B is for Birthday (or Baptist Hospital)

Well, yesterday was our little buddy's first birthday, and to be honest, we completely had an incredible week planned for Daniel.  That is, until our newest "buddy in the making" decided to give us a little scare...  But, I won't get ahead of myself.

With the best intentions, Brian and I thought it would be incredible to celebrate our children's birthdays by spelling out the word B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y.  So, pictures will follow in the days to come, but here's what Daniel did before the plans changed...

B is for BUBBLES
Monday afternoon, Aunt Jessica took Daniel out in the front yard and played with "Manely," the bubble blower.

I is for ICE CREAM
That same day, we heard the ice cream truck in the neighborhood and grabbed Daniel and went running for it.  Daniel had his first ice cream sandwich this week!  It was a "Birthday Party Sandwich."

R is for ROARING PARTY
Daniel had his lion-themed birthday party on Saturday!

T is for TRY SOMETHING NEW
Daniel tried his new sippy cup with a STRAW in it and some strawberry milk, but although he tried them, he didn't want anything to do with either of them!

However, that's as far as we got!  On the morning of Daniel's first birthday, I started bleeding...  33 weeks and 6 days pregnant and quite a scare!  Thankfully, we had our regular OB appointment, and after an emergency ultrasound, our OB decided to have the baby and me monitored on the Labor and Delivery floor there at Hendersonville.  Our doctor even warned us that if in fact the bleeding and cramping were due to a placental abruption that we would be delivering that day!  Tuesday, April 20th, DANIEL'S BIRTHDAY!

To make an awfully long day short, I'll explain what happened from there...

B is for BLEEDING
It continued.  Thus causing concern, and making Dr. Nason take some huge precautions.

I is for IN AMBULANCE
Not long after Dr. Nason spoke with a maternal specialist at Baptist, I was en route there via ambulance!

R is for RIGHT TIMING
When I arrived at Baptist, I started having contractions, lots of them, every two minutes of them...  We really thought we'd be having two birthdays on the same day...

T is for TRULY THANKFUL
However, I was put on an IV and given fluids and magnesium to stop the contractions and hydrate me.  We were then taken to get another ultrasound done, and the specialist did not see any major abruption.  He believed the bleeding was caused by my placenta, but reasons as to why cannot be explained!

H is for HOSPITAL
What we thought would be a few hours turned into a few days...  We are under control at this point with the Magnesium slowing down contractions and Procardia keeping the uterus from doing so as well.  Baby boy looks great - his heartbeat is holding strong and he's moving around like he's ready to take on the world!  But, we're hoping to hold out for another two weeks at the least.

D is for DINNER
After almost two days of no eating or drinking due to the fact that I was in pre-term labor and on Magnesium which relaxes the throat muscles and can cause choking, I was given my first meal today!  A chicken quesadilla and fruit never tasted so good!

A is for ABSENCE
We're here at Baptist Hospital for at least two-three more days if all goes well.  I will have to be monitored while lowering dosages of Magnesium and weaning me off of it.  It's a very rough drug that causes some MAJOR side effects, from flu-like symptoms, feeling hot and flushed, burning sensations, etc.  I've experienced them all!  But because we're here, we are separated from our Birthday Boy!  We are missing him incredibly, but in our absence, he's been in the best hands he could possibly be.  We are so thankful for friends and family who love us and our boy(s) so much.  A special hug goes out to Aunt Jessica and Mimi for all they have done!

Y is for YAHWEH
Have I mentioned God in any of this?  I just have to tell you, He's been so real to us in the past days that it's unfathomable.  He's wrapped His protective arms around us and our unborn son and had us in the right place at exactly the right time.  We just so happened to have an OB appointment on the day I started bleeding on Daniel's birthday.  We just so happened to have an amazing OB who cared enough to make sure we'd be with our baby in case of early delivery by transporting us to Baptist.  We just so happened to be in the best place possible for care, and we just so happen to be doing perfectly well!  God is sovereign and completely in control, and we know that He knows what is best for us.