Finallys....

Finally...I am down to single digit weeks until little Cooper is here, 9 weeks to go!

Finally...My PUPPS is under control, AGAIN, only to be tapered off steroids, AGAIN, we will see how long that really lasts.

Finally...I am in my last week of work before I have two weeks off to rest and relax! Thank God I work for a school system!

Finally...Cody, my little brother and BFF, will be here on Saturday for 10 days! It has been since September since he has seen my ever growing tummy!

Finally...John and I finished up registering at the last place, Target! Of all days to go, we went on last Saturday, what were we thinking! It was quite the trip! All of their scanners were not charged so we had to wait a few minutes. Once we got started it kept telling us, low battery only to die right when we were speed racingly done! I printed out a copy of the registry only to discover there were two items I did not scan. I immediately questioned John since his favorite thing to do is scan odd things we do not need. He swears he did not scan these two items that remain on the list: A pepper mill and an 80 count pack of Hemorrhoid wipes! Hahaha. Neither one I need!

Finally...I finished up all my Christmas shopping, only to have all the presents laying out on our guest bed, not one single one of them wrapped. I have really thought a lot about going in there to wrap them but then I don't!

Finally...I decorated our huge Christmas tree since it was only staring at me bare for two weeks.

Finally...All the bedding for Cooper's room came in! It looks awesome and I am so excited to post pictures! Just not yet since a few minor things are missing, pictures on the wall!

Finally...I am really starting to feel him move. He is all over the place and has even had the hiccups a few time, at least that's what I think it is!

Finally...I have updated my blog!!! :)

It's Back....

Well we had a very interesting Thanksgiving! My PUPPS came back! I was down to 1 steroid a day and it started to come back...ARRRHHH!!! I called my faithful dermatologist and he got me in right away last week. I am back to taking 3 steroid pills a day now. Within the last few weeks I have had terrible acne breakouts on my face, neck, and chest. It is awful. The dermo said it is most likely from the steroid (John compares me to a pro athlete that takes steroids, which always have acne breakouts--Barry Bonds, haha). I do think that the higher dosage is clearing it all up a bit. The only terrible side effect that is catching up with me being on the steroids is the bloating. My face and neck are really starting to suffer. My 18" chain is getting too tight so I need to switch to a 20" chain, yuck! My mom told my brother that the best comparison for how I look is like a pro wrestler! Geez, thanks mom! I go for a follow-up this week.

I am continuing to do Acupunture and having my back adjusted. Although it is not keeping the PUPPS under control without the steroid, it is giving me a lot more energy. Over the break, I was up everyday no later than 7:30am! This is amazing for anyone who knows me I am a terrible morning person and never get up before 10:00!

I am slowly getting into the Christmas spirit! I have my decorations up (although it has taken over a week) but not my main Christmas tree. I just stare at it and cannot pull myself to do all that work it takes to decorate. I have a great start on my shopping although I definitely cannot hang like I used to. All this weight I am carrying is catching up to me.

This Friday will be 30 weeks! I cannot believe I have only 10 weeks to go! The countdown is definitely on. I also go this week for the gestational diabetes test, which will register I have it no matter what due to the lovely steroids. I can't wait to experience that!

Last Week

I am getting so far behind at posting blogs, sorry about that I know you are all dying to know exactly what is going on in the lives of John and Courtney McFadden...haha. Last Friday night we went to finally register at Babies R Us. Oh my, it was so overwhelming and took at least 2 1/2 hours to do but we did it and what a relief to have that out of the way. It was a lot of fun and of course John really enjoyed scanning everything, from things we need to my head and purse!

Saturday John's family visited and we celebrated his sister, Emily's birthday! We had a great dinner at P.F. Chang's and yummy cake afterwards.

I had my 6 month check-up at my OB/GYN on Monday morning. I was already to go to work first then leave to go to my appointment. I got into my Envoy only to find that the battery was complete dead, nothing was working! I was panicking. I called AAA and they were on their way but I was afraid I would not make it to the doctor. I called my sister-in-law to see if she would take me if necessary. Her husband is off on Mondays and was on our side of town so if I needed him he would come and take me....haha. Luckily, AAA came early and I was able to make it on time! Although having Barron take me to my OB/GYN appointment would have been a great story to blog about!

Everything looked great at the doctor. My blood pressure was down drastically which means no bed rest! There was still blood in my urine but instead of protein this time it was sugar. I could not do all my lab work since I still have 2 weeks left of my steroid and it would cause all the tests to be inaccuarate. So we will be doing all those the week before Christmas. My "skin condition" continues to improve each day! I will be posting the improvement pictures soon. I am still doing Acupuncture once to twice a week.

I made a return to my water aerobic class on Tuesday. It was so relaxing and a great time! John went to his first IU home basketball game that night. They won by 3 points. he is really looking forward to their season this year with such a fresh start. I had dinner with my high school BFF Lyndi. We went to my favorite new restaurant, Noodles and Company. It was fun hanging out and eating the yummy food!

This past weekend was just as busy for us but I will wait a few days to post a blog with pictures. I don't want to have too much up at one time..:)

Rough Week

It has been a little bit of a rough week for me. It started out great! I had an appointment with my Dermatologist on Monday afternoon. Of course when he walked in he called me "the mystery" since I have everyone stumped over my "condition"! He was overwhelmed by how great my skin is looking and healing! So he has decided to taper me off the steroids. I expressed my concern if it came back but he reassured me that if it does he won't let it get as bad as it was. So I have a month left of the steroid to take. Monday night, I had dinner with my college friends, Beth and Allison, at Creation's Cafe downtown. It was great catching up!

On Tuesday I had a dentist appointment at John's office. It was great to visit his girls! My teeth looked excellent and no cavities! Afterwards we went to a steakhouse where once again I had an 8 oz filet that was fantastic!

Wednesday, I called my OB/GYN to check on my appointment for next week for the Gestational Diabetes test. Since I am on the steroids it will register positive no matter what so we are postponing it. I told the RN that my Blood Pressure has been a little high lately so they wanted me to come in for a checkup. When I went in my BP was 130/90, with protein and blood in my urine. They were a little concerned. She told me it could be from the steroid or not. We discussed possible bed rest soon and that I need to take it easy! Hopefully I will not have to be put on bed rest yet, it is still so early. I go to see my doctor on Monday so I will know a lot more then.

Wedding Time!

John had yet another eventful weekend. It was his cousin, Mark's wedding in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He had a great time hanging out with all the other weekend bachelors. Congratulations Mark and Jessica. You both looked amazing!

I decided a few weeks ago that I wasn't going to be able to go with my "skin condition" so I went

to Mitchell to have a relaxing weekend with my family. My body is looking incredibly better each day. I still have many scabs from the scratching but they are slowly fading away. I am starting to see a different in my face and neck due to all the steroids. I think I am going to have to buy a new chain for my necklace just to be able to wear it!

I really hated that I didn't get to go with him to the wedding but I think it was better for all of us. My only request was that he took a lot pictures and to keep me updated on everything. So he did an excellent job of calling frequently, even to tell me he lost his car keys at the front counter of the hotel, of course!

Tomorrow I am going back to the Dermatologist for the first time in two weeks and for the first time since Acupuncture. I am anxious to see what he will say. For dinner I am meeting two of my really close friends from college, Beth (the newly engaged BFF) and Allison (the "experienced mama"). I cannot wait to catch up and visit! We always have a great time together!

Red Meat, Needles & Water...Who Needs More?

For anyone who knows me very well I am a strange eater and somewhat of a vegetarian! Since the beginning of my pregnancy I really haven't had any cravings. I have always loved the strange foods-pickles, vinegar, my strange concoctions and every condiment you can imagine. So this may come as a shock to many of you but I guess you can say that I have been craving RED MEAT and not just any red meat but steak! When my parents came to visit last weekend we went to Texas Roadhouse, upon my request, just so I could eat an 8 oz filet. Let me tell you I ate the entire thing! It was so good! I would say that is the only craving I get, so don't think that means all meat, still no seafood!

I had my third Acupuncture appointment on Monday. He could not believe how much better I am looking. It really is amazing the progress I have made. I am still not sure what is really working here but I am not giving anything up because I feel the best I have in a long time. I am even starting to feel Cooper move a lot more! My body must be doing well because I didn't feel any of the needles this time nor did any of them "stick!" I go again on Friday. I am going to post some new pictures of how much better it looks but wanted to wait until after Friday, which will be two weeks of Acupuncture.

On Tuesday night I went to sign up for Prenatal Water Aerobics at the YMCA here in Greenwood. It was a great experience that I am glad I went forward with. The water felt great and may have even helped my skin! It was definitely interesting being around other Preggers! Surprisingly I wasn't sore this morning. I will be looking forward to next week.

Weekend Update

Halloween has come and gone with all my fun decorations (it is my favorite holiday)! I had my second acupuncture appointment on Friday afternoon. It was the same, we aligned my chi! He put all the needles in the same places, hooked up the current and taped my feet (which was suppose to stay on all week but only lasted until that night) for 20 minutes. This time as I laid there completely still and somewhat strapped down I notice that I felt a few of the needles that I hadn't the first time. The nurse told me you will feel them sometime but not others. The ones that I felt and are harder to pull out are signs that I really needed them there. So I guess my chi was in need of attention. My afterthoughts on the two acupuncture appointments I had: I really do feel that I am starting to have more energy. I had a GREAT weekend-some minor itching but no hives/wheals what I am used to, I only took 4 Benadyl the whole time, and compared to what I looked like a few weeks ago I am 100% better looking, although it still looks bad. I have two more appointments scheduled for this coming week.

My mom came up to stay with me this weekend. She painted the baby room and helped me clean my house. Winston also made his comeback, he has been visiting his mamaw and papaw for the past two weeks while I tried to recover. The baby room turned out awesome and exactly as I wanted it to. I can't wait to see when the furniture arrives!

John had an eventful weekend as well. He was out on the town celebrating his cousin Mark's Bachelor Party. They dressed up as Draculas with face paint and all. He had a good time and didn't return to their hotel room until 5:15AM! Who knew he could still stay out that late only his voice definitely could not handle it and hasn't been the same since.

I want to give a special Congratulations to my very best friend Beth and her new Fiance Matt! They got engaged on Saturday night. I am so excited for the both of them!

Winston and I caught up on some sleeping today. I really missed my little cuddle pug!

Puncture me!!!

Yesterday I had another Dermatology appointment. He removed my Colts blue stitches, maybe that's why they lost and reviewed the biopsy with me. It definitely came back as PUPPS, much to his surprise. He is having another person read it "just to make sure." He repeatedly told me how sorry he felt for me and wished that it was Scabies, again, just so he could cure it and give me relief. After scrapping more spots it came back negative for Scabies, of course. So he sent me on my way with 50mg of steroids a day, some compound cream I had to get at the pharmacy, and an increase of Benedryl, 4 pills at a time now. He didn't let me go without saying "that is the worst case of PUPPS I have ever seen!" and preceded to take his own pictures of me.

I was going to start prenatal water aerobics last night at the YMCA but I just could not do it. I was too embarrassed to be seen so "naked-like" in my fragile state! So hopefully with the help of EVERYTHING I am trying, next week I will look more presentable, with less clothes on.

Since I am at my whit's end on what to do for my "condition" (that's what everyone seems to be calling it)I decided I would try some alternative medicine. I went to see an Acupuncturist. It was quite the experience. The guy was also a Chiropractor so I felt it was safe. By no means am I a fan of needles but we are starting to be acquaintances. The office staff was extremely nice and sympathetic to my needs. First he discussed everything and then we got started. The first visit was to realign my chi. It was all about the chi today. So I laid down and had little needles come from the sides of my ears, 3 on each of my hands, 3 on my legs and feet. The last thing he did was wrap tape around my feet. Then he ran a pulsing current through a few of the needles. At first I really was unsure of what it felt like. Then as the 20 minutes continued on I started to feel relaxed and at ease. It never did hurt but felt odd. Once again I heard what a strange case I was and that it was going to be a great challenge. When my "aligning of the chi' was over I got up and felt different in a way, maybe it was that I was light head or just really wanting to feel something. I am still itching but maybe not as much? Time and chi-ness will only tell. He reassured me that he can manage my itching!

The Pregnancy Fun Begins!!

Hello Everyone!
I have decided to start a blog about my pregnancy! It started out great! I wasn't sick at all. I am now 5 1/2 months along! The great news is we are having a little boy, Cooper Jackson McFadden! I am starting to feel pregnant with my belly sticking out. I have only gained 7 pounds since getting pregnant!! All the drama/stress/misery began about 8 weeks ago. Here's the story: Before I got pregnant, after many fertility specialist visits I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and caused stretch marks on my stomach. The beginning of September (I was about 14 weeks along) the stretch marks became extremely irritated, itchy, and hurting. I went to my OB/GYN and she said it was nothing too serious. A few weeks after that I started to break out with a rash on my legs and arms that itched uncontrollably. I went back to my OB/GYN and was referred to a Dermatologist. He told me that I had contracted scabies from a one of my preschoolers that I work with daily. FANTASTIC! Who really gets scabies, I thought that it was only an urban legend? So I was put on a steroid and a body cream. John and Winston (our beloved Pug) was treated too although neither ever had any signs of it. After I finished the 25 day steroid I was not better. The rash had spread to my hands, fingers, arms, legs, feet, belly, boobs, back and even my butt! It was awful!! I called my Dermatologist and he was able to see me right away. He took a biopsy from my leg, I had 3 stitches! Now we are up to date, this past Monday John rushed me to the emergency room! I was so miserable. I was itching and hurting terribly. I could not calm down and was hysterical. It was my first visit to the ER....interesting! Needless to say I started out my birthday (Tuesday, the 21st) the same place it all began 27 years ago! They finally released me , still not knowing what was all over me, with a bag of fluids, benedryl, and pepcid in an IV. My pulse rate was 140 and my BP was extremely high. The next day I called the Dermatologist again. He finally got my biopsy back. It said that I had PUPPS (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy) which I have been telling all 7 doctors I have seen for this in the last 8 weeks. When I called my OB/GYN she told me it was the worst case she has ever seen and that I should be taking pictures. So that is when I decided to make a blog. Here is a little bit about PUPPS....it occurs in 1% of pregnancies. The cause is unknown but one theory is that male fetal DNA acts as a skin irritant, in other words I am having an allergic reaction to the baby boy I am carrying. I am on the steroids again which are clearing up the rash some but it still itches like crazy everywhere. I am having trouble sleeping without waking up to itch and then it causes me to bleed from all the scabs on me. I am amazed that I can even function at all. In the last 8 weeks I have had only 2 breakdowns, surprisingly! My doctors have no doubt that all this will go away pretty much the instant I deliver but for the next 17 weeks I have to live through it. Most cases of this doesn't start unitl around 35 weeks, I am the freak of nature that had it start at 14 weeks! I take a million pills a day to try to control it but I think my body is getting immune to some of them and not working like it once did. So for now I will stick to my daily ritual of taking an oatmeal bath, sleeping with cold air blowing on me, and scratching my skin uncontrollably with the exfoliating gloves you can use in the shower. Through all my misery the thing that keeps me going is knowing that none of this is hurting the baby!! On a final note: Since I will have to stay on the steroids the rest of my pregnancy do you think I will have at least a 20 pound baby? Will he walk out of the womb on his own and ask for steak and potatoes...hahaha. I know it will definitely make me gain a lit of weight that I have tried so hard to maintain. Keep checking in for updates!! Here are the pictures of my PUPPS...they are a little graphic. The first ones are my legs and the lovely blue stitches ( Go Colts...haha)! And then are my arms and back and one more of my legs.