Seven Months and Counting!

I'm a little late with the seven month update for a couple of reasons. The first being that my Father-in-law has unexpectedly been diagnosed with leukemia this past week. My husband went to West Virginia to be with him and to help out his Mom, so this left me with no one to take my official seven month picture. I had to wait until this weekend and have my Dad take my picture. For those of you who have asked, I don't know much about the leukemia except that chemo treatments will be starting soon and with him being so medically fragile it doesn't appear he will leave the hospital anytime soon. We're just taking it day by day, but like everything else my Father-in-law does, he will fight through this and be fine.

My second excuse however is a wonderful one! I had a baby shower this weekend! It was so much fun and I received so many cute baby things! The wonderful hostesses, LeAnn, Vickie, and Shannon purchased a miniature Christmas tree for me and asked the party goers to bring an ornament to decorate the tree! What a super awesome idea! I received the cutest ornaments! I can't thank those ladies enough for such a wonderful shower! The food was great, seeing friends that I hadn't seen in three years was great, receiving small little baby things was great! Needless to say, it was great! :)

My seven month doctor's appointment was last week and the doctor said I'm slightly anemic. Not so much so that he wants me on iron tablets, but enough so that he told me to eat more iron rich foods (how do you make chicken livers taste good? Yuck!). So that's something I need to keep an eye on. What's funny about him saying that is that throughout this pregnancy I've eaten more red meat than I ever have before (I'm not really a red meat fan). So one would conclude that I am taking in more iron than before I was pregnant, but I guess the baby needs even more than my measly red meat meals can handle.

I should also report that I am officially back up to the weight I was in 2005 before I went on Weight Watchers and lost 45 pounds. This makes me sad. :( I know what you're going to say, everyone has been saying it, "it's a different kind of weight". Well it's still weight isn't it? I was happy that even though the scale tipped that number, it only made for a three pound increase this month. That eased the pain a little. I just know that after this baby comes I will have an uphill battle to lose weight again. The 45 pounds in 2005-2006 was had enough to lose, but maybe if I'm prepared now it won't be so bad. This appointment also included the ever wonderful glucose test. But of course with the activity in my life I have forgotten to call the doctor's office and find out the results of the test. Hopefully my blood sugar is a-okay. I would hate to have gestational diabetes. They say having gestational diabetes means you are more likely to have Type 2 diabetes later in life. Yuck! Needles, and pricks, and numbers, oh my!

Okay this post has gone on long enough. Just know everything is fine. The baby enjoys doing somersaults in my belly, which hurt at times, and I'm as big as a house! Above this post is a photo of me, my mom, and the lovely ladies who hosted the baby shower yesterday! Thanks again ladies!

Week 24 (Better Known As 6-months)

Today was my 6-month doctor's appointment. Everything is the same - normal. I'm always just normal (yeah!). A couple of things happened at the doctor that did put things into perspective for me. First, I'm going to have a glucose test at my next appointment. This brings back horrible memories of the glucose test I had to take when I donated my kidney. That test was three hours long!! But the nurse assured me this test was only the one-hour kind, so that's good news.

The second thing that happened was that they told me that my next appointment will be my last monthly appointment. After that I switch to bi-monthly appointments. Every two weeks to the doctor! That really makes things hit home for me. Like the fact that 9 minus 6 is 3!!!!

I don't even want to discuss my weight except to unfortunately report that it did go up and not just the "little 4 pounds" it was supposed to. What the heck?? I've been walking after school and it's not like I eat horrible things (well, not everyday that is).

I have several events coming up to look forward to: my birthday is on Tuesday the 17th; Thanksgiving with my family and then round two with my in-laws (two meals - yummy!); and my baby shower on December 12th. I'm super excited about the baby shower. We've been in a holding pattern on buying things (except diapers) because we don't know what we need yet. Once the baby shower is over I can see what I have and what else I need to get. This will be another "hit home" occasion for us. Finalizing baby purchases will really make it seem close!

But all in all things are just dandy. I'm thoroughly round and the baby kicks the crap out of me daily. It actually stayed put when the doctor listened to the heartbeat (the first time that's happened). So everything's great! I happen to be in the same outfit this month, so you can really see the difference in my belly. Enjoy!

Halftime Report!

That's right, I'm halfway through my pregnancy! Yeah! 20 weeks down. Really I'm probably more than halfway through as I have a sneaky suspicion that I won't make it all the way to a full 40 weeks. But we'll see!

At today's doctor's appointment we had our 20-week sonogram. It was so cool! We could see the baby's spine, ribs, heart, all sorts of organs. While the sonogramist (is that a word?!?) was tooling around snapping pictures, the baby kicked one of it's feet forward - all the way up to it's head! How crazy is that! It's foot was almost in it's mouth! I find it so weird that the baby moves so much yet I barely feel a thing. Having never been pregnant before, I'm not sure what's a kick and what's not a kick, so there's no telling if I've been feeling kicks or not. Sometimes I feel pain in my lower abdomen, which I thought was the baby, but the doctor said it's just a nerve and that's common.

After the lady snapped all the necessary pictures of the baby, we all just sat and watched the baby move (she was making us a DVD). And guess what?? Once we sat and tried to watch the baby move - the baby stopped moving! It just sat there! She prodded my belly, pushed my belly, giggled my belly, but that baby just stayed put. It was like it knew we were just waiting and watching. She did say she saw the baby stick it's tongue in and out. But honestly, I couldn't make that out, so I'll just take her word for it.

For those of you who haven't heard me complain on a daily basis, I can't sleep!!! I'm already having trouble getting into just the right position at night and it's driving me crazy! We actually own a body pillow (I have no idea why we own it, but we bought it long ago) and I've tried positioning myself in and around it, but I still find myself tossing and turning. So I suppose it'll be four more months of restless sleep! Great!

Anyway, I'm rambling, but basically everything was well at the doctor. All the correct body parts, great heartbeat, no issues with me except that I gained 5 pounds!!!! But all in all everything is going according to plan. No issues, no complications. Thank the Lord.

Until next time. . . .

Moving, Moving, Moving. . .

Today was my 16-week appointment and we've got a mover on our hands! The doctor found the baby's heartbeat, but quickly the baby moved, he found it a second time on the other side and again the baby moved. This baby does not like to sit still. Back and forth the baby was going. The doctor said all is well. I told him those prenatal vitamins are killing me (I threw one up on Tuesday) and luckily he said I can switch to a children's chewable (like Flintstones!!! Yeah!) instead. But I still need to take the DHA vitamin.

I can finally feel the uterus now. For a while I thought I had too much fat to feel anything, but now when I lay down, you can clearly see "my bump". My lovely lady bump (sorry, had to). So that's very exciting! I can find my own uterus! Thank you sex ed 101. The doctor said I should start feeling all the moving in as soon as two weeks time! That will be cool!

On the weight front - I gained 4 pounds this month! That's a little more than I'm comfortable with, but the rain has delayed my walking habit, so I'm sure, once I get out and start walking again things will level off. I was expecting at least a 2 pound gain, which I believe to be all boobage. These suckers are getting ridiculous!

Well that's all for now! See my lovely lady bump in the picture this month!! :)

Down!!!

That is the word of the day - DOWN! As in, I went to the doctor today and my weight has gone down. Yeah! I knew sitting around the house being sick was making me gain unnecessary weight. Plus now that I'm feeling better I've been walking after school with several teachers. Yeah!

So the doctor today - the quickest doctor's visit I've probably ever had. I was in and out in 15 minutes. He said two things that surprised me. First: don't rush out in October and get the swine flu vaccine. He doesn't feel comfortable with a brand new vaccine just out on the market being given to pregnant women en mass. Second: don't rush out and get a regular flu shot this fall. What?? I said. Well, for starters, I've never in my life had a flu shot, or even the actual flu for that matter. And secondly my pregnancy is textbook normal, so I may not have to get a shot. The jury's still out on this though. I have a feeling the doctor will eventually say go get a flu shot, but until then I sit and wash with warm soapy water.

So at the doctor's visit today he used that doppler thingy to listen to the baby's heartbeat. He says to me right off, I sometimes have trouble hearing the heartbeat using this thing, so don't worry if we can't hear it, we'll just move to the ultrasound room. What a vote of confidence! I was already worried about not hearing the heartbeat, because aside from the occasional headache at night - I don't actually FEEL pregnant right now. I feel normal, like I used to feel. So he starts the moving and searching. . . . and all I hear is swish, swish, swish. He keeps saying that's not it, that's not it. He finally says that's it! Well guess what??? It sounded to me like the same swish, swish, swish I was hearing the whole time he was moving the thing around on my belly. Go figure!

So today was a clean bill of health from the doc. But I can't help but stop and think. . . how does he really know? Just hearing a supposed heartbeat through a doppler tells you everything's okay? I'll just have to trust the doctor on this one!

A new month, a new picture. My 12-week shot. Not the best picture - there is a weird glare. But I am wearing actual maternity clothes now, so I'll probably stick with this outfit from here on out so we can get a good before and after series going.

More later!

First Week of School Update

Well, I made it through the week (Monday through Thursday that is) okay. The beginning of the week was very rough, but I think the constant work ahead of me at school each day kept my mind off how I felt. It seemed to work out okay - until I worked past food time, then things would get rough.

I've already decided to switch to maternity clothes beginning Monday. I know it's a little early, but most of my size 8 clothes are now too tight and I'm not going to go out and buy size 10 or 12 clothes only to outgrow those in a few months. So I'd rather go with slightly large maternity clothes than trying to kill myself all day in tight size 8 pants. Plus the students will actually think I'm pregnant if I'm wearing maternity clothes. :)

I know I've said this to some of you, but I was really not prepared for how this feels. People always talk about morning sickness and this and that, but it is totally not what I thought it would be. Why do people have more than one child? I'm just so uncomfortable and can't imagine volunteering to go through this again. This will probably be an only child and that's okay with me and Matt. I can hear some of you now, you're saying, "once you see that baby and love that baby, you'll want another one and another one." Let's don't bet on it people! :)

I'm up early (in preparation for the 6 am alarm on Monday) and am going to enjoy my last weekend before school begins. Enjoy your weekend!

Is Everything Okay?

I shouldn't even say this in a post, but I'm feeling pretty good today. This "sickness" just seems to go day-by-day. Maybe I feel good, maybe I feel like crap. But today seems to be a good day. I woke up and didn't have to immediately run and eat something, which is an improvement. I'm still having bathroom issues that I'm sure no one wants me to go into detail, so I won't. But things could be worse.

Matt came to school with me on Friday and helped me unpack 76 boxes of books. I have the best husband in the world! He says his back hurts today and it probably does - he did a lot of lifting! I am so thankful he came to help because things were looking bleak and hopeless to me. Seeing a wall full of books really helps me sleep better at night. He also got to pick the lunch spot - Olive Garden.

I'm also excited because I went shopping Friday after we worked at my school and I got tax-free clothes that actually fit! Now I don't have to squeeze into size 8's that really don't work for me anymore. Relief! I hit a consignment store called Kid-to-Kid at the Mall of Georgia and got several tops and pants for about $2 each. Yes, they're used, but who cares, I'm only pregnant for the next 7 months or so. I'm definitely going to be heading back there in the future for baby clothes - they had tons of outfits for $1!!! Super excited!

Well, a day of chores and lounging awaits. I have to lounge now because Monday is the drop dead day - Back to School! Have a great Saturday everybody!

Just Run Down

That's how I feel these days - just plain ol' run down. I tried to work today at school, but could only manage about 3 hours of measly work. I don't know who came up with "morning sickness", but it SUCKS! I hate feeling this way. And it doesn't just end with my stomach - I'm having "bathroom" issues as well! I look like crap (didn't blow dry my hair), my house is in shambles (don't have the energy to fold clothes), and 14,000 library books are still sitting in their boxes!

Matt spent the weekend researching our families on Ancestry.com which was very cool. I can trace my family back to the single man who came over to the United States from Hanover, Germany in the 1800's. Pretty neat! They say when picking out a baby name to look back in your family's history for a "classic" name. I don't think we'll be having an Elsie, Alma, Henery, Ophelia, Jesse or Corinne any time soon.

Well, I need to suck this up and get it together because next week is pre-plannning and I have no choice but to work a full day. Ugh, just saying that makes me sick. Why am I so sick? When will this end? Everyone I've run into thus far at school says, "oh just a few more weeks and you'll be feeling fine." Guess what? I'm holding that to you people!

More later. . . .

In The Beginning. . . .

This is where I will begin. Not really, truly the beginning, but the beginning for me. I'm looking a little chubby right now I know and that's (unfortunately) not from the baby. This slight chubbiness has come along from the past several weeks of being sick and not working out. I have worked out three days this week and tomorrow I'm walking Stone Mountain with my Mom, so hopefully things should settle down in the weight category. All I have to say is, if that scale in the doctor's office says any number higher than the number it told me yesterday, I'm going to cry. Right there in the hallway of the doctor's office - big, elephant-sized tears - seriously!

For those of you who know me well, I've had a struggle with my weight for probably the last ten years or so (or I guess since I've been married). Losing 47 pounds three years ago was SO hard and I'm honestly SO scared about gaining too much baby weight. I don't want to go through another struggle to lose weight after the baby is born. So my goal for this pregnancy is to gain proper, normal weight that hopefully I can easily shed through breastfeeding. If I gain 60 pounds - we're all in trouble. I really think I can do this. Especially as I am starting to feel better now and can get back out there and into the gym! I'll keep you informed of how things go. But never in my life will I ever post an actual weight number; just a up or down update. :)

Bye for now!

Hello Everybody!

Welcome to my first "personal" Blog. I've blogged professionally, but now that motherhood has turned her eyes on me, I decided to begin a "personal" Blog. I can keep everyone updated who wants to be updated and those who don't care, don't have to read this. So it's the best of both worlds.

I'm technically in the 7th week of pregnancy even though my doctor says 8 weeks. The sonogram completed today measures the baby at 7 weeks, so who really knows. The sonogram today really hit home that we are indeed having a baby. Up until this point I've just been sick. And it's just felt like being sick. But I actually saw it today and heard it today! That was too cool!

I'm also going to post a picture of myself on here and update it every month. Really this will be more of a record keeping for myself rather than any enjoyment to anyone out there in cyberland. I'm kind of excited to see the growing belly. Cliche, I know, but I'd like to see the changes over the next 7 or so months.

So, sit back, subscribe if so desired, and enjoy my Blog!