he/she?

Some of these past couple of blog posts have been a little intense.  I thought I would throw a little comedic relief in here for a little bit of a break.  Lord knows, I am in need myself :)

Carl and I had to run to the mall yesterday to pick up a couple of necessities. We made it a very quick trip because we had to squeeze the trip in between Carter's feedings (more on that subject to come). Anyhoo, I had to make a pit stop at the restroom on the way out.  As most of you know, I still have my Foley catheter in because of my bladder repair during surgery, which also means that I have a leg bag (my life is so glamorous right now). So, "going to the bathroom" is quite different for me. I was happy to see that I walked into an unoccupied restroom, so I simple chose the first stall and proceeded to empty my bag.  While I was mid-pour, I heard the door open and some footsteps in. I thought, "oh great, I hope she doesn't look at my feet underneath the stall . . . " (visual - me standing up, feet pointed towards the toilet, me wearing a maxi dress . . . you get the picture?)

My curiosity was confirmed when the woman came out of the stall while I was washing my hands. She had a very inquisitive look on her face . . . . she was definitely playing "the gender game" in her head. I of course was horrified at first and almost just explained myself.  But then I thought, "no, just let her wonder, it's more fun that way". I had a strong urge to grab my crotch and try to "adjust" something that wasn't there, but I refrained for her sake :)

In other news, Carter continues to make progress.  He is into a big boy crib and is off of his heating lamps. Because he doesn't have the lamps anymore, the nurses have him dressed in a onesie, a sleeper, two blankets and a hat on to try to control his temperature.

He looks pretty cute all dressed up :) He continues to work on eating, but it's a slow process because babies of his gestation just get too tired when they try to eat like full term babies. So we will just continue to practice and let him get a little older and a little more awake.

daddy and me

Well Carter, what can I say?  You are daddy's first and only boy.  Daddy LOVES his daughters with ALL his heart, but there will always be something special about the bond between a father and his son.

There may be times when you disagree . . .

but just think of all the fun things you two will get to do! Daddy is excited to show you how to play football, baseball, basketball and especially HOCKEY (Bapa may help out with that one). And don't forget about fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and horseback riding (Grandpa may do that with you too).

Ahhhhh, you'll love your daddy and your daddy will love you!

Our Story

Oh, where to begin? There has been so many different things that have happened, so many different emotions that have been felt, so much pain, but also so much joy. Some of my last few days are a bit foggy, but here's what I can remember . . .

Thursday (July 19th) morning was a whirlwind of activity. I had thankfully gotten a descent night sleep and was trying to get my room packed up and ready for our next transition. I was trying to keep my mind occupied, but to be honest, I was scared out of my whits. I didn't really know what was to come and could feel that my world was about to change.

A team came to get me at about 11:00am. With a tearful departure from my sister Ali and my mom, I was wheeled down to pre-op. There I was talked to by about 5 different doctors and their teams and also got two IVs started. After what seemed like an eternity (about 3 hours in real time), I was wheeled into the OR, while Carl had to wait in the lobby. There I was given a spinal block . . . which didn't work quite well enough, so after a few minutes, I was given another one. When I was good and numb from the chest down, the Urologist started placing my stints and placed a camera into my bladder so she could see exactly where my placenta had attached itself. From there, the Internal Radiologist team took over and placed catheters into my femoral arteries to help stop the bleeding during my hysterectomy. All of this took about two hours.  While they worked on me, I tried to close my eyes and just go to a different place.  Let me tell you, it is not easy being awake during surgery.  It is a complete mind game. When you have a entire room full of doctors and nurses (about 15-20 people in my OR) working on you, talking about the procedure, yelling out things that you have no idea what they are talking about . . . it's quite intense.  Thank God for the wonderful nurses who kept talking to me and ensuring me that everything was going well.

Once everything was in place, they brought Carl in and started with the delivery.

At 4:07pm I saw a sweet little face peek over the curtain for a second before he was rushed into the OR next door.  I was happy to hear him squawk a little before he left the room. Within a minute, I was given happy gas and was off under general anesthesia for the rest of my surgery.

As most of you already know, I had a hysterectomy and also had my bladder repaired. The surgery took about 5 1/2 hours. My doctors assured me that there were no surprises during surgery. I was wheeled into recovery where I stayed until after midnight. During surgery, I was given 4 blood transfusions, and in recovery and in my room that night, I was given 4 more, and also some other blood products through my IVs. I don't remember much of anything during this time period.  Apparently in recovery, I was being "quite a character" with the nurses . . . hum . . . that could mean many different things :)

The next day was also a blur.  I was still heavily medicated and was in and out all day and night. Since I was in rough shape, I was not allowed to see Carter until later that evening.  They took me (and my whole family) over to Children's Hospital on a bed, because I was still unable to sit up at all. This was also the first time I saw my girls. It was really hard, because I was trying to put on this act that I was just fine, but they knew better (especially Jocie) . . . I just couldn't keep my eyes open . . . even during conversations. I do, however, remember when I first got to hold Carter. The nurse just laid him down on my neck and chest, and we both immediately relaxed. He stopped crying, and I stopped hurting. It was wonderful.

Carter was doing pretty well. They were expecting him to do better than he was doing because he was 34 weeks, had steroid shots, and was big for his gestation.  But, he did need to have a CPAP to help him breath, an IV for fluids, and a feeding tube.

The next 4 days were pure hell for me.  With a combination of high doses of narcotic medications to help control my pain (which I found out don't work for me), not being able to get up and move around and the fact that I just had major abdominal surgery where my insides were exposed to the dry air for 5 1/2 hours, I contracted something called ileus. It basically meant that my colon/intestines were in shock, and stop moving anything through. I was horribly sick. The worst kind of sick. I couldn't really move, I couldn't stand the smell of anything, I couldn't stand to watch anyone else eat, I couldn't stand my pain level, and couldn't take anymore narcotic drugs to help control it. I simply had to wait for my insides to start working again, and while I waited, I was sicker than I have ever been in my whole life. Because of this, I wasn't able to travel to Children's to see Carter on a few of those days, which just made me feel worse. The fact that I could hear babies crying in the rooms next to me just made me want to scream! I was so jealous of all those mother's who got to have their healthy babies in their rooms. I was beside myself.

Thankfully on Tuesday, I started to be able to tolerate some clear liquids without getting too sick, but I also got the news that I needed another blood transfusion (my 9th) and needed to also get 10 bags of potassium through my IV to help stabilize my blood levels.

I was surprised when the doctor told me that if I could hold down some solid food, I would be able to go home on Wednesday! I was both excited and nervous to leave. I didn't know if I was quite ready, but when the time came, I was ready to bust out of that place and never look at that damn room ever again!

With mixed emotions, we took off for home . . . we were so very excited to get home to the girls . . . I hadn't been home since June 21st! But we were sick about having to leave Carter behind. It was good to be home and good for the girls, and we were back the very next morning.

Carter has been progressing at first, little by little, and now seems to be off and running in the right direction.

(under the billy lights with his cool dude shades on)

He is now completely off oxygen and our next hurdles will be to regulate his body temperature and also learn how to eat. We are hoping he catches on fast, but I have been told that preemie babies are a little bit slower to learn. We are hoping that this big boy is a big eater!

I can't thank you all enough for all your prayers. Please keep them coming! Things are going well, but we are certainly not out of the woods yet.

looky looky!

Look who got his nose cannula out . . . . and is doing just fine :)

Way to go, Carter! Let's hope it stays out!

He's here!

Hello!! I am happy to post the very first photos of my little bundle. Carter Dale Adolphson was born at 4:07pm on July 19th. He tipped the scales at 6 pounds, 8 ounces (BIG for 34 weeks!!) and was 18 3/4 inches long. We are so in love with him it hurts.

We think he has Jocie's chin, Ella's eyes and nose, and Claire's mouth. But, he is 100% Adolphson . . . I think you can agree with me that he looks just like his daddy :)

I would be a liar if I told you that this delivery/surgery wasn't the hardest and most painful thing I have ever had to endure. I feel as though I have literally been through hell and back. But I am happy to say that I feel a little better everyday and am inspired by all of Carter's progresses. He is still in the NICU and will be for a while yet. But he continues to move forward on the road to recovery, and it is so fun to celebrate all of his little improvements.

More to come . . . I am going to go cuddle with my newest love.

tick tock

Well kids, the clock is ticking down to the main event. This pregnancy has been full of ups and downs, joys and anxiety. It's been a loooooong road, but at the same time, I can't belive it's going to be over soon.

I gotta tell ya . . . the anticipation is killing me! It's not easy to wait. As most of you know, I am a planner, a to-do list maker and a check-off-the-list-er.  I like to know what's coming and what to expect, and this pregnancy is testing me. I have a vauge idea of what's to come with the delivery and surgery, but they still can't tell me for sure what's going to happen. I have no idea where the baby will go after delivery (NICU at Children's or Special Care nursery at Abbott). I don't know where I will recover from surgery (regular surgical recovery or ICU). I don't know how soon I will be able to see the baby (depends on recovery . . . could be within hours, could take a day or two). It's just so very different from what I am used to when it comes to delivering babies! The unknown is scary.

But, I am very comforted by the idea that the baby and I are in the BEST hospital with the BEST doctors who do these procedures more often.

Thanks to all of you that have been keeping our family in your prayers.  It has helped more than you know :) Next time I blog, I will be a mother of 4!

still tickin'

Well folks, this little (...um, not so little) time bomb is still pregnant! I can't tell you how many people continue to be impressed by my pregnant-ness. What can I say? All of these pregnancies must have made me some sort of pro . . . renegade placenta or not!

Did I ever mention how much I love my friends? Those little stinkers threw me a little surprise baby shower up in the hospital on Wednesday! It was a nice little break from reality :)

Carl and the girls have been visiting too.  Not quite everyday, but I will take any chance I get.  When they come, we usually hang out in the room a little, then head out for my " daily 30 minute wheelchair ride". There is a little "park" outside with some fountains that the little girls walk around and jump off of. We also snack on McDonald's ice cream cones almost every day they are here :)

Last night, Jocie stayed the night with me.  It was pretty awesome.  We watched a movie, ate snacks, slept in, ordered room service (twice) and played a mean game of bananagrams.

This weekend I am looking forward to a dinner date with friend Nicole, and Lost mini-marathon with Carl, and a visit from the girls on Sunday.  Yes, days and nights in this place can get pretty long.  But to be honest, it really hasn't been all that bad (yet).

Yay!!!....and Boo!!

I just got back from my ultrasound and they believe the baby to be 5 pounds 9 oz already!! Whoot Whoot! Way to be big, baby! :)

On the darker side of the news, my surgeon  told me that I will definitely have to have my bladder surgically repaired.  He said he can see on both my ultrasounds and my MRI that my placenta has, in fact, invaded on the back side of my bladder (he just says it like it is...unlike some of my other docs). It wasn't the news I wanted to hear, but I do like knowing instead of just wondering. It's nice to be prepared.

reunited and it feels so good

Last night was the first night I stayed here by myself, which was a little lonely, but this afternoon was wonderful because I got to see my girls again!! It felt waaaaaaay longer than six days since I had seen them last.  I swear they all grew! It's really hard to sit in a bed all day and night and just wonder what they are up to. It was a great feeling having them here today, if only for a few hours. I felt whole again :)

No new news to report, which is good news. Tomorrow I have an ultrasound, where they should be able to give me a good estimate of how big the baby is. So, think BIG thoughts :)

little update

Well, I am into my third day at the hospital and all continues to go well. I am happy to say that both Carl and I slept much better last night, which felt really nice.

We had another Biophysical Profile done last night, and the baby scored all of his points again, which was fun to see.  I will continue to get those done twice a week up until delivery.  Next week, I will have an ultrasound where they will be strictly measuring the baby to see if they can estimate how big he is now, and how big he might be at delivery. We are hoping he will be somewhere in between 4 and 5 pounds. Baby boys in my family run on the big side (my brother was almost 10 pounds), so I hope he has the "big boy" gene in him :)

I got my MRI results back.  They can't tell me for sure, but they did say that my placenta is defiantly all the way through my uterus and there are signs that it has invaded my bladder.  It wasn't what I wanted to hear, but it sounds like there is still hope that it's hasn't gotten that far.  On a positive note, the doctor told me that the placenta grows rapidly until about 32 weeks and then slows down, which was nice to hear. So if you are looking for something specific to pray about, please pray that my placenta leaves my bladder alone!

Hospital living hasn't been too bad yet.  Carl has gotten out for a little while everyday to go on big bike rides around Minneapolis. I have been reading a lot, surfing my favorite websites and browsing through magazines.  Last night, Carl and I both smushed into my hospital bed and watched a movie before bedtime :) But, we both miss our girls is a bad way! They have been up in Argyle since Tuesday, so it's been a struggle not to have them near by.  I can't wait to see them again!! I have pictures of them plastered all over my room,  and we were able to skype with them last night, so that's helped a little. I can't wait until all this mess is over and we can just be our little/bigger family again :)

Will continue to keep you updated!

running towards the final hurdle

Remember when I compared my pregnancy to a race with five different hurdles set up in my path? Well, I am happy to say that I have cleared the first four hurdles successfully and am sprinting towards the final one!

Yesterday, Carl and I packed up and said goodbye the 'ol apartment, and got all checked into Abbott Northwestern where I will stay until the birth of the baby.  I have settled into my new digs and have been trying to get acclimated. My room is in a special unit that is made specifically for women in high-risk pregnancies. I think it is called the Maternal ICU unit.  When ever I think of the letters ICU, I think of a scary place where people are very sick and hooked up to many different devices that are helping them cling to life.  Fortunately, my unit isn't like this :) Sure, I have been poked and prodded on my first day, but I have been yet to be hooked to anything other than a baby monitor! :)

My first day was a busy one. We were admitted right around noon and shown to our room where I was greeted by my first nurse who did all the regular doctor appointment check-in things (weight, height, blood pressure and temp). We then had a steady stream of consults with the many different doctors and teams that will be involved in the delivery and surgery.

My first consult was with Urology. She informed me that their team will take over right after internal radiology does all the cathing procedures in the beginning of my surgery.  Then her team will places stints and cameras where they need to be in order to protect and then possibly repair my bladder (if needed). Then it was time for my lab draw where I was informed that I would have to get my blood tested every 72 hours. We then met with a nurse practitioner that works with my Perinatal Group. She did an awesome job explaining how the procedure might go. We had tons of questions for her and she answered everyone as well as she could because the procedure could go many different ways, depending upon certain factors (i.e. scheduled vs. emergency, bladder repair vs. non-bladder repair, etc).

Then we were visited by an Anesthesiology doctor. This was also a very interesting conversation because it can go many different ways.  Basically, if my body can hold out until my scheduled delivery date (July 19th), then I will be given either an epidural or spinal block after all of the cathing procedures, then the urology team steps in for about 20 minutes to do the first part of their job, then the baby is delivered and given to the Children's Hospital team.  Then Carl and the baby's team will leave with the baby, then they will put me under general anesthesia  and do the hysterectomy and any other repair that needs to be done. I also learned that my recovery will completely depend on how well the surgery goes which also has many variables to it.  Whew.

At this point the nurse came in and gave me my first steroid shot. This shot it to help mature the baby's lungs since he will be born at least 6 weeks early.  I will receive my last dose today around 3:00. These shots should help the baby tremendously.

Our favorite part of the day was our consult with Children's Hospital. The nurse practitioner who did our consult is good friend of ours! I have talked with her throughout my pregnancy, but it was so nice to be able to visit with a familiar face! AND, if I deliver at my scheduled time, she will be the one who takes care of our baby first! She will actually be in on our delivery and will be taking care of him in his first minutes of life and throughout his first day! How comforting is that?!

To round off the day, I was wheeled down for my MRI right around 7:30 pm, where they are hoping they can get a better view of my placenta and bladder.  My ultrasounds aren't quite giving them the clearest images of if my placenta has invaded my bladder. So, I hope to get the results from that today.

I am unhappy to say that I only got about 3 1/2 hours of (interrupted) sleep.  I just could not fall asleep (uncomfortable, brain wouldn't shut down, and first night in a new place). Poor Carl had to sleep on a "love seat" that pulled out into a "bed" . . . lets just say that it looks like the most uncomfortable thing in the world, especially for a man who is 6'2".  Carl thinks that they do this on purpose because the mom's are going through so many other things . . . :)

I am assuming day 2 will be much less busy.  The only consult we have left (I think) is with Internal Radiology. I have been dreading this one a little.  I have to listen to how they are going to cath and block my femoral arteries with tiny balloons without any pain medication or sedation . . . yikes.

The best news I can give you, is that everyone I have talked to has said that they are "extremely impressed" that I am still pregnant! They say not many women make it this far :) AND, the baby continues to look great. When ever they put me on the baby monitor, I always hear things like, "happy baby!", "perfect heart rhythms!, and "couldn't look any better!" which is like music to my ears :)

This photo was taken last year while celebrating America's Birthday with my family at Maple Lake. Missed you guys this year! :)

city living . . . on steriods

As you know, we have been trying to pack in as much city life as we can. For one, it helps take my mind off everything that's going on, and two, it's super fun! Now, where did we leave off . . .

Ah, yes.

Wednesday:
Was my 33rd birthday and Carl's 35th birthday. Since we had already celebrated the night before and Carl had to work late, we didn't get a chance to do anything together on our real birthdays, which was totally fine,  especially under our circumstances. However, that didn't stop my mom and I from having a good day!

We started off the day with . . . what else? Boutique shopping!! We headed over to a baby boutique called "Pacifier", which I have wanted to go to since I was pregnant with Ella! It was a super cute little store filled with everything a mother would want.

I really should have bought these books...they look like they are loaded with good information :)

I even found a one-of-a-kind mobile for the baby's room! I had been looking for one like it for the last few months on etsy, so I was super pumped to find one. We also happened to stumble across a yarn store.  Now I know what your thinking . . . a yarn store? That's sounds boring . . . but, not in downtown Minneapolis :)

At 2:00, I had a baby appointment. They did another Biophysical Profile on the baby, and I was excited to find out that he scored 10 out of 10 points again! Yay baby!

Then it was off to "Cupcake" for a late lunch and . . . my birthday cupcake. This bakery was featured on the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" . . .  and won.  Needless to say, the cupcakes were DELISH.

That night we wanted to take in a movie, and decided on "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" as our flick of choice.

Thursday:
We started off the day with a little light laundry (okay, my mom did most of it), and then headed out for a little more shopping and then out to lunch.  We had spotted a great shopping area called 50th and France that I didn't even know existed! Then mom took off for home - :( - and then my family came back - :)

We decided to hit up the Walker Art Center for a little while, since it was "free Thursday night".

It was an experience. To be honest, the art was a little on the "abstract" side for us "small town Adolphsons". After taking in some exhibits, we went out to see the Sculpture Garden.

Friday:
Carl had to work in the morning, so we girls had a quiet morning.  After lunch we went to the Edina Aquatic Center and had a TON of fun at the pool! (Yes, I managed to S-Q-U-E-E-Z-E myself into a maternity swim suit.  It wasn't pretty, but it sure felt good to slip into that cool water on that HOT day). The pool featured a zero-depth kiddie pool and play area, huge water slides, a big pirate ship that had a big zip line that went from the ship down to the pool, driving boards, and a massive swimming area. After the pool we made our way over to a local Subway to enjoy an easy dinner.

Saturday:
On Saturday morning we had a quick breakfast at the apartment before heading over to St. Paul to visit the Children's Museum. We were really excited because our friends the Johnston's were able to join us! :) We had no idea how much this museum had to offer! We were there from 10:30am to 3:00pm with a little lunch break about 1/2 way through.  The kids had a blast and were busy the whole time!

Jocie's sculpture

they even had a "paint your own face" booth

After our very busy day, we headed back to the apartment for dinner and a little women's gymnastics on the telly.

Sunday:
We started our day off with going to Mass at the Basilica.  This is yet another gorgeous church in the Twin Cities.  I didn't bring my camera this time, but trust me, it was just as beautiful as the St. Paul Cathedral. Then we headed back to the apartment for lunch and a little bit of a rest time.

In the afternoon, we checked out the cutest little bookstore over by Lake Harriet called Wild Rumpus.  It was chalk full of new books, vintage books, cozy little reading nooks, and even little pets that were just roaming around the store.  It was a pretty cool little place.

That night, my friends Nicole and Beth drove down to take me out to eat at the downtown restaurant, Hell's Kitchen. We had all heard a lot of good things about it, and none of us had ever eaten there. It was a fun little place with interesting decor and yummy food. Best of all, it was just fun to sit and visit, so thanks ladies for making the trip!

Monday:
I had to pack up the kids this morning to head back to Big Lake for the day.  They are mainly going back so they can pack up for there trip up north.  Since I will be soon transferring from the apartment to the hospital, Carl and I thought it would be fun for them to head north so they could spend some time in Argyle with Carl's parents and also spend a night with my mom at Maple Lake. Even though they have only been gone for a few hours, I am looking forward to having them back with me tonight before their big trip tomorrow.  I have never been away from my kids for 6 days before, so I am already dreading it. So I will try not to dwell on it and just have a good night with them tonight and try to remember that it will be fun for them! . . . just not so fun for me :(

The time has really flown by so far! I can only hope that it continues to do so!