Steven And Kristen

Sunday, May 13, 2012

26 Weeks, 0 Days

Happy Mother’s Day! This was my “first” Mother’s Day. We celebrated even though Mackenzie hasn’t graced the world with her appearance yet. She is as real as anything so we feel that definitely makes me a mommy and Steven a daddy. Not everyone shares our belief, I’m sure but this is really important to us. It’s been a while since I updated but up until this weekend, not much has happened.

This week Momma came to visit. She had a class she was attending in Orlando so she decided to stay with us and paint Kenzie’s room. Momma got in Wednesday night and spent hours taping up the room. Thank goodness for OCD or this room might not look as awesome as it does. Jack and I “helped” while she taped it though. We didn’t necessarily expect that to take as long as it did, but we were able to get through it in one night. I didn’t realize that prepping a room to paint was so difficult until that night.

Momma taping up the room in preparation for painting

Jack and I "helping"

Thursday we started with the first coat of blue. I do have to admit that I was a bit skeptical at first when Momma and Steven started to put it on the walls. I know that paint dries darker than what it is wet… but it looked almost white. By the end, we were seeing it change to a beautiful sky blue. Friday we did a look over of what we (really Momma and Steven because I was kicked out of the room due to the paint fumes) had done and realized that we definitely needed a second coat. Apparently the “professional” painters that painted our house originally neglected to use a primer and the wall just soaked up all of the paint. There were spots showing through from the coat of paint underneath. So, Steven and Momma did one more coat of blue and the results were amazing.

Momma and Steven halfway around the room

Final coat of blue

Friday it was time to tape up the room in preparation of putting on the green “grass”. We all felt pretty smart about how we did it. We used a yard stick and a level and drew a line in pencil around the entire room. This took way longer than I thought it would. After that I lined the wall with the tape near the pencil mark. That was my major contribution to the endeavor. I think I did a pretty good job though. At that point we decided to call it a night and wait on painting the green.

Taped up and ready for green

Saturday morning Momma and I went on a bathing suit hunt. My original suits are just no longer cutting it. We found a really cute one on sale and I snatched it up. After lunch Steven, Momma and I went to Crib4Life and ordered our crib and changing table. The furniture is so cool! The crib converts to a toddler bed and then to a full size bed and the changing table converts to a dresser. I love multifunctional furniture. We then went to Babies R Us and, using a coupon, were able to buy Mackenzie’s stroller and glider. Thanks Mom and Dad Young!!! With our coupon we were able to purchase both for a great price. We have to wait 7-14 days to pick up the gilder but that is fine because we don’t get the furniture for two weeks anyway. Saturday afternoon we came home and painted the green. After painting we took Momma out for Mother’s Day while we waited for the paint to dry. By the time we got home, it was dry enough to determine that it only needed a few touch ups and not another full coat. Thank goodness! After Momma touched it up we went ahead and put together the stroller. That was quite a feat and it is just a stroller. Thank goodness the people delivering the crib are also assembling it. Momma ended up staying one more night because it took us quite a while to finish with the room.

Momma worked on the green

Daddy painting Kenzie's grass

Sunday (today) Momma got up and took all the tape off the walls. I must say that the finished product is beautiful. Her and Steven did a magnificent job. I can’t wait to get the furniture in and decal on the wall!

The final outcome (with an appearance by her stroller)

Jack wondering why he never got his "room" painted. I think he'd have like a camouflage theme

This week we are going to rent a steam cleaner from Publix and clean the carpet before the furniture arrives. Next weekend we have Steven’s work picnic to go to on Saturday, I have a friend’s 1 year old’s birthday that afternoon and we are going to one of my college roommate’s baby shower on Sunday. It is going to be another jam packed weekend. The following weekend Mom and Dad Young are coming to visit. We also get the furniture in and it is Memorial Day weekend. It will be nice to have an extra day off, that is for sure.

Today we hit 26 weeks. Only 2 more weeks until the third trimester. I can’t believe we are getting so close! It gets more and more real every day. Mackenzie is obviously getting bigger. She spends her time awake now moving around like a crazy person. I’m sure she has always moved but she is definitely big enough to make an impression now. While Momma was here we sat one night on the bed and just watched my stomach change shapes and jump up and down as she tried to get comfortable. It’s just so strange to think that in about 14 weeks we will have our first child here with us (outside of me) to love and take care of. Can’t wait!!!

26 Weeks on Mother's Day!! With my rose from church for being a Mommy to Be

3 of the 5 generations of first born girls in our family on Mother's Day.

Saturday, May 05, 2012

24 Weeks, 6 Days

Wow! I easily get behind now a days. I just totally seem to forget that I want to update everyone on our progress.

So, let’s see. What happened this week?  Well, we went to the doctor on Wednesday. We were in there what seemed like forever. The person that scheduled my appointment last time failed to remember that all the docs are in a meeting on Wednesday morning so my appointment was scheduled for 7:50 so I could go to work but we didn’t see the doctor until almost 9. We met Dr. Mervis. He is the second doctor I have met and I liked him too. We are seeing him a couple more times and seeing Dr. Weber soon. While we were there, he checked Mackenzie’s heartbeat and it sounded really good and strong. I was so excited to hear it and have Steven be there to hear it that I forgot to ask what it was. I know at this point it is probably hanging out somewhere around where it was last time but I still like to know. Oh well… next time. We go back in four weeks for our one hour glucose test. How fun. I get to drink the orange liquid of death. Actually, I’ve heard some people like it so we shall see. I’m a bit nervous about that test. I haven’t had any indication of gestational diabetes so far but you never know. If you fail, you have to do a 3 hour test. This one won’t make me fast but I think the next one would and that is definitely not fun for a pregnant person. I still get nauseous at times if I don’t eat. We have that appointment in 4 weeks, our one after that is 3 weeks later, and then the next one is 2 weeks later. It’s crazy to think that we are only 9 weeks away from going every two weeks. Then, before I know it, we’ll be down to weekly (if we make it that far and she doesn’t get impatient in there… which I really don’t want her to). I want her to cook as long as possible. All the stuff I read tells me that right about now she should be about 9 inches long (head to rump they say I think) and about 1.5 pounds. She’s going to start filling out soon and getting a bit more length.

I’m actually waiting on Momma now to arrive. She is picking me up and we are going to do some shower shopping to get a few more things and then this afternoon we are going to clean the baseboards and tape up the walls of Mackenzie’s room to prep for painting. Momma is going to be here later this week for a CIC course so she is going to start painting next weekend. I am so excited to get this show on the road. We are going to order Kenzie’s crib and dresser next week so we can have it delivered as soon as the painting is done. Then it is just a matter of waiting for the shower to see if we get her bedding. If we don’t, then we will wait until we get the completion coupon and buy it ourselves. We also have to get her glider and the organizer I want to put on one wall. I want the crib in first though for that because I want to make sure the organizer will fit. I think we’ll be okay.

It’s so weird though to think that we are so close. We are only 15 weeks away (hopefully) from meeting out little juju bean. Yeah, I have no idea why I decided to call her that. Jumping bean is more like it. Some days she is either on a roll or just decides she isn’t comfy so she moves around like a crazy person. Steven finally felt her kick and knew it was her for sure this past week. I was lying in bed watching my stomach move and he put his hand on my belly. No sooner did he do that and she let out quite a wallop. Usually when he puts his hand there she plays a game called you can’t find me and refuses to kick again. I bet she thinks she’s funny. Steven’s face was classic. He said “What was that?” and I told him “Her!” He was amazed how strong she is getting. She’s also started getting the hiccups more often. She seems to like to hiccup when I wake up just a few minutes before my alarm goes off and I decide to lay in bed for my last 5 minutes hopefully dozing… then the hiccups start and I can’t sleep/doze my last few minutes. I guess it’s time to start getting used to being on her schedule more and less on mine.

We sent out the shower invites (well, Momma sent them out) this past week so we are waiting to see what our turnout will be. I’m excited! I am also super excited to go to Kelly’s shower in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait to see all the awesome things she gets and how cute she must be at this point with her baby bump. I am so excited for her and so excited that, although we don’t get together often, when we do, we will have little ones so close in age.

We toured Winnie Palmer this week. Steven’s description sums it up best I think. He decided it’s like a 5 star hotel… but you leave with a baby. This seems very true. I am so excited to have our birth experience there. It really is a phenomenal hospital and it has one of the best NICUs in the country should (goodness forbid) anything be wrong.

Well, Momma should be here soon so I better get ready. =)

24 Weeks from last Sunday... 6 Months and almost to the third trimester!!!

Monday, April 23, 2012

23 Weeks, 1 Day

I really need to keep up with this. It has been crazy around these parts the last few weeks though.  We started (and hopefully technically finished) our registry. That was interesting. Between Steven’s sticker shock and my overwhelmed-ness… we were probably quite a sight. Most of the new parents in the store though seemed to look like us so we were in good company. We also picked out our crib but are waiting to purchase it for right now because we are going to paint (well Momma is going to paint) Mackenzie’s room first. We picked out those paint colors and the fan that will go in there. Really, we only need a light right now but know we will want a fan down the line. We finally have most of the stuff out of her room too so we can start getting ready. That was quite a task. We realized fairly quickly that our house does not have nearly enough storage space. We’re making it work though. Although, to anyone that comes to stay with us, please ignore the big computer in the guest room. That was our only option.

We go back to the doctor for our monthly check up a week from Wednesday. I’m hoping to find out that we get at least one more ultrasound around 28 week. That would be nice to see her one more time before she is finally here in the flesh. We also have the hospital tour scheduled for that evening. I’ve been to Winnie Palmer before for a friend that had a baby but didn’t pay a lot of attention to anything since it wasn’t as important to me at the time but I’m looking forward to it. We also have our Lamaze and breastfeeding class coming up. I need to remember to call to schedule the infant care class too at some point. The great thing is that all of the classes end up being free since my insurance has a special healthy babies program.

Well, other than the update that the registry is done and that we are working on her room, that is all I really have new to talk about…

On another, unrelated note, we went to see The Lion King this weekend at Bob Carr. It was really good! I really enjoyed the costumes and how they made it to where you see each and every performer but you suspend this belief that they are these animals. I can’t even explain it, but I highly recommend everyone seeing it if you ever get the chance. We are hoping next weekend that we will be able to go to a UCF baseball game.

Yeah, that’s all I have to say. My brain is working in very strange ways recently and this “post” has taken me almost 45 minutes to write. I normally get this done in 15 minutes and have so much to say but I can’t seem to focus on anything or remember anything. Guess I can call that pregnancy brain. I’ve been doing weird thigns lately. I’ve also started nesting for sure and poor Steven is getting pulled into that as well.

I owe you all two pictures…. Last week and this week. So, without further ado, here are 22 and 23 week updates.

22 Weeks

23 Weeks

Here is the picture I owe everyone as well as one just for fun.  =)

21 Weeks on Easter after finding out we are having a girl!

Kelly realized I was wearing the same shirt that I was wearing in an earlier picture so I made a side by side for comparison. This is 15 to 21 weeks. What a difference 6 weeks makes in the land of pregnancy. Let's see what happens at 27 weeks. I'll have to try to remember to wear this same shirt again.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

21 Weeks, 2 Days

Girl!!!  We found out last Thursday that in August we will be welcoming little Mackenzie Anne into the world. It was quite a moment to all of a sudden have a gender and a name to put with this little being. Thursday morning Steven, Momma, and I went to the doctor for our big gender reveal. The true purpose of our visit was actually the anatomy scan, but the added plus is that as long as the baby cooperates, you are able to tell the sex. So, first things first, when we went into the ultrasound room the tech asked us if we wanted to find out. Of course we did. So, the first thing she checked was to find out if our little one is a boy a girl and without a doubt, we are having a little girl.

The tech also checked out her heart, brain, kidneys, bladder, and appendages. Everything looks really good. Right where it should be and measuring as it should. Her heart rate was 148 so that is just a few ticks above what it was 4 weeks before. That dispels the wives tale that a slower heart rate is a boy. Little Mackenzie was being only somewhat cooperative that morning. Although I had orange juice as everyone recommended, she was being a bit lazy and refused to turn towards the front so that we could get a good view of her profile. She was moving her little arms above her head and up to her mouth as well as kicking her feet around some. She measured in the 41^st percentile while is good. That puts her right about average size so hopefully I won’t have a gigantic baby. We were technically 20 weeks and 4 days but she measured 20 weeks and 2 days so she actually caught up by 2 days. Prior to this, we always measured 4 days behind but this was only two. She weighed about 12 oz. My weight is up by 10 lbs. The doctor didn’t say that was bad, but I know they want me to watch how quickly I gain weight because this 10 lbs is all from the last two months. I’m being much more careful now than I was before. Still getting enough food but trying to lay off more of the sugary things or eating too much just because I “can”. Mackenzie doesn’t need that stuff anyway. She does love her M&M’s though.

Her kicking has kicked (pun intended) up a notch this week too. I have been feeling her daily but now it is intensifying. I do think she is moving up some though because her kicking was really prominent for some time and now has started to be a bit less noticeable so it makes me wonder if her moving up is making it more difficult to feel until she gets a bit bigger since there is more fat in the upper area of my stomach than there was in the bottom where she was hanging out before. The coolest thing though was that Steven finally got to feel her move. We were watching tv the other night and I realized that she wasn’t just kicking, but was flipping around like a fish. So, I called Steven over and we just sat for a few minutes with his hand on my belly. Finally, she obliged us by flipping again. Steven compared her movement to a worm and, honestly, I think that might be the best way to describe it. When I felt her flip before calling Steven over, I almost felt like I felt her arm or leg go by. It was really weird. She tends to be more active in the evenings while we are watching tv. I think that is because I move less so I am not rocking her to sleep as much as I do during the day. I haven’t noticed her much during the day lately but I’ve been so busy at work and I move around so much during the day that I’m sure she is just enjoying the “swing” that she must think she is in. She also really seems to like (I hope she likes… and isn’t trying to tell me to put a lid on it) when I sing. If I am in the car and singing out loud she starts kicking and punching me. Like she’s having her own little dance party in there. Steven talks to her a lot too. Sometimes I think he forgets I am even there, although she goes nowhere without me at the moment and visa versa.

Last Friday we were able to see the roommies since Stef and Scott were in town so we all went out with a few other friends to dinner. It is always nice to see everyone. Kelly came to visit over the weekend and took some cute halfway pictures for me. As soon as she gets those to me, I’ll get them posted. Next weekend Mom and Dad Y are coming to visit. We are going to do some yard work and then hopefully go stroller shopping. I’m excited to actually buy something for Mackenzie. We have yet to buy anything. Everything we have so far was a gift from someone else. We are hoping to start up her room soon too. We have to get the fan in (yes, I know babies don’t use fans but we want it for when she gets older) and then we have to get the bedding so we can pick the paint color. The real issue is that we have to clean out the entire office. That is one thing we have been avoiding that we won’t be able to avoid for much longer.

Well, I need to get back to doing what I should be doing… but we just wanted to share our good news!! I also owe you guys a bump picture. I just forgot to put it on Walgreens apparently so I don’t have access from this computer. I am posting the halfway one though. We have taken 21 weeks… but you’ll just have to wait in anticipation for it.

Halfway there!! 20 Weeks

Here is a brief trip to the Bahamas with us as told through pictures. Enjoy!

We started with lunch on Cocoa Beach Pier before heading to the port.

Ryan and Jen were just as excited as us! Vacation had begun!

This would set the standard for my cruise experience. Everyone else gets fun fruity drinks by the pool... gotta do what you gotta do though.

Our standard pier picture. We must have 50 of these. This one was different though. This time we were headed to the Bahamas instead of home after lunch.

Cocoa Beach from the pier

These guys were hamming it up... and hoping for a fishy snack.

Our home away from home for the next three days.

I think Ryan might have thought he was captaining the Titanic instead of using a fake wheel on a ship that is still sitting in port... in Florida...

Steven was a bit more subdued. I guess you need one to balance out the other.

Our first drinks of the cruise. Mine's virgin... which really just means it is a glorified smoothie.

Lounging and waiting for sail away

Leaving Port Canaveral

Our escort as we left. I think it would have been interesting to see him actually use that crazy gun.

A demonstration the next morning. They were making ice sculptures, pastries, and fruit sculptures.

Sailing into Nassau

Too much time spent at the buffet?

Our escort into Nassau... he doesn't get the big gun though.

OSHA called... they want to know where your harness is?

Nassau

It was really windy arriving in Nassau

I think we have this exact picture from last time... this one is just taken later in the day.

On dry land again

Being a tourist is fun. We had a good time as this silly Pirate Museum.

Steven the Pirate

I just love pretty churches

Could this water be any prettier??

I married Steven for his buns...

The best part of this was probably watching us trying to get up. My center of balance has already shifted a bit so I'm sure I put on quite a show.

The Monarch of the Seas

Getting ready to get back on the boat

The cabin steward must have known we missed Jack because he left us a towel doggy.

People know I love my feet pictures. Mine didn't come out good though because there were too many people in the background. So, in lieu of my feet, I give you... Stevens! Lounging on the private island.

The water was too cold to swim but we still had a great time just lounging around.

The island was quite private for a while.

This is as deep as we were willing to go into that water.

The best pictures you'll ever get of your ship... when you tender.

The Monarch of the Seas in all her glory

Steven in front of the Monarch

A Norwegian ship at the island next door. We don't think it was the Sky though because they got into Nassau the night before at almost 11pm.

Inside the Monarch of the Seas

The Head Chef the final night during dinner. He created awesome menus.

Our final night of the cruise

It seemed like it ended just as quickly as it began and it makes me ask once again (as I do every time we return)… when can we go back???

Monday, March 26, 2012

19 Weeks, 1 Day

T minus 10 days… until the next time we get to see our little one. Our anatomy scan is scheduled for a week from Thursday. This is the day that we will check to make sure that everything looks good with the baby. You know, 2 arms, 2 legs, 4 chamber heart, kidneys, etc. The real excitement of this day however, is that we will also get to (hopefully) find out if we are having a boy or a girl. We are beyond excited. I am just so ready to call this baby by a name. We already have our names picked out so it is just a matter of finding out the sex.

This past week has been a blur. We got home from the cruise on Monday and then the week flew by. For me at least. Steven’s might have seemed longer. I am so busy with work that I can’t see straight. Then, this week is spring break but due to the fact that I work a 12 month year, I have to work. The issue is that all of my paperwork type stuff is pretty much caught up. What I really need to be doing is testing. I have SO MUCH testing to get done. I am really starting to stress out about it. The end of this year cannot come soon enough… and chances are it will arrive all too soon and I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off the rest of this year. That also means that this week is going to go by so very slowly I’m sure. I just want it to end so that we can get into next week. I know I’ll keep so busy with my schedule next week with testing that Thursday will be here before we know it. Well, before I know it… again, Steven might feel differently.

The past few days I think I have been feeling movement. I think I felt it once or twice before a few weeks ago, but it was nothing substantial or nothing that I was confident enough to even call movement. The past few days though I get a regular “flutter” feeling in my stomach. I tend to get it more around 4pm, but yesterday I must have done something to irritate this baby because he or she was not very comfortable it seemed around 11am. I had a good 10 minutes of this weird tickling feeling. It’s so hard to describe and to be honest, I’m still not always sure that is what I am feeling. I just wish it could be felt from the outside because I know how much Steven would like to feel movement. Anytime I mention that I think I am feeling something, he reaches over to touch my stomach, just in case we get lucky and that is the moment you will be able to feel something from the outside. It’s still so weird to think about the fact that there is this little living human in my stomach. So strange. =)

My parents came to visit this weekend. They were attending a dinner thing for work on Friday night in Orlando and stayed with us through Saturday. Momma and I went out shopping on Saturday. We were able to find me a couple of really cute outfits. We went to this store called Destination Maternity and they actually put a “bump” in the dressing rooms so that you can see what clothing will look like as you get bigger. For one dress, it wasn’t that great looking at this point, and Momma convinced me to try it on with the bump so we could make a decision about it for later on. I was a bit reluctant and made Momma promise to not squeal when I opened the curtain. Needless to say, she didn’t keep her promise. It was quite funny actually. The dress did look remarkably better with a bump though so I ended up getting it anyway.

Momma and Joe are going to come down for the anatomy scan next week. We really wanted Mom and Dad Y to be able to come too but they are flying in late the night before from New York and the appointment is before 8am so they won’t be able to make it unfortunately. Momma and I are going to go shopping for baby shower items after the appointment because we will (hopefully) know the sex and will be able to get the appropriate stuff. We have been waiting to buy anything and are waiting to make the invitations to try to find out the sex so that we can customize it. I’m hoping that once we know, Steven will be ready to start the registry with me so in the next couple of weekends we can start working on that. We can also go ahead and pick out the paint colors for the room and the furniture. I’m just so ready to be able to start that. I feel like we have been waiting forever. It has been about 4 months since we found out and in pregnancy time, that definitely seems like forever.

I’ve also decided that there must be something in the water in OCPS. We now have at least 4 (and I think maybe 5) people due between July and September. My lead has told the other person in my learning community that is due in September and myself that we are not allowed to hang out with anyone else in the office because apparently it is catching.

Steven still hasn’t posted the pics from our cruise despite my very not blatant hinting in my last post. I will try to do that myself in the upcoming week since I should have some time during Spring Break. Until then, I’ll leave you with the most updated bump picture. The next picture will be at the halfway mark!!

19 Weeks! Almost halfway.

Monday, March 19, 2012

18 Weeks, 1 Day

Land ho! This morning we arrived back in the US from our 3 day Bahamas cruise. We had so much fun! We left on Friday afternoon. That morning we picked up Ryan and Jen and headed over to Cocoa Beach to have lunch on the pier before boarding the boat. Upon arriving at the port we had no issues parking the car and boarding the boat. Our rooms were ready so we dropped off some of our stuff and headed out to explore the ship. Ryan had been on this ship before so he knew were most of the places were. Our rooms were great. They were positioned on the main deck and near the elevators but they were down a hall with only our two rooms and one addition room so we had absolutely no foot traffic so it was always really quiet. Sail away was fun as always and we enjoyed sailing out of another Florida port. We were able to see Kennedy Space Center and a pretty large Navy base. I presume we will call it a base but there is likely a better way to describe it. That night we had dinner in the dining room and it was as yummy as always. We have yet to have a bad dinner on a cruise ship.

Saturday morning we had breakfast and later lunch in the buffet. Our ship got into port around noon so we were able to get some pretty good pictures sailing in. Once we were on the island we walked through a lot of the shops before going to a pirate museum. We thought it would be nothing more than a tourist trap (which it likely was) but we had a lot of fun. After that we went over to Senor Frogs and for the first time I was sort of jealous that I couldn’t have a drink because everyone else got these cool cups and I had a sprite in a normal cup. We got back on the boat for dinner originally with the intentions of getting back off in Nassau since we weren’t leaving port until about midnight but we decided to just stay on board and see the show. The comedian/magician was really funny.

Sunday we went to Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. We were able to take my 18 week picture. That’s right… a destination picture. I think we should start making them all destination pictures. We spent the day lounging on the beach. We wanted to go swimming but knew the water would be way too cold. We originally planned to go on a glass bottom boat that afternoon but a storm blew up around lunch and so due to the waves that it caused, they cancelled our trip. Oh well. Next time. We went back to the ship eventually and went swimming in the pool. It wasn’t too much warmer considering it is the water the pump in from the ocean anyway but it wasn’t as bad. Our final night on the ship we did karaoke. Okay, I did karaoke and then we went to the Battle of the Sexes and The Quest game shows.

This morning we disembarked bright and early and had the entire day together getting settled. We have almost finished our laundry, went grocery shopping and I even edited all the pictures. I’m on a roll.

A few notes though about being pregnant on a cruise… everyone else can have a mai tai or pina colada if they want and you have to ask for a virgin. Isn’t so bad when you know the payoff is better than risking something ridiculous so I am definitely not complaining. It can be difficult to find something to eat in the dining room when you try to follow all the recommendations that are made for how to eat when pregnant but you can make it work. Our day in Nassau wore me out. I had to take quite a few breaks to rest at various times throughout the cruise. The good news is that since my morning sickness is gone I didn’t have any issues that could have been made worse by motion sickness.

Here are a few pics from the cruise that follow my pregnancy journal theme. We have a lot more pictures of course but I’m hoping Steven will go ahead and post them.  Hint, hint…

Our destination weekly pic. Coming to you from Coco Cay, Bahamas.Our last night on the cruise. Living it up.

Our last night on the cruise. Living it up.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

16 Weeks, 4 Days

So, at this point I presume that the worry that something could be wrong is just going to stick with me throughout this entire pregnancy. Then, our little one will show up and my worry will transition to something entirely new. Fantastic. Just what we need… to make me more of a worrier. =) I’ve been having a tough week for some reason. As my 16 week appointment approached I started to get more and more antsy and worried though I can’t technically explain why. I had no reason to think anything would be amiss but fear just got the best of me.

Well, the good news is that my appointment was this morning. They took my blood one more time (though not the last I’m sure). It wasn’t the same guy that normally does my blood work and this girl was definitely not as good. The guy just sticks the needle in and abra cadabra… we have a vial of blood. This girl had to wiggle the needle around (after it was in my arm) to find the vein. So, not as pleasant as it could have been and we all know that getting blood drawn isn’t necessarily a pleasant experience to begin with. They took my weight. I am up 5 lbs. from my last visit and 4 lbs. in all. The doctor said that is pretty good and right at what they would want to see at this point. She did caution me to just continue to be careful and try to not gain too much too fast. They are used to that big jump though once morning sickness goes away apparently. I always read that your first trimester you are supposed to gain 2-4 lbs and I’m just a couple of weeks past that so gaining 4 total sound right on. My blood pressure was good. I can’t remember it at the moment but no red flags. There are a few routine tests that they run at this point that include things such as making sure I don’t have a hidden UTI but she didn’t suspect anything would be wrong.

Then came the best part of the appointment, hearing the little guy or girl’s heartbeat. This is the part I was most worried about. You hear stories about people going in for these visits and doctors not being able to find heartbeats for whatever reason. I know from a prior ultrasound that I have a tilted uterus so it was always likely that she could have trouble finding it. The baby could also be turned the wrong way or hanging out in a weird location just to mess with me. We got lucky though. She put the Doppler on my stomach and within 2 seconds flat we had a heartbeat. It wasn’t as fast as it has been in the past. This time the heartbeat measured in at 146 bpm. The doctor said that this could be for a few reasons. Since we have 170 the first time, 160 at 12 weeks and now this, she said it could either be the normal slowing of the heart rate as the baby gets bigger or it could be that the baby was sleeping and before was really active (or a combination of all of that.) She said normal heartbeats are between 110 and 190 so 146 sounded perfect. Our little “peanut”, as she called it, was being very cooperative. The doctor did mention that the wive’s tale would make this baby a boy based on the heart rate but that is, in no way, diagnostic and she has seen it go either way. Especially since the heart rate had been so high before.

Our next ultrasound is scheduled for April 5^th. That is the big one. The doctor referred to it as the “Party Ultrasound” and we can bring the fam if we want. They are going to make sure everthing looks right with the baby’s anatomy. Then we get to have the big reveal (as long as we have a cooperative baby that day too) and find out whether it is a boy or a girl!  We are really, really excited. I’m just so ready to know so that we can plan the nursery and start the registry. And really so that we can stop calling this poor baby an “it” and call it by the name we’ll give him or her.

So overall the appointment went well. It worked to squash some of my worries (for now). I was really excited to hear the little one’s heartbeat. I just wish I had a home Doppler to be able to listen to the heartbeat whenever I wanted. I know you can purchase them but they are really expensive to use for only this purpose.

This weekend we are hopefully having ourselves a quiet weekend at home. We have been so busy the past few weekends that it will be nice to not do anything. I do need to clean the house but that’s easier than all the running around we have been doing. We have to start prepping for the cruise. We leave a week from tomorrow and don’t have our usual “list” of what we need to bring. I need to try on my formal night outfit to make sure it fits. If it doesn’t, I have one backup but if that doesn’t fit… I’ll be hitting up the stores this weekend too.

So, next week gets to be a short week for us. We each work 4 days and then we are going on the cruise. We are going to meet up with Ryan and Jen sometime in the late morning I think and head over to Cocoa where we’ll have lunch on the pier and maybe go to Ron Jon’s or something before going to the port to start our little weekend away. It should be a blast. Everyone can look forward to a non-pregnancy related post from me too after that. Hopefully. I realized recently that I never updated Christmas. To be honest, Christmas happened at a time that my morning sickness was just kicking in and the fatigue was out of control so I could never get the energy together to put that post together. Sorry about that. I’ll try to be better.

16 Weeks... still growing. I really should stop taking these in the evening though. I seriously look way bigger than I think I do in the morning. Maybe this weekend I'll get it together enough to remember and plan for it in the morning.

Friday, March 2, 2012

15 Weeks, 5 Days

Oops! Totally forgot I was supposed to be keeping up with this so I can update the blog. Can I count that as baby brain already? I know, I know… this forgetfulness thing won’t stop now for the next 18 years until the “baby” is out of the house… or so I’ve been told. Seriously though, I have been forgetting everything it seems lately. Some days are worse than others. I have always had to keep a to do list for work with three different schools and so much going on at one time, it’s a crazy job. Lately though, I not only have to do that but I have to carry a notepad around with me to write notes when I talk to a teacher or administrator because if I don’t write it down right then, I forget by the time I make it back to my office 5 minutes later. So, as a warning… if I repeat myself from anything I mentioned in an earlier blog post, deal with me. I’m trying.

Other than forgetting almost everything lately, I’m feeling really good. I still randomly get sick or nauseous. I think that will likely hang around the entire pregnancy. Usually it is related more to a gag reflex than actual nausea though. I know… TMI.

We went to the dentist last weekend. We haven’t been in about 8 or 9 months so we both got a stern talking to. Oops. Sorry, dentist. I have to go back in three months for another cleaning. Pregnancy hormones make your teeth and gums do weird things so they recommend more than twice a year cleanings. I already knew this so when the hygienist suggested it, I went ahead and made an appointment. Might as well. We’ll have to pay it out of pocket but I have such terrible teeth and gums anyway that it really is necessary.

This weekend we are going to have lunch with two of my college roommates and one’s husband. It should be a lot of fun. Especially since one of them is about 6 weeks ahead of me. They just recently found out that they are having a boy. I think Steven was a bit jealous because he wants a boy so badly. He would be very happy of course with whatever gender we have… but I think most men want a “little buddy”. I’m so excited for them. They are going to be amazing parents and it has been really cool to have such a good friend this close in due dates to me. I just wish they lived closer (they live closer to Tampa) so that we could get together more often. It’s nice having someone to empathize with you. Although, she had no morning sickness so I sort of dislike her for that.  =) Jack has an appointment at the vet this weekend for a “weight check”. Hopefully he will be down enough weight to get to switch to a more normal food. I would just love for him to put enough weight on his leg to start building the muscle back again so we can go on walks with him. I still feel like a terrible doggy mommy every time we go for a walk and have to leave the pouting dog behind. It’s like he knows we are betraying him. He won’t even look at us when we leave a lot of the time. Even if we don’t say “walk” or any similar sounding word. He just knows.

Next week is my 16 week appointment. I’m looking forward to hearing Baby Young’s heartbeat. Although I know that the chances of a miscarriage drop significantly after seeing a healthy baby around 12 weeks, I can’t help but worry sometimes. Especially now, with my symptoms subsiding and me feeling really good. It’s amazing how feeling good can make you worry. The appointment is on Thursday so we have just under a week to wait. I’m ready to go now though and just know that everything is still okay.

The weekend after that, we are going to be going on our 3 day Bahamas cruise with Ryan and Jen. That should be a lot of fun. Now is the perfect time to go too. Since I’m feeling really good and my tiredness is not as bad as it was before (though I still get really, really tired at times.) I think we’ll have a good time. It’s a shame I’m not as hungry now as I was initially. Those buffets could have been a lot of fun but I’m back to normal for now it seems while my body adjusts. So, until Baby Young demands more food, I’m eating very similar to what I was before. Too bad. I was sort of looking forward to an excuse to locate the ice cream and brownies on the buffet at 2 in the morning. Maybe I’ll still try that and see if I can get away with it. Shame that Steven reads these posts too. I guess I just gave myself away.

Once we get back, we only have a couple more weeks to wait before our next ultrasound where we should find out the gender. Unless of course, Baby Young decides to be uncooperative. Why would that not surprise me? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Weekly (since 13 weeks and a few before periodically) we take bump pictures. I post these on Facebook but it occurred to us recently that not everyone that reads this blog might have a FB account so, for everyone’s viewing pleasure. Here are the bump pictures. The cute idea with the cards is not one that I can claim. This was an idea of a friend of mine that did this with both of her kiddos. I love it because I don’t ever have to think about how many weeks I was when we took the picture. So, enjoy…

This is sort of the "before" shot

Starting to get a bit bigger. This was one of the last times I was able to wear normal pants...

My bump might not actually be quite this big yet. This was taken at the end of the day and I find that the bump increases in size right now as the day goes on. We'll see what the pic from this week looks like.