Day 22 - Toddler Held Hostage At Oklahoma Walmart

8:51pm



I came across a disturbing video earlier today. Apparently a man (obviously not in the right state of mind), picks a small girl out of a shopping cart, while her mother is turned away, puts a knife to her stomach, and walks over the mother, demanding that she uses his cell phone to call a Dallas, TX police officer that he grew up with. Frantic, the mother tries to dial and cooperate with the demanding man. Meanwhile, bystanders call police and they show up rather quickly. While trying to negotiate with the man, they take the mother away, to the front of the store. After a few minutes, and opportuinty arises for an office to take action. His only option is to shoot the man at point blank range, freeing the child safely.




Take a look for yourself....

I'm not too sure when this happened, I believe a couple of months ago. It shows how important it is to keep an eye on your children! How quickly this happened is unreal. No reason whatsoever for him to single out that certain child, other than the wrong place at the wrong time. And that is something that nobody can predict. This isn't a race thing either. It can happen to anyone, by anyone, and anywhere. So just please, keep your children close, and tell them you love them every day. This woman is lucky to have her daughter still, and lucky for such well responding law enforcement.

Just something to remember!

5-Star Knife Set for FREE! $200 Value!

 

*FTC Disclosure - This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own.

Week 39 Day 5 - Preeclampsia Scare

8:08pm



Well, we had quite an evening last night...


What started off with an easy morning of overtime, and then a great game of golf, turned in to most of the night at the hospital!

We had a doctor's appointment at 4:40pm. My wife didn't get home from work until about 4:20pm, and she had to change and then we had to get to the office, about 10 minutes away. So she rushed to change, and we hurried to the office. We were about 10 minutes late. (Normal for us, actually).

They always take her weight and blood pressure, and then do a vaginal exam to see how dilated she is. Yesterday she was at 1.5cm. And the baby's head was low, which is good. However, her doctor was concerned with her blood pressure.

It was somewhat high, and high blood pressure could be a sign of Preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a medical condition characterized by high blood pressure and significant amounts of protein in the urine of a pregnant woman. If left untreated, it can develop into eclampsia, the life-threatening occurrence of seizures during pregnancy. (Source - Wikipedia.com)

So, after a quick stop at KFC (because we need to eat!), we headed to the hospital. 

They took us into the Labor & Delivery wing, and gave us a room. About an hour went by before a nurse came in. My wife was ready to leave, because that is ridiculous. Turns out, they forgot about us, and the nurse that noticed, had just started her shift at the time that she discovered us. She was very nice and helpful, also knowledgeable. We were at the hospital from about 6pm to around 11pm.

A blood pressure monitor was hooked up to my wife's arm, a baby's heartbeat monitor to her belly, and they took a few vials of blood for testing. Oh, and urine, they took some of that, too. 

Her blood pressure fluctuated the whole time we were there. It would start to go down, but then next time the machine took a reading, it would be back up to risky levels. We thought that maybe because we had rushed to the doctor's appointment, that could cause the blood pressure to rise, and it could, along with a lot of other possibilities including diet, and stress.

Her blood results came back perfect. So her doctor decided that the hospital could release her, even though the blood pressure was still a little higher than normal. She is now required to save her urine, so that they can further test and monitor the situation. If preeclampsia becomes determined, the only real way to stop it is to deliver the baby. She would have to be induced.

She was also told that she is no longer allowed to work, and to take it easy. Bed-rest, basically. Her work already knows that she is due on Tuesday, and it's pretty surprising that she was able to work up until now. A lot of pregnant people stop in their 7th or 8th month of pregnancy. We got lucky. Plus, she makes more money than I do, so that helps!

Still no baby. She obviously stayed home from work today, and a few of her coworkers called to check on her. I thought that was nice of them. 

In other news... At 7:30am this morning, a drunken neighbor went on a rampage through the subdivision. He drove his truck into several parked cars, took down a few trees, hit some buildings, and drove through a garage. Finally ended up, in the parking spot in front of his condo, like nothing ever happened. He was arrested. I left at about 6:15am this morning, so luckily I made it out of there before it happened. My wife thinks that she heard it happen. She said there was a lot of loud noise around that time, and that she woke up. He didn't come by our place, so that's good. I just don't get how he did so much damage. He had a big Chevy truck, fairly new. I remember seeing it parked there the day before. Crazy.

Driver being arrested.

Every day is something different! Always some sort of excitement. 

Week 29 Day 2 - Ultrasound

12:56pm



Just got back from an ultrasound. My wife left work early and is already back there. Luckily I am off today and was able to go with. The coolest part that we got to see today was HAIR! She already has some hair starting to grow. That's so crazy, I think! I didn't expect to see that. But she is otherwise normal and healthy! My wife keeps telling me how much she looks like me already. She even has my big, ugly nose. Poor girl.

3d/4d ultrasounds are not included in our insurance, or at our OB/GYN office. My wife called today and set up an appointment on Friday for a special office that does them. For relatively cheap, we are going to get 15-20 pictures saved onto a flash drive in 3d. Those pictures are really cool, I highly recommend getting some taken. 28-34 weeks is the best time they told us. You can see tons of detail. So that's exciting.

My dad and stepmom are in town today so I am leaving here shortly to go get a round of golf in with them. Like I said before, I have a brand new set of clubs that I haven't even taken out of the box yet. I should probably do that instead of writing the day away!

Week 28 Day 7 - Happy Sunday

12:20pm

Was up late last night putting the baby shower invitations together. Actually I fell asleep, and my wife finished them. They were actually quite a project, glad they are finished. Just have to get them in the mail. 

I worked 11 hours straight yesterday. I'm a little worn out today, but back at work. I don't pass up overtime. 

I am off work Tuesday. We have an ultrasound in the morning, which is always exciting to see! My dad will be in town also so maybe if the weather holds up we can get a round of golf in. Got a brand new set of clubs for Xmas that I haven't even taken out of the box yet. 

I thought I was finally going to be off of work this year for the 4th of July but it turns out I am working. 12-9pm actually. Pretty bad hours for that holiday but it should be pretty easy later in the day. Everyone will be out enjoying their fireworks. I'm off Friday so that's not so bad. My wife was a little upset that we can't spend the 4th together. But on the positive side, it's double time and a half pay. Nice. 

Little baby has been kicking a lot lately. It's almost scary now how hard she kicks. Especially when your not thinking about it. Like last night I was sorta laying on my wife on the couch. Next thing you know my head is being kicked off of her lap. I guess I was hogging her space!

Week 28 Day 3 - Third Trimester Pregnancy Changes

9:07pm



Since we are officially in the third trimester, I figured I would look into what to expect from the next couple months. This is what I have learned.

• The baby is now the size of an eggplant.
• The lungs are mature enough that, if the baby were born today, it has a pretty good chance of surviving. 
• She is putting on layers of fat.
• She weighs anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.
• She measures 13.6 to 14.8 inches long.
• My wife thinks she has had a few Braxton Hicks contractions.
• She has plenty of energy but according to some pregnancy sources that will start to fade away in the third trimester. She will start getting worn out, and tired, quickly.
• She has some spider veins, but that is normal and will fade after delivery.
• Some unexplained bruising. One on her leg that looks pretty brutal. But she doesn't even know where it's from. The doctor reassured her that the elevated hormones make the body sensitive to bruising.
• Still no stretch marks!
• The baby is shifting around all day in her stomach, she seems to like to hear her daddy's voice!
• She can't see her legs when she looks down while standing up!

28 Weeks

Week 27 Day 3 - The Itty Bitty Boutique

12:50pm

Don't you love when pay day is really just pay your bills day. I can't wait for the day when I can enjoy my income. I get a lot of "warnings" from other parents that the day I have spending money will be at least 18 years from now. Haha. I believe it. I don't know how my mom dealt with me for so long. I always got the best of everything. There are benefits of being an only child, you know. Now that I am on my own, I see how hard it is just to get by. My wife and I both work full-time, and it's still hard to afford the things we want. We are fortunate that we can provide enough to live comfortably. However, we don't drive BMW's or wear a new outfit every day of the week. But that's ok with me. I don't need any of that stuff to be happy. I have realized that wants and needs are very different.

It's actually kind of funny. I give myself around 50 dollars per week. I buy snacks at work, get gas for the week, and whatever spending money is left, is mine to use freely(usually none). The rest of my check goes to my wife's account(yes, married men, you might see this someday, completely normal, hard to get used to at first, but usually for the better). She buys groceries, pays all the bills, gets all of our household necessities, and the occasional new eyeliner. When you get married, your money is no longer your money. You have to contribute and "share". Like I said, it take a while to get used to, but it's not so bad.

Just got done doing a little "FaceTiming" with my daughter ;)

The Itty Bitty Boutique

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopTheIttyBitty

A big thanks to Shanda from the Itty Bitty Boutique for sending us these adorable onesies for our baby girl! They are high quality Carter's onesies, that have been customized with transfer material and a professional heat press. Take a look at some of my favorites they have to offer:

Most of their onesies are around 18 dollars, but you know I like to give my readers a special deal!

Use code PREGO4MEN for 20% off the shop!

P.S. The Itty Bitty Boutique can also do custom orders, so make sure to ask!

Here is what we received!

Nice padded envelope packaging

They even have their own unique bags

High Quality Carter's onesies

20% off with code PREGO4MEN

Love it! Even dad-friendly themes!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopTheIttyBitty

Remember when I got the Hungry Globetrotter Subscription Box? I mentioned that they started a new Hot Sauce Club, and was really interested in it. Well, well, well.... Guess what came in the mail? (I would hope you would get where I am going with this)

The sauce is alright. I am more of a vinegary-kick kind of guy when it comes to hot sauce (think Cholula, Frank's Red Hot, Louisiana). This sauce is almost "tropical". You can taste the mango, and it has sort of a cinnamon flavor to it. But that is the whole point of this club. It is NOT to burn your mouth off, or give you flavors that you have already experienced from the grocery store aisle. The flavors are unique, new, and interesting.

Monkey Sauce!

Tried some on a french fry!

Now I have to be honest with you here. I am not sure if this was just a sample, or a full package for the month. The monthly cost for the club is 14.95. However, this sauce itself retails for 3.99 a bottle on www.monkey-sauce.com. Hmm..?

Week 22 Day 5 - Our baby's growth

9:40pm


Our daughter is about the size of a baseball mitt(or a papaya) this week. She weighs just over 1 pound and is about a foot long. 

Our baby at 22 Weeks :

• Now that she's got more developed eyes and lips, she's looking even more like a newborn.
• She's sleeping in cycles -- about 12 to 14 hours per day (Most likely when my wife's not feeling any kicks!). 

Pregnancy Symptoms at 22 Weeks :

• Increased libido.
• Stretch marks and maybe even an "outtie", coming from the expanding belly!
• More vaginal discharge, a result of increased blood flow down there.
• Steady weight gain -- about 1/2 pound each week until the end of the pregnancy.
• Minor swelling in hands and feet. She usually can't get her wedding ring on anymore.
• Back aches, due to extra pressure from baby and carrying around the extra weight.
• Hair growth. I'm not too sure how I feel about this...
• Trouble catching your breath, as baby continues to crowd the lungs. She complains about this quite often.

I am working the late shift again today. Start at 1pm. Before I leave though I am going to throw some pork country ribs in the crockpot. My wife marinated them over night in the fridge with some rib rub, I can only imagine how delicious they will be when I get home tonight.



7:19pm

All I can think about is those ribs waiting for me at home. I cut my first special order tonight, by myself. A lady wanted 6 "exact thickness" filet mignons. I got to work and she loved them. I like being able to do what I love and get the satisfaction of making somebody happy in return. 

My wife isn't answering so she must have fallen asleep. Happens quite often actually. Is this normal? I thought the sleepiness went away in the second trimester?