Hospital Adventures

So, since the last few weeks have been so uneventful, I thought I needed to spice things up. :)

Monday was supposed to be our first REAL day back at work after the last two emotional weeks we have had...and instead, Doug and I had to head to the hospital by 10am.
I started experiencing some pretty significant pain in the right side of my abdomen on Sunday...by Monday it had increased and my doctor ended up sending me to the hospital for evaluation...I spent all day at St. Vincent hospital. It was a long boring day in a very busy, over-crowded Labor & Delivery floor. They took blood, monitored the baby, took my vitals, and sent about 5 different doctors in to check me out. In the end, they sent me home and said to call/come back if I ran a fever.

I worked all day Tuesday...the pain remained mild to medium, but during the night Tues it increased significantly. By Wed morning, I was in a great deal of pain...and they sent me to the hospital again. For fear that it might be something that would require surgery, they put me on clear liquids and wouldn't let me eat. Pain escalated until Wednesday pm, and at that point I had a 20 minute bout of pain that was some of the worst pain I have ever had. I had two sets of sonograms of all the organs that could possibly be involved. I had several sets of blood work done, and again met with all sorts of doctors. In the end, they still don't know what it is, but they are fairly confident it doesn't require surgery right now, so they finally let me eat at 2:30pm on THURSDAY and sent me home on at 4:30pm. Really, it is not a good idea to starve a pregnant woman...we get very cranky. :) The pain has been in the mild-medium range ever since.

I did NOT plan on spending three days of my week in the hospital...and I really am not the biggest fan of pain. I was really hoping that our life would settle into some semblance of "normal", but that was just not to be. On the positive side, the extra sonograms confirmed it...we are having a little BOY for sure! :) That was a fun bonus...we are pretty excited!

Doug has been a saint...as a result of this annoying pain, I am forced to sit down a LOT...it hurts to be too active. So, he is the man right now...he makes the food, gets Danika up, dresses her, chases after her, gets her ready for bed, does the dishes, takes care of the laundry and basically takes care of almost everything in the house right now. He is my hero. :)

So that was my week last week...we are hoping this week is way less eventful. Boring and normal would be great. :)

I'm a lousy blogger...but I have an excuse!

Well....I'm a terrible blogger. I know it's been a month since I last updated. But I have a really good excuse.....

I'm pregnant right now and due with the second little Bierer Baby on Aug 5th.

We are REALLY excited! But since Thanksgiving I've been miserable. I keep hoping it is going to get better, but I feel lousy. Why is this baby being so mean to me?????

Anyway...if I can get my act together I'll post Christmas pictures and pics from Danika's birthday very soon. :)

love,
andrea

We made it.

Okay...a word about trains. I have never been on a train in the US until now...previously I had taken a train in Germany, but never here. I was picturing efficiency...tight schedules....timely departures. That's not so much what I got.

Apparently, timeliness is not a priority for Amtrak. Our train left 2 hours late. Yes...you read that right. Not two minutes, or 20 minutes...no TWO HOURS late. I would like to believe that it was a random quirk, but the attendant at the station said we were lucky...the night before it was FOUR HOURS LATE! Now, when your departure is already scheduled to be a weird hour (such as 1:36am) and you have a 20-month old child with you, that is a problem. Danika was good, but exhausted and cranky and on edge while we were at the station waiting.

The train ride itself was great. Comfy, easy, and really not bad at all. It was night, so there was nothing to see, but that was fine. Once we actually boarded the train she settled down and went to sleep in my arms/lap. I slept a little bit on the way....Danika stayed asleep pretty much the whole ride. It was wonderful. She was so good! And when we got into Toledo at 7am, she woke up chipper and happy and smiling. You can't really ask for more than that. :)

We are now embarking on our week of socializing. We visited my good friend Marissa this morning. That was quite fun and she was very hospitable considering we just kind of showed up. :) And we went to visit Nana (my mom) at work and said hi to her co-workers. That was fun, too. Now we are home, Danika is napping and I'm about to do the dishes. (My mother is still in the stone age and doesn't have a dish washer!)

We are off to visit friends in the Cedarville area tomorrow. We will keep you posted.

Oh - and the roof project is going just fine. :)

Trains, Fish and a really bad cold...

So...Doug left today to catch really big fish. :) Doug is going on a salmon fishing trip to Michigan with my Dad, Uncle Aaron, and several other random relatives/friends/strangers. I have no doubt he will have a great time...I just hope my Dad brings him home in one piece.

Following the fishing trip, Doug and my Dad are spending next week tearing the roof off my parents house and putting a new one on. Dad says he has additional help coming from friends and fellow church members, and for both Doug and Dad's sakes I hope that is true. :) Either way, since my husband is going to be at my parent's house all week, Danika and I wanted to go too. However, I couldn't get off work until the weekend. So the two of us are riding the Amtrak train out to join Doug. I am actually quite excited about this little adventure. I will definitely let you know how it goes.

And just because I want to whine, I need to let you know I have a TERRIBLE cold! I believe my daughter may have given this to me...or maybe it was my husband...or maybe a grocery cart or a door at Wal-mart. Wherever I got it, I am miserable! So I hope I get better soon because I want to enjoy my week of socializing and not working! :)

My stupid skin...

As most of you know, I have excessively tempermental skin. My dermatologist likes to say I have skin that is looking for a reason to freak out (that is a direct quote). So...I have been breaking out in little quarter-sized blotches of rash since Sunday night. Now there are somewhere around 12-15 patches of "rash" that are itching like mad and blistered. I finally went to see the dermatologist about it. First I hear him say in the hallway, "Andrea's here? Good Lord, what does she have wrong with her now?" Did I mention I am at his office a lot? Did I mention that he thinks I have some of the weirdest skin problems around? Yes...I am special.

So....after inspecting all my blotches on my arms, legs, hip, neck, shoulder, toes and ankle...the verdict is.....poison ivy. That's right...just normal, plain old, poison ivy. And why do new patches show up every day? Well...that's because I'm special. My immune system is getting more upset by the day about this little invasion and is becoming more sensitive and reacting to places that received much less exposure. How did I get it since I never went out into the woods? Well...probably from touching a cat or dog, maybe from touching fire wood, maybe from touching one of the guys or kids who went into the wooods....who knows. But most likely I touched something and then all the places that broke out are places I touched on my own body after getting it on my hands. Isn't that lovely?

The itching continues and I have all sorts of special creams to try and beat it now. Did I tell you that I would really like to have NORMAL skin? Let's pray Danika got Doug's skin and not mine!

I'm 30! Yikes! (May 9, 2008)

So, my 30th birthday was May 9, 2008. I was a little freaked out about turning the big 3-0! I was not really looking forward to it. But, my husband and wonderful friend conspired to make it a good one. ;)

On May 8th, Doug called from work and told me he wanted to eat out. I thought that was wierd because we were going out for my birthday the next night, but I never argue with an invitation to eat out.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Doug said we should eat at a corner table. I didn't have my glasses on, but I told him we couldn't sit at that table...there was already a girl there. Doug looked at me in total amusement and said, "Look at the table again." When I did, I realized that the "girl" already sitting at the table was my dear friend Kara all the way from Dallas Texas! I was so shocked I started crying right on the spot! Kara stayed all weekend and celebrated with us. It was great.





Since it was a "surprise" visit, Kara got to go to work with me on Friday and we had a great time eating at my FAVORITE restaurant for lunch, and then all three of us went out to dinner and line dancing on Friday night. :) Kara and I had a blast dancing...Doug patiently counted down the minutes until we allowed him to leave. :)

Saturday, Kara and I planned her July wedding in 3 hours. I am not kidding...we were awesome. :) We went to a bridal store here in Erie and she did tons of research online, and we managed to get all the big stuff squared away in one afternoon. It was awesome.

Saturday night we celebrated my birthday with my parents & sister.


Sunday was Mother's Day. Our Church decided to have Baby Dedication that day, so we invited our family to come to the service and then to come back to our house for lunch. The service was great, but Danika was the most unruly, loud, wiggly, and attention seeking child up there. It was really hard not to laugh out loud, except half the time I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to do. For the most part, I guess it was pretty funny now that I am looking back. But it was quite a handful up on the stage!

For those that aren't familiar with "Baby Dedication" it is a ceremony where the parents of a young child formally declare thier desire to raise this child in a home that loves and worships God and to love and instruct this child about Jesus Christ. It is an opportunity for the church as a whole to pray for the family and to declare thier commitment to be a resource to the family and to assist as a community the commitment made by these parents. Doug and I got to be a part of this, declaring that we have received this incredible gift from God and we want to dedicate her back to Him. It was an awesome thing to be a part of.

After church, our family came back to our house. We celebrated the Mom's...and my incredible amazing husband was not done with surprises yet. For Mother's Day, he beat all previous gifts with a special gift that was truly from the heart and very thoughtful. :) I have Celiac Disease and can't eat anything with gluten (wheat, barley, rye), so I normally miss out on desserts. I don't mind most of the time, but there are moments when I really miss certain foods. Doug knows this, and for my Mother's Day gift, he conspired with a wonderful woman we know who is an AMAZING cook, and he had her make me a cocunut cream pie- GLUTEN FREE! :) It was AMAZING! I can't tell you how awesome that wasy and how much it meant to me. That is something that money can't buy...it was just the best treat to end a wonderful weekend.

It was one really busy weekend, but it was GREAT. No doubt about it...30 was my best birthday so far!

Five Years - April 25th

Can it be possible? I just almost can't believe it has been five years since I married this wonderful man. Our 5-year Anniversary was on April 25, 2008. To celebrate, we left Danika with Mimi and Papa and went to a wonderful Bed and Breakfast in NY.

We had a wonderful time and the food was AMAZING. I feel so blessed to be married to someone I love this much. And...just to make sure he completely keeps me guessing, my incredible husband bought me a wonderful gift.

The night we were going out to dinner to celebrate, Doug surprised me with this gorgeous watch. I absolutely LOVE jewelry, and I couldn't believe what a perfect gift he picked for me. It has sparkle, but not too much, and it is something I couldn't have chosen better if I had been in the store with him. How fun that he did it all on his own and surprised me. :) I was so shocked I cried. :)

Have I mentioned I love him? We had a wonderful time getting away just the two of us, and we appreciate Doug's parents taking care of Danika so it could happen.

I love you, honey!

First Date: 2002 with Chuck and Emily

Engaged: October 18, 2002
Married: April 25, 2003
Did I mention he always makes me laugh?
With Danika: January 2007


Happy Anniversary, Doug! I love you!

Good for my heart...

God knew that I needed this weekend. My heart needed encouragement. He knew what I would need and planned it six months ago.

My last month has been very, very bad....all sorts of things from work, to personal, to sickness, to unexpected sadness....it's been a bad month. Normally I can honestly say that life is good. This month, I was having a really hard time.

This weekend, I went to see some precious women whom I love dearly. It has been ten years since 1998 when I went to Australia on a singing and drama team. We spent 6 weeks there and we spent the better part of a year practicing and preparing for the trip. I formed life-long bonds with these girls that I can't even fully explain. Five of us met in Columbus Ohio for a weekend of catching up and encouraging one another. It was wonderful.

Girls...I love you all! Thank you for making me smile from the inside out. It was wonderful to catch up and spend time with you!

Thank you, Danika

It's Easter today. I have been SO looking forward to Easter! We were so excited about this year...Danika is just at such a fun age...I got her an adorable dress...we were going to go to the 9am service at our own church and then join Doug's Mom, Dad and Grandma at Bethel for a special Easter service, then back to his Mom and Dad's for Easter dinner.

Where am I now? Well...not doing any of the things we planned on.

Yesterday afternoon, I started to get sick. It hit full force last night...Doug refused to sleep with me and slept on the couch. I was so sick...and woke this morning to find Doug is sick as a dog as well. Danika? She is GREAT! She's finally feeling good and really, really hungry. :) Three days of barely eating will probably do that to you. So...Doug's Dad picked her up and took the only healthy member of our family to church with them and over for Easter dinner while Doug and I wallow in our misery at home today.

Thanks, Danika. Mommy and Daddy are so glad to share your germs!

Pray for us...I have to leave early tomorrow for a long business trip and Doug will be home alone for the week with Danika...he really needs to get better quick!

Ice and Chili

Daddy went Coyote hunting for the weekend, so Danika and I grabbed my friend Elizabeth and drove down to Franklin, PA for the annual Ice Carving Festival and Chili competition. It was SUCH a fun day!

Here's Danika and I with one of the ice sculptures.

I need a 1-story house.

Greetings, one and all! :) For those that knew me in high school or college...let me start this out by reminding you that my coordination level has not increased even a little since you last saw me. I still have major issues. With that information, feel free to read on.



If you read our blog regularly, you know that I managed to fall all the way down our basement steps on Halloween and sprain my ankle pretty bad...along with an injury to my shoulder and a number of other scrapes and bruises. I never went to the doctor. I thought it would be fine and heal on it's own. It has been over a month and both the ankle and the shoulder are still causing me quite a bit of pain and the ankle still swells a lot...so I put it on my "to-do" list...along with about 500 other things...to eventually go to the doctor and get it checked out.



That brings us to yesterday morning...when I fell down the steps from our 2nd story to the ground floor. Yes...that's right....2 falls in less than 6 weeks. How pathetic is that? Except this time I managed to injure the other foot. Judging by the pain, swelling, and immediate discoloration, I thought it best if I not wait a month this time. And because crisis never hits when you are ready for it, I had to juggle a few other problems. #1- we got a ton of snow and it was STILL coming down...roads were icy and slick and there were crashes everywhere. Not a good day to go out if you don't have to. #2: Danika was home with me because she was sick. So I couldn't take her to daycare, Doug couldn't help because he was working his first day with a new crew, Dana was out of town, Susan was at work, and Grandma was too far out of town on the bad roads to risk taking Danika there. So...I packed up Danika and off we went to the doctor's office together...in a snow storm...with cars spinning around in circles and flying off the road around us....and me limping along with BOTH feet injured and carrying a 17lb kid in a 12lb carseat. It was a GRAND day.



I got there, the nurses had pity on me and helped carry her to the examination room. They quickly informed me I needed x-rays (after asking 35 times which injury came from which fall down which staircase...I told Doug to look out...they may be sending someone to investigate him for my many "falls" :)). They also quickly informed me that Danika could not go with me for x-rays. So...at my wits end and not knowing what else to do, I called Doug's Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Chuck. They were beyond gracious and let me bring Danika over there while I went to get x-rayed. Uncle Chuck even went with me so I didn't have to go alone. They are so wonderful! I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't been home.



Anyway...a zillion x-rays later, I had Danika loaded in the van again and we got home to find that there was about a foot of snow in our driveway and the plow had packed it up so that we couldn't pull in. So...leaving the van running on our little street and hobbling on wounded feet, I got to rummage through the garage, find the snow shovel, and start to dig a place to park my van. One of the neighbors saw me and had pity on me. He came and helped to shovel my driveway far enough to pull in. Interestingly enough, standing out in the snow with my feet freezing and numb while I shoveled was probably the least they hurt all day! :) The ice was quite helpful as it formed in my shoes and under my jeans. :)



Anway...they called me this morning...the verdict is in:



Right foot (injured yesterday): no fracture...just jammed/sprained

Right shoulder (injured Halloween): no fracture...just muscle injury

Left ankle (injured Halloween): fractured



At least I know I'm not totally losing my mind...I thought that ankle should be better by now!



So...tomorrow I get to go see an orthopedic specialist about my ankle fracture...and hopefully they have something good to say! I'll keep you posted.



And...in case you are wondering...there is a cute little 2 story house in Erie, PA going up for sale...owners are looking for a 1-story ranch with no stairs. :) (Just kidding...I think...)