Eli recently discovered magnifying glasses.
He is in love with it. He takes it with him everywhere.
I hope to take him outside to our yard so he can look at the flowers and bugs more closely.
Check back in a few days for more picture posts!
4.25.2014
4.22.2014
My High-Risk Pregnancy Experience
Hey Scholars,
I wanted to share a little about my pregnancy experience. I am a young and relatively healthy woman, but I have been classified as having a high-risk pregnancy. My pregnancy is considered high-risk because of my reproductive history. Anyone that has read this blog for a few months or looked through my archive, know that my previous pregnancy was also high-risk and that my son, Eli, was born seven weeks prematurely.
I have been monitored closely throughout this pregnancy for complications and I have had a few so far. Once again, my baby has had a restriction in his growth. This is called Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR). Eli also had this issue. As I understand it, Leo (my baby), is having trouble gaining weight in utero and will likely be underweight at birth. His placenta also looks small and he doesn't have a normal amount of amniotic fluid.
I currently go to the hospital twice a week to be monitored on the fetal monitor and I kick count while I'm there. I also have an ultrasound every other monitoring visit and every two weeks with a Neonatologist. The ultrasounds check Leo's growth, amniotic fluid levels, and just his overall health.
In addition to the fetal monitoring, I see a high-risk Obstetrician once a week. She makes sure I am doing well physically and emotionally. She also asks me about my academic career, which I love, because I feel that she sees me as more than a mother. She is an African-American female professional and I really admire that she's great at her craft.
Right now, things look positive. I've never been this far into a pregnancy. I have experienced pregnancy loss in the past and premature birth, so I am in unchartered territory.
What has surprised me about pregnancy after the 33rd week, which is the farthest I've been until now, is that I am so uncomfortable.
I can't sleep through the night because I need to use the bathroom, my feet swell sometimes, I cannot walk more than a few blocks without stomach cramps, and don't even get me started on how my Sciatica has flared up.
Other than that, I am doing pretty well. My Dysthymia has been under control for the most part and I'm hoping that if I do suffer from PPD (Postpartum Depression) like I did with Eli, I'll be able to find a great therapist to help me work through that.
That's all for this post. I'm thinking about making a YouTube video on this post. If I do decide to make a video, I will embed the video in this post and send out an update.
I wanted to share a little about my pregnancy experience. I am a young and relatively healthy woman, but I have been classified as having a high-risk pregnancy. My pregnancy is considered high-risk because of my reproductive history. Anyone that has read this blog for a few months or looked through my archive, know that my previous pregnancy was also high-risk and that my son, Eli, was born seven weeks prematurely.
 |
| Eli on his first day of life. He was 33 weeks and 3 days gestation, weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces and was 15 inches long. He spent a total of 20 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). |
 |
| This is the most recent ultrasound picture of Leo. He has managed to surpass Eli in time spent in utero. He is currently measuring at 4 pounds 4 ounces and is expected to not need to stay in the NICU if I can carry him to at least 37 weeks! |
I have been monitored closely throughout this pregnancy for complications and I have had a few so far. Once again, my baby has had a restriction in his growth. This is called Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR). Eli also had this issue. As I understand it, Leo (my baby), is having trouble gaining weight in utero and will likely be underweight at birth. His placenta also looks small and he doesn't have a normal amount of amniotic fluid.
I currently go to the hospital twice a week to be monitored on the fetal monitor and I kick count while I'm there. I also have an ultrasound every other monitoring visit and every two weeks with a Neonatologist. The ultrasounds check Leo's growth, amniotic fluid levels, and just his overall health.
In addition to the fetal monitoring, I see a high-risk Obstetrician once a week. She makes sure I am doing well physically and emotionally. She also asks me about my academic career, which I love, because I feel that she sees me as more than a mother. She is an African-American female professional and I really admire that she's great at her craft.
Right now, things look positive. I've never been this far into a pregnancy. I have experienced pregnancy loss in the past and premature birth, so I am in unchartered territory.
What has surprised me about pregnancy after the 33rd week, which is the farthest I've been until now, is that I am so uncomfortable.
I can't sleep through the night because I need to use the bathroom, my feet swell sometimes, I cannot walk more than a few blocks without stomach cramps, and don't even get me started on how my Sciatica has flared up.
Other than that, I am doing pretty well. My Dysthymia has been under control for the most part and I'm hoping that if I do suffer from PPD (Postpartum Depression) like I did with Eli, I'll be able to find a great therapist to help me work through that.
That's all for this post. I'm thinking about making a YouTube video on this post. If I do decide to make a video, I will embed the video in this post and send out an update.
Until Next Time Friends
4.02.2014
The Lazy Scholar Shop: My Works on Display
Hey Scholars,
It has been such a busy time in my life lately.
- I am currently a month and a half into my bachelors degree program.
- I began exploring more artistic ways of expression.
- And I am trying to maintain my sanity since Eli has become very clingy. I'll post about Eli's sudden need to cling to me now that I'm expecting in May, at some other time in the near future.
As the title of this post suggests, I am dedicating it to the newest addition to The Lazy Scholar Blog family: The Lazy Scholar Shop on Cafepress.
In my Goals for 2014 post back in January, I listed a lot of ambitious goals for this blog and many other areas of my life. I have been able to achieve a lot of things on my list already. So much so, that I added more goals to it! One of those goals happened to be opening an eCommerce site.
I didn't believe that I would be able to achieve that goal this year, but I have been working so hard in the first quarter of this year, that I decided I was ready to do that now.
My shop is stocked by Cafepress, meaning that all of the merchandise listed there is stocked and shipped by that company. The only inputs I have with the items my shop sells are:
- What designs are available
- Which products I want to make available
- And, which designs are available on which products
Here are some of the designs I am offering in the shop right now:
These design collections represent my pride in being African-American and celebrates the beauty and cultures of people of color (POC). While the design collections are not complete, I have listed the designs I have created so far. I must say, I am satisfied with my work so far.
*Note: Every design I offer is being reproduced in varying skin tones so everyone can have a likeness to themselves and their family dynamic. This is just what I have created so far and have available so far.*
The more I create, the more experience I will gain, and I will be able to create more intricate works of art.
Thank you for reading this post.
Don't forget to tell your friends about this blog and about my The Lazy Scholar Shop on Cafepress.
You can look forward to more designs being posted this year as I evolve more as an artist.
Until Next Time Friends,
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