22 week appointment

We're over halfway there!  Only about 18 more weeks to go until # 3 is here with us!  It's crazy to think that we've come this far, we feel so blessed and so elated.  We're still working on names but will not be revealing the final decision until the day of her birth.  We've got very special names in mind for her and we'll be very excited to let everyone know what her name is when she's here.  It'll be something fun for Mike to be able to tell everyone once she's born and is named.  

Anyway, in other news, baby and I had our 5th (?) appointment with Dr. Kellogg yesterday.  Mike couldn't make it as he was reffing a volleyball game so my dad took me.  It was a pretty routine exam, just heartbeat, measurements and weight.  So far I've only gained 6lbs which they seem to think is a little unusual but I eat pretty healthy and the baby's size is on track so they aren't concerned.  Baby is measuring right on track and the heartbeat is healthy and LOUD.  

I also expressed some concern because Sunday afternoon I got a nasty pain that started in at the bottom of my shoulder blades and went all the way through my jaw.  It was killer and NOTHING helped with it.  I got to the point where I was in so much pain that it made me sick.  This went on for over 12 hours until I finally was able to fall asleep.  After explaining what the pain felt like he looked at me with a small smile and said that it sounded like I was experiencing really bad gas....are you kidding me?  :)  I also have had some bad pain in my right side that heads on through my back.  The nurse told me that the baby is finding it comfortable hang out on my sciatic nerve and it will be causing me pain throughout the pregnancy.  She actually said that because of how consistent the pain is and because of how long it lasts when it happens that it sounds like the baby is actually sleeping on the nerve.  Thank goodness all of this will bring us a sweet baby in the end!

So that was the extent of it.  My next appt. is on October 27 and it is my big glucose test to see if I have developed gestational diabetes.  It's actually kind of a nasty test.  I basically will be drinking a bottle of flat orange soda with essentially an extra half cup of sugar in it to see if my body can process sugar correctly.  Yuuuuuum.  

Until next time!

She's getting bigger!

This was me at 19 weeks.  I started to notice a little bump at about 15 weeks but it was at 19 weeks that I seem to have "popped" and people started to ask if I was pregnant.

This is me at 21 weeks.  A co-worker of mine is expecting on November 15 and this is her baby shower at work.  I know you have to look closer at this one to see my bump but you'll notice it is a bit bigger than the first.  In fact, the phrase I hear most at work is, "you're getting bigger!"  (at least 3 times a day)  Will post more soon!

Out with the old...in with new...

It came time to transition my wardrobe this week.  I am realizing that less and less of my pre-pregnancy clothes are fitting me.  Even my bigger shirts are starting to get a little snug.  Mike has been bugging me for a couple of weeks to go through our closet and put my pre-preggo clothes into storage so that there is room for my maternity stuff (it has just been sitting on the floor in the closet making it hard to get around).  I was hesitant for a while to do it because I just kept convincing myself that there was no way I'd stop fitting into some of my clothes.  When I went to put on some of my old shirts last night, after going through 4 or 5 of them, I realized it was time to transition.

It's a fun time because I get to explore all of the new clothes so graciously lent to me (it's like going shopping without spending money :) ) and they now occupy the drawers in my closet.  It's also exciting because I know that my baby girl is getting closer and closer to being home with us (about 4 months!).  Every little step we take in the pregnancy gets us closer and closer which is extremely exciting!

This week our project is to clean out the guest room closet.  It has been our little storage unit here in the house and now we need the room for our new addition.  Our goal right now is to throw away/give away most of the stuff in there because as of now, the stuff has sat in there for a year and hasn't even been looked at.  We'll see how that goes.  :)  

We bought a crib last week.  It's a beautiful white, hand crafted sleigh crib (well, it says it's sleigh, I don't think it looks a lot like one).  It retails for $800 dollars normally, plus it's got an added storage drawer on the bottom that would add an extra $100, AND it came with a $150 dollar mattress (yes, we researched each part of it to make sure we weren't being scammed) and we got it for well under $200 so we are elated!  The family that we bought it from is done having kids and they wanted to get it off of their hands and had been trying to sell it for several months.  When we were interested they were happy to bargain.  We'll probably buy their changing table also as it matches the crib, is of good quality and is a great price ($20!).  God really blessed us with this purchase.  We knew it would be hard to afford a brand new crib but we wanted something nice and this one is better quality craftsmanship than any of the new ones that we would have been able to afford.  Mike set it up and I find myself regularly walking into the room just to imagine having the little one around.  :)  (I'll post pictures of it when the room is cleaner)

My next appointment is Sept. 29 for just the routine stuff.  It will be the first one that I go to by myself so I'm praying nothing out of the ordinary happens.

On another note...the baby must LOVE college football because any time I have it on or have something related to it on she kicks up a storm.  Must take after Carolyn.  ;)

The Results From The Gender Scan Say...........

We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting a baby girl in February!  It comes as kind of a surprise.  I actually suspected that it was a girl early on, but had convinced myself that it must be a boy because my suspicions certainly could not have been correct.  :)

We got to our appt. about 15 minutes early and the tech honored that by pulling us in after about 5 minutes.  He started off by letting me know that I wouldn't be able to see most of the ultrasound because the monitor would be facing him, but that Mike could watch the whole thing.  I was incredibly nervous (as usual) and as soon as he sensed this, he turned on the audio from the ultrasound so I could listen to the heartbeat.  At that point I relaxed and let the man do his job.  About 5 minutes in, he made a comment along the lines of, "I wish I could get her to stop moving for a minute so I can get some of these measurements!"  At that point, I knew it was a girl.  Mike swears he didn't hear him say it, but I know what I heard ;).    The scan went on for another 15 minutes or so before he turned the screen to me.  He explained that he had, in passing, noticed that it looked like it was probably a girl but he wanted to make sure.  He showed us the proof and kept it there for a minute  or so to make sure there was nothing hiding and sure enough, it is a girl!  Her little feet were actually crossed at the ankle and were swinging back and forth the entire time we were looking at the shot.  

She is a "textbook" baby.  Her measurements were all right on target and everything looks beautiful.  GOD IS SO FAITHFUL!  

Little kicks!

I've been told by every mom that when the baby starts to have noticeable movement, I will most definitely know that it's the baby.  Starting about a month ago, every once and a while I'd feel little flutters-like little butterflies-on the right side of my stomach.  I always attributed that to gas because I've been told it's really easy to get confused with the two.  

About a week ago, I was lying in bed and felt a very strong kick on my right side though.  At first, I thought I was imagining it, but I put my hand down on my stomach and sure enough, I felt two more strong kicks and knew that it was 100% baby.  :)  It was the most amazing feeling ever!  It definitely made the fact that we'll have a newborn in a few short months very real.  Since then I've noticed that if I'm sitting certain ways, or if I stay still after being really active, I can get him/her to give me a few kicks.  It's very sporadic and I look forward to the days when it happens frequently.  

In other new baby news-

**This Thursday, Sept. 4, we go in for our "anatomy scan" where they look to make sure all of the baby's organs are functioning properly and are forming properly.  It is also during the scan that we will *fingers crossed* be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl!  :)  So big news to come this week. I'll also be having my big spinal bifida blood test done while we are there.  I've been praying daily that when we have the scan and blood test, everything will turn out normal and we'll know that our healthy baby is on the way.  Matthew 6:34, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Phil. 4:6 are what I've been reciting to help give me some peace.

**I am now having to wear maternity pants full time.  Even my pre-pregnancy pants that don't have buttons/zippers are starting to get uncomfortable.  I have been very lucky because a girl at church has lent me most of her maternity clothes and so Mike and I have been able to save a lot of money because of it (and we have the same taste in clothing, so I LOVE the clothes!).  Every once and a while I have to pull out one of the shirts, I have a feeling though that in the coming weeks I'll be wearing them full time as the bump is getting bigger by the day.

**At this point in the pregnancy I am supposed to stop sleeping on my back.  I guess when I lay on my back for long periods of time I am compressing a vein and it slows blood flow to my heart which can cause some problems.  This is very hard for me because I am a total back sleeper.  I've never really been able to fall asleep on either side.  I have been struggling with this for several days and final caved today and went out and bought a body pillow to help prop me on my side at night.  

**I am really starting to enjoy the pregnancy.  Even heartburn and swelling has been a blessing because it is a reminder of what God is doing inside of me.  To think that come February Mike and I will have a baby is crazy!  What is even more insane to think about is that God has chosen us to be the parents.  We are so thrilled to start this new adventure!  I will tell you that I have never felt more strongly that God exists than now.  Every time I feel the little kicks and think about what is going on inside of me, I can't help but be in awe of our creator and His intricate design.  

We'll definitely post on Thursday or Friday with the results from the scan!  Any last minute predictions?  All of the girls at work think it's a girl, the church is split (those who care to guess, anyway), and my mom changes her mind every other day!  :)  I don't have a clue!

New found "joys"

It seems like every day I encounter a new symptom I can attribute to being pregnant.  Actually, it works in my benefit sometimes because things that might happen outside of pregnancy that happen now I can blame on being pregnant and it gets a lot more sympathy--not that I'm using people--I'm not!  :)  

After two impromptu days off at the beginning of the week due to Tropical Storm (cough, cough...tropical sprinkle) Fay, I finally started work yesterday with a fresh new batch of 1st graders.  They seem a lot younger this year and require a lot more doting on, which is a little frustrating.  After my third trip to the  bathroom with the kids yesterday (yes, we have to take the ENTIRE class to the bathroom at least twice--20 minutes easy each time-- a day but mine decided they all needed to go a third time), a 20 minute snack break (because they couldn't concentrate without one in the afternoon), and a couple of the kids asking when they were going to get nap (that NEVER happened last year), I realized that this is going to be a very different kind of year.

We were also asked this year (k-1 teachers) to "graciously" sit with our kids during lunch this year in the cafeteria to keep the chaos to a minimum.  To comp us for our time, we are allowed to leave campus at 2:45pm as opposed to 3:15pm when we're supposed to go.  So...if we do the math...that's 7 hours with not so much as a bathroom break for me.  This would be fine if I wasn't pregnant, but it brings on some extreme discomfort.  

Not that I needed to get into that much detail about work, but I find that sometimes it adds a little spice and will probably have some interesting anecdotes to put in here throughout the year.  All of that to explain some of my new found pregnancy "joys."  

#1.  You don't have to be 8+ months pregnant to swell.  Nope- I learned that yesterday when my feet swelled up so big that I couldn't fit them in my shoes (after standing for most of the day) and my knees almost doubled in size. Time for some extra comfy shoes. 

#2.  Back pain is something I'm just going to have to accept does not go away.  It's been pretty constant lately and nothing I do (or Mike does) seems to alleviate it.  Heat, massages, sitting more...you name it, I've probably tried it.  I am starting to get used to it, though.

#3.  Heartburn.  It seems like EVERYTHING I eat or drink gives it to me-- even a glass of water...no joke.  I've tried all the normal stuff that has been recommended to keep it at bay- no spicy food, avoiding tomato products, not drinking carbonated beverages, but like I said, even water gives it to me.  Tums have become a staple in my diet.  :)

I guess when you get rid of the first trimester symptoms (morning sickness, more morning sickness, and even more morning sickness), the second trimester brings a whole new batch of wonderful!  :)  Actually, though, all of this really does reassure me that I'm still pregnant and daily helps give me a sense of peace.  

2 weeks until we find out if it's a baby boy or a baby girl!  :)  Any guesses?

Mommy car and 14 week appt.

Mike and I have made our first large purchase as a married couple.  As many of you know (or may not know), we got home from our 3 weeks in Ohio about a month ago and the air conditioner in my car had died.  Yes, middle of summer, pregnant and no air...great combo.  We talked about it and realized that fixing the air would cost us close to, if not more than, what the car is worth so we decided it was time to start looking for a new one (which, if you've been in my car in the last two months, you know I need).  

We started looking online and talking to some friends who work for dealers and decided we wanted a small SUV, something safe that we can start building our family into.  I fell in love with a Saturn Vue that carmax listed one afternoon and I went to the lot to look at it and literally 3 hours after it had been posted, it was sold--and not to me.  Actually, the person we know who works there says that they never keep vue's on the lot because people love them so much.  I was disappointed but didn't want to give up.  

I convinced Mike to go out one afternoon to look at cars- we went and test drove a couple of new cars (just for fun) at one dealership and then went to the Saturn dealership to check and see if they had any vue's.  The salesman who met us at the door (how do they do that?  they must have some kind of sixth sense because as soon as our car pulled up at any dealer we had  personal welcoming committee) told us that they never had used Vue's because no one ever turned them in.  He showed us a new Vue, which we knew we couldn't afford and as we were getting out of it Mike spotted a used Vue tucked in a corner!  The salesman apologized profusely and said it must have just come in because he hadn't seen it yet (I was reluctant to believe a car salesman, but the guy seemed very genuine--and I had met with a few others that day who were less than).  It was the exact price Mike and I had agreed the night before we'd be able to pay and so within 2 hours we put the down payment on it and drove it off the lot.  It's a 2004 Saturn Vue, dark green.  I'll post pictures when I can.  I've been driving it around now for a week or so and I just love it!  It's exactly what I wanted.

In other news...we had our 14 week appointment with Dr. Kellogg yesterday.  I was nervous (as usual) was we went into the Dr.'s office and not ready to wait for 45  minutes to see him.  God must have known this because we only sat in the waiting room for about 10 minutes and when we went into the exam room the Dr. was already waiting for me!  They did the normal weight and blood pressure stuff and then he got the dreaded doppler out.  Now, for most, this is a joyous tool...not so for me.  I go into a cold sweat whenever I hear the word because I'm so freaked about not being able to find the heartbeat.  Again, God was right there and it took the Dr. not more than 2 seconds before he found a very loud, very strong heartbeat.  We listened for a few seconds and then we were done!  The whole appointment took about 10 minutes.  I think it's the fastest we have ever been in and out of the Dr.  

Our next appointment we will be on Sept. 4 to find out the sex of the baby!