Week 31-per new due date

Well, I've had an interesting start to this week.
I thought that Randy would have to take me to the hosptial on Sunday night. I was having mild contractions-about 4-5 an hour. I called my doctors office, the on-call said to drink lots of water and lie down and count contractions over the hour. If they got to 6 or more an hour, then go to the hosptial...other wise, just call for an appointment in the morning. Well, thankfully they never came more than 5 in an hour. I saw Dr. Rohrer on Monday to be checked. There was no dialation--thank goodness! She did a test that can predict pre-term labor in the next week or so. I'm guessing it was negative since I haven't heard back. She told me just to rest as much as possible and drink lots of water.....especially if I have contractions. So, that's what I've been doing.

I saw Dr. Kipikasa today with the high risk group. Wyatt is now weighing in about 3lbs 8 oz!!! He's getting big! His heart looks good and he's growing well. Dr. K told me the same as Dr. Rohrer....rest and water is the best thing. We want to keep him in the belly as long as possible!!!

So, the contractions are getting less frequent....I've only had a few today. They're different from the braxton hicks contractions that I've been feeling for a few weeks now...I'm really trying to pay attention to my body--I don't want to go into pre-term labor and think it's nothing if there's a chance it could be stopped. We don't want our little guy born too early.

I decided to take a different view of a belly picture today---thought it was funny. So, here is MY VIEW of the belly:

Um, where are my feet????? :)

For those who may be wondering, here's an update on Anthony:
I saw him briefly after my dr appointment this morning. He wasn't doing well. They've increased his vent back up to 10. His liver bloodwork was worse today than yesterday. He was so swollen today. It's been 3 days since I've seen him and I was shocked to see the change--it just broke my heart. I'm trying to stay as positive as possible, but it's difficult some days when it seems so much worse. I try to stay positive especially around my SIL and MIL....but at what point do you have to really face the reality of his condition? I pray for a miracle to pull him out of this. He squeezed my hand today when I told him I was there....but he didn't open his eyes, not even once while I was there. Please continue to pray for him.

New Due Date!

Well, as I've mentioned in here before, my scans have been showing Wyatt up to 2 weeks further along than my original due date. Dr. Rohrer says that according to the last report she has from ROC, they have me at 1/4 due date and she is calculating 12/31. So, my new official due date is 12/31/08! She says that we will try to keep to as close to the due date as possible since there has been some fluctuation, so we're still shooting for the week AFTER Christmas....unless Wyatt decides to make an appearance before then :)
I did get my RhoGAM shot on Tuesday. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had heard, so I was pleasantly surprised.
I go back to ROC (my high-risk docs) next week. Looking forward to that so I can see my little man in black and white! Can't wait to see how much he's grown since the last measurements---lastly he was weighing in around 2.8 lbs....such a big boy!
Speaking of big, here is my most recent belly shot!


Randy and I have our One-Day Prepared Childbirth Course on Saturday! Yes, it's the day of the TN/AL game, but we'll survive and should be able to catch the 2nd half! I'm really looking forward to the class and I hope we'll both learn a lot. I just hope Randy will pay attention and actually watch the videos so he'll have an idea of what to expect.....Lord help him if he passes out during delivery! So, I'm hoping this will help prepare him :)

Also, last Friday was Walker's field trip to the Guthrie Pumpkin Farm in Riceville, TN. They all had such a great time....and I think the parents that went enjoyed it just as much as the kiddos! Here are a few pics of my little man:

Sad News

Our nephew, Anthony(25), is currently in CCU at Erlanger. He is very sick. They were hoping to get him off the ventalator today, but it's a no-go. Maybe tomorrow. Not going to get into the details, but please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as they are much needed.
He is a very sick young man. We thought he was going to die on Tuesday, but as of yesterday (Wednesday) the doctors are optimistic that he may recover.

27 Weeks--Beginning of 3rd Trimester!

Ok, so I really shouldn't be wearing my favorite Old Navy t-shirt any more....it's going to be way too stretched out after the baby is born if I do! ;)

Well, this is the beginning of the 3rd trimester! I can't believe it. There are some days that it seems like the day to meet Wyatt will never get here, but most of the time it seems to be going by so fast!
My appointment with the high-risk group went well yesterday. The amniotic fluid and my b/p were good. They want to see me every 2 weeks now. I knew this day was soon approaching so I already had a plan that I would try to schedule the appointments with them and Dr. Rohrer on the same day and just take a day off from work every 2 weeks....well, yet another plan is out the window! They want me to be seen in their office on the alternate weeks to the appointments with Dr. Rohrer so that I'm seen every week. YUCK! But, they are the docs and know best....so I'll do what ever I have to do to make sure Wyatt is healthy and hopefully full-term.
They will start doing fetal monitoring at 32 weeks unless there is a problem. They have a really nice area for this with recliners, a tv and headphones to listen to music. Dr. K says it takes about 20 minutes each visit. Anyhow, I guess I'll be starting this in about 5 more weeks.
Next week I go to see Dr. Rohrer and I have to get my Rhogam shot. In case you don't know what that is, I am RH negative (I have O- blood type) and have to have this shot in case the baby is RH positive. Here's why: When an Rh-negative woman carries an Rh-positive baby, small numbers of the baby’s red blood cells may get into the mother’s bloodstream. This can happen during your pregnancy as well as at delivery. The mother’s immune system sees the baby’s Rh-positive red blood cells as foreign and goes to work to produce antibodies against them. Info taken from the RhoGAM website.

My next visit with Regional OB they will do measurements again to see how big he's getting. I'm not sure if I'll be having a scan at Dr. Rohrer's next week or not. One of the nice things about being high-risk is how often I get to see Wyatt on screen. I have a little photo album now with all the u/s pics....they start from a little dot at 7 weeks, then to a peanut, then to an alien, then to a teeny tiny baby and now a bigger baby that seems to be growing by leaps and bounds! No matter what gestational stage he's been loved from the day we found out about him. Granted, we were in shock and dismayed by the fact he was there, but none the less, he is very much wanted and loved :)

Well, I guess that's about all. I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers for my brothers. Until next week.............PEACE, LOVE & HAPPINESS!

Maj. Johnson ~ Afghanistan Update

Here is an email received from my brother just after arriving in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Please continue to pray for his safety.


First let me apologize for a couple of things. One, for the mass email; it just seemed easier with my limited connectivity here. Two, not keeping all of you in the loop on how this whole deal went down; I'll be trying to correct that in this email. Three, for any misspellings, rants, stream of conscienceness writing, etc., as I have had very little sleep in the last five days.

To catch up those that may not know, I volunteered for an individual tasker to the lovely land of the Afghans. The job seems like it'll be kinda cool. I'm going to be the Joint Personnel Recovery Officer for southern Afghanistan. Basically I'll sit behind a desk and tell people how to run combat search and rescue missions. The nice thing is that this is only a 6 month deployment. I'll miss Christmas, but should be back in time for the kids' and Mary's birthdays.

As for the lack of sleep, I've been in transit from Ft. Benning, GA (I had to spend a week there doing individual replacement training...fun). I left there on 3 Oct bound for Kuwait to process into theater. Enroute we stopped in Maine and Germany, then on to the land that shouldn't be. Kuwait sucks (for those that don't know...many of you do). I spent 5 days there trying to get on any flight I could to get to Afghanistan. The best part was that there are a bunch of thieving bastards there, so you can't leave anything unattended. A few of us that went through Benning together rotated guarding all of our worldly deployment possessions, and didn't sleep much since the terminal never sleeps. Once I finally got a flight out, it got delayed due to maintenance issues, yet I did get out of Kuwait late last night. I arrived in Bagram at about 2am, found a tent to stay in, called Mary, then tried to sleep....no dice. Just couldn't fall asleep. So I explore the little bit of Bagram I dared and went to the USO building across the street form the passneger terminal to get a cup of coffee. Thank God I did! Just as I was explaining to a young Army Specialist that flight school wasn't as much fun as he thought it may be, I here over a loud speaker: MAJ Johnson...last call for MAJ Johnson. Surprised by this, and expecting another of my namesake running around, I went to investigate. Somehow I got put on a flight to Kandahar that I didn't even know existed. So I quickly went to my tent to pack my things and do the duffle bag drag the 500 yards or so to the terminal. Let me tell you, after living in south Bama for a couple of years, the 6000 feet altitude at Bagram about killed me carrying all that stuff.

But finally I have made it to my final stop and have a place to call my own for a few months. Well, my time is up on the MWR computer, so I must go. Please pass this on to anyone I may have missed. Take care, and I'll talk to you soon.

GEORGE M. JOHNSON
MAJ, MS
DUSTOFF!!

Week 26

Ok, today in lieu of a belly pic, I'm posting a Wyatt pic :) Haven't posted one of these in a while and I thought these 2 were cute. Here's a great profile of his face and a pic of his little foot....how cute is this baby already!!!!


According to the scan today, Wyatt is up to around 2lbs 8oz. He's getting BIG!!! He was again measuring a little ahead of schedule, but as of now the due date remains the same. My b/p was better today and there was still just trace amounts of protein showing up; so there was no talk of bed rest or hospitalization--thank goodness! I will still be going back to the high risk docs next week for a follow up. After today's visit, I will begin seeing Dr. Rohrer every 2 weeks.

Baby Shower Update:
Mom and Stacey (with my input) have begun planning the shower. It's going to be great. The date is now officially set for Saturday, November 15th. Invitations will be forthcoming. We'll be having a fall theme....I'm so excited about it and since it will be so close to the Thanksgiving holiday, we're going to ask that (if you want) everyone bring a non-perishable food item to the shower and we will donate all of it to the Chattanooga Food Bank. As of right now they have a special need for the following items:
Canned peas and vegetables
Canned meat and juices
Dry beans, rice, oatmeal, and cornmeal
This is a time of year for us to be thankful for all that we have and to give to those in need. The person who brings the most food items will win a prize :)

Walker is on Fall Break this week and is hanging out at home with me. Tomorrow he's going to work on something to send to Uncle Perry who's in basic training right now. He got to hang out with Ninny and Hayden today while I went to the doctor. I plan to take him with me to one of the scans. Had there not been issues last week, I'd have taken him today.....but I didn't want to in case there was a problem....thank goodness there wasn't...I did, however, take him with me to the chiropractor this morning--he thought that was cool. :)

Anyhow, that's all for now. I'll update next week after my next appointment. Have a great week!!
Missy

Major Johnson.....prayers needed!

My brother, Matt (Major George Johnson) is currently on his way to Afghanistan. Please keep him, and all the troops traveling with him, in your thoughts and prayers. Please also pray for my sister-in-law, Mary, who will be holding down the fort in Alabama while he is gone....it takes a special woman to be an officer's wife....and of course my niece and nephew, Samantha & Michael while their Daddy is gone off to war.
I spoke to Matt as he was boarding his plane for about half a second. I just want him to come home safely in 6 months.

Matt, please be careful...we love you and are praying for you! Be safe!!!!!!!
Love, Missy

Also, please keep my youngest brother, Perry, in your thoughts and prayers too...he is currently in basic training for the US Air Force!