OBGYN saga

I have decided that I need professional help. Or, at the very least, I need to deliver this baby very soon so that I don't feel like I'm going to have a mental breakdown over every issue that arises. For those of you reading this on Facebook, you might already have an idea that I have had issues with my OBGYN, but now that I've finally sort of figured it out, I'll clue you all in.

I found out a few weeks ago that my OBGYN is no longer delivering babies as of this past Friday which leaves all of us having to find a new doctor. It seems she is "burnt out" and honestly, she is somewhat older so I knew she wouldn't be practicing for that much longer, but I wasn't expecting it at the end of my pregnancy. I have really loved Dr A since I began seeing her and she delivered Ethan a year ago so there's some attachment there. And it's not just Dr A that I love - it's the nurse practitioner who works there, the office staff, the nurses, the office itself. I just love them all. So I was pretty upset when I found out and cried off and on the whole day. Then began the process of trying to figure out where I wanted to be referred to. I think I have seriously polled all of my friends about their OBGYNs and completely overtalked the whole issue. I'm not normally very picky about doctors (I could care less who diagnoses a sinus infection , for example), but I feel like an OBGYN and a pediatrician are more personal.

My struggle was whether I wanted to continue with a female doctor or try a highly recommended all male practice. The problem with the female doctors was that I either had to return to the practice that I left before Dr A and didn't like or go to a practice that doesn't seem to have a good relationship with Dr A (they used to cross cover for each other with deliveries) anymore. The problem with the highly recommended male practice was that I have never had a male doctor and it was wierding me out. But then I talked to a labor and delivery nurse who without hesitating (or knowing where I was leaning) recommended the doctors at the male practice. I feel like when a labor and delivery nurse recommends a doctor, I should listen because they know the doctors in a crisis and have worked with them through various deliveries.

I finally called Dr A's office this morning and I feel somewhat better. It sounds like they were blindsided as well and are also having a difficult time with the change. Dr A wants to talk to each patient individually face to face, which I appreciate, so they would like me to keep my next appointment rather than move on immediately. They are working with the various OB offices in town to figure out a plan for transferring all of their patients and assured me that I will get in where I want to go. They also reassured me that my c-section date (Jan 27th) will not change, but that I will just have another doctor doing the surgery. The other possible good news was that the office manager said they are considering adding another obstetrician in the future and looking at several resumes of doctors who are moving to the area. I told them to let me know if they do that and I will certainly come back. Maybe by the time I have my third baby (?!?!) they will have that in place, although at the rate I'm going, I'll probably need another OB in the next 6 months again...

Well, there is the saga...maybe not interesting to everyone, but it has been obsessively on my mind for the past few weeks so I thought I would fill you in.

Not so triumphant

Well, I was elated after my eBay buy the other night. My elation was somewhat deflated when I walked into Costco yesterday and saw a Little People Noah's Ark with extra animals for sale for exactly 24 cents more than the one I bought on eBay. Oh, well, I am going to chalk it up to experience in the eBay world and declare that I bought it on the principle of buying used toys. I just keep thinking, "I could have had a brand new one!" as though that is somehow better. I think that's a materialistic attitude that I just need to get out of my head. And again, it's not as though Ethan is going to be disappointed with a used version.

I won!

Wow...I had no idea this could be this exciting! I have been looking for some good gifts for Ethan's birthday and Christmas presents (only a month apart), and I have wanted some of those classic things, such as the Fisher Price Little People sets, blocks, musical instruments, etc. The problem is that I don't really want to spend full price on them, especially since I can't picture Ethan opening the gift and looking at me like, "Um..Mom? I prefer brand new toys.". I've looked around at the area's consignment shops, Goodwill and Salvation Army. The consignment shops haven't had what I've looked for, Goodwill only has broken or incomplete toys and Salvation Army isn't even accepting donations of toys anymore (Why?? Anyone know?) I could try Craigslist, but I would have to drive at least an hour one direction to pick up anything, and I just don't have time to do that with a toddler in the car. So I decided to try eBay for the first time in my life. Dave is convinced that I am now going to be addicted, but I don't think so. And even if I was, what's wrong with being addicted to spending his hard-earned money wisely? After two failed bids and reading some eBay shopping tips online, I just won my first bid! Woohoo!! I am the proud purchaser of a Fisher Price Little People Noah's Ark, along with the extra animals for only $19.75. I would like to point out that ToysRUs is selling the ark for $23.99 with extra animals costing $9.99 for a six-pack. Check it out...

Imitation

Lately, Dave and I have noticed that Ethan is very interested in imitating our facial expressions, body movements and hand gestures. This face, for example, is Ethan imitating "excitement". Cracks me up every time.


And then he tries to imitate looking cool like Daddy...very successfully, I might add. Aren't they goodlooking?

MONKEYS!!!

Can you tell monkeys are a Spence family favorite?

(The monkey in the middle is named Bongo and is Ethan's new special friend.)

Jen Tagged Me

I really don't like these things, but whatever...I can't let my friend down. :-)

1) What is your husband's name? David
2) Who eats more? Right now it's about equal since I've been pregnant or breastfeeding for the past 21 months.
3) Who said "I love you" first? I honestly don't remember...is that bad?
4) Who is taller? Dave...but only by 2 inches.
5) Who is smarter? Neither, we're both smart in totally different ways.
6) Who is more sensitive? Definitely Dave.
7) Who does the laundry? Me.
8) Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do. It's closer to the bathroom (PREGNANT).
9) Who pays the bills? My husband. Except for the mortgage which I have set up online.
10) Who cooks more? I do.
11) Who is more stubborn? Oh, definitely me. No question.
12) Who is the first to admit that they are wrong? Dave...I think this goes back to the stubborness question.
13) Who has more siblings? Me. I have 5 and Dave has 1.
14) Who wears the pants in the relationship question? Oh, did we really have to ask this? I know the right answer, but like Jen said, I definitely "infiltrate the ranks" WAY too much. I'm working on it, but what a curse Eve passed on.
15) What do you like to do together? Talk, play Sequence, watch House and movies, go for walks with our son.
16) Who eats more sweets? The pregnant lady.
17) Guilty pleasures? Reality shows, reading blogs, drinking an extra cup of coffee in the morning.
18) How did you meet? At Messiah, sophomore year, but Dave doesn't remember, so I'm not sure if it counts. We both remember meeting senior year when we lived across the hall from each other and had a horrid class together.
19) Who asked whom out first? I'm not sure either of us asked the other one out at all. We were just buddies and hung out a lot. I remember our first "date" was to the Elephant and Castle pub in Harrisburg, but I think it was kind of a mutual "let's go do this" kind of thing.
20) Who kissed who first? Dave kissed me.
21) Who proposed? Dave...and I slapped him.
22) His best features and qualities? He's outgoing, positive, sensitive, helpful, enthusiastic, hardworking and fun. Oh, and he's hot. :-)

I don't know anyone else to tag since I don't know enough people who blog. Anyone want to start a blog just so they can answer the questions?

Momma Baby Stats

Oh, it has not been a good week...the hormones are raging, people, that's all I can say! I have literally cried every day over some dumb reason. Example: Dave came down to go to work in the morning and decided he wasn't hungry for breakfast. And...I cried. No, he didn't spoil some gourmet breakfast that I had made; I still don't know why I cried. On Monday I cried on the way home from the dentist because he told me I needed a cavity filled (in February when it "settles down" - um, yes, this man has no children and um, no, I am not going to get my cavity filled while I have a newborn) and my wisdom teeth removed. This morning I almost cried when Ethan's CD player randomly stopped working when I put him in his room for cribtime. Ugh...

ANYWAY...I had my OB appointment yesterday, so here are the statistics:

Bloodwork Results: No gestational diabetes and no anemia.
Heartrate: 146
Movement: Great. Except that he/she was snuggling down on my bladder (as usual).
Abdominal Measurement: 29 cm (read: I'm measuring a week and a half big.)
Weight gain: 6 lbs (seriously?? In 4 weeks??)
Symptoms: 1) Heartburn...all the time. I'm currently taking Zantac and Tums twice a day, and I still get it. I'm thinking Prilosec may be my next option. 2) Itching...all the time. I am taking Zyrtec and Zantac as a total histamine blocker to try to stop it, but I also put on Aveeno lotion twice a day and still itch like crazy. 3) Movement...lots. Apparently, my previously mellow child has decided that mellow is boring and now jumps around like a rabid monkey.

And...I have less than 11 weeks until my c-section. AAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!

Nursery Dilemma...HELP!!

With the baby coming in less than 3 months, I'm starting to really think about the logistics. In fact, I'm starting to panic about the logistics. One of the things I'm panicking about is where I'm going to put the new baby. I NEVER anticipated having two babies so close together so I'm just sort of lost...So I need help. Here are the pictures of the two rooms:

My dilemmas/questions are these:

1) I only have one crib which Ethan is currently using and I don't want to buy another one. There is no borrowing availability.

2) I have 2 pack n plays, both of which have bassinet inserts.

3) I have two twin beds set up in the extra bedroom, but nowhere to put them if I take them down. I can take one down, put the mattress under the other one and store the headboard and footboard, but there's just no storage space large enough to hold all the furniture and mattresses. Taking them down completely would be ideal, but I don't see how I can do that.

So what pieces of furniture do I put in which rooms? I think for the new baby's room I need a bed, a changing table and the rocker. For Ethan I just need a bed and a dresser.

HELP!!!!!!!!

Recognition

In addition to being a busy real estate agent, loving husband and dedicated father, Dave also serves on a few committees in the community. For the past year he has served on the Economic Restructuring Committee which is a sub-committee of the Old Town Development Board. Last night he attended a board meeting and received an award of recognition for "faithful and loyal service" to the Economic Development Committee. Ethan and I are very proud!!

(I love Ethan's face...it's like he's saying, "Hmm...yes, that will do, Daddy.")

Scary Ethan??

Dave is a people person. He loves to meet people and find out about them; I can't tell you how many times I've been somewhere and someone has asked me, "Are you the realtor's wife?" Yes...I am. So, due to the fact that his father is a people person, it's no surprise that our son is also a people person. He loves to smile at adults and talk to children in the grocery store; just this morning, I caught him smiling hugely at the bagger (who was oblivious) while he packed our groceries.

Because he's so friendly and happy, it never occurred to me that he would make anyone feel threatened. But apparently, he's too intense for some people. I had a few girlfriends over this weekend while the guys were at the UVA football game; between the three of us we have four boys ranging in age from 9 months to 2 1/2 (and two of us are pregnant again). Ethan was just so excited that there were kids to play with and he ran all over the house, squealing and handing out toys to the 9 month old. But while one of the mothers and I were in the kitchen making pizza, the 2 1/2 yr old came running and jumped into his mother's arms with Ethan following closely behind. Neither of us thought much of it until about the third or fourth time this happened, leading us to believe that Ethan was "harrassing" the toddler by trying to interact with him. This kid was just not happy to be around Ethan.

And then this morning at the grocery store, we ran into the same mother and toddler. The mother and I were chatting, and the mother asked her son to, "Say hello to Ethan". Well...the toddler (who is generally a very good sweet child) skulked away and muttered, "But I don't like Ethan." The mother was not terribly pleased and told her son that he didn't have a very nice attitude, and I have to admit I thought it was funny. My son? Someone doesn't like him? But I guess I can see how a very friendly kid might be a little too intense for a quieter, more reserved personality type. In fact, it sort of reminds me of my first impressions of my husband...:-)

I think this picture about sums up how the boys feel about each other.

Fertility Advice and Queries

Well, I think it's pretty obvious that thus far I do not struggle with fertility issues, judging from the fact that I am pregnant with my second child in two years. I just love when random strange people decide to comment on that fact. Yesterday, while I was home from church with a sick baby, Ethan and I walked down to Sheetz to get a newspaper. The cashier commented on my "beautiful boy" and then said in amazement, "And you have another one on the way already?". I smiled and said, "Yeah...". And then she said, "What does he have to do, look at you and you get pregnant?" Yeah, pretty much...

That reminded me of advice that my grandmother passed on to Dave recently: Don't put your slippers next to hers when you go to bed at night. Guess we didn't take that one seriously enough, huh?

My Little Music Man

Ethan's latest obsession (and I do mean obsession) is with music. Apparently, he has inherited Mommy and Daddy's musical ear. Now when he gets up from his nap, he immediately points at his CD player. A few days ago, he did this, but I decided to just take him downstairs without turning on the music, which prompted some tears. I brought the CD downstairs and put it in the stereo and he sat in front of the stereo for literally 10 minutes doing nothing but bouncing to the music. He also carries his little Mozart Magic Cube around the house so that he has a continual soundtrack for his playtime. So adorable!