Friday, December 28, 2012

Closet Organizer

This week Kevin and I painted the baby's room closet purple and hung the closet organizer! The paint color is Menard's Behr "majestic violet" and the closet organizer is Closetmaid from Home Depot.
I know it looks like I didn't do any of it, but I did tape off the trim and paint the edges. I just couldn't get up high and suck at rolling. I was the "helper" in getting him his tools & of course refilling his beer :) 
I did help pack up the guest bed bedding and move everything down into storage (until the new basement guest room is ready).
All finished...but needs some baskets that fit the cubbies and match the room. And of course all her little clothes!!! So far, those are outfits bought by both soon-to-be grandma's.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Eye Update - December

This picture doesn't show it looking too bad, because it is lunch time, but my eye is still pretty much the same its been - not worse or better. The muscle is still swollen behind the eye, pushing the eyeball out a bit, and the eyelid is still retracted making it look worse, and I can’t control it. But there are good days and bad days. And for sure the best time of the day is 10am til about 3 or 4pm. It's real blurry when I am tired. In the morning its pretty swollen until I shower and wash my face. But it’s hard to put on makeup because my vision is so blurry - I have stopped with the eyeliner because I can’t see a straight-line and I only put mascara on the top lashes because I can barely see the bottom ones so always bump it on my face, haha! So I've give up on trying to look pretty...which helps me get ready faster in the mornings!

Thankfully the pain is pretty much gone, as I sit here, I mean it still hurts a bit when I touch it, which is really only when I am washing my face. And it hurts when I force the eyeball to look up or out to my right side, because that’s when I get the doubled vision. I always have to remember to look with my head, not with my eyes. It’s tough though, because now my neck always hurts from tilting it back so often to see out my eyes looking down. I told Kevin he may need to take the TV down from above the fireplace and place it on the floor for me until this all goes away! Funny, right? But seriously, it is so frustrating that I cant even watch TV at night!! Plus it has been hard being social because I can't focus to give people eye contact during a conversation because it’s so uncomfortably blurry, and I just feel like everyone’s just staring at my bulging eye, and I am sick of explaining my eye disease story over and over! So if you see me staring at the table or floor when I talk with you....I am sorry, I am not trying to be rude, I promise.

My glasses are definitely helping at night when I drive, and sort of when I try to watch TV. The glasses just make help make the blurriness less fuzzy. I feel like they allow me to use my eyeball more so I don’t always tilt my head back and hurt my neck. I have to keep forcing myself to use the eye muscles even if it hurts…that blog I am reading says to do eye muscle exercises. And I have bought some flaxseed oil. We’ll see if that truly helps anything. Like I said, I am trying anything and everything. I cant imagine 4 more months of this...all my showers, maternity photos, Florida, delivery, etc. If the antibodies truly wont subside until after pregnancy, it better go away fast after she comes out!

I didn't end up getting steroid eye drops, because it was actually oral steroid pills, high dose for 10 days, he wanted to prescribe me. But he said that even that for sure wont help because we don't know if the steroids will go to work directly on the eye muscle, and with baby, its just not worth the risk. So he gave me "Advil" eye drops to help with the pain, which I have been taking, and they do work, but they don't fix the blurriness. I am also trying to keep up with lubricant eye drops so my eyes aren't so dry with the lid being pulled back all day long. We keep researching to learn all we can…but I am learning the reality is its going to be a long 4 more months. In the meantime, I am trying to distract myself with working on the baby’s room! We are painting the closet and hanging the clothes organizer this week, hooray!!!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

~ Merry Christmas 2012 ~

 MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE RAASCH'S
Photography by Courtney Karban
Christmas Eve Eve, we celebrated at Kevin's parent’s house with just his immediate family. Watched the Vikings game, opened gifts and had dinner. Our main gift from his parents was our flights to Florida this March 5-10 for a little fun in the sun with his family. I will be 32 weeks by then...so hopefully all is happy & healthy and we have a good time. It will be nice to be in some warm weather! Christmas Eve we went to his cousin Tanya's house with his dad’s side of the family for some food & small gift exchange. Then we went to my parent’s house for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner & games with the McKeown's. It was smaller this year, missing Matt & Brianna and Nicole & her bf, but we still had a good time. We even brought Colbie and stayed the night. Christmas morning we woke up, had my mom's egg-bake breakfast and then did presents with my parents and brother Mike, while skyping with Matt & Brianna. Kevin and I both got clothes (I desperately needed maternity clothes) and money for all our house projects, which was perfect because we are in the process of finishing our basement, and want to start the baby's room! Lastly, we went to Kevin's Grandma's place for his mom's side of Christmas. Needless to say, we were spoiled with great gifts and had a fabulous 2012 Christmas!!
 
And how cute is this onsie we got from my bro & sis-in-law... this will totally be Colbie :)

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Kevin felt baby...

I am 21 weeks today and Kevin felt her kick for the very first time!!! Very lightly, like a little muscle spasm, but he felt her! We were layig in bad, discussing what to do today, and she was kicking away. I pulled Kevin's had over the top of my belly, and said push down (which he is scared to push to hard) but sure enough he felt a little kick. A huge smile spread across his face as he quickly pulled his hand away from my belly. It was a great moment. So fun :)

Friday, December 21, 2012

Look who got glasses

Officially part of the four-eyed club. Pregnant or not, eye disease or not...my right eye is near-sided and needed correction. And at this point, I will do whatever I can to help my vision and hide my buldging eye!! It actually doesnt look that bad in this pic because I am squinting a bit to smile :)

Thursday, December 20, 2012

eye = miserable

This picture just shows how miserable I am at night when I try to watch TV before bed. You know when you get an eyelash in your eye and it gets all blurry, foggy, irritated, your eye starts to water and you try to blink it out!? Well, imagine never being able to blink it out....thats how I feel :(

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Kevin's 30th Birthday

Happy Birthday "Daddy"...you are having a girl! What a fun birthday gift :) We also went out to dinner at Chianti Grill with his parents and mine. The food was delicious as always! Kevin got some nice gifts: dress pants, dress shirts, Carhart vest for hunting, an ice fishing pole AND an electronic helicoptor you control from your smart phone. He's still a kid at heart!

A snowman cake from Grandma Kimball
 
Pink camouflage...excited for his little girl to hunt with him!!


IT'S A GIRL!

 

We had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound this morning! All measurements were normal and baby has all her parts. Her heartbeat was 132 and she measured to be 20 weeks 1 day (only 2 days off). We are so thankful for a healthy baby GIRL!!

 
 


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Old Wives Tales

Morning Sickness?
Did you experience morning sickness in early pregnancy? If you did, then you’re said to be carrying a girl, but if you didn’t have morning sickness, then it’s a boy. = GIRL
Carrying High or Low?
This is a well known old wives tale – so many people will want to look at your belly and think they can guess just from looking! So as the tale goes, if you are carrying low, it’s a boy, or if you’re carrying high it’s a girl. Truly, the way the baby is carried is actually a reflection of your own body shape, muscle, baby’s position and other physical factors! = BOY
Sweet, Salty or Sour?
Are you craving sweet foods like juice, fruits and chocolate? if so, old wives say that you could be having a girl. But if you’re craving sour or salty foods, then you could be having a boy. It’s also said that if you are having a boy, you will crave protein like meat and dairy. I have trouble believing this one because I think we’d be overrun by a population of females – we all love chocolate pregnant or not! Well, I just had ice cream and popcorn for dinner the other night!? But usually its been fruit & a few days I did crave chocolate = GIRL
What’s Baby’s Heartrate?
First, to set the record straight, until it’s born, your baby’s heartrate will not be affected by it’s gender. But so they say, if you’re carrying a girl, then baby’s heartrate will be above 140bpm (beats per minute). A boy is said to have a heart rate under 140bpm. Truly, your baby’s heart rate will change often during a pregnancy, depending on the baby’s age and it’s movement. Anything from 120-160bpm is normal for an unborn baby. = BOY
Are You A Lefty or a Righty?
So when you sleep, do you sleep on your left? Because if you do, then it’s a boy for you! On your right, a girl is in sight. I am never comfortable, so am always tossing from side to side, but I know I start on my right, facing Kevin. = GIRL
Linea Nigra
Some women’s hormone cause a brownish pigmentation line down the middle of your, and the old wives tale is if you get a línea nigra and it runs from your pubic area to your belly button only, it’s a girl, and if it goes all the way up from your pubic area to the bottom-most part of you rib cage, then it’s a boy. = BOY
How Do You Look?
Do you look better than ever while pregnant? Or has the pregnancy done your looks no favours? As it goes, if you look great during pregnancy, then you are carrying a boy. If you don’t look too flash, you’re having a girl, because she’s stolen all your good looks! = GIRL
Dry or Soft?
If your skin is dry, you’re said to be having a boy, and if it’s soft, then a girl is on the way. = BOY
Your Flowing Locks
Has your hair become thinner and dull? Or full-bodied and glossy? Thin and dull says girl, gorgeous and glossy says a boy. = GIRL
Where Are You Carrying Extra Weight?
Even those extra pregnancy kilos is said to give us an insight into your baby’s gender! If you are carrying extra weight at the front, then you’re having a boy… but if you are carrying extra weight on your bum and hips, then you have been carrying a girl. I have extra weight in all areas!! but I do feel heavier in my butt & widening hips.= GIRL
Ahhh, Now I Know Why We Learn Maths At School!
Because if you combine your age at the time of conception with the number of the month you conceived and the resulting number is odd – then it’s a girl on the way. If the resulting number is even, then it’s a boy for you. 27+8=35 = GIRL
Chinese Calendar Gender Predictor
This is ancient history, but they take the age and month you conceived. = BOY
The Wedding Ring Over The Belly Trick!
Get your wedding ring (or other ring/needle/pin) and attach it with a strand of your hair or some string. Lie down and dangle the ring over your belly. If it starts moving in circles, you are having a boy, or if it moves like a pendulum from side to side, then you are having a girl. = GIRL
Cold Feet?
If your feet get colder than they used to pre-pregnancy, it’s a sign you have a boy on the way. If your feet are the same, then it’s a girl! = GIRL
How’s Your Partner’s Belly?
Apparently, if your husband puts on ‘sympathy’ weight with you during your pregnancy, then you’re supposed to be carrying a girl. If he doesn’t put on any weight, then it’s a boy. = GIRL
The Breast Test!
If you look in the mirror at your breasts, which one is larger? If it’s the right one, you’re carrying a boy and for a larger left breast, then it’s a girl. But my left has alway been bigger than my right, because I am right handed, and I use that arm more, so that pec is more muscular and the left ones more fat, haha right? or maybe TMI, sorry! = GIRL
Pimples, Schmiples…
If you get acne during pregnancy, apparently you’re having a girl, and if you don’t, then you’re carrying a boy. = GIRL
Checking Out Your Wee!
Ooooookay…. now apparently if you have bright yellow urine, then you’re carrying a boy, but if it’s dull / clear, then you’re carrying a girl. On a serious note though, if you have dark urine, up your fluids intake as you may be dehydrated. Depends on how much water I had that day... = GIRL
What Does Your Belly Look Like?
A basketball or a watermelon? Because if it looks more like a basketball, then old wives say boy, but if it more resembles a watermelon then it’s a girl. = GIRL
Hairy Legs?
Has the hair on your legs grown faster than normal? Or has it grown just like normal? Because if it’s growing faster than it did pre-pregnancy, then you’re said to be having a boy. = GIRL

......pretty sure we are having a GIRL :)

~ Helpful Blog ~

Kevin found this awesome blog about Graves’ Disease, Hyperthyroidism & Thyroid Eye Disease. It is helping us understand what I am going through and she gives interesting insights about the "Grave's Disease Diet" and "Ways to improve your thyroid eye disease". Who knows whats true or what works...but at this point, I am willing to try anything!! Check it out: Grave's Disease Blog

Sunday, December 16, 2012

UPDATE: 20 WEEKS

How Far Along: 20 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 14lbs (weighing in at 112 lbs)
Nausea: Gone! Except for when some strong food smell is in our lunch room at work...they ordered in from some Tai restaurant, and normal I like the fried rice and cream cheese wontons, but form some reason, it all made me sick. And the whole building smelt of it. Yuck.
Mood Swings: I am definitely up and down again, due to my eye crap. It just makes me crabby when I am trying to get things done and I cant see :(
Food Cravings: Still nothing out of the ordinary. Just when someone talks about a kind of food and I am like "mmm that sounds good" I HAVE TO go get it or make it.
Other Symptoms: I never believed in "pregnancy brain" but I seem to be forgetting things lately...Kevin will sware he told me about something, and we will argue over whether he did or not, but now I am just coming to realization that he's right and I truly am just forgetting things. And at work, I have a few large on going projects that I switch around from and sometimes I will have absolutely no recollection of what I did the week before. Maybe because I just have too much on my mind :/ I have also had very itchy boobs and belly, no matter how much lotion/oil I put on it. I've been told to drink lots of water...but how much more can I really drink!? And then of course my blurry vision and swollen eye. If this eye crap would go away...maybe I could truly enjoy being pregnant!!!
Miss Anything: My symptom free body.
Sleep Time: 10pm week days and on the weekends I make it longer. I can actually make it through a whole movie now without falling asleep. Breaking Dawn Part 2, The Amazing Spiderman,  & The Dark Night Rises have been some great movies we've watched lately.
My Exercises: Still no motivation...does my monthly massage at Massage Envy count? Relaxing is an exercise, right? Ha
Fun Moment Since Last Update: My friend Courtney came over and took a few "pre-maternity" photos for our Christmas card and for our gender announcement this week :) Thankfully my eye cooperated!
Gender Idea: Girl
Maternity Clothes: On my Christmas list!
Labor Signs: None
Looking Forward To: We find out (confirm) gender this Wednesday at our mid-pregnancy ultrasound!!!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

MRI --> Grave's Eye Disease

This morning I had my first ever (and hopefully my last) MRI. It was not very fun. Thankfully it went pretty quick...I was probably only in the tube 15-20 minutes. But the fact that I had to sit perfectly still or else the pictures would be blurry was tough for me because I am a fidgeter. And he kept talking about how I couldn’t move, and asking if I am okay and it’s like “Okay just get on with it!” because otherwise I kept thinking about not being able to move, which made me want to move even more, hahaha! I don’t know what the point of turning music on is because you can’t really even hear it. The sounds were very loud and irritating, but I just kept going over my weekly to-do-list in my head to keep my mind off what was going on. Kevin came in at the beginning to see the machine and learn about the magnetic field and what I had to do, and then waited for me in the lobby. He is such a trooper being by my side through all this!! I just love him :)  :)  In the end, I guess the MRI wasn’t that bad. Just glad its over and done with.

Turns out, it is good news and bad news...my optometrist just informed me that it is only 1 of the 6 muscles around my eye that is swollen, the "inferior rectus", and yes-caused by my Grave's antibodies. When its swollen, the muscle wont release, which is causing my eyelid to stay retracted back and I have double vision when I look up. He now wants to me to also do the "visual field test" to make sure the optic nerve is fine. Which he thinks it is (since only 1 muscle is swollen), but wants the test to be done in case it ever gets worse (6 months or 5 years from now), that way he has a baseline to compare it to. He then explained that the swelling should go down on its own over time, but might not until I am done being pregnant. And he doesnt want to prescribe me steriod inflamation drops to fix the swelling because I am pregnant...but that is something I can talk over with my OB Dr, and if she okays them, then I can go that route. For now he says to just take Tylenol for the pain, and I am also a bit near sided in that right eye (which was noted back in 2007, so seperte to this disease) so he is writing me a precription for glasses if I want to fix my vision - which I do, but that still wont fix the swollen, bulging, double vision until the antibodies subside, which might not be til May!!

I am actually beginning to feel a bit better about it all...finally knowing what it is. At least its not a tumor and I am not going to lose my vision, and its not afffecting the baby. I did call my OB nurse line, and I will probably try the steriod eye drops, as I guess the placenta filters the steriods. I am just tired of all this crap and want to move on... I have to remember, God never promised anyone perfect health, and so I guess I could have it a lot worse.

Dont judge my crazy fly-aways or bushy eyebrows :)  I know this is a very unattractive pic...but you can see where its swollen and how the eyelid is retracted, making me look like I'm widening one eye, but I am not. Its stuck like that :(  Sexy, I know, right!?

Monday, December 10, 2012

Endo explanation...

This morning I called into to my Endocrinologist because I hadn’t heard back from any of the messages I sent him through “My Charts”. I realize I sent them late last Friday afternoon after I got his response about not thinking my eye issues have anything to do with my thyroid…but I wanted more clarification to make sure doing the MRI is the right thing to do here, and if it truly could be my antibodies affecting it since I recently just tested positive for Grave’s antibodies. He actually had an opening to meet with him in person today at noon, so I took it.

Now after the appointment with him I feel better about what’s probably happening to me. He explained that there was some miscommunication with his nurse to him (either way I think he quick half-assed his answer back to me) but he does agree this very likely is my Grave’s Disease/Hyperthyroidism, which has now turned into Grave’s Eye Disease. In Grave’s, the body makes antibodies that attack the thyroid, which we already took care of that problem, but now they are attacking the muscles behind my eye and the surrounding tissues, causing them to enlarge or swell. This usually occurs within 18 months before or after the diagnosis of Grave’s Disease. Wish he would have told me this when I was diagnosed, but whatever… So the swollen muscles behind my eye are pushing my eyeball forward, causing it to bulge out. Not pretty, I know. It is also affecting the muscles that control my eyelid retracting so the bulging of the eye appears worse. Not only am I experiencing pain because of the pressure behind my eye, but I am having sensitivity to light and double vision when I look up or out to my right.

Kevin and I were able to ask my Endo Dr lots and lots of questions to understand how and why this is happening and what’s to be expected for me in the future, and how or if this will affect our baby…so we are at some peace with our minds. But the MRI will tell the truth tomorrow, and the ophthalmologist will diagnose it and decide on the treatment. Right now I am expecting the worse, but hoping for the best. Wish me luck…

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Feel those kicks? Baby's gonna be a soccer player!

Haha, love Billy Madison :) On a happier note...I have been feeling baby movement all week! Super cool!! I am 19 weeks today, but should say I started feeling them here and there during week 17. At that point I still thought it was indigestion or a weird muscle twitch, but now this past week 18, they are way more apparent! So far they are mostly just during the day (all day as I sit at my desk) and not so much at night…yet.

Last Friday I went in for another ultrasound with my mom, and even she felt baby move under her camera :) "Oh, hi baby" ...she's looking right as us!

Friday, December 7, 2012

OB Dr Appt - 18 weeks

Yesterday we had another OB Dr appointment. It was Kevin’s first time meeting Dr Larissa Nelson. He thought she was more thorough and upbeat than our last Dr, so we are happy with that. The appointment was quick. I weighed 113lbs. Blood pressure 110 over 70. And baby’s heart rate was 140. We also looked over my recent thyroid test result which was at 0.47 (for pregnancy they want it to be between 0.2 and 2.0) so YAY my thyroid is continuing on at a normal level!! But hey, if its not one thing, its something else... She noticed my eye was still swollen and recommended me to get into see the eye Dr as soon as possible to figure out what’s causing it. So I called right as I left, and was able to get in for an appt late afternoon – Park Nicollet in St Louis Park. I saw optometrist Dr Johnson. He ran all sorts of tests on me, and in the end said he could see my right eyeball is bulging out, possibly due to fluid behind it, but he didn’t know what could be causing it. He mentioned he thinks it could have something to do with my thyroid but wanted to talk with the surgeon/ophthalmologist downstairs… So I met him downstairs, but the ophthalmologist was already gone for the day. He took down my cell # and said he would call me after he spoke with him in the morning.

Today, I had not heard from Dr Johnson by the noon hour, so I called my Endocrinologist Dr Damberg to let him know what Dr Johnson had said. Of course I only got to talk with his nurse, and she was going to ask him what he thought and then call me back. She didn’t call back until about 3pm, in which she told me that he said “Since my thyroid levels are perfect, the thyroid hormone shouldn’t be the cause of fluid behind the eye.” 20 minutes later, Dr Johnson calls me back to say he spoke with Dr Rykis the ophthalmologist, and he wants me to have an MRI of the area around the eye to for sure tell what is causing it, and again suggests it’s probably a cause of my thyroid. I then explained that I just heard back from my Endo and he doesn’t think that’s the cause. Dr Johnson continued on to say that “even though my levels are normal right now, doesn’t mean the antibodies aren’t causing it.” So wtf!?? Whats wrong with me? And is an MRI okay when I am pregnant? I had to call my OB nurse to find out. And I guess it is just a magnetic image of the head, no radiation, and they aren’t doing it with contrast (no dye in my blood) and although they don’t have any statistics on what it does to pregnant woman, they do them routinely. I just have to sign some wavier. Whatever. I am just in tears of pain, fear and frustration.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Kitchen backsplash

Kevin finally jumped on the backsplash train and installed it in 3 days!! Saw this glass tile on sale at Menards and we finally just made a decision and went for it. It turned out real nice. Yay its done :)