OUCH!!

Today was an exciting day- one that I have anticipated for about 23 weeks. I got my cervical cerclage removed! My appointment was at 12:15, but I didn't even see the doctor until after 1:00. All of the waiting was just about to kill me- I was very nervous because I remembered having my last cerclage removed- and lets just say it's really not a lot of fun! However, I didn't know how bad this experience would be. My cerclage with Ava Ryan took about five minutes to remove and I think that I only screamed one time- granted Matt's hand was blue by the time I let go of it. This time, the doctor had a VERY difficult time removing the stitch and I had to remain in the "assumed position" for at least 30 minutes. He just kept saying to the nurse, "I can't get it." He had to give me a shot of something and instantly I got hot and nauseous. Well that just sent me over the edge. Matt was fanning me with the latest edition of Parents Magazine while the nurse supplied me with an endless supply of cold rags. I remember just telling the doc to yank it and he said "oh, no you don't want to do that, I'll pull out your tonsils." Well, I don't have any tonsils, but I understood what he meant. Finally, many screams and moans later, the stitch was removed. Upon seeing it, I told him that it looked way different from my last stitch and he explained that this type of stitch is more difficult to put in and remove- no kidding! Because I was having contractions, I was asked to stick around for awhile to make sure I didn't go into labor. After a while, the contractions subsided, I cooled off, and we got to leave. Before we left the nurse listened to the baby's heartbeat to make sure the meds didn't affect him/her. The heartbeat was 140- that makes me think this little thing kicking me constantly might just be a boy. I could care less about the sex, as long as the baby is born healthy and soon! After all of this fun, Ava got her own set of "ouches." Today was her 18 month well-baby check-up- shots and all. I guess I am just a glutton for punishment!! Matt got to go with me to the pediatrician because at this point my tummy is too big to control Ava while the nurse does all of the measurement and shots. The good news is that Ava's head circumference is no longer in the 90th percentile, but in the 25th- well within normal range. So my little munchkin is finally growing into her head. She weighed 23lbs 8oz which places her in the 35% for weight, while she was 32 inches- the 70th percentile for height. I guess she got her Daddy's genes. The funny thing is that Matt and I always joke that she is short and fat with a big head- when really she's tall and thin with a perfect sized head! After all of the excitement, we all came home and crashed. Hopefully tomorrow will be much less painful!!