Tuesday, May 27, 2008

One Year Ago

I can't believe my baby was this little just last May! Haven't been able to get in the pool yet...hopefully soon!

19 Weeks...just about half-way there!

In less than one week, we will be able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl. June 2nd is quickly approaching and I am getting so excited! My ultrasound is at 8:00am and then my 20 week OB appointment is at 11:15am. I never got a call with abnormal results from the Quad Screen, and my doctor said, "No news is good news." So, our baby seems to be healthy! What a relief! As you can tell, I am rapidly expanding. Since I wear scrubs every day, it's really hard to tell that I'm pregnant, unless you know. But the minute I put on my "real" clothes, it's so obvious! The baby is really starting to move around. If I put my hand on the right spot, I can sometimes even feel it move on the outside. Joe has tried to feel it move, but it's stubborn and never cooperates. Soon enough though. I wanted to share my cravings this time around: anything that is bad for me (i.e. fast food, ice cream, candy, etc.), mustard, Fruit Loops, strawberries, grapefruit juice...that's all I can think of now. After that awful first trimester where I actually lost weight, I'm positive I've gained it all back, and then some. As of my last appointment, I hadn't gained any weight. According to my scale yesterday, I definitely have. At least I have my appetite back!



I picked a few pictures to post from the past few days. Yesterday, Memorial Day, was the nicest day so far this season. Sunny and low 80s. Joe, Ella, and myself went to a local parade. Ella was a little scared of the fire truck sirens, but got really excited when the airplanes flew over. Airplane, or "airpane" is a new favorite word. After her nap, we played on the sun porch, where she decided to pose like a super model, sitting on the window ledge. What a riot! Our friends, newlyweds, Brian and Jen came over for a BBQ. It was so nice to be able to sit on the patio and enjoy the weather. Ella had a blast playing in her new sandbox. Unfortunately, I think we bought the wrong kind of sand, as I am still trying to get the stains out of her clothes. Oh well...she loved it!



Today I had the day off since I worked this past weekend. We thought it would be fun to go to the zoo since Ella had never been there. Well, it was windy and about 45 degrees...not sure what happened there! It wasn't crowded...nobody wanted to be outside. Ella got really excited when she saw the monkeys and the giraffes. You can tell by the picture just how cold it was. We didn't stay too long this time, but I'm sure we'll be heading back this summer, when we can't see our breath.

I will post again on Monday, June 2nd, with the results of the BIG ULTRASOUND!!!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

My Tranquility Fountain

Even though Mother's Day was cold and rainy, it turned out to be a wonderful day. Joe cooked me a special breakfast of his famous chocolate chip pancakes and they were delicious! Ella got me a card and made beautiful crayon drawings inside, she even wrote her name! (With Daddy's help.) Joe and Ella got me a small rock fountain which makes a calming trickling water noise...which I'm sure will come in handy in 5 months! Later that morning, we tried out a new church, a Methodist church not too far from our house. We liked the service, and I think Ella enjoyed playing in the nursery for an hour! After church, Joe and Ella treated me to lunch. To top it all off, Joe painted the kitchen for me! All in all, a very nice Mother's Day!


Wednesday, May 7, 2008

16 Weeks and Counting...


I went to the dentist the other day and I had to tell the hygienist that I was pregnant, in case any x-rays needed to be taken. (They didn't) The hygienist asked me how far along I was, and I said, "16 weeks." I could see the wheels spinning in her head, then she finally said, "So about 4 months, huh?" She proceeded to tell me that people who haven't been pregnant go by months, not weeks. I suppose that makes sense...I mean, when else do you really use weeks like that? Can you imagine, "So, when do you go on vacation?" "Oh, in about 13 weeks." That would get confusing. However, I still plan on counting by weeks. No cavities, by the way!
I had my 16 week (or 4 month) appointment on Tuesday. These earlier appointments are so quick and predictable...weight, blood pressure, baby's heartbeat. All were fine. I haven't gained any weight thus far, but my doctor said not to worry until next month. She seems to think I'll catch up just fine. My blood pressure continues to be low, so that's not a concern. And, the doctor was able to find the heartbeat, along with all of it's movements. She said I have a busy baby in there! I had blood drawn to check my platelet count, and we also decided to do a prenatal risk screen, called the quad screen. It looks for any possible abnormalities or problems. Any abnormal results come back in about a week, otherwise I wont hear anything until my next appointment, which happens to be the same day as the big ultrasound, on June 2nd!
We're not sure if Ella really gets what's going on. When we ask her where the baby is, she points to my belly. She waves and gives it hugs and kisses. She recently learned how to say "boy" and "girl." We ask her what the new baby will be and she says, "boy!" Then she says, "girl!" So who knows.
Come this September, my sister-in-law Liz will no longer be our "daycare" since her oldest son will be starting preschool. The timing just didn't work out. So we found a place for Ella, but she can't start until she turns 2...which leaves us about 3 weeks in early September when we will have to leave Ella home alone with the cats. Just kidding...but seriously, any takers??? :) Once she turns 2, no problem! We're set. For one kid. As for the new baby, this new daycare doesn't have an opening for an infant until April 2009. I will be going back to work in January. So there's 3 months where we don't know what we're going to do. It's stressful trying to find reliable and affordable daycare...almost an impossible feat. I'm sure we'll figure everything out...somehow!
Last but not least, I don't think I felt the baby move a few weeks ago when I thought I did, because I really haven't felt much since. I do think last night I started to feel it again though. I'm sure in the next few weeks it will become more obvious. That's all for now!