Tales from my life as a mom of 2 sons and 2 daughters

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Cheli On Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Hey all,

I took the NET exam yesterday.. according to the admissions rep I blew it out of the water. I got a 73 on one section and a 90 on the second section.. you needed 45 to make the list. I have a financial aid appointment on Wednesday to try and figure out how to pay for the class. If we can figure it out, I have a really really good chance of getting in this semester :)

I have a doctors appointment this morning at 9:45... finally. I hope that I get some direction as to what is going to happen with the baby (ie are they going to induce me early, c-section scheduled, or let me go to term) because of the gestational diabetes. I am also hoping that they will tell me I don't need medication and that I am doing okay enough on the reduced diet but I don't know. Hmmm wonder if I'll get to see munchkin man.. I wonder how big he is now? 32 weeks tomorrow.. Have I mentioned that I'm scared? I feel like I have to be all strong and brave for Doug because I KNOW he's nervous/scared about it.. but OMG.. I barely sleep at night thinking about everything (well that and it's just damn uncomfortable to sleep anymore).

Ughhh wonderful 4 hours of sleep I managed to get last night too... finally fell asleep around 2am and woke up about 6 because of the strangest dream... I went into labor (don't know how far along I was) and gave birth.. but I didn't remember any of it in my dream and afterward when I "woke up" Doug had a video of the birth to show me.. and that's when I found out.. River was A GIRL! NO idea where that dream came from.. so then they bring her in and she is just beautiful.. it's really weird.. she looked SO Much like Ciena but not.. she was beautiful.. and healthy.. and a GIRL. Isn't it a little late for gender dreams? especially the wrong gender?
OK off to go shower and such.. will update when we get back
Cheli On Sunday, December 11, 2005

I am nervous.. I have the NET exam tomorrow afternoon.. if I pass it with a really good score it is quite possible that the end of March I will be starting nursing school. I want this so bad. For me, for Doug, for River. It would be so good for us. And Doug will be starting a computer technician program in the fall that takes 8 months so we will finish about the same time. We will both be able to get good paying jobs. We will both be able to support us. We will make a good life for us and our son. I can't wait. I hope this works out. *crosses fingers* Even if I test well tomorrow I still ahve to wait until February to find out if I made it in. I HATE waiting for important things like that. Grrrrrrrr

I will be 32 weeks pregnant on Wednesday. OMG.. I have a doctors appointment on Tuesday (finally). I am guessing we will have more of an idea of when I'm actually going to have River by then. He is a big boy.. I am hoping he doesn't get TOO big. I am scared to death of what's coming but SO excited too. I can't wait for him to be here (and to be done being pregnant). We picked out his coming home outfits (we picked 2 because we don't know what the weather is going to be like come the big day). I have started packing the hospital bag. Everything is coming together.. I am scared to death.

Ok we have running around to do.. will talk later.

Cheli On Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Hey Everyone,

It's 4am and I still haven't slept.. The alarm is going to go off in about 4 hours so I probably won't sleep. Oh well. I have officially reached the point in pregnancy where I am uncomfortable no matter what I do.. but I am almost there!

For those who don't know.. Doug and I moved to Florida last week. Doug lost his job back in October and I quit about 2 weeks before then.. We had paid ahead in our bills to the end of the lease so we were able to stay there for a while in hopes of finding a job but apparently no one in Knoxville was hiring right now that would pay anything that we would be able to survive on. So we talked about it and tried to figure out some way to do it but we just couldn't come up with one that sounded even remotely like it would be a good idea. So Doug called his mother and asked if we could come stay here for a little while to get everything situated. We were going to stay to finish out the semester but after talking with our professors and what not we discovered we really didn't need to for various reasons and the extra time would give us time to try and get things straight here.. and being as far as I am in the pregnancy.. extra time is a good thing.

So we packed up the apartment and drove down here last Monday. It took us forever because we had to stop twice so I could sleep.. but we made it safe.

Since we've been here we've been running all over the place trying to get things done. I am trying to get seen by a doctor but most won't take me because I am high risk. We founda a clinic that is attached to a major hospital here that has a wonderful high risk staff and a Level 3 NICU incase something goes wrong and I will hopefully be seeing someone there really soon. We had to go to the ER today because I was in pain and had alot of pressure. They hooked me up the machines, tested my blood, and did an ultrasound. My blood work came back good, sugar was really good... 89.. the doctor was not happy when I told her the midwife didn't do a 3 hour on me but she said that she does think I have GD so she's treating me as such. She said that the monitors picked up 4 or 5 contractions in the hour she was monitoring me but that they were mild.. she checked my cervix and it's still closed and thick which is good. The ultrasound went great.. River is BIG. She measured his head, abdomen, and femur and he is measuring about 32.4 weeks and he weighs 1962 grams or 4.3 lbs (the average size of a 33 week baby).. I will be 31 weeks on Wednesday.

I have an interview this afternoon with a director of a nursing program at the university.. if it goes well I might be able to start the program in March and have my LPN license by June 07. We looked into getting Doug into this 8 month Computer Systems Technician program but it's 11,000 dollars.. and even with all the finiancial aid we can get it still leaves us with almost 3000 dollars out of pocket. I really want him in that program. It looks like he'll have to take a few classes at the community college this semester and then the program in the fall when the Pell Grant gets reissued.

4:40am and I can't sleep.. still have contractions and pressure.. And am having nightmares anyway.. this sucks

Cheli On Thursday, November 17, 2005
ppointment went well. I gained 2 lbs this month and have gained a total of 13 lbs :) I am measuring 27 weeks which is fine. River is doing beautifully, his heart rate was 140 :) The glucose tasted horrible but I didn't throw it up so that was good.. will find out tomorrow about the results. My next appointment is in 2 weeks.. December 1st.. WOOO HOOO.. I getting closer...
Cheli On Wednesday, November 16, 2005

WOOOOO HOOOOOO I am officially in my 3rd trimester as of today :) 28 weeks!!

I have my midwife appointment tomorrow at 8am *Ughhhh* and I have to get up an hour before that to drink the stupid glucose crap for the test. I don't wanna *shudders* but other than that I am looking forward to the appointment.

Will update tomorrow when I get home.

Cheli On Sunday, November 13, 2005

OK so I decided to take more belly shots yesterday since it's been 4 weeks since the last ones.. most of you have seen me at Temple recently so it's nothing new but for those who haven't...... this is me at 27 weeks 4 days

Cheli On Friday, November 11, 2005

Hi Everyone....

I am officially a MARRIED WOMAN!!!!!!!!! WOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!! Doug and I got married yesterday.. I'll see if I can scan the certificate or something :) YAY!!!!! He keeps calling me Mrs. Greene.. LOL too cool. I am so happy.. I love him so much!

We got up today to go change my name at the social security office, post office, etc.... yep.. realized when we got to the post office that it's Veteran's Day... we don't get out much apparently. We were supposed to go to class this morning.. alarm went off at 6:30.. neither of us moved.. Doug asked if I wanted to skip class.. we slept until noon. It was great :)

I went up to the school today to update my records and to print out my credit report that I got from Equifax so I could start tackling the hell that is my credit... I knew it was bad.. I had NO idea it was that bad. Nice to know that the mistakes I made while living with Tina are still with me.. 2 of the credit cards she signed up for while we were together I stupidly signed as an authorized user.. she defaulted LONG ago on them.. they are on my credit... almost 10,000 dollars just in those 2.. then in medical bills... I have another 2,500 dollars. 12,500 dollars of credit debt at 21.. OMG. So we started looking at debt consolidators.. found one.. will hopefully be signing up with them in the next week.. 232 dollars a month will clear out all of the mistakes that I made with Tina.. they won't let me put the medical bills on there except for 1 of them because they had to be over 750 dollars a piece before they could go on there.. whatever.. they are going to cut my bills down to 5800 instead of 11,000 for those bills.. it'll take me up to 25 months to pay it off but could take less... 2 years to clear my credit.. I can do that..

I have 4 days left of the 2nd trimester.. I take the gestational diabetes test on Thursday.. UCK.. not looking forward to it. However I am looking forward to the appointment. I was measuring right at my weeks the last appointment.. can't wait to see what I'm measuring now.. Little Man is doing great.. getting stronger every day.. getting more of a personality of his own every day.. kicking ALOT but all in the same damn spot.. right behind my belly button.. not exactly comfortable.. and I think he's punching my cervix. Oh joy. I am so ready to hold him in my arms!!!!!

Only 11 more class days left until finals.. WOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!

Cheli