*Sigh*

Went back to the doctor yesterday for my bi-weekly prenatal visit, and lo and behold, the blood pressure is back on the rise. Ironically, my blood pressure had actually gone back down over the holidays, despite some traveling and other merry-making, but now has risen to an all-time high (for this pregnancy, anyway) now that the holidays are over and we're back in our routine. Not sure what that means, although it might say something about the stresses of working and parenting full time. *Sigh*

Dr. Fabulous actually took my BP a couple of times yesterday during my visit and it rose with each reading, even after I had been sitting in the office for quite sometime doing nothing at all, and after the final reading she took, Dr. Fab scrunched up her nose and said, "And this is what happened last time (my last pregnancy), isn't it?" Yep, sure is. So, more blood tests and the 24-hour urine protein test were ordered (again) to rule out preeclampsia, and although Dr. Fab seems to doubt highly that I have preeclampsia at this point (no swelling, no other symptoms), she is concerned and wants to cover all bases. (So glad I decided to stick with her.) She's thinking that what I have right now is gestational hypertension, which can be scary enough if it gets too severe.

We have a new plan for the rest of my pregnancy which will ensure that I will get to know my practicioner pretty well between now and the time I deliver. Instead of bi-weekly visits, I'll be seeing Dr. Fab once a week, and starting at week 32 (I'm 29 weeks 5 days today), I will be having weekly fetal non-stress tests, because of the hypertension and because of the low levels of the PAPP-A hormone that were discovered waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in September when I had my first trimester screening done. And, there are more ultrasounds in my future as well.

And, sadly, I won't be able to return to the office part time as I had hoped. Stir craziness has set in and my plan when I went to the doctor yesterday was to ask if I could maybe go back to the office a day or two a week just to get out and see the peeps that I work with and honestly miss. My plan was foiled when after my final BP reading yesterday, I laughingly told Dr. Fab that I wanted to go back to the office and she said decisively, "No. Asked and answered. You need to take it easy." Ok then.

Also, Tater is measuring big for my dates. As I said, I'm just about 30 weeks but the baby is measuring larger than 33 weeks. When Dr. Fab measured me and discovered this, all she said was, "Interesting," but of course being who I am I ran straight home and Googled "uterus measuring large pregnancy" and was promptly freaked out by everything that this can mean (an exercise that was no doubt healthy for my BP). I'm just gonna table this one until I go to see Dr. Fab again next week and I'll take that opportunity to ask her what "Interesting" means.

I'm a little bummed out right now and I can't really bring myself to get out of the sweatpants today (although it has been a craptastic week, what with the tumble down the stairs and the soreness and then hearing about big layoffs at work). I have moved beyond feeling sorry for myself for being confined to my house and I have landed at a constant feeling of concern for Tater's health and my own. In my mind, I know he's fine...he's been active, his heartbeat is good, and we KNOW he's growing. But in my heart, I have fallen in love with him and I feel the same amount of concern for him that I would if something similar was happening with Gracie. I just can't wait to have him here so I can look at his face and see that he is all right.

Ok, ONE humorous thing did happen yesterday...I had to run to the lab at Froedtert to pick up a big orange jug for my 24-hour urine test, and the pre-pubescent boy that was manning the desk at the lab seemed THOROUGHLY embarassed at what I was asking him to retrieve for me. His face flushed as soon as I had uttered the word "urine" and then he was visibly nervous as he opened drawers and cabinets in search of a jug for me. Then, as he was bringing the jug back to the desk, he stopped and opened his eyes in horror and then ran back to another cabinet to get me a bag to carry the jug in. As he brought me the bag (which was virtually see through anyway), he lowered his voice and whispered proudly, "I brought you this bag so you wouldn't be embarassed." Oh, my dear sweet boy, these things do not phase me.