Pat_Elliott
<font color=blue>Kimberly's proud papa!</font><br>
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2001
- Messages
- 1,213
Hi All,
I saw the post wondering what was up with Amy. I continue to be touched that folks are concerned. I'll be happy to provide an update!
All is physically well at the moment. Mentally is another subject, but we're working through that. We're meeting with Doctors weekly and getting the basic "no news is good news" theme. Amy's rocky insides look stable at the moment. Due to the privia and fibroids, we're shooting for delivery on the last day of August, but will settle for early August. A lot depends on when crowding begins to stunt Kimberly's growth.
Amy's having a hard time keeping in it mentally. I want to clarify so we don't get undue sympathy due to an incorrect perception: Amy has been partially immobilized, but is NOT on bed rest. They made a decision to let her go back to work last week. Basically, we live in the sticks. During the day, Amy would be almost 30 miles from the hospital, as well as my office. However, at work she's two miles from the hospital, four miles from me. And she's the type of person that thrives on "being in the game." The doctors agreed it just made sense. So they've set her up a palatial estate within her cubical at work, complete with comfy chair and footrest. She's not allowed to do anything but go to work and come back (and work on the computer). Her coworkers are pitching in to cover her field work (as a biologist she normally visits sites in NE Pennsylvania).
At night and on weekends, she's allowed to sit/stand/lay in whatever position gives her comfort, which is none. She's developing the aches, pains and discomfort all you mothers have gone through, along with the humid summer that's finally reached Central PA. Unfortunately, she's a researcher, and has spent a lot of time looking into her condition and the potential results of a "classical" caesarean, which has her pretty depressed. I keep hiding the books, she keeps finding them. Doesn't help that some rube from her office told her a caesarean was "the worst experience of my life." I'm a non-violent guy who loves everyone. But it's taking some restraint to not go find this woman.
But she has good moments, too. Kimberly is getting mighty active. Always exciting for me, wearing thin for Amy!. All vital signs are good. All we have to do is hold off about another seven weeks and while it won't be fun, the odds are we'll be fine. We have an ultrasound next Tuesday. If I get any good pictures, I'll post one!
I'm noticing more and more women on the boards having similar problems. While it gives Amy and me a sense of "company," I wish it weren't so. To those going through it, we feel your pain (well, I feel some of it). Hang in there. There's a beautiful rainbow at the end of this storm.
And I've begun doing what I do to keep my mind fresh: working hard, thinking positive, and posting on the trip planning board. And this weekend, we made a monumental decision! The dates aren't in stone, but we've decided sometime around the first week of May 2004, we'll be taking Kimberly to WDW. We'd looked at late March, but we don't cater too much to cold (get enough of that up here without paying for the pleasure), and May seems to put a stop to it.
Kimberly should be about 8 months old. That seems to be the right age. She'll be "on the bottle" by then; she won't be walking yet; she may be sleeping through a night or two here and there; and she'll hopefully be old enough to, while having no clue she's in Disney, at least sensing the joy it brings to Amy and me. Once she starts walking, all bets are off for a while. And Amy and I are looking forward to practicing what we preach, and take a slow, observatory trip to Disney (spending most of our time in Epcot) and just "being." Perhaps we'll even meet up with some Disboarders. How neat it would be to walk down Mainstreet for the first time with Kimberly surrounded by a few green ribbons!
Amy says hi and a continued thanks for the now over a hundred letters and cards she's received. Since we couldn't go ourselves in June, we're living the lost trip through you. Next to all our other trip albums, we have one marked "June 2003." It's filling up with your pictures, and we'll remember it as if we went ourselves. Thanks for being our eyes this trip! I'm fairly sure I'll never catch up with my emails and PM's. I'll keep trying, but if you get no response from me, my apologies. Amy's determined to write everyone what wrote her and left a return address or some kind of trail of bread crumbs. This will give her something to do mid-to-late July when they finally sit her down for good. Know that we thank you all, and that your thoughts, prayers, cards, letters, pictures, and virtual smiles are an energy source you can't imagine. Despite what I read on the debate board, pixie dust is a viable commodity.
Off I go. Gotta make some money. I have a trip to plan, and lots of diapers to buy.
All my best,
Pat
I saw the post wondering what was up with Amy. I continue to be touched that folks are concerned. I'll be happy to provide an update!
All is physically well at the moment. Mentally is another subject, but we're working through that. We're meeting with Doctors weekly and getting the basic "no news is good news" theme. Amy's rocky insides look stable at the moment. Due to the privia and fibroids, we're shooting for delivery on the last day of August, but will settle for early August. A lot depends on when crowding begins to stunt Kimberly's growth.
Amy's having a hard time keeping in it mentally. I want to clarify so we don't get undue sympathy due to an incorrect perception: Amy has been partially immobilized, but is NOT on bed rest. They made a decision to let her go back to work last week. Basically, we live in the sticks. During the day, Amy would be almost 30 miles from the hospital, as well as my office. However, at work she's two miles from the hospital, four miles from me. And she's the type of person that thrives on "being in the game." The doctors agreed it just made sense. So they've set her up a palatial estate within her cubical at work, complete with comfy chair and footrest. She's not allowed to do anything but go to work and come back (and work on the computer). Her coworkers are pitching in to cover her field work (as a biologist she normally visits sites in NE Pennsylvania).
At night and on weekends, she's allowed to sit/stand/lay in whatever position gives her comfort, which is none. She's developing the aches, pains and discomfort all you mothers have gone through, along with the humid summer that's finally reached Central PA. Unfortunately, she's a researcher, and has spent a lot of time looking into her condition and the potential results of a "classical" caesarean, which has her pretty depressed. I keep hiding the books, she keeps finding them. Doesn't help that some rube from her office told her a caesarean was "the worst experience of my life." I'm a non-violent guy who loves everyone. But it's taking some restraint to not go find this woman.
But she has good moments, too. Kimberly is getting mighty active. Always exciting for me, wearing thin for Amy!. All vital signs are good. All we have to do is hold off about another seven weeks and while it won't be fun, the odds are we'll be fine. We have an ultrasound next Tuesday. If I get any good pictures, I'll post one!
I'm noticing more and more women on the boards having similar problems. While it gives Amy and me a sense of "company," I wish it weren't so. To those going through it, we feel your pain (well, I feel some of it). Hang in there. There's a beautiful rainbow at the end of this storm.
And I've begun doing what I do to keep my mind fresh: working hard, thinking positive, and posting on the trip planning board. And this weekend, we made a monumental decision! The dates aren't in stone, but we've decided sometime around the first week of May 2004, we'll be taking Kimberly to WDW. We'd looked at late March, but we don't cater too much to cold (get enough of that up here without paying for the pleasure), and May seems to put a stop to it.
Kimberly should be about 8 months old. That seems to be the right age. She'll be "on the bottle" by then; she won't be walking yet; she may be sleeping through a night or two here and there; and she'll hopefully be old enough to, while having no clue she's in Disney, at least sensing the joy it brings to Amy and me. Once she starts walking, all bets are off for a while. And Amy and I are looking forward to practicing what we preach, and take a slow, observatory trip to Disney (spending most of our time in Epcot) and just "being." Perhaps we'll even meet up with some Disboarders. How neat it would be to walk down Mainstreet for the first time with Kimberly surrounded by a few green ribbons!
Amy says hi and a continued thanks for the now over a hundred letters and cards she's received. Since we couldn't go ourselves in June, we're living the lost trip through you. Next to all our other trip albums, we have one marked "June 2003." It's filling up with your pictures, and we'll remember it as if we went ourselves. Thanks for being our eyes this trip! I'm fairly sure I'll never catch up with my emails and PM's. I'll keep trying, but if you get no response from me, my apologies. Amy's determined to write everyone what wrote her and left a return address or some kind of trail of bread crumbs. This will give her something to do mid-to-late July when they finally sit her down for good. Know that we thank you all, and that your thoughts, prayers, cards, letters, pictures, and virtual smiles are an energy source you can't imagine. Despite what I read on the debate board, pixie dust is a viable commodity.
Off I go. Gotta make some money. I have a trip to plan, and lots of diapers to buy.
All my best,
Pat
). By January 1, 2004, I hope to be working 90% at home. By March, when Amy goes back to the office, I'll be a stay-at-home dad. Cool, huh? Since I handle the books, the cooking, most of the cleaning, and of course the vacation planning, this makes sense. Not to mention I can stay at home and still work (and choose the amount of work). Amy cannot. 
I'll continue to pray for all 3 of you.
