'Tis the season!

I survived Black Friday in Tools...now I'm getting the bitchy customers wondering where their crap is though! Tools/Hardware have been great though, I absolutely love it.

Logan's been growing and changing daily! That little boy never ceases to amaze me. He's been constipated for a week now. We started actual baby food a couple weeks ago but we also went to the Target brand of Enfamil formula. The doctor told us to try prune juice and peaches or pears but there really wasn't much of a change in his poop. So Friday I bought Enfamil and in just a few days we can already tell a difference. Saturday night Troy had saved a diaper for me to look at...Logan had pooped a brick! I asked if he had cried and Troy said no. He hasn't pooped since, but he is still passing gas so I'm assuming he's feeling better. He's rolling all over the place and is trying to move his legs into an army crawl but doesn't get very far yet. He has started forming words such as "ga, da, and aaaaaaaaaaaa" and is a very talkative little guy. I try talking back to him to encourage it and pretty soon we'll start baby sign language. He has started reaching for people when he knows we're going to pick him up. Logan refuses to sleep in his crib so he sleeps in bed with one of us and the other sleeps in the recliner. It's not the ideal sleeping arrangements, but it works.

We all had a great Thanksgiving. We actually got to go back to see my family which I was thrilled about. We wanted to go see Santa today but I've caught a stomach bug and stayed home from work, hopefully we can make it tomorrow!

Worlds worst blogger!

I can not believe how long it has been since I last posted! I will try not to overwhelm you, a lot has actually happened in the last month and a half. October 11th his daycare provider calls to let me know he had thrown up twice, this was on a Thursday. Friday daddy watched him and said he seemed ok. He had thrown up once but was able to eat so we left him at Nana and Papa's while we had an adult night for Troy's birthday (we celebrated early). We picked him up Saturday morning and they said he was fine all night but had thrown up right before we got there, after that it all went down hill. He could only keep down an ounce at a time, was very fussy, and really clingy. He was such a trooper though. He was sick from Thursday until Sunday and finally started feeling better Monday. Fortunately Troy and I didn't catch it but we've both been fighting head colds all month!

We've had a lot of change as far as managers at work and there were two Department Manager positions open, Millwork and then Tools/Hardware. I applied for both, but figured I would have the best chance at getting Millwork since I have experience there. Two weeks ago I was offered the job...in Tools/Hardware! I was surprised, but thrilled. I've been trying for DM for years now. I think I have the best group of guys in the store, with the exception of a couple bad seeds. It's going to be a challenge since I know nothing about the two departments, but I feel I'm ready! I start Saturday.

The visit back home last month was wonderful. Logan loved meeting Aunt Leigh and his crazy cousins. Unfortunately he wasn't able to enjoy any of the food, but there's always next year.

Logan just had his 4 month appointment on Friday. It went well, although we had to see a different pediatrician. She wasn't as good as our normal one, but I still liked her. Logan took his shots like a champ. He's been a little fussy and extra sleepy but still his smiley self. Development wise, Logan is finally rolling over, laughing a lot more, grabbing his bottle or paci and trying to put it in his mouth (sometimes he succeeds). The pediatrician gave us the ok to start cereal and once he gets that mastered we can start real food. Here's some pictures, we did family pictures last week, they turned out very well.

The flu struck our household!

On Sunday September 9th Logan had a very loose stool right before bed. Monday he woke up with a full blown stomach bug. We took him to the pediatrician on Tuesday just to confirm. She said he had the stomach flu, but fortunately was not dehydrated. He never had a fever, just lots of diarrhea and was a little fussier than normal. Wednesday it finally started clearing up. Friday the stomach flu hit me! I was miserable all weekend but I'm finally getting back to normal.

Logan has started giggling a lot more. I honestly believe someone should bottle baby giggles and sell it. There is really no better noise! He's trying really hard to roll from back to tummy but isn't quite there yet. We've been neglecting tummy time lately since we were all so sick but hopefully we can get back to some hint of normalcy. Everything he comes in to contact with goes into his mouth so he's keeping mommy busy disinfecting everything! He also loves rattles.

Logan will be 3 months on Sunday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone! Right now we're preparing for daddy's "Dirty 30" and Halloween. Logan is going to be Spider-Man. It's a joke on Troy since the whole name debate ended in him saying Parker reminded him of Spider-Man! Logan and I are going back to my parents at the end of the month. He'll finally get to meet Aunt Leigh.

I'm officially a working mom

I've been back to work from almost two weeks now and it's been a little hectic. Troy works overnights so I have to get up with Logan at night and then go to work during the day. Fortunately, about a month ago Logan started sleeping for one longer stretch at night. I average about 6 hours of sleep on a GOOD night. Last Friday Logan got his 2 month shots and did great. He didn't even spike a fever and was back to his normal, smiley self in a couple hours. He woke up at different times than normal, but was never overly fussy.

Things are a little rocky on the home front, nothing I care to go into too much detail about. I'm hoping it's just normal first time parents problems. I'm going back to my parents at the end of September and I'm hoping that will help clear the air maybe.

I've also been sitting here thinking it's almost been a year since I found out I was pregnant! It's been a whirlwind of a year but I'd do it all over again if I had to.

6 week check up

I had my 6 week post partum check up yesterday. It went really well. I was disappointed I didn't get to see the doctor that delivered Logan, but I love all the OB's in the office. They were very upset that I left Logan home with daddy...I just figured it would be easier. The doctor says my incision healed great and is looking perfect. She put me on birth control and because I opened my fat mouth I am back on Metformin. I'm not thrilled about it, but I must admit it was the best way for me to lose weight. (Mainly because I had to force myself to eat when I was taking it and anything I did eat went right through me. I know, sorry, TMI!) We did compromise and she's letting me take 1000 mg instead of the 1500 mg I was on before which is what made me sick. I'm hoping I'll have good results so she doesn't bump it up! I will also finally be getting back to the gym and starting a modified South Beach diet.

My short term goal is 25 pounds by the first of the year. Long term goal is to get back down to 140. The doctor said that would be the "high end" of a normal BMI for my height but it's where I would feel happy. I expressed some concerns to the doctor...it's common for me to give up on diets because I don't see results soon enough. I struggled with eating disorders in high school and was losing 10 pounds a week then so for me to only lose 2-3 pounds a week seems discouraging! I have also NEVER had a healthy relationship with food, she highly recommended I see a dietitian but I told her I would like to try it alone first. I have made Troy promise me that if I either give up or am not seeing results within three months he will make me make an appointment to see a dietitian.

When we were at Mid Iowa Fertility, my RE encouraged me to get a base line mammogram when he found out my sister is a breast cancer survivor. I also talked to the doctor about this yesterday. She said I have to wait until I haven't been breast feeding for six months (which I gave up about 2.5 weeks ago) so in February I will call to make an appointment for that.

Logan is doing great. He's smiling a lot more and "talking" a lot more. I'm so sad my leave is almost over but I'm almost certain I could never be a SAHM!!

Happy Monday

Birth Story

It has been a crazy 2 weeks, but I'm finally getting around to posting Logan's birth story!

Thursday June 21 (40 weeks 2 days)
We had a doctors appointment. I was dilated to 1.5 but the doctor said my cervix was more favorable than the week before. He had me schedule an appointment with their office for Tuesday the 26th to recheck my cervix. If they needed to they would send me in that night to insert some cervidil to help progress my cervix. Then on Wednesday the 27th they would induce. Before we left he said he didn't think I'd make it to Tuesday, but also said he'd been wrong before. That evening I had some very minor contractions so Troy and I went on a walk.

Friday June 22 (40 weeks 3 days)
Went to my last day of work. The entire day was pretty uneventful. That evening I lost my mucous plug (BTW...the single most disgusting thing I've EVER seen!) but I didn't get very excited since I knew that didn't exactly mean labor was coming. Troy and I went on another walk and went to bed.

Saturday June 23 (40 weeks 4 days)
I woke up at 3 AM to pee and then laid back down. I realized I was having contractions again, this time slightly stronger. I downloaded a contraction timer on my phone and started timing them. From 3-4:30 they were about 5-8 minutes apart and only lasting for 45 seconds. At 4:30 they got a little more painful, so I decided to wake Troy up, mainly for moral support. We decided to eat some breakfast...BIGGEST mistake of my life! (You'll see why later) I only finished about half my bowl of cereal before I started feeling nauseous. I drained the milk and left the bowl in the sink. At 5, contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and lasting for a minute. I knew it was way too soon to go to the hospital but I was in pain so we decided to go and see what they said.

At 5:30 we made it to the hospital and got into triage. They hooked me up to monitors, and of course had trouble finding Logan's heart beat. (The nurses at the OB always had trouble, so this was not surprising to me.) They monitored me for quite awhile, making me roll from side to side. The nurse said Logan's heart beat wasn't cooperating, and kept promising the next time she came in I would be able to get up and walk the halls. That never happened! I think it was about 8 or 8:30 the nurse came in, checked the monitor, made a couple phone calls and before I know it I'm being prepped to be admitted.

They wheeled me into a room and then my doctor comes in and starts explaining Logan's heart had done a couple "dippity dos" that they were concerned about. I had finally made it to short shy of a 4 so they decided to give me a shot of pain medicine. Shortly after that my epidural arrived and after 6 hours I was able to relax. I even nodded off for a little. I had to continue rolling from side to side and they hooked me to the oxygen tank as well. The doctor told me Logan's heart rate still wasn't reacting the way it should be. It was stable at about 160, but should have been falling to 130 and rising to 150 as he's moving and what not. She told me this indicated that he was probably under some kind of distress, and then threw out the C word. She asked if I wanted to wait and see if it got better because it was completely possible they could get in there and nothing would be wrong. It was at this point and time I knew I would do anything for my son. We had waited too long for this little guy, I wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize his health. At 12:30 I made the call to go ahead with the c-section. I was terrified! I cried a little when I went into the room and Troy had to wait but my nurses and anesthesiologist were incredible. My anesthesiologist got me all numb and as he's making sure it worked, I told him I loved him! He was very nice and comforting. Finally Troy was able to come in and sit by me. They started the surgery and it honestly felt like they were cage fighting in my belly.

At 1:28 pm Logan Parker was born. He weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. It turns out the cord was wrapped loosely 2 or 3 times around his neck and he had passed some meconium. NICU checked out him and he was perfectly healthy so we got really lucky!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Mommy-hood is a lot harder than I thought it would be...but it's also a lot more rewarding. Logan is the center of my universe.

40 weeks

9 months ago I had honestly reached my breaking point. I never thought we'd get pregnant...but 40 weeks ago I started growing a tiny little human! Now Troy and I are mere days away from holding our son. We had an appointment last Thursday that went much better than the week before. Unfortunately, I hadn't dilated any further. I have another appointment this coming Thursday. We haven't scheduled an official induction but if I haven't gone into labor on my own they will induce me on the 27th. 

We finally have everything ready. We got our crib last week and it is absolutely gorgeous! I am completely in love with it. I went shopping yesterday and bought the last minute things that we needed. The car is packed and today I'll spend my time cleaning the house. After that it's just a waiting game. As long as I'm still pregnant, I will work tomorrow-Friday and then I'll be done! It's my weekend off and Troy and I both thought it was pointless to go back for 1-2 days. It's exciting to know I'm almost done with work. Even if it's going to be stressful caring for a baby, I'm more than ready to be off work! I just keep telling myself, I babysit cashiers on a daily basis...I can handle a newborn! LOL

39 weeks

Hard to believe in 14 minutes I will be 39 weeks! Still feeling pretty good, although we had a pretty tough weekend. Friday I had a doctors appointment and they checked my cervix again. I thought she was digging for friggin' gold up there...it was incredibly painful, I was on the verge of tears. The good news is I dilated to a "1 with some wiggle room." (These doctors are so technical sometimes!) She said she could almost get a second finger in so she called it like a 1 1/2. I bled pretty bad afterwards, it kind of freaked me out but everything turned out ok. Saturday and Sunday I'm pretty sure I lost my mucous plug. I've been losing little chunks since about 25 weeks but the stuff coming out of me this weekend was the single most disgusting thing I've ever seen! Pregnancy is gross...haha! It's exciting (and nerve wracking) to feel all these changes going on. I can't believe baby Logan will be here any day.

I was prepared for the usual, stupid comments starting on or after my due date...but I started getting them a couple days ago. All I can think is "Seriously, I'm not even due yet!" I know most of my coworkers have the best of intentions but what they don't realize is it's not just one person asking me if I've had the baby yet...it's EVERYBODY! Sunday one of my more heavier set cashiers (who also thinks she's my nutritionist) says "We need to get you walking!" The first thought I had was 'I could say the same for you!' It came to my mind so quickly I almost wasn't able to stop it. Then today someone comes up while I'm on the computer and says "Have you had that baby yet?!" I responded with "Yeah, he's underneath the counter. Don't look yet though, we haven't cut the cord!" It's so irritating. I guess I'm one of the lucky few who haven't been completely miserable. It's not so much I want to be done with this pregnancy...I just want to be done with work!!

We have another appointment on Thursday and we're also FINALLY getting our crib (Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Holy balls it's hot!

I thought the advantage of my due date being in June was to avoid this excessively hot weather! This pregnant lady is about to have a heat stroke, and I haven't done anything. Sleeping last night was next to impossible, everywhere I slept I'd wake up in a pool of sweat (I know, I'm sorry...it's gross!) Tonight will probably be just as rough, but fortunately after today it's supposed to cool off a bit. We've really been having some gorgeous weather and I wish I had the energy to take Lexi for a walk but after work I'm just exhausted.

On the baby front, Thursday we started our weekly appointments. For anyone who's lost track, I will be 37 weeks on Tuesday...Logan will be full term! Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I actually WANT to go to my due date, if not a few days after. I do want to avoid an induction like the plague, but if that's what happens then so be it. This whole pregnancy I've been planning on taking 8 weeks...a couple weeks ago my HR informed me I only get 6 weeks paid for a vaginal birth. This means that I actually only get 4 weeks paid because it takes 2 weeks for my STD to kick in. I was incredibly pissed to find this out 4 weeks before my due date. I'm going to talk to my HR and doctor some more and see if there's any way I can "cheat the system" so to speak and use LTD or something. Otherwise I'll just come back for a week and then take vacation. I tried too damn long for this baby, I'm spending as much time with him as humanly possible! Not only that but we don't have daycare until August 21.

At my 35 week appointment I was dilated to the size of a fingertip, so under a 1 but still progress! When the doctor checked me she says "It's going to feel like I'm reaching for your tonsils..." o_O That was a severe understatement!! They did not check me Thursday but will be checking me next week. They hooked me up to the NST monitor Thursday because I expressed some concerns about baby's movements. He had a dance party in there Tuesday night and then over the next two days his movements became less and less. The nurses had a heck of a time trying to find his heartbeat but they finally did. They monitored me for about 15-20 minutes and everything checked out fine. Logan was NOT a happy camper and was kicking the monitors so much the nurses actually had to re-position them a couple times. The nurses have decided Logan doesn't like them because they also have a hard time finding his heart beat with the doppler. He's a very uncooperative baby...he must get that from daddy!

Maternity Pictures

We had our maternity pictures done a couple weeks ago, I can't believe I never posted those either! Here's just a couple teasers, we should get the disc here within the next couple days. I'm super excited to see the rest. Our photo shoot was a lot of fun.

It's been a long time

I just realized it's been forever and a day since I've posted anything on here! As of Tuesday I am 33 weeks, OMG. 7 more weeks to go, give or take. Last week I took a few days vacation so I'd have the whole week off and went down to my parents. It's been a month since mom's knee replacement surgery so I thought I'd go down to see how she's doing and help out anyway I could. She is doing incredibly well and it was great to get home. We made some burp cloths and receiving blankets, and mom's thinking about making some bibs with the left over material. The lesson from last week: Sewing is not my forte! Oh yeah, I also bought an end table at a garage sale and painted it for the nursery. It turned out very well. Needless to say though, I am all crafted out.

First burp cloths we made. It's double sided, the one side has the dogs, the other side is the plain blue and it says "baby" in white.

This one has the same material on both sides, couldn't find a cute material that matched

The table painted. There's three legs, they are painted brown, blue, and green. Then the dots are blue and green

I adore this fabric. We made two receiving blankets out of this material and then one out of the blue "baby" material.

This is what the table looked like before I painted it. Lexi was a big help!

Baby shower

The shower turned out great yesterday...I just wish the weather had cooperated! We got everything packed up and then unpacked at our house just in time but those storms were scary! Troy and I went through everything last night and have it all separated out. Now I just need someone to come wash all his clothes and blankets! Oh, and we still have to find a place for everything, I might have to kick Troy out of the house to make room. :) Anyway, I only have a few pictures for now but here's what I got on my camera.

Our poor dead duckie punch...those ducks would not stay up!

Piggie bank and football we had the guests sign. The jars to the right are baby food, they had us smell and try to guess what it was. Really makes me happy we're making all of Logan's food, some of them were nasty!

Authentic, homemade egg rolls. They were amazing!

The onesies say "Congrats Court" and we got to keep all of them so Logan has plenty of white onesies! I might find some appliques to iron on a few of them.

Presents

And our travel system, thanks to my mom and sisters! I was almost jumping with joy when I opened this. Its a relief to know we can bring Logan home from the hospital now! LOL

And just the carrier, with all the cute toys he got too.

Baby shower tomorrow!

Yay!!!!!!!!!!! I never thought it would come but it's finally almost here and I'm so excited. Both of my hostesses have been here for the majority of our fertility struggles so they know how much this baby means to me (and Troy) and they have gone completely out of their ways to make tomorrow as special as possible. I've heard some of the ideas, the rest they're keeping secret, but so far it all sounds amazing. I got my eye brows weed whacked today (seriously, I think it's been like 6 months since I had them waxed!) and cut my hair. I feel like a brand new woman.

I was supposed to take my hostesses out for pedicures today which I told Troy about WEEKS ago. Last night I mentioned it to him again and he completely flipped out about how we didn't have the money for it and I should have told him so we could be prepared. It was at this point that my pregnancy emotions kicked in and I started bawling uncontrollably. Then I just stopped talking to him. After 3 years of sharing a bank account he still forgets that's my money in there too. If he needs/wants something he'll just go right out and buy it but I have to justify ever little purchase I make and then I'm made to feel guilty for even buying it! I love him to death and he's done a great job at getting our bills under control, but the man makes me crazy sometimes! I informed him that I would still be getting MY toenails done because there's no way my fat ass is doing them myself.

They're calling for some possibly severe weather tomorrow...I really hope it holds off! Oh yeah, and on Thursday we're getting our maternity pictures done. I'm also very excited for this now that I'm finally starting to show a little.

Hello 3rd Trimester!

Yesterday I officially reached the 3rd Trimester...I felt like it would never get here! And to celebrate I took my first and probably last belly picture (so enjoy! LOL)

28w1d

It's going to be a long 14 weeks...

...if my back hurts this much already!! Today marks the 100 day mark, I can hardly believe it. I'm really starting to freak out about everything. We've started getting a lot of stuff: cribs ordered but not here yet, we just got a changing table and bassinet today, we got some diapers and wipes at the Prairie Meadows shower, and lord knows we already have plenty of clothes! Ironically, the panic set in as we were getting all this stuff. I think that without these physical reminders that I'm about to have a baby, I could kind of just ignore it. But now I see all these things laying around the house and I think "Holy shit, this little guy is going to be here in 100 days!"

I passed my glucose test, thank God! They want you lower than 140 and I was at 130 which was a huge relief. I think next week we're going to start interviewing day cares, I pretty much have one picked out but still want to look around a bit. Troy and I started working out last week, I mainly just walk on the treadmill and other light activities but it feels good. The first day we went, I asked Troy where the "waddle" setting was on the treadmill! Haha We joined the local campus which has a pool so I'm hoping I can get in and swim a few times.

Bottoms up!

Had my Gestational Diabetes test today. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be (imagine that). The drink was not pleasant, but it was not as thick or sweet as everyone made it out to be. They also had it refrigerated which I think helped tremendously. The doctor said if I pass I won't hear from them (no news is good news) but if I fail I should get a call tomorrow. I do wish I had eaten more throughout the morning. I was starving to death which made me shaky and grumpy!

We had another ultrasound as well. I hope they got the images of the heart they needed, the tech certainly didn't focus on it as much as I thought she would. We kind of got to see him in 3D, although he was laying on his tummy with his head hidden in my hip. He also hasn't quite filled out yet so he still looked a little skeletony. She said my placenta and amniotic fluid look great and he is measuring exactly where he should be. His legs are still measuring long. His kicks and punches are also getting a lot more powerful! He kicked the Doppler when the nurse was trying to listen to his heartbeat.

I have an appointment in 4 weeks and then after that I'll start the every other week appointments. Now let's just hope I pass the GD test!

The business of being born

Finally started watching this on Netflix today...everyone on my baby board recommends it. Let me just say, I only made it through the first half hour. I'm actually surprised the doctors they showed weren't walking around with devil horns! It was a total lynching of modern medicine. I have had my fair share of terrible OB's and maybe if I had stuck with one of them I'd be more inclined to reach out to a Midwife, but I adore my current OB and I am fully confident in them doing what is best for me and baby NOT themselves.

I do believe, however, that many women these days have a misconception of birth. I was recently told by a coworker that because I'm overweight I will have to have a c-section. Really?! I know plenty of overweight women who have delivered vaginally and did just fine. When I first became pregnant I was almost praying for a c-section because the thought of labor pains scared the bejesus out of me! After looking at some information on my baby board (including pictures) I would like to avoid a c-section like the plague. Also when I first became pregnant I was scared to the point of tears about delivery. Now I'm a little more confident in my body and while I am not at all set on a natural delivery, I would like to hold off on an epidural as long as possible.

On a side note, my Glucose test is on Monday...eep! I also get to see my little man again though since they didn't get all the images of the heart they needed. We will also be starting our birthing classes soon, we opted for the online version since I am back to having crazy hours.

Latest Purchases

As much as Troy tries to control my spending, some things I just can't pass up! We got our tax return so I knew there were a few things we had to get.

Baby book that we got from Hallmark

Boo boo bunny...apparently these things aren't as popular as I thought. I LOVED mine as a kid, so the baby gets his own

Hawkeye Football we will use as a "guest book" at the baby shower and then display in the baby's room. (Yes Jodi, you will have to sign it! :P)

I've realized there's a lot of people who are still worried about me losing this baby, even at 23 weeks with no prior complications. (Knock on wood) It's a common fear for women on my baby board, and I know friends and family are telling me to be careful. While I completely understand anything could happen at any minute, after trying for so long and being a total basket case my first trimester, I have come to terms with this and REFUSE to live the next 16 1/2 weeks in fear. I believe that I deserve to enjoy this time, regardless of what might happen. Even if I carry full term there's always something that could happen, but I will not go day to day worrying about the "what ifs." So while I appreciate everyone's concerns just know that I am ok (as is baby) and I won't let these fears consume me like I did the fertility treatments. So I would greatly appreciate it if we could all just enjoy this time and anxiously await the arrival of Baby Stuart. (I think we've decided on Logan Parker for the name, but we aren't completely sure yet.)

Ultrasound

I never thought the day would come, but we had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound yesterday. It was amazing. I was so nervous/excited. I had fully prepared myself for the chance that we wouldn't be able to find out but I was not prepared for the news we got. It's a BOY! Everyone (myself included) thought it was a girl. I thought I'd be more disappointed, but I'm totally thrilled. I think at this point it doesn't matter. So we have ourselves a handsome little man...mommy and daddy are both on cloud 9. Daddy is already planning all the Packers stuff he's going to buy.

I did get a call from the doctor today. They said everything looked good but they didn't get enough pictures of the heart. At first I was freaking out, I was almost in tears. But I called Troy and posted on my baby board and I am much calmer now. This is a lot more common than I thought, and other than showing off his boy bits, he was a very stubborn baby yesterday. His little bottom was nuzzled in my right hip, the tech said he was literally as far into my hip as he could be and refused to move! I rolled from one side to another, I walked around, I even peed and he still wouldn't budge. The other thing I got to thinking was if it was something serious they would want me in right away. They're waiting until March 5th when I have my glucose test. They'll do a real quick ultrasound while I'm waiting to have my blood drawn just to check the heart again.

The tech said he has really long legs. His legs were measuring at 22 weeks and I'm only 20 and a half weeks. He's going to be tall like daddy too! Anyway, here's the best ultrasound pictures we got. 

The joys never stop

Over the last couple weeks I have started to feel baby move more and more...within the last couple days I am now convinced I have a gymnast in there! Just this morning I had the computer propped on my belly and I could feel the baby kicking right where it was, so being the wonderful mommy I am, I moved the computer. It is absolutely amazing to feel all of this and I can not wait for Troy to be able to feel it. Awhile back I laid on my stomach for a couple minutes so Troy could rub my back and when I rolled back over I could feel this big, hard lump on my left side. I tried to get Troy to feel it, but baby had moved already. A couple days ago I felt a hard, smaller lump in about the same area, I'm assuming it was a hand or foot...or knee or elbow.

Monday is the big day and I can hardly wait! I have threatened the baby with no more Chinese if it doesn't cooperate on Monday. Let's hope it doesn't decide to start it's rebellion against mom and dad this early!

I'm either really gassy or I just felt the baby move!

Yes, that was an exact text I sent to Troy. His response? "Pregnancy's gross!" LOL. For the record, it was just gas but I think I may have felt a few little gentle nudges.

After last night I am so happy I made a chiropractors appointment. My right hip was killing me, it still kind of is. It hurt so bad last night I was in tears and it also gave out on me every time I took a step. I almost fell down the stairs, instead I caught myself on the handrail and practically ripped my arm out of it's socket...no biggie! Then our parking lot at work was so icy I almost considered calling to let them know I'd be late because I thought it was going to take me an hour to get to the building!!

And to end my post for today...here's a picture that has totally made my day. It was posted on my baby forum but I guess originated from Pinterest. I'm thinking Troy and I will do this for our maternity pictures!! Haha

Finally caved in

I finally did it...I made a chiropractor appointment. I've been putting it off, hoping that eventually the pain would just magically disappear. So far it hasn't. I also have a hard time finding a chiropractor I like because I was totally spoiled with the one I saw in high school. He used to stick these round electrode thingy's to various spots on my back and turn them on...it was like a slight vibration to loosen up my muscles. And on top of that he'd put a warm towel and just let me lay there for about 20 minutes. It was heaven! I can't handle the pain anymore, there's night I wake up to pee and my hip hurts so bad I can barely walk. Troy's worried it'll give out on me and I'll fall down the stairs or something. So Monday morning I'm going to a new chiropractor (I've only seen one other here in town and she was kind of weird.)

I haven't been feeling the greatest the past few days either. I think my body swapped the 1st and 2nd trimesters. I felt great the first 13 weeks...now I'm miserable! My stomach has been really upset, I've had a hard time eating again. I did make chicken stir fry last night to calm my Chinese craving and it was pretty amazing.

16 days until our ultrasound!! Hooray

Week 17

I never thought it would come, but we finally had our appointment. (When I scheduled this appointment, it seemed like centuries away!) Surprisingly, it came up really fast...I'm hoping our next appointment comes up just as fast. I've only gained one pound in 4 weeks so that's really good. The babies heart beat was in the 150's, they didn't give me an exact number, but said it's exactly where it should be. We met with a new doctor today since the one I've been going to is on maternity leave. She was really nice and is one of the doctors who could possibly deliver the baby. I expressed concern about my arm/hand...I think I've developed carpal tunnel and was hoping she'd have a little bit more advice on how to make it better. She just simply said "It'll only get worse, but after delivery it will get better!" (Thanks for the comfort, doc.) It has gotten significantly better since I bought the night time brace, but my fourth finger still gets numb and tingly.

Our big ultrasound is scheduled for February 6th, exactly what I was hoping for. We'll have our ultrasound and then after that meet with the doctor. We'll see yet another new doctor, but I hear really good things about him so I'm not worried. He's also one Dr. Sposato would consult when she had questions about our fertility. I'm really hoping the baby cooperates and we're able to find out what we're having. The wait is killing me! If we are able to find out what we're having, we hope to do our registry right after the appointment.