Baby Prepping

Very shortly after getting home from our AZ vacation I had a routine check up at the doctor.  At that visit (and actually, truth be told, at the visit before) my blood pressure was elevated to the point of concern.  I have never had a problem with high blood pressure and actually it is usually quite low, but the doctor didn't feel good about just sending me off for a month until my next appointment.  She decided that she wanted me to come back the next week for a non-stress test (NST) on the baby and a blood pressure check.

Well, that follow-up apt didn't go so well and while the baby looked great, my blood pressure was even higher.  So just like that the doctor decided that I needed to switch from monthly visits (which they do all the way to 36 weeks, seems crazy to me but is beside the point) to twice weekly NST and blood pressure check visits.  Thankfully, on my second NST my blood pressure was way down and stayed down for my third so back to monthly visits I go. Hooray!

This put me in a really weird place where they were telling me that they might have to take the baby early if my blood pressure continued to rise and so I felt like I needed to start getting my house and things ready to welcome another human, but all my free time was spent at the doctor so I had no time to prepare for said human.  It was kind of a stressful situation, which also likely didn't help my blood pressure!

In any case, we got through it and now I have my life back a little.  The whole situation really lit a fire under me to get things ready for baby girl's arrival (she is due in just under 5 weeks).  This week my mom came to help me start all the prepping.  It has been a little bit of a layered process. Merrick's room needed to be sorted out and cleaned to make room for some things that had been in Carrigan's room.  Carrigan's room needed to be sorted out and cleaned to decide what was going out and what was staying and how we were going to add baby sister's crib and dresser.  We are not done with this process yet, but have made huge progress and that has been comforting.  And, Jeremy set up the crib this weekend so one more thing off the "to-do" list!

For the most part the kids are handling the changes well.  Merrick has a really tender heart and develops attachments to things really easily so it has been difficult for him to let go for some the toys and things he hasn't played with in years and sorting usually ends in tears.  For him, I bought a small little toy that goes with one of his video games to show him that it is good for us to let go of things we no longer need because it frees us up to allow new things into our lives.  Carrigan has been a trooper but I think was starting to feel like her territory was being taken over a bit by baby sister.  For her, I have been trying to spend extra quality time with her when I can.  This week we made pop bead jewelry together and it was actually the only picture I managed to get taken all week.

We all have a lot more work and adjusting to do before baby sister arrives, but we will get there.  I am feeling closer and closer to ready by the day!...(which probably means she will take her sweet time).