Well it's been a while since I've made a post. Chris and I were reading over past entries last night and got a good chuckle out of the one about the changing table getting stuck in the car! My last post, which was made in April 08 indicated that I would hopefully be able to stay at home in August, which would be a year after I returned to work. And well it happened, I've been home since August, my last day at work was August 14. Joshua and I have stayed busy. We go to playgroup at WISC (Williamsburg Indoor Sports Complex), Library, Kinder Music, and play dates with other kids. We have also been fortunate enough to be go home to WV every month for 1 to two weeks to spend time with mom. We've enjoyed it and Joshua loves spending time in WV. He does much better in the car than he used to, plug in the DVD player, and put in Cars and he's good to go.

Joshua is nineteen months old (or will be in 3 days) and is busier than ever, running, talking, and into everything. Chris and I found him standing in a chair at the kitchen table the other day, thing is our table is high, like bar stool height. Joshua is so cute, of course we're partial, but he is so adorable, he gives hugs and kisses, and he's learning every day.

Joshua LOVES anything with tires, or anything to do with cars. He has a DVD Hard Hat Harry, All About Cars and Motorcycles. It's a guy showing kids how to change tires, oil, etc on a car. He will watch this 35 minute episode over and over and over, it's a real car, real garage etc. Well the other day he started putting a round tupperware lid around his firetruck wheels, ran around his firetruck with his drill (which he uses as a torch wrench) and pretends he's doing a pit stop and changing the tires. Too cute!!!!

I've really enjoyed being home with Joshua, yes sometimes it's a struggle, as we lost my income, but definitely worth it, especially when you get all the hugs and kisses for no reason. Nothing like those little arms giving you a hug and Joshua pats your back when he hugs you. Again too cute!

He gets bigger each and every day and it's so cool to get to watch that and be a full time mom, whereas when I worked I felt like a part-time parent through the week.

As with all past entries I will attempt to do better with posting updates on Joshua, but no promises!

My intent was to keep the journal up as a type of on-line baby book, but that just didn't happen! The past nine and a half months have been hectic, crazy, wonderful, busy, tiring, and everything in between. I'm sure not many folks will read this since it's been so long. Joshua was born 5 weeks early. I went to the Dr. on June 14, 2007, for a blood pressure check, was sent to the hospital, kept overnight for "monitoring," given some really good drugs to sleep and at 7:00am they induced labor and broke my water. Joshua arrived at 5:40pm on June 15, 2007. He was in the hospital for a week, every time the Dr's thought there was an issue he overcame it, I was able to stay at the hospital with him. The night we thought he would get to come home, we were afraid I would be readmitted due to blood pressure issues (the entire stay at the hospital regarding care was not the best). They gave me medications and we got to come home with Joshua at 7:00 pm on June 21, 2008. I lost 7 pounds that night in fluid! Thankfully my parents were here and mom kept the baby the first night home so Chris and I could get some rest. For the first few weeks we had to wake JP up every 3 hours for him to eat. We HATED to wake him up. Then when it came to the point that we didn't he was still up because we had been getting him up. The first few months of his life all he did was cry, and cry and cry and cry some more and cry some more! Thank goodness he grew out of that and we put him on Hypoallergenic Formula, that made a big difference. After the crazy nurse practitioner put him on Preemie Formula he couldn't go back to normal, and it was horrible, once we got the formula issue straight things were much better.

It has been wonderful watching Joshua learn, and grow and become his own little person.

I went back to work the beginning of August. We have a great sitter, we absolutely love her and hopefully in August 08, a year after returning to work, I won't have to work anymore and I can stay home with JP.

He's a really good baby, happy, and playful. Everyone always talks about what a happy good baby he is and he really is.

So much has occurred in the past nine months I could not possibly write it all.

We are blessed and don't know what life was like before JP. We have often thought why didn't we take advantage of going to late movies and sleeping in, and we didn't realize how much freedom we actually had to do whatever we wanted really whenever we wanted. But I would not change it for ANYTHING in the world!

Joshua Franklin Neal Powell

Born: 6/15/07 5:40pm

6lbs. 13 oz.

That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my entire life.

More pictures here. Just hit "next."

I have been feeling pretty good. I was exhausted yesterday after the Shower at work and it was so incredibly hot here. I just wanted to go swimming. My ankles really hurt yesterday, beyond being tight. Once I was able to get home and put on comfy clothes, cool down, and put my feet up for a bit they just became tight again, the pain was gone, so that was a good thing.


Quadro is definitely getting bigger everyday. Moving around, and apparently making my bladder the size of a pea! I am now 35 weeks along. Quadro will be here before we know it. And then there will be a time when we don’t remember now anticipating his arrival, and then no remembering not having him in our lives.

Today is Yoda’s birthday!!!!!!!! He is 7 years old! He actually got a card in the mail, addressed to him, from Pet Smart with a gift certificate for a toy!!!! He of course will likely not be too sure about Quadro’s arrival, but he’ll learn to love him and they’ll be buddies! At least that’s what we hope.

We’ll I’m off to work in the baby’s room for about an hour.

We had a baby shower at my work on Friday. Chris came to this one. It was really nice. Everyone decided it was the healthiest food we’ve had for an event. We had all type of lunch meat, cheeses, breads, “fixin” for sandwiches, and all kinds of fruit, broccoli salad, cole slaw, layered taco dip, chips, salsa, and lemonade. It was really good. One of my co-workers, Michele, came to me Friday morning and said she was making a yellow cake at 1am! And dropped it and it fell in the floor and the glass dish broke all over it. So she came into work early to make another one and it tasted bad from the dish it was mixed in. I really appreciated the effort and the trouble she went through to make a cake! We still had a cake, one from Ukrop’s.

The conference room at work was all decorated for a shower, it looked really good. We ate, played games, and opened presents. It went on for almost 3 hours! Quadro got a lot of things he needed. We got baby monitor’s, some more clothes!, a Snugli, diaper bag (that is so cute), diapers, baby wipes, gift cards, Safety First Kits with clippers, scissors, hairbrush etc., blankets, diaper genie II, refills for the diaper genie, three books. One Dr’s Seuss Book Are You My Mother? And two FUNNY books. One from my male co-worker called Hatched, that was so funny I had tears in my eyes. The other from another male co-worker called Bad Baby’s that was equally as funny! Jenny, a girl from work, brought in more things from the Store of Kittrell. She is letting Chris and I use her swing, and another really neat toy. So now we just need to get the pack-n-play, and at some point down the road a high chair.

It really was a very nice shower!!!!

After the shower, two of the men from work came and helped carry the changing table/dresser up stairs. So now that is accomplished. Chris and I worked some today on the list on the dry erase board. The baby’s closet (AKA downstairs spare bedroom) now looks more like a bedroom than a baby’s closet! The car seat and bases are in there and a bag full of stuff that goes in the car (sunshade, backseat mirror, etc) are in the room, but that will come out as soon as we get everything in the cars.

We put the rocking chair that my sister wants in the garage to get it out of the room too and that REALLY helped! And we were able to move the excersaucer out and put it in another closet until Quadro is ready to use it. We have an extra exersaucer and bouncy chair for the in-laws house.

Chris put up the curtain rods and curtains in the downstairs bedroom today too. And wow! What a difference in helping to keep the light out, I’m sure my parents will appreciate that when they come and help after Quadro’s arrival.

We also FINALLY cleaned out the kitchen cupboards that have food in them. When we moved we just put stuff wherever and said “ow, we’ll organize it later, let’s just get it unpacked.” Well one year and nine months later and they are organized! And it only took about 15 minutes!!!! We cleaned out the glasses cupboard last weekend. We had soooooo many classes, so we have a box of classes to donate now, along with a bag of tupperware and box of misc. items. I just have one more cupboard to clean out/organize and the kitchen will be good.

I still feel like so much needs done and the house needs a really good cleaning again! I guess it’s a good thing that the main complaint I have about being pregnant is the inability to do some things, I like to be able to do things and get them done, so it’s a little frustrating, because I know once the baby comes I really won’t feel like doing it.

This evening Chris and I are going to go to Target and return a few things, and possibly go by Hallmark and get Quadro a baby book so we can start putting info. in about his baby showers. We have one more shower to go, next week on Friday. It should be fun; I’m looking forward to seeing everyone.

Well I’m off, I need to go up to Quadro’s room and line the dresser and start organizing his clothes and 50+ pairs of socks!

So there is something wrong with El Jay. It will no longer let the Beloved post from home. For now she is e-mailing her posts to me at work, and I am posting them. One way or another we'll get it done!

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I went to the Dr. again today and had the same "nurse" checking me in as last time. She asked me three times if I was familiar with the test they were doing today, she asked 3 times after telling me about the test. So after the third time she asked I again told her she has already gone over that and I told her what she told me. Her response "ow I thought that was someone else" there was NO ONE ELSE SHE WAS WORKING WITH; SHE WAS WITH ME FOR THE ENTIRE TEN MINUTES!!!!! She then took my blood pressure and again it was higher on the wrist but it also went up on the cuff.

I got to see the Dr. I really like. The baby is doing well and growing right on schedule. I learned today that now that I have passed the 34 weeks if they need to induce at any point I will deliver at my local hospital with my Dr's. If he needed to come prior due to issues I would have had to have gone somewhere else with different Dr's. The Dr. again paid attention to my feet and calves and pressed on my calves to see how fluidy they are. I explained I was home today before the appointment with my feet up and they looked a little better than normal. He said keeping my feet up may help some but with the heat there's not much else I can do. Though my bp was high he explained it's still within a safe range to where they will just continue to have me come to the office often for checks. There was no protein in my urine which is a good thing. He told me for things to watch for and if I have any issues such as blurred vision, a really bad headache, or a sharp pain in my liver, (and he pointed to where my liver is at this point) to call the office immediately because those are signs of high blood pressure. The only "pain" I've had is minor heart burn occasionally and Tums helps.

I got curtain rods and curtains today for the downstairs bedroom. There are blinds on the windows but no curtains and with my parents coming and staying in the room we needed curtains since light really comes in that room even with the blinds closed.

Still so many things to do, I have the baby clothes washed but I haven't folded them, I'm waiting for the changing table/dresser to be moved upstairs, so I can organize them. I would really love for everything around the house to be done before the end of the weekend on the 16th. But we'll see. Chris and I take our tour at the hospital on the 16th; I'm looking forward to the tour.

Quadro is hungry and I don't know what we want to eat.

We have another baby shower on Friday. This one is at my work. Chris will come with me to this one, it should be fun.

Quadro and I went to the baby shower at Church Saturday evening. It was really nice and we got a lot of great things that we needed! Quadro now has the beginning of his video library with Baby Einstein and Baby Faith DVD’s. One of the Baby Einstein DVD’s has a frog in it, and the gift included the frog puppet, it was really neat.

I ate at the shower and make I feel like good choices. And then I had a piece of cake. I scrapped the icing off so it was a piece of cake with icing residue really. But an hour later my sugar was absolutely fine!

Chris came home from work with a basket of baby things from his work. In the basket was the cutest pair of blue jeans!

I started washing baby clothes today, two FULL loads of clothes from newborn to six months. I’m anxious to go through them again and see what’s there.

I went to the Dr. for my second visit on Thursday because of blood pressure. I got to see the Dr. I wanted to see, however the lady that took my blood pressure was confused as to why I was there at 33 weeks. Um hello! you have my chart!!!! Anyway..... my Dr. office takes your blood pressure with a thing on your wrist, that is what they have been doing for my checks. Well this lady did that and the pressure was higher than the last four visits, so she does it with the cuff and it is SIGNIFICANTLY lower. So she writes that down. I asked if it made a difference since all the other times it was done on the wrist she said no. She then tried to get me to do a test that is required at 34 weeks after having had the conversation about 33 weeks! So I let it go and I was just going to talk to the Dr.

I met with the Dr. he actually takes the time to talk to you and see what's going with you and life. I asked about the difference with the instrument that took my bp, he said it was ok, the cuff was more accurate. So I felt ok with that response and it was marked on my chart that it was taken with the cuff. I had no protein in my urine this time and my blood work came back good! So I got a that a girl your doing well. Quadro's heart beat was good and he's growing just right and has moved around and is positioned as he should be. My sugar levels have been good and I told the Dr. about my piece of pizza with salad and the one high level, he was not concerned as this was the only higher level I had and it was still better than my fasting levels before I started monitoring!

He was pleased all I had gained is 17 lbs, and once he checked my feet, ankles, and calves he told me I should loose most of it in fluid after the baby is born! Which makes since because by the end of the day I feel like my ankles weight 17 lbs each.

I go back to the Dr. Wednesday next week. More later.

Went to the Dr. again today and my blood pressure was up. I was then placed in a room and had to lay on my left side for about ten minutes, which of course made the blood pressure come down. They then did blood work to make sure everything was ok and it was just the blood pressure. If it's just the blood pressure and the blood work comes back ok, and the blood pressure maintains at a level in which it has been then I will just go to the Dr. twice a week as I have been and they will likely induce at 37-38 weeks. If the blood work comes back not good then I may have to change things such as what I am able to do. I go back on Friday and will get the blood work results and I'll see a different doctor, so we'll see.

I am somewhat stressed over all the things that need to be done, overwhelmed as well. I hate needing to do things and not being able to do them, if I had one good day of mobility and energy I'd feel like things were situated and good to go and I'd be able to relax and enjoy the next month as much as possible.

I think I'll start washing baby clothes this weekend and hopefully we'll figure out how to get the changing table/dresser upstairs and I can start getting everything together.

So Saturday Chris was going to go to baby's-r-us and pick up the dresser/changing table at 10 and then Yoda to the vet at noon. I was going to a funeral that morning and he dropped me off to a friend, who I was going to the service with and lives near babys-r-us. The plan was after the service I would call when I was back in the area which would be after the vet visit and he would come get me and we would go to Sam's which is also near the friends house.

That's how the morning started. We'll Alaina and I met Sheila and we all three went together. As we are driving across the Monitor Merrimac Chris calls and says the changing table/dresser fit into his car (my concern when we ordered it was it would not fit) but he explained "my car isn't as big as I thought it was." But it fit. So we go on to the service. There was a misunderstanding as to the times of everything, so we went for a short while and then headed back to Newport News earlier than anticipated. I called Chris at about 11:00 and told him we were on our way back did he want to meet somewhere and come get me before taking Yoda to the vet.

He was flustered and said he needed to take another shower, he explained there were "complications" but he would tell me about them later. We decided he would just do what he needed to do take Yoda to the vet then give me a call, I would just hang out with Alaina for a bit.

So I hang up the phone thinking "complications?" did it fall out of the back of his car going down the interstate. Alaina assured that didn't happen as he made was home and it had only been an hour since he picked it up. We could not figure out the "complication."

Chris calls back a little later and says "this is the deal...." I need to take a shower, sit down for a minute, and take Yoda to the vet (we had previously talked about me taking Yoda but I can't lift him into the car)then I need to go to Clint's so Clint can help me get this out of my car and put it in his truck and bring it here. I was confused! The item FIT in his car but it was STUCK!!!!!! Ow wait actually he said first he was going to put his car back together and then take a shower and you know the rest.

I asked what did he mean put his car back together, I asked if he took the hatch off and he said "no nothing that drastic." So we decided he could pick me up on the way to Clint's house or just call and we'll figure it out.

I hung up from this conversation and don't ask me why but in telling Alaina what was going on, as she only heard my end of the conversation I was laughing so hard I was literally crying!!!! It was just one of those things like when the dishwasher is running and you open it and ask "is this clean!" Just funny! Also I thought why he is driving to Clint's for Clint to help him get this furniture out to just bring it to us, if Clint has time to do that why doesn't he just come to the house. It wasn't until later that I learned Clint would bring it by another day. So that then made sense.

So, Chris calls around 1:00ish and says he's back from the vet with Yoda. And he's coming to Alaina's to get me and we'll go to Clint's. So he gets to Alaina's and says his brother can come by at 2:30 to help him get the furniture out of the car and upstairs. That was another issue he is going to need assistance carrying it upstairs, because I can't help. So, Alaina said Pat's here (her husband) he can try and help you get it out, we can put it in dad's truck and bring it to you in a few days. Ok, that's a plan. So we all go outside, and Pat is pulling on it and Chris is in the car pushing and moving it and then they change places. The problem is in the back of the car are two plastic things that gave when it went in but can't give the other way for it to come out. And it's not in a box. So.... the plastic thing on the left has a light and wiring connected so it couldn't be removed, but the one on the right could. So Chris took it off and at that point the furniture wiggled out of the car. At this point Chris said we'll now that I know it will come out there is no reason to leave it here, we can take it home in my car and get it in the garage. So it was pushed back into the car and we decided to go to Sam's since we were in Newport News.

We go to Sam's and as always you end up buying a few things that aren't on your list. So we ended up opening the drawers to the dresser and putting stuff in them!

When we got home Chris was able to get the furniture out of his car and in the garage and we'll find someone to help him carry it upstairs, it's a straight stretch up the stairs and will take all of five minutes.

My sister, Amy, said if we didn't get it out we could sale the car and market it as small car with lots of storage!!!!!!!!!!!

Quadro better LOVE this piece of furniture.

It's been over a week since I've been checking my blood sugar and for the most part it's good, still learning what I can do and how, it's not so bad. But if it's not one thing it's another..... I have been to the Doctor twice this week and am on two day checks for my blood pressure, but everything is FINE! Quadro has a new cousin, a teacup/toy chihuahua named Murray! Welcome to the family Murray!

Chris has a friend whom he met online years ago and we actually met he and his wife for dinner in Las Vegas last year. Well Jen (the wife) made a peanuts blanket for Quadro, it is so cute and will look great with our whole peanuts theme. It has his name on it, yes we told someone, but they promised not to tell anyone! For the picture though the corner of the blanket with his name will not show!

Chris put Quadro's crib together last night, it's a crib, toddler/day bed, full size. We ordered the matching dresser/changing table to go with it so he'll have matching furniture now and we shouldn't need to buy anything else as the crib converts! Mom is making all the bedding and a roman shade for the window in the peanuts fabric we picked!

I took the class at the hospital today regarding the gestational diabetes. It was interesting, and the nutritionist was great. I have learned that I have been starving myself. I can have a lot more than I thought. We took our blood sugar to learn how to use the system and mine should have been around 120, it was 80! I could have had something other than salad for lunch! But now I know. Now I have to get the needles and strips from the pharmacy. The needles are covered through the pharmacy like a prescription drug for my plan. However, the needles are a medical care expense and I have to pay and request reimbursement and they are pricey. After July 1 it will all be through the pharmacy but I'm not sure if that will be relevant at that point. Now we need to go to the grocery store again and get things I can eat. The gestational diabetes isn't going to be the problem, my concern is the blood pressure will be. Well, I'm off to find something else to eat, as I'm starving.

Chris gave me a mother's day card for mother's day and then I got a foot spa. So I got to put my sore, swollen, itchy, feet in a warm bubbly bath spa and rub my feet over these things to massage them! It was WONDERFUL! They felt soooooooooo good after. And then the Nascar race was on since it rained out last night. My opinion is Nascar should NEVER race on Mother's Day, even if it had been rained out, I was personally looking forward to a race free Sunday.

I got the results of my Hemoglobin AC1 last week, it needed to be between 4.8-5.9 and it was 6.2. Though it was a smidgen higher the Dr. felt it looked ok considering how high my other numbers were.

We had an ultrasound on Thursday (5-10-07) everything is ok. We got two more pictures of his face, but he's so smooched they are harder to make out than the other pictures. I met with my primary Dr., this was just the second time I've met with her. Chris got to meet her, so now he's met all but one of the Dr's. She said everything looked good and we talked a little about changes I have made and can make until I go for my class and on Monday. She just said they would watch to make sure he doesn't get too big.

I talked to her about my humongously swollen feet and ankles and asked that as long as my blood pressure was ok was it ok that I did thing. She said yes that it was good for me to do things for my blood sugar but that she wasn't sure she would be able to say the same thing in two weeks. So what we got from that is this weekend and next get busy and get things done. She mentioned staying busy could help him come early and that wouldn't be a bad thing. I anticipate Quadro will be here by the end of June, or sometime in July before the 4th. So that was the appointment all is going well. Next appointment in a little over a week.

Yes, I do believe I have had this title before, but my feet and ankles are officially HUGE! I can feel the fluid in my ankles and my skin feels somewhat hot in my feet and ankles and they are a little painful when I stand. I'm not sure why there so bad today, I even set with my feet up for about two hours at work this afternoon. The Dr's office never called about the blood work, hopefully I'll hear something to tomorrow, if not I have an appointment Thursday.

The Dr's office called today regarding the results of the Glucose Fasting test and as expected the results were not good at all. The fasting test should have been 90 or below and mine was 134, the 1 hours test 180 or below and mine was 267, the second hour test should have been 140 mine was 237, and the third should have been 130 and mine was 222, so it was beyond not good! This means that I have gestational diabetes. I had blood work done today, a Hemoglobin AC1 test to see what has been going on with my blood sugar for the past 6 weeks. I meet with a dietitian and nutritionist for 3 hours next Monday and get the equipment to check my blood sugar. The hope is diet will make a difference, unless it's just too high, which is the concern since fasting it was so high, how can controlling what you eat make it normal when you don't eat it's too high? They can give me medicine to take 3's a day before meals, and the last option is insulin. I'm hoping it doesn't come to this. So between now and Monday I'm not sure how I'm suppose to eat. All I can really do is cut the sweats out and no more pop-tarts! The Dr's office will call tomorrow with the results of this blood work. That's it for now!

Ok, the pews at my Church were not made for short pregnant women! That's all I can really say!

Well, Quadro and I took the fasting test at the hospital this morning and it was not fun! I got there at 6:30 as I was instructed to register and start the first one at 7. Well they called my name and the woman then informed me "ow sorry I can't do yours you will have to wait until so and so comes in" I asked when will that be, she responded, "sometime soon" this was not promising. I wanted to get the first one done to get the ball rolling since I had three hours to go after that was done. Finally at around 7:20 I got called back and they took my blood. They test only the first sample, the fasting one, with you there before they give you the yummy glucose drink. Well my fasting one was again let's just say a little high! So it just doesn't look good for the phone call from the Dr. on Monday. It it was too high after fasting, and then I get a drink loaded with sugar and tested for three more hours but we'll see, more on that Monday.

I always get blood out of my left arm, I have a vein that is always right there for the pricking! So the first test I did left arm, then I thought hmm let's switch it up, the second I did my right but geez that hurt. So the third and fourth I gave her my left again. The right is still sore from her taking blood, the left is fine, there is a bigger mark from taking the tape off than from the needle!

After it was all over I went and got something to eat but now I am absolutely drained and exhausted. I went to work to talk to my Chief to make sure it was ok I came home. I hate using leave, but I really haven't felt this drained, headache, uck in a while. So Quadro and I are off for a nap now that we've both been fed! I did finally have a boston cream donut today, something I have wanted since we were in Staunton last week. I figured might as well get it in before I'm told I can't do that anymore!

My feet for the past two days have looked like balloons. Particularly interesting is that I have not had socks on for six days yet I still have places on my ankles from the swelling as though I've been wearing socks. I really just need the swelling to go down so I can get appropriate shoes on for court on Thursday. Flip flops and slide on tennis shoes won't cut it, which is what I've been wearing for the past six days!