So in Ryan’s last “update” post, he mentioned that the move combined with the pregnancy had led me to catch “some kind of bug.”  Well it turns out that a bug actually caught me, and gave me West Nile Virus!  I started feeling very tired the Saturday after we arrived, and that night began what my mom calls my “Rip Van Winkle Days.”  I slept about 22 hours a day for 5 days straight.  I was in pretty extreme joint and muscle pain, and was running a fever of about 101 degrees for three or four days.  In the process, I lost 10lbs. and became extremely dehydrated.  I had also begun to lose muscle strength and motor function (writing, etc. was increasingly difficult).

It was actually my OB who ordered the blood tests (for Mono, Lyme Disease, and WNV), and we’re grateful she did!  While there is no cure (all I could do was sleep and take Tylenol for the pain), my symptoms slowly started to subside.  Each day, we were noticing improvements in my ability to stay awake longer, my appetite, and my energy level.  It took about three weeks for me to feel mostly back to normal… well, as normal as you can feel at 30-something weeks pregnant!

Turns out, I was the first reported human case in the entire state of Illinois… and the news was everywhere!  We’ve even been contacted by the CDC to take part in a study they’re doing on the effects of WNV and pregnancy.  So far, it appears that the baby has escaped any harm.  In fact, I may actually be able to transmit some healthy antibodies to him while nursing that will help him fend off the virus if he gets exposed to it later in life!

One of the first tests they did on the baby was a very in-depth ultrasound.  The u/s revealed a very normal, healthy baby… but a very BIG baby!  According to the doctor’s measurements, he was already weighing 7lbs, 4oz… and we still had five weeks till our due date!  We’re going back again this Thursday to re-check his measurements (the margin of error can be quite large), and hopefully we’ll be able to nail down a better idea of when he’ll make his appearance.  In the meantime, he’s quite a gymnast, and enjoys hanging out in Mommy’s ribcage.

Anyway… we’ve been sloooooowly unpacking since my parents left, and are almost finished.  There’s still a lot to do, but it’s nothing insurmountable.  We’ll post some pictures of the new place as soon as we can figure out how to get them off the camera (we lost the cord… doh!).

Ryan is still able to work from home so far, although he’ll spend today and tomorrow in the office.  Last week, he stayed in Chicago all week with his International team.  They had a successful meeting, enjoyed lots of great food and conversation, and even got to go to a Cubs game.  He’s looking forward to getting registered for classes at the end of this week (as he’s already written about).

We’ll continue to update as life goes on… feel free to drop us a line!

Categories: Barr Family Blog