It's been a long time...

Yes, it has, and a busy one at that!!

Eli is 5 1/2 months now, and Zach is two. Both boys are growing like weeds! Time seems to be truly slipping away...



Zach celebrated his second birthday at Conger Park in Hernando. We had a great time with good friends and good food. Zach is a little chatterbox more than ever: full of questions and keen observations. His vocabulary is quite advanced (and that's from the pediatrician, not me!), as he speaks in complete sentences, grammatically correct! I suppose my "English" genes are rubbing off! He still loves Thomas the Tank Engine and has added the Wiggles to that list. He is constantly singing and dancing...and he loves his little brother!



Eli is definitely a McKellar baby, resembling my sister's and my baby pictures. His eyebrows are so dark! He smiles all the time, and he just sparkles when he watches his big brother. I realize the boys will have their sibling rivalries as they get older, but I do see a deep friendship already growing.

Elijah is here!!!

Elijah Newell Swartz actually arrived on Tuesday, February 10 at 11:38pm. He weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz, and was 20 inches long. He looks just like his big brother...with a head full of dark hair!! Everyone is doing well at home adjusting to the newness of it all...

Snow days at 36 weeks...

Snow and ice blanketed the Midsouth today, and every student cheered. County schools, churches, day cares, and DOCTORS' offices were closed. I got the call around 7:15am that my appointment would have to be rescheduled because the office was closed. Well, lovely.

I expressed my concern to the girl who called, detailing my symptoms: terrible pains, amplified swelling, and more than general discomfort. She suggested I call the on-call nurse and maybe go to Labor and Delivery. After talking to the on-call nurse, that's exactly what I did.

Linda, a less than friendly and questionably competent nurse, "took care of me" in triage. She asked stupid questions and did not know that Judaism was the box to check when I said I was Jewish. I was hooked up to monitors for an hour or more and never saw a doctor. According to Linda, the doctor on-call reviewed the monitor readings and said that I was having irregular contractions. Now, that doesn't mean Braxton Hicks...these were real contractions, just not regular. So, the doctor "didn't see any reason to keep me, but if something happens...like your water breaks, do come back." Thanks, Linda. I never would have thought of that.

So I returned home to take a long nap with my sweet son while my husband called off from work, bought groceries, and made a wonderful dinner. I feel like hell with the same regular pains that were considered irregular at the hospital. I just hope to make it through the night...so I can try to get through to my doctor to reschedule my appointment...along with everyone else whose appointments got canceled today.

Not quite the way I planned to spend my day...but I must also mention that my wonderful sister was here to hold my hand, text me (while I was alone in triage), and share in my utter frustration at the entire waste of a day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day...and this child will come soon.

31 weeks and counting...

I figured it was time to update this blog since it's been almost two months... It's been pretty crazy around here: Zach is talking up a storm, and I have been on maternity leave since December 12.

My blood pressure forced me to start leave early, and now, I am on official bed rest: partial, I guess, since I can get out of bed. Just not much more. It's been less than a week, and already I feel trapped! I definitely hope this little boy comes early. I am going to go stir crazy in the meantime!!

We had a 4D ultrasound on December 13, and while our little guy didn't give us any full face shots, we did get several profile shots. I don't know how big he is, but my guess is that he is HUGE (that's based primarily on how I feel these days). He is rolling all over the place, kicking and wiggling...much more active than Zach was!


Insomnia set in when I started my leave, so that's been fun. I was getting maybe 3-4 hours of sleep a night. I don't know if it was discomfort and a racing mind. Either way, the doctor gave me some Ambien, and I am looking forward to some real sleep now.

Zach, on the other hand, is loving having Mommy at home. He definitely knows something is up as he is more clingy than ever...which is okay with me: he is a great snuggler! We gave him a train set for Hanukkah, and I don't know if he will even notice a new little brother now. If he is not playing with his trains, he is naming all of them at random times: during dinner, at 3am if he wakes up, first thing in the morning, in the car going anywhere...you get the picture!

He is still the sweetest little boy with the best smile. He is going to be a great big brother, and I am one lucky mom!

Then and Now...an update

Well, at 24 weeks, clearly I am carrying this little guy differently from the way I did Zach (current picture on the left). But that's not the only difference. I went for my checkup today to find out that I have gained only 16 pounds (no complaints there!). And I passed my glucose test, so no gestational diabetes. BUT my blood pressure is still entirely too high considering the amount of meds I'm taking. My doctor has added another medication to my roster with the possibility of seeing a specialist. She has decided to start seeing me every two weeks, even though that normally doesn't start until around 28 weeks. I mentioned that Christmas break isn't too far away (only about 29 working days), and she said that I will be lucky to make it that long. The baby is fine and will not come before the holidays, of course, but my BP is going to require bedrest SOON. I guess I better start tying up loose ends now...and then start looking forward to being home with my boys every day for a while!

Zach goes to the pumpkin patch

During my fall break, we decided to make the most of it by taking Zach to Cedar Hill Farms in Hernando. He LOVED it! He got to pet the animals (all of which he called "moo"), watch the pigs race, sit on a train and ring the bell, and run around in the pumpkins. We were all exhausted by the end of our trip, but our mission was accomplished: great pictures!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

We went to the doctor today to find out that we are having another boy! Once again, there is no question! What is it about my boys that they want to show their business?!?! Doc said that the body scan showed that he is perfect (of course), and he already weighs 13 ounces!!! Big boy!!

I have gained 10 pounds, and my blood pressure was great...today. Doc still wants me to stay home, but I'm winning that fight right now. This little guy will probably come early (earlier than Zach), but that's okay: we already know he's perfect!! And this one, at least for a moment, did smile for the camera!


Okay, so that's the good news... The discussion on my blood pressure really was a more serious one: Doc said that I am entering "specialist range" now and that I have three options: 1) continue to feel groggy and loopy on my current meds, 2) see a specialist to get on more meds, or 3) quit work. Hmmm....since the tree we planted with dollar bills in the back yard never grew, I guess I'm going to take option #1 for now. We'll just see how it goes...