NYC... and a few days at the hospital...

So where do I begin?
The last two weekend have been very interesting and to be honest the exact opposite from each other.

June 16th, the day after my birthday we went to NYC to see my brother Chip and his wonderful girlfriend Caroline! My dad and I flew up there to meet my mom and brother Will for a long weekend for some family time. JM was having a guys weekend in Atlanta!

We walked all over the city and shopped for our little baby girl like crazy. She has got some beautiful new things to wear when she gets here! Including this little number that Carline (and Chip too) got for her!

I promise I will send a picture of her in it to you for your wall.


We ate at our favorite place in Little Italy: Florio's and then went to my favorite Ferrara Bakery...


These are my two favorite things... A Blueberry tartlet and a Chocolate mousse chimney (Ok I don't know how they really spell that... but it is AWESOME!)

We went to FAO Schwartz one day as well. And I found this for baby girl...

That is right- it is a Barbie Foosball Table. For only $25,000 She could have this wonderful thing! HAHAHA!!! That place was a mad house, but really I wish that I could have gotten her a life size stuffed animal. Not that we have room for that or anything... but it would be cool!

Sunday we left and I was swollen, exhausted, and was SO excited to see JM. It was so nice to be home and in bed that night. He had the biggest surprise for me ever when I got home! He had started the nursery and almost got it finished... I will have to do a whole separate post on that! It is absolutely beautiful...

Then Tuesday rolled around...
Tuesday morning I was talking to my friend and co-worker Erica (thought you might like that shout out!) about how she had hurt her back... and we were exchanging stories... Just normal Tuesday banter after talking business. She mentioned how one of her friends got e.coli in the hospital after she delivered and was a nightmare... Was a terrible story, but so glad that it had a happy ending. Everyone was healthy and back to normal.

Later Tuesday by back started to hurt... I just though I pulled it or turned the wrong way. By that night I could barely move. Then around 3:30 am I was crying I was in so much pain and JM was helping me in and out of bed so I could go to the bathroom. (because you go about 5 times a night!)
Wednesday I couldn't get out of bed so I stayed home from work. I called the nurse at my OB and left a few messages. I really didn't think that it was too much to worry about until I took my temperature because I thought I had a fever. It was 101. Shit.
Then I called the "Emergency only" line... and then called JM crying after they just had told me it could be much worse and to head over to Northside Hospital in the Labor and Delivery Unit. Double Shit.

I get there. Takes FOREVER to sign all papers and get a room. I get checked out and find out that I have a very extreme case of "Pylo" what we all know as a Kidney Infection... which was brought on by e.Coli. REALLY?
I was handed a gown, got an I.V. in my hand, and had to record all urine samples. FOR 72 HOURS.
We thought that I would be in and out... a bag of fluid, an antibiotic... Umm no. We are talking many pills, a pain pump, shots, getting woken up every 2 hours to check my vitals and baby girls vitals as well...

We were told we would be leaving Friday by my Dr and another woman Dr in the practice. Then a male Dr (who I will not write his name on my blog) who is an asshole, tapped on my back Friday morning, which still was hurting, and my knees went weak. He said that I will be in there another day and when JM asked a question- because the other Dr's have all said I would be discharged Friday morning... He snapped at JM said "this is not about you is it" and then left the room. I started crying. Hysterically. I had a break down that day.... It was terrible. They had to sedate me... again nightmare.
AND I refused for that Dr to enter my room again. Even to check on me. I told every single nurse what an ass he was and that if he came back then I was out. In my next appointment I will also be letting my OB know how I feel because he is one of the only 3 Drs who are on call at Northside during my window time of delivery... So that is a 1 out of 3 chance he coud deliver her. THAT IS NOT HAPPENING. I seriously want to ask if I can be sure that he will not be near me or my child. Umm EVER. This is why I have only had women Drs.
Dramatic? YES... Do I care? Not one bit. I am emotional, yes, but that does not mean that I am going to deal with a Dr who has terrible bedside manor and who made me feel like a worthless piece of shit... not to mention made JM feel absolutely terrible as well.

And this post had gotten very long. So to sum it up.. I am doing much better. Once the fever was gone for 24 hours I was released. I went home, showered and then had donuts. Yes Chocolate Cake donuts from Dunkin Donuts.

Baby girl is perfect... and I am getting better. Now all that can happen to make this pregnancy even better would be some bed rest. ut hey- I might actually welcome that after what I went through this past weekend!

PS: I realize that I will have to come up with a name to call our baby on here. I am not sure that I want to share her name publically until she is here... or ever on this blog. We will have to see. However I now realize that it might be confusing since our cat's name is Baby Girl. Yes we are crazy... but I love it.

Publish Post.

Pink or Blue? AND Happy Birthday to Me...

So today has been the BEST Birthday I have ever had. Ever.

This morning I woke up to some beautiful flowers, a bag of Sour Patch Kids (my all time favorite candy!) and Sour Cream and Onion Pringles. Yes you did read that correctly. Hell I am pregnant- and this is what I asked for! I also got two wonderful cards... One from my dearest husband, JM and the other from our little baby. So sweet.

Then we went to the Doctor for our 20 week appointment and Anatomy Scan! It was absolutely unbelievable to see that our baby can go from this...


To this...

All stretched out!!!! To me that is just unbelievable! Would not stop moving long enough to get some very clear pictures... They say it has to do with the FULL MOON and all. (Which means I hope that our friend Kempton is going to have her baby tonight!)

And a profile shot...


All of the measurements came back perfect... 10 fingers and 10 toes. A perfect heart, kidneys and everything! She was even sucking her thumb in the picture above!


AND then...
My Birthday Cake!YES that is right... We are happy to announce that we are having a healthy baby girl!
We could not be happier at ALL!
and for all of those who guessed girl the whole time- YOU WERE RIGHT!
And one more thing... I totally thought it was a boy. All of the "Old Wives Tales" said boy...
But I could not be more excited to find out that she is a girl! A real mover and shaker too.


So there. We did find out. It might have killed me not knowing for another week!

It is also my birthday today. What better present can that be?

I am also leaving for NYC to see Chip (my brother) and Caroline (his awesome girlfriend) tomorrow night! This little baby girl is going to get some terribly cute clothes while I go shop in the big city!

Hope that you all have a wonderful day! I sure will....

Friday! Some likes and dislikes....

I am SO glad that it is Friday and I know that you are too.

What is it with Friday's? We know that we don't have to sit in traffic and go to work the next day? We know that we get a break from the people we secretly HATE at work? Or how about we know that come Friday at 5:00, that we can mentally "check out" for a few days?

Well I love Fridays... for all of those reasons above. (and yes I do secretly hate/loathe/despise someone at work- don't care either. Because writing that makes me feel better. Even though I know that you are "not supposed to hate anyone" I still do.)

I also am loving being pregnant right now. I feel so much better, still tired, but better! When I finally felt this little baby move for the first time, I think that I realized that this is "real" ya know?... and realizing that we have created this life? Well damn that is just insane to me. Insane to think that two people can do this. This thing called life.
Still amazes me.

I love Yoo-Hoo. There I said it. My name is Mrs. McCracken and I am addicted to Yoo-Hoo. Yes I do know that it is a "chocolate drink" not even milk... but when it hits my lips it can make my day that much better. It is the little thing in life right? Right? anyone out there?

I also love this...

Pure Grace Perfume... I also have the body wash and lotion. It smells just like clean soap and water- and to me it has a hint of sunscreen-smell. Yes I love it. I love that when I buy this every year, it means it is summer to me. I smell like fresh soap and water... and it is heaven I tell you!

I also love paper chains... I am thinking of starting one myself! Tearing off a new ring each week can mean so much, a sense of accomplishment with ripping off one mmore little ring each week. I love the sound of that... and I do love a good countdown.
And I have a few going on...

20 weeks until we get to meet baby! I am half way there...
12-15 weeks... I have a deadline of my own I will tell you about another time.
7 weeks until I go to the beach! YAY I need some sand in between my toes!
6 days until I leave for NYC. So excited to get away for just a few days to the big city!
5 days until we get to see this little baby again- 20 week Anatomy scan on June 15th...
5 days until my birthday. This make me sad, and kinda feel a little old. But I am going to rock it out like always. Celebrate with my favorite person JM- he is taking me to eat at my favorite Thai place in all of Atlanta!
and only 6 hours until the weekend.
I hope that I can make it that long today...

Have a wonderful Friday... and an even better weekend!

PS: IF you are in Atlanta this weekend! Come on out to Pints for Pups this weekend at Meehan's Public House in Sandy Springs! This fundraising event benefits Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption!
Event Includes:
Silent auction
Food and drink specials
Dog friendly patios- so you can bring your dogs!
Live music featuring Demartes
It is from 1-4- We hope to see you there!!!
OR follow Pints for Pups at http://www.facebook.com/pints4pups?sk=info

1 Year Later...

Today is my Blog Anniversary. I cannot believe that I have been sharing my thoughts online for a year. That is just crazy... to be honest I am surprised that I didn't give up!

Some of the posts have been happy and funny, some have been sad or even mad... most of them have been random as hell! And I like that because I am all of the above.

This past year has been one big whirlwind, and I have had a wonderful time. There have been some SERIOUS life-changing events that have happened to me and my wonderful now husband JM.
So today I just wanted to do a recap for myself of this past year... and just now while typing this I decided to "save draft" and go back and read some of my posts...
Damn it was one hell of a year!

Planning a wedding... Attending 12 other weddings... and re-decorating a house. To being married, getting a joint checking account, writing a BILLION "Thank you" notes... Going on trips, JM stealing my Harry and David Pears at Christmas...
So much has happened in a year it is unbelievable... even as I sit here and write this I still cannot believe that love and life has taken me to where I am today.

So lets do some picture from the past shall we?


Engagement pictures by Mrs. Southern Belle


Don't know if I have shown you my rings before now... but DAMN did JM do a great job!


and then we got married! Best day of our lives. Ever. I love you JM!


Baby Girl... JM is her "human"... she loves him WAY more than me.


Tilly... She loves me way more. However I think that she "knows" there is a baby in my stomach because she still tries to sleep on my stomach all the time! Only started once there was a baby in there!

There have been TOO many home updates to post ALL of the pictures... PLUS we have started on a new room... The Nursery!

And how can I forget about this little one... Our BABY! Well now that might be the MOST life-changing thing that has happened yet. Getting married is very life changing I assure you...
BUT once I found out we were going to have a baby. I also realized that it has to come out sometime in the next 9 (really 10) months! It will not just stay in me forever! I also realized that we are responsible for another humans life for the next 18 years. As in raise them to have manners, to teach them, feed and cloth them, and to make sure that they do not become serial killers. I still think that I want our parents to write a book and give it to us!
There are so many fears that go along with being pregnant... I have yet to realize that those fears will only double when they are really here! We are going to get home with our baby and I will say "now what do we do?"
JM's response might be "Well let's call one of our moms."
Guess I need to get a book on what comes after Labor and Delivery!

There is so much more to come on this little space of mine... There will be more fears and tears over the next few months. There will be many laughs and (hopefully) more pictures to come. After that there will be so many questions I will have... and I am sure that I will questions myself on more than one occasion about blogging. But then again I foresee myself having a lot more time for picture taking and blogging in the future.
Couponing too... this is something that I want to get good at... but NOT to the point where I have to buy 150 bottle of ketchup to get a deal! have you seen that show? They are PSYCHO, and I am positive that my dear JM would leave me if I brought home that much crap and had a grocery store in my house!

Well MY birthday is around the corner and I cannot wait... that is also our big Ultrasound Day!
I know that I have said in the past that we are not finding out what the sex will be... Well all of this yellow and green is killing me so it might just be a "game day" decision that we make...

Now this has been one big random post... but I really wanted to thank all of you who read my pretty little blog. It meas the world to me to know that you might be going through the same thing- or already have been. I have made some great friends from blogging... and even joined Twitter to keep up with them!
I hope that this will always be my own little escape... Happy Anniversary to "My Crack in the Grigsby Life".

Have a Happy Wednesday!

and PS. I legally changed my name today... so now I am truly Mrs. McCracken...

xoxo

Random thoughts... and nightmares.

So 16 weeks pregnant and counting over here. I kinda feel like a slacker for not posting "bump pictures" and filling out a cute little survey about what this past week was like.
So to sum it up... I feel good some days, but mornings are still a little rough. I wish that I felt great all the time and that I could say that my hair is shimmering and I have tht healthy glow! Today I was lucky to get in the shower because all I wanted to do was sleep... sleeping is my favorite thing right now.

I am also still having one of the same nightmares. Over and OVER! It is kinda making me paranoid... so here it is and tell me what you think.

Setting: Northside Hospital Labor and Delivery
Cast of Characters: Me (duh!) JM, and Dr's and nurses. (Sorry no one is allowed in that room! and I dont care how selfish that might be. My vagina. Our baby. The end.)

So this is what keeps happening... I have been pushing for like 30 some odd hours and the epidural just wore off. The nurse says that I cannot have another one and that I will have to have a emergency C-Section and that they are going to be putting me completely under for the precedure... I, of course, freak out but tell them just get baby out and keep up both alive.
I go under...
Then wake up in recovery with EVERYONE I HAVE EVER MET in the room. AND they have ALL HELD OUR BABY! I start crying and tell someone to get everyone out of there and to give me my baby... Everyone starts laughing at me and they keep playing pass the baby.

Now I want to be the first (or even the second if JM wants to first) hold the baby. There will be zero exceptions to that one. I don't want people in recovery if I have to have a c-section.

I wake up in a panic every.single.time I have this dream. Then I have to go pee.

What in the hell is wrong with me? Have I lost it completely? Maybe I have lost it...

BUT this is having me think seriously hard about a whole "Birth Plan" about the day of delivery when it comes...
I do know that I want some time with just me and JM and baby. Alone. Our family. Time for me to nurse, time for skin to skin bonding (that I keep reading about).

But I don't know how "selfish" that could be? I mean I know that it is a little selfish, and I know that this is the first Grandbaby on both sides... and that I do want family there first thing just not during the actual labor part or the after part of clean up and mess! But hell, I carried this baby for 9 (really 10) months, and he/she has made me sick as all get out... it should be MY (really our) plan right?

So ladies (and gentlemen) what would you do? Tell me your stories? Or send me links to your own birth stories...
There is only one goal in my mind about having this little on in the first place. To have a healthy baby. 10 fingers and 10 toes... Everything else will be second.
I know that I have a good 24 weeks left to think about all of this... but the nightmare is really getting to me now.

I will have to tell you about another dream I have been having lately... Pretty much I have this beautiful baby that happens to have my cat Tilly's head. AND I think that it is perfectly normal to breast feed my beautiful cat-baby in public no less. Maybe this is because I wake up to Tilly sleeping on me all the time? Who knows... it is kinda strange.
This might also be the reason I have a ton of dreams about me having a liter of kittens!

Seriously... these pregnancy dreams have me going crazy! Tell me you all had crazy dreams pregnant or not? If so share them with me! I need to feel a little bit normal.