The arrival of James Bradley Abel Jr.

Well...little Bradley arrived on Sunday (October 9th) at 12:13PM. It was really a series of events starting on Thursday the 6th. I figure everyone might be curious about my experience (or maybe just a couple of people) so Ill write it all out as well as I can remember it.

On Thursday evening, Brad was at work and I went to visit my parents at their house for a bit. I ate a piece of pizza while I was there and just hung out. Not really thinking anything would happen. My last doctors appointment (Monday) I was still a fingertip dilated and 70% effaced. Anyway...I went home because Brad was done with work and I needed to start dinner. As I walked in the door, I felt a little gush "downstairs". I didnt think too much of it since it had happened before and it was nothing. Well this time, it was a little different. It kept coming and coming and when I went to the bathroom, it was actually pink. Thats when I realized that it was my water breaking. I called Brad up and told him what was going on (he was stuck in a little traffic on the way home), finished up my packing, and hopped in the shower. By the time he got home, I was about done and he finished up with the dogs and packing and we went on our way.

We got to the hospital around 8:00PM and got checked in. They have these little strips of PH paper called Litmus Paper that they use to test if someones water has broken. Once I got the heart rate monitor and contraction monitor on me, they tested to see if it had broken. When they touched the paper to the outside of me, it turned blue like it was my water but when they put it inside to check close to my cervix, it stayed the same yellow color like it hadnt broken. They put a towel under me so they could check and see if anything was still coming out. An hour later, they came back and checked again. When they tested the fluid on the towel, it turned blue but when they tested my cervix again. it didnt change. So they checked to see if I was diliating and I was the same as my appointment on Monday. They then decided that it wasnt my water that had broken and they didnt know what it was and sent me home. I was convinced that it was my water but oh well.

On Friday, I worked like a normal day. Had a couple of slight contractions but nothing real crazy. I spotted pretty much all day that day but I figured that was from the internal exam they did and not anything else. Nothing eventful to speak of and I slept pretty well that night. On Saturday, Brad and I work up around 9:30AM and I decided I wanted to do something that day to pass the time and not dwell on when I would go into labor. We decided on carving pumpkins. We went out to the Ring Farm out here and picked out a few with my parents and my sister then went back to my parents house to carve. I had a few contractions that day as well and Brad decided to order the UFC fight that night and invited my brother over as well.

The fight started at 8PM and I was still having contractions from time to time...like every 30 min or so. By 10:45 when the fight was over, I was having them every 20 min or so. I decided to go to bed early, thinking they would go away when I was sleeping since they werent crazy intense. I never got to sleep. By the time I finished getting ready for bed, they were 15 min apart. Brad came to bed a half hour later and I still couldnt sleep. They slowly got closer together until they were 6-7 min apart at around 2AM. I ran a bath around 2 hoping it would help and seeing if they would go away (I didnt want another false alarm). I stayed in the bath for about 45 min and the contractions progressed to 4-5 min apart. Brad then realized that I hadnt come back to bed and came in to check on me. Together we decided to go into the hospital since I wasnt sleeping anyway. We packed up the little stuff we had unpacked since our trip on Thursday and walked out the door around 3AM.

We got to the hospital around 3:30AM, got checked in and got a room. They hooked me up, checked everything and did an internal exam. I was almost 2cm dilated and contracting pretty well on my own. I thought that since I was only 2cm, they wouldnt keep us. Well, I was wrong! They decided that since I was contracting really well on my own and my due date was so close (I was 39w 5d) that they would keep me and we would be leaving with our baby! My first nurses name was Beverly and she was great. I was trying to go natural so she basically left us alone unless she really needed to bother us. She took my blood for lab work, set me up with a heparin lock and let me know to call her if I needed her. At that point, Brad went out to the car to grab our bags and called family to let them know what was going on. I called my parents and they came over right away. Brad called his family and they left Pickwick right away. Everything was becoming more and more real.

Around 4:30, Beverly came in and checked me again...I was already 3cm! Since my mom's labor with my sister was so long (42 hrs I believe), I thought mine would be long too....not so much! After that check, Beverly left us alone and the contractions got more and more intense. I was really feeling them in my back and they were spreading to my lower stomach. The pattern of them was pretty weird. Instead of the 5 min apart, 60 sec long contractions all the books talk about, I would have 3 in a row and then a 3-4 min break. They were pretty rough. By the time the nurses had a shift change (7AM), I was mentally and physically done. I was tired and in pain and I was ready to give in and get the epidural. My new nurse (Sue) was amazing. She came in and told me that she completely supported me going natural and wanted to know what my plan was and how she could help. She realized that the baby was sunny side up and causing me back pain and knew it would be hard to push him out if that was the case. After a lot of going back and forth, I told her I wanted the epidural and she completely understood and got everything set up. She checked me and I had progressed to 6cm! She got some fluids into me and called the anesthesiologist to get things going. Once the epidural took, I was a completely different person. I could move my legs and could feel some things but no pain. I was happy and ready to go. I got my second wind and was feeling much better. Right around the time the epidural was getting finished, Brad's parents arrived after a long drive. We all got to hang out for the next few hours. Sue put me in a few different positions to get him to turn around and it worked! He turned his little self around and made things much easier later on when I started pushing.

It was around 8:30 by the time the epidural finally took and everything was good. Sue came in and checked me again around 10:00 or so and I had only gotten to 7.5cm. She decided to start some Pitocen to get the contractions going again and by 11:00 I was feeling pressure like I needed to push. So I had her check me again and I had gotten to 9cm. Around 11:25 I was at 10cm and ready to go! Sue got everything set up in the room and called the doctor. Brad decided to take a quick shower while she got everything ready and we started pushing around 11:45. Sue was amazing and really coached me through everything. The whole time we were there, the baby's heartrate would drop whenever I was on my back so she had me pushing on my side. As soon as Dr. Stafford got there, his heartrate came back up and everything was perfect. I pushed for around 30 min total and James Bradley Abel Jr was born at 12:13PM. He didnt cry much...not even when they stuck his heel to take blood or anything. He still doesnt scream or anything...just fusses a bit. He had a little cone head and has a little weird thing with his foot (it was sitting funny in the womb so it almost touches his shin but it is getting better) but he is so amazingly perfect.

He weighed 6lbs 12oz and was 19 3/4" long. Brad was 6lbs 10oz and I was 6lbs 14ozs. He is the perfect mix of both of us. So far, he is eating pretty well and sleeping okay. I have the feeling tonight is going to be interesting because he has slept pretty much all day. Anyway...here are some pictures of my bundle of love, Bradley. We are so incredibly lucky and happy to have him in our lives.

Heading Home!

One of his first pictures.

So sweet!

3 generations of James Abel's

Burrito Baby!

Lovin my little man!!

38 weeks

Well...the room is done, car seat installed, diaper bag packed (but not hospital bag...Im procrastinating), pack and play set up, swing put together, clothes washed...all we need is a baby boy. We are ready to go! We are getting so excited to meet this little one but it feels like its forever away. In all reality, its really close! I was just telling Brad the other day that I feel like a ticking time bomb. It could happen at any time. We are full term and if he were born today, it would most likely be with no complications and everyone would be happy but its best for his brain and lung development to stay in until NEXT Tuesday when we hit 39 weeks. The selfish part of me wants him out now...the mommy part of me wants him to stay in till his due date.

I am officially working from home exclusively. I get to sit around in sweat pants all day and talk to people on the phone on my couch. The dogs are loving it. They get to sit next to me and sleep all day instead of having to be in their crates. My last day of work is October 7th (next Friday). As much as I know we need the money, I would be perfectly happy to start my leave now. Its hard to commit totally to work when you are so excited about the future.

We have had some excitement this week but not on the baby front. My mom had her Gallbladder taken out a couple of weeks ago and hasnt been feeling well. She went to the walk in clinic on Sunday and she was so jaundiced that they sent her straight to the hospital. They thought she might have had a gallstone stuck in her bile duct so they admitted her and did a procedure yesterday to get it removed. When they went in there, they didnt find anything so they figured that she might have passed it. I spent some time at the hospital with her both Monday and yesterday and she definitely wasnt feeling well still. They decided to keep her again last night and see how she was feeling today. Hopefully she will get to go home tonight...I know my dad misses her at home. Im also hoping that they are right about her passing the stone. They are going to check her Liver enzymes today and see her body is doing everything right again or if something else might be wrong. I dont like seeing her in pain and not feeling well.

So we are on weekly appointments now. I have had 3 appointments since my last post. My 36 and 37 week appointments were uneventful. They didnt do any internal exams at all. Ive basically been told to slow down by the doctors. I guess I dont feel like I do all that much but the swelling in my hands and feet say otherwise. I feel like such a bum when I lay around the house. I dont know how people on bed rest do it (Im talking to you Lindsey McKinley! You are a CHAMP!). I want to be able to get up and get food and drinks...to go out to the store when I need it and to play with my dogs. I want to make sure everything is ready for the baby to come home...but thats too much. So Ive been spending more time on the couch (working from home especially) and less time running around. Anyway, between my 35 and 36 week appointment, I gained 8 pounds...8!!!! So I took my doctors advice and layed around the whole day after my appointment and weighed myself the next morning...I had lost 5 pounds of water weight. So I guess there is something to laying around.

My 38 week appointment was yesterday. I had my first internal exam since 35 weeks where I was not dilated and 50% effaced. I am now a fingertip dilated and 70% effaced. Yay for progress! She also mentioned that his head was REALLY low. Im definitely glad to hear that...Ive heard stories about people who end up with c sections because the baby never dropped low enough. C sections arent bad things...in fact it would give me 2 extra weeks of paid leave but in the ideal world, I would prefer an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. I will have another internal exam on Monday at my next appointment and hopefully we will have a little more progress. 

People keep telling me that I look great for being 38 weeks. Brad cant seem to figure out why I look so much smaller than other people. I figure its because I have a long torso and he has more room grow than a lot of people. I dont really feel that great...I kinda feel like a cow most of the time. I am REALLY hoping not to hit 200 pounds and but Im getting close.

How far along? 38 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 45 lbs...

Sleep: Ummmm...okay. I had a weird dream last night that work me up (not baby related at all) and it kept me up for an extra 45 min.

Best moment this week: Progress!!

Movement: I think he has turned around and is facing forwards now (Yay for no back labor!) so Im feeling more movement. My anterior placenta shields his hands but I feel his feet in my upper right and his head/body way down low.

Food cravings: Cherry Limeades, ice cream...I dunno.

Gender: Boy

Belly Button in or out? Out...but I can push on it and make it flat (his butt is right above my belly button)

What I miss: I was cooking dinner the other night and really wanted a glass of red wine to drink while I was cooking. But Brad wont let me...

What I am looking forward to: Feeling relatively normal again.

Milestones: Nothing really I dont think...hitting 38 weeks?

Daddy's Turn! Yea thats right im finally doing another post!

So not sure where to begin since its been so long since I last posted.  Al is doing well and things seem to be going good for the most part.  The second trimester flew by exept right at 6 months it seemed like things just stopped and it felt like it had been so long since we found out and we still were not even close to the due date, then things started to slowly go by and now all of the sudden here we are in last trimester at 37 weeks.  Now time is standing still again, this last month seems to be just dragging on.  I cant wait for him to be here and I know Al cant wait either. 

I feel really bad for her right now as her feet swell and her back labor is starting I find myself helpless because there is nothing i can do to ease her pain except stay on her about not doing anything at all except rest rest rest.  Not only that but there have been a lot of other things that have gone on and so we are all starting to place bets on whether she goes early or on due date or maybe late.

We did have a hospital trip a few weeks ago because of her timetable contractions for a consecutive 24 hours, however they just monitored everything, gave her fluids and shots to stop the contractions.  The reality check however was kinda nice because it gave us a first hand look at what to expect when we do have to go in for real.

Al is ready as she says every day she is ready for him to be here because of the pain she is in and the wonderful prego symptoms of swelling and back labor and ect that has onset pretty fast this last week or so.  We did have a doc appt now that we are on weekly visits.  The doc told her she needed to work from home and stay off her feet to get the swelling down.  It worked a bit but Al is stuborn and I cant get her to stop doing things around here that I can do.  Im just gonna have to put the foot down from now on and not let her do anything, she just needs to rest ( yes dear that is what i said, cuz i know your reading this, REST)!  

So that is about all I can come up with at this point, very excited, nervous, anxious, and scared all at the same time, but cant wait for my son to come into this world so I can meet him. 

P.S.  Al, REST for the next 3 weeks and Let me be a good husband and take care of everything else my love!

Home Stretch

Its amazing how quickly the last 36 weeks have gone by...and now they have completely slowed down. We only have 4 weeks left before our due date but this last week has felt like FOREVER long. I knew it would be that way but I was hoping it might move a little faster. Since our hospital visit, we have had two appointments. The first one was just a normal appointment. Pee in a cup, weight, blood pressure, baby's heart rate, any questions? At this appointment, the doctor said that as long as I wasnt having more than 6 contractions in an hour and they werent painful, just drink a lot of water and everything will be fine. Of course, my body is difficult and had anything from 4 in an hour to 10 in an hour but I refused to go back into the hospital. I figure I know my body and I would know if something was really wrong. Everything is fine and dandy now.

My last appointment was a little more eventful. I had to get a Group B Strep swab. Group B Strep is present in 30% of women and doesnt cause any symptoms at all. However, if you are positive and the baby comes in contact with it (vaginal delivery), it can cause issues with the baby. So if you are positive, you have to be on IV antibiotics when you go into labor for at least 4 hrs before the baby is born. I am hoping to not have an IV of any kind (just a Heparin Lock) so being GBS positive would stop that plan. Luckily, Im negative! So as of now, no IV! My doctor also performed my first internal exam (with the exception of when they checked during my hospital visit). At 35 weeks, I am not dilated but I am 50% effaced. I was a little surprised to have any progress at all but the real test will come if I have made any more progress. We will probably find out at my appointment on Thursday if anything has changed.

Ive been having more cramping and pain with my normal contractions over the last week. I definitely feel them in my low back and low stomach. I know its just my body practicing and I dont have to breathe through them at all. But they do give me a chance to practice some of the breathing techniques we learned in our birthing classes. They are definitely there more often when I go into work instead of working from home. I think its because when Im at home, I can put my feet up and get comfortable instead of sitting upright all day in an office chair. I will probably start working from home exclusively either next week or the week after. As of now, my first official day of maternity leave is October 7th. Anyway, Baby Abel has also been moving around a little more often over the last few days. The only problem with that is that its starting to get painful when he moves around instead of enjoyable. Sharp kicks and punches are not as much fun. And at some points, it feels like he stretches out so much that he puts pressure on some nerve or something in my lower middle back. It feels like someone is stabbing my back...not so fun.

We have also made some progress in getting ready for the baby to come home. Brad installed the car seat the other day and we washed the covers and everything. I packed up the diaper bag (that my awesome Aunt and Uncle gave us) with what we have. We still need some travel wipes and things like that and Im not going to pack clothes in there till I know how big he is going to be. I printed out a list of things to pack for our hospital bag but we are still missing some things to pack so I havent started on it quite yet. We will be purchasing those items this weekend and finalize everything we are bringing with us. We are almost there! Brad and I are definitely getting more anxious and ready to go. Im sure the next 4 weeks will DRAG on.

Brad actually tried to log on one night and put another post up but after writing a long 45 min post, it somehow got deleted and he gave up. Im gonna bug him till he does it again. I love getting his insight :).


How far along? 36 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 38 lbs...Definitely retaining water (yucky swollen feet)

Sleep: Still up to pee a lot but now its harder to get back to sleep. That could be because its an act of God to roll over these days.

Best moment this week: GBS negative!!

Movement: Starting to hurt but glad he is moving around.

Food cravings: Still Cherry Limeades...someone mentioned doughnut holes earlier today and they sounded DELICIOUS!

Gender: Boy...still

Belly Button in or out? Out

What I miss: Seeing my feet...Im so over being pregnant.

What I am looking forward to: Believe it or not, seeing my sweet husband's face when he gets to hold his little boy for the first time.

Milestones: Full Term!!

And I will leave you with a picture of my sweet baby boy. :)

Interesting couple of weeks...

 Well the Baby Shower went well. We had around 25 people come visit us (mostly family) and it was great to see everyone! My best friend, Ashlee, surprised me by coming into town from Florida and spending a few days with us. We hadnt seen each other since the wedding so it was SO great to see her again! I am very lucky to have such amazing friends. We got some of the stuff we needed for the baby but we still have some stuff to buy. One thing is certain, this baby wont need new clothes for a long while. We are very blessed to have supportive people around us. I think Brad's favorite gift came from Adam and Carrie. They gave us a Realtree Onesie. Its the perfect camo onesie he has been looking for. Im sure as soon as he fits in it, whenever daddy gets to dress him, thats what he will be wearing. Brad's parents made the 2.5 hour trip to visit as well. It was great for them to come and spend that time with us. It was definitely fun.

Starting the following Thursday (the 18th), I started having some timetable Braxton-Hicks contractions (practice ones). They didnt hurt at all but they were coming every 12 min. I woke up the next morning to go to work and they were still 12 min apart but this time they were a little painful. So I went to work, drank lots of water and called my doctor. They said if they were the same in about 30 min or so, to go to the hospital. Well I drank enough water to get the pain to go away but they were still happening every 12 min. So around 7:00 that night, they were still going on and we called the doctor again to see if we needed to worry at all. They told us to make the 20 min trek to the hospital to make sure everything was alright. So Friday night around 7:30 we got to Williamson Medical Center (where Baby Abel will be born) to get checked out. I just have to say that WMC is AWESOME! They had us registered and up on the Labor and Delivery floor in 15 min. Anyway, they hooked me up to all the monitors and, sure enough, I was having painless contractions every 12 min. The nurses were so sweet and really took care of me. 2 bags of IV fluids and 2 shots of terbutaline (a shot to stop preterm contractions) later, we got to go back home. We spent about 4 hours there total and the contractions had spaced out to every 25 min or so. Im still having them and they are still painless. They arent making me dilate or anything so everything is fine for now. We went to the doctor yesterday and spoke with her about it. She said that as long as I can manage with rest and hydration, I should be fine. I cant have more than 6 in an hour. She also said that as long as I can make it 2 more weeks, they will let me go into labor and have the baby. Which is good! They think he is healthy enough to make it but scary because 2 weeks is REALLY close and we REALLY arent ready yet.

Our hospital visit and doctor visit really got us thinking about what we need to do. We have now started talking about hospital bags and when to install the car seat and so on. We actually have just about everything to bring him home. I cant think of anything else we need ASAP. I think we can wait for a little bit after he is born for almost everything else. I am going to look through our registries and make sure Im not missing anything. I know we need the first aid kit and thermometer. I would like the Boppy but I can use a regular pillow at first if need be. I would also like the Diaper Genie but thats not a necessity...more of a want :). Brad can also head out and get last minute things if he comes early and unexpectedly. We have a car seat to take him home, a place for him to sleep, diapers, wipes, and clothes to wear. Everything is good :).


How far along? 34 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 30 lbs...Only gained 3 lbs from my last appt :)

Sleep: Sleeping fine...just getting up 3-4 times a night to pee.

Best moment this week: Knowing that everything is good to go after the hospital visit

Movement: Lots of stretching (glad he isnt kicking...it would hurt :))

Food cravings: Cherry Limeades from Sonic...sometimes pizza but I dont indulge that craving :)

Gender:  Boy

Belly Button in or out? Out

What I miss: Not having heartburn

What I am looking forward to: 4d Ultrasound on Friday with the Abel's!!

Milestones: Only 6 weeks left!

55 days...

 55 days...that's all that's left. Kinda crazy when you think about it. 55 days is not very long. That's 8 weeks. 2 months. A little overwhelming but itll all work out. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow. Itll be the same ol stuff. Pee in a cup, weight, measurements, heartrate...blah blah blah. Only difference this time is Im seeing a new doctor. Ive been rotating around the practice just in case my doctor isnt on call on a night Im in the hospital. So far Ive only seen 1 different one and I liked her a lot. Now Im seeing someone completely different and Ive heard good and bad things about her. Basically what Im getting is that she is very blunt and doesnt play around. Which is fine...makes the appointments faster and I rarely have any issues or questions anyway. All of the doctors in the practice are female (which is nice) and most of them already have children so they understand what Im going through.
We also have two different pediatrician appointments scheduled this week. We are meeting one in Spring Hill and one in Franklin. The one in Spring Hill was recommended by a friend and is supposed to be pretty great. The other one is me and my brother's pediatrician from when we were younger. She is really sweet but she is in Franklin (20 min away). The interviews are really for Brad to get comfortable with the doctor we are trusting. He is less confident with doctors and has to be REALLY comfortable with one before he will truly take their advice. Im more trusting than he is. I would just pick one and be done with it. I guess my outlook is that they have been through a lot of schooling to get where they are and if a friend recommends them, they are probably pretty darn good. Now if I were looking at a doctor that was completely unknown to anyone, Id be a little more leery but thats not really the situation here. Hopefully one of the two we are seeing this week will be perfect for Baby Abel and Brad and we wont have to do any more interviews but you never know.
So as the 3rd trimester rolls on, Ive been experiencing a few more aches and pains. On Sunday night, he was sitting right on my sciatic nerve and I could barely walk. Thankfully, he moved off of it when I was sleeping and Ive been okay since then. For about a week, my heartburn disappeared and it was AMAZING! Of course now its back with a vengeance and TUMS are my best friend once again. Ive also been getting this weird pain (kinda feels like a running cramp) in my upper back on the right side. Of course, me being a google fiend, I researched it. Turns out that as your uterus expands, its starts to push on your ribs, which in turn, runs pain to your back. Its really annoying and only happens when I sit down. If it starts to hurt (which is often), I have to stand up and stretch out my back to get it to go away...or have Brad push really hard on it for a bit. Baby Abel has been moving a little less...not scary less...more like "I have less room" less. He does more rolls and stretches than actual kicks. When he does kick, its pretty painful. I felt him have the hiccups for the first time last night. It was crazy feeling. Just like little rhythmic taps. I cant wait to have him here :).
Our Shower is this weekend!! Im so excited to spend some time with friends and family and celebrate the little one. We also get to show off our new house to people who havent been here yet. I dont know what we are going to do with the dogs yet (they get pretty hyper with new people around). We might just put them up in the bonus room in their crates for a while. We got our crib set up and in the room! We are also getting the rocker this weekend and a good friend of ours is giving us their baby dresser/changing table. The furniture will be set up by the weekend! Ive washed all of the clothes that we have so far and all of the blankets we have been given. Now I have to get the rest of the house ready for the shower. This means a TON of organizing and cleaning before Sunday. I really hope more people come to the baby shower than my wedding shower. It was a little depressing. I still need to go find a cute outfit for the weekend :). Anyway...enough rambling.


How far along? 32 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 25 lbs...yuck :(

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well. My hips are starting to hurt and last night I had a little trouble falling back asleep around 1:30.

Best moment this week: Little baby hiccups :)

Movement: Less kicks, more rolls.

Food cravings: Fruit Roll Ups and Cherry Limeades from Sonic

Gender:  Boy

Belly Button in or out? Out

What I miss: My normal disposition without the moodiness and hormones.

What I am looking forward to: The Baby Shower!!

Milestones: Getting the nursery somewhat ready :)

3rd Trimester

Well here we are...29 weeks along. Definitely in the 3rd Trimester. Im excited because we are that much closer to meeting Baby Abel. But Im started to freak out because we have NOTHING ready for him. We know where most of the big stuff is coming from (Brad's parents are buying the crib for us and my parents are getting the pack and play) but, right now, the nursery consists of some boxes and wrapped up decorations on the floor. We dont even have a car seat for him, his dresser/changing table, the rocking chair we are getting from Brad's grandparents, or any bedding at all. Our shower is 2 second weekend of August and I know a lot of it will come then. I guess I would feel better if we were better prepared right now. Part of it is, the ladies on the message board I frequent keep posting pictures of their finished nurseries and closets and we arent even close to being there. Oh well, Im just getting antsy and have to keep reminding myself that we have 3 more weeks till the shower and 11 more weeks to get everything ready. We did buy some dye and fragrance free laundry detergent yesterday to start washing all of his stuff so hopefully that will get me through till I can actually start working on the room.

Other than my obvious wish to get everything ready for him, things are good! Im still feeling great. Not really uncomfortable yet except for this stitch in my right side that Ive been getting most days. I can avoid it by leaning way back in my chair but then Im sitting way far away from my computer. My heartburn has gotten better (Thank God) and Im not crazy tired yet. No swelling of my feet or fingers at all. I can still slip my wedding rings off and on pretty easily.Hopefully I continue to feel good because its just getting hotter here. Ive been lucky so far!

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 15 lbs

Sleep: Still sleeping fine, getting up a couple of times to pee but good.

Best moment this week: Toes in my ribs...but just tickling. Ill probably hate it soon enough

Movement: I usually feel him about 45 min to an hour after eating something...and LOTS at night.

Food cravings: Fruit Roll Ups :)

Gender: Still a boy

Belly Button in or out? Popping out pretty good now.

What I miss: Full nights of sleep...wont have those for a LONG while.

What I am looking forward to: Hospital Tour on Thursday

Milestones: Its 3rd Trimester time!!

So...today is our first Childbirth Class! Im so excited to go tonight. Its only 2 hours long but Im really excited to see how Brad responds to this experience. Its gonna make it even MORE real than before. Other than that, there isnt a ton of new things to let you guys know about. I had an interview today for a new position at work. Its a pay raise and I would get to work from home 3 days a week. That would be HUGE for me. Since we moved out to Spring Hill, its a 40 min drive to work every day. Not to mention, once the baby gets here, working from home would be a HUGE plus for me. The interview went well today and I have a follow up interview tomorrow with the next person up the chain in management. Hopefully it all works out and Ill get to start the new position at the end of the quarter. Anyway, on to the questionnaire.

How far along? 26 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 10 lbs

Sleep: Sleeping well except for the transition when we moved to the new house.

Best moment this week: Moving into our new place.

Movement: All the time. He is using my body as a punching bag...my belly jumps EVERYWHERE.

Food cravings: Bananas...apples with peanut butter...pretty much fruit

Gender: Boy.

Belly Button in or out? out...but not ridiculously out

What I miss: bending over without being uncomfortable

What I am looking forward to: Our class tonight!

Milestones: passed the gestational diabetes test!!

I also ran across this awesomeness on one of the message boards I frequent. It is NOT directed towards anyone (so dont get all offended or get any ideas :P). I just thought it was funny...although the belly comment needs to be emailed to the entire company that I work for :).

Dear Non-Pregnant Person
,
I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should probably read this twice.

1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is 'Congratulations!' with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an ass.


2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase 'my baby'.

3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it. The same goes for the name of the baby.

4) The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.


5) Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance, and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is 'You look fabulous!'.

6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.

7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL (Mother-in-Law) or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to 'help out'. If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

8) If you did not receive an invitation to the ultrasound, amnio, hospital, L&D, home then you were not invited. You do not get to trump the mother's call on this one. Don't think you are doing us a favor by just showing up to "help out". If your assistance is needed, it will be requested.

9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less. I hope this helps- it sure makes us feel better.

Signed, All Pregnant Women

Milestone!!

Well yesterday was a big day. Yesterday (according to my most recent ultrasound and my doctor) I hit 24 weeks. Why is this number important? Because 24 weeks is the week of viability! If I went into labor today and had to have Baby Abel this week, he would most likely survive. Of course with lots and lots of NICU intervention but survival is definitely probable. That really makes it even MORE real than before. I mean we have 16 weeks left...thats 112 days.

Anyway...a week from today we have my next appointment. Itll be a LONG one as I mentioned before. But we get to see the baby again and thats definitely exciting. We are also moving next weekend to a house in Spring Hill. Baby Abel will get his OWN room :). I cant wait to get all of our beachy stuff in there and start to decorate. My wonderful Mother in Law is buying us our crib and we are getting an antique rocker from Brad's grandparents. We just need a nice dresser to double as a changing table and we are good to go! I mean besides everything else we need...

Im still trying to get Brad to do another blog post. His was so great last time!!

How far along? 24 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 8lbs

Sleep: Still sleeping alright. Not sleeping on my back anymore.

Best moment this week: Signing our new lease :)

Movement: In the mornings and at night, periodically throughout the day...

Food cravings: Bananas :)

Gender: Boy.

Belly Button in or out? Definitely moving to the out stage

What I miss: Being able to wear my favorite clothes

What I am looking forward to: Dr appointment next week.

Milestones: 24 weeks! Baby Abel could survive!!

21 weeks? 22 weeks?

So we had our Ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. One of the weird things that happened was that Baby Abel was measuring 8 days ahead of where he should have been. So instead of measuring 19 weeks and 3 days, he measured 20 weeks and 4 days. Not too big of a deal but when we went to our appointment the next week, the nurse told me that I was 21 weeks and 1 day. So I could be 21 weeks (based on our first ever ultrasound) or 22 weeks (based on the most recent ultrasound). I didnt ask about changing my due date so Im sticking with my original right now. Ill probably ask at my next appointment. At our last appointment, Baby Abel sounded good and everything went well. The doctor said my ultrasound results looked good and everything looked normal. They didnt get a good picture of where the umbilical cord inserts into the placenta so I have to get a follow up ultrasound at my next appointment. The next appointment will be interested. I also have to do the Gestational Diabetes screen. So I get to go in, drink the GD drink, get an ultrasound, give blood, then see my doctor. Im gonna be there for like 3 or 4 hours. Crazy! But itll be nice to see him again and see what he is up to.

I feel him every day these days. Last Saturday, Brad even got to feel him kick when he was kicking pretty hard. He moves every morning and every night, actually right now he is moving around doing something. He is definitely an active little boy. Im sure that spells disaster for Brad and I :).

We have chosen a name for him already. He is James Bradley Abel Jr. James runs in both of our families and Jrs run in mine. We just figured that was the best way to go...not to mention I like it :). We havent decided what to call him yet. Brad doesnt like James and I dont want to call him Bradley (in case family calls the name and they both answer). We are leaning towards JB right now but I have the feeling Im gonna end up calling him Lil B or something like that. Anyway...enough ranting on and on.

How far along? 21/22 weeks
 
Total weight gain/loss: 5lbs over pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep: Pretty well...just getting up to pee but falling right back asleep

Best moment this week: Brad feeling Baby move!

Movement: All the time

Food cravings: Strawberry Shortcake :)

Gender: BOY!

Belly Button in or out? Same as always...half and half

What I miss: Ummmm...I dunno right now. Maybe a glass of good wine

What I am looking forward to: Making our registry!

Milestones: Feeling more movement!

Halfway there

20 weeks today! Crazy that its already halfway over. In 20 weeks (give or take a few weeks), we will have a beautiful baby boy around. Over the last couple of days, Ive felt him move around a little more often. Since the first time I felt it, I pretty much only felt him move every 2-3 days. It was just once a day usually and I couldn't really predict when it would happen. Over the weekend and this week, Ive felt him move every night (Brad tries every night to feel him, no such luck yet) and over the last 2 days, he starts moving around after I have breakfast and I'm sitting at my desk in the morning. I pretty much felt him off and on all day yesterday. Im hoping it continues and I keep feeling him all the time. The more I feel him, the more likely it is that he will kick me hard enough for Brad to feel. I cant wait for him to share that with me. Other than that, Im just kinda hanging out. I know the baby likes fruit and caffeine and will move around a lot after that. Brad and I are starting to talk about getting a registry together. I know it needs to be done soon. I want to start making some plans and get ready for the big change in our lives.

I have a doctors appointment at 3:00 today. When we had our ultrasound, the tech said everything looks good but that she isnt a doctor (AKA, I don't want to get sued if I'm wrong :)). So we have our appointment today to do my normal checkup and get our ultrasound results. Hopefully everything will go well and Baby Abel will be perfectly healthy. He is just adorable in our 3D pictures! I am determined to have a cute baby :p.

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 4lbs over pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep: Slept amazing last night but TERRIBLE the night before...so its hit or miss

Best moment this week: Finding out about our baby BOY!!

Movement: Definitely more and more. A lot of rolling over and kicks and punches.

Food cravings: I wanted a Banana this morning. But they didn't have any at work :(

Gender: BOY!

Belly Button in or out? Becoming more and more out.

What I miss: Not peeing every 2 hours...The bathroom and I are becoming best friends :(

What I am looking forward to: The appointment today.

Milestones: Making it halfway!

Drumroll Please...

Well today was our Level 2 Ultrasound (or Anatomy Scan). The day started out nice and slow (of course considering that I was looking forward to it) and I was ready to get it done. I left work at 1:30 and went to pick up Brad. I had to drink a whole bottle of apple juice on the way to get my bladder full which wasnt too bad. Our appointment was at 2:30 and we got to bring in a DVDRW to capture the whole thing.

The tech spent the first 20 min or so getting all the measurements she could before we really started talking about what we were seeing. We got to see little feet, hands, toes, fingers, and an awesome little beating heart. She finally stopped at one point and said "What do you think it is?". I said right away that I thought it was a boy...and guess what...its a little BOY! He was shy at first but whenever he was ready to show it off, it was plain as day. No question about it, its DEFINITELY a boy. Sometimes he moved around so much that she had a hard time getting the measurements. At one point, he just got really shy and put his hands over his face and would not move them for anything. No matter what we tried. At another time he just turned his back to us and wouldnt move for a good few minutes. I figure if he is gonna be stubborn already, we might be in trouble. We asked her if everything looked okay and she told us that she wasnt a doctor  but everything looked good from what she knows. One of the coolest things the happened was she switched it over to 4D and gave us a couple of pictures that way. We found out that I have an anterior placenta (which is probably why I dont feel him move every day) so it was hard to get good pictures but we got a couple of his face.

We then went over to my parents house and visited with both sets of future grandparents. They are very excited to have a little boy in the family. So everything went well! We have an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday and we will get her interpretation of everything and make sure everything is good to go. Cant wait for Tuesday!

18 Weeks today!!

Well, today is 18 weeks along. Over the last couple of days, Ive been feeling some baby movement! Its exciting and puts a smile on my face every time. It kinda feels like a muscle spasm or something tapping me from the inside. Its definitely an interesting feeling. Next Friday is our big ultrasound! We cant wait to see our little one again. We havent seen the baby since week 7. One of my friends posted pictures on her Facebook page of her 15 week ultrasound when I was 16 weeks. I showed Brad the picture and he was amazed at how much it had changed from 7 weeks to 15 weeks. So on May 20th (ultrasound date), Brad's parents are going to come into town and have dinner with my side of the family and we are going to reveal the sex of the baby to them (assuming the baby decides to cooperate). Should be fun! Anyway...on to the form :)

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Finally at pre-pregnancy weight...but still 5lbs from where my doctor wants me to be by 20 weeks.

Sleep: Perfectly fine...but still getting up in the night to go to the bathroom

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move!

Movement: Just little taps...nothing crazy big.

Food cravings: nothing really?

Gender: Still dont know

Belly Button in or out? Still half and half

What I miss: Went to Florida last week and didnt get to ride JetSkis or anything like that...pregnancy is boring :p

What I am looking forward to: The ultrasound next week

Milestones: Feeling baby move :)

16 week update

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Total down 1lb from pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep: Not so well the last couple of nights...but that could be because of the storms :)

Best moment this week: Scheduling our Anatomy Scan

Movement: None so far

Food cravings: Ice Cream

Gender: No idea

Belly Button in or out? Half and half

What I miss: Having a drink to unwind...

What I am looking forward to: FLORIDA!!! Only 5 more days :)

Milestones: Almost gained back to my pre-pregnancy weight...does that count?

14 weeks...

Welp...finally officially out of the first trimester! Its kinda nice to know that any miscarriage risk is WAY down but until I actually feel the baby moving, I will still worry from appointment to appointment. So we have another appointment a week from today. Im hoping that we will be able to schedule our anatomy scan after that appointment.

There isnt really all that much to update. I bought my first pair of maternity jeans the other day. I can still fit into my old ones but they are getting holes all in them and getting kinda tight. It was about time to retire them. But Im still not quite big enough to fit into the maternity jeans real well. I felt like I was showing my butt crack all day long...oh well...something to get used to.

Since I dont have much to update, I am going to start a list of pregnancy things and Ill update it every week.

How far along? 14 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Total down 3lbs from pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep: Sleeping alright. Waking up at least once in the night to go pee

Best moment this week: Being out of the first trimester :)

Movement: None...although sometimes I think I feel it. But Im pretty sure Im imagining it.

Food cravings: Pickles right now...Im loving some pickles :)

Gender: If you ask Brad...boy. But we dont know yet :)

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Blackberry Sangria from Carrabbas...go try it...thank me later.

What I am looking forward to: Our appointment next week!

Milestones: Bought first pair of maternity pants...the first of many :)

12 weeks 1 day

Yesterday was a magical day. Well, not really. Yesterday we hit 12 weeks. For some people, that means out of the first trimester. People usually have 3 different theories on how to calculate trimesters. For the 12 week people, 12 weeks is when the critical development time is over. The next theory is 13 weeks, basically 39 weeks divided by 3. The 3rd theory is 13 weeks and 3 days, 40 weeks divided by 3. I think Im gonna go by the 3rd theory. I wont be out of the first trimester till 13 weeks and 3 days.

We have our next appointment on April 19th. Just another basic one...weight, blood pressure, fetal heartbeat. However, just 4 weeks after that one is our anatomy scan! Hopefully we will be able to find out the sex of the baby and really start some planning. As you might have been able to tell by Brad's post, he is a realist. He doesnt really like to talk about names or baby purchases because he doesnt want to jinx anything. On the other hand, I get really excited about things and start to plan from day one. Im ready to start looking at car seats and changing tables but he just isnt ready to go there yet. Im really thinking that once we find out the sex, Brad will want to start doing that planning stuff.

Im still not really showing at all. Maybe just a little rounder in my lower belly. My doctor said Ill probably be showing more by my next visit. She also said Ill be able to feel some movements around the visit after that. Im hoping that I might get to feel some movement when we go to Panama City Beach in the first week of May.

The doctors appointments have been going well. Our last one they asked me about risk factors (physical and mental defects) that run in my family. The only one I could say yes to was "does anyone on your maternal side have diabetes". My Mom's brother has adult onset diabetes so that one was a yes. It took the doctor about a minute to find the heartbeat (11 weeks is still a little early to find it reliably). However, once she found it, it was just beating away at 162BPM. Our baby is thriving and getting bigger by the day. They also asked us if we wanted to do any genetic screening at all. We decided not to, we will love our baby no matter what. Knowing the risks wont change anything and there is no reason to worry unnecessarily.

I still go through days when I start to realize how much our lives are going to change. Sometimes I wonder if we are truly ready for it. Everyone always says that being a mom is the best thing in the world. Im sure it is...but I also know that I cant truly fathom that until my time actually comes. Right now Im just taking it day by day and hoping that everything will turn out okay.

As for how I feel this week, I feel pretty good! Im much less tired, no more naps. Not sick or anything. The last 2 days Ive had a horrible headache but I dont really think thats a pregnancy symptom. The spring is here and I think its a sinus thing. I need to go buy some allergy meds and start taking them everyday. Maybe Ill send Brad out to get some today. :)

Have a great day everyone!

P.S. Dont I just have the most wonderful husband? He is my rock and I love him more than you know :).

Daddy's turn!

Ok, so after weeks and weeks of my busy life and the constant hounding of my wonderful loving wife, Here I am making my first post.  So , where to begin, not sure so Ill just start with how I feel todayand how I got to this point.  Not long after moving to Nashvegas, I met Allison through coaching at Let It Shine gymnastics.  She was the first girl who didnt fall for my "charm" because she had plans with another guy the night I asked her out.  Well, i forgot about her after that but also respected the character that she showed in following through with her word and date with the other guy.  The next thing I know she is moving back to Nashville from Knoxville Tn.  She was also looking for a place to live.  Well, I had a roomy and she needed a place so we all figured why not get the best bang for all of our buck and get a house.  So, after moving in together as three young friends all with the same interests and background, the rest is kinda history, I fell in love with Al and here we are Married and O wait yea thats right with a Little One on the way. 

So, Al thinks im not to excited because I have always had a way of not showing my ecitement about things, guess thats just how I am.  However, I can express that through the blog and let her know that I am so very excited about being a Dad!  I love kids and have always wanted a family, and now look at where I am headed.  Very scared, worried, stressed, excited, and impatient as well.  In other words the emotions I have gone through with life the last 6 months have been  a complete roller coaster ride.

So, now on to where I am now, I am very excited, the hardest part has been adjusting to her tiredness, mood swings, and o yea the weird cravings.  I love the "glow" that she has around her all the time, she has embraced this wonderful time in our life and I have done as good as I feel I can to comfort her have patience with her and be there for her as much as she needs. 

I know that my mom always tells me that God would not put something in your life without also giving you all of the tools needed to be able to handle it.  I am going to put all of my faith in Gods hands with the future and continue to pray that he will guide us through life and bless us with our new and upcoming family.  On that note, I am going through a tough time right now with my job, and us also trying to get approved to buy a house.  I dont break down much as men are not supposed to do, however, I have experienced new stresses lately that I have never gone through before and some of them I have no Idea how to cope with nor how to step up to and that being said, I do reach out for all of your prayers as well while Al and I go through this difficult and stressful time with my job and the house situation, and even though its hard I know there are supposed to be bumps in the road and even though this bump seems to feel more like a mountain, I know some how with prayers and God willing we will make it through and What better motivation that to think that  before I know it I am going to have another blessing in my life that is well worth fighting and living for. 

Al, I love you my dear and you are my miracle in life when I didnt know how to continue living, So always know that and remember that I love you with all of my heart and will be here no matter what as I know you will too! 

P.S.  Hearing the heartbeat at the doc the other day was really amazing, makes you realize that its really real!!!  Cant wait to find out what we are having, and I made this post long just on the notion that it may take me another month before I can get back on here to post again.........lol!  Till next time....

Its been a while...

I usually try to do weekly updates but its been kinda boring over here. Im feeling great! Im still tired pretty early in the night but Im not sick, my heartburn is WAY better, and Im overall feeling well. Honestly, its a little scary sometimes (like maybe I should have some symptoms if Im pregnant) but I told Brad how I felt. He said that Im still bitchy sometimes (oops) so he knows Im still pregnant. Even though he called me bitchy, he still takes care of me and makes sure Im feeling good. Ive wanted some sour gummy worms for like a week and couldnt get any. We went to the movies the other night and even THEY were out of them. Well he was so sweet and stopped by CVS on the way home from his workout to pick some up for me :). Its really the little things like that that truly matter. We have our next appointment in 6 days! I cant wait to go back and make sure everything is still progressing correctly. My doctor said that they would try and find the heartbeat with a Doppler but if they couldnt find it (its still a little early to definitely be able to find it), she would do another ultrasound to make sure everything is okay. I secretly hope they dont find it so we can see our baby again.

Ive been doing some research on predicting the sex of our baby. Now I know that nothing is definite but its still fun to speculate. Now here are the theories Ive looked at...
Chinese Gender Chart - http://www.thebump.com/calculators/ChineseGenderChart.aspx
-Just put in your age and the month you conceived and it tells you what you are having.
Our Result: BOY
Intelligender - www.intelligender.com
-You can buy these at Walgreens for around $40.00. Just pee in a cup, wait 5 min, and read result.
Our Result: BOY
Baby Gender Tool - http://www.babygendertool.com/
-Kinda like the Chinese Gender Chart but asks for the birth month and year of the parents as well.
Our Result: BOY
Placenta Theory - http://www.obgyn.net/ultrasound/ultrasound.asp?page=/fm/articles/fetal_gender_placental_location
-This theory is probably the most intriguing and requires a little more explanation. Basically this guy did a study from 1997 to 2007 and did ultrasounds at 6 weeks of over 5000 pregnant women. He found that if the placenta was on the right side of the woman's body, 97.2% of the time, the baby was male. If the placenta was on the left side of the woman's body, 97.5% of the time, the baby was female.
Our Result: BOY (If you want to check mine out, look at the picture at the top of the page and the left side (my right) is whiter than the right side (my left))

So based on these results, we are probably having a girl (LOL). Brad will never believe anything until that baby comes out (I was thought to be a boy and he was thought to be a girl till we were born). But its interesting to check it out. Anyway...enough for today...I should probably get to work.

For all of you ladies who already have babies, check out your ultrasounds and see what side your placenta is on...Id like to know if its true. :)

8 weeks...again

So at my appointment last week, the doctor said I was measuring a week behind what I thought. So we are looking at an October 11th due date. Not too far off! We have our next appointment on March 23rd where we will hopefully hear the heartbeat with a doppler. If not, my doctor said she would do another Ultrasound. So anyway, my doctor sent me a letter today. It had how much we are responsible for for doctors fees. I really feel like I am very lucky to have great insurance. We only owe the doctor $500.00 and my deductible is only $600.00. That fee doesnt include the hospital stay but does include all 13 visits Im supposed to have and my doctor's fees for delivering the baby and a 6 week post birth checkup. I really feel like that is reasonable. My insurance pays 80% of everything so our hospital fees shouldnt be too crazy either. If we decide to have an extra Ultrasound or have extra blood work or anything, that will be extra. But once again, my insurance pays 80%.

So anyway...on to the good stuff. Im feeling pretty well. Im still getting some crampy feelings but its probably because I dont drink enough water. I know I dont drink enough water but I just cant get myself to down 3 bottles a day. My sickness is basically gone already (lucky huh?), and my boobs are a LOT less sore. The one thing that is sticking around is fatigue. Im still soooo tired. I just want to go to bed at 8 every night. So I usually get in a nap before Brad gets home. I have also noticed that I dont have ANY patience anymore. Its so hard for me to be nice to people if they get on my nerves. I also cry more easily. Im not crying at stupid things or anything...just when something is sad (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), I cry a lot easier. Anyway...enough rambling.

Im still trying to get Brad to write an entry...one day. :)

We got to see the baby!

Well the appointment went great! We got to see our little one and the heartbeat. I am actually a week behind what I thought so my due date is now October 11th. It was so amazing to see that little flicker on the ultrasound. We are both so excited for this experience. It was great telling all of our family members. Now its public! Hopefully everything else goes well. :)

Today is the day!!

Today is my first appointment! I cant wait for it to get here. Its gonna be a sloooooow day till 1:20. Im nervous about the appointment. Im sure everything will be okay but I cant shake the small fear that we wont see a heartbeat and that something is wrong. All we can do is take things 1 step at a time and know that we cant control what happens right now. If everything goes well, we will contact the extended family and let them know and probably announce on Facebook. Anyway...will update after the appointment :)

6 more days!! 6 more days till we get to see our Little One on an ultrasound. I cant wait!! This seriously might be the longest 6 days ever. I really think Brad is excited too. We have told all of our immediate family and close friends. I told my bosses at work and they are really excited. As soon as our ultrasound comes back good next week, I think Im gonna start telling everyone else. They say once you see the heartbeat, the miscarriage rate drops to 2%. This blog will be shared with the world :). Same symptoms are here. Sore boobs, sleepy, little nauseous. Nothing new but some heartburn at night. Maybe that means my baby will be born with hair...at least thats what they say. I am DEFINITELY counting down the days...

Have a great day!!

The tale of the Lemon Drops...

Welp...another week down. Just 9 more days till my first appointment! Yesterday was my worst day of nausea so far. I spent most of the day laying on the couch, trying to do laundry in between. All I wanted was some lemon drops (Ive heard they help) but Brad was at work and everyone else was in Spring Hill (30 min away). I would have gone myself but Brad had my car...anyway. Just like a sweet husband, he stopped by the gas station by the apartment to pick some up for me. He spend 15 min searching all over that place for lemon drops...there were NONE to be found. So he brought me some crackers and cuddled up with me. So this morning, I decided to stop by Walmart and pick some up...but wait!! Walmart doesnt have them either. So I picked up some Crystal Light Lemonade candies...not really what I was looking for. So tonight, I finally stopped by Walgreens...it was my last shot. And lo and behold, they had them! YAY!! So now I have 2 boxes and life is good...at least till I get nauseous again.

Another highlight of my day...I got an email today about a coupon code...for a free baby sling! Its from www.sevenslings.com and they are awesome! It was only for today and all I had to do was pay shipping. After I got that, it gave me ANOTHER coupon code for a free nursing blanket (which my wonderful parents bought for me) from www.uddercovers.com!! So I got 2 things, worth $80.00, for $20.00! Definitely AWESOME! Those were our first baby purchases...little bits at a time :)

Hopefully I can get Brad on here sometime to chat about what he thinks...although I think itll be a tough sell to get him on here.

PEACE!!

Friday Friday Friday

Today isnt any special day besides a Friday...which I LOVE! Still feeling pretty good. I dont have morning sickness, I have afternoon sickness. Usually around the time Im about to leave from work, I get nauseous. Not fun to be that way when you are driving home. It usually lasts until I get some food in me and then if I get hungry again, I start to feel sick again. So basically I just need to keep eating. I might have to start keeping some crackers in my car.

So Monday starts week 7. Apparently my little thing has a heartbeat now. Which is AWESOME! I cant wait for my appointment on the 23rd. Im really hoping they will do an ultrasound and we will be able to see the heartbeat. We are still working on getting a house...hopefully we will get some good news soon. Anyway, I am now done procrastinating...back to work.

6 weeks!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my 6th week. Kinda crazy! I had a realization today that I told the doctor the wrong date! Which is AWESOME! I called in today and got my appointment moved up a week. My appointment is now on Feb 23rd at 1:20PM. That is 2 weeks from Wednesday! Much closer than March 2nd.

Anyway, so Im still feeling pretty good. My boobs hurt like CRAZY! Im still ridiculously tired but I havent really started the sickness thing yet. My stomach feels SLIGHTLY unsettled but my mom said she didnt have any sickness with her first one. Maybe itll pass down.

We told both families on Saturday. Everyone is REALLY excited about it. My mom is already trying to buy stuff for the baby and Brad's mom is trying to figure out what she wants the baby to call her. Im pretty sure my parents will be Nana and Papa. Brad's parents havent really decided yet. Im sure itll be great though.

Its so nice that everyone close to me knows now. I have a great support structure now. I can call both my mom and Brad's mom to make sure everything Im feeling is normal. Hopefully after my doctors appointment we can start telling more people. I cant wait!!

Who am I?

Welcome to my thoughts about the next 9 (well 8) months! Thats right! Im pregnant! Crazy! Anyway...some background.

5 months ago, my husband (Brad) and I got married. It was a beautiful wedding although sometimes I wish more people had made it. Like every couple, we have our ups and downs...but WAY more ups than downs. He is the love of my life and I cant imagine being without him. We've known each other for the last 3 years and actually moved in together as best friends before we realized we wanted to be together forever. He is first and foremost my best friend.

Anyway...so we decided that when the new year came around, I would go off my birth control. I had done some research and found that it takes the average couple 6 months to get pregnant. I figured we were good! However, I had forgotten that my mother warned me when we got married. She said "When you decide to have kids, make sure you are REALLY ready. Because I got pregnant right we when started trying". I should have listened! I stopped taking my b/c on New Years Day and I found out on Jan. 31st that I was pregnant!

My first reaction was shock...I hadnt told Brad that I suspected anything and it was the day before I was supposed to start my period. I took the test then decided to take care of taking the dogs out and feeding them and everything while it sat.  The whole time, I was thinking that I was silly...Im not pregnant. Im just being crazy. I walked back into the bathroom and saw 2 pink lines. I laughed and laughed...partly out of excitement and partly out of terror. This is uncharted territory for me. I have NO idea what to expect. Brad wasnt due to be home for another 3 hours...I swear it was the longest 3 hours of my life. When he came home, I had left the positive test on the table in the living room where I knew he would sit to eat some dinner. I went into the kitchen to heat up some food for him and just waited for him to find it. When he finally saw it, he was in disbelief. Completely surprised. He didnt actually recover until about a day and a half later. He made me take 2 MORE tests to be sure! He has finally embraced it and he is really excited about it. He worries about me and takes care of me. I really do have an AMAZING husband.

Ive only known for 4 days but already my life has changed. I am eating healthier, taking vitamins, and one of the harder things for me, stopped drinking Miller Lite. I think the worst part of this week is not being able to tell my mom yet. My mom is out of the country till tomorrow (2/5) and I cant talk to her on the phone. Of course since this is my first pregnancy, every little twinge down there makes me freak out. I have relied heavily on Google to make sure everything Im feeling is normal (so far it is). Thankfully, mom comes back tomorrow and we get to pick her up from the airport. I cant wait to have her home and be able to call her and make sure she went through the same things.

We are telling both sets of parents tomorrow and this child will be the first Grandchild on both sides. His parents are coming to eat lunch with us tomorrow. We are telling them by giving them a floor plan of our new house (we are hopefully starting to build soon) with relabeled rooms such as "Grandparents Room" and "Baby's Room". My parents are coming back into town from a cruise and we are picking them up from the airport with words written on the window of the car saying "Welcome home Grandma and Grandpa!". I know my mom is going to BAWL! She has been asking for grandchildren since we got married. My dad might cry too. I cant wait to have that support system back.

So now you might be asking..."How are you feeling?". Well thanks for asking! I feel pretty good. I am around 5 weeks along (according to websites, Im due on October 11th). I dont think Ive ever been more tired in my life. I feel like I could sleep all day. I feel bad for Brad because whenever Im home, I just want to sleep and sleep and sleep. Other that that, Im good! No sickness or anything (if I get it, they say itll start next week). Every once in a while, I feel pressure in my lower abdomen but according to numerous sites, thats normal. Im a bit of a dork...I research EVERYTHING!. Part of me hopes that I have no morning sickness but they say that people with more morning sickness, have more successful pregnancies. Hmmm...either no sickness or better chance of healthy baby. What a terrible choice! Oh well. Ill just take it as it comes and remember that it means everything is going well. My first appointment is on March 2nd...it seems WAY far away. Im kinda hoping we will get to hear the heartbeat and everything but I just dont know.

Anyway...if I start puking everywhere, Ill let you know ;)