She will still enjoy scrapbooking... in bed.

Well, it's been a crazy week for me! I started bleeding on Saturday morning last week and we freaked out completely. There were clots and it was pretty fresh, so we zipped over to the hospital after calling my OB on the emergency line. They checked me in every way possible... we got some very detailed ultrasounds, I was monitored, blood was taken, urine was taken, and my doctor came in to examine me. The bleeding didn't continue for long and wasn't heavy, the baby and I were both fine... so we were released. I was told to take it easy until I called the office on Monday for follow-up.

So, Monday I called and got an appointment with one of the OB's around 2 p.m. She said everything seemed to be fine and that I needed to stop lifting my son, Ben. I agreed to that and left feeling relieved. Well... that relief was short-lived because at about 9:40 p.m. on Monday I used the toilet and started bleeding again. Heavy this time, with huge clots about 3 inches diameter. I called the emergency line, but I already knew the doctor on call would have me come to the hospital, so I was prepared. It was scary. I thought I was losing the baby. My parents came to get Ben and Aaron and I headed to the hospital again. My OB told me on the phone that she would be admitting me this time. So I had my pillow and a small bag packed.

I ended up bleeding that time for about 24 hours. They hooked me up to an IV and monitors and began a round of steroid shots to help mature the baby's lungs just in case of a pre-term delivery. She still seemed to be 100% fine and not in distress at all. A perinatologist (sp?) came in to see me and said it seemed to be a subchorionic (sp?) bleed between the uterus and the sac. The thing is, no one can really say where the bleeding is coming from. So, I've been put on bed rest. I was released in time for Thanksgiving.

Bed rest has been hard so far. I'm mourning the loss of some of the usual activities I've taken for granted up until now. Also, it's the Holiday season and I will be missing out on a lot of that. No hustle and bustle for me. Or shopping. Or tree decorating. But I'm doing OK... my spirits have been up the past 2 days. I'm settling in to a routine, which is nice. My husband, parents, friends, and in-laws have been wonderful to me.

I will learn more about the situation when I visit the OB and perinatologist this week. As long as I am resting, the bleeding is not likely to re-occur. I think I'll be on bed rest until the end of December. At least I think that's when we'll re-evaluate my activity level.

So... that's the scoop. I am able to do digital scrapbooking very easily from the laptop, and I plan to try to use my Mosh Posh kit this month and see how easy (or difficult) it is to scrap in bed. :) I think I need to keep scrapping or else I'll go completely crazy!

Anyways, keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I will probably be better at blogging now that I'm spending all of my time here on the laptop! So, that's a positive!

Can you believe it's November already???

It's been such a fast month... and for that I'm glad! I'm finally in my third trimester, but I'm ready to meet this baby already. Lots of the usual aches & pains, and the kind of exhaustion that just smacks me down. But despite these few complaints I'm really enjoying this pregnancy. I mean, look at me! I'm even scrapbooking. That's a miracle in itself because when I was pregnant with Ben I didn't do anything but nap and stare at the TV like a vegetable (don't get me wrong, I still do those things... just not as often).

So, speaking of scrapbooking. I want to share my contribution to the Mosh Posh Design Team for the month of November. I LOVED this kit... like I love coffee and chocolate. It was THAT good. And even after making these very generous pages I still have gobs of supplies left from it. I was very into hand-stitching with colorful embroidery floss this month, as you can see. I have it on almost every page. It makes the page feel richer and more homespun. If you have the extra time, try it. It's great to do the stitching when you're on the couch watching something with only half your attention (like, say, Sunday and Monday night football). I just punch the holes first with an awl and then go through with the needle and floss... although I've seen newfangled tools that you roll along the page and it punches evenly spaced holes. How cool is that?

So, here are my recent pages (including my first ever attempt ay a 6x12 layout):






And here's a shot of the whole kit:


The December kit is going to rock, too. I designed a custom stamp for Kristen which is hopefully being quickly produced right now! I hope it gets finished in time to make it in the kits. It's pretty swell, if I don't say so myself. I also know we'll be getting some nifty add-ons which involve a cute house to decorate... and messy glitter. Can't have enough of those!!!

Anyways, I'm parched and quite hungry for a nibble of something yummy, so I better go! I'm really going to try my hardest to post before this time next month, OK? Talk at you later!