.

Anyways, we left the lab and went to tricare, everyone there is an idiot. I could do a better job and I barely know anything about tricare! So, for you who have no idea what I am talking about. Tricare is the insurance, but it's more than that. Everyone here has tricare. It's the military. So they also make the appointments, and when you go to the office you usually can make appointments there. Remember, I need to see the head doctor. No. you'll never guess what this secretary told me.

She said, I could not get and appointment through tricare until my PCM recommended it. (OK, the PCM, is my primary care manager. like the doctor I see for a cold or and ear infection. )Except, for one small thing that everyone forgets. I AM PREGNANT!!! All doctors appointments now have to go through the OB/GYN. NOT my PCM. So we had to go back to the OB/GYN office to try to clear this all up. They sent us to the forth floor, to the head doctors office.

Well, we waited for someone up there to talk to us and found out that we have to go through tricare to make and appointment. (see isn't this fun) So Shawn decided that he is going to spend some time tomorrow calling people and hassling people.

So the only good thing that happened so far is I had a small needle and it didn't hurt that much.

And a very exciting thing happened today. Since Two weeks ago, I gained 4 1/2 lbs! YEAH!!!!!! I am now 106.5 lbs. only 3.5 lbs until I get to my starting weight! Then I get to gain another 30 lbs. Fun huh...But I am excited about gaining weight.

Well, for all you who don't know, I should catch you up on everything about the pregnancy. I am high risk. For a few reasons, and it seems that every time I go to the doctors they find a new way to put me on a new watch. Right now I am at risk for cervix problems, weight gaining problems, migraines, and today we added glucose watch. Oh yeah, since I was already in the ER for dehration, I am on watch for that too.

Shawn and I have discussed it, and we had talked about me getting a job when I settled in and got a drivers license. But that is out of the question now. For one, I am not aloud to do any lifting of anything much heavier than like a plate of food. I have to let my chest heal ( I pulled rib muscles awhile back and they never really healed because I never really let them) and they don't want me stretching my uterus. Also, I can never count on feeling well and feeling up to getting up and going out.

The doctor also put me on a sorta bed rest. Not really bed rest, but he wants me to rest as much as I can. No exercise or anything else is advised. Watch how much I walk, sit when I start to get tired or winded or I feel my heart speed up. Stuff like that.

But other than that everything is fine. Shawn is doing good. He likes his work, he actually gettes to work and stuff like that. He likes the people there.

I finally met a friend here. Her name is Crystal. She is married to a Guy named Justin. Shawn and Justin get a long too. We meet in Blockbuster. We were both talking out loud about movies and started discussing them together, what they liked, what we liked, what bad, what was good. and hen we introduced our self and then we just started talking about other things, exchanged numbers, and the next weekend we meet for a movie and dinner on a Friday night, and then on Saturday we went to the beach. Thursday, me and her are going out for ice cream and a talk.

She and Justin have been married like a month longer than Shawn and me and he is military. She's a nanny and they just moved here. The boys say that we are a lot alike and it's scary how much. She's not pregnant... yet... we will wait and see about that, she wants kids and can't wait until I have mine so she can play with him. She's great. We can talk. We were talking on Saturday, and we just happened to meet right at the right time. We had both been looking for someone to talk to and go out with other than our husbands and we both hadn't really TALKED to another female our own age in a couple weeks. We both needed a break from our husbands, and they both needed a break (other than work) from us. So it's nice that me meet another couple like us.

If you haven't visited the website my mom built, you should and you should sign you guest book. I actually signed it!

I have decided to save the BEST news for last. I felt the baby move today!!! 3 kicks. I was sitting on my couch and I was eating some pretzels and drinking some cold water, and I had my hand on my lower belly, because well, it's a comfortable place to rest it. And right after I took a really big drink of water, he kicked, he kicked my fingers. It was really cool cause I felt it on the inside and the outside. but of course, by time it registered and I could talk again, and get it out to tell Shawn, well, Shawn rushed over to see if he could feel it, but he stopped. I also realized that if I sit in a chair and start to lower my chest to my legs, I can feel him
throwing a fit. He is very active, very. The last ultrasound took like twice as long because he WOULD not stay still for her to get a picture. But now I can feel it, sometimes, in certain situations ad positions. But it's so exciting. More exciting than the ultrasound and hearing the heartbeat.

Ok, this is long enough and it's like 3:42 in the morning. (I have this terrible case of insomnia, that won't go away, no matter what time I wake up in the morning) And I am finally getting tired.

Hope to hear from you all soon. I miss you all!

Love always
Amy
 

Friday June 27, 2003

I thought I would share these with you guys!

Mom, here's you first pics of the baby! You said you wanted to put some on the website! :)

Shawn, I wished you could have been there today. I got to hear the heart beat and everything. It was really cool.

Carole! Isn't this cool!

I am currently 10 weeks and 4 days today. They measured the baby and said that's how old it is. And they did a bunch of other tests too, like a pap smear and stuff.

They weighed me today. My weight is dropping. Even though I haven't really done anything. I have to keep trying to gain weight. No longer will I depend on my house scales, because they had said I weighed like 113. So... I don't. I only weigh 100.6. Last time was 103, and the time before that was 107. So we need to talk about that with the doctor there.

I hate ultra sounds, I explain later why though.

They measured my cervics, and said that right now it is normal size and I shouldn't have any problems with it. I have a problem list that they have to keep up with me. But because I had that leep thing done, I have to have a ultra sound every few weeks to make sure that I still have a normal cervix diameter. So.. I should have lots of pictures!

Nothing much else. I don't like doctors, but at least they didn't have to take any blood this time. I do have my records from Lanstual, so I can transfer easier and they can reput all the information in the computers at Eglin.

This web site created and maintained by Sheri, the soon-to-be very proud Grandma.  If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please email me at sheri_shanks@insightbb.com