I ♥ My Superior Geek Skillz

I’m back!!!  I actually sat on my couch with my tea service tray on my lap, my computer repair toolbox next to me and took apart my laptop.  I suspected that the water spill totally killed my trackpad and caused the problem where I couldn’t boot up any more.  The BIOS had no option to disable the trackpad via that method, so I wanted to try to manually disconnect the flex circuit from the motherboard and try that.  I figured, “Hey, I’ve got nothing to lose at this point.” 

I would have just bought another laptop at any other time (my current one is about 6 years old), but I wanted to “get my geek on” and I have a really specific laptop in mind to replace this old one.  It will have the next leap in CPU technology with a quad-core processor (instead of the current dual-core).  This will allow me to do both digital photography and advanced video and editing with my laptop.  I can only do this on my big horking desktop right now.  I spilled the water on this laptop in early March and the next gen laptop is rumored to come out in April or May 2010. 

Getting to the trackpad connection was a total bitch. I had to remove all screws (except for those that hold the screen together), disconnect the screen from the motherboard and chassis, remove all peripherals (optical drive, RAM, hard drive, and wifi card), remove all plastic covers, doors, disconnect and reroute all internal wires and cables.  Luckily I had another laptop with a schematic of the internals nearby.  I took a good forty minutes to get the danged thing apart when finally I disconnected the flex cable leading from the trackpad to the motherboard.  *WHEW*

Next it took another forty minutes to get the blasted thing put together again.  I left a few panels off, didn’t finish tightening all the screws (a computer nerd’s Hail Mary trick), plugged it in and hit the exposed ON button at the top of the circuit board

THE LAPTOP BOOTED RIGHT UP!  I logged in to my account, got on the network, checked a few pages on the internet, then shut down.  YAY!!!!  I finished assembling all the final pieces, had MrBeep get a trackball mouse from the other room and voila, I am back in the virtual world.  Now I can check DrGoogle all I want, watch my netflix stuff, get a little facebook amusement, play games, and most importantly, post and keep up with the ALI community.  Me = Happycamper.

I talked to the grrrl monsters all the way through the process.  There were kicking around and jostling the tea tray with the parts in response.  I will absolutely teach them how to troubleshoot and repair computers when they grow up. Girl Geeks Unite!

26 - A hard won week

I had a rough week. Thanks to everyone who kindly checked on me. Thursday morning started off with another big bleeding episode and contractons that sent me back to Labor and Delivery. I was checked on my by ObDoc and DrGav. The babies heartbeats were good, they were wiggling and jiggling about with all of the excitement and whatnot going on outside. It was decided after consulting ultrasound that the placenta previa was definiately still around and between its moving and bleeding another big clot had formed. When enough backed up, my uterus contracted hard to expel this unwanted material. I had felt achy and had a minor amount of spotting the two days before, so now I know what to look for if it happens again. This is possible as there are new clots that form and I still spot and the previa isn't gone.

Did I mention how much this sucks?

I was admitted to the hospital for observation and to receive steriod shots for the babies' lungs. We were at a critical stage, 25w6d so no one wanted to take any chances. The shots were administered and my bleeding mostly disappeared within the day. I only live 2.4 miles from my hospital, so we all decided I would be fine resting and recovering at home.

My laptop has not yet been recovered, I may not be able to fix it. This setback takes away a huge amount of my coping skills. I can't reach out to the ALI community easily (I have been able to keep up a little on my cell phone's web browser), I can't play computer games to pass the time, I can't research baby items or medical things, I can't use netflix watch instantly. I've been reading a little and doing puzzles to occupy my mind and pass the time. I watch minutes and hours and days tick by. My next big goal is 28 weeks, only 10 days to go on my countdown.

Since we know how important the next couple of months are, we decided that I needed someone with me. My MIL and FIL have stepped up for babysitting me on Mon/Wed/Fri, my friend Mike is being paid for babysitting me on Tues/Thursday. MrBeep takes care of me in the mornings, evenings and weekends. I am so lucky to have all this support. I really appreciate everyone' s care and help. Having the company of others during the day is also so very wonderful after so many months of being relatively isolated. The last few days have flown by.

I had my checkups at the ObDoc and MFM today. Everything is looking about the same, holding steady. The babies are looking bigger, but I won't get new measurements for a few more weeks. I got a couple of really great 3D images of their faces today that made my heart melt. Another thing that really helped me make it through this hell week was when I was lying on my side one day with my hand on the edge of my belly near my hip. I felt Wiggles (Baby A) raise her hand and drag it along my hand. The touch was so distinct and delicate. It just melted my heart. So many of the things they do now, what sounds they react to, make me just want so very much to get to know them.

And now for things that made me happy this week. Getting to week 26! Also I am overjoyed at mekate's great ultrasound and heartbeat at 8 weeks, MrsG has gotten a BFP and is working on a halfling of her very own, Sprogblogger has reached the 2nd trimester, Mo has had an excellent number of blasts to test, K at Invitro Veritas has made it to 28+ weeks and is describing her current situation as "boring", Sunny has made it through more than 10 weeks of bedrest and is up and about at more than 36 weeks with her twin boys, and finally Kate at Impatiently Waiting had her gorgeous little girl.

Whoopsie x 3

#1 - I fell sleep on the couch yesterday and woke up startled when the phone rang. I knocked over an entire 16 oz glass of water onto my laptop. The keyboard and trackpad aren't working so far. I'll give it another couple of days to dry out. I won't be able to comment on blogs, but I may be able to read them via my palm pre. (I am writing this on my phone.)

#2 - I shouldn't have posted so soon about no spotting or cramps because it came back on Monday. I feel much better today but am once again on the couch resting for most of the day.

#3 - Flunked my diabetes test, so now I have GD. I'm pretty pissed off about it, but given the fact that I have a family history of Type 2 on both sides of the family AND I have twins (2 placentas = twice the hormones) I am not surprised.

Sorry I won't be able to keep up on commenting for a while. Hope I have hit my whoopsie limit for the week. ;-)

This week’s things that made me happy

Today is 25w2d.  Getting to 25 weeks makes me happy, another week down, only 13 more to go.

I get to feel both grrl monsters squirming around every day, sometimes they react to sounds.  I find that really neat.  They have kicked MrBeep in the back a few times when we lay down for bedtime.  We both giggle at this.

I have been able to run a few errands this week without pain, cramping or bleeding. 

I played games with my friends on Friday. 

I’m happy to know that Lisa at Meinsideout is cuddling her little ones, Sunny has made it to 35 weeks, K at Waiting for Sunflower made 32 weeks and is buying goodies for baby, Kate at Impatiently Waiting has good reason to be impatient at 41w2d, Mo had a great retrieval with many embryos going strong, Rotten and JJ get to have fun at a birthday party.  Whew!  A good week.

I received my fabulous new socks from the 2010 Sock It To Me!  I will do a full post later this week with pictures too.

I got to take my MIL and FIL to my 24 week growth ultrasound.  They were ecstatic.  MrBeep is an only child, these will be their only shot at grandkids.  The excitement and love is really fun to be around.

The 24 growth scan went great, and here are a few pics to round of the end of a week of things that made me happy.

   The belly view at 25 weeks.

Baby A (Wiggles)                     and                            Baby B (Pip)

I also got the very first opportunity for the 3D scan to work while their hands weren’t obscuring their faces.  Seeing these images really surprised me.  It just made me so happy. 

Baby A (Wiggles)                     and                            Baby B (Pip)

You’re doing good my little grrl monsters.  Happy and squirmy and bouncy and warm.  Stay in safe and sound for as long as you can.  Grow and grow.  Mommy hopes to see you both in 3 months.

I’m sending good thoughts and wishes to mekate for her scan tomorrow and Sprogblogger for her checkup too.  Also giving a gentle hug to One Who Understands who has OHSS but is on the mend.  Now it’s time to go off to bed and meditate on good things, keeping my heart in a place of joy and peace.

Checkups and Ultrasounds and Migrations

I went to my ObDoc appointment, the Grrl Monster’s heartbeats sounded good, the ginormous belly is measuring well, blood pressure staying steady.  The swab showed I have a minor infection starting, so I have been put on antibiotics, this was expected since I had been bleeding in the last week and both of my docs called blood “an excellent culture medium” for bacteria.  I have finally gained some weight.  WOOT!  I hadn’t gained anything in the past 5 weeks, despite eating good food pretty much all day long.  I am finally up 15 lbs (I don’t count the pre-pregnancy 2xIVF meds additional 10 lbs). Now, I’m not some frail petite little thing, so I have plenty of “maternal stores” if needed.  I did the gestational diabetes (GD) test where you drink the kool-aid stuff and then they draw your blood an hour later to see if you seem to have GD.  I haven’t received any results yet, but hope to find out more by the end of the week.  I’ve heard and read the whiney horror stories of people who do this test and you know what?  The kool-aid type extremely sugary beverage they make you drink is no big deal (I opted for “fruit punch” flavor).  Is it really sweet?  Yes.  Is it too sweet?  Yes.  Would you buy this as a favorite beverage in a convenience store?  No. Is it something worth making a big deal about?  Eh…no.  So if you have this test coming up, drink up, shudder a bit and say “Wow. That drink sucks.” and then move on with your day/life.  All I hope is that I don’t have GD and can skip having yet another “high risk” moniker on my chart thankyouverymuch.

After my ObDoc appointment, I went over the the MFM for my 24 week growth ultrasound.  I want to write more about this and post some pics, so the quick and short news is that everyone is OK.  I’m fine, the grrls are fine and growing really good 1lb 12 oz and 1lb 14 oz (in the 74th and 80th percentile).  Cerclage is holding really well, and now for the biggest news…

THE PLACENTA PREVIA HAS MOVED OFF THE CERVIX ENTIRELY!!!!

A lot of the achiness I have been feeling down low for several months has disappeared.  I had those last two big bleeding episodes and haven’t had anything but a bit of brown spotting since.  The ultrasound showed another blood clot above the internal cervical os, but hopefully once that is gone the bleeding episodes will be too.

I’m getting so excited for those who are so close to meeting their little ones.  Kate at Impatiently Waiting and Lisa at Meinsideout.  It’s so amazing to know that the end is in sight and they’ll meet their heart’s desire soon.  Wishing you both all the best for a safe and happy delivery.

Countoff Days 3, 2, 1 – Previa Problems

To be totally honest, I had an episode of bleeding over the weekend that DrGav told me to expect.  After the ultrasound in the hospital, they found a pocket of blood and clots just behind my internal os.  His opinion is this is due to my placenta previa moving.  After his diagnosis and letting me know it would happen, about 8 hours later I bled red with clots and then brown spotting and then after a day it stopped.  “OK” I thought, “Good riddance, now I’m done with it.”  They are now classifying this now as a partial previa.  I guess if I am lucky it may move entirely away from my cervix and all bleeding will stop. 

Day 3 was uneventful really.  I just relaxed, watched some TV and did a little writing.  So boring, that I decided to combine it with another day, but that ended up being complicated.

On Day 2 the morning and afternoon were a little dull.  I put myself on a fairly strict bed rest because I had my 2nd class for the Labor and Birth Preparation Multiples in the evening.  I went to the class, it included a little more of the same lame DVD, but it did cover a few things I found somewhat useful in talking about hospital intervention and pain medication policy.  Instead of the 2.5 hours it took, I could have just read it in a FAQ and asked about 2 questions, but that’s just me.  I was uncomfortable and eventually tired and cranky.  I just wanted to go home.  A few hours after I got home, I started to feel crampy and even had a couple of strong contractions.  I went to bed, laying on my left side and drank a couple of glasses of water.  Every hour after midnight I would have a couple of contractions, not enough to go to the hospital, but enough to concern us. I could feel both babies squirming away, with the one on the bottom really having an acrobatic circus in there. Finally at 4:30 am I had some bleeding, it was same as the weekend and after that and since all contractions have gone away. 

I called my ObDoc first thing in the morning on Day 1, they got in touch with DrGav’s office and I was in for an ultrasound in the early afternoon.  The ultrasound confirmed both babies seemed to be doing fine, had nice strong heartbeats.  Placentas seemed fine too and the lower one was moving some more.  A new clot and amount of blood was sitting behind the cerclage stitch (it was still holding strong) but it does make an environment where blood can pool and then clot.  If there is enough to irritate the uterus, that is what cause the contractions.  I am back on medication to prevent contractions and hopefully this bleeding will stop soon.  DrGav will see me again on Tuesday and said that if he sees any more bleeding that makes him concerned, he will check me into the hospital just in case.  He congratulated me for getting to week 24, but reminded me that these next few weeks are critical for the babies.

I didn’t want to just write about doom and gloom and worry.   I didn’t want to keep my mind in that place, so I just skipped blogging and reading.  I found that this doesn’t really work.  I miss giving and getting support.  I’m glad I finished my first important countdown.  I am happy I have made it at least to week 24, but the worry will continue to be with me for many weeks to come.  I will take things extra extra super easy.  I put myself on modified bedrest, I stay on the couch all day until MrBeep gets home.  I am alone most all of my waking hours and I am so lonely sometimes. It’s hard not to dwell on fear and problems and worry.  I try to keep positive and optimistic. I talk to the grrl monsters when they are wiggling around, I let them know how hard I am trying to keep them safe. Now only 14 more weeks to go. ;-) As the universe continues to spin and time ticks forward, I will see each day as a blessing, each week as a triumph. 

Countoff Day 4 – Labor & Birth Multiples Class

Most of my Day 4 was spent going through some film logging business with the movie I had been working on back in Oct. and Nov.  I was a bit frustrated with communication problems and technical difficulties but I guess it’s a good thing because many hours zoomed past.  I also took care of some bill and insurance stuff, not exciting, but strangely enough I liked marking a few things off my to do list for the day.  All of this was easily done from a reclining position, I promised myself that I would take things extremely easy and am doing OK so far. I’m feeling great, babies seem to be happily jostling around. 

I saved a lot of energy because this evening was our first class offered by the hospital.  It’s official name “Labor and Birth Preparation – Multiples”.  It’s a two hour class held on 3 days – Monday (3/1), Wednesday (3/3) and Monday (3/8).  Did I find the class useful…eh…not so far.  Seems like if they require you to be at least 5-6 months along, its a waste of time to explain to us what twins are, fraternal vs. identical, etc.  Honestly this is the “basics” class, so I will be a bit more patient.  The next class should cover more specific stuff about this hospital’s rules on pain medication, intervention, etc.  They showed a bit of a lame DVD and the documentarian side of my brain kept going over about a thousand different ways I could have made the video more useful. I opted out of “floor exercises” which consisted of laying on your side and breathing slowly for 5 minutes.  I will note that they had the least comfortable chairs in the world to sit in and my preggo ass was turning quite numb despite having to move and slide and jostle for any position that would seem OK for more than 10 minutes.

I look forward tomorrow to catching up on blogs, until then I feel a stranger in a strange land.