Bedrest survival kit

I know this doesn't apply to most of you, but that's okay :) Well actually, it totally applies to some of you because I am pretty sure you will get sick in the next year and think to yourself, "Man, I am so bored lying here on the couch. What should I do?! Oh, I know, I will consult Katy Ley's blog!" So here are a few of the things that have helped me keep my sanity over the last 2 weeks while I have been stuck in a bed/couch!


1. Crappy TV. Some of my favorites include: My First Place and Property Virgins, Top Chef, Real Housewives of anywhere (although I will say that RHO Atlanta is probably the best and most entertaining) and Teen Mom. Don't forget, I admitted it was crappy. And I know you all watch stupid stuff too, so don't be so quick to judge....


2. This laptop. I mean, how else will I know when my facebook friend that I have actually never met (and never will) has bought new toilet paper and wants to make sure I know that it is the most amazing toilet paper ever!? And what if I miss a post on my Babycenter.com birth board?! What if my babycenter friend who I have actually never met (and never will) has a back spasm and I am the last to post "T&P for you!!".....how would that look to the rest of group?!


3. Food. Obviously. Here are some favorites right now: Goldfish, Clementine oranges, apple juice (this one is totally random and makes me feel like a 5 year old) any kind of chips, peanut butter and jelly, and sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. For example, if anybody has this lying around their house and wants to bring it over....hint, hint. Oh, or monkey bread. Or fruit pizza. Or cookies.



4. A huge, bigger than your head mug for water. This seems ridiculous, but if you have half a days requirement of water just sitting next to you, it will save you a coveted trip to the kitchen (which you get like 2 of a day) This will allow you to go to the kitchen for more important things. See #3.


5. Your cell phone right next to you. I know this one is obvious, but nothing is more frustrating than having your phone ring and realizing it is in the other room. And you cant just jump up and go get it so you have to sit there and listen to it ring while all the possible scenarios for who it might be run through your head. Obviously the first scenario would be that your good friend is on her way over with cake and she is almost there but if you don't answer she will think you are gone, therefore bypassing your house and eating the cake herself. The other option would be that it is your doctor calling to say "I can sense you are actually in labor, even though you can't tell (because you have no idea anymore what is a real contraction and what is a "deal with it, you are fine" contraction) so get to the hospital immediately!" and of course if you don't answer the phone or get the message for a few hours (when somebody gets home who can go get your phone) you will have your baby on the bed/couch because you missed her call.


So there you go. Next time you are on bedrest or just stuck on the couch, make sure you have these 5 things readily available. Otherwise you might just starve to death and then have your baby on the couch.

A Letter From the Future....Part 2

Dear Newly Pregnant Katy,

As promised, here are the rest of your important rules and lessons. Now remember, if you chose not to listen to these, that is your own choice....but seeing as we are the same person and what you do pretty much affects me directly, I ask that you take them seriously. This is serious business....stop being selfish and just do what I say.

Love, 32 1/2 Weeks Pregnant Katy.


#14- Like I said, at 31 weeks you will be admitted to the hospital. When you get there (alone because Zack is at his own appointment and Jonathan is with Nana) you will be scared and uncomfortable. You will be thrilled with yourself thinking that you had pre-registered. Too bad logging onto Memorial Herman's website and merely looking at the form doesn't mean you pre-registered. You actually have to fill stuff out and submit it (I know...picky, picky...) please remember to do this around week 26 when the nurse at Dr. Storey's tells you to do it. It will save you lots of time when you are already freaking out.


#15- As soon as Dr. Storey mentions Magnesium Sulfate, you will start to freak out because of the thousands of hours you have spent on Babycenter. According to your "friends" on your birth board, this medicine is the devil and will make you want to die. Don't worry, it's not that bad. You will look like a huge, puffy, bright red tomato, but other than that, it's not too bad. Don't try to rip the IV out of your arm before the "poison" hits you....that will only embarrassing and awkward for everybody involved.


#16- Unfortunately, your little "staycation" happens to fall over the Thanksgiving holiday. Please do not expect the hospital cafeteria to make anything worthy of being a Thanksgiving dinner (doesn't everybody in the world know that sweet potatoes are supposed to be made with all kids of butter, brown sugar and marshmallows?! Duh..) You are lucky because your mother-in-law will make a great dinner (for those jerks not stuck in the hospital) and your sweet husband will bring you a plate of leftovers. This is super nice of them, but it isn't the same as getting it the first go around. Just don't get your hopes up.


#17- As far as dealing with nurses....believe me, you are tempted to be a jerk when they come in every hour ALL NIGHT LONG. You will want to nail your door shut, hide under the bed, figure out a way to fake the monitors into thinking you are hooked up when you really are asleep (hiding under the bed)....but try not to do that. I learned quickly that just being polite and respectful will get you a lot farther. They will bring you extra pillows, smuggle you in Sprites in the middle of the night, not give you the stink eye when you ask for the 18th time where the light switches are....just be nice. No matter what.


#18- This will be a hard one for you. I know you love Dr. Storey and trust her completely. But I promise that every other doctor in the world is not as stupid and incompetent as you think they are. Remember that it is the Thanksgiving holiday and Dr. Storey just won't be available the whole time. The other doctors you see are very nice and most likely didn't get their degree online from a community college in a third world country. The good news is that Dr. Storey is cool enough to come check on you almost every day you are there, including Thanksgiving when she stops by, all dressed up, on her way to her own family celebration.


#19- Once you get home, it will take you negative 10 seconds to realize (surprise!) bedrest stinks. The biggest lesson here is....do not fight it. Zack won't let you roll over without asking "What are you doing!? Why are you moving!?" Your Mom will drive to Houston literally the second you tell her she can and your in-laws will email and call every day asking if you are sitting still. It's just the way it is....there is nothing you can do about it. Turn on the TV, open the computer and get comfy. And stop complaining....turns out there are like millions of women out there who have been on bedrest. Nobody really cares that your back hurts or your feet are puffy or that you feel more stupid with every second that passes.


#20- And most importantly....bedrest works. You will keep that baby cooking for a lot longer being on bedrest and suffering through 80 episodes of "House Hunters" a day, than he would if you were still free and capable of walking around. As of right now, you have successfully stopped pre-term labor, gotten your contractions under control and slowed down dilation. All within a week. That's pretty impressive. Just keep going. I promise, you can do it :)

A letter from the future....

Dear Newly Pregnant Katy (May 2011)

As a service to you, I am writing to let you know some pretty important things about your pregnancy and where it is headed. You can thank me later. In about 32 weeks, you will ignore the important advice of your doctor (because you think you are smarter than her) and you land yourself on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy. I know, stinks huh? So please read these rules and lessons carefully and follow my instructions perfectly. I don't think there is much hope for you this time around, but maybe by the 3rd baby (we can talk about that later) you will have learned your lesson.

Love, 32 Weeks Pregnant Katy (November 27, 2011)


1. Just because you are craving something, try not to give in every time. For example, you are going to walk into HEB one morning and the smell of donuts will be so overwhelming and delicious that you will eat 2 of them. I promise, this will NOT help your morning sickness.


2. Just because you can still button your pre-pregnancy pants when you are 12 weeks along, don't do it. I promise that the muffin top you create with this ensamble will not be pleasent for anybody.


3. Drink water. LOTS of it. This will help later down the road, I promise.


4. Just because you can "relate" to every woman on TLC and Discovery Health because you are both pregnant, doesn't mean you need to watch every single episode of a Baby Story or anything related to it. Believe me, watching other women give birth will not help you out.


5. You can buy Goldfish crackers in huge tubs. Try to buy only one tub at a time. They will give you wicked heartburn and you have no self control.


6. Around 20 weeks you will start feeling contractions. Warn Dr. Storey. Even though everybody and their brother will tell you "that's normal, those are just braxton hicks..." ignore them and talk to the doctor. Yours are not normal.


7. When you find out that baby #2 is a boy (oops...sorry for the spoiler) try not to respond with "no, really...is it a girl?" I feel like this could be giving him a complex pretty early on.


8. You are going to gain weight faster this time. Just deal with it. Zack doesn't care, your Mom doesn't feel sorry for you and all your friends will give you a look of death for complaining about it. Just get over it and enjoy a snack.


9. You will develop a new love affair with your crock pot. Make sure and have it washed and ready around month 6 when the cravings hit.


10. Jonathan is going to poke your belly. A LOT. At first this makes you self conscience (remember rule number 8) but the first time you see him pat Zack's belly and say "baby!" it will be worth it.


11. Now this one is important.....around 25 weeks, Dr. Storey will listen to you about your contractions, give you medicine and tell you to take it easy. DO IT. Don't go strolling around the mall or Target because you are bored. Don't try to work in the yard. Don't stand at hallway duty every period and breakfast duty twice a week. Ask for help and accept it when it is given.


12. You will start to waddle earlier. Just deal with it.


13. At 31 weeks, you will be surprised with a positive FFN test. This will set a new course for the rest of your pregnancy. Don't freak out, don't start crying to Zack that you are a failure and that your body is 100% "jacked up," don't leave the house that morning for the doctor's office with nothing but a water bottle. Instead, think ahead (which you will do thanks to this letter) and take a good shower, dry your hair, shave your legs, pack a bag with a toothbrush, face wash, some jammies and a brush. Take it with you and act like you are in control. Because you are.
Thanks to me.


Now, the rest of your important lessons will come soon. I have lots to say about what to do and how to behave in the hospital, so be on the lookout for that letter. It's an important one.

So this has been fun....

In case you haven't caught any of my facebook messages, things with Baby Ley have taken quite a turn in the past week. And just in case you were dying to know details, here you go :)

Like I have mentioned before, I have what is called an "irritable uterus." This basically means that anything can send me into contractions. I have been on medication to keep things relaxed and under control for about 6 weeks (I was on the same medication with Jonathan and it did the trick until I was taken off at 36 weeks.) Well this time around, I guess my body is too used to it and it isn't working anymore.

It all started last week when I had an FFN (fetal fibronectin test) done at the doctor's office. This test basically lets you know if there is a chance that you will go into labor in the next two weeks or not. I have had LOTS of these tests over my two pregnancies and they have always come back negative. Well Wendesday morning, I got a call from Dr. Storey letting me know that the test was positive this time which means there is a good chance I could go into labor within the next two weeks. She put me on bed rest and had me come into the office to get a steroid shot for the baby's lungs just in case. While I was there, she put me on the monitor to check for contractions. Well I ALWAYS have contractions, so I wasn't too worried about this. Turns out I was having LOTS of them. And pretty regularly (about every 3-4 minutes.) I was also dilated more than she would have liekd, so she sent me to the labor and delivery floor and told me to get comfortable.

While there, I was hooked up to a "mag pump" (magnisium sulfate) to stop the contractions for 48 hours. I was given another steroid shot for his lungs and told to stay still and in bed! The mag did the trick and the contactions eased up. Unfortunately, once I was taken off the mag pump, they came back and my regular Procardia didn't stop them like normal. Apparently my body has just built up a tolerance for it. So Dr. Storey put me on ANOTHER medication (trebutaline)to try and stop them and luckily this worked. I have dilated a little more, but nothing too serious, so this morning I was released with strict bed rest instructions and a prescription for this magic drug.

I am still having some contractions, but nothing regular. Zack and his family have been SO awesome keeping things in order around the house and taking care of sweet Jonathan who doesn't seem to care too much that Mommy has been gone (not sure how to take that....) My Mom is coming to town on Monday and I am looking forward to some good food, watching people put my Christmas tree up and lots and lots of reading and TV watching. Our goal right now is to make it to 34 weeks (I will be 32 weeks tomorrow.) I still can't believe I won't be going back to work until at least Spring Break! What a weird feeling...

This obviously wasn't the way I was planning on spending my Thanksgiving (let's just say Memorial Herman did their best with their Thanksgiving meal but in the end, it was seriously lacking...) but I am so thankful that I have bought this much extra time with Baby Ley and will do whatever necessary to keep him cooking for a little while longer!

Hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thankful list 12-22!

As always, I am behind the times! Here is the rest of my list!

12. I am thankful for my in-laws who have helped us so much over the past few years. Just last week they gave up one of their cars so we could take ours to the shop. When we got it back, it was still being stupid, so they went through the whole thing again. We are lucky to have them!!

13. My small group from Sunday school. They are awesome. And funny. And they give me another reason to look forward to Thursday nights other than The Office (which is quickly going downhill since Andy took control of the office....)

14. Any baked goods with the word pumpkin in the recipe.

15. The magical 8:00 hour of each evening. Jonathan is asleep, I am on the couch eating dessert, DVR is playing, Zack is home....it's just nice.

16. The fact that I only had to go to work 2 days this week. That being said, these 2 days have felt like an entire week. 8th graders have the odd assumption that since it is a holiday week, they shouldn't have to do ANY work. And any teacher who makes them do work "is the worst teacher in the history of the world!!" <--A phrase I hear quite often since I won't let them listen to their IPODS while I am teaching.

17. That Zack has off the entire week! Nobody deserves some time off more than he does.

18. The sweet lady that watches Jonathan everyday. I have always been thankful for her, but now that I am being faced with the reality that she will not have room for the new baby, makes me realize how lucky I have been to have her this entire time.

19. Thanksgiving food. Oh man, I have been drooling for weeks just thinking about it. Not only am I thankful for having a good excuse to eat like a mad woman this year, I am more importantly thankful that we even have the means to make and enjoy a feast like that. We are truly blessed.

20. My Dad's carpentry skills. He is currently making Jonathan an awesome piece of furniture for his big boy room! He builds things and then my Mom picks out colors and paints it. Everything has always turned out beautiful and I can't wait to see the newest special piece!!

21. Friday nights. These tend to be reserved for family time. Zack typically gets home early and the three of us go out to eat. This week it was Freebirds (which is something I am thankful for in and of itself...) It is so nice to have a chance to sit and reconnect at the end of a long week.

22. Can I repeat? I am extra thankful for Zack this week. My contractions have been worse lately and on top of that I woke up Sunday feeling pretty crummy. Zack stayed home from church and let me lay around ALL day while he played with Jonathan, entertained him, took him to the park etc...I know this is what Dad's are supposed to do, but he also had work that needed to be done, but he put it aside and put on his Daddy hat so that I could rest. Not to mention I had been a total brat all day Saturday, so I really didn't deserve that type of treatment. He is a good man.

So there you have it. As always I am amazed by all the things I have been blessed with over the past year. God is so good!! Hope you and yours have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

My belated "thankful" list!

As always, I am a little behind the times. Every day I log onto Facebook and see all the great things my friends are thankful for and I think to myself, "what a fun idea! I should do that too!" And then I forget. So I am playing catch up. Here are the first 11 things I am thankful for this month (in no particular order!)

1. First and foremost, I am thankful for the people that love me, support me, care about me, deal with me, put up with my drama, listen to my ranting and raving, answer the phone even when they know it could turn into a long "all about Katy" phone call....you know, all those people.

2. This little boy. This picture is actually about a year old, but seriously, it is a tough one to beat :)


3. While it pains me to actually say this at this time of the year, I am thankful for my job. Obviously I am not thankful for the super crazy chaos that I have to deal with on a daily basis, but I am thankful that I even have a job in this economy. I am also thankful that the people I work with are cool and make coming to work everyday fun!

4. I am thankful for cooler weather and the fact that I actually turned my heater on in the car this morning, so that when I got back in after dropping Jonathan off, my car was super warm and toasty!

5. I am thankful for days when Jonathan is happy to entertain himself....like this :)


6. I am thankful for my crockpot. I am thankful for the website http://www.crockpotgirls.com/.

7. This week I am thankful for a good check up with Dr. Storey for Baby Brother and also for a good check up with Dr. Torn for Jonathan! I am thankful that we have doctors in our lives who we can trust and we know want the very best for us!

8. I am SO thankful that Little Man LOVES to sleep! He took a while to sleep through the night when he was an infant, but once he started, he never looked back. He also took two long naps each day until he was around 20 months old. I know this is a huge gift!


9. I am thankful for my sister-in-law, Katie. She LOVES her nephew to the ends of the earth and when she is able to be here with us, she is a huge help with him! In fact, she is coming to see us today! Yay!

10. I am super thankful for my own Mama (and Dad!) I am blessed to have a Mom that I am pretty much best friends with. We talk on the phone multiple times a day, e-mail multiple times a day, Skype when we can (although this is mostly for Jonathan's benefit) and I would be lost without her! She also loves Jonathan with all her heart and is willing to drop anything to help me with him. Many times this has meant waking up at the crack of dawn to drive to Houston to watch him when I am sick or he is sick and I can't take the day off.

11. And last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for my amazing husband. He works himself to death to provide for us and while I really wish he could find a job that allowed for more time at home, I am thankful that he is dedicated and loyal to the job he currently has. He has sacrificed so much over the years as he studied for his CPA exam, passed it (thank you Lord!) and advanced through the ranks of his company. Not only that, but he is an excellent Daddy. It makes my heart proud to see him with Jonathan. He might not have a lot of time with him, but Zack makes sure that the time they do spend together is valuable and cherished. I am lucky to have him. And lucky that he puts up with me :)

So there you have it.....my list up until today. It might be another week or so before I catch up again, but the thoughts are always there. I lead an incredibly rich and blessed life. I should be announcing the things I am thankful for daily....but you know, that little thing called "daily life," tends to get in the way!

It's been a while!

I suppose an apology is in order for my lack of posting.....but seeing as not that many people read this and even fewer read a post that has no pictures of Little Man, I won't worry too much about it.

Things have been pretty calm and uneventful around our house lately. Last week my parents (Honey and Papa!) took Jonathan with them to Austin for an extended stay. While I missed him terribly, it was pretty nice to be able to get some things done around the house, sit and be lazy. Zack and I were able to go on a fun dinner date with our good friends, the Scibas, plus do one of our other favorite activities....run errands. No, I am not lying. That really is one of our favorite things to do on a Saturday :) All the while, Jonathan had a BLAST with Honey and Papa. I would upload some of the pictures and videos they sent, but my computer is prehistoric and doesn't want to let me. He was able to go on lots of golf cart rides, see lots of deer, feed the donkeys, play at the park......lets just say he wasn't thrilled to come home to boring Mom and Dad!

Little Brother is also doing well. We actually do have a name picked out (and Zack has even officially approved it!) but I am not quite ready to announce it to the world. If you really want to know, you can ask though :) As far as the pregnancy.....all is well and he is still cooking just fine, but I am feeling every bit of almost 30 weeks pregnant. My contractions are pretty bad if I don't take my medicine (Procardia really does do wonders to help ease them!) or drink A LOT of water. On top of that my legs have decided that they don't really need much circulation throughout the day, so periodically they will turn bright red and get all tingly. When that happens in conjunction with the swelling at the end of the day.....whoa! I look like one hot Mama! I never had any swelling with Jonathan and very little of the circulation issues, so this is a new treat that Little Brother has cooked up all on his own! That being said, I am trying my best to stay off my feet and keep them elevated when at all possible. Unfortunately, working full time and taking care of a toddler makes that a little difficult. The GREAT news is that I am super close to Thanksgiving break and then only a few weeks away from Christmas break!! I can already smell the sweet potatoes and green bean casserole....mmmm......

So that is about it. Jonathan is doing awesome, Zack is working a billion hours a day like normal and I am a huge, contracting, puffy ball. Life is good!