"Of course I'm going to worry, I'm a mom now."

Over the past month, I've started the oh-so-wonderful swelling in my legs and feet. And it has gotten progressively worse. It got to the point where I was at the cabin over Easter with my parents and I swelled up to me knee caps! Talk about ridiculous. Well, I've been calling my doctor's nurse and she keeps telling me "Oh, hun, this is very normal....etc..." Okay. So, I KNOW that barely being able to walk when my feet are like that is NOT normal. I know that because it's MY feet, dangit. She never told me to come in just to make sure. I just wanted her to take my blood pressure and check my urine for protein (all symptoms of preeclampsia). I've already had a few of the signs...severe edema lasting longer than 48 hours and one leg swelling up more than the other. So, of course, I just wanted to get checked out to just make sure it was "normal".

Well, I just gave up on that nurse and decided to wait it out. I had made my appointment for the ultrasound DVD anyway and it was only a few days away.

So, yesterday, we had our appointment!! We were pretty pumped! I love being able to see my Haley bug! She was very active. She would give us a few "showing off" faces, but then would turn away, as to say "You snooze, you loose!!". She's not my child at all... :) Nikki kept trying to get good pictures of her little feet...but nope. Yet again, she was busy kicking my ribs. :) But, I love the fact that she moves so much. It really is a blessing because it puts a lot of my worries to rest! She did tell me that I will have my hands full...A word comes to mind that my mom has used several times. "Karma" We are in trouble. :)

After our DVD, she realized that I was scheduled to come back for my glucose test tomorrow. Nikki asked if I wanted to go ahead and do it after our sonogram, that way I won't have to come back. Sure thing!!!  I had to drink syrup textured, crack infused, punch Koolaid. Pretty nasty stuff. Then they stuck my arm after an hour and drew some blood. They said they will call me tomorrow if they need to. No news is good news! First, I had to do the normal, pee in the cup, blood pressure and weight. When they did my blood pressure, I saw a concerned look on her face. I looked over at the numbers. 141 over 89. Hmm....that's not good. My blood pressure has been perfect every time. I eat healthy, drink more than enough water, exercise, and the only excessive weight I've gained is lots and lots of fluid. After a several minutes of worrying, and Rossi trying to get me to calm down, Nikki walked in. She asked me questions about which hospital I wanted for the delivery, asked me if I wanted an epidural (uh...DUH) etc. Then, we talked about the blood pressure. She said since my urine came back normal (no protein) we don't need to worry YET. I hate when people throw that word at the end of a statement. I was told to take it super easy. Rest. Rest. and more Rest. So, hopefully we will see how that works...I trust my doctor and Nikki, so what they say, I do. As far as Dr. Collinson's nurse that I talked to over the phone, not a fan.

I came home and prayed. I was still real worried..because, well, it's not just MY health. It's my baby's health!! Of course I'm going to worry, I'm a mom now! I know God has His own plan for us. I know that for sure. But, worrying about it is not helping my blood pressure. I need to learn to let God take control. Looking at it now, I realize I do NOT have control. I have done my part in staying as healthy as I can and I do what Doctor Collinson and Nikki tell me to do. That is all I can do. Everything else is up to Him. I need to learn to let God take control and fully trust Him.

Now, I go back to the doctor every two weeks to monitor everything. Time is flying by. And soon (but not too soon!) Haley will be here!!!

We love and appreciate everyone who has prayed for us. You guys are amazing and I thank God every day for the people in my life.

Haley's photoshoot (23 weeks and 5 days)

Finally!! Another ultrasound!! This is the appointment where they did all of her measurements to make sure she's on track. They checked her sweet little heart, kidneys, stomach, lungs....all perfect!! :) The ultrasound tech said she weighs 1 pound and 9 ounces!! She has 10 fingers and 10 toes... Momma couldn't be happier!

Then came the serious talk...the Doctor told me that since I have a bicornuate uterus, and a high amount of fluid, I am high risk for pre-term labor. Also, since I have all of that extra fluid, I'm measuring big (which makes me feel better about the weight gain since it's only in my belly! shew). But on the bright side, all of the extra fluid makes for better 3D ultrasound pictures :) I love how my doctor knows when I'm worried and what to say to make me feel better. He made sure to reassure me that if anything does happen, Haley and I would be flown to UT and that if we did have to go to UT, he would be there waiting on us. The last few things he said to me were about how many patients he has had with the same condition and they delivered full term, healthy babies. It's scary to know that something COULD happen...and it's so easy to think about the "what ifs"... Well, I went to Lifeway Christian Book Store last night and bought a new devotional Bible for new moms. As I was reading the first devotional study, the one verse that popped out at me was this..."Be strong and courageous...for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."- Joshua 1:9. Tell me THATwasn't a sign....I know that if anything does happen, it's in God's will and not only are we in the doctor's great hands, we are in GOD'S hands. That makes me feel so much better. People tell me not to worry, but that's never really helped. I needed that extra push. Haley just needs to keep her cute self inside as long as possible, so I ask for you to please keep praying for her. :)

On a brighter note, we got some amazing pictures of our girl! I can not believe how amazing they turned out! My heart melted when I saw her little button nose, cute little mouth, and adorable little toes!! Looking at these pictures made everything else in the world seem obsolete. Haley reminds me every day that I have so much to be thankful for! Life is good :)

This face already melts Mommy and Daddy's hearts :)

 Sweet little foot

Fist pump!!! haha