Anyone for a novel?

This weekend has been fun and full of surprises. Joseph got together in SLC with a bunch of friends he grew up with. They had been planning this for at least a month now and I was happy for him to go but then the thought of me not having a husband or a car was SCARY! So he dropped me off with a friend in St. George. She has a boy Ella's same age so they had fun playing. Ella spent hours playing in their sandbox. She loved getting to go outside in the back yard and play with real toys instead of the broken glass, dead pigeons, cigarette butts, and used bandaids we have at our awesome community playground. Alissa and I did a lot of very necessary shopping. I haven't shopped for myself in a very long time and boy did it feel good.

Friday was pretty eventful. I woke up feeling cramps and continued to feel them all day long. I'm pretty sure guys don't read this so I'm just gonna say...the only time I've ever felt these cramps were either on my period or when I was in labor with Ella. I didn't think much of it and just figured that they were Braxton Hicks contractions. I always worry and work myself up over things that really are no big deal so I thought, "well, there's no blood so I'm sure I just have a stomach ache or something." We were going to the library so I went to the bathroom before we left and I saw what I thought might be a tint of blood. Again, just thought I was imagining things so I blew it off. We took the kids out to eat and then to toddler time at the library. We were just about to go shopping when I took Ella to the bathroom and had to go too. This time there was no mistaking it. I saw blood and lots of it. I didn't freak out though. I just went out and told my friend about it, who suggested that I call my doctor. (by the way, the whole time I'm still feeling the contractions) It wasn't till my doctor told me to get to labor and delivery right away that I started to freak. I wasn't even in Las Vegas and Joseph was 4 hours away! I called Joseph in Salt Lake to tell him what was going on and I couldn't even tell him what was happening with out breaking down crying. All I could think about was having a premature baby with a low birth weight being stuck for 8 weeks in a hospital in a whole other state. So after dropping off my friend's little boy with his dad we went to labor and delivery with Ella. They strapped me up to a fetal heart monitor and all this other stuff. The nurses kept telling me that according to the monitor, I wasn't having contractions. I was like, "how can that be?? I'm having one right this second." So they ran some more tests and we sat there for 3 1/2 HOURS! before they told me what was going on. Poor Ella did sooooo good! (with some help of Alissa, candy, cookies and crackers) She was so tired that she would giggle and play and then get down on the floor and lay down right there. Then POP back up and play. We didn't even have toys for her. So yeah, she did awesome. Anyway, when the nurse finally came back they determined that I had a really bad urinary tract infection and I was peeing blood and the contractions weren't uterine contractions, they were bladder spasms! Holy smokes! So now I'm on antibiotics and some pain meds for the spasms. I was a little annoyed that I had to go through all that and put my daughter and husband through all of that just to find out it was a UTI but the nurse told me that it was actually good that I went in b/c the infection was so bad that it would've put me in premature labor and I would've gone in that weekend anyway. (pretty crazy that it was "that bad" b/c I never felt the normal signs of a UTI) It was such a relief to be able to call Joseph and let him know things were ok, baby is healthy and he doesn't have to rush home. --Then of COURSE the next day I'm getting Ella out of her car seat, didn't watch my footing and fell into a storm drain! They weren't kidding when they said pregnant women are clumsy. :) I was holding Ella when it happened so I was trying to fall gracefully so she didn't get hurt and the baby wouldn't get hurt. I ended up rolling my ankle and landing on my own foot. I didn't want it to spoil the day. We were on our way to the park at the time so I decided to be tough and shake it off. We went to the park with the kids, took them home for lunch and naps, then went out for shopping on our own. By that night I was getting the full effect of twisting my ankle. I had to elevate it and lay it on a cold pack all night and even through the night. It's been a little tender but I've never been known to be able to just stay in one spot for too long so needless to say, I'm still trying to shake it off. :)
In other news....
When we came home we put Ella in a BIG GIRL BED! I was so nervous about this. She usually plays for about an hour in her crib after we put her to bed. I also usually read a "how to" book when it comes to starting something new with Ella. I mean, I'm a first time mom. I don't know how to do these things. I get so nervous that if I do things wrong then it will back fire and be harder to try and do it the next time, ya know? Anyway, I picked a little advice from a bunch of different people and took down her crib right before a long weekend trip. So that when we came back she'd have a whole new room. We got her a new quilt that we totally built up, she got to help her daddy take the crib down and we just made everything so exciting for her. Joseph and I went in and explained to her what was going on and what was expected of her. We read her stories, sang songs and said prayers. Then said goodnight and left. I sat outside her door too just in case she got up, she wouldn't have to come out and find us and I could just redirect her back to bed. She only got up once and I told her to go right back to bed. She did and stayed there! She did roll around in the blankets for like an hour but stayed in the bed. I was even so proud of her sitting on her bed and yelling for me to come get her b/c she had to go potty. Tonight was no different. She cried a little when we left the room but stayed in bed! YAY!

She looks so little in such a big bed!



ps:
For those of you who have asked....I doubt I'll be having a baby shower. I'm pretty much set on clothes and things like that. Although I have registered at Babies R Us for last minute things, things that need replacing and some necessities. You never really realize the things you need until AFTER your first baby. lol There were so many things popping up now that I think, "wow, I wish I had that when Ella was a newborn." :) One cool thing about Babies R Us is that you don't have to pay shipping, you can just have it sent to the store by me and I pick it up.