We have reached the final frontier...

I am officially in my third trimester as of today! w00t! We're in the homestretch! I just have to get through the next 13 weeks and then I'll be able to hold, cuddle, kiss and play with my new little boy! Omigosh. I think the reality of it just hit me. I have only 13 weeks to get everything together and other than an outfit, some socks and a pair of pj's, I have nothing for Christian. Egats! Thank God for Christmas!

We had some excitement this week -- I spent Wednesday and half of Thursday in the hospital. That was obviously completely unexpected. I woke up Wednesday feeling just fine and even remarked to myself on the way to work how uneventful this pregnancy has been (in a good way). Around a quarter to 7, I started to cramp and then my back began to hurt. I kind of brushed it off for awhile but then when the pain got so bad that I couldn't sit at my desk, I began to worry. I called my OB's office, but they were closed so I had to page the doctor on-call. Dr. Dalla Riva called me back and asked me the usual questions (was I bleeding, etc.) and then said I should probably scoot my butt up to the office to be looked at.

I left work feeling like I was going to be back there in no time. I even left some of my work on my co-workers desk because I figured I would be back. Mark went with me up to the doctor's office and I'm so glad because driving while you're in that kind of pain sucks. I had to wait forever to see Dr. Hulsen because I didn't have an appointment which really sucked too. When I finally got to see the doctor, he checked my cervix and said it was long and closed which meant that Christian wasn't attempting to come anytime soon but there was blood in my urine and he was concerned about a kidney infection.

So I was sent down to Labor & Delivery to be monitored, get some IV fluids and have an ultrasound on my kidneys. Christian was just fine the entire time, but I was having small contractions which they said was probably just my uterus being aggravated by the back pain. The ultrasound came back to show that I am retaining fluid on my right kidney and it could be because I'm trying to pass a stone or just because my ureters are dilated because of the pregnancy.

Dr. Hulsen and the urologist decided to keep me overnight for observation, making sure I didn't get a fever or my white blood cell count didn't elevate. Ug. I hate staying in the hospital and I hate staying in the hospital hooked up to an IV even more. I hardly slept because of the hard bed and the fact that I had to pee every five minutes. I couldn't eat anything in case they had to take me into surgery to put a stint in my kidney, so I was STARVING. The nurses weren't exactly accomodating either. It was the worst.

I was able to go home Thursday after they checked my white blood cell count, which was better than the day before (probably due to the huge dose of antibiotics they gave me through my IV on Wednesday). They also hooked me up to the fetal monitor just to make sure Christian was doing okay as well, which he was. By noon, I was at home in bed, eating a Big Mac and watching "Stepbrothers" with my husband. That was where I was the happiest.

I still wasn't feeling 100% on Friday so I stayed home from work. Saturday though, I had enough energy to match Aidan which is saying something. I almost got all of the laundry done! Unfortunately, my back pain kicked in early in the afternoon and that shot me down for the rest of the evening. I finally broke down about 2am this morning and took one of the Hydrocodone that Dr. Hulsen prescribed me, but it didn't help whatsoever. Obviously the pain meds they gave me at the hospital were of a much higher dose. :oP

I'm okay this morning just dealing with a cranky 3 year old, who's pissed because I won't let him have his binkie unless it's bedtime or naptime. He keeps trying to tell me he's tired, but Momma didn't raise no fool. He pulled that with me yesterday and ran around for 4 hours with his binkie before he actually took the nap he said he wanted. *sigh*

Anyway, here's where I am this week:

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.