18 week updates - can we not have another like this?

Holy cow, I am so glad that we're almost to 19 weeks, because this week has nearly killed me.

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Acorn is sick. Again. We're about to begin week 7 of assorted illnesses here. To decannulate, he has to be well enough to go under anesthetic, and we're definitely not getting there this way. We've had 3 (or maybe 4) respiratory infections, and a case of rotavirus. sigh. We have preschool to thank for the rotavirus, by the way.

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The week started out even worse, though. While morning sickness has been getting better (better enough that I've actually gained weight instead of losing weight), Tuesday started out with vomiting. And not just any vomiting - it was blood. Lots and lots of blood, and I could hardly catch my breath in between waves of nausea.

I spent the morning in the ER - while we manage a lot of medical things at our house, it's my firm belief that blood is supposed to be in certain places, and if it's not staying there, something needs to be done about it. Since I was too nauseated to actually keep my anti-nausea meds down, the ER seemed like the place to go.

On the plus side, it turned out to be rather straight forward. My blood work was all very good - better than it's been this whole pregnancy. The working suspicion is that I have some combination of reflux and vomiting causing erosion of my stomach and/or esophagus. An IV dose of anti-nausea meds, a script for prilosec, and a few days of being sure to take my anti-nausea meds first thing in the morning, and I'm doing much better, but I'm completely exhausted. I slept almost 11 hours last night, and here it is not even 12 hours later, and I'm ready to fall over.

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This week we're also reading nanny applications. It's so hard to know what to do on that front, but we have to try. School is just not working out all that well.

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My mother messaged me to say my step-grandfather is in the hospital again. He's got severe emphasema, and last fall was hospitalized with pneumonia. They sent him home with hospice care. While I'd told her we'd make every attempt to go to his funeral...the truth is, I can't go. Not allowed to travel that far, due to fears of pregnancy complications, and frankly, it's too far from anything resembling a real hospital for my own peace of mind. Especially after this week.

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We went resale shopping this morning, and found a play kitchen for Acorn for $25. Now to convince the family to buy him dishes & food for his birthday.

I think we're also asking for some sort of sprinkler toy. I want him to have swimming lessons, but we need to be sure his trach scar closes completely first.

It's funny how many toys he has. I remember all of mine fitting in a large box...

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All the complications of the week are overshadowed by last night. Yesterday Leaf decided to hang out, sprawled against my abdominal wall. *Very* heavy for being such a little thing, when cantilevered out there like that. All afternoon, there was kicking and wiggling....we went to the movies last night and I was often distracted by more kicking.

How amazing that, as crazy as this all has been, there's this tiny living being in there?

It makes me smile - how great a reminder of how fleeting this time is, and how important to be present and mindful, each and every moment.