When it Thunder Snows...

As an English teacher, I'm supposed to avoid cliches, but remember the old gem, When it rains, it pours? Well, yesterday we had our first snow of the winter and based on everything going on lately, it felt appropriate that it gave us not only a foot of the white stuff, but that it also came with thunder and lightning and big ol' Nebraska wind. I'm not sure how to end When it Thunder Snows, it... but I'm thinking "dumps" might be the best because that is exactly where my body put me in my own little storm yesterday - the dumps.

After a few weeks of just feeling queasy and tired exhausted, Saturday found me totally wiped out by morning sickness (that came back in the afternoon) and a head cold that was quickly turning into more serious sinus crud. I got through the day, though, and felt better-ish for the next couple days. And by better-ish I mean, not sick to my stomach, just moving slow and going through full boxes of Puffs for my stuffy, aching head.

It's a good thing I was functioning those days because I only had about 1,000 items to check off my To Do list to wrap up the semester and get ready for our upcoming holiday trip to visit family. With the help of my parents and Ben, I was able to get my papers graded, final grades entered, laundry done, bags packed, Christmas letters mailed, Harrison's preschool program attended, and Early Christmas with my folks celebrated. Ben's parents also came for the preK program (and to collect our luggage since we're flying and they're driving), and after everyone left, I did my best to just sit.

Flash forward to 3 a.m. Wednesday morning when I woke up and instantly knew I was going to be sick. And sick I was, every half hour for the next four hours. I knew it wasn't the flu because I had no other flu symptoms; it was "just" morning sickness deciding to royally kick my ass for the day. Although I haven't had as many days with this pregnancy of actually being sick, the days I have been have been brutal. And yesterday was the worst. 

Because of end-of-the-semester work, Ben had to go to school, so I contacted one of our wonderful old neighbors (who really is still a neighbor since we didn't exactly go far when we moved), and she agreed to take Harrison for the morning so I could rest while Raegan napped. Good and good. Except then, at 10:30, it was not good. Not good at all.

I was still in bed downstairs then and RL was still napping up in her crib. I don't know if I rolled over or coughed or what but all of the sudden (Warning - TMI on bodily functions coming), I thought I had wet my pants. Not normal or good for a 30-yr-old, you know? So I got to the bathroom and discovered, much to my shock and horror, blood. And not just spotting. Full on blood. Seeing as I have never so much as spotted a drop with either other baby, I was terrified.

I called my doctor's office and got an appointment for as soon as I could. Then I frantically started calling Ben, trying to figure out what to do with the kids so I could get to the much needed appointment. He finally returned my call and we got all the details worked out so the kids would be covered and he could come with me to see the doctor.

Thanks to getting most of my scared-out-of-my-mind tears out during phone calls to our parents, I was able to talk to my doctor in a fairly calm manner (i.e. only mild voice wavering and nose sniffling). I was honest with her and told her I was very nervous. But then we did the ultrasound and, Thank God, everything was fine. Actually, everything was great (OK, I still felt like poo and was still bleeding, but the baby was amazing)! S/he is growing right on target and has a strong little heartbeat. Actually, we had a wee bit of trouble getting the heartbeat measured because Baby Welsch No. 3 was moving so much. Those of you who know my children are probably laughing right now (I am!) because that is clearly just how we grow them!

So even though we don't know what caused the bleeding, I am feeling much better about everything. The rest of yesterday was still pretty tough for me, though, and I wasn't good for anything other than being flat on a bed or a couch. Thankfully Ben could be here and did a wonderful job of doing everything for the kids. We also made the decision to cut off nursing with Raegan because being so sick yesterday meant I didn't have enough fluids for myself, much less for her. She took a bottle before bed and again this morning and seems to be doing fine with that. We made it 13 1/2 months, so I'm going to be proud of that and pray she makes the transition smoothly.

As for today, I'm now on an antibiotic to help the head junk which should help the stomach junk and hopefully the bleeding junk will just go away on its own. We still have our plans to travel for the holiday and while I'm nervous about getting through the actual travel portion this weekend, I'm hoping that once we get there, all will be well. I hope to take it as slow and steady as possible the next two days, even if I am feeling better because I need to recoup and recover.

It feels like there has been so much heaviness and sadness in the world in the last week, and my heart has been hurting for those who have lost loved ones or can't be with family this holiday season. After yesterday, my heart also feels great relief and thankfulness and gratitude that my little family is still growing and still going. May we and you and everyone else continue through these storms, clinging to what matters most - our love for each other.