Delivery Day

Wow.  So this birthing experience was a complete 180 from the last.  A week ago on Thursday, I went in for my 40-week OB check up.  When I got in there, the doctor said I was dilated 1 centimeter so she would be able to strip my membranes.  It wasn't even really uncomfortable, which was weird since all the previous visits it actually hurt for her to check me for dilation.  After she finished, she told me she had accidentally torn the outer sac of the placenta.  I did not know this, but apparently there are two layers to the placenta.  I suppose the good news is she didn't break both!  

After my appointment I drove back to Galveston to pick up Aiden and we went to Kemah to meet the Ramby's for an outdoor concert and so the boys could run in the water play area.  My contractions were a little stronger that night, but the doctor told me to expect that whether I went into labor or not.  

That night, I went to bed and slept through the night without a hiccup.  When my alarm went off the next morning, I decided to time my contractions all day.  They were stronger than they had been before and I wanted to be sure to keep an eye on it.  I got ready for work, Travis got Aiden ready for daycare and we all left the house.  By the time I got to Aiden's daycare, the contractions had started to get strong enough that I had to breath and focus my way through them.  But they were irregular and far enough apart that I wasn't too concerned.  I decided I would take the day off.  It was supposed to be my last day of work before my maternity leave started.  I knew even if I went in and never went into labor, I would not be able to concentrate with those contractions.

I dropped Aiden off at daycare and drove over to work.  I was responsible for letting a guy into work that morning and I didn't want to leave him hanging.  I took care of that and drove straight over to Ariel and Robert's house.  At this point, my contractions were anywhere between 4 and 10 minutes apart.  Ariel was still asleep, so Robert agreed to drive me home.  I didn't think it was smart to drive any more with that level of contractions.  Robert drove me back in my car so he could drive it back to Galveston.  My dad was on the road to Texas, but wasn't supposed to arrive until around 2pm.  Ariel and Robert said they would pick up Aiden for me, so I had to leave a car with a car seat.

My plan was to go home and wait for the contractions to become regularly spaced.  By the time I got home, the contractions were 2-4 minutes apart.  I decided it would be best to have Travis come home from work since thing seemed to be moving right along.

Travis got home about 30 minutes later and packed his hospital bag.  I tried to get some of the basics done before he got home.  I couldn't stop moving.  I had to keep walking.  Sitting on the birthing ball actually seemed to relieve some of the pressure during the contractions, so I used that a lot.  I was at 2 minutes apart when we got in the truck to go to the hospital.  I was starting to get nervous that I would not make it to the hospital in time to get an epidural.  I know what it's like to push out a kid without an epidural and I really did not want to relive that if at all possible.  

Our hospital has valet parking.  VERY handy when a woman is in labor.  We walked to the elevators inside and sure enough, they weren't working properly.  I was walking in circles trying to focus on my breathing while five other people stood around holding various items that showed they were visiting others (flowers, balloons, teddy bears, fast food bags, etc).  I think they were all a little skeptical about getting on the elevator with me when it finally started working again.  I had flashes of giving birth to my daughter while locked in that tiny compartment with five strangers.  At least Travis would be there.

Thankfully, the elevator got us to the third floor without any further problems.  We walked up to the nurses station at 11 am and they took me to a birthing room right away.  The nurse started checking me in and I told her right off the bat I wanted an epidural.  She checked me first to make sure I was "actually in labor".  Ha.  I was 90% effaced and dilated 4.5 cm.

I was wishing I had come in earlier because the process of getting an epidural is an excruciatingly loooonnnnggg process.  First, I had to be admitted.  This proved to be a trying situation since the second nurse that came in to do that for me was from Africa.  Her accent was so strong that I had trouble understanding her and she had trouble understanding me.  Oh and she had the same problem with all the other nurses that came in periodically.

Second, I had to receive a liter of IV fluids.  An epidural can cause low blood pressure.  To counteract that, they pump you full of fluids.  Third, I had to drink some really nasty antacid crap.  BLECH.  Fourth, I had to sign consent forms for the analgesia.  Fifth, I had to wait for the anesthesiologist to have time for me.  

After I got the epidural, it took about 10 minutes for it to start working.  The nurse checked me again while we waited for the epidural to work it's magic.  I was 7 cm dilated.  As soon as the anesthesiologist left, the nurse realized the baby's heart monitor had lost it's signal.  Instead of readjusting the band, she started having me flip from side to side.  It was really difficult to move quickly during the contractions.  I was still feeling the pain, not to mention it was just difficult to move with that giant belly.  Travis had to leave while I got the epidural.  A nurse came in at that point to see if Travis could come back in the room.  My nurse (who I had lost any confidence in) said "no not yet" and asked that nurse for help.  She walked up to me, readjusted the heart monitor and it was fine.  

I am pretty sure that Idiot Nurse had no idea what she was doing.  She had me flipping all over the place just because she couldn't find Mila's heartbeat.  I was really annoyed when she made me stay lying on my right side.  She thought that was why the nurse was able to find her heart beat again.  So that meant my right leg was completely non-functional.  The epidural pools with gravity.  Weirdest feeling ever.

They let Travis back into the room and I sent him back out to get me more ice chips.  I was SO THIRSTY. At 1:45, while he and the nurse were out of the room, my water broke.  I couldn't reach the nurse's call button because it was on the left side of the bed.  I just waited for Travis to get back and he pressed the button for me.  

At 2:20, the doctor came in to check me.  I was a little bummed my doctor was not working that weekend, but this doctor turned out to be just as great.  After he checked me, he asked if I was having the urge to push at all.  I told him I didn't think so.  He said I was complete (10 cm) and the head had started to come down into the birth canal, but he wanted me to feel that urge before we got the show on the road.  He had the nurses hook me up to Pitocin.

By 2:45 I was having a severe urge to push.  It was so intense that I actually had Travis check me to see if the head was already coming out.  The Idiot Nurse came over to check me at that point.  She had me push as she checked and said I was ready.  I was hungry and worried about hours of pushing on an empty stomach, so she ran to grab me a Popsicle.  

She gave it to me and then asked me to push again.  While I was holding the Popsicle.  Soooo I grabbed my left leg with one hand, held onto the Popsicle with the other hand and pushed.  

The nurse yells, "Stop, stop, stop!"  So I stopped.  She was doing something so I went back to eating the Popsicle.  

Then the nurse mumbles something in her hard-to-understand accent that sounded like push again.  But then she seemed to stop paying attention to me.  

I said, "Push?  Right now?"  When she didn't respond, I just said, "Eh," and went back to eating the Popsicle.  

Travis started laughing so hard.  So then I started laughing.  This whole thing was totally different than our last experience.  

I finally finished the Popsicle and the nurse asked me to push one more time.  "Stop, stop, stop!" she said again.  "I don't want you to have this baby before the doctor comes in here.  Better safe than sorry!"  Ugh, she was the worst.

The doctor came in and all the nurses set up their stations (one for me, one for Mila).  The doctor gave me some tips on pushing and then we gave it a go.  I pushed three times in a row, then I rested until the next contraction.  I pushed again and then on the fifth push, out came Mila's head!  No pain.  Just pressure.  It was perfect.  The doctor suctioned then asked me to push again, out came the rest of Mila!  The doctor held her up, pronounced her a girl and laid her on my belly.  Travis and I were both crying.  Then Travis got to cut the cord.  I was so excited he got to do that since he didn't get to with Aiden (umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice).  

Travis went over to the warmer with Mila while I took care of the afterbirth.  I had instant relief once the placenta was out.  I felt like I could breathe again.  The doctor held it up for me to see as he inspected it. So funny.  Then he goes, "Hey Dad!  Get over here and take a picture of this."  Oh man the look on Travis's face.  "Really?" he asked.  He so did not want to get near that thing.  I told Travis to just come over and take a picture of it really quick.  That way I could look at it afterward.  I think it's interesting.

When I had Aiden I had to get a local anesthetic to numb the area for stitching afterward.  The epidural was still in full force this time around so I didn't need anything for the stitching.

After I was finished and cleaned up I got to hold Mila.  I attempted nursing her for the first time and it went really well.  She was wide awake.

Mila's first photo

When they brought in my dinner, Travis took her.  Soon after that my family arrived with Aiden (Dad, Ariel and Robert).

Aiden meets Mila for the first time

Mila gave her big brother a gift when he arrived.  He LOVES his Hulk action figure.  Aiden did so good with her.  He was really sweet and gentle.  He was also REALLY excited to have all his favorite people together.

As soon as my epidural had begun to wear off, they took Mila to the transitional nursery, my family went out for dinner and they wheeled me to the room I would be staying in for the weekend.  

I was super stoked when they brought in another tray of food for me.  I was insanely hungry.  My family came back after dinner to visit a little more.  

I will try to blog more soon.  I'm working on figuring out how to take care of two kids right now, so I am not sure when the blogging will happen.  Travis was off all week and he goes back to work Tuesday.  My dad has been here all week and he will be for another week.  So I've had lots of help.  It's still been a learning process!

Once

Mila Carol

Born May 18, 2012 at 3:38 pm
8 lbs, 3 oz, 20 in

39 Weeks, 6 Days

Not much going on over here.  I had two days with lots of energy at the beginning of the week, but then yesterday I went back to being dog-tired.  It may have had something to do with Aiden waking up at 4:30 am because he was struggling with getting his blankets situated.  Travis took care of it, but his initial scream for Daddy startled me awake so I had trouble getting back to sleep before my 5:45 alarm.  Today I'm in between.

A friend of mine from grade school had a due date very near to mine.  She went into labor in the middle of the night Tuesday and waited it out as long as she could at home.  She went to the hospital yesterday morning and delivered her son last night just after 9 pm.  I am SO jealous.  Ha!  Although, I'm pretty sure she did it without any drugs and I don't think I will be able to do that.  I'm going to try to go as long as I can, but I remember it being a lot harder than I thought it would be last time.  We'll see. 

There was some miscommunication between my dad and I.  I thought he was arriving today, but he is leaving Illinois today.  Since he is not leaving until this afternoon, that means he won't be getting in until tomorrow sometime after I've left for work.  Aiden was a little bummed there will be no Gpa today, but I think he'll survive another day without him. 

I've got a busy morning at work, but the afternoon should be nice.  I'm going out to lunch with the girls from work, then heading to the OB for my regular weekly appointment.  I have my fingers crossed that my doctor will say I'm showing some signs of labor so she will be able to strip the membranes.  But I have this horrible feeling there will be nothing and we will have to go from zero to induction sometime next week.  The only saving grace is that I know there will be no longer than nine days until I have this little girl.

I realized recently that if I have Mila at the end of next week (around when I would be induced), then she will have a three-day weekend near her birthday (Memorial Day).  Travis' birthday is always around Labor Day.  He said he grew up thinking the three-day weekends were for his birthday.  My cousin's birthday is on the 4th of July.  She grew up thinking the fireworks were for her birthday.  Funny how kids work.  Even if the three-day weekend isn't FOR her birthday, it would still make celebrating it more fun. 

One and half days of work left.  One day until my dad gets here.  Two days until I am PANTS-FREE!!!

Ball in the Way

Have I mentioned that I'm ready to have this baby?  Aside from the fact that almost everything I do gives me contractions these days, there is the physical obstruction as well.  Here are a few of the ways this basketball gets in my way:

• It's difficult to clean up after using the bathroom.  If you know what I mean.
• The other day I was going in reverse in my car.  I put my hand on the passenger seat to help turn myself around and whacked my belly on the center console.  Ridiculous.
• Shaving my legs is close to impossible these days.  Cleaning up "other areas" IS impossible.
• Standing up from being on the ground is a work out.
• Doing anything while squatting is not an option: gardening, getting paper towels out from under the kitchen sink, etc.
• Sitting on the floor to put on Aiden's shoes is too difficult.  We do it on the couch or in a chair now.
• Carrying bulky items, such as boxes or laundry baskets, is impossible.  I probably should have learned how to carry these items on my head.
• I clip my work badge to my right pocket or belt loop.  If I'm carrying anything in my right hand, I have to switch it to my left hand since it cannot reach my clipped badge around the baby "bump".

Two days until my OB appointment (with the CHANCE to strip the membranes).  Two days until my dad gets to town.  Three days until my due date (May 18).  Four days of work left.  Five to nine days until I can be induced (date to be set this Thursday).

39 Weeks, 3 days



39 Weeks, 2 days

 My due date is this Friday, so this is my last week at work.  Wahoo!  It's going to be a hard week.  I totally have senioritis.  I actually have work to be doing, which is going to be hard to keep up with.  My dad is getting in Thursday evening.  So IF we get to strip the membranes on Thursday, he should be here if anything happens.  Otherwise, he'll be around a week early to help out with Aiden while I am gigantically pregnant. 

This weekend was super nice.  Travis ended up working all day Saturday.  He was originally just supposed to work in the office for the morning, but he decided to help out the on-call guy and go out to do a few jobs in the afternoon.  That evening, we went to the Yeager's for dinner.  Turns out it was their 6-year anniversary.  So THEY made US dinner for their special day.  Ha!  I guess the special day caught up with them and they were unable to make plans in advance.  They're going to celebrate this week instead. 

Yesterday was Mother's Day and it was very laid back for me.  Travis made an extra special effort to take care of Aiden and do things around the house.  He made french toast, bacon and eggs for breakfast.  Then, he and Aiden washed the car for me.  I almost forgot my car had a pearl finish!  During Aiden's nap, I relaxed in front of the TV while he mowed the lawn. 

When Aiden woke up, we went to Walmart for a few things.  I had the sudden urge to stock the freezer so my dad has easy meals to feed them while we are in the hospital.  We also grabbed a few things for dinner. On our way home, we stopped at a pet shop to find a couple more fish for my tank.  I only had two fish that swam in the water column, so I've been wanting to add to the tank for a while.  I wanted to get another cichlid or an oscar, but the fish expert recommended Red Tailed Sharks (catfish family) for now.  Since I have a tank of aggressive, territorial fish, he suggested finding some limestone to stack in the tank before we add more cichlids.  If these sharks survive, they can get up to four inches long.  They were still alive this morning, so I have hope!

I am so afraid to eat at a restaurant on Mother's Day.  I absolutely despise waiting for a meal.  I get hungry and then cranky really fast.  If I have to sit in a waiting area, smelling all the delicious foods from the kitchen, the crankiness will only get worse.  This year Travis grilled steaks and asparagus, and made scalloped potatoes.  I did get off my ass to make a salad for dinner.  We ate outside and were a little late getting Aiden to bed, but it was a nice evening.  I went straight to bed after Aiden did and watched Game of Thrones on my phone.  I stayed up too late again, but I wasn't quite ready to fall asleep yet. 

Now it's Monday and the countdown begins.  Five work days to go...

Alexa - Thanks for the photo tip!  It worked!  I've had so much trouble getting photos to rotate properly in Blogger and Alexa found the solution!  If anyone else is having a similar problem, check out this site.

39 Weeks

I had my weekly OB appointment yesterday.  Still nothing.  I was having three contractions an hour yesterday so I was hopeful there would be some semblance of progression.  No such luck.  I have only had one contraction so far today, so I guess my body calmed down.

My doctor has mentioned in the past that I probably have an irritable uterus.  Basically, I have lots of contractions for no reason.  On a normal day, I have around 10 contractions and have had this since I was around 12 weeks pregnant.  But yesterday, I had 24 contractions over the course of 8 hours. (Granted, they were unevenly spaced and in duration.)  That put me in a BAD mood.  I was even more irritable last night when I looked at the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen I couldn't wash because the contractions were starting to get painful.  Thankfully Travis found the time to take care of it.

If I have started effacing or dilating by next Thursday, the doctor will try stripping the membranes.  If I'm not dilating, she can't get in there to do the procedure.

I was talking to my mom about how I expect to have to be induced the week after my due date.  She mentioned that our family seems to be extremely fertile and have absolutely no problems getting pregnant or growing healthy babies.  But when it comes to actually delivering, we SUCK.  It seems that the women in our family are prone to long deliveries and c-sections.  This conversation further convinced me I will be having this child somewhere around May 25th. 

Here's hoping today is better than yesterday.

Particularly Short-Fused

My body has been a little off since last night.  I've been having some abdominal discomfort.  Part of it is an increase in the number of contractions and part of it is I think Mila has begun using her head as a battering ram against my lower abdomen.  I say discomfort because it's not painful like a cut or full blown contractions, but it's definitely not pleasant.  I've been timing my contractions since last night.  I knew they weren't regularly spaced or timed, but I have an OB appointment today and I know the doctor will ask about that.  Now I can give her a more definite answer. 

This morning I got REALLY hot while I was getting ready for work.  I also keep getting extremely short-breathed and I feel nauseous or dizzy when I stand up.  I was sitting on the toilet when Travis walked in this morning and I said I wished there was a mirror in front of this toilet so I could do my hair from here.  Travis proceeded to find a mirror and prop it up on the shelf towards me.  Granted, it was 4 feet away.  I didn't care though.  I used it.

Because of this added discomfort, I am feeling more than cranky today.  I am normally very friendly, so I'm actually feeling some guilt over my actions.  Here are a few of the things that have rubbed me wrong this morning:

• I noticed when the neighbor mowed his lawn (on the riding mower) he left a patch of long grass between our yard and his.  What the hell?
• When I got to Aiden's daycare, the lunch lady stopped to chat with me like she does occasionally.  Normally I like to talk to with her, but today I just barrelled past mumbling about being really tired today.
• Honestly, I'm not up for smiling, so anyone that tries to chat with me about the belly makes want to punch them in the face.
• Aiden got his daycare pictures back this week (this is the first year he smiled for them!) so I stopped at the front desk to pay for the photos.  That's when the director asked me why Aiden wasn't going to his dance recital in a couple weeks.  Mostly, it's because we are short on cash these days and I'm irritated that we have to spend $45 on ugly shorts and a t-shirt with the dance company's name on it.  But it's also because the recital is the week after I'm due.  I didn't feel like paying money for something we might not get a chance to use if I'm in the hospital giving birth to a baby.  I was so annoyed that I had to defend myself because she kept trying to find ways for us to work around it.  UGH.
• Then when I got to work today, I had to walk up two flights of stairs.  Of course a contraction started before I got to the stairs, but I decided to try to walk through it.  The damn contraction lasted almost three minutes - the entire duration of climbing the stairs. 

I wish my dad was here.  If he was, I would totally have the doctor strip the membranes at my appointment this afternoon.  It doesn't sound particularly awesome, but at this point I don't care.  Since we are relying on my dad to watch Aiden while we go into the hospital, I'm going to wait until next week.  At the moment, he is planning to come Wednesday.  I CAN'T WAIT.

Last night I convinced Travis to give me a foot rub.  It was the most fabulous thing I have experienced EVER.  I'm fairly certain of that. 

9-16 Days Left

The irritability continues.  My hands and feet have been swelling a lot worse lately, though nothing as horrible as when I was pregnant with Aiden.  That makes my irritation more palpable.  The one thing currently keeping me going through the day is the Jack Johnson station on Pandora.  It helps calm me and there aren't any annoying random songs to give me an eye twitch. 

I haven't been AS busy at work lately.  I finally got access to the area I've been doing work in, so I don't have to go when it's convenient for other people.  I can go when it fits into my schedule.  I have to wear special head wear in that area and it's wreaking havoc on my neck.  I have a bad neck anyway.  Add five pounds on top of my head and all hell breaks loose.  (Read: added irritability.)  I'm looking forward to the maternity break from that thing. 

Things have been getting behind at the house lately.  I drank a serious cup of coffee yesterday afternoon and then spent the evening clearing that list.  That means tonight I get to SIT.  Just sit.  I even made a giant casserole yesterday so we can eat leftovers again tonight.  I think it might just be a TV night...

TRYING to Relax

I tried to keep this weekend laid back.  I think I did so-so.  Friday night we took it easy at home.  Travis and Aiden put together Mila's crib.  Aiden was really excited about sharing the space with his baby sister.  I REALLY hope he keeps up that attitude after the crying baby is here.  We'll see.

Saturday morning we needed to go grocery shopping, so Travis went with to help me out. He's not very good about finding the deals like I am. That's why he doesn't usually go by himself.  That evening, we headed over to my boss' house for a crawfish boil.  It was the only day the majority of us were available - not directly related to Cinco de Mayo.  Though Travis did drink Dos Equis in honor of the day.  We have hung out with one of my co-workers a few times now and his kids just happen to go to the same daycare as Aiden.  We got to meet another co-worker's two boys as well.  They all got along pretty well - only a few tifts over the tricycles that some of us brought along. 

The little girl that was there (who is also in his daycare class) brought her pink Dora the Explorer helmet.  She took it off at some point and Aiden put it on.  He was obsessed.  He wouldn't even take it off to go in the house to use the restroom.  It was so cute.  Travis didn't flinch too much at the color. 

Aiden has been asking for a helmet for a few weeks now, I guess ever since we bought his motorcycle.  He noticed a lot of people wearing helmets as they rode their motorcycles on the Interstate, so of course Aiden had to have one.  And hey!  Who am I to inhibit safety??  Last night we stopped at Target and found a Spiderman helmet.

It matches his Spiderman sunglasses and "Spiderman" motorcycle.  It's not actually a Spiderman motorcycle, but Spiderman drives a red motorcycle, so I can see the relation for him. 

The funny thing about Aiden's Spiderman obsession?  He has been talking about how much he wants a Batman birthday.  Not Spiderman.  Batman.  Funny.

Sunday we didn't do anything in the morning except for a few things around the house.  That afternoon we went to see The Avengers with Aiden and a couple girls from my work.  Aiden LOVED it.  He did cover his ears through most of it.  I guess it was too loud for him, but he never took his eyes off the screen.  Before we saw the movie, if you asked him what The Hulk says, he would say, "HULK SMASH" and smash his fists together.  Since he saw the movie, he puts his fists in the air and says, "ARRRRGGGHHH!!!"  Ha!

After the movie we met Ariel and Robert for dinner at a fried shrimp place in Galveston.  I was having a craving and everyone obliged.  We sat on the back patio and Auntie Ariel tickled Aiden almost the entire time.  It's always nice to hang out with other people so they entertain Aiden a bit for me.  Takes some of the pressure off, which I wholeheartedly appreciate. 

We did a lot of things this weekend, but none of it was very stressful.  I'm hoping to relive that this weekend as well.

Marvel

While I know this is iffy for a 2-year-old (rated PG-13), I CANNOT wait to take Aiden to see The Avengers this weekend. Three of his favorite characters in one film.  I've been trying to rent Thor for months now, but it's never available at Redbox.  I had to drive out of my way to find a Redbox that had it yesterday.  At least I found it!  Aiden was nervous for the first 10 minutes, which has me a little worried about seeing the Avengers in a loud theater.  I guess if we have to take breaks, we can.  I'm still excited!

Pregnancy Pet Peeves

There are a lot of things I have heard pregnant women complain about when it comes to dealing with society their interest in a woman's pregnancy.  Up until this past month, not much bothered me.  But lately, there have been several things that just hit a nerve.  It could be partially that I have a sudden irrational short fuse these days.  Or it could just be that I'm tired of hearing the SAME thing over and over again.  Here's the list of things Nikki is less tolerant of:

1. "You're having a boy, aren't you?"  Nope.  Despite originally thinking I was going to have a boy, the doctor says with 99% certainty that this is a girl.  I don't care what you know about how when it's a boy, the belly goes out front and when it's a girl, the belly goes all around like a tire.  I think every woman carries child the way her body is equipped to do so.  I do not thing the shape of the baby's genitalia has anything to do with the mother's body.
2. "You're going to pop any day now, huh?"  Nope.  People have been telling me that for a month and I still have 2-3 weeks left.  When I tell them that, they usually say one of the following: "Are you having twins?!" or "You're going to have the baby early!"  Again, nope.  Just one baby.  All three ultrasounds agree on that one.  And again, nope.  If my first delivery is any indication, this baby is going to hold on as long as possible.  Premature babies do not run in my family.  If anything, well developed, large babies run in the family.  Honestly, the reason I'm so big is because I have a lot of amniotic fluid.  Tell me random-person-on-the-elevator, do you really want to discuss how much fluid is in my sac?
3. Getting the stink-eye while carrying a coffee.  My doctor said one cup of joe per day is fine.  Besides, what if it's decaf (which sometimes it is)??  I shouldn't have to defend myself.  The end.

Beyond these three bullet points, I have hadn't too many issues.  No stranger has tried to touch my belly.  Only friends.  And I'm okay with that.  Oh and no one has tried to kiss my belly.  Thank goodness for THAT.  I had a stranger do that to me on the beach while I was in a bikini last year.  That means a random hippie chick kissed my bare skin while I was all hot and covered in sunscreen.  NOT OK LADY.

Prenatal Exercise

As I have mentioned before, I am ready to have this baby.  I thought I would make an attempt to get things moving with a walk Monday night.  Aiden has been asking to go for a walk a lot recently, so I figured I could kill two birds with one stone. 

Aiden and I ate dinner while Travis dealt with the fraudulent bank activity.  It worked out that we were done eating around the same time Travis got off the phone with the bank. Aiden chose his new motorcycle to take on the walk.  At first, I was thinking the motorcycle was a good idea.  He wasn't very good on it, so he was really slow.  When I walk, I get contractions.  I was hoping to take it easy on the walk. 

But then, Aiden warmed up to the bike and got going fast.  I decided this might be a good way to push myself, so I tried to keep up.  There were a few times I had to have him wait for me, but for the most part I kept up.  It was a little rough because that meant I walked for 20 minutes with one long, rock hard contraction.  YOUCH.

When we got home, I sat on the patio while Aiden played in the yard.  I refused to get up until the contraction went away.  I sat there long enough to realize my potted plants needed watering.  When the giant cramp ended, I watered the plants, which inevitably brought the contractions back. 

Still no baby.  This exercise may not bring on a baby, but maybe it will strengthen my uterus so I'm more efficient in the delivery room.  Pft.

WoW Attack

Thank goodness for fraud monitoring.  Yesterday after work, I got on the Interstate before I realized how low on gas I was.  My car had determined I had 20 miles left on the tank, so I figured I would be fine until I reached our exit.  I stopped at the gas station, put my debit card in and the screen told me to go see the cashier.  I was really annoyed because that means I have to get Aiden out of the car seat, lock the car, deal with the guy waiting in line behind me giving me the stink eye, etc.  I threw my card back in the machine.  I'm pregnant, I'm tired, maybe I just entered the wrong pin.  Nope.  Same thing again.  I tried a third time, just for good measure.  No luck.

I unload Aiden and head in to see if the cashier can reset the process or whatever.  Nope, she can't.  I have to give her my card in the store.  Problem with using my card in the store is I have to tell her how much to put on my card.  With the fluctuating gas prices lately, I never know if it's going to take $35, $40 or $45 to fill up my tank.  And I hate stopping for gas more frequently than I have to.  But!  I have no choice.  Put $30 on my card and be done with it.

It wouldn't go through inside either.  By this time I am SO frustrated.

"Do you know why it's not going through? Does it tell you that?"

"Insufficient funds?"  She shrugs her shoulders.

What?!  There should be plenty of money in there!  No reason I shouldn't be able to spend $30.  She didn't seem confident that this was the reason.  So, why would she take a stab in the dark as to why it wasn't working?  FINE.  Give me my card back.  I ran out to the car and used my credit card.  I HATE using my credit card.  I think I will feel better about it after Travis and I have paid off the rest of our credit card debt.  Til then, I like to avoid using The Card.

While I was waiting for my gas to pump, I asked Travis to check our account (he has easy access on his phone).  He called me back two minutes later and asked if I had spent $140 online today.  What?  No!  I don't make purchases over $50 without talking to Travis first.  Plus, even if I had spent $140, there should still be plenty of money in the account. 

After some more digging, Travis found something like 15 unexplained transactions adding up to $820.  All done yesterday at some video game website (most notably used for World of Warcraft, WoW).  Apparently, the bank noticed this unusual activity and cancelled my card.  That's why it wouldn't work.  They were already in the process of reversing the transactions and had it down to $140 left to fix by closing time last night. 

THANK GOD.  That is so much more doable.  The bank said if they are unable to stop the transactions before they go through, we will have to call back and dispute the charges.  Hopefully it doesn't come to that.  It's not a huge deal, just an annoying use of our time.  Travis called the website to see if he could find out who had made the transactions.  He was unable to find that out since they didn't do it on a specific account. 

They did say this sort of thing happens ALL THE TIME.  Ironically, it happened to a friend of mine from work yesterday as well.  I told my dad about this and he said the same thing happened to my brother a few years ago.  I guess those gaming folks know a thing or two about computers and the interwebz and such.  HA.

I'm hoping the rest of it gets taken care of without a hitch.  Both the bank and the WoW website people seemed to think we would be taken care of, no problem.  Here's hoping!