A Much Lighter Note

Mom got us a small chest freezer for Christmas!  I'm very excited about filling it up with make ahead and freeze meals for after Xavier gets here.  Any recipe ideas are greatly appreciated!

Some Old News

I've been holding on to this because I wasn't sure how worried to be and I didn't want to worry anyone else. At my 30 week appt on Dec. 18, I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. My blood pressure has been on the high range of normal but, protein has been spilling. Dr. Reed wanted to admit me to the hospital until we got to 37 weeks and then do a c-section. At this news I had a wee bit of a break from reality and started laughing hysterically. Frankly it seemed so ridiculous to me, to be in the hospital for 7 weeks. I started to babble about things that needed to be finished up at work and who was going to take care of the dog if I wasn't there, not that Michael doesn't take care of her it just popped into my head. She talked with the attending Dr. Rone (Dr. Reed is a resident) and they decided that it would be okay for me to keep working but, not to do anything strenuous (i.e. no dog park). This was because my BP was okay and it was stipulated on having non-stress tests (NST) two times a week and once a week doctor's appts. So, I'm still working, yeah!!! But, I'm taking everything else easy. So far Xavier has passed all his NSTs with flying colors and my BP has stayed reasonable. She did warn me that I will most likely end up in the hospital for awhile before he gets here and that they will probably take him at 37 weeks but, at least I'm going into it a little more aware. I was chatting with another mom who went to her doctor's appt and was admitted directly to the hospital, she could even go home and pack, yuck! So, I know I'm lucky and I'm doing everything I can to stay on the outside, so to speak. Christmas was extra special knowing I could have been stuck at UK with a one visitor at a time policy over the holiday.

Update

Everything is well in babyland.  Dr. Reed was really happy with my blood sugar tracking results.  She wants me to keep tracking but, doesn't want to put me on any medicine for fear that it would bottom out my blood sugar levels. 

Yesterday was the first time I've been to the dentisit to have my teeth cleaned in a few years.  The hygienist was very impressed, she said they look good and was very suprised that I've never had braces.  Her assistant said "I had braces for three years and my teeth still aren't as straight as yours."  So thanks to whichever side of the family I got the teeth from!  I'm thinking it was the Holbrooks because Mom and Doug had braces.  They gave me a tooth brush for Xavier!  It's so cute.  It has a teeny tiny brush with a huge chunky handle and it's all primary colors.  We're supposed to start brushing his "teeth" at 4 months.  Hopefully that will go over better than brushing the dog's teeth, she always get frustrated that I'm putting something in her mouth that she can't eat or chew on.

This weekend Mom and I are going to visit Doug and Carrie.  I'm very excited about that!

Fosters

I've really been missing the kittens from the Lexington Humane Society.  We have taken a break with fostering until Xavier gets here and we have everything settled.  Here's a couple pictures of our favorite foster kitten Bob (named because of her tail, what can I say we're not very creative with the names).  She's one of our favorties because she was so teeny tiny that she stayed with us through two litters of kittens and the people that adopted her became foster parents also so, I have her grown up pictures too!

Michael says she looked like a goat.

She is very playful!

And she loved to "help" me sew.

Here she is as a grown up kitty, thankfully her parents renamed her Addie!

Michael says she still looks like a goat.

Don't you just want pet that white belly!

She has a brother now.

I don't think she looks like a goat, she so pretty!

She was such a good kitty and it really makes the fostering worth it when you get to see the good homes that the kittens go to!

Third Trimester!!!!!

We officially hit the final trimester yesterday!  Woohoo!!!!  He's still really active and gets mommy out of bed each morning with a swift kick to the bladder.  Oh Joy!  I think Michael is starting to feeling the ticking clock, he has offered to cut out diapers for me, it's the part I hate the most about sewing. 

We had a follow up ultrasound yesterday.  Everything looks really good.  Here's a couple pictures, I really think he has Tierney's nose!

Look What Michael Did!

He saw this on ebay and made them with Mod Podge:

 

Painted Nursery

Michael did a great job painting the nursery last night. Here's what it looks like this morning.

We're going to get a different colored ribbon for this. 

I made this when my girl scout friend came up from AZ.

The afghan was made by Michael's mother.  As was the mouse family.

 The crib will go in this corner, right the bassinet and the pack and play are there.

 

 The high chair.

Nursery Theme

Jungle Babies- This is mostly fabric that would need to be made into nursery stuff.  Bonita is making a blanket out of it and the color's go real well with what we painted.

Failed GD Test

Well, I failed the glucose tolerance test at my last appt.  This means on Monday, I do a fasting test that could take up to 3 hours. :(

Colors for the Nursery

I also scanned the paint chips for the nursery.  They show up a little brighter on the screen than in real life but, you all be get the idea.

This is for the walls:

And this is for the accents:

Ultrasound Pictures

Not that Michael isn't a computer genius but, I got tired of him trying to figure out how to hook up the old scanner to the new computer so, I took them to work and scanned them!  Here they are.  I don't think the tech did a very good job and I will be requesting the other tech at our Nov. 23rd ultrasound.

I left out the one with his boy parts out of modesty!

24 weeks!

Today we are 24 weeks!  That means the baby is viable outside the womb.  Of course he better stay put but, it's good to hit the milestone.

Anniversaries and Pumpkins

Over the past week we had our 3rd wedding anniversary and 15th dating anniversary.  On Sunday we carved pumpkins with family and friends and had some really good food.  There were three varieties of chili, lots of pasta, loads of shredded cheese, and the best cornbread in the world.  Lots of kids running around made it a whole lot of fun.

The gutting of the pumpkins.

Carving

The finished product!

Everyone had oddles of fun!

It's a boy!

We're having a baby boy. Michael is already talking about Hawaiian Shirts and Chess Club. Poor little guy, he'll be a geek if his daddy has anything to do with it. We've decided his first name will be Xavier, named after a good friend of my daddy's. We're still thinking about middle names. Michael is leaning towards Francis but, I'm not sure i can do that to my little boy.

Another Girl in The Family

Not this bean but, my cousin Megan just found out her baby is a girl. Woohoo! Apparently my Dad is convinced I told we were having a girl so, that's what he's been telling people. So, if you heard from my Dad, he doesn't really know yet because we don't find out until Monday. :)

We have a date.

Well the date has been set for the anatomy scan. October 19th Hopefully then we'll find out it the jelly bean is a girl or boy.

Halfway there!!!!

Today we hit the 20 week mark. Halfway through the pregnancy, I'm doing well and feeling fine. I did find out last night that the baby doesn't like the smell of nachos. We went to my younger sister-in-law's volleyball game. It was her senior night and she played a wonderful game on the varsity team. Her team won!!!

Ouch!

Each week I get an email from baby center, showing me a picture of what the jelly bean looks like in the current week. This weeks was the first one that made me laugh!

Foster Care School

Last night, I was privileged enough to be invited to foster care school as part of Sandy and Diana's support network. It was a very interesting night. The instructor had recruited several members of the the foster care system to explain the different aspects of the system. We heard from all the different steps of the process. The most interesting was the lady that had fostered 164 children!!!! Wow!!! She had lots of insight into the system and the things that the newer parents should be asking when they get the call that there's a child to foster. Also, her son spoke of his experiences, she and he husband got him when he was 3 and adopted him. It was very moving. He talked a bout being a rebellious youth and about the constant influence of his mom and dad helping him through it all. He talked about his plans for the future and was just such a sweetheart. This was the 9th of 10 class for them so, one more and they'll be done. They have some other steps but hopefully they'll be approved soon. I just can't imagine a better couple to take care of children.

Last Weekend

As I enter this weekend, I figure I should post about last weekend. It's started on Thursday afternoon with a consignment sale. I got an Eddie Bauer pack n' play for $45 and a couple Platex Drop-In Bottles for less than $1 each. Then Friday afternoon, I travelled to Elizabethtown, with Diana and Sandy for another sale. This time I was armed with Daddy's credit card. :) I found the diaper pail I wanted for the cloth diapers and several more diapers. We had a wonderful dinner with Sandy's family. On Saturday still armed with the card, I went to the same sell from Thursday, it was 50% off day. This time Michael went with me, even though he only had two hours of sleep (he can be so sweet.) We found a few really cute outfits and a Halo sleep sack. As per Daddy's instructions, I threw everything in the washing machine the moment we walked in the door. All and all it was a very productive weekend.

Made It Through

Well, I made through this last round of restructuring, the third in the year I've been here. **BIG SIGH of RELIEF** (Still, if someone comes acrossed a great biological or chemical position, I want to hear about it.) We had enough people from our department leave on thier own that it wasn't necessary to let anyone go. I was chatting with one girl from our department that will start working with the purification of ethanol for all sorts of different things but, one of them is for the fuel source. How cool is that? Our manager brought in bagels today for our morning meeting. It's always good news when she brings food. So, now I actually have to start thinking about maternity leave. I really didn't think I'd make it through so, I really wasn't planning it.

My Very Exciting Day

I have been informed that I don't blog enough. So, here goes. Not much is going on baby wise other than, I think I feel the bean every once in a while. I just get this sensation tha something is rolling over in my stomach not, in a bad way way more of Oh, somethings in their kind of way. As far as other news, I've been hanging out a lot with our new couple friends, Sandy and Diana. They are on the verge of having a baby to foster from the state and so we're doing the same kind of prep work. Buying baby stuff and getting nurseries together. They are much more together Michael and I and have been a wonderful influence on us. Diana is the baby knowledge guru and both have worked in daycares before so, they always have answers for mine questions. They also have been a huge help in deciding what baby gear we should get. I love that they don't just have a favorite product, they have the research to back it up! On one of our recent trips, I met Diana's parents (two of the sweetest people I've ever met!) and her dad showed me how to shoot guns! I shot several smaller guns and one long one, I think it was a rifle. My favorites were the revolvers, they are so shiny! When I remember, I will post the pictures. I felt bad because we played the whole time and Diana and her dad didn't have anytime to practice for their upcoming marksmenship competition.

Finding out the Gender Delayed a bit...

I just had to reschedule the next appointment with our doctor. It was supposed to be next Monday but, that week is too busy for me so, the appointment isn't until October 9th. At that appointment we will set the date for the anatomy scan when, if the baby cooperates, we will find out the gender. I know everyone is disappointed to wait.

Update

Wow, it's been a while. I am well, as is the baby. Still not feeling movement but, everytime I lay down and really try to concentrate on feeling the baby, I fall asleep. The nursery is really coming along. All the furniture will be white, we'll decide on the colors of the walls when we find out the gender. Several trips to play with display models have been made to Babies 'R' Us. With the help of Diana and Sandy, I've settled on a carseat and stroller. I found several good purchases at the consignment sale a couple weeks ago : a video monitor, a boppy with two covers, the new version of the diaper genie, a wall mounted gate, and lots of white cotton onesies to tie dye. The afghan is coming along but, still plenty left to do.

bellyHood.com Widget-Fetal Monitor-Baby Cam

Wish me luck!!!

Diane and Sandy are introducing me to consignment sales. Around here there are a few good sales put on by various children's groups. Tonight is my first one. I'll report back if, I make it through the trenches!

Maybe a Mini?

I've been thinking about cribs since, my trip with Mom to Babies R Us. I've looked at a lot online and I haven't made up my mind but, I'm thinking more and more about a mini crib. Specifically the Baby Mod - Mini Lily 2-in-1 Convertible Crib from Walmart. It has a solid look and has gotten lots of good reviews. It's also shorter so it would be easier for my short self to get baby out. It coverts to a twin sized bed which, I like a whole lot better than most that convert to a full sized bed. The only complaints were about the mattress that came with it being too thin but, better ones can be purchased at baby stores. Here's the link and a picture.



http://www.walmart.com/catalog/allReviews.do?product_id=6005160

Another Appointment and Yarn!!!!

We had an appointment with Dr. Reed yesterday afternoon. Everything is good! We saw the heartbeat on the ultrasound and it looks good.

Mom took me out shopping for yarn for a baby afghan. It's one i've made a couple times for other people and now i get to make for my own sweet pea!

Here's the Yarn Samples, it's Bernat Baby Coordinates

The purple looks darker than it is.

And Here's the Pattern Picture:

My Current Baby

So this isn't about the one we're having but, our little husky/beagle mix. Michael likes to call her a busky. We took Zoey to the dog park Friday after work and I just realized how grown up she is now! She's still very much a puppy at 9 months old but, she doesn't get into as many skuffles as she did when she was younger and she looks like an adult dog. She's such a good girl and I often feel like she doesn't get enough attention now that I've been soooo tired. Michael is still good at walking with her for a couple miles in the middle of the night but, I've been slacking. Mostly we just hang out watching TV or reading on the couch. I really need to teach her fetch so she can run while I'm being lazy. Lately I've just been working on "sit", "stay", "up", and "leave it", she knows these but it doesn't hurt to refresh. I tried to teach her to roll over but, that was frustarting to both of us, she to too bendy so her head will follow the treat and her but will stay put, it's kind of cute. Anyway, just lamenting her growing so fast!

Baby Zoey

Learning the Ropes

I've been learning new skills at work and revisiting some old ones. I am now completely out of the chemical labs and starting to figure out the new work. It's the kind of work that is repeatitive and not to mentally taxing but, it's time consuming so it's helpful to have someone do it. I am so happy to do it and be in a safe environment and be able to sit down when I need to. I can't imagine working in a high energy, demanding job right now. It also gives me plenty of time to listen to my IPOD. I've discovered some new podcasts to make the day go by quicker.

New Job, Same Company

My manager was worried about the exposer to chemicals in the lab were I worked so, she chatted with the enigineers and they have come up with jobs for me to do that keep me away from the chemicals. I was given the option of staying in the lab if I wanted or switching. I hadn't said anything because the chemicals we work with are considered generally safe but, any chance to lessen chemical expose is good. I am choosing to switch to doing the safer jobs until the bean gets here. I thought it was really considerate of her to go ahead and get this together. I did make sure I could go back to working with the chemicals later because, I really enjoy the wet lab work more.

We've graduated!

We had another appt. on Friday. My A1C came back okay and the baby's doing well. They changed my due date again! Now we're due Feb. 23, 2009. And now that we're past ten weeks we are officially a fetus!

Meet Our Little Bean

One July 17, 2009 we had our follow up ultrasound. Our technician was wonderful!!!! She was so sweet and really helped make the process easier. We got to see our little bean and hear the heartbeat. The tech said bean was right on course for 8 weeks but, she did change our due date by one day to February 26, 2009. What a relief it was to see the baby growing!!!! Little bean looks like a gummie bear.

Meeting Dr. Reed

On July 10, 2009, we go back for our regular OB appt and to meet our OB, Dr. Reed. She is very sweet and a good listener. She's new to the clinic and seems very eager. I really like her! We did a glucose test on my first appt at the clinic and the results were good. So far no diabetes, woo! We talked about how I was feeling, and she said I should feel more energy in the second trimester. She also had blood drawn for an A1C just to follow up on the diabetes thing. We sheduled another appt. in two weeks. At this point I seen to some doctor every week, Dr. Reed promises she trying to cut it down to once a month. I can only hope that works out.

The High Risk Clinic

On Thursday July 2, 2009 we had our appt for the ultrasound and more blood work. The blood work from the triage came back with good levels for an earlier pregnancy and the ultrasound dated us at 6 weeks not 10. Everything looked very good for 6 weeks and we were scheduled for a follow up ultrasound in two more weeks. We were very relieved but, still a little worried. Later that day I called to get the results of the second blood draw and the levels looked really good. That was great news. So our due changed to February 25, 2009.

Trip to the Triage

The Tuesday following my first appt, I was so sick. The week off of my allergy meds had really allowed in some aweful funk. It moved from my head to my chest and I could sleep at night so, on Tuesday June 30, 2009 I called the clinic to see if I could get an appt. Apparently that is the day all the OB's are off so they told me to go to the Traige unit. The Triage at my hospital is like the emergency room for pregnant women. When we got there, I was basically told that I can treat the coughing and the stuffiess but, there was not much else to be done. They also did an ultrasound to count the baby's heartbeat. This is were things got really scary. According to the ultrasound the baby was not at 10 weeks, which it should be going by the date of my last period. The drew beta levels and set up a more indepth ultrasound at the high risk clinic for Thursday of that week. We went home very discouraged. Even though we hadn't been planning on this baby we love it and could imagine not having it.

First Appointment

I had my screening appt. on June 26 2009. I talked to the head of the OB program (who actually a bit of a jerk) went over my meds and said I should keep taking them, they were all safe for pregnancy. Woohoo!!!!!!! I can start breathing again! I stopped taking all my allergy meds and have had a horrible stuffy head since. I am so happy I could cry! They did a glucose test which I'll get the results back in two weeks when I meet the doctor I'll be seeing.

It Says WHAT?!?

I had been late for a couple weeks and taking a digital clear blue easy test each Sunday. Always with the same results "Not Pregnant". So on Father's Day, I tested again expecting the same result only, it seemed like this test took much longer to calculate. Then it said "Pregnant". I thought something must be messed up so I took strip test and yep there were two lines! Wow!!!! It was soooo hard not to tell everyone at the family picnic that day. I did break down and tell my mom. According to the date of my last period, I was due January 26, 2010. Woohoo, a winter baby!