4 Month Checkup!

Ok. I am know I am waaaayyyy late on this, but the holidays were just so hectic and then the computer broke...you get the idea. Anyway, Emily had her 4 month check up on 12/23/08. Poor baby got another 4 shots! :( She weighed 15lbs (80th percentile), was 24 7/8" long (50th percentile) and her head circumference was 17 (93rd percentile). She really has a big noggin! Overall, Dr. Pappalardo said she was pretty healthy but that he was a little concerned that she was gaining too much weight. Now I know I am not the one with the M.D. here, but 15lbs just does not seem like that much to me - especially since she weigh 8lbs 5oz when she was born! According to Tiffany (my personal RN and BFF :) babies are actually supposed to triple their birth weight by 6 months, so if that is true, it seems to me like she is right on schedule! Oh, well. The Dr can have his opinion, but I am going to continue to do what I feel in my heart is right for my baby.

Emily had her first cereal on 12/24/08! She really liked it! Now she opens up for the "choo-choo" almost everytime!

We still have not been able to celebrate her rolling over for the first time... I guess she will do it when she is good and ready, but I am just so anxious for her to meet all of her baby milestones on time! I think if she would lay on her stomach at all, she might roll over sooner but she absolutely HATES IT! As soon as you lay her on her tummy, she starts whimpering.

I know that some people say that the first three months are the hardest, but for us they actually were easier than now. I have no idea why, but Emily just seems to fuss all the time. Not really crying but just whining. I am trying really hard to be patient, but sometimes it is really difficult. The constant whimpering sometimes grates on my nerves...especially when NOTHING seems to calm her. Oh, well...I hope it is just a phase!

Christmas and New Year's happenings, along with pics, will be coming soon...be sure to check back!

1st Thanksgiving and 1st Christmas Pics

Emily has officially celebrated her first Turkey Day! Really, I don't think she could have cared less except she did have her first taste of mac and cheese, scalloped apples and mashed potatoes, much to her Daddy's dismay. I believe he thinks that giving her anything but formula will destroy her digestive system forever! Oh, well - at least he does think of such things!

I was looking at Emily's newborn pictures the other day and I just really cannot believe how much she has already grown. She is holding her head up very well now and she is still trying to roll over. She manages to get over onto her side, but just can't seem to get all the way over. We are pretty much in the same spot as we were a month ago in terms of sleeping. Ideally, I would like her to sleep at least until about 7am, but so far we have only managed to make it to 5am. Kerry had been waking her every night at around 11pm to give her a bottle in the hopes that she would sleep longer, but tonight I think we are going to try something different. We gave her a bath at 7pm and a bottle at 7:30pm and now she is sound asleep in her crib. I think we are going to skip the 11pm feeding and see how long she can make it. I know 7:30pm seems pretty early to put her to bed, but she is honestly so exhausted we can't keep her up much longer than that. Well, I guess we could but we would have one SERIOUSLY cranky baby on our hands! So, we'll see how it goes tonight. Besides, I read somewhere the other day that waking a baby to eat really disrupts their internal sleep schedules. I also read that around 3 months is a really good time to start trying to nail down a bedtime routine since babies are pretty flexible now and should fall into the routine pretty easily.

We took Emily to see Santa on Saturday and she sat on his lap like a little angel (see the pic) but she did spit-up on him. Oh, well. I guess he gets that all the time. We also went to get our family picture and her Christmas pics done on Sunday and she really decided to show her butt! She would only smile in one of them and kept trying to eat the bow on her dress in all the others. Even though it was a hassle, I am sure I will be glad to have all those memories when she is all grown up. Everyone tells you that they grow up so fast, but it is really hard to remember that when she is screaming bloody murder or crying for a bottle at 4am. But, I am trying to savor every moment with her. Sometimes I am still kind of in shock at the thought that I am someone's mother. I have this little human being that is totally dependant upon her Daddy and I to take care of all her needs. That thought is sometimes a little scary, but every night I just pray to the Lord to help make me the very best mother I can be.

1st Halloween

Well, Emily just celebrated her first Halloween. We didn't go trick-or-treating (still a little young for that) but she got dressed up in her black tights, glow-in-the-dark pumpkin onesie and 1st Halloween bib. She could have really cared less, but we had a blast taking pictures of her. I am still marveling at how fast she is growing. She is still working on her neck control (still a little wobbly) and she absolutely HATES tummy time, but believe it or not she is trying to sit up. If she is a 45 degree angle (like being propped against your knees while you lay on the couch) she usually succeeds! She is such a smart girl! We are doing pretty well with sleeping. Kerry usually gives her a bottle around 11pm and that holds her until about 5:45am - which is pretty awesome since I get up at 6am anyway. That extra 15 minutes just gives me a little more time to get her out the door, so I'm sure she had her Mama in mind when she was planning her wake up schedule ;) I am still adjusting to going back to work - it is sooooo hard to leave her, but I'm getting a little more used to it. Besides, I think she enjoys getting undivided attention from her two Grandmas! No more Dr appointments until December, so I won't have an update on her height and weight until then. But I just bet she has grown a bunch!

2 month check up

Wow! I can't believe our little princess is already two months old! She had her two month check up on 10/21/08. She weighed 12.5lbs and was 22 3/8 inches long! She is growing like a weed! She is still eating about 6 ounces every 5 to 6 hours, which the Doctor said is a lot, but I say go with what works! My poor baby got 4 shots! When they put the first one in, her eyes got REAL big and then she just started wailing and didn't stop until about 10 minutes after they were through. But, she didn't develop a fever our anything afterwards, so that was a blessing. Dr. Joe said he was really pleased at how well she was progressing and how alert she was. He said that her early alertness showed she was going to be smart baby. Well, duh! We already knew we had a little genius on our hands! :) Last night she really slept through the night for the first time - she slept from 8:30pm to 5:30am which was AWESOME! I know that breastmilk is best, but if formula can knock her out for that long, I'm all for it! I still feel a little guilty that I wasn't able to breastfeed her, but I keep telling myself that it is not like I didn't try. I tried exclusively for about 2 weeks, but the poor little thing was starving to death. The breast may be best, but I really think I made the best choice for us.
Emily started smiling a couple of weeks ago and now smiles at everything. She thinks having her diaper changed is soooo funny and I actually got a little chuckle out of her the other morning. She is such a happy baby - espescially in the mornings! Whenever I am a little agitated that I have to get out of my warm bed at 5am, one little grin from her just melts my heart... I am still surprised at how in just two months, I have come to love this little person more than I ever knew it was possible to love anyone and I am just so excited to be able to watch her grow up. I just love being a Mommy!!

One Month Check-Up

Emily had her one month check-up on September 21. She got her second round of the Hep B vaccine - ouchie! But she only cried for a second and then she was over it. Such a brave girl!! She weighed 10lbs even and was 21.25 inches long - I can't believe she has already grown an inch! Everyday it seems like she has gotten so much bigger!

We are adjusting to our new lives slowly. We are both seriously sleep deprived, but we are getting into more of a groove. I usually go to bed around 9pm during the week and Kerry takes care of the 11pm feeding (he has always stayed up this late - insane I say!) so I am able to get a few uninterupted hours of sleep before she is up and ready to eat again. On Friday and Saturday nights, Kerry usually gets up with her so I can have a break. You just never really understand the meaning of teamwork until you have a baby! But, even though it has been difficult, she has been worth every minute of it.

I was reminiscing the other night about the time we spent in the hospital and, oddly enough, the labor pains are not what I remember most. What I remember the most is how big and bright her eyes looked when she was brought to me in the middle of the night to be nursed. It was so quiet and peaceful and I guess you can say these were our first bonding moments. She would always be wide awake, but she never made a peep and she always smelled faintly of vanilla ( I know now that was from the soothie pacifier they were giving her in the nursery). Her little lips were always kind of pursed together and her skin was so soft and smooth and warm and she seemed so small all swaddled up. We had so many visitors at the hospital, that we didn't get a lot of alone time (not that I am complaining - I was glad to have so much help around!!) so I think it made those moments all the more sweet. Maybe someday I will be able to share these memories with her...

One Month Old Today!

Wow! I cannot believe it has already been a month since Emily was born. Everyone tells you that they grow up before you know it - now I know that is true! It is unbelievable how much she has already changed. She is so alert - the saying that newborns sleep all the time is definitely not true. At least it is not true when it comes to her. She is learning to hold her head up more all the time (she was trying the day she was born!) and I believe her vision is becoming more clear since she will turn her head to follow you around the room. We are still waiting to see if her eyes will stay blue like mine or turn brown like her Daddy's. I'm betting on the brown since she already has so many other of his characteristics. Unfortunately, she is not sleeping through the night. She usually only makes it about 3.5 hours between feedings. I guess that is to be expected, but I REALLY hope she starts making it through the night before I go back to work!!!

Emily Pics

She's Here!!!

Our beautiful daughter, Emily, finally arrived on August 21, 2008 at 7:07pm. She weighed 8lbs 5oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. I can't believe that she has already been with us for almost two weeks! Boy does time fly when you are having fun...or are sleep deprived!!

Since my last post was all about my fear of labor, I feel like I ought to follow up on that. In short, it hurt but wasn't unbearable. We arrived at the hospital at 6:00am and I was started on a Pitocin drip at 7:15. At 11:15 the contractions were getting pretty painful, so I requested my epidural. I had actually been pretty uncomfortable for awhile before that, but I was so terrified of the epidural that I put it off as long as I possibly could. But, the epidural turned out to be nothing at all. Not even as bad as getting a shot of Novacain at the dentist. So, like I have a tendency to do, I freaked myself out for nothing. Anyway - by 11:45 I was feeling pretty good. Dr. Johnson came in to break my water at around 12:30 and found some meconium in the water, which means Emily had had a bowel movement while still inside of me. She assured me it was somewhat common so I shouldn't worry, but that they would have a neo-natologonist in the room for the delivery just in case. After that, Kerry, Bonnie, Mom and myself all napped on and off until about 4:00 when the epidural started to wear off so the anethesiologist came back to give me another dose. All in all, I was given somewhere between 4-5 doses, but the last dose really didn't help the contraction pain. But by that time I was at 10cm so they had me to start pushing at 6:45pm. They said it was actually a good thing that I was feeling the contractions since it would help me push better and the best thing I could do was push through the pain. So, let me tell ya. I pushed for all I was worth, which I guess is why she was born after only 22 minutes of pushing. Although I could still feel the contractions, I know the epidural must still have been working somewhat because they did not need to give me any other anesthetic to stitch me up. They kept me in the L&D room for another hour, then took me up to my room where we stayed for 2 days and then came home at noon on the following Staurday.

So that is my Labor and Delivery experience. Looking back, I really, really, really wish I had not let the horror stories of all the drama mama's out there upset me. If a pregnant women were to ask my advice on L&D, this would be it.
1. Eat and drink if at all possible before going to the hospital because that will be the last scrap of food you will see for a looonnggg time.
2. Get the epidural. No one will be expecting you to be a martyr, so why be in pain if it is not necessary.
3. Make sure you get the epidural before the Dr. breaks your water.
4. Take plenty of reading material. If you do have a long labor and you get the epidural, you will be laying there for a long time with nothing to do. The contraction monitor is only fascinating for a little while.
5. Welcome the pain at the end. Without it, you could be pushing a lot longer than with it.
6. Pushing really does relieve the pain, so push for all you're worth!
7. Remember that you will feel pain, but it is not unbearable pain.
8. Selfishly savor the experience. During no other time will you be able to get away with saying whatever you want, doing whatever you want, and having people wait on you hand and foot.
9. Finally, remember that the reward at the end of it all is totally worth it. There is no other time in your life that you are so richly rewarded for being in pain. Save the terror for the unrewarded pain in life.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!!

Tomorrow we have to be at the hospital at 6am to have labor induced. A part of me is super excited, but another part is even more nervous!!! I know it is way too late to think about this now, but am I really going to be able to do this??? Maybe I show my naivety about the whole thing by being more worried about things like drawing blood, getting IV's, getting the epidural and getting a catheter than I am about the contractions. I know the whole experience is going to be painful, but I just hope it is not more pain than I am able to tolerate. My emotions are in such a turmoil, I really don't even know where to begin to sort them out. It still just seems surreal that in less than 24 hours (I know - if I'm lucky) I am going to be someone's mother. Kerry and I will have another human being totally dependant upon us for survival. I just really hope we are up to the challenge!!

Other than fear, I am seriously excited to meet this person that has been living inside of me. I wonder what she'll look like? Will she have blue eyes or brown? I wonder what her personality will be? Will she be seriously Type A like her mother, or will she be laid back and able to roll with the punches like her Daddy? I can just hardly wait to find out!!!

So, this will be my last post until we bring our baby Emily home from the hospital. Please keep us in your prayers!!!!!

Officially Past Due :(

Ok. I am now officially past due. For those of you that know me well, you can guess how insane this is making me. As a rule, I am a very punctual person. If I have an appointment at 10, you can bet I will be there by 9:45; if I have a project due by Friday, you can bet I will be putting the finishing touches on it by Wednesday afternoon. So, if I am told that this baby is due by August 15, then dag nab it, she should have made grand debut last night! GRRRRR!!!!! I really, really, really hope that all these old wives are correct in their tales that the full moon tonight will send her on her way!

40 Weeks!!!!!!!!!

We have finally made it. We are officially at 40 weeks!! Whoo-hoo!! We went to the Dr. today and they performed the non-stress test, which just means the MA hooked me up to the fetal monitor again for about 30 minutes. The Dr. read the results and said that everything looked perfect. She checked me and found that I am just a teeny-weeny bit shy of 3cm. We went ahead and scheduled an induction date of Thursday, August 21, but she said she really expected me to go into labor on my own before then. However, this afternoon I think the "bloody show" occurred so I could very well go into labor tonight or tomorrow. I think I am ready. One minute I am and the next I am very scared. Oh, well. I guess this baby is coming whether I am ready for her or not. But, I think I have done everything I can to prepare for her. The nursery is all ready, we have taken all the classes, prepared our "birth plan", washed all her clothes and blankets in Dreft (OCD - yes, I know), bought plently of supplies and packed my bag and the diaper bag. The only left to do is wait. I know we still have one major mountain to cross (namely, Labor and Delivery!) but at least the finish line is in sight! Stay tuned!!!

39 Weeks

Only one more week to go (hopefully)!! We saw Dr. Clark (my original OB and the high risk specialist) on Friday. Blood pressure was totally normal - 118/60 something. The dreaded moment of truth came when I stepped on the scale... I have gained approximately 63lbs during this pregnancy - a horrifying number. I guess I will just have to get busy pushing our cute little pink stroller around the neighborhood. Emily will know the 'hood like the back of her hand by the time she is 6 months! But, back to the appointment...Dr. Clark poked around on my tummy and said that her best educated guess was that Emily will weigh somewhere between 7.5 and 8lbs...pretty normal. She said that since I had been checked for dilation during our hospital fiasco on Wednesday, she didn't have to check me unless I wanted her to. As unpleasant as this experience is, I asked her to go ahead and check just to see if anymore progress had been made. Since I was only a little more than a cm, she "stretched" my cervix to 1.5 to 2 cm. OW! OW! OW! But worth it, I guess, if it means it will get Emily here any sooner! She then told us that she did not like to induce first time Moms before 40 weeks, but we could go ahead and schedule an induction date if we wanted to. We decided to wait until the 40 week appointment to do this. I would really like for nature to take its course, so we will probably put induction off as long as possible. Dr. Clark told us that while there is no way to be absolutely sure, she believes I will go into labor sometime between 40 and 41 weeks. I will be 40 weeks on 8/15/08 and there will be a full moon 8/16/08....if the moon can pull the tides maybe it can pull this child out of me!!! I am officially off of work now, so I plan to just rest up this next week...maybe I'll even find time to finish Emily's baby blanket!!! But, I guess I shouldn't expect miracles... :)

1st Trip to the Hospital

Yesterday I was feeling a little woozy and lightheaded, so I asked Tracy at work to take my bloodpressure. It was 150/85 which is pretty high for me since I normally have kind of low blood pressure. So, I called the Dr.'s office who told me I needed to come in to be seen. I called Kerry to come get me since I didn't think I should drive while I was so lightheaded. Once we arrived we saw one of the nurse practioners so said I was still dialated only 1cm, that my blood pressure was down to 140/70 and she wanted me hooked up to a fetal monitor there in the office for awhile. However, after she consulted with Dr. Grider about this, Dr. Grider made the decision to send me down to Labor and Delivery. I then spent the next four hours hooked up to a fetal monitor and a contraction monitor and I got some blood drawn. I believe they were concerned about preclampsia, so they taking all the necessary precautions. But the blood test came back normal, the fetal monitor showed Emily was doing wonderful and the contraction monitor, while it did show I was having contractions, it was not enough to justify keeping. So, home I went. Kind of a waste, but I guess it is better to be safe than sorry. This little episode did convince me, however, that I need to be through with work. I thought that just working half days this week would be no sweat, but I guess it was harder on me than I thought. Oh, well. I guess just resting up until the big day isn't such a bad idea after all!

38 Weeks

Today I am 38 weeks pregnant. This morning I went for my 38 week check up and, much to my dismay, found out I am still only 60% effaced and 1cm dilated. Boo!!! I was really hoping they would tell me I had made some kind of progress. I think this little girl is just too comfy in there. Maybe it is time to try some of Aunt Tiffie's home induction methods...

Here are a few Glamour Shots we had taken a couple of weeks ago - check out myspace to see them all!

37 Weeks

Yesterday, I went for my 37 week check up. I was scheduled to see Dr. Clark (the high-risk specialist), but after waiting for 3 HOURS the medical assistant asked if I minded seeing Shannon the nurse practitioner since it would probably be a couple more hours before Dr. Clark was available. At that point if they had said they had a medical monkey available I would have readily agreed. Anyway, I had had some concerns that Emily was behaving way too much like her mother and had managed to be ass-backwards, or in more polite terms, breech. However, Shannon (the ARNP) did the exam and said she could definitely feel the sutures of the head so she was not breech. BIG relief! She also said that I was still dilated one centimeter. That was kind of a bummer. I had been daydreaming all the way to the Dr. office about being told that I was dilated several centimeters and about to have this baby. But, Emily must be a little too comfortable in her warm, watery digs and in no hurry to make a grand entrance. Oh, well. I have waited this long, I guess I can manage to wait awhile longer.

On a funnier note...

Last night a pretty vicious sinus infection began to make itself known by means of a killer headache. In an attempt to relieve the ache, I went to bed with a cool washcloth over my eyes. At some point during the night, the washcloth must have fell off my face and onto the bed because it made a huge wetspot. Later during the night I rolled over into the wetspot. After a few moments of wondering why in the world my rear end was wet and cold, I suddenly sat straight up (well, kind of. I really kind of pulled myself into a semi-sitting position) convinced that my water had broken. After a few moments my mind cleared and reality set in and I realized that the only water I was feeling had come from the bathroom tap. I really think I am thinking about this WAAYYY to much...

1 CM!!!

We went to the Dr. this morning and found out I am 1cm dilated! Whoo-hoo!!!!! Now, I know this isn't much and I could stay at 1cm for a few weeks yet, but at least SOMETHING has happened! Every cm brings us a little closer to a baby! The Dr. also once again assured us that my big, swollen, cartoon looking feet are no cause for concern. Some wannabe M.D.'s out there (and you know who you are) have told me that they are going to take me off work, put me on bedrest, yada yada yada... Once again Dr. Grider said that as long as my blood pressure stays normal and my proteins are good, then I can pretty much do anything I want.

I really debated on whether or not to admit this, but maybe someone out there can offer me some reassurance... All of a sudden I have this overwhelming, horrible fear that something will be wrong with our baby. All of the tests I have had say everything is A-ok and I haven't been given the slightest cause for concern, but I just can't seem to shake it. Has any other Mom's out there experienced the same thing??

Babyshower

Today we had my baby shower and, boy, did we clean up!! :) Seriously though, we received all kinds of super nice things. I just want to thank my Mom, my MIL Bonnie and my bestest freiend ever Tiffany for all the work they did to make today as special as it could be!! Everything went off without a hitch and I couldn't be happier with it all!!!

The shower was over at about 5pm and Kerry and I have spent the rest of the evening washing all the new blankets, tiny little sleepers and itsie bitsie little socks and finding homes for all of our new treasures. We absolutely cannot wait to try everything out on her. I know it must sound like I am about to conduct a science experiment or receive some kind of new toy, but all of this is such a new experience to us that we are just super excited to experience it all. Tomorrow we are going to pick up just a few last minute things that we didn't get at the shower (after all we did receive it hardly seems possible that there is something we are missing!!!!!!) and then we will be all ready to welcome our beautiful little baby girl into the world!!

PS.

Check out the shower pics!

Yet another Dr. Appt

Had another Dr. appt today. Everything seems to be fine, but the Dr. I was supposed to see was stuck in the OR so I ended up seeing the nurse practitioner instead. She performed the strep culture and checked out some weird rash I have on my belly. It seems that there is something called the PUPPP rash that some women get during pregnancy, so she gave me a RX for some kind of cream to rub on to relieve the itching. And, boy, is the itching intense!!! Thank goodness I got some relief. I asked her if there was any way to tell how big Emily is and she told me that guessing a baby's size is kind of like trying to determine the sex of the baby by the speed of the heartbeat - pretty inaccurate. Oh,well. Just another surprise we have to look forward to.

While I still feel Emily move quite a bit (I was awakened this morning by a case of baby hiccups :), it seems like she is starting to slow down some. I guess she is starting to run out of room in there! As anxious as I am to get her born so I can finally formally meet her, it will be sad not to feel her wiggling around in there.

We went over to visit our friends Roy and Jennifer tonight, who are expecting a little boy about a week after our Emily is due. It was fun to sit around and compare pregnancy symptoms with each other and, of course, my husband the amateur photographer had to snap several pics of us two big-bellied beauties!! :)

34 Weeks

So, we are now at 34 weeks and officially in the home stretch! We had a Dr. appt last Thursday (everything is great) and will have one every week now. I have to say that the Dr. appointments are getting a little monotonous, but I understand why they are necessary. I also have to say that I am enjoying being pregnant now more than ever before. It is so much fun to lay and watch my belly move. From the way she is pushing out, she must really be running out of room in there! The more she pushes, the more my tummy stretches and the more my tummy stretches, the more it ITCHES!!! I have never experienced an itch like this before! Sometimes it is so intense, I can hardly stand it. Oh, well. Small price to pay for a big, healthy baby!
Kerry and Chloe are also enjoying being able to participate in the pregnancy by being able to feel Emily moving around. I can totally see how Dads feel sort of left out of the whole pregnancy thing, but at least he can feel my belly and, in that way, feel more included. But, just a few more weeks and he will be able to feel more included than I think he ever wanted to be!!! :)

Another Dr Appt Down

We had another Dr. appointment this morning. I think I have almost met all the Doctors in the practice - I at least want to have met the person that will be helping bring my baby into the world! Everything is going just fine, however, the past couple of days I have been very dizzy and nauseated (especially when I am trying to sleep). Thursday night I got so dizzy just from rolling over that it woke me up and I spent the rest of the night sick. Dr. Cartwright explained that this is from me laying on my back, which causes the weight of the baby to cut off a vein in my back, which causes my blood pressure to drop really low. Then, when I roll over, it shoots back up very quickly which causes the dizziness. Long story short - I am just fine, I just have to be extra careful not to sleep on my back! As much as I love feeling this angel and having her all to myself, I am starting to get a little more anxious for her to make her grand debut. Not only so I can finally meet her, but so I can sleep on my stomach again!

Nursery is Complete

After weeks of setbacks, our baby's nursery is finally complete!! We couldn't be happier with it. Kudos to my wonderful husband for putting it all together. (If it had been left to me, half the pieces would have been broken in a hormonal temper tantrum!) Check out the pics and let us know what you think.

PS.

Only 9 more weeks to go!!!!!!!!

Glucose is Normal!

Just got the results for my glucose test. I was so worried that I would develop gestational diabetes, but, thank goodness, my blood sugar is actually a little low. Normal is anywhere between 65-134 and mine was 62 or 63. I am mildly anemic - no big deal, I will just take extra iron supplements. No more needles until this baby actually gets here. I can't believe we only have 10 more weeks. I cannot get over how quickly this whole pregnancy has went by! We cannot wait to meet our little princess!

Nursery Update - After going round and round with Babies R Us, we finally just decided to order our baby furniture from Walmart.com It is scheduled to be in this week. For anyone who is preparing to buy baby furniture, take my advice, save yourself a headache and DO NOT go to Babies R Us!!

Babymoon!!

Only four more days until our babymoon! We cannot wait to be laying in our condo, falling asleep to the soothing sounds of the ocean. It will be really nice to be able to have one last vacation with just the two of us. Soon enough romantic evenings will no longer be the focus of our get-a-ways. We will be tradings our quiet dinners and fascinating architecture for kids menus and Cinderella's castle!

All is Well!

We had our latest dr. appt on 4/18/08 and everything looks A-ok! The Doc had previously been a little concerned because my cervix is shorter than normal, but now they seem to be content that everything is fine. Be sure to check out the new ultrasound pics! Our next visit will be on 5/27 and I will have the glucose test. Yuck....more needles!!!
No real symptoms to report except being SUPER tired and my feet are swelling to unbelievable purportions. Oh, well. Nothing like a legitimate excuse to lay on the couch with my feet propped up on pillows!
While I haven't really had any strange food cravings, now I find that I CANNOT live my life without chocolate milk! At least I am getting plently of calcium!
We have everything picked out for the nursery and have decided to decorate in ballerinas. Nothing says princess like a minature pair of satin pointe slippers! Our furniture is still on backorder (Babies R Us is NOT on my good side right now!), but we cannot wait to see our little girl's room all put together. As soon as BRUs decides to send us our stuff, I will post pics of our little princess' sleeping quarters!

New Due Date

The doctor's office called me today and said that after reviewing the ultrasound photos, they wanted to move the due date to 8/15/08 - 10 days earlier. Ten less days we have to wait before meeting our little princess! :)

Ultrasound Pics

I can't believe how clear this first pic is! You can totally see her little nose, mouth and chin! The second gives proof that she is a little girl! :)

It's a Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so excited to know we are having a baby girl!!!! Everything looked good on the ultrasound and we couldn't be more excited to know we are expecting a healthy, baby girl!!!

First Movement

I think I felt the baby move today!! It was really quick, but it just felt like a little flutter and then a couple of minutes later, it did it again. If that is what it was (I guess I can't really be sure until it happens again), then this is another milestone in this pregnancy. It still seems so surreal. I guess it will seem more like reality and less like a dream when we get to see our baby "on the big screen" this Friday!

New Ultrasound Date

The doctor's office called me this week and asked if they could change our ultrasound day to Friday, 3/20/08 - 3 days earlier. Yeah! 3 less days we have to wait in suspense! We really cannot wait to find out the sex of this baby!

Second Check-Up

Well, I went for my second check-up today. Pretty uneventful (thank goodness). I got to hear the heartbeat again, which is just amazing. It is pretty unbelievable that before I can even feel any movement, there is a living person just swimming around in there. The heart beat has slowed some - still normal though. So, I don't know. Does that mean it is a boy? The doctor the said that the only thing the heartbeat proves is that there is a baby in there. Only three more weeks until we know if it will be sugar and spice or snails and puppy dog tails!

14 Weeks!

Now we are officially in our second trimester! I read somewhere that the chance for a miscarriage is now significantly decreased, so that is a relief! Not a whole lot to report right now. I haven't really had morning sickness, but I do have killer heartburn! It seems like Tums has been permanately added to our meals! I am getting really excited to know if we are having a boy or girl. I used to think that mommies-to-be had some kind of sixth sense about what they were having. No such luck here!

Baby Names

Okay, so far the most daunting task of being an "almost" parent is choosing a name. There are so many possibilities and so many things to consider. Is there potential for cruel kids to turn our baby's name in to a tormenting moniker? Will it be too hard for a five year old to pronounce or spell? But, even though we are way early in the game, here are a couple we like:

Girls: Susannah Lee, Emily Ellen, Isabelle, Emma,
Boys: Samuel Edwin, Jamison Edwin

Let us know what you think!

We Got to Hear the Heartbeat!

Well, today we went for our first real doctor's appointment and got to hear the heartbeat. The heartrate was 165 - according to the old wive's tales that means our bundle of joy is a baby girl... if you believe those things. Regardless if it is a boy or a girl it was surreal to actually be able to hear our baby's heartbeat. Up until today we knew we were having a baby, but it was reassuring to hear something that is real evidence. We were supposed to have our first ultrasound too, but two of the sonographers had called in sick. So, the Dr. said as long as the heartbeat sounded fine we would wait on the ultrasound. Just 8 more weeks to go before we know if we will be decorating in pink or blue!

Of course, the Dr. also did the oh so enjoyable pelvic exam. This was the first time Kerry had ever been present for such a thing and the look on his face was priceless!

Baby, Baby, Baby

So, in case you haven't noticed...WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!! Right now we are approximately 10 weeks pregnant and have a tentative due date of August 25, 2008. Last Tuesday (1/22/08) I went for the initial consultation with the nurse and had bloodwork done (ouch!). Monday (1/28/08) we get our first ultrasound and get to hear the baby's heartbeat. It will be so exciting to have some tangible evidence that says this is really happening! This first ultrasound will be too early to predict the sex of the baby, but it will be a relief to know that everything is progressing as planned. I know the first question most people will want to ask us is whether we prefer to have a boy or a girl. While first and foremost we want a healthy baby, I have to admit that we are somewhat partial to the idea of having a girl. However, we will be just as excited if it's a boy! We have some tentative names in mind, but nothing is set in stone. We are partial to somewhat old-fashioned names, so if you have some suggestions, please share!