My Pregnancy the Past 20 weeks....

I can't believe that its been 20 weeks since I last updated my blog. I know each time I say I am going to do better. I have good intentions, does that count? :) Its hard to even figure out where to begin.... I guess the first thing I want to tell you all is that we found out we are having a baby boy. His name is taken from his daddy and grandpa.

                                  This is Bryan Robert Ronson! :)

I am 33 weeks and 2 days today. Bryan just weighed in at the doctors this morning at 5lbs 1oz! He is going to be a chunky little dude! :) Mommy has gained a total of 17lbs as of this morning as well. Pretty good for me I think. My Picc Line as I described in the previous post has been such a blessing to have during the pregnancy. Yes, there are alot of things that come with it like 4 flushes in each site 2x a day, and spending a total of 32 hours each week hooked up to a pump that I carry around with me pumping fluids in, having a home health care nurse come to my house every week to change the dressing and clean around the line (all the adhesive has caused my skin to hate me!), putting up with several times getting a blood clot in the line and trying to get it absorbed, along with several other small things. This may seem like alot, but actually it has been a life saver for me and the baby! It has given me the strength that I need to get through this, and has kept me from being in the hospital a whole lot less than if I didn't have it. It is like anything though. You just learn to live with what you have to live with and have a good attitude about it. Once you get used to something, it just becomes part of life, and you don't think of it as "hard" as others might just hearing about it. It always cracks me up when people say"Oh, I could NEVER handle that", or "I could never live with that"! As if something were to happen to them they would even have a choice. God says he would never give us more than we could handle. (although at times I've thought "Lord, ok, I can't handle this anymore") He's always been there for me though and brought me through those difficult times. I am so thankful to the Lord first, and then to my wonderful husband who has been my ever loving support and companion throughout everything! What a strong and faithful man the Lord gave to me!

I believe from the beginning of my pregnancy I have had 4 hospital stays which have included 4 blood transfusions, and a several other intravenous infusions of different vitamins like sodium and magnesium or whatever else my body is low on. I will probably have one more hospital stay with a blood transfusion before they take Bryan, and then get another one after he is born. This is something else that is also been a "blessing in disguise". Without a colon, my body just isn't capable to absorb all the nutrients it need while "making" a baby. Also being anemic before the fact of pregnancy, and then on top of getting pregnant adding a daily shot of blood thinners, only causes the anemia to get worse. This is the need for the blood transfusions. My body can't keep up reproducing the amount of blood that it needs. Another thing that has come up in this last trimester is a rising level of protein in my urine. My doctor has been watching me closely with this as it is an early sign of preeclampsia. My blood pressure however is doing well.

I just found out today that my tentative scheduled C-Section date is for March 23rd at 7:30am (with a 5:30 arrival!). However, my doctor just told me today because of how things have been going she is planning on probably taking him a little sooner than that. That is just the first date "legally" that could be scheduled with the hospital. Any other date will just be treated as an unscheduled c-section. So, at the very most, I will be having Bryan just 5 weeks from today, but maybe even sooner. By the way, before she would take him any sooner they will do a test to determine if his lungs are ok. This makes me feel good about it. As long as he is ok and healthy, I am ready!! :)  

Just last week I had my baby shower. It was so nice, and so beautiful. Thank-you to everyone who put so much work into it to make it turn out so nice!! It sure meant alot to me!! When I get the picture from it, I will post a few of the best ones. It is nice to know now what I didn't get, and what I still need. David just got Bryan's room painted, and I love it!! The colors are brown and green. I still need to get it decorated though, and everything in it's place. So much to do, and so little time! Jenna took some pregnancy pictures for me that they used at the shower. They all turned out so good!! Here are a few for you to enjoy, and also to see how huge me and Bryan are getting! :) 

I don't want to close without saying a quick thank-you to all of you who continue to pray for me through all of this! I am sorry I have been so bad at updating my blog. I promise to try harder! Especially after Bryan is born. My love to you all!