Numbers

My numbers are way down....87! I am surprised that I am at a double digit! I wonder if I took a pregnancy test now if it would finally be negative...hmmm.
On the flip side, the apple trees behind our house are showing pink buds. The pear trees down the street are white like snow. This is a beautiful time to be in this area! If I had a camera (remember it was stolen) I would attempt a "Farr" or a "Neville" photo shoot of my kids running through the pretty orchards! Maybe later! Here is a couple of old photos I forgot to post of Cozy (this was back in March). She had been taking the music stand out almost everyday to sing to the birds! Yes, that's a PEZ for her mic. So Cute!
Notice the gross yellow grass....it finally turned green last week! We aren't much for treating our lawns with chemicals since its all over the orchards behind us.
XOX H

After 2 weeks from surgery I am doing great! Today I went out and ran 3 miles (pushing Cozy) which I was amazed I only walked at the end going up a hill. It was still hard! I am working toward the Apple Blossom 5k in 2 weeks. Last Monday my levels were way down at 1,400 and I am waiting to hear what they are from my draw today. My OB called to talk to me and tell me he thinks 6 months of blood draws will be enough. That is if I am at zero and stay there. Sounds good to me!
What's up with the rest of the fam? Well, Benny is working like crazy doing lots of c-sections, Atticus is ready for summer and asks for a day off from school multiple times, and Cozy is all about dress-ups, lipstick, and now knows who barbie is...oh, no!!! That's all.
Happy Spring!

Earlier Surgery...Hallelujah!

This past weekend was pretty bad! I cried off and on all weekend and I think Easter Sunday will always be a blur in my mind. Monday morning Dr. Parks called me to tell me they got an earlier surgery time for that afternoon and to start fasting! I quickly got the kids babysitters lined up, took a shower, and headed down to Wenatchee with Benny around noon. I felt like I had won a prize! I was so eager to get this taken care of! We waited a long time in one waiting room and then another. Everyone had me down as "Harley Dame" and so it was kind of funny to hear that over and over again! (My parents did have me in the 70's, but I don't think they owned any motorcycles?!) At about 4pm I was gowned and ready for an IV. Because I had been fasting, cold, nervous, and small veined, the nurses had difficulty placing my IV and getting blood. I always reassure them that I worked as a phlebotomist once and didn't have a problem with needles. I felt worse for the one girl trying so hard that she had to call in back up help. So, lets just say both my arms are very scary looking! Poor Benny had to sit and wait for so long! He kept me entertained with a vocabulary quiz from readers digest, funny stories, and also boring me with our financial plans! The nurse came in later and told us the OB had to go to another hospital for an emergency and we had the option of coming back another day. WHAT?
We told them we would stay and wait even though others ahead of us had taken the option and left. We were so lucky that we stayed because after a short hour or so the OB rushed in and was ready for me. Everything went well with the D&C. The doc had told Benny that as they started, a mass of tissue was already coming out (I know, too much info). I loved the general anesthesia! I guess as I was coming out of it I was vigorously conducting music in the air and was asking all the nurses if they were going to choir practice. The anesthesiologist asked Benny if I was a conductor or music teacher. Nope, just weird on drugs! (I realized later that had to come from watching the Easter Sunday Music & the Spoken Word and being amazed at the conductors energy!) I can't believe how great I felt right after! The first time in weeks that I didn't feel on the verge of throwing up. It was wonderful!! We waited for a chest x-ray that, thank goodness, showed that I was clear off any bad cells and headed back to Manson getting home at 10pm. Oh, and I got a butterscotch dilly bar from DQ that tasted like heaven! My friend Shannon was so kind to wait at home with my kids asleep(or at least one asleep)! I don't think we could have done this without the great support of our friends here...thanks, you know who you are!!
I am doing great today with only cramping, bleeding, and fatigue. I would take these symptoms any day over what I had!! Thanks to my sweet sisters and mom who called to check up on me, sent spring shoes, flowers and to my friends who picked up the slack with dinners and child care!!! Its times like this that you realize who is really there for you!!
Next is to check my blood weekly to make sure the HCG levels drop. I can already feel they are doing that!! XOX H

New info.

Friday I had blood work done and it showed my HCG levels rose from 100,000 to 114,000. Totally makes sense for me because after Wednesdays suction I have felt worse, when I hoped I would feel much better. This Tuesday I am scheduled for a full D&C in Wenatchee done in a hospital by an OB. I am actually looking forward to getting that done. I don't remember what it's like to feel normal again physically and emotionally......

It's a Mole!

Some of you may know that we have been "trying" for baby #3 since aug of last year. Just this past St. Patty's day I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. We thought we would wait until an ultrasound to confirm it to family. About 5 weeks into it I started getting the normal morning sickness and then it progressively got worse as we were in Seattle for spring break. I thought it was because we were walking around a lot and I didn't have much of an appetite because of the nausea. Last weekend was the worst and I kept thinking "this is not normal." I sensed something was "Off" early anyway, but getting sicker I knew I needed to get it checked out. After a saturday & sunday of moving from couch to bed, dosing off during conference and trying to drink something to get rid of the nausea I called monday morning to get an appointment with Benny's partner. Monday was the worst night ever!! I think I would have checked myself into the ER if I had the energy to do it! Tuesday I insisted on an ultrasound which was clear that at 8 weeks there was nothing but 3 strange sacs and tissue. Dr. Parks called Benny in to check it out and neither of them was sure what they were looking at. It was obvious that it wasn't a baby and this made me sad & mad knowing that I had been sick for nothing. I got blood work done and it showed that my HCG levels (the hormone you have when your pregnant) were through the roof. The highest women get when they are pregnant is around 50,000 and mine were 100,000. It was then obvious that I had a Molar Pregnancy (google it if you want to). This is 1 in 1,000 and I actually knew someone from our last ward in Renton who had had this. I knew it wasn't good! Wednesday morning I went to the clinic for a D&C to have the stuff removed. I was told it wouldn't be as bad as my IUD being put in, some cramping, so I wasn't too worried. My mom had told me to get a Valium and so I did (my mom is so wise). I have a high tolerance to pain or so I thought. To make a long story short, this was not anything like an IUD and on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the worst pain) it was definitely a 12. It was really painful!! I tried breathing, relaxing, and going to the warm soft sandy place in Maui...nothing worked! I ended up passed out after the procedure and sleeping on the exam bed for 3 hours. I don't really recall getting an IV or how long I was there. Now I am recovering and waiting. With a Molar pregnancy you have to make sure the stuff doesn't re-grow and that your HCG levels drop. Plan B is to have a D&C done with general anesthesia in the hospital if it doesn't go away on its own. I will go in and have blood taken weekly for maybe a year and then hope the "pregnancy" symptoms go away. It really does suck being sick and nauseated with no reason and I find that I cry a lot maybe because I am a hormonal mess. Another bummer is that we can't try to get pregnant until a year from now which means for us that we may be done. I guess you cross that road when you come to it. I just wanted to let you all in on what is going on via blog so I don't have to individually rehash this event again and again!

Country Crazies hit the Big City...

For Spring Break we went to Seattle. Out of the 5 days we were there maybe 2 days were worth being outside. I love the rain, but have decided I am probably better off over here with more sunny days! I would have to say that it was an "okayish trip" and maybe spending some extra money to go to San Diego would have been a better choice (since the expense maybe would have been about the same in the end). The Good of the trip did out win the Bad, so I guess it was a pretty good trip. Here's the list....
GOOD~
-Ate at Dukes with Mia & Mom.
-Had a great view of Lake Union out our bedroom window.
-Date night eating sushi with Ben & Mauvia.
-Saw tons of beautiful tulips at Pikes.
-Breakfast made by someone else every morning in the hotel. Heaven.
-Hung out with the Jensen's, ate Carmen's homemade yummy pizzas.....etc.
-Shopped. (bought fun rug for living room, no photo...see below why)
BAD~
-got robbed while in church (next to temple)... window smashed and wallet taken & camera. who ever thought going to church was risky?
-Atticus got the throw-ups Sunday morning.
-Not having enough time to see other friends (Lucy esp.)
-The smells at the Woodland Park Zoo will forever haunt me.

~There you have it! Happy Spring Break!