Nursery Pictures!

The nursery is coming right along, so I thought I might post some pics of what it's looking like these days.  Chris and I have both worked really hard to get things arranged in there, and much credit goes to my dad for painting--especially the stripes!

The view of the wall where the door is.  This is a futon with the GREAT cover my parents gave us from my birthday!

This is the far wall opposite the door and at a 90 degree angle to the futon.  This (obviously) is the changing table and the cloth diapers on the second shelf and diapers and such on the bottom. We need to get the turtle print framed and hung.

This is opposite side of the window from the changing table: 

The dresser again. . . and the closet door.  The shelf at the end of the crib holds hats, socks, burp cloths, bibs and such.

The crib!

How are you feeling?

Sorry it's been so long since I updated! The day after my birthday I woke up terribly sick! It took until mid-week this week to start feeling better. Yuck.  So it's hard to believe I'm now 34 weeks pregnant. . . 40 days and counting until we hit D-day. That's due day. . . Scary. Here's a run-down on how Elliott and I are doing these days, as the title of this post is the most often asked question these days:

Generally, I feel tired. I am not miserable. . . yet. My heartburn/acid reflux has increased and sleeping is becoming more and more of a challenge. My doctor has cleared me to use Benadryl to help me sleep, which also helps my allergies. I wake up around 3 times/night to use the restroom and it is TOUGH to get comfortable in bed! Turning over is quite a process. I typically wake up between 3 and 4 am and just feel wide awake, despite knowing how tired my body is! I am still getting stuff done around the house, just not as much at one time as I was a few weeks ago. That is okay, though.  

Emotionally, I vascillate between terrified and extremely excited. I have a whole sense of unreality (I don't even know that this is a word. . .). Intellectually, I know that I am having a baby, that I have to give birth, that my whole life will change, I'll be off work, etc. BUT emotionally, I can't seem to process it. I feel my little man moving a lot, but I can't get to the point where I realize that I'll bring him home, that i have to push him out, etc. It is really hard to explain. I think a lot of this is because i know I still have lots to do to prepare for his arrival, so it's like my mind can't go there for the emotional part quite yet.

Happy Birthday to me!

This year puts a birthday into a whole new perspective.  Not to sound too trite, but I find that 'things' for me become much less important than time with the people I love and necessities for Baby M.  I truly could not think of anything I wanted for my birthday, as I have in years past.  While low-key, this has been one of the best birthdays on record for me. . . The best parts:

1.  A relaxing lunch with my office-mates from the yummy taqueria!

2.  A beautiful, delicious birthday cake brought to me (with the taqueria yummies) by my dear friend, Tonya.

3.  A phone call from my godson, Jackson, with the best rendition of "Happy Birthday" ever.

4.  Dinner with my parents, the Schwantners and Chris at PF Chang's.  Tasty food and some of my favorite people in the world.  Too bad Amanda & Ben couldn't join us. :(

And some things to look forward to:

*Pizza and Pajamas tomorrow night at Deana's with Deana, LJ and Heather!  Don't worry--we'll have cake and ice cream, too!

*The Nutcracker on Friday night.  A perfect date night with my wonderful husband--we rarely take the time for such outings, but always enjoy them when we do!

Everything with Baby M seems to be going well. Chris can't believe how strong some of his kicks and stretches have become of late.  We 'graduated' from our childbirth preparation classes this week--complete with diploma.  Not sure where this diploma will come in handy, but graduate we did. Our next appointment is Friday morning, so I'll try to update again on any important details. We are feeling more prepared for Baby M's arrival all the time, especially after the HUGE shower Saturday.  Our families and friends are extremely generous and we now have all but a very few essentials!  

More Preparations. . .

Not too much exciting to report, but our baby preparations continue.  Today we went to my parents' house, where they gave us a futon that they wanted to get rid of because it took up too much room.  This allows us to have a place for visitors to sleep when you come to visit!  So all around, everyone benefited.  :)  We also got the swing moved to our house, but are still waiting to get those darned stripes painted on the wall.  Soon, I think.

I got a couple of newborn outfits, which I'm told are very different than the birth-three size, so these are contenders for the all-important 'coming home' outfit.  

I am definitely noticing a difference in my stamina these days, so I'm not quite as efficient as I was just a few short weeks ago. I'm told that just comes with all the aches and pains of the 3rd trimester.  3rd Trimester--yes, it's true!  I'm 30 weeks pregnant.  Hard to believe.  Roughly 65 days left until we hit our due date.  Next doctor appointment is Wednesday, so I'll try to update any important details then.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

A long-awaited update. . .

Gah!  Time has gotten away from me again.  You'll have to forgive a pregnant person's forgetfulness. . .

All is well with Baby M.  He's growing on schedule, I don't have gestational diabetes (hooray!) and generally we both seem to be in good health.  Chris and I have started our childbirth preparation classes, which are quite informative.  It's nice to have something in this pregnancy in which we can both participate.  Turns out that it's meaningful quality time together for Chris and I and brings a whole new sense of reality to the situation.  It's somewhat disconcerting to be reading & watching videos regarding childbirth and realize there's no way of avoiding THAT happening to my body!  Turns out this baby has to come out at some point, and it's gonna hurt!

Other developments:  the nursery is painted!  Well, except for the stripes on one way, but it's come a long way in the past few weeks.  Stephanie came over on Sunday and helped quite a bit with organization.  We got everything out of packages, de-tagged, sorted into sizes, bottles put into the kitchen--it was  a relief to see some real progress.  My friends, LJ, Heather and Deana hosted a shower at Camp Carter a week and a half ago, so there was quite a bit to put away.  It is quite humbling to receive such generous gifts from friends and family.  I have also started going to the doctor every 2 weeks instead of once a month.  Definitely another sign that we are getting ever closer to meeting Baby M.  I will have one last ultrasound on December 22 to check the placenta, amount of amniotic fluid and position of the baby.  At the anatomy ultrasound, he was still breech, but through palpation at the last appointment Dr. White said he had finally moved head-down.  Let's hope he stays that way!

Totally Baby M unrelated--my sister completed a full marathon on Sunday!  I am so proud of her.  She is not a natural runner, as many assume, and this was an act of dedication, perserverance and honor to a close friend's father, who lost his life to cancer several years ago.  

We got a new car!!!

I am so excited!  Chris and I found a car that met exactly what we wanted in a new vehicle--3 rows of seats, rear a/c, low miles and it's NOT a minivan!  It is a 2007 Ford Freestyle with 22,500 miles on it.  We got a great deal. . . here are a couple of pics:

Double Digits!

Woot!  99 days and counting.  Roughly 3 months and 1 week.  Yikes!  I mean, Yahoo!  Really, I vasillate between the two.  

This weekend we are taking apart/clearing out our guestroom and moving it all to a storage unit.  That means then I (I mean 'we') get to pick out paint colors, put together some furniture and make a real nursery out of the space!  I am excited and anxious to get the ball moving.  I'll keep you all updated with pictures of our progress.

Dancing a Jig. . .

Baby M is a mover and a shaker.  Really!  It's the most awe-inspiring and a feeling of which I never get tired.  His most active period is the evenings, usually beginning around 8:00pm--of course he starts wiggling around most anytime I eat or drink something really cold.  I keep trying in vain to get Chris to feel him move, but I guess Daddy's hand is a calming influence and baby slows down a bit when the hand is in place.  That, and I think his tiny feet and hands aren't quite strong enough to pack enough punch for Chris to feel.  Soon, I think.

I have a confession to make.  I have to get a new car.  My two-door, cute, sporty car just won't hold a carseat in any comfortable sort of fashion.  What kind of confession is this, you may ask.  Here's the confession:  we have looked at mini-vans on-line.  Mini-van.  Me?  It's such a stigma.  I mean, my mom drove one forever!  It's one of those things that as  teen-ager you swear you'll never have because it's so uncool.  Swear.  Until you're pregnant, need a new car, want to plan for a day soon when you'll have more than one kiddo and realize that carseats take up an unimagineable amount of room.  This means without a third row of seats, it's you and one adult and children.  Only.  For a long, long time.  That's how you realize that a mini-van might not be the worst thing on the planet.  

How did 25 weeks pass so quickly?  6 months.   That means only 3 1/2ish months left and it is at once the most exciting and terrifying experience ever.  . .  More to come. . .

 

What's in a (last) name???

I've come to believe that one of the largest responsibilities of this whole pregnancy-thing is naming your child.  It is a forever deal.  Talk about pressure!  Turns out I like names that can double as last names. "Like what?" you may be asking yourself.  

Like these, I say:

Cooper

Bennett

Grant

Reid

Campell. . . etc.

As you might have surmised, these have been shot down by he-who-does-not like-last-names-as-first-names. . . otherwise known as Chris.  Boo.  To be fair, there are plenty of names he has suggested that I have shot down, too.  

The good news is that there are a select few names on which we actually agree.  I am scared to even type them in the blog, as I am not soliciting opinions from anyone other than the two of us.  Now, I'm not trying to be rude and realize that last statement might sound so, but this is hard enough with two people in on the decision--much less 10 or more!

Here's the short list (please remember that your response should always be--how cute!):

Miller

Elliott

Gavin

Brendan

Don't get your hearts too set on one of these. . . they are apt to change!  And from the looks of things, it maybe down to the wire before Baby M has an official title!

All by myself. . .

Yep.  The title is, indeed, true.  I'm living the single life for the next 7 days while mi esposo is working in Galveston helping with the hurricane recovery process.  Granted, the single life involves a 31-year old (almost 32) who is 22 weeks pregnant, full of aches and pains. . . not exactly living life on the edge of excitement.  

Truthfully, any excitement in this situation is because I get the bed to myself.  For a whole week.  Now, you may be thinking, "Poor Chris, doesn't she love him anymore???"  I do.  Promise.  BUT, my pregnant body loves sleep more.  Turns out that one full-sized body pillow, one 5 foot-long pregnancy pillow + one pregnant lady+one needy cocker spaniel +one husband is too much for one queen-sized bed.  Umm. Yeah.  Possible solutions occuring to you right now:

1. "Just throw the dog out of the bed!"  Clearly that means they have not spent time with my OCD dog, Humphrey.  I'm not exaggerating.  He's really certifiable OCD.  So kicking him out of the bed would lead to pacing and panting and scratching at the side of the bed, begging for permission.  Over and over and over. . . 

2. Get rid of a pillow or two!  I've taken a very informal survey, and pregnant women everywhere agree this wall o' pillows is vital.  Nonsense you say.  Ha.  Try sleeping on one side or the other, and nowhere in between combined with aching hips.  You'll see.  Those pillows are essential.

3. Get a bigger bed.  A good idea except we STILL haven't sold our house and a king-sized bed isn't going to fit in our bedroom.  And we love our bed.  It was a pretty penny that got us queen-sized memory foam heaven.

See my predicament?  This is exactly why I am thrilled to have 7 nights to spread out all over!  This means: sad during the waking hours because Chris is risking life and limb in Galveston and pure relief to climb into bed and not worry about crowding him.

I hope you all are having a restful week!

Murphy and his law strike again! (Some good stuff, too)

Sometimes things come along just when you need them--like an acquaintance who was storing baby furniture and goodies in her garage for her son and wanted to sell to a first-time mom!  I was really needing some good news this week and it came in just the right time.  Today, Stephanie and I went to investigate what I was sure would be Baby M's furniture.  I was right!!!  The furniture had no outward, noticeable signs of wear and it was 50% off the regular price.  We got the convertible crib, changing table and a carseat with an extra base.  All of this was $320!  It is all dismantled right now, but when it's set up we'll post pics.  This good newshelps make up for the fact that:

1.  A large part of my hospital/doctor care bill is due.

2.  I might need 2 new tires for my car.

3.  My 'Service Engine Soon' light came on last night.

Bleh.  This is inevitable because we got that bonus check last week.  Savings was the plan, but there goes our plan!  Sometimes life has other ideas. . .

Everything with Baby M seems to be much the same as my last update.  The only big change is that I can feel him squirming around at least daily!  It is the most reassuring of sensations and makes me smile inside everytime I detect this movement.

On to housing news--Chris and I are getting very impatient to know what the future holds for us with housing.  Just as we contemplated taking our house off the market, it was shown Saturday to a couple who had already sold their house, so we know it is a must that they find a new place to live.  Their realtor even called Rod to arrange a special showing time--unfortunate for Chris' sleep, but well worth if it leads to our house selling.  

I'm pretty sure that if our house does sell, it will be in the next week because that is our luck and Murphy's Law.  We found out on Friday that Chris will be spending September 29th-October 6th in Galveston.  This will be a bit of a burden, but it's for good work and will include overtime pay, which will be much appreciated around here.  I figure our house will sell, he will leave and I will have to pick out a house without him!  Ah well, it would be a good burden to have, I think. 

The Great Bedding Decision

You were on pins and needles waiting for this decision, weren't you?  I knew it.  Well, after much searching and internal debate and not a little bit of making Chris look at stuff on the internet, a decision has been reached.  

Here's the goods  (I am evidently too dumb to figure out how the heck to actually post pictures directly here):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0019LX628/sr=1-6/qid=1221328456/ref=dp_image_z_0?ie=UTF8&n=165796011&s=baby-products&qid=1221328456&sr=1-6

The best part is that I got a surprise bonus check that will pay for the bedding with some left over!

A small taste of heaven. . . & Half-way updates

My mom convinced me to finally use the giftcard for a facial my sister gave me for my birthday.  Yep.  My birthday.  As in, takes place in December.  I'm bad about such things, I admit.  So my mom got a giftcard to the same place for a facial for Mother's Day, so it seemed like the perfect mother-daughter outing, especially since she made the appointment for me.

We braved exaggerated-Ike weather (seriously, like 2 wind gusts and some drizzle) and headed to Facelogic.  Dark room.  Reclined in a chair with knees bent comfortably.  Calming music.  Steamed towels on my face.  Scalp massage.  Finger massage.  Shoulder/chest massage.  All of this equalled bliss!  Of course by the end, Baby M was making my stomach growl horrendously loud which the aesthetician was polite enough to ignore.  I even left with a some new face 'product' ( as my sister would call it) to address my hormone-enraged skin.  Almost heaven.

On to other things. . . I can't believe I'm half-way through incubating Baby M!  The first trimester drug on and on and on. . . well, you get the pciture.  Now well into my second trimester, time is speeding on like crazy!  I am definitely feeling the urge to stock up on all things baby.  Right now the current debate is about bedding.  I found a beautiful custom set on Ebay very reasonably-priced--it is is a lovely damask print.  Very sophisticated, in my opinion.  But then, I've also fallen for an animal-themed bedding. . . I can't make up my mind!!!  Chris, bless his dear heart, is interested--just not passionate about it.  Understandable, to be sure.  My thoughts are torn--if we are still in our current home (as it looks now) the custom bedding is not overtly 'baby' BUT the animal-themed stuff is so cute.  I am worried that if I go with a theme that Baby M will be inundated with themed items.  I don't know if that makes sense to anyone but me. . .

Other than the bedding-drama (not so dramatic to anyone but me), everything seems to be going well.  For the most part, I have energy and I feel well.  This is not to say there aren't aches and pains--chronic heartburn, achy feet, growing pains in my lower abdomen, back pain--oh, and difficulty sleeping.  All to be expected with the job, I suppose.  

Something that has returned to normal?  My appetite.  I have found my inner Betty Crocker, or as Betty Crocker as I get. . . I made some snickerdoodle cookies last night and tonight it was strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream.  Yummy.  And I couldn't pass up the brownie mix today at the grocery store.  Mmm.

That's it for now.  It's off to bed for me!

The BIG news!

Whew!  It was a long, anxiety-filled day for me!  Our appointment wasn't until 4:15, so I was on pins and needles all day--needless to say, I wasn't the most productive person at work.  As each appointment approaches, I find my anxiety level rising in proportion to the proximity of the appointment.  Chris and I had little pre-conceived expectations about gender, I just wanted to make sure Baby M was alive and well.  This may seem a bit silly, I realize, but I've been feeling so good and can't really definitively say I've felt the baby, so I start second guessing.  

So as typical for our doctor's appointments, we waited about 30-40 minutes, which was excrutiating to me!  We chit-chatted with the doctor and then it was down to business.  He immediately went to the little heart beating away, and then spent probaby 10 minutes taking various measurments.  Everything on the baby measured between 17 1/2 weeks-19 weeks, 2 days.  This is right on with my due date, so the litte one is progressing right on schedule!  

Okay, okay I've procrastinated enough. . . We're having  A BOY!  It is just awe-inspiring to see the live, wiggly little being inside of me that I can't really feel.  And when I say wiggly, I mean it!  IT was difficult for the doctor to get some good still shots because the little bugger was moving about so much.  

More good news:  My uterus has streched enough that my placenta is safely out of the way of my cervix!  Hooray!  This means I can go back to my yoga class--I am so ready, as are my aching back and hips!  This also means a significantly less chance that I would need a C-section.  Whew!  

I'm going to stop there, but needless to say I am just over the moon to finally know the baby's gender, and most importantly that he's healthy!  Let the shopping frenzy begin. . .

Go USA!

Just FYI, my little revolving baby is totally off--I am not 19 weeks, I'm 16! Ha. Guess that ticker is trying to move me along :)

The past week or so has been all Olympics! I'm sure most of you know that I am obsessed with the Olympics. I'm totally addicted. Chris and I have decided that it has totally wrecked our sleeping schedule. Go figure that the Olympics would change my pregnancy bedtime of 10:00!

Great news today--Chris had his oral interview for Fort Worth PD and it went very well. There is a chance he may have to complete the extended, 31 week-long academy instead the abbreviated, 12 week-long, academy for officers already certified. This is due to UTSW wacky policies and little experience actually working major crimes. He only has 2 steps left--a psychological interview and a physical by a medical doctor. I'll update as the stages progress. Please keep fingers crossed!

I am feeling great these days and for the most part, my energy has returned, thank goodness! I still can't overdue things without paying for it the next day, but overall life is good. So my tummy is getting bigger, heartburn is getting worse, have some swelling at the end of the day, and still have some hip pain, but nothing unbearable. Zantac is my friend! Chris and I have made the decision to use cloth diapers, so I have been doing lots of research and have received a few that I've ordered off the internet, as it's difficult to find them in stores. It's a bit overwhelming, but I am really excited about it.

On to other news, after discussion with our realtor, we have set November 15th as a deadline for selling our house. If it is not sold by then, we will just make the best of things here and turn our guest/computer room into a nursery. Not ideal, but we can certainly make it work.

Hope you all are well!

A small bump in the road. . .

Finally, and I mean not soon enough, I am feeling better! I'm not sure I realized just how yucky I felt unil it's let up. Such a relief, believe me. This week was so surreal for me--for 12 of the last 13 years, I have been at camp. So you can only imagine that I felt like a fish out of water carrying on like normal when so many of my friends were living it up at camp. Now this is not to say that I regret my decision--I don't. That was confirmed when it was 107 degrees last Saturday. There was just no way that I could have survived that--especially with no A/C! I did manage a visit, though, and it did my heart good to be among friends, many of whom I only see for that 1 week a year.

Now for the bump. I had my monthly doctor's appointment on Friday morning, and wouldn't fate dictate that Chris had an arrest just prior? Chris, who's department really frowns on arrests. Chris, who only has maybe one arrest a month. Yep. On the doctor appointment day. Oh well, 'tis the life of the wife of a police officer, right? So I mentioned to my doctor, who is usually oh-so-jovial, that I had experienced some extremely minor spotting off and on the last few weeks. I mean, I was following his directions by not worrying too much. . . Turns out this time, HE was worried. As you can assume, this only increased my always-high anxiety level. Well, Dr. White and I went down the hall to the ultrasound room. Turns out my placenta, which should be attached on the top half of my uterus, is actually on the bottom half, and partially occludes my cervix. (If this is too technical for you, skip to the end. . . I promise that I'll take no offense!) The technical term for this is partial placenta previa. The extremely good news is that this condition typically resolves itself, especially when noted this early. Hopefully, as my uterus continues to stretch with the baby's growth, it wil move farther and farther away from the cervix. If, by chance, this persists up until the due date, it would be a necessary C-section. With the amount of C-sections these days, that isn't too far out of the realm of expectations of what is 'normal' these days! I feel confident that by the next glance at Baby M on September 4th, things will look better.

The best news of this experience was that Baby M (for lack of a better name) looked great. He/she was squirming all about, the spine was visible and the heart was beating away! So, while some worry is inbedded now (and forever more, I'm pretty sure this is just the job of a mom), it is always magical to see the baby--very surreal, as all that movement is occuring inside me, and yet I can't feel a bit of it.

Thanks for reading this far--it's an abnormally long post. Send good thoughts, prayers, and vibes our way that this minor complication resolves itself.

Yoga, anyone?

So Trisha asked for pictures. . . Pictures of what, I ask? The dogs, perhaps? No. I'm fairly certain she's asking for pictures of me. Pictures of my stomach, more specifically, I guess. Hmm. Yeah, no. Soon, I promise. This is because right now my stomach looks like I had one beer to many, not that there's a baby in there. I am convinced. Nothing you say will make me beieve otherwise. (I do admit that two people independently commented that I looked like I was starting to "show" yesterday.)

SO. Starting to feel better and have slightly more energy. Emphasis on slightly. I did get the green light to start a yoga class on Thursday evening, as I am officially in the 2nd trimester (woo hoo!). Those of you who know me with any depth at all can only imagine that a non-pregnant Courtney is more than a bit awkward in yoga, well let me tell you that nothing has improved in the coordination arena with pregnancy. The oh-so-wonderful instructor, Mary Elizabeth, kept saying this is because of pregnancy. . . this is hard because you are pregnant. . . Finally, I had to break down and just say, "Pregnancy is only my excuse. This is a life-long affliction." She smiled awkwardly and with a hint of a giggle looked at my friend, Tonya, for confirmation. Yep. You know that Tonya looked down and smiled grimly while nodding. Sad, but true. However, I felt so good after all the stretching that I signed up for six classes!

That was a highlight of the week. Another was spending time with Jackson and an almost 3 month old Abigail. She has gotten so big! On a slightly down note, I have maybe finally realized my own limits . . . although this is no guarantee. I had a jam-packed weekend last week and Monday felt like caca--the price paid for too much fun.

On a totally different note, please send up some prayers and thoughts of healing for my friend, Ryan, who along with another Camp Carter staff member was burned on Thursday evening and is still recovering in Parkland. Hopefully, he will be home soon and recovering quickly.

Forgetfulness has gotten the best of me. . .

Gah! I can't remember anything--including the need to update this blog! The baby is stealing memory cells from my brain!

Hmm. I feel like most of my time is pushing through the workday (which is becoming easier) and then being a vegetable on the couch in the evenings. I have actually even managed a couple of social outings after work--this is definitely a new development. This week I managed my volunteer duty at the WARM Place on Tuesday AND a visit to Camp Carter on Wednesday. I even managed to get into bed at a decent time! I have quickly learned, however much I enjoy socializing, that staying up too late equals feeling rotten the next day. Boo.

My second doctor's appt. was last Friday and my mom joined me, as Chris had an appt at Fort Worth PD. It was a fairly basic appointment. . . although we did get to hear the baby's heartbeat with the use of a doppler machine. It's amazing to hear such a thing--I don't really look any different (I'm starting to a bit) and there's a heart beating away in my tummy! Perhaps the most exciting development was scheduling the appointment for the ultrasound to determine anatomy is in the right spots and to find out the gender for September 4, 2008. In a spectacular coincidence, this coincides with my mom's 60th birthday! There's just not a better present at this point.

The title of this post should be "Ode to my Husband". Seriously. I think our house would be falling down around us if it were left only to me. Chris has grocery shopped, cooked, cleaned, done laundry--you name it. And with little complaint. It is hard to accept graciously--I feel like such a lazy slob, but a the same time rarely have the energy to change the outcome. Blah. So if you see Chris, he probably needs a pat on the back. . .

And for those of you wondering. . . still no bites on the house. Grr. Trying not to get too worked up about it, stay patient, etc., but it is difficult at times. Actually, I have been so tired that it's been okay. The point I think it will become more difficult is if we haven't sold by the time we find out the gender--I just don't feel like we can plan ahead at all! So everyone unite positive thoughts that our house will be THE House for someone soon!

Looking back at Week 8

A week with definite ups-and-downs, to say the least! The week did not start with a bang, as Sunday & Monday I continued to feel pretty yucky. The great news was that on Tuesday I actually felt pretty good! Good enough to go out to dinner with my sweet husband at P.F. Chang's--it was wonderful. Believe it or not, I was feeling good enough for Chris and me to take Humphrey out on a walk.

Thursday was a bit of a downer. . . I had some spotting (boys you might want to skip this part), so I called my doctor. And I must say, I feel completely confident in our doctor--they had me immediately connected to the nurse, and an appt. at 2pm. Now, most pregnancy books warn you of such things happening and say that it's more than likely nothing. They even give you warnings of miscarriage, of which I had none. You might think this would have calmed my fears. Wrong. When it's you and your baby, all those things just don't seem to matter too much! Well, that's the long-winded way to say that Chris met me at the doctor's office, they did a quick ultrasound to make sure everything was alright and our little jellybean's heartbeat was still galloping along at 170bpm. Whew!

As everyone has heard this story has asked, what causes such things, I'll go ahead and answer. Basicaly, no one really knows. Some bleeding happens in 1 in 3 pregnancies. The technical guess of the doctor was that a small blood vessel that was in the process of attaching to the placenta was 'leaking.' Whatever, I say. The important thing is that it has stopped. Doctor says not to worry, so I am doing my best to follow orders.

Since then, I continue to have roving bouts of nausea, continued exhaustion, and all of it is very exciting! While not always comfortable, all the symptoms are welcomed if they lead to a healthy baby at the end.

Alright, enough mushy-gushy stuff. Time to send my sweet husband out to get me a Blizzard. . . One of those things that I saw on tv and couldn't wait to have. . . He's so good to me!

Week 7

I'm starting this blog as a favor to my sister-in-law, Trisha. She is far, far away but still wants details!

To catch everyone up to speed, Chris and I went for our first doctor's appt. on June 12--I was 6 weeks, 4 days by my calculations. We waited a while to see the doc, but it was worth the wait! He is great about making everyone feel at ease and was full of information. I was just ready for him to stop talking and to have a look with the ultrasound on the table next to me! We got to see what looked like a little kidney bean--aww, our baby bean. Best of all, we saw a flickering light right in the middle of the bean and it was the heartbeat. Chugging right along at 170 bpm, which the doc said is right on target. I have to say, it is an amazing thing to see a living being inside of you with it's own heartbeat. Surreal, to be sure. They also took 4 or 5 vials of blood, and I'm assuming all is well because no call to say any different! Oh, and the doc said my calculations of how far along I was was right on. Our official due date is February 2, 2009. I figure it's a good time--Chris' birthday is on Feb. 1st and Ben's is Jan 31st, and my cousin's son has a birthday on Feb. 3rd. This baby will be in good company.

On to week 7. Week 7=chronic nausea. Bound to hit with no warning and settle in for the day. No puking, just being on the verge over and over and over and . . . well, you get the point. I figure this is where the phobia of throwing up that I share with my sister comes in. . .I am almost positive there have been several times I would have felt better if I just let it all out. Gross. So there's the nausea. . . and you're asking what else? I am almost constantly hungry--I have to eat about every hour and a half to 2 hours, but still only increase my calorie intake by only 300 calories. Needless to say, that's lots of fruit and 100 calorie packs! The run down of the rest of the symptoms: bigger boobs (I have waited for this my whole life), tired in the afternoons, but don't sleep as well at night, heartburn, chronic thirst for ice water, and a total intolerance for structured waistbands. Weird cravings, you ask? Um. Yeah. A few: eggs, grapefruit juice and processed cheese. Seriously. If I could eat Kraft Mac & Cheese for dinner, I would. I have never craved such a thing.. . bizarro.

So that's about it for this week. We'll see what next week brings. I am still quite nervous that something will go wrong, but I think every new mother likely has the same fears. I am sure it will all be bueno. Look for the week 8 update next week :)