It’s Thanksgiving, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my husband and my family. They’ve been nothing but supportive throughout my pregnancy, and they love me unconditionally.

I’m grateful for this yet to be born but already loved baby boy, Kaden. He is going to bring a lot of joy to my life.

I’m thankful for good friends. They keep my spirit lifted and they make me laugh.

I thank my lucky stars I live in the United States of America, where I’m not only privileged with rights and freedoms, but as a woman I can work, earn respect and be an active member of society.

On a lighter note, there is a list of other things that make my life fantastic. I am thankful for:

• Maternity pants. They may not look so cool, but damn they’re comfortable.
• Starbuck’s non-fat peppermint mocha (no whip cream) and non-fat chai tea latte. Yummy-licious at 6:30 in the morning.
• MAC make-up. Its eyeshadows color my world happy. 
• Nordstrom, for always having something I want in my size.
• Maya. She snuggles close and is super soft.
• Bubble baths. Especially on a cold night.
• Books and the internet. I can read and learn about everything I want to know.
• My iPod Touch. It keeps my life organized.

I hope you all give pause this Thanksgiving and think about the things you’re grateful for, whether big or small. Sometimes it’s the small things that make our lives so grand.

The surprises just keep coming…

I went back to the doctor for a follow-up this afternoon and found out I have to go on bed rest immediately. I was so not expecting that! I practically had to beg my doctor to let me go to work tomorrow for a half-day.

The reason for bed rest is because I am still low on amniotic fluid. Not dangerously low, but that’s exactly what my doctor wants to avoid from happening. There are a few reasons why my fluid could be low, but the medical jargon is difficult for me to relay. I just have to take it easy, keep hydrated and continue to be monitored every few days by my OB. The low fluid is also why we couldn’t successfully turn Kaden from the breech position.

So, we are scheduled to see my doctor again on Friday and Monday. As long as I don’t go into labor before then, I will have a cesarean next week. We’ll have an exact day and time tomorrow (Wednesday) when my doc calls me, but it will be next Wednesday or Thursday, December 2 or 3.

I’m ecstatic and cannot believe that in one week, Kyle and I will have a baby boy! I’m not very nervous about the c-section so much as the recovery. I just didn’t want the procedure in the first place. But, I have surrendered to the fact that this is something I cannot control, and I am thankful for all the love and support I have been getting from family and friends.

Everyone makes fun of me for being so prepared and planning out my life so thoughtfully, but now that I am on bed rest, I am so happy I took care of many things early. That includes Christmas shopping, installing the infant car seat and shopping in bulk! I may be crazy for making lists and checking items off as I go, but at least I can somewhat enjoy this last week stress-free!

Today is bittersweet. I am 37 weeks pregnant, which means Kaden is now considered full term. If he were to arrive now, his lungs should be fully mature allowing him to adjust to life outside of the womb.

The baby weighs about 6 1/3 pounds, though we do not know his exact size. He is also likely to be a full 19 inches head to heel. You could compare his size of a stalk of Swiss Chard. I don’t believe I have ever eaten one of those, whatever it is!

Swiss Chard... the size of our baby at 37 weeks

Kyle and I received some surprising news at our last doctor visit. Baby Kaden flipped on us and is now in the breech position! At my doctor visit before that, two weeks ago, my OB felt his head and he was in the right position. I wasn’t expecting to hear this news, but I had experienced a different pressure from the baby over the past week. I guess I was feeling his head pushing up against my rib cage and chest.

So my doctor scheduled a version, which basically is a procedure to try to turn the baby. We went to the hospital this evening to see if that could be done. Before the doctor arrived, the nurse gave me an IV and some medication to relax my uternine muscles. Kaden and I had great vitals; he had a strong heartbeat and I had a relaxed uterus with no contractions.

I wasn’t very nervous about the process because I honestly thought it would go well. I was trying really hard to stay positive and hope for the best. The doctor and nurse had explained three scenarios to Kyle and me. One, we could turn the baby with ease and I would walk out of the hospital and carry on until I go into natural labor. Two, we would not be able to turn the baby and have to schedule a c-section. Three, if any complications were to arise during the version, I would have an emergency c-section at the hospital. We were prepared for all three scenarios and even packed our bags… just in case!

Once my doctor arrived, I started to get a little nervous, not to mention I was freezing and shivering in that hospital room! We took another look at the ultrasound and confirmed Kaden was still breech. Then Dr. Spoon began the version. Right away it was excruciating. I have never experienced pain like that. He pressed firmly on my stomach pushing the baby counter clockwise. He had the baby’s head in one hand while the other twisted at the feet and spine of the baby. I understand now why it’s so important to breathe through pain, but it gave me little comfort. Kyle held my hand and just told me to squeeze. I kept telling my doctor how much it hurt, but he continued. He wanted to make it happen.

We stopped and I caught my breath. He was able to move him a little, but said he started to float back into breech position. My doctor asked me if I was willing to try again and I said yes. But, this time I could barely handle it. The pressure was too much and I started to feel a pain in my lower back. I asked him to stop, and he did. I was disappointed, but the doctor had told me it would be a little difficult because I don’t have a lot of amniotic fluid. With less fluid, it’s harder to move a baby in such little space.

So, now that we had an unsuccessful version, it’s pretty much a given I will have a c-section. Babies, in general, won’t turn on their own this late in pregnancy. They just simply get too big to move. I am scheduled to see the doctor again on Tuesday. We’ll probaby schedule the procedure. I could just wait and go into labor, but if I am going to have a c-section anyway, why wait and go through more pain? I really wanted to have a vaginal birth, but the baby’s health matters more than anything else.

I will be sure to keep everyone posted, and I appreciate all the support we received tonight from friends and family.

I cannot believe we’re down to the home stretch now. Today I am 36 weeks pregnant.

Kaden is still growing and he sure is putting more pressure on me. Babies at this stage put on about an ounce a day, so Kaden weighs almost six pounds and is more than 18.5 inches long. You could compare him to the size of a Crenshaw Melon. I have no idea what that is. Kyle and I may be able to find out more about Kaden’s development this week when we see the doctor. I asked for an ultrasound at my last appointment.

Baby is about the size of a crenshaw melon

At the end of this week the baby will be considered full term. Babies usually start to turn into birthing position around this time. My doctor did tell me Kaden is head-down, which is good for us.

Kyle and I attended our second of three birth education classes at the hospital. It was good because we got to see the maternity ward and where I will deliver and recover. We also learned a great deal about the labor process and delivery. All of it freaks me out, but at this point, I have no choice to follow through.

With a month or less to go, I am trying to get everything ready. We sorted through all the wonderful gifts I received from two baby showers, so my goal this week is to wash all the clothes, blankets, sheets and towels and put them all away. I still have a few, important items to buy for the nursery and for Kaden and me. This weekend I had the infant car seat installed by Safe KIDS, a non-profit organization that promotes child safety here in Clark County. I had no idea where to begin, so I figured I should let the experts do it and show me at the same time. It all seemed very real to me once I left the hospital with that car seat attached to my car!

Aside from the anticipated arrival of Kaden, we are gearing up for the holidays. Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks! It looks like we’ll put up the Christmas tree a little early this year… hopefully next weekend.

Having this baby is a perfect way to end another great year!

Today marks 35 weeks in my pregnancy, which means baby Kaden should arrive in about 5 weeks.

Today he is about the size of a honeydew melon, tipping the scale at 5.25 pounds. He could be as long as 18 inches, leaving very little room for him to move around and for me to breathe!

At 35 weeks Kaden is about the size of a honeydew melon

At this stage, most of the baby’s physical development is complete and he’ll spend the next few weeks packing on more weight, hopefully not too much more for my sake!

I saw the doctor this past week and got the H1N1 shot at his recommendation. I hope I have made the right decision by getting the vaccine. I also was checked for Group B streptococci, which is a bacteria some women develop in pregnancy. If you have it and pass it on to your baby, it can cause serious complications. But, if you have it and catch it early, you can be treated with antibiotics during labor to reduce the baby’s risk of infection.

The doctor said my stomach has already dropped some and a little earlier than expected. That appears to be a good thing, especially since Kaden is in the right position for birth. Who knows… maybe he will come a little early!

Kyle and I also attended the first of three birth education classes at the hospital where I will deliver. It was interesting and full of young couples also expecting their first newborn. We’ll get a tour of the maternity ward at our next class.

To cap off the week I had my baby shower. My mother, sister and sister-in-law did all the planning and, of course, did a great job. We had lots of fun and now I have a lot of gifts to sort through!

The weekend is winding down and I am preparing for the next few adventures, which include a work baby shower, a lesson on how to install an infant car seat and quick weekend getaway with my husband. I’m stealing him for a night and hibernating in a cabin at Mt. Charleston. We have so many things happening over the next month that this could literally be our last weekend together as a couple. Soon, we’ll be a family!

I’m going to go there; you can flog me later.

iPhones are awesome. I don’t have one, and I won’t pretend I don’t want one. it’s just not my time. I do have the iTouch iPod, which is much like the iPhone, only without the phone, so I know how cool it is.

But, as you all know how I feel about social media and other technologies, I think iPhones are yet another device changing the way we communicate, and in a bad way.

A lot of people who have them, have their nose in them. They forget where they are, who they’re with and how to talk. It’s rude, like someone whispering secrets in front of you. Put down your phone! Have a conversation with your friends, family and wife or husband and save your minute-by-minute life updates for another time, like when you’re home alone and have nothing else to do but stare at the dog. 

iPhones provide it all at your fingertips, as we’ve been reminded over and over again by Apple’s commercials. There’s an app for everything! People are micro-sizing their lives into this teeny-tiny device, and they’re stuck. They are isolating themselves from the world.

And while the idea of this blog came to me last night, I found a study released today about Social Isolation and New Technology.

This is just my two cents, of course, but there is actual data showing the damage caused by people who are consumed by social media, including how it can destroy marriages and relationships. Here is where I’ll thank my husband, who has an iPhone, for not becoming too obsessed. At least we can still carry on a real conversation when we’re in the same room.

I just want to point out that I am not against social media. I think it’s fascinating and entertaining at the very least. I don’t blame social networking for people’s behavior. After all, we’re responsible for what we do with our time. I just can’t help but wonder what life will be like in a year from now… or five years from now. How will it change us, our social skills and personal and professional relationships?

You know this won’t be my last blog on this topic.

This is alarming to me and should be to the general public as well.

Why should I be told to get the flu vaccine if more than half of health care professionals don’t get it themselves? So, is it okay for me to put their life at risk if I show up to a hospital contagious with severe flu symptoms? 

And, why shouldn’t vaccination be mandatory for health care workers when food handlers, massage therapists and tattoo artists are required to obtain health cards?

With only six weeks to go, I am feeling the pressure of getting everything I want to get accomplished before baby Kaden arrives. That includes shopping, cleaning, decorating, and organizing with a dash of baby showers, holidays, birth education classes, etc. So much to do, so little time!

I’m now 34 weeks pregnant. Kaden weighs about 4.75 pounds, like an average cantaloupe, and is almost 18 inches long. That’s insane. I can’t believe a person of that size is floating inside of me. LOL! But, I can sure tell he is big because sometimes I can feel a foot in my rib and movement in my lower abdomen… all at the same time. 

Kaden weighs about 4.75 lbs., the size of a cantaloupe

Everyone keeps telling me to get all the rest I can now, as I will not be able to enjoy sleep and quiet time for a long, long time. But, it’s hard to sleep now. For one, getting comfortable in bed is no easy feat. Also, I have so much on my mind. My weekend was so busy, and I have no idea how I managed to accomplish everything I wanted to without collapsing. There’s just no time to rest now.

Kyle and I are supposed to begin birth education classes this Thursday, but I am not sure if that’s going to happen. Kyle had a death in his family this weekend that may require a trip to Sioux Falls. We’re still working out the details. If he does go, I have to figure out whether I should attend the class alone or skip it. We are signed up for two additional classes over the next couple of weeks, so I imagine going alone this first class would be the right thing to do. I just won’t have a partner.

My baby shower is Saturday, and I am really looking forward to it, even though I don’t normally get excited about bridal and baby showers. I have family coming to town so it makes it extra special. Kyle and I are also scheduled to take some pregnancy photos on Sunday. That should be interesting. And, next Friday, my boss is throwing an office baby shower for me at her house. So, lots happening in the next week.

In the middle of all this, I am reading about labor and breast feeding. All of it freaks me out. Nevertheless, I am preparing myself for it all. I’ve made my list of things to take to the hospital and working on a small birth plan. I am not someone who will have rigid guidelines for the doctor and nurses, but I do want a couple of things to happen a certain way. I’ll pack my hospital bag in the next couple of weeks just to get it out of the way.

Last but not least, I am preparing for the holidays. I started my Christmas shopping and will work on Christmas cards in the next few weeks. If I can get those done before Thanksgiving I will feel relief. I want them ready to send since Kaden is due right around the time I would be spending nights filling out cards and mailing them out. And, while I haven’t told Kyle this yet, I want the Christmas tree out and decorated the weekend before Thanksgiving. If I don’t decorate early this year, it won’t get done. There is no way I’ll have the energy to put holiday decorations out a week or two out. Not to mention the fact I could deliver early. 

So, wish me luck. I’ve got lots to do in six short weeks!

Is social media and the desire to cover breaking news NOW hurting the media and its viewers?

As some of you may know, I find this topic fascinating. As someone who has watched the media format change in such a relatively short time, I can’t help but wonder if we’re (the media) going to be the destruction of our own demise.

Read this commentary by Associated Press writer, David Bauder. It highlights three recent hoaxes the media ran with, but also delves into social media’s impact on news and the lack of time to research and fact-check information. I can especially relate to the latter. After working in TV news for several years, I can attest to the fact that we pushed reporters to get the story and get it fast. We didn’t give them valuable time to research information. We were all about quantity and not enough quality. Not to mention, good reporters are hard to come by these days. Many of them are green and lack journalistic integrity. But, we put them on air because, well, someone needs to give you the news.

I left TV news 2.5 years ago, but I am still a journalist. I am still a writer. My husband still works in the field. I care about what’s happening, and I am engrossed in how it’s changing so fast. Just two years ago, when I produced a newscast here in Las Vegas, social media barely existed. MySpace was just becoming a tool for reporters looking for extra tid bits about someone. Twitter was relatively unknown. Now, videographers, also called photojournalists, are responsible for “tweeting” everything they see in the field. They have iPhone’s to record news as it happens and send it out to the masses. Who is fact-checking them? I’m willing to bet there is not a lot of oversight. A news organization cannot possibly monitor all the information its staff is streaming once they’ve given employees the green light and the tools to dispense “news.”

So what does this mean to news viewers and readers? Research already shows 63% of Americans believe news stories are inaccurate. In fact, many people are turning away from news altogether. They are skeptical. They think we are biased. Are they right?

How do you know who to trust and what to believe? When you read a blog, such as this one, do you know when I say 63% of Americans don’t believe the media is reporting the truth that my information is correct? Do you, a viewer, do your own research or just take my word?

There’s a lot of information (and misinformation) flying around the internet, between bloggers, facebookers, journalists and your average, everyday citizen who just wants to be heard. When does information overload become too much? When is our desire to consume news right NOW a fault of our own?

We’re 33 weeks into this pregnancy today, which means I have 7 weeks or less to go.

Baby Kaden is growing by leaps and bounds. He now weighs about 4 pounds! That’s about the weight of a pineapple. He’s also about 17 inches long!

A pineapple weighs about 4 lbs. So does Kaden!

I had a good doctor visit this past Friday. My weight gain is right on track at 22 pounds. My stomach measures perfectly, according to Dr. Spoon. Yes, his name is Dr. Spoon! We talked about everything else from the H1N1 flu vaccine to the baby’s circumcision.

I explained to Dr. Spoon that I was still on the fence about getting the swine flu shot. He put it into perspective for me and made me realize something I hadn’t thought about before. I had been thinking only about protecting Kaden now, inside the womb. But, Dr. Spoon reminded me about all the healthcare workers that will handle the baby when he is born at the hospital. Healthcare workers are urged to get the vaccine, but many have opted not to, even though they are at a high risk simply because of the amount of contact they have with people on a daily basis. Anyway, that gave me more to think about it, and I am sure I will get the vaccine at my next visit.

Did  you know in Nevada pediatricians circumcise boys? In many parts of the country, and in previous years, it was done at the hospital right after the baby was born. Kyle and I assumed we would have it done for Kaden soon after birth but we heard otherwise from friends. So we asked the doc. He said everything is so specialized now that OB’s don’t do the circumcisions anymore, at least here in Nevada. Interesting to know!

Finally, we talked to the doctor about delivery. I want to make sure he is going to deliver Kaden, because I will not be happy if I go into labor and Dr. Spoon is not available. I know I can’t control this, but hmmmm… maybe I can! He told me he ends up delivering 75-80% of the time. I asked who would deliver that other percent of the time. He said one of his two practice partners would, whom I have never met. I don’t like that at all. Uncomfortable to say the least.

Dr. Spoon said one way to ensure he delivers Kaden is to induce me a little early. My ears perked up at this because, as you all know, I am pretty much ready now! Of course, he said we’ll talk about it more as the time nears, but it is an option. And, of course, Kyle and I have already looked at the calendar and settled on a date! Go ahead, mom, poke fun at us! She says we’re boring because we plan everything. Maybe it’s true… but I like having a plan!

Lots happening… and all so fast. I’ll keep you updated!