Happy Thoughts Needed

So, a few people around here know that---and a few people over at Ace's place---rabid commenters Russ from Winterset and his wife, The Lovely Janis, will soon be adding to Winterset's population by one. Yep. You read that right. They're knocked up and are due in April.

A few weeks back, I received an email from Janis, from the hospital, where she was incarcerated with a mild case of pre-eclampsyia. Since the baby was only at twenty-eight weeks or thereabouts at the time, the doctors were concerned enough to start injecting steroids, to develop the baby's lungs should he/she/it be born prematurely, and for Janis to have been put on bed rest until the birth. She's ok'ed for me to share where she's at, and since I received another email from her the other day, I'll use her words instead of mine:

So here is that latest on me and Baby H---I had a doctor’s appointment Tuesday and the BP was up (140/98) when I went in and after a hour of doing the non-stress test on the baby (which is listening to the baby's heartbeat by hooking up monitors around my belly and recording the heart rate, when the baby kicks and if I have contractions - the heart rate is great 158, the baby kicks and moves a bunch and I have not had any contractions which is really good) my BP had dropped to 138/80. The swelling in my feet and hands are back, but not to the extreme they were two weeks ago. No protein in my urine for the 2nd time too which is good. I know when I have done too much -- my head starts to feel fuzzy and I need to go put my feet up and either read, sleep, do counted cross-stitch, finish the baby blankets I am making for friends, check the internet or see what is crappy TV has on. {...} I don’t have to go back to the doctor till next Wednesday.

We are at 31 weeks, and doctor’s first goal is 34 weeks. The doctor tells me that the pre-eclampsia can get worse for no reason so we will have to be ready for anything. Or the symptoms will stay in check as they are now and we will go as far as the Doctor deems safe – probably around 37 weeks. So it’s a week to week thing right now. My goal this week is to at least have a bag packed for me that we can grab and go if needed.

So, since Janis has to go back to the doctor tomorrow, join me in wishing her and Russ (who seems to be preoccupied by thoughts of bacon right about now) the best of luck and sending the three of them happy thoughts/prayers/good karma that everything continues to go well (or at least be uneventful from here on in) and that they make it to thirty-seven weeks.

The only thing that I would recommend for Russ to do is to take all the sharp implements and keep them out of Janis' reach, so that when the Ginsu commercials start getting to be too much, she doesn't pick up one of her own knives to prove that, yes, her knives CAN TOO CUT THROUGH A TIN CAN, whilst shouting, "NO ONE NEEDS A FRIGGIN' GINSU FOR THAT!"

Because my friends, I think it goes without saying that Ginsu Derangement Syndrome (GDS) is a side-effect of sitting on your ass and being forced to watch too much tee vee. Janis is at high risk for this. She needs our prayers and well wishes. Send them to her in the comments. (You can send them to Russ, too, because I'm fairly certain he's going to need them as well. You try keeping a knife out of a determined pregnant woman's hands. )