Middle of the Night Shenanigans

The good news: she's sleeping for slightly longer periods at night.  The bad news: she's up for about 2.5 hours between sleep periods.  Thank goodness Stephen's off for the next week and a half!

First Walk

As the high today was 66 (I know all you in the midwest are jealous!), Zoe and I took our first walk!  She only cried through about 1/4 of it:-P. We only did a mile or so in the neighborhood, but it sure was nice to get outside for a bit!  Can't wait until summer when I can break out the jogging stroller and get back to some running!

So Big!

I had to put her in a Christmas outfit this morning because we ran out of everything else!  She looks cute, though!  Better get to some laundry soon otherwise she'll be wrapped up in blankets because she won't have any clothes!

Moving On Up

We had to pack away the newborn clothes the other day.   I can't believe how big she's getting!  It's hard to see the overall change when you see her every day (or really every few hours).  I could really see it, however, when I tried to put her in an outfit that was too short for her!  Where did my little baby go?!  It's a bittersweet moment, putting away the first set of clothes that don't fit.  It's exciting to think of her growing up and getting bigger.  It's also a little sad to realize she will never be that small again.  Of course, now she's actually beginning to wear some of the clothes you all got for her :-P

Sigh

OK.  So maybe I spoke too soon.  Miss Zoe is back to her old ways of not wanting to sleep at night unless someone is holding her.  Stephen's feeding her now while I pump.  Maybe by some miracle she will go down after this.  Mom is coming over tomorrow afternoon...I might be taking advantage of that with a nap!

Growing Big and Strong

Well, Miss Zoe has certainly made life interesting! As I write this, it is just before 10 on Sunday night and Daddy is in bed, resting up for work tomorrow and I'm writing this with a lump of a baby on my chest. Sacked. Out. Now I know all you moms out there are screaming, go to bed crazy woman! She's sleeping...now's your chance! Well, this little bug will sleep through just about anything...except she doesn't much like sleeping unless someone's holding her. Not sure if that's for the warmth or the movement or the heartbeat or what. But she can be a complete sack of potatoes and you put her down and within 15 minutes she's crying. And of course you pick her up and she's great. Everything I've read has said you can't spoil them yet and should pick them up when crying...something to do with security, etc. But I tell you what...there's got to be SOME points where I don't have a baby attached to me (apparently not, as is evidenced by my current situation).

So. What is our current situation? Well, we hit the 3 week mark this week and I think that was a big turning point for us. First off, we have a bit more of a schedule going. Nights are tough, but we've got it where we each get at least 5-6 hours total sleep each night and sometimes even more. Zoe is sleeping in her room and does pretty well sleeping from 2-5 and then 6-9 or so. Not great, but for not even being a month yet, I think we're doing alright.

Also, the breastfeeding is still all over the place, but at least I have a process I follow now that helps give me a limit for how long we keep trying. She's getting 80% or so breastmilk which is pretty good so we're going with it.

She's growing!! This was the first week we could really see it for sure. It's funny because when you see your friends' babies you see them periodically so you can really see the changes distinctly. When it's your own baby, you see them every day so the little changes are harder to see. We really noticed the difference when we put her in the same hat she came home from the hospital in. In the hospital, she was swimming in the hat. It was almost ridiculous for her to even attempt to wear it. Now, it fits her perfectly...might even be a little on the small side! And the few newborn clothes we have for her fit just right...and won't for much longer. I guess it was just the first thing we could really see as a measurable change. Crazy!

She's also a little more alert! She usually has a good half hour or so...maybe more where she's awake after her morning feeding. So, we lay on the mat and I let her have a little tummy time so she can work out those muscles! It's great to be able to see her looking around and taking in what's around her. I know she can't see much of anything yet, but she'll get there! Apparently their first real smiles happen for many between 4 and 6 weeks which is almost where we're at! That will be awesome. Of course, she can't flip over or anything yet, but if she's on her tummy she can lift her head and move it from one side to the other...hey, it's something! I'll try to get a video clip of it one of these days.

Well, that's it for now. We're hangin' in. So sorry if we haven't responded to all the calls/emails/etc. We've been a bit busy! Oh! Stephen won an award at work! One that he's always been ethically opposed to and that he's always said if he wins, he'll refuse. Well...that was before he realized there was a monetary award attached to it...one that amounted to about the same as what I'm missing out on by staying home for 2 months. Well...yeah, he took the award:-P Hooray!

Quick Update

I know I haven't posted in quite awhile. We've been a little busy, as you can imagine. As I have a sleeping baby on my chest and she's due to wake up any moment for the next feeding, I'll just do a quick update on what's been going on.

First off, she passed her 2 week doctor's appointment with flying colors. She was 6 pounds, 12 ounces...5 ounces more than she was at birth so she's gaining just fine! All signs of jaundice are definitely gone (we had a high bilirubin count at the first doctor's visit)...the doctor says she's 'just perfect'!

Feeding has been interesting. To make a VERY long story short, we've had quite a few obstacles in the breastfeeding arena. The current position is that I am attempting to breastfeed at every feeding. Sometimes we're successful, sometimes we're not. Sometimes I have to use a nipple shield to aid the process, sometimes I don't. I'm pumping after most feedings and storing what I can to supplement for feedings. We have had to give her formula here and there, but I've just decided that it's OK. The whole process is frustrating, but we're doing what we can. She's getting what she needs which is the most important thing. I was a formula baby and I turned out OK!

Miss Zoe has her days and nights mixed up! Oh, how much fun that is. Basically for the last few weeks, she sleeps during the day and WILL NOT sleep at night. I'm not talking about sleeping THROUGH the night...I'm talking about sleeping AT ALL. She will sleep if you're holding her. That's it. So, last night we tried a few new tactics. Stephen went back to work today and we HAD to get some sleep. We're now changing her BEFORE feedings instead of after to keep her from waking up too much after eating. Also, I must admit, I used the formula to help out. Mom had mentioned that formula tends to help with sleep so we supplemented a little with each feeding. The biggest change is we put her to bed in her room instead of in the bassinet in our room. We wondered if being in our room was too distracting for her or maybe she just didn't really like the bassinet. Anyway, she DID sleep in her crib and did just fine. I still only got about 5 hours sleep broken into 3 parts, but I'll take it! Especially with Stephen back at work, I don't have someone there to watch her while I sleep (which is kind of what we've been doing the last 3 weeks). Anyway, we'll see how it goes the next few weeks...supposedly between 1-2 months they start differentiating between night and day more so hopefully we're moving in that direction!

She's becoming more alert for periods of time now! Very exciting! She's looking forward to meeting her paternal grandparents for the first time tomorrow:-)

Tuesday, November 9...Zoe's Birthday!

At about 8:00 the next morning, the nurse came by and checked on me. I was starting to feel some pain/pressure but I wasn't worried about being ready to go yet. From what I heard from everyone, when it's time to push, you have the undeniable urge to push...I could feel the pressure but I didn't feel like I HAD to push. Anyway, I still figured the nurse would check me just in case.

In fact, she told me the doctor was due in anytime in the next hour and to prevent more chance of spread of infection, we should wait to have me checked until she got there. If she hadn't shown up in an hour, though, the nurse would go ahead and check me.

It sounded like a reasonable plan. But I must admit, when I heard it could be another hour before they even checked me, I did have a mini-panic attack in my head.

That should have been my first clue.

About 20 minutes later, I woke Stephen up and told him to go get the nurse because I was really feeling uncomfortable. Again, I didn't feel like I absolutely HAD to push, but the thought of waiting for the doctor also sounded unbearable. So, the nurse came in and sure enough, I was +3 and fully dilated.

Here we go!

I believe at that time it was around 8:45. The nurse went to page the doctor to tell her I was ready to rock and roll. We then prepped me for the pushing process. It was weird because I couldn't really feel my legs. I could feel when people touched them, but...I don't know, it's hard to explain. I certainly couldn't lift them on my own. So, Stephen took one leg and the nurse took the other and we did several rounds of pushing.

Now let me say this: this was probably the one part of the whole experience where I was definitely glad to have gone to a birthing class. I knew exactly how to push and bear down...how to round my back into a 'C' and push like I was going to the bathroom. I also knew I didn't HAVE to count to 10...just hold it until I couldn't anymore, then calmly let out and pull in to do another push. We went like this for about 20 minutes or so...me letting both Stephen and the nurse know when I felt the urge to push and going through a round. Soon enough, the doctor showed up and we got down to business.

It only took me until 9:24. The nurses all said it was one of the fastest deliveries they've seen with a first born. I remember thinking, thank goodness it wasn't any longer! It wasn't that it HURT, but at one point I remember feeling her head halfway out and thinking...'oh this baby better come out NOW.'. They had warned me that some first-time moms take up to 3 hours of pushing...ummm...no. We weren't doing that.

And out she came! Stephen did cut the cord...although I think he was somewhat wary. Dr. Tyler convinced him to do it, though and I think he's glad he did. They placed her on my chest immediately and I'm not quite sure I can describe how I felt at that moment. Definitely relief that it was over and she was here. I think there was some disbelief mixed in there as well. Like, how could this little thing have been in my tummy?

The next few hours were a blur. They did all the normal things, weight, length, anti-bacterial eye goop, warm her up in the warmer, Apgar scores (she was an 8 and a 9...nice and healthy). Someone thankfully reminded Stephen to take pictures...otherwise we might not have! I think he was as stunned as I was! They had me nurse her and she got her first bath...Stephen taking mental notes all along as we had missed our parenting class, if you recall. Truth is, we didn't really need it...they went through everything at the hospital. The one thing I WISH I had done was go to a breastfeeding class beforehand, but we'll get to those difficulties later...

We moved rooms. We really just moved to another birthing suite, but they wanted to be able to clean everything up in our room so it was just easier to give us a fresh room. I had to wait several hours until I could walk again...one of my legs took particularly long getting over the epidural so I had to be helped to and from the bathroom. Oh! The other thing the birthing class was great for was informing me how much you bleed after the fact. It makes sense, but I had never heard it before and was very thankful for being prepared. The nurse in our birthing class described it very well...you don't have a flow for 9 months and then it feels like you have all of those you missed in one cycle.

But little Miss Zoe. I really think that day was just such a blur. I didn't really GET that our daughter had been born until later, after I had a nap and Stephen was off getting lunch. I was holding her and I just started crying. Here she was! This perfect little bundle that we were responsible for. Amazing.

We spent the rest of the day recuperating and enjoying our new family. We were left alone, for the most part (although I wish I had forced the issue with breastfeeding difficulties earlier. Again...more on that later) and other than a few visitors (my boss and a coworker, my brothers, and a good friend of my mom's...playing the role of surrogate grandma as my parents were still in Houston) we really got to spend most of the day to ourselves.

I am sorry to anyone who texted/called/what-have-you to no avail. We were just a little preoccupied with our little Zoe-Bug!

Monday, November 8 - West Wing Water Breaks

Our new adventure began a little over a week ago. It had been a fairly normal day. I did not have to go to the center, but I did have to go downtown to see my tutoring students down there. I had been particularly uncomfortable that day and so I was glad when I found out that one of the three kiddos I see from that family had a basketball game and would be skipping his session for the night. On this particular night, it was nice to be able to go home early.

I got home and used my extra time to have a nice long conversation with Jaime...a much overdue conversation at that! After talking for over an hour, I helped Stephen get ready for dinner. I wasn't feeling good all of the sudden so he did most of the work and luckily I was able to choke down half a fillet of tilapia, couscous and...broccoli, I think it was. After eating something, I felt much better. Still uncomfortable, but my stomach was no longer turning.

Stephen discovered recently that I never watched the TV show 'West Wing'. Apparently, this was unacceptable so we have started adding season discs to our Netflix queue. We had just watched the second to last episode on the disc. I still wasn't feeling great, but good enough and we decided to finish off the disc so we could go ahead and send it. About 5 minutes into the show, I felt two swift kicks from the baby. Only they didn't feel like they normally did. It was almost like she was kicking me, but without the hindrance of fluid. They were strong kicks! I mentioned something to Stephen about how it felt odd...I didn't say anything to him yet, but in the back of my head, I was wondering if maybe it was my water breaking because it did feel an awful lot like a 'pop'. Nothing happened right away so I figured it was just a few big kicks.

And then I moved slightly.

I believe my next words to Stephen were...'RUN and get some towels...we're having this baby!' I remember thinking about how the lady at the birthing class had emphasized the fact that water breaking is not necessarily like how it is in the movies...some people only feel a trickle...

Yeah, right.

Let's just say by the time we made it to the hospital, I had soaked through 3 maxi pads, 3 towels, and 2 pairs of pants. And it's the weirdest feeling because you have no control over it! You move just slightly and fluid is everywhere! The birthing class instructor was right, it's not like the movies, it's worse! At least for me it was. I actually laughed out loud when the birthing center nurses said they had to wait to admit me until they had tested me to make sure I actually broke my water. At that point, either my water broke or we were headed to the ER with a bladder problem!

After reaffirming that yes, my water had indeed broken, I was hooked up to monitors and an IV port was placed. We spent the next few hours watching the rise and fall of growing contractions. When I was checked in, I was 2 cm and 80% effaced. At 2 AM, the nurse had me start walking the halls to get the contractions going. We walked for an hour, Stephen holding my big jug of water and charged with rubbing my back with my breathing every time I had a contraction. It took us about 15 minutes to walk the circle of the birthing center (approximately the same as walking the perimeter of the house, maybe just a smidge more. My contractions were much stronger now and each time one would hit, I would have to grab the hand holds on the wall and sway back and forth until it was over.

At 3 we made our way back to the room and I told Stephen I was ready for some pain meds. At this point, I was moaning with each contraction. The nurse checked me and I was...

a whole whopping 3 cm...fully effaced. But still, 3??!!

Um, yeah...epidural please?

The anesthesiologist came in around 3:30 and the epidural went smoothly. I was having a contraction during the whole thing, but the nurse was wonderful in helping me stay still and breathe through it.

At about 5, a new shift of nurses came in and introduced themselves to me. They checked me and I had made it to 5 cm! Hooray! But my contractions were still not picking up which means that although I was dilating fine, the baby might not be descending so they decided to give me a very small dose of Pitocin. They didn't want to give me too much because the baby's heart rate had been elevated so I was on Oxygen as well.

I was told to rest. Yeah, right. Well, admittedly, I did get about 45 minutes of sleep...just enough to gather my strength for what was yet to come...

Finally I could get some sleep...only about 45 minutes worth, but I'll take it!

A Whole New World

Ok, admit it. How many of you started singing that song from 'Aladdin' when you read the title? Don't be shy!

So sorry it's taken this long to catch everyone up. As you can imagine, we've been a little preoccupied the last few days. In fact, last night I got AT LEAST 5 hours sleep which was AWESOME. Before that I was probably averaging about 1.5-2 hours a night plus a 1-2 hour nap during the day. I went to Babies R Us with my mom yesterday to pick up a few things and get out of the house for an hour and I could tell being in the real world that I was COMPLETELY sleep deprived. Thanks to some changes in our routine, I'm doing much better today!

In the next few posts, I'm going to attempt to take you all back through the last week day by day so you can get the full-on Baby Zoe experience. I'll try to leave out icky details as I'm sure not everyone needs to know why the nurse had to run to the bathroom for tissues when I started pushing or what the little water squeeze bottle I got with my postpartum package is for...

I know many of you could care less about the details and would rather just check out all the cute pictures we have! We're still collecting everything from my parents and friends who have taken pictures so there may not be enough to your satisfaction but that's just the way it is.

Here's a sample!

TO actually go to the album, click on the little color wheel in the lower right hand corner and you can then click on the link to the album. (you may have to move your mouse over the slide show for the icons to show up). To see the cute captions Stephen made, click on the little text box on the lower left. Enjoy!



More info to come! Stay tuned!

Miss Zoe has arrived!

At 9:24 this morning, Zoe Elizabeth Slaboda was born!  She weighed in at 6 lbs, 7 oz...19.75 inches!  Scored 8 and 9 on her Apgar scores...the nurses all were impressed at how fast she came out...I think I pushed for about an hour or less.  In this pic, Zoe is warming up after her first bath which she was not so thrilled about:-D.  More to come later...Zoe-Bug needs to eat and then so does Mommy!

"The day" update

We're at 5cm with a wonderful epidural...got a bit of sleep thanks to it, and just waiting for the next step.

Here We Go!

Well, my water broke a little over an hour ago.  Contractions have started.  2 cm dilated, 80% effaced.  Woohoo!

Closer...and Closer...

Had my first 'full-term' appointment today! Everything looks great! As I mentioned before, I'm definitely starting to feel some aches and pains and discomfort with being so pregnant. However, my blood pressure is still good and while I have had some swelling, the doctor checked and said it's fairly minimal so not to worry...just keep the feet up when possible. I'm starting to feel generally crampy...not sharp or anything, just achy...especially when I'm standing or sitting up. Overall, I really can't complain too much. I DID feel ridiculous as I haven't shaved my legs in about a month (I can reach my legs but it's WAY uncomfortable and since it's cooler...or SUPPOSED to be...why bother). Oh well. I'm sure I'm not the first uber pregnant woman they've seen with hairy legs!

The big news is I'm 1 cm dilated and starting to thin out just slightly. The doctor said I 'should be good' for my appointment next week. So...hopefully she'll hang on until Mom and Dad get back from Houston. It's also good to know that the process is beginning! For those of you who don't know much about all this (myself included), beginning to dilate doesn't mean much. Mom said she was dilated from a month before I finally came along. We'll just have to wait and see if anything's changed by next week. The doctor also said he could actually push the head back from the cervix so she's definitely down there!

On the subject of induction. I did ask what was typical protocol for that. While I didn't see my normal doc today (and thus will have to ask her next week anyway) the doc I saw today said that standard practice is not to go past 42 weeks (December 9) but he usually doesn't go past 41.5 at the absolute most. I'll just have to ask my normal doc what her thoughts are next week. He ALSO said that once I hit 39 weeks, they would normally allow me to opt for a scheduled induction if I'm ready to just be done (which would basically be in 2-2.5 weeks...I know...scary). It's just good to know that there are options and some flexibility...especially if Mom and Dad have to go back down to Houston.

So that's the story! Baby's got hiccups right now:-)

Waiting...

Have to see a different doctor today because mine is out of town this weekend.  I've seen him before...good guy, but is a little overobsessed about weight gain which is irritating because I will probably end up having gained more than I should but by, like, 5 pounds at most.  Anyway, I've been uber-lucky when it comes to doctor's appointments being on time (except when Stephen used to come with me...which is why he was banned from appointments:-P).  But of course, the doctor is in a delivery and then there are 2 people in front of me so I'll probably be awhile...sigh. 

37 Weeks!

'Ummmm...you're pregnant.' ~Stephen after taking the picture (and look at our awesome kitchen!)

How Are You Feeling?

Alrighty...so I'm going to take a few moments to vent on pregnancy woes. You have been warned.

Since pretty much the beginning of the pregnancy, I've been constantly asked, 'how are you feeling?'...like it's the common greeting. Not, 'hi' or anything normal like that, just straight into the 'how are you feeling?' question. For the longest time, I was kind of confused because I really felt fine. I mean, yeah I felt bigger and I'm not going to lie and say there weren't some interesting sounds coming from me each time I got off the couch. But overall, I felt great!

And then I hit the 35/36 week mark. Ummm...yeah. Definitely feeling VERY PREGNANT right now.

First off, as of today, I am officially 37 weeks which means 'FULL TERM'. A little bit scary, but definitely exciting and reassuring.

Sleep does not exist any more. Well, I slept alright last night, thank goodness. But most nights consist of about 5 trips to the bathroom, at least 2-3 (and usually more) Tums, shooting pains in my lower back, and acrobatics as I turn onto the other side (which involves flipping a body pillow under the covers but over my belly...not an easy feat). For the first time in my life, I find myself looking at the clock and WILLING for it to be later. Like...it's only 3AM? I could have sworn it was at least 5! I'm sure I would feel differently if I were still teaching or working a normal schedule and had to be up by a certain time, but I look forward to morning/daytime when I can rest a little better.

I also started swelling in my ankles and feet. I went out with coworkers on Saturday night and we went to a restaurant downtown. We parked close, but it was still a few blocks away and when I came home, my ankles were...well, there were no ankles! Actually, I scared Stephen because I was in the bathroom before bed and I saw my ankles (or lack there of) and said out loud, 'oh my god!' then...'my ankles are so swollen!'. When I came out and was washing my hands, Stephen said, 'ok, we need to make a rule that for the next few months, you don't say,'oh my god' when you're in the bathroom. Poor baby thought my water had broken or something! :-D

I also learned yesterday after sitting through 4 tutoring sessions at work that I'm going to have to start limiting those hours. I figured with pretty much sitting the whole time, so long as I wasn't being told to stay home, I could go as long as possible. While that's still the plan, I am definitely going to have to cut back some. After sitting for 4 hours, I got up out of my seat yesterday and felt like I had just ridden a horse! I guess the pressure from my belly on legs was making them ache? Still not sure, but something has changed. I was supposed to be there all day today, but Deb and Meena managed to convince me that probably wasn't the smartest idea so I moved my 1:30 and now will only have to been there for 4 hours...yay!

Well, I'm going to rest up for this evening. Baby Zoe needs some rest, too. We're hoping she doesn't surprise us and decides to wait until at least next weekend when my parents will be back in town! We'll see...

36 Weeks Ultrasound Pics

It's a Baby!

Side Profile

We were joking that she takes after her daddy...this is the face he makes when I'm eating plums:-P

This is one of my favorites...she looks so peaceful!

36 Weeks...and Ultrasound Pics!!

Well, yesterday was a special appointment because we got to do our 36 week ultrasound! Of course, the reason for doing this from the doctor's point of view is to check where the placenta is, check the amniotic fluid level, check out baby's organs, look at the size of the head and abdomen and give a guess on the size of the baby, etc. etc. etc. We wanted all of this to look good, of course, and it was reassuring to hear from the tech that everything looked normal. However WE wanted 2 things: to see our baby and to get a confirmation on the gender (otherwise there would be a few trips to various stores exchanging clothes!).

Well first off as I said before, everything looked great! The estimated weight at the moment is 5 pounds, 13 ounces which puts her in the 35th percentile for babies at 36 weeks. And yes, there is no doubt about it at this point, she is definitely a 'she':-) No returns for me! For those of you who are convinced based on my size that I'm going to deliver early, I'll have you know that the computer actually predicted my due date based on measurements, etc. to be 5 days LATER than originally thought! The doctor's still sticking with November 25, though, since the earlier measurements are more accurate. We'll see!

My parents were able to accompany us which I really think helped keep my dad's spirits up being in the middle of cancer treatment and all. He seems to be doing quite well this weekend, all things considered. Still tired and dealing with some symptoms (he has very little hair left) but looked more with it yesterday morning than I think I've seen him since before the treatment started. Also, my mom heads out to Houston on Tuesday and doesn't return until the Thursday of the next week so I think it was good for both of them to have some good news and positive energy before embarking on the next piece of treatment (which, by the way, is undetermined...Dad will get checked out again in Houston on the 9th and they will decide whether or not to just jump in with radiation, do another round of chemo, or go ahead with the surgery). I'll keep everyone posted.

We were all pleasantly surprised when the ultrasound tech attempted to give us some good 3D shots! I didn't realize they would do that as a standard thing. So, for your enjoyment, I'll post some of these awesome photos of the little bug!

35 1/2 Weeks

Alright. So now I get why women get to that point in the pregnancy where they just say 'enough already!' I'm still doing quite well. Swelling only in my hands mostly and definitely more heartburn, but nothing I can't manage. But I'm definitely having moments where all I want to do is lay down on the couch. Sleeping has been harder...but I'm not complaining because I don't have to get up by a certain time any day so if I don't sleep well, I just take an extra few hours after Stephen gets up.

We're getting anxious!! Not that we'd ever really be 'ready'...but I think we're as ready as we're going to be! We are going to a 'new parent' class in 2 weeks which I'm actually looking forward to. I've taken care of a lot of kiddos, but not for awhile and the youngest was 3-4 months I think. So it will be interesting with a newborn. But we'll do great, I think. And any mistakes we make...well, my mom keeps saying babies bounce back pretty easily so I'll just keep that mantra in my head as we're trying to get through the first month or so.

I've been asked if I'm nervous about the birth and the truth is, I'm really not. Now, ask me when I'm in labor and I may have a different answer! But, I have trust in my body knowing what to do and the nurses and doctors helping me through the rest. I'm trying to go with an open mind. I'm not planning on getting pain meds right away, but I have nothing against taking them if needed. I've heard so many stories about long labors and short labors and c-sections, etc. so I'm just going to go with the flow. Soooo...I guess it's no use getting worked up about something I have little control over anyway. We'll just have to see!

Oh! And the best recent news is my coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower!! It was so nice! They rented a room at a nice Italian place and all! Stephen got me there under the guise that we were going to Park Meadows to do some shopping and I got all the way to the lobby without having a CLUE what was going on. Apparently they had been planning this for a month or more! They also included my mom which was very thoughtful since she's been dealing with my dad mostly. It was nice for her to have a break and get excited about the baby coming. Many thanks to everyone that attended and helped out. An extra special thanks for Deb and Meena because it seems like they did the majority of the organizing (but I know everyone contributed, so thanks to all!). My favorite part was doing the string game where they had to guess the length around my belly by cutting off pieces of string. They were all WAY over:-P (See, I'm not as big as you all think I am!) But LuAnn only had about an inch over...while my mom had enough for an extra belly :-D All in all, it was a great event:-)

We see the doctor on Friday (36 weeks!) and we'll get an ultrasound so I'll update with pics from that (if we get any) and any information we get. Hooray!

Baby Socks Hanging from Chandeliers

I never really got a chance to write a few things about the baby shower in St. Louis. First off, I want to extend another heartfelt thanks to both my Aunt Beth and my very good friend Susan for putting all the hard work into make the day/weekend so wonderful. Also, thanks to my Aunt Laura for bringing those yummy cupcakes (wish I could have brought them home with me...they were so good!). And ALSO thanks to everyone else who was able to attend. I know for both my mom and myself it was a welcome distraction from more serious matters.

It was so wonderful to see so many wonderful friends and family. It's hard to be away, even though I love Colorado and wouldn't change where I am for a minute. I miss the people, though. I wish we could see everyone more. Luckly most of my family is in one place, but Stephen's are all over and of course we have to balance that out at least a little bit. I'm a little apprehensive about this coming summer...I think it will be the summer of showing off the baby which will equal lots of travelling...and not just by ourselves anymore. But that's a worry for another day.

I have a Picasa site with all the pictures from the shower. If you have other pictures and want to contribute, you should be able to if I sent you the invite to view the pictures several weeks ago. Or, let me know and I'll include you on the list. To view the pictures, click here.

Birthing Classes and Feeling Overwhelmed (thanks, Babies R Us)

So this past weekend we attended our birthing class. We did the express class which combines what usually is 3-3 hours sessions into 1 full day experience. I know, contain your excitement! The 3 hour sessions were only offered on Thursday night, though and I didn't think my boss would much appreciate me taking off for three Thursdays in a row:-P Of course, I was super tired as I had to get up at 7 (shut it...I don't work until 1 at the earliest and as I'm not getting up for exercise classes at the moment, there is frequently a "9" at the front of the time when I get up in the morning these days) and of course within the first hour they showed the first segment of the movie which was like, can I take a nap now? Please?

Truth is, I definitely learned some things and it was awesome to take the tour and see the unit and get a sense for how things will go. I will say that if you've seen as many Baby Story's and Deliver Me: Home Editions and Bring Home Baby's and Birth Day's as I have (man that's a lot...I swear I'm not baby crazy) much of the material was stuff I had already heard. It was good to have them confirm that what I'd been seeing on TV was fairly normal, though.

Stephen, however, knew just about 5% of what we learned in the class so I think he felt much better after going through things. I also think he was exhausted by the end with all the information that was delivered. He's getting more and more excited...it's kind of cute to watch! Yesterday he actually was like, I want November to hurry up and get here...I want to meet her now! I keep telling him to enjoy the last few weeks of freedom while he's got them...but I think we're both ready for that loss of freedom. Well, I don't know if we're REALLY ready for what's to come (who is, really) but we're as ready as we're going to be.

After the birthing class, we realized that while we still have several weeks left, we're beginning to enter that 'it could really happen at any time' stage. Hopefully she'll hold off for AT LEAST 3-4 more weeks, but you never know at this point. So...we made a trip to Babies R Us on Sunday so we could gather a few absolutely essential items just to make sure we have them. Like, oh, a thermometer and some bottles, etc. I tell ya, every time I go into the store, I get overwhelmed! At least they keep it fairly compartmentalized so you can be sufficiently overwhelmed by just ONE category at a time. We made it out in one piece, thank goodness, and now feel a little better about what we have immediately on hand. Many thanks to the woman in the bottles area who suggested to start we just buy 1 of each kind of bottle instead of several of one...so we can see which one she likes and get more of those. Good thinking! We also spent a good portion of Sunday night unpacking things from the shower and getting the room a little more...well, like a room. We're getting there!

Right now we have someone setting up the baby room so Stephen can install the ceiling fan. Don't want it to get too hot in there in the summer...and she needs to have the obligatory fan to watch in wonderment, right? :-)

Movement

Dear Zoe,

I know I was semi-worried all day because you weren't moving as much as yesterday but did you really have to wait until bedtime to let me know you're OK?  Is this a sign of things to come?  Regardless, Mommy would like to sleep now.  Thanks.

Jogging Stroller!

We got our jogging stroller and Stephen was nice enough to put it together (in between kitchen stuff).  As you can see, the reflectors work:-P. Thanks to Ginzy for the front wheel attachment...now we can actually use it!  Well, we're missing one key component...she'll be along in good time:-D. Looking forward to many runs next summer!

Antsy

Feelin' antsy. Just like my whole body is just slightly tense...almost itchy feeling. Blah.

The sealant is being put on this evening in the kitchen. It has to sit for 12 hours (so the cats get banished to the basement...Harmony will not be happy!). And then we can FINALLY move the stove back in and I can FINALLY cook something!! Not that I'm complaining about not having to cook for awhile. But, it would be nice to eat something a little healthier for a change.

Off to work.

Kinda magical...

So, as of this morning I still had not heard back from the doctor about my glucose tolerance test. Not surprising given that I took it on Wednesday last week and yesterday was a holiday. On the other had, it had been almost a full week and I kinda wanted to know if something was wrong so I could take action towards fixing it. The receptionist confirmed that my results had, in fact, come back and she said she would have the nurse call me back with the results.

Let the waiting game begin.

Luckily, the nurse called back only an hour or two later and my test was normal! Whoopee! One less thing to worry about. Not that I've been scarfing ice cream or anything crazy. However, Stephen pointed out that now I can go back to consuming my original quota of multiple nectarines a day guilt-free. I better get on it as they're going out of season! Maybe Baby Zoe will figure that out and turn her attention to apples (of which we have several small ones ready to be picked in the back yard...).

I'm starting to get slightly nervous. Not in the anxious, panicky way. More like the reality that I'm that close to becoming a mom is so much more real now than it was months ago...hell, even a week ago. The other day I actually took a moment to look forward toward the upcoming weekends and I realized that with baby showers, baby/birthing classes, and a few other random events, we have several pretty packed weekends. All the way until...well, early November. And then...

Um, yeah...then we're just about ready to have a baby. Yikes!

But while I am getting a little more antsy about reality, I am also so excited. I think Stephen is getting there, too. I can detect a little smile in his voice when I start to wake up in the morning and she starts kicking so he can feel it in his back. I can't help but laugh when she gives a good strong kick out of nowhere (even if it's in the middle of the doctor's office). It really is kind of magical...

28.5 Weeks!!!

Please ignore the bad hair (I wore a hat at the Rockies game today), the bad skin (I'm pregnant...nuff said), and the bright pink pants and bright purple shirt (again...pregnant...I can wear what I want to!).  Also, you can see the progress we've made on tiling.  I swear it's more than it looks!  The back is actually setting and we hope to lay the rest on Wednesday!

GD...in more ways than one

So, last Friday I went in for my latest appointment at 27 weeks (yay!). I had to get my glucose screening done which was a pain. Actually, I didn't mind the drink. It made me think of orange drink from McDonalds...except as if someone accidentally dumped a ton of extra sugar in this particular batch. It made my stomach hurt, but other than that...no worries. Luckily, I made it to the doctor's office with about 5 minutes to spare for them to draw my blood.

Hey! At least I got a room fast! In fact, this was the fastest doctor's appt I've had so far...in and out in 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, today I got the news that my glucose is abnormal so I have to go in for the 3 hour test...wahoo. I've read that only about a third of those needing to do the actual GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test) end up with Gestational Diabetes so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. But, I guess it is what it is...it's probably all that fruit I've been eating:-P Anyway, good to be sure and take care of it. I'm disappointed for sure, but I guess I can't complain much since so far the pregnancy has been a breeze.

Of course when I called the lab to schedule the testing, I had to listen to a LOOOOONG message about hours, phone numbers, directions (from everywhere, apparently), and the fact that you can schedule online (except for GTTs...I already checked) and I finally get someone and she asks me to call back! Not the best thing to tell a pregnant woman who just found out she might have GD. Don't worry...I didn't jump down her throat...just said 'sure' and hung up.

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted on what happens there. Other than that, baby seems fine! She's kicking up a storm in there (especially in the last week or so)! The doctor said she's currently head-down which I'm still amazed they can tell with just a little poking and prodding. And the heartbeat still sounds awesome! So, I'll just have to keep remembering that for now.

Oh! And we 99% decided on a first name: Zoe. Still thinking of a middle name and we're not 100% yet, but we've been calling her that so I think unless she comes out with an unexpected additional appendage, Zoe will be it!

26 Weeks

Well, Stephen's downstairs ripping up particle board...just the next phase of Operation Kitchen Renovation.  I, however, am upstairs in bed with 4 pillows (one of which is a pregnancy pillow), both fans running, ice on my hand, and a Tums melting in my mouth.  In other words, back pain, acid reflux, carpal tunnel, and HOT!  Woohoo!! Bring on that 3rd trimester!

100 Days!

Today marks the '100 days left' mark! Hooray! Still feels like a loooong time, but I know it will be here sooner than I'll probably be ready for it.

'Baby stuff' has been kind of put on hold for the last few weeks while we've been walking through my dad's new cancer diagnosis. We're keeping our fingers crossed and trying to stay positive. I think it will be easier for everyone (including Dad) once we know what the plan is and what to expect. Prognosis is pretty good so that's positive...it's more a question of how changed his quality of life will be. But I know that regardless of the decisions, we'll work through it and support him through the recovery process.

On top of THAT, we're remodeling our kitchen. NOT INTENTIONALLY...well, not exactly. Essentially it went from installing a new cabinet and replacing an old one to redoing the floor and getting new appliances.

Yes, we are that crazy.

I won't go into the details, but I will say that getting all new appliances was NOT my idea (so don't blame the crazy pregnant woman). Stephen just suggested that we could get more of a discount and be able to do it interest free for awhile until we get our refund back next year which will be used to pay that off. Appliances are being delivered on Friday and hopefully we can get a really good start on tiling the floor this weekend and be done...well, who knows when but hopefully soon:-)

So...busy, busy! At least it's been cooling off lately...let's keep that coming!

The Search for the Perfect Nursing Bra

Does anyone remember when I was searching for white shoes in January for Jaime's wedding? To refresh your memory, I went to about 10 different stores trying desperately to find white shoes that wouldn't cost a fortune in time for my dress fitting. I ended up finding something FINALLY...and then the day I was packing for my flight, I was pulling out another pair of shoes and out came my own wedding shoes which I thought I had gotten rid of.

So...now I have TWO pairs of white shoes. And I'm not getting rid of either one. Just in case.

Anyway, trying to find nursing bras that fit but don't cost a fortune feels a lot like looking for those white shoes all over again.

I started my search at Target. I learned back when I went through the apartment fire fiasco and had to buy a complete outfit that DIDN'T smell like smoke that I really like Walmart bras! For real! The problem is when you're used to buying $10 bras, it's hard to imagine ponying up $30 or more for a bra that will only be worn for a few months.

But seriously, what is up with Target sizing??!!

I started with a bunch of different sizes and when I finally found the right cup size, I realized I also needed to go up a band size...and all the sudden the cups were HUGE...like, I could fit a water balloon in there! What's up with that??!

After trying both Walmart and JC Penny's I finally gave in and went to a local store called Bosom Buddies. And I fell in love. This store is specifically geared towards breastfeeding. They have lactation consultants, pumps and replacement pump parts, nursing covers, and more nursing bra selection than I thought existed. And not everything is ridiculously expensive! I mean, yes, bras can be purchased for $70 a pop, but the one I bought was about $25...very doable.

Unfortunately after wearing it for two days, I decided that the wiring that went down the seam of the sides was not all that comfortable so I took them out and realized WHY they were there in the first place. Lumps under the arms...lovely. But it's still a good bra for around the house so no worries...just means I have to go back and try again (and maybe stop by Destination Maternity while I'm over there...well, I have to take my opportunities when I can get them!) :-)

Lesson learned? Yes, definitely. Sometimes just biting the bullet and going to the specialty store is worth it. Especially when pregnancy hormones are involved...

Maternity Stores

Just a quick note:

So, I broke down and went to get nursing bras today (more on THAT experience later...I know, you're on the edge of your seat!) and I stopped at Destination Maternity since I was in the area. Can I ask how come all the employees there are skinny little things that look like they just walked out of college? This IS a maternity store, correct? Now don't get me wrong, they're all perfectly nice and helpful so I'm not knocking the service at all. But the last thing I want to see when I'm trying desperately to find something (anything!) that will fit over my gianormous belly is a toothpick dressed better than I ever did when I was NOT pregnant. Ugh. Ok, frustration over.

I did get some good deals, though!

23.5 Weeks!

Not the best photo but I keep forgetting to take one so this will have to do for now. 

Stuff (as in, literally)

So amidst the other craziness going on, it dawned on me that round about now I should be thinking about the stuff we'll need.

Bring on...dum dum DUM...the Baby Registry.

Now, I remember being really excited about this when I was getting married. We had just moved into a house and I had all kinds of things I needed so picking items was not that daunting of a task. I mean, I had lived on my own for a few years so I had some idea of what I needed or what would be nice or what I already had, but wanted one that DIDN'T look like it belonged in a college dorm room (or that a 24-year-old boy had picked it out). Baby Registries are different. Sure, there's the cute this and the sweet that. But most of what you're picking out is functional stuff that you NEED. Not, oh we can get by without it. We NEED a car seat. We NEED clothes. Etc. etc. etc. And it's not like we've had these items in the past and know what we'd like and we don't. We have to rely on the testimony of others to give us guidance. Which has been great! But there are SO MANY CHOICES!!!

In terms of where we're registering, I know for sure we're registering on Amazon. Reason is they have TONS of selection and lower prices (including some used items which would be fine for some things, for sure). Yes, it means items have to be shipped which takes a little bit of the fun out of actually 'giving a gift'. But as I mentioned in my last post, I am flying to STL. For my health more than anything. I will be taking extra luggage to bring back things, but I am not anticipating having to lug a Pack n' Play back with me. Not that I wouldn't if I had to! But there's a point where I have to be reasonable.

The other cool thing about registering with Amazon is they have a feature called 'Universal Registry'. It's pretty much what it sounds like. You can go to any site you can think of and add items from that site to your Amazon registry. So, for example, for kicks I went to the Rockies website and added a newborn kit from there.

I AM NOT HATING ON MY CARDINALS!!

Just being realistic here:-P Or, if I see something on a local site/craft site that would be cool, I can add that as well. Awesomeness.

Don't worry, I will probably be registering for some things at Babies R Us or Target (not sure which one yet) but I will probably stick to smaller items (as in not bulky).

If you would like to see my registry building in action, please visit it!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&type=baby&id=6WH3BFR6ZB4G

I'm still figuring quite a bit out so things may change, but I feel pretty good about what's already on there.

Thanks everyone! Any suggestions on things I MUST HAVE, please leave me a comment, drop me an email, whatever!

23 Weeks Update

Well, it was an exhausting week on many fronts, but we managed to make it through. And, to top it all off, I had my latest doctor's appointment on Friday! Everything looks great. I've gained a little under 15 pounds so far so I'm still on track. Baby had been kicking a little less the last few days which I asked her about and she said it might have to do with the stress of the week. Heartbeat looked great and...like clockwork...as soon as I left the office feeling reassured that baby was OK, she started kicking up a storm! I've told Stephen she takes after her daddy...which means he gets to run after her:-D

Next appointment is the good ole glucose testing appointment which means I get to chug a half a bottle of grossness before my appointment. My friend compared the taste to uncarbonated super-sweet wine coolers...except you don't get the added bonus of being tipsy. Anyway, hopefully that goes well.

The doctor also said I can travel up to 36 weeks! So, there's a chance I may be back in St. Louis before go-time after all! Yay! I'm hoping to travel late September at the latest, though. I don't want to be ridiculous, you know. And I'll probably fly. I did have some slight swelling when we drove back from STL this last time so I think it's just wiser...plus I'll have to take little to no time off work.

More later. I'll try to get Stephen to take a picture of me later. He's painting the baby room right now:-D I'll post pics of the progress there as well.

Crib Update

Stephen put together what he could of the crib. We are still waiting for the modification instructions, but I think with the mattress being able to be raised the railing height will be fine. Yay! Feeling much better about that.

The baby's room is coming along! Now that we have bedding, we're hoping to paint in the next few weeks. We're thinking a nice tan/neutral for most of the room (to match the bedding) and a green accent wall. And yes, we will make sure to get paint with 0 voc's, etc.

It's coming along!

Brown Cows

I LOVE Brown Cows.

Ok, so maybe this is a midwest thing. Or maybe not. Or maybe it's just a 'my family' thing. Anyway, for those of you who are not enlightened, brown cows are an ice cream treat with a vanilla ice cream center, dipped in chocolate on a stick. They're like Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen but more normal ice cream treat shaped than round. Anyway, we used to eat them all the time growing up and for some reason, I've had a craving for them lately. Not a crazy craving or anything. Just like, man...whatever happened to those? It would be awesome to have one.

So, Stephen being the awesome husband that he is picked up 'brown cows' at the store. Except they were like, the fancy-schmancy version of brown cows. See, I guess his mom loves the Dove ice cream bars and so that's what HE remembers as a kid and that's what he got.

Now, don't get me wrong. Dove is awesome. The ice cream was smooth, the chocolate was, of course, amazing. But, they just weren't what I remembered as a kid which was what I really wanted. So, we had to try again.

But of course I still ate the Dove bars! Do not be concerned...

The next try was Haagen-Dazs. Better. Ice cream was awesome. Chocolate was better (which means a little less decadent than Dove but that's good!). Still, not the same. Plus, there's only 3 bars in a box...that doesn't last very long!!

So on a quick run to King Soopers, Stephen gave it another shot. He brought home these things called 'Arctic Blasters'. I thought we might just have it this time since there was a whopping dozen bars in a box (the cheaper the better!).

Sure enough, we had a hit!

So, now the brown cow cravings have been quelled. Now that the perfect level of cheap ice cream treat has been discovered:-D (None of that high end stuff!)

Bedding is Here!

As you can see, we received our bedding set.  This is it waiting to be washed.  Harmony wanted to make sure it's sufficiently hairy first :-P

Recalls...lovely...

So it looks like our nice crib that we drove all the way back to St. Louis made it onto the recall list that just came out. Of course. So, this morning...hormones raging, mind you...I'm frantically trying to figure out what to do and imagining the worst (investing in a crib we hadn't budgeted on).

Well, I learned my lesson. Apparently, you fill out a form on the website of the maker and they send you the instructions and materials to make the proper adjustments so it is 'safe'. We'll still have to see, though. I'm worried that since it's originally made to have a drop down side, changing it so it can no longer drop down will mean that little 5'1" me won't be able to get into the crib. Well, Stephen is working on clearing out the baby room as we speak. The next plan is to begin to set up the crib to see how it will fit and whether or not it will work (keep your fingers crossed!). Anyway, yes we have addressed the crib issue...for now.

She goes bump in the night...

Well, Stephen officially felt the baby kick last night. She was particularly active when we were watching tv before bed (probably due to the nectarine and juice I had at dinner). So, I had him keep his hand there for a bit and sure enough, she obliged! She even did a good 'one-two' punch...double love! I asked him what it felt like and he described it as a 'blu-blup'. Not sure what that means, but I suppose that pretty much accurately describes what I feel when she moves around. Anyway, it's exciting:-)

Bedding Purchased!

So we realized that time is moving much faster than we thought and we really need to get the baby's room painted in the not-too-distant-future (not to mention cleaned out, but we'll forget about that point for a moment...). Sooooo...we decided we really needed to decide on our bedding set/theme so we had something to actually match the room to. We had decided on an animal theme, but (as you might imagine) there are a GAZILLION animal-themed sets. So, in an interest to not go crazy looking at everything, we found a great 13-piece set on Amazon for $90 which seemed like a pretty decent deal so we went ahead and purchased! Hooray!

Cuteness. Yes, indeed :-) I especially like the birdy on the rhinoceros butt. Excellent.

Popcorn

No, I don't have sudden crazy cravings for popcorn (although that doesn't sound half bad right now...). The title is in reference to the little bug moving around in there! As of about Thursday, I officially can feel her moving around periodically. I've discovered that what I felt before was definitely movement, but it was just barely starting up. I still think it feels kind of like a quick muscle spasm...but when they happen constantly, you pretty much know they can only be one thing!

My mom had described the feeling as 'popcorn' and, for me, I find this description more accurate than the normal 'butterflies fluttering' description. It's kind of like little bubbles are popping lightly. And boy, is she an active little bugger! When she gets going, she doesn't really stop for several minutes...and then maybe an hour or so goes by and she starts up again. I know, I know...it will probably be much more regular as we move forward, but I think what makes it feel so remarkable is how it was almost like a switch. Wednesday, I was lucky if I felt even one little pop. Thursday, I could feel little pops every minute or so in spurts. Just amazing. Like my friend at work said, 'well, now she's just big enough you can actually feel her!'. I suppose when she gets big enough, you feel it all!

In other news, I'm feeling pretty good! I get tired after meals, especially lunch and dinner. I have a decent amount of energy otherwise, but it's so hard to stay motivated after a larger meal. Stephen and I are desperately trying to get the house in some shape so that we have storage and can actually see how furniture will start to look in the baby room. We haven't registered or anything yet, but I think we're going to stick with our original plan of an animal theme (think more zoo animals and less farm animals). So far we've been lucky with furniture. My parents have a rocking chair they've said we can have and some of you know about our lucky purchase on Craigslist for our changing table. Great thanks goes out to my Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Tom for letting us use their crib and bassinet! I think my Aunt Jennifer's right. I'm certainly excited about not having to worry about the cost of buying a crib on our own, but I'm equally as excited about not have to go through the process of picking out a crib! The less decisions to make, the better, I say.

Next doctor's appointment is July 30th. Until then, the plan is to get the baby's room cleared of boxes and such and start visualizing what needs to be done to make it a full blown baby room!

PS - Many of you asked while I was in town over the 4th if I would be in again for a potential baby shower. The answer is: I'll keep you posted. I'm going to talk to the doctor on the 30th about when's the latest I can travel and how to do it and hopefully, I'll be back! We'll see, though. Many, many thanks to all of those that offered their homes and whatnot to hold one. Again, I will let you know!

Baby's bopping around! Must have been that strawberry limeade I just had... :-)

Fairy Princesses

At the Muny (for the first time in years) and everywhere I look there are little girls in dresses and tiaras:-)  and I can't help thinking that mine will be one of them someday!  Hooray for little girls!

Oh, Kitties...

Kira likes the pregnancy pillow...

It's a...

Yes, yes, yes...we did find out what we're having, as many of you knew we were going to. The ultrasound tech said she's '90% sure it's a girl'. Which basically means that it is. She just said she says that to everyone who's having a girl because it's harder to distinguish. So...girl. Ironically enough, I only had a few people predict and every single person predicted a boy...except the owner of the French restaurant in Breckenridge we had brunch at over Memorial Day. She said that sometimes she's wrong, but she predicted a girl. Hillarious. Anyway, otherwise, everything looks awesome. She didn't see absolutely anything that would indicate any issues which is, of course, what we were really wanting to hear.

And no, we don't have a name yet. So don't ask:-P Just kidding. Well, we really don't know so you can ask, but it won't make a difference anyway!

Baby At 18 Weeks

Probably the best profile pic we have. Baby was moving around quite a bit!

The obligatory 'alien baby' picture. Gotta have one of those:-P

Feetsies:-) The ultrasound tech thought this was the best! She was like, 'I just wanna kiss 'em!'

Movement?

So...yesterday I was laying on the couch when just for a moment, I felt my tummy twitch.  Kinda like when you have a muscle spasm only it was much lighter and only lasted for a second.  I didn't really think anything of it because it just felt like a normal muscle twitch but I did notice it.

But then I felt it again today and I remembered how many people have mentioned feeling the baby move as a 'fluttering' at first.  Well, a muscle twitching can kind of feel like a fluttering.  So, I looked it up on the internet (I know...I banned myself from the internet, but this is for something in the 'non-freakout category') and it turns out many people describe it as feeling like a muscle twitch!  Well...was it baby?  I don't know...but it's exciting all the same!

Almost 17 Weeks!

I'll be 17 weeks in 2 days.  I swear I have only gained 4 pounds at MOST.  Crazy...

Holding Pattern

So, I'm in that awkward stage of pregnancy where most of the first trimester pregnancy symptoms are gone...so I feel much better, yay! But I can't feel the baby yet and I'm not huge yet (although I'm working on it, let me tell you!). So...I feel kind of like I'm in a holding pattern. It's kind of like I'm waiting for the next big thing.

We went to our third doctor's visit on Tuesday! My doctor was back after being on maternity leave which was great so Stephen could actually meet her. God love her, my doctor is awesome, but she has at this point called me every variation of Elizabeth EXCEPT for Beth...it always makes me laugh. This time I was 'Liz'. We talked about a few concerns (like the adolescent explosion going on my chin and the fact that NOT exercising is just fine...especially since I've gained a grand total of half a pound so far). We measured my belly...don't know what it was, but apparently it was fine. AND...we heard the heartbeat again! And apparently baby was active because you could hear this strong heartbeat and then a big whooshing sound which the doctor said was the baby moving around. Yay!

We also scheduled our anatomy ultrasound which checks organs like the brain, heart, liver, etc. AND...genitalia! So, here I thought it might be mid-July or even early August before we know what we're having and we may find out at the end of the month which is just amazing to me! Exciting! I feel like when I can call the baby 'she' or 'he' instead of 'it'...it will feel more real. That and feeling the baby...which really could happen as early as next week or so...wow.

Well, I'll take a picture of myself later today when Stephen gets home...please do not pay attention to all the acne on my face...maybe we'll just do a neck-down photo...:-D

Everett Matthew King

My great friend Erin had her first baby yesterday, May 25, 2010! Born just before 8pm by c-section, he weighed 9 pounds 8oz and measured 20.5 inches...big baby! So glad he's here (and I'm sure mom is just as excited;-).

13 Weeks

Gettin' a bit of a belly!  Long ways to go yet...

Baby at 10.5 Weeks!!

The baby is the light grayish peanut between the white and the darker gray. We have now graduated from a Fuzzball with a Heartbeat to a Mexican Jumping Bean. The doctor was trying to show us the heartbeat and so both Stephen and I were looking closely at the screen when the little blob did a hop! Like a decent sized hop! And then it looked like it was waving at us (or kicking at us...not sure which extremity was moving around). It's getting bigger! The doctor said the baby is about an inch and a half...which was a week ago so it's bigger now:-) Yay!

And so it Began...

I couldn't sleep last night.

No nausea, no pain...just woke up at about 3:30 wide awake! Unfortunately, the ONE day this week I have something to do in the morning and I can't sleep. Figures.

So, I started going through my normal routine of mentally singing songs, reenacting important days, anything to help me ease back into sleep. I replayed the day I knew Stephen was 'the one' and, while it DIDN'T help me to sleep, I felt like sharing the details of that day and what it meant to me.

A little over 5 years ago (hard to believe it's been that long!), I was headed to Denver to visit Stephen and see my brother in a play. It worked out perfectly. I had taken a personal day on Friday and Stephen had booked me a ticket using one of his per diem tickets (under the guise that I was his sister, I think...otherwise, they wouldn't have let him use it). I was a bit nervous. Our last meeting had been wonderful! But it had also been the first time we had ever met face to face. This would only be the second time, really.

Now, something you should know if you don't already. Because we lived in different cities, when we DID see each other, we saw each other for concentrated amounts of time, not just a date a few times a week. So...while it was the second time I had seen him, the first time I had seen him for 4 days straight and that was AFTER we had talked on the phone and AIM chatted for hours on end.

No, I was mostly nervous because I would be seeing him in HIS space...also because....da da da DUM...he would be meeting my parents.

My youngest brother was in a play in high school and so we were all going to go see the play...which meant Stephen AND my parents would be going...so he had to meet them.

Meeting the parents is always a daunting thing. I love my parents and I'm very close to them, but it still was nerve-wracking to have to introduce him to them. Especially someone they didn't know existed until a few weeks before.

So, back to the day. Stephen had taken the day off from work and had a plan for what we were going to do. Which was fine with me since I barely knew Denver and the idea of us sitting around playing the 'what do you want to do' game (a process we go through regularly now) did not sound...comfortable. After getting up at a leisurely pace, we set out on our adventure.

Remember, I didn't know Denver yet so I didn't know what part of the city we were in, where we might be going, nothing! All I knew is the mountains were to the West...actually, I'm ashamed to say but I'm not even sure I recognized that yet at that point.

We arrived first to an older building with lots of charm, but nothing telling about it. We followed the signs to the entrance (of what I didn't know) and as I walked through a charming back garden with color and whimsy displayed in various garden-esque items, I could hear...children?
We walked in and that boy had brought me to a puppet house...we were going to see a puppet show! So yes, 2 adults in their early 20's amongst a sea of kindergartners...at a puppet show.

Now, I know probably 85% of women would have immediately been looking for the nearest exit...probably more. But I was enchanted! The decor was perfect (it felt like you were inside a castle where you could make your own puppets and put on your own show from behind the turrets), the show was warming, and watching the kids enjoy themselves in a way that did NOT require electronics was wonderful. I think I sat through the whole show thinking what a perfect idea this had been...it wasn't until later when I was talking about it to some girl friends that I realized how...'unique' of me to find a puppet show the perfect date.

But the day wasn't over yet! After perusing the puppet shop (and playing a little, I must admit), we were off to our next destination.

After a somewhat lengthy, but scenic, drive we ended up at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Anyone who has been there already knows how beautiful it is. The rocks take on a reddish...almost honeyed color and are in formations that have been cut away by thousands of years of wind and rain (mostly wind...this IS Colorado, you know). We enjoyed ourselves walking through the park, taking pictures, enjoying nature. We stayed until sunset, but unfortunately the clouds took some of that away from us. It was beautiful anyway.

After the sun went down, Stephen looked at his watch and announced that we needed to get moving if we wanted to make it to our reservation. Now, I looked down at myself and thought…if it’s a place that takes reservations, then I am DEFINITELY not dressed for the occasion. Stephen reassured me that I would be just fine. So, we loaded up and headed out to find the restaurant (I still didn’t know where we were going, though and I was STILL worried about how I was dressed…jeans and a t-shirt don’t usually comply with ‘reservation’).

As we were getting close, Stephen decided to let me in on where we would be dining. He was, after all, driving and having me be on the lookout was much easier, not to mention safer. About a minute before he told me, I had actually been thinking to myself, I wonder if it’s The Melting Pot…that would be one place that needs reservations but wouldn’t necessarily NEED for you to be dressed up. Which would be AWESOME because that was my favorite restaurant! So, the big unveiling and…yes! We are going to the Melting Pot! As soon as he said it, I laughed and was like, that’s my favorite place! I don’t think Stephen believed me at first. He had actually never been, but had heard from a friend that it’s a great date place because it’s fun and the food is fantastic. And of course, it was fun and the food was fantastic:-)

The night was drawing to a close and it was time to head back up to Denver. We had one last stop to make: the Parent Meeting. We had decided that we would stop by my parents house on our way home so that I could introduce Stephen to them so they had at least MET him once before we all went out to see Jon’s play the following night. Also, my grandparents were in town and they would be leaving the following morning so it gave us the perfect opportunity to let them meet him as well.

I was nervous. For SURE. But, I was already pretty smitten with Stephen so I knew they would be, too…hoped they would be, too!

I don’t really remember much about the meeting. What I DO remember is later that week when I had make it back to Wichita, my mom and I were talking on the phone and I was chomping at the bit to ask her what she thought of Stephen.

‘Oh, he seems nice’ was all I got.

Excuse me? Nice?! This is the guy I’m falling for and all you have to say is that he seems nice?? I was more than a little put off by the reception and decided not to let it get to me. She didn’t say anything negative, just didn’t sound overly excited.

A year later when my mom and I were out to lunch a few months before my wedding, she was saying how great a guy I was getting. I, of course, agreed. But I had to ask why she was so passé about him when she first met him.

‘Honey, I knew in about 5 minutes when he first walked in our door that this was going to be it. You’re my first born and my only daughter and it just took me awhile to come to terms with that.’

He had passed the test all along, Mom was just having a…well, ‘Mom Moment’.

The day was perfect. Maybe not for anyone else. But it was perfect for me. And so was he.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! Thank you, Mother Nature, for the life you have given me and the little one coming along:-)

The Cat's Out of the Bag

These past two weeks have been such a whirlwind! Stephen was out of town two weekends ago for his grandmother's 80th birthday. Then, this past weekend, we were both in St. Louis for my dearest friend's wedding. I was really worried about traveling to St. Louis and how my body would take it...especially during the time that's supposed to be the worst for morning sickness and other symptoms. I was pleasantly surprised! For the first time in three weeks, I actually felt like eating something! It was great! The best we can figure is coming OUT of altitude tremendously helped...I know this because since we've been back, I've been right back to square one feeling semi-sick every morning and finding it hard to eat dinner. Oh well. I'm almost to nine weeks so probably another three weeks or so and we'll be out of the icky phase.

The biggest thing that's happened is we let everyone know the good news! It still felt a little early to be telling everyone, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity since we would be around our families and friends. I think the most surprised/excited was my grandmother! We told everyone and she didn't hear what we said (she's hard of hearing) and so I leaned over to her and said, 'you're going to be a great-grandmother' and she did a little hop! I haven't seen her that excited for a long time! Everyone seemed very excited. I think some of my high school friends were surprised, but not TOO surprised. I think many of them figured I wouldn't wait too long to have kids.

I'm actually really glad we didn't wait to tell everyone. I think while we were waiting I felt more nervous about what could happen. Probably because it felt like we were waiting for a reason...making the possibility of what could go wrong more in the forefront of our thinking. I certainly know that nothing's guaranteed...but you know what? That will ALWAYS be the case. So why not celebrate and be excited with our friends and family rather than sit on pins and needles waiting? I'm glad it's out. Now it's time to enjoy it!

7 Weeks

Well, another week has gone by and boy was it a big one! First doctor's appointment which I was COMPLETELY freaked about. If you recall, I had some spotting and I was hoping everything was doing what it was supposed to be doing. As you can see from the pics, it turned out great and all is well for now. Still having some minor spotting, but I think I'm finally kind of 'getting used to it' and letting it go.

Morning sickness continues! I felt great on Tuesday and Wednesday so I thought maybe it was easing up and then Thursday came and WHAM...I was on the couch all morning long...even thought I might have to run to the porcelain goddess, but managed to avoid it. We'll see how the next few days go. The GOOD thing is I don't seem to have it much past 10 or so. I haven't yet figured out how to cook dinner and not gag in the morning when I can still kinda smell it. We had fajitas last night and I did just fine making and eating them. But then when I got back this morning from taking Stephen to the airport, I had to hold my nose until I got back up to the bedroom. Thank goodness it's spring-moving into summer so I can keep the windows open.

Still have some small cramps...normal stuff...I'm definitely stretching out! (as can be seen by the fact that I've had to break out the old pre-Weight Watchers jeans). I think my thought now is to start taking pictures at 12 weeks. That way I have an excuse:-P

Stephen is in Miami for his grandmother's 80th birthday (Happy Birthday, Grandma!). His mother, grandparents and uncle are there so I think he's going to let them know soon. I wish I could be there, too! But with this wedding coming up, it would have been tough. We'll have to make a trip out there after the baby is born to show off to the great-grandparents:-D

On to the next week!

First pics!

Here are the first ultrasound pictures...I think we're having a...fuzz ball:-P.  Not much to look at, but soon it will start to look like something!

Fuzz Ball with a Heartbeat

Fuzz Ball. That's what the baby looks like right now. So that's what we're calling it for now. And it has a heartbeat!! It's an amazing sight to see. I'm so glad I could see the heartbeat. Not only because it reassured me that everything is going well, but also because it gives, well, life to something that otherwise just looks like a blur on the screen.

To update where we're at now:

Spotting basically stopped. I may have a little here and there, but it's pretty much dwindled off. My doctor said that since I've had this spotting but the baby looks great I shouldn't worry too much about it, but definitely call if that changes. When I was getting my pap, I had some bleeding almost immediately so the doctor said it could just be that my cervix is really sensitive and bleeds a little more readily than most.

Morning sickness seems to have lessened a bit. It's more a slight uneasiness and I actually feel like eating something now! The doctor said it's still early so I may experience more later so just be prepared.

On Sunday I had to upgrade back to my fat pants!! I kept a lot of my clothes from before the Weight Watchers days in anticipating needing them again. They're pretty loose...really I need something between them and my skinny jeans, but I'm not really into buying clothes I may only need for a month or two...if I can help it.

I DO, however, still fit into my bridesmaid dress, thank goodness. I'm SO glad the wedding is only a week and a half away...any longer and I think it would have been questionable. Either that or I would be frantically calling a seamstress hoping they could work miracles! The dress is a bit snug and I don't look as good as I had hoped, but I'll take it. So long as it zips up, I don't care.

Today I'm 6 weeks and 5 days (according to measurements at the doctor). Estimated due date: November 25...you guessed it...Thanksgiving Day. Guess we'll have one more thing to be thankful for this year!

6 Weeks

I didn't get a chance to check in on Wednesday. Sorry.

I had a bit of a scare last night and this morning. I'm still not OK, but the dr. assures me it's normal so I'm trying not to read too much into it. I had a little bit of spotting both last night and this morning. It hasn't been a lot and it's completely brown which apparently is fine. I have my first appointment on Tuesday so I didn't want things to get worse and have to go into the weekend not knowing what was going on. So, I called first thing this morning and the receptionist assured me that so long as it's brown I'm in the clear. I can't help but be a little worried since I had NO spotting up until now (except in situations where I had a reason for the spotting). This is the first spotting I've had with no real reason. I'm trying to take it in strides. I guess I just have to keep going and hope everything will be alright. Follow drs orders. If I see any red blood, call right away.

Whew! Well, morning sickness has definitely started. It's different every day. Sometimes I feel horrible all day and some days I only feel a little icky in the morning. It's more like smells and the THOUGHT of eating is not appealing (which for me is HUGE because we all know I LOVE to eat!). Today I don't feel so bad so I'll probably take the opportunity to clean up a little around here and take care of some things I've been avoiding...it will also keep my mind off of everything.

Weight: 133.8 pounds
Waist: 35 inches

Keep your fingers crossed.