Tuesday, December 27, 2011

On the 4th day of Christmas...

On the 4th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me...

4 doctor's appointments a week.

Whether it's a NST, an appointment with a doctor, or the two calls from the service center to collect my blood sugar, I've seen the inside of my doctor's office more than any other time in my life. In fact, up until now, I was in maybe just once a year. This has been a big change! I do like knowing my OB better and I'm very comfortable with having her as my OB. It's good information to have. It's hard to evaluate a doctor if you only see them once a year!

Well, it's time for a nap.

3 days left...

Monday, December 26, 2011

On the 5th day of Christmas

On the 5th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me...

5 doctors/teams watching over me.

Between my regular OB, the high risk OB, the NST department, the Perinatal Service Center, and the nutritionist...I've got 5 different teams or doctors watching me this pregnancy. Being under constant supervision is really quite difficult but, it is neat to know that I have little to worry about. Being monitored so closely means that I have less to have to monitor.

Unfortunately, I have reached a new level of uncomfortable. I have forced myself to request half-days at work because I can't sleep at night and can't get comfortable during the day. I have trouble just getting up to do what needs to be done. So, as much as it pains me to have to do it, I have to work part-time for the next few days. I am hoping that I can sleep in small increments during the day to make up for the fact that I can't sleep long hours at night.

I did get to take a nap after work today and those two hours were excellent. Hopefully this will get me through the next four nights.

4 more days...

My Hugely Pregnant Self on Christmas

Just wanted you all to see my hugely pregnant belly from Christmas...

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

On the 6th day of Christmas

On the 6th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me... 6 leg cramps a night. These awful leg cramps come nearly every night and have been since the start of pregnancy. Elevating my feet on my body pillow at night has helped but not fully resolved the issue. I will be glad when these go away. Regardless of how much water I drink or how much potassium I get, still the cramps. Five more days!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

On the 7th day of Christmas...

On the 7th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me...

7 moments of pregnancy brain a day.

All you women out there who have been pregnant know exactly what I'm talking about. I don't know what it is or why it happens but pregnancy causes the worst lapses of memory ever. I have the vaguest memory of something I am supposed to do or be doing but, I can't actually remember what it is.

It's made it horribly awkward at times. Especially when I suddenly remember what it was or when I find myself in the kitchen wondering why I went there originally. I wonder if it has anything to do with it taking so long to get TO the kitchen that by the time I get there, my fragile mind has already forgotten why I was going.

Alas, 6 more days. 4 days of work. 2 more appointments. Sooooo close!

Friday, December 23, 2011

On the 8th day of Christmas...

On the 8th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me... 8 restless hours of sleep. I'm honestly looking forward to even a few hours of actual sleep. At this point, I lay down to sleep for more than 8 hours but I don't sleep. I have to get up to pee, to change positions, or to relieve the wrinkles on my sides from the bunching of the sheets or my shirt. How nice it will be to be able to get comfortable!

On the 9th day of Christmas...

Well, I'm a little late. I thought about it all day but when it came down to it, I never posted it. So here's the 9th day and a little later, I'll post something for the 8th day of Christmas!

On the 9th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me...

9 pieces of advice.

From sleeping, to feeding, to diapering, to washing clothes, to organizing her room, to what toys she needs, to what equipment to buy, to...the list goes on. Essentially, when you become pregnant, everyone has a piece (or six) of advice for you. The comical movies that show the frustrated mother trying to sort through all this advice is not far from the truth. I've heard advice that directly conflicts with other advice. The interesting thing is, in the end, the parents still have to get their own rhythm and decide for themselves, as a family, what they are going to do.

I am not bothered by the advice. I do enjoy hearing the different tips but I hope no one is offended if we don't do things exactly the way they suggested.

7 days left...

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

On the 10th day of Christmas...

On the 10th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me...

10 new friends.

You know how every time you have a major transition in life your friendships and friends change? Think about when you first started middle school or high school. You have the same people around you but you're not friends with the same people necessarily. Pregnancy has done much the same. I have the same exact people around me but I relate to these people differently and am friends with different ones. I find myself connecting more with those who have kids or those who want them. Not that I don't love my friends who don't want kids, it's just harder to find things to talk about because your every waking thought and moment has to do with your kids. For singles and those who don't want children, they simply don't care to hear about these things. It's hardly fascinating or interesting but those with kids...they can relate to all your highs and your dreaded lows!

So in this aspect, I have definitely gained at least 10 new friendships.

9 days to go...

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The 11th Day of Christmas...

On the 11th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me... 11 Trips to the bathroom. Up until this last few weeks, I haven't had to go to the bathroom much more than usual. Prior to pregnancy I lived a beautiful carefree life where a bathroom was not a necessity everywhere I went. In fact, I only had to go a few times a day. Alas, now I feel it's the entire opposite. I find that I need the bathroom far more often and I'm one of the lucky ones whose baby isn't sitting on her bladder! Hard to believe. I couldn't imagine not being able to contain ANY liquids in my bladder. As it is I debate whether I should have that last drink of water before bed. I usually do. Then I'm mad at myself because I have to get up a few times a night. 10 days to go...

Monday, December 19, 2011

On the 12th day of Christmas...

On the 12th day of Christmas my Daisy gave to me...12 new zits for popping. Probably the first symptom of pregnancy, acne. It cooled off in the second trimester, but now it's back! It's not as bad as it was which is why it's only 12 and not the 40th day of Christmas.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Coming Soon...

With the countdown to Daisy nearing a close (18 days!) I figured I'd do a play on the 12 days of Christmas. This means I'll start next week on the 19th and finish my last day of Christmas on the 30th. Of course, I think I have to be at the hospital super early so...the last one may not be posted that day but a few days later.

While I'm here, I figure I should share a few of those less than glamorous moments of late pregnancy. I almost managed to avoid going in to L&D this whole pregnancy. Up until Friday that is. I had asked the doctor at what point I should be concerned about the swelling in my legs and feet. They told me if one was more swollen than the other or if it suddenly appeared. On Friday night, I had one tree trunk and one spindle. A call to L&D revealed we should go in to be evaluated. So our trial run to L&D began and a few hours later we were released. Apparently, 11pm is Daisy's most active time. She was a busy moving girl. No problems with my legs, she was just laying on one side more than the other. They said I didn't have any blood clots and to head on home. Finally made it home around 2am and promptly went to sleep.

For the most part, my feet and ankles swell every day within hours of getting out of bed. There's no stopping it or helping it, other than putting them up. Usually it's not painful but it is uncomfortable. Occasionally my feet do actually hurt, probably has to do with the skin stretching to its limits.

Let's see, other less glamorous parts of pregnancy. It take what feels like an hour to roll over in bed. My hips hurt so bad that rolling over has to be done in about eight or nine stages. I can't stay in one spot for too long because I get creases in my skin where the sheets wrinkled. This is the one time I need to be stocking up on sleep but it's definitely not happening right now.

On the up side, I'm only a few classes away from being done with classes for this semester. I have one more Nutrition class then the final and a final for human development on Wednesday. I'll be glad to be able to breathe and take a nap in the evenings rather than rushing off to class. I'll just keep counting them down.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Stubborn Warrior

From the very start, Daisy has been one stubborn little girl. The only time she cooperated was during her nuchal scan at 12 weeks. Every other time, she has been stubborn. It took four anatomy scans to get a good look at all of her organs, arms, legs, etc. Although, personally, I think some of that had to do with the terrible ultrasound technician we had the first three times. She finally cooperated when we went in to see the lady who did her nuchal scan.

At any rate, our stubborn little girl hadn't turned over by the last scan. She should have been head down but it wasn't a huge concern. For the last several weeks, I've been able to feel where she is sitting in my belly. I couldn't tell whether it was butt or head I was feeling so I asked our awesome doctor if she'd be able to palpate my abdomen and tell. She said she couldn't even tell with her own pregnancy so she dragged in the ultrasound machine to check. Our stubborn girl is still breech.

As a result of this unfortunate positioning, our doctor has opted to schedule us a c-section...to be on the safe side as those appointments fill up quick. Ideally, she'll turn over on her own and we'll be able to cancel the C but if she does not, we have an appointment all set up. I'm unsure at this point if we'll be doing a quick scan at every appointment until then or if we'll simply wait until the day of the c-section to do one final scan.

At any rate, for now, we're scheduled for December 30th at noon. There will definitely be another scan done that day to determine if she is still positioned breech. If so, we go through with the C. If she's not, we go home and wait. This means we have 49 days left until our baby girl's possible arrival. This is really right around the corner.

A C-section means a long recovery. School starts up again January 18th and I have a few options for this: 1) She'll turn over, I'll have a normal delivery and I'll go back to school on time. 2) She doesn't turn over, we have the C-section and I get lucky and get into online classes. 3) She doesn't turn over, we have the C-section and I find a way to get back to school anyway. Finally, 4) She doesn't turn over, we have the C-section and I'm forced to take the semester off.

Plan 1 is my favorite plan. 2 would be the next best. 3 & 4 I would love to avoid. Especially 4. I can't afford to take a semester off. Getting all of my classes done so I can get on the wait list is already going to take another year. The wait list is 3 years long. I have to get this done as quickly as possible.

I do get to register for classes at the end of this month. My main aim, because of Daisy's position, is going to be for online classes. I should be able to get these done even if I have a C-section. If she turns, I'll be bummed that I don't have any traditional classes but I can't risk not being able to attend classes due to recovery time.

We will see. I've got a lot to process and ponder but one step at a time. At this time, I'm figuring God's got this all worked out, even if I don't and ultimately I'm going to leave it up to him to deal with.

49 days!

FFR

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Day Trip/Babymoon

Yesterday Working Man and I went to San Francisco. It was an idea a co-worker had for us to visit the California Academy of Sciences, aka the Steinhart Museum. It started off well...

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Then there was this...tight, one-way streets. It was terribly hard to find our way and in the end, we got lost for about an hour or so in the city. But I did get a good picture out of it.

Eventually we found our way. We had to rush through, not my idea of what I wanted but that's ok. It's an adventure. So here's some pictures for you:
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We definitely need to go back so I can get some more decent pictures. After the museum, we hopped over to Pier 39, a much faster venture, for dinner and meandering. Then we really had to go home. After all, I had to work today.

FFR

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Pregnancies and Quick Showers...and Pictures

Before my body went all fun-house-mirror crazy on me, showers were a quick ordeal. In, out, 5-10 minutes. It was wonderful. Now pregnancy has made it rather difficult to do this quick shower routine. First off, once you get into the shower, you contemplate how to wash your lower extremities; like the feet. You can't just bend over to get to them...and you can't just hike up a leg to reach them. So you contemplate this for at least three minutes. Then you realize, there's no way you're going to reach them and figure the leftover soap from the rest of you is going to have to do. So now you start chasing the soap residue before it hits the drain.

Then you think, "Hey, hot water! I'll just boil the bacteria!" Turn up the water and let it boil your feet. It causes your stretching skin to itch so you start scratching all over and it looks like you've gotten into a fight but your feet are clean! Sort of anyway.

Then you contemplate the fact that you really need to get out of the shower but that hot water really does feel good on your aching back. Your feet are aching too but to get off of them you have to get out of the shower and, at this point in time, your back hurts more than your feet. Enjoy the heat, enjoy. Suddenly, the water is turning rather cool. It's been a good twenty minutes and the hot water is running out. You are forced out of the shower.

Now you're faced with a new challenge. How to dry everything. Sure, the top half is easy. It's the lower half that's difficult. You call for your husband who willingly and lovingly helps you dry your legs, back, and feet but isn't so loving or willing the next twenty times. You start just wiping your feet on the rug outside the shower and drip drying the rest.

Then you face your worst fear...the underwear. How to get those on without falling over? Ten minutes later, you realize that your monkey toes were made for challenges such as this. That and the bed for sitting on. Now, 45 minutes after the whole ordeal has begun, you're finally done. What used to take 10 minutes takes more than four times as long.

I will of course miss the ability to shower for long periods of time after Daisy is here but I'm definitely missing the short showers of yore.

Pictures of the fun-house-mirror body. This was just Tuesday at 30 weeks and 6 days! We were 13 sheets of TP for TP Tuesday by the way.

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See the pink blanket on the glider? My friend from work made that for me. I loves it.

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Notice, I can still wear my rings. I wonder when this ability will stop. I will miss them if I do happen to reach that stage. I secretly hope I won't.

Fun-House signing out,
FFR

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Baby Shower

Last weekend I was incredibly fortunate to have an out of control, completely fun-filled, and totally overwhelming baby shower. Somehow, what was going to be one small party turned into a party of nearly 50 guests, just a little nuts. The beautiful thing was that it was nice to see everyone. The sad part was that I didn't get to sit and spend time with everyone. Very much like our wedding reception. At any rate, I am incredibly blessed by all of our friends and family. They really turned up the volume on this baby shower. I've never seen anything so amazing! Daisy is an incredibly lucky lucky girl!

My dad had to take all the photos as I was the guest so here's the baby shower from his point of view:

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The most amazing diaper cake ever. Dorothy rolled and organized 84 newborn diapers and stuffed the layers full of onesies, socks, a bottle of cider, hats, and a ton of other great gifts.

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Me and soon-to-be Grandpa!

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All the grands and great grands (at least the ones who could be there). Four generations in a photo. One of my most treasured photos is a picture of five generations of women on my mom's side. I'm a wee baby but I had the very fortunate experience of knowing those women. I want Daisy to know everyone here and all those who couldn't be.

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I finally have a belly! 7 months in!

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I don't even KNOW how long it took to open all the gifts we got! Let's put it this way, it was light when we started, dusk when we stopped.

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Gifts...

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Gifts...

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And more gifts!

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MIL J measuring my belly for the ribbon game.

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Great Grandma Esther won the ribbon game. She was maybe a centimeter off. Dorothy was maybe two centimeters off! It was a close call!

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The dismantling of the diaper cake. I organized all the diapers out of it and found even more hidden items!

To all who came, thank you for an incredibly memorable day. Thank you for all the blessings.

Next up...I don't know. We've got 69 days to go before Daisy is here. That's the absolute last day for her to be inside me before they kick her out. Come baby come!

FFR

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Smiles

Last week my manager brought a little girl over to the office I was in. She was being fostered by one of our clients. She was completely adorable and I couldn't help but make faces at her. After several minutes, she cracked a crooked half-smile. Oh my! She was so adorable! I can't wait for that to be my Daisy. Of course, it will be 6 weeks before she can smile, but that's ok. I'll be eagerly awaiting that first smile.

Then, on Friday, we went grocery shopping and as we were walking out, the clerk checking our receipts asked us what we were expecting...a girl we extolled. It was the first time ever, anyone asked us about our pregnancy while out in public. Seven months in and I don't just look fat...

At our appointment this week, our doctor set us up for the Rhogam shot...rather, set me up for it. By the way, that shot hurts. And it goes in the rump. Just be aware of that in case you have to get it. For those who do not know, this shot is required in women who have Rh - blood and whose partner is Rh +. I'm O- and Working Man is O+, thus the need for Rhogam. This, in almost all cases, prevents the mom's body from becoming sensitized to the Rh factor and potentially harming this or subsequent pregnancies. Unless there's bleeding earlier, these pregnancies require a shot at 28 weeks and again after birth. If the woman goes past 40 weeks, she may need another one. So I get the pleasure of this shot at least once more.

On the plus side, if I don't naturally go into labor by the 39th week (December 28th), they'll schedule me for an induction between then and the 40th week (January 4th). So by January 4th, I'll either be in labor or already have my girl. I can't wait!

Anyway, the nursery is looking amazing. I've been receiving gifts from traveling guests for the baby shower next week and as I get them I've been slowly putting together her room. I still need a few things to actually complete the room, but the majority of it is furnished and ready to go.

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll remember to update again soon!

Oh, yeah, school is going well. So far all A's. I've got another midterm this week for human development and a nutrition exam the following Monday. Some of these weeks are treacherous!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Weekly Baby Update: Weeks 20, 21, 22

I'll admit, I've slacked off. I feel terrible. In my defense, I am way too busy and way too tired to write. I think about writing...all the time actually. I just don't have the time. For those who do not know, I started back to school a couple weeks ago. I signed up and got accepted two days before school. I'm going for my RN license. As a result, I not only have to take classes at night, I have to ace them if I have any hope of getting into the program. Additionally, both of my classes meet once a week from 6:30 - 9:30 and getting to bed at 10:30 is not conducive to getting up at 5am and working all day. This creates an exhausted me two days out of the week, a busy me two days of the week, one day for doctor's appointments, and the last two days to study, study, study. Anyway, right, no time.

But hooray, we passed the 20-week mark! A huge accomplishment in every woman's journey to become a mom. It's the moment when we can go, "whew, halfway done with being an oven". At this stage in her journey, Daisy was about the length of a banana, 10 inches head to heel and she weighed about 10.5oz. We had some concerns this week because at our anatomy scan, the tech said she was measuring smaller than she should have been for her gestational age. This worried me because I know that I've been fighting with trying to keep weight on and I was worried that it was affecting her. I've been making a concerted effort to eat more. It's working but it's really hard.

At the 21-week mark, Daisy was the length of a carrot. She was 10.5 inches from head to heel and 3/4 of a pound. She's been kicking more and more every day. She's particularly active on my drive to work, after lunch, and again late at night. During the last week, week 20, she found my bladder once. This week, she discovered it a few times, one of them at 3am and it woke me up immediately. Fortunately, she hasn't done it since. Here's to hoping she continues to do it only during the day or, better yet, not at all. My trips to the bathroom remain consistent but not markedly increased. This is also the week all my doctors (something like three or four) got together and started me on insulin. I'm incredibly proud of myself for being able to stick a needle in myself three times a day. It still makes me uncomfortable but I'm doing what I have to. Daisy is all the motivation I need.

Yesterday, we hit 22 weeks. This is the last week of the fifth month. Wow. Time is flying. I say that a lot but one of my co-workers was commenting that it's almost the next year. Thinking about it, it's right around four months until Daisy will be here. It's right around the corner. Frightening, exciting, exhilerating. This week, Daisy is about the length of a spaghetti squash. She's about 11inches long and almost a full pound. She's growing by leaps and bounds. We went in for another anatomy scan on Tuesday and the tech said she measuring right on track. All that eating gave her a boost. Unfortunately, she was extremely uncooperative. She faced my spine the whole time and hid behind my belly button. He was able to get a great shot between her legs, confirming, for the third time, she's a girl. He couldn't see her face well enough. So we have another appointment next week to try yet again. I'm okay with this...except for how hard they have to push. They have a really hard time getting the shots they need with her positioning.

I think my belly has grown a bit in the last week. I know that last week we had gained another 1/4 sheet of toilet paper. We were 12 1/2 sheets last week, this week, we are...12 1/2 sheets. I was certain I had added more of a belly. Working Man and I have pretty well figured out that this is probably more because the weight from my back, has been moving forward. So I'm not adding anything overall. My belly is definitely more firm which makes me feel more pregnant. My feet get tired at work but the exercise is still important even though I need to keep weight on. Tight rope, walk the tight rope.

That's all for now. I haven't scanned the ultrasound pictures yet. When I do, I'll pop them up here. You know...when I have time. I have a quiz next week and an exam the week after and a research paper to put together with a partner. So...it might be around Daisy's first birthday that you'll see the ultrasound.

Just kidding...maybe not.

FFR

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Weekly Daisy Update: Week 19

Week 19, Daisy is the size of a large heirloom tomato. She's about 8 1/2 ounces (wow!) and 6 inches crown to rump (double wow!). She's growing in leaps and bounds! Her arms and legs are finally proportionate to her body but that doesn't mean she stops here! Her brain is developing different areas for each of the five senses and she may now be able to hear our voices. That will make Working Man happy since he talks to her every night.

She's currently protected from the amniotic fluid by vernix caseosa...which sounds a lot like queso and it ironically looks like cheese. Anyway, this will prevent her from being pickled. I wondered why babies had smooth skin at birth! I know if I spend more than five minutes in the shower I start to prune!

Daisy continues to kick and move on a consistent basis. She usually hangs out on my left side. During my appointment today, that's where they found her heartbeat. Anatomy scan on the 15th!

Oh! For fun, Working Man and I did TP Tuesday although we had just done it. We were at 12 1/2 sheets. I shrunk half a sheet! The scale at the doctor's office confirmed that I still haven't gained any weight. I'm a-ok with this. My urine shows no proteins, ketones, or sugar so I'm good in the nutrition department.

 But just so you have it:

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So that's week 19. Like I said, we had an appointment today. I have doctors/clinicians in three cities monitoring my pregnancy. Today's visit was with the high-risk staff. I met with the mid-wife who specializes in pregnancies with diabetes. We had a lot of questions for her but my primary one is, "Will I be induced?"
Her answer is that if I do not go naturally by 39 weeks then I will be induced. Which means that Saturday of this week, regardless of whether I go naturally or not, is the half-way point of this pregnancy! What a frightening and extremely exciting thought! Of course, my plan is to eat spicy foods, take lots of walks, do jumping jacks or whatever at 38 weeks to help her along. Natural would be better but we can do the induction if need be.

By the way, thinking about the fact that my Daisy may be able to hear a little bit, I really want to start reading the first Boxcar Children or original Winnie the Pooh I found the other day.

FFR

Sunday, August 7, 2011

A list

I haven't been posting except once a week really so I'm going to do a list today just to cover some of those things that haven't been posted about. Since I've been pregnant, everything in here has become about Daisy but it's important to note that life elsewhere hasn't stopped.

1. Did you know that Lowe's and Home Depot close at 8 on Sundays? I had finally convinced Working Man to finish the nursery (put up the stars, put up the DVD player and cable box...) when he said they were both closed. Don't people do home improvements after hours? I'm so bummed. If only we had more gumption earlier in the day.

2. In our bathroom is a solitaire hand-held game, you know for those longer moments there. Anyway, in the two to three weeks we've had this game, I have never won. Until tonight. Which is primarily why I wanted to write tonight. No reason else.

3. A woman's calendar while pregnant looks like this (especially high-risk women): Work, work, work then appointment, work, appointment, day off. Work, work, leave early from work for appointment, work, appointment, day off. Work, work, appointment after work, work, appointment, day off. Work, work, work then appointment, appointment, work, day off. If it weren't in my phone, I'd never know where I'm supposed to be. Multiply by 7 months.

4. The birth board I'm on has a post called TP Tuesday. Essentially, a roll of toilet paper is rolled out around your belly and you count how many squares it takes to get around your belly. It's just a fun measurement. Five weeks ago at 13 weeks and 6 days, I was 12 3/4 squares. I missed this week so we did it today at 18 weeks and 4 days. I was....12 3/4 squares. It hasn't changed one iota! What?!

5. My dogs are afraid of a statue we added in to our yard. It's a little boy playing in a little puddle. The two small dogs are terrified. I find this highly amusing. Until Honey made my pregnant self run after her while trying to put them to bed. She wanted to go bark at the statue. *Not happy*

6. I took this picture at the state fair. It was hard to capture because 1) she was far away, 2) it was dusk, 3) she was always moving!

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But I love it!

7) If I had cows to play with at all, Rocky and I would be doing this!

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8) Tomorrow I have to get up early again. I enjoyed my day off. I got to sleep a full eight hours.

9) I've run out of things to talk about.

10) Good night.

FFR

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Weekly Baby Update: Week 18

It's here, it's here, it's finally here! It's the fifth month! Oh yay! Daisy is growing like crazy! She's approximately 5 1/2 inches and 5 ounces. Gosh she's getting big. Soon she'll be big enough to come out! Daisy is practicing her hiccuping and yawning. This is the week that "What to Expect" says you may feel some of those punches and kicks but it's our secret (not really secret however) that I've been feeling Daisy since the end of the 13th week. Our doctor was surprised but said it's not unlikely.

If there was ever a week I was going to get morning sickness, it'll be this week. Daisy is compared to a bell pepper this week. Yuck! If she tastes anything like a bell pepper I will be sick! Haha. Just kidding!

New developments for me this week: My jeans no longer button! Or they do, but with a muffin top (not attractive). This is most exciting. I've mostly been losing weight so to realize that my belly is growing even though my weight is not is wonderful!

We've got our big anatomy scan 13 days from now. This is the scan that most people first find out the gender. At the last appointment though, Working Man convinced her to do an ultrasound. She also guessed a girl. Yay, Daisy is still a Daisy.

I have an appointment with a perinatologist next week. They want me to be in touch with the high risk doctor. My doctor knows there is a high chance I'll be on insulin by the end of my pregnancy. In that case, I'll be seeing this new doctor exclusively. If I don't, I'll be seeing both this new doctor and my current OB together. They will consult as well as consulting with the dietician and the perinatal center. I feel so...loved. Haha. Lots of people making sure Daisy comes out healthy after her incubation period. Of course, also making sure she doesn't cook too long!

That's all I've got this week. She's been moving around a lot lately and I do believe this really is the honeymoon stage of the pregnancy. I'm pretty comfortable most of the time. Some back aches when I stand too long. Otherwise, a-ok.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Weekly Baby Update: Week 17

Today we are 17 weeks. Daisy is now the weight of a turnip, the size of a palm. She's five inches long and approximately 5 ounces. She's practicing more than ever her sucking, breathing, swallowing. She can move her joints and her sweat glands are starting to develop. She's still pretty translucent but she's finally putting on some fat.

We've still got a ways to go but this is the last week of the fourth month. Amazing to believe that next week we'll be in our fifth month. Time is speeding along. We've got an appointment this week. I don't know if we'll see her this week or if we'll see her at the next appointment just after 22 weeks. I hope it's this week. We still have to get secondary confirmation that baby doesn't have a dangler! Lol.

Have a great day y'all! Until next week!

FFR

Friday, July 22, 2011

Nursery...Finally!

Crazy or not, the nursery is done...almost. I know, I've been saying that for a long time but really, it's almost done. I need Working Man to come home to finish the rest. Like putting up the television and the smoke detector. And at some point we'll be getting curtains and bedding but...it's done enough for pictures. After a month and a half of work, the nursery is ready to be shown to you guys.

So first, pictures of the start:

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So before we did anything else, I managed to talk Working Man into removing the popcorn ceiling. My biggest thing was that this room would finally be empty and popcorn ceilings are dated. If our bedroom and living room weren't completely full, I'd empty them and get those scraped too. Anyway...

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Then we had to prime the walls. Did you see how dark it was before? Yeah, our paint wasn't going to do much for that.

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Then we did the ceiling. The idea behind this was for a night sky. We will be putting glow in the dark stars on there...like I said, almost done.

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Then we painted the walls the light blue and MIL J started working on the horse. This part of the nursery was an intense project. It's artistic and time consuming.

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Once MIL J finished with the horse and grass and flowers, she went ahead with a huge beautiful tree. She put in apples and put in letters of her name and painted them a bright apple red as well. After all that, Working Man and I put up the crib...which we did twice. Because, like good ol' rookies, we didn't realize it wouldn't fit through the door. Oops!

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Next to go up, the changing table. We did not have to do this twice and we were very successful at getting it done quickly.

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The last to go up, the dresser. It was a little more work, a lot more pieces, but not too hard. And the black thing on the wall is for the TV. Again, ALMOST done.

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The last piece to go into the room was the glider. Actually, not technically the last piece...the last piece is baby.

Well, there you have it. All of everyone's hard work in a room. And if baby turns out to have a dangler, the name is up there with double sided tape. We'll just replace the letters. Haha. We're too tired to do anything else.

FFR

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Weekly Baby Update: Week 16

This week is week 16. Although most would say that 16 divided by 4 is 4 months, months are actually 4.2 weeks long, something my chemistry teacher in high school taught me (why don't teachers tell us this more often?). Anyway, this isn't the end of month 4, that's next week. How we're changing this week:

Baby is the size of an avocado. She's about 4 1/2 inches long and about 3 1/2 ounces. In this time, she's going to be growing much more quickly.

Baby's eyes are now actually moving behind her eyelids and as we talked about last week, she's responsive to light.

Baby is pumping about 25 quarts of  blood a day, a number that will only continue as she grows.

Baby has toenails and, crazy enough to believe, the pattern for hair is present even though there isn't hair there yet. She's also got eyelashes and eyebrows!

Not much going on symptom-wise. Some gas and definitely round ligament pain (essentially the ligaments supporting the uterus are stretching and thickening). I feel her fluttering almost every day though I'd love to start feeling those kicks. I'm so anxious to know she's there every single day.

The nursery is almost complete. Small details to finish. When it's done, that's when you'll get the post with the pictures from start to finish. It's a big change and I'm totally in love with it!

FFR

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Weekly Baby Update: Week 15

Hooray, hoorah! Another week down. We are now entering week 15. We are 5 weeks from the wonderful halfway point. I am so excited! Baby is the size of an apple this week at about 4 1/2 inches long and 2 1/2 ounces.

I can tell you that she is moving around a lot lately! She's supposed to be and I can feel it just about every single day now. She gives me lots of flutters and sometimes I've got the goldfish moving around in there. Working Man always wants to know if it's a strange feeling. To me, it's not and it's probably because it's something I've been waiting for!

Baby's eyes are moving to the front of her face and her ears are properly positioned now. She can move her fingers and toes and she can suck her thumb. She's practicing breathing and swallowing. Although her eyes are fused shut, she can sense light. If we were to point a light at her, she's likely to move away. She has nothing to taste, but she has something to taste with. Her taste buds are forming! Mmmm, milk!

This week Baby and I have two appointments. One has nothing to do with her, I'm getting fitted for contacts. The other has everything to do with her. We're going to see the nutritionist. Whoohoo. I'm both looking forward to and not looking forward to this. I would not be surprised if they gave me a meal plan. In spite of all my efforts, my BG numbers are still all over the place. Especially in the morning. I haven't quite figured out how to get my number under 95 before breakfast. Ah well, always a learning curve.

I am happy to say that we're almost half way through the fourth month. It's crazy to think of because it doesn't feel like it's been that long.

FFR

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Weekly Baby Update: Week 14

This week is the beginning of week 14. This week, we finally start our second trimester. This week...everyone waits for this week in their pregnancy.

Baby is the size of a lemon this week. She's getting longer and her neck is more distinct. Her legs and arms are lengthening to a more proportionate size. Her liver is producing bile, her kidneys are producing urine, and her spleen is helping make red blood cells.

She's may have hair on her head and eyebrows but she most likely has a layer of hair all over her body which she will shed before birth. Currently, it's there to keep her warm. Baby can squint and grimace and frown. It's all neural impulse right now, has nothing to do with baby's actual emotions.

Baby is kicking and punching and sucking her thumb. Although in a first pregnancy you don't usually feel baby move for several more weeks, it's possible to feel baby early. As a matter of fact, I was standing at work, getting ready to clock out when I felt a wave low in my gut. It honestly felt like she rolled over. It was one of the coolest feelings in the world. I can't wait to feel her move more!

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This was from last night, technically 13 weeks, 6 days. I still haven't gained any weight. I'm bouncing around a bit but mostly losing.

182 days to go!

FFR

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Baby's 1st Fourth of July

Working Man and I went to see fireworks last night. This was baby's first fireworks display. She didn't get to see it even though she was there. So I photographed it for her. I wanted to make sure she could enjoy it later.

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Working Man. Boy is he handsome. And goofy.

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Then there's me. No less goofy.

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It was horribly hot yesterday. Fortunately, by the time 9:30 rolled around, it cooled down to a nice 85 with a wonderful breeze.

How was your Fourth?

FFR

Thursday, June 30, 2011

13 Week Baby Appointment

Today Working Man and I had our first regular prenatal appointment. It was filled with the usual stuff. Blood pressure, weight, palpation. Our doctor went over blood results, urine results (and I got to pee in a cup again, that was lovely), and she listened for the heartbeat. Took her a minute to find our little girl and then we heard it. But it wasn't two seconds before it was gone again and she had to search around again. As our doctor said, "She's cruisin'."

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Before she gets here, we got her some cruisin' socks.

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Dad, Mom, baby girl's favorite cruising wear :)

I have an appointment tomorrow with some nurses, another appointment in four weeks (which I couldn't get with my regular doctor because she's so popular she was already full) and another appointment in another four weeks which I did get with my regular doctor. I figure if we schedule an extra two appointments ahead, we can get with our regular doctor.

I am sorry to say that I have horrible heartburn. Of this I am not glad. Although an old wive's tale says that if you have bad heartburn your baby has hair. Some limited research has shown this to be fairly true. Here's to baby hair.

FFR

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Weekly Baby Update: Week 13

Today starts week 13. This week, finally, we are reaching the end of our first trimester. And all rejoiced. This is supposed to be the last week of exhaustion, morning sickness, moodiness, and all-around being uncomfortable. Ok, so I never really had morning sickness but I'll be happy to kiss off exhaustion and moodiness. The second trimester is supposed to be the easiest and I am looking forward to that. All rejoice.

At any rate, this week, our precious baby girl is reaching the end of her danger stage for miscarriage. The majority of miscarriages happen in the first trimester. If we were traditional folks, this is about the time we would be starting to tell people. But...we're just too excited. Baby is the size of a peach, about three inches long, and her intestines, currently outside her body in the umbilical cord (how weird is that?) are receding back to her abdomen where they properly belong.

Additionally, her vocal cords are forming. I feel the headaches already. Believe it or not, her ovaries already contain more than 2 million eggs. 2 million! That's...crazy! And she better not fertilize any of those for a good long time! That's a warning. Never too early to start.

All in all, my energy has received a small boost although I am still finding myself dragging about four or five o'clock which makes it difficult to finish working but I'm powering through best I can. My weight gain is non-existent which is typical for the first trimester. I was supposed to have an ultrasound yesterday at my prenatal appointment but they had to cancel it. So instead, I'll go in tomorrow morning and I should get to enjoy the pleasure of seeing our little girl again.

Until next week, or at least until I post those pictures of Working Man putting the stroller together.

FFR

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8 weeks

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13 Weeks...told you I've lost weight!


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