Almost 4 months?!?! Where did time go?

Here I sit writing for the first time in weeks because well I have an infant and life that keep me pretty busy. Hannah is now 16 weeks and 5 days old. Shes growing like a weed. Shes about 12lbs now and last she was measured she was 21 inches long. Though she is growing she is still quite petite. She can still fit some newborn clothes but mostly wears 0-3 months stuff. I put her in 3 months stuff every now and then but they really are too big for her. I kept making the joke that her feet haven't grown since birth; well i compared her feet to her hospital prints and they've maybe grown 1/4 of an inch. Strangers are often shocked to find out shes nearly 2 to 3 months older than they guessed.
Hannah has discovered how to make noises. She loves to laugh at her daddy every morning. She never fails us by waking up with a huge smile and lots of giggles. You cant get upset about early mornings when you're greeted by such excitement for a new day. Hannah was fussing for food every hour to hour and a half so we decided it was time to supplement her diet with rice cereal. She doesn't get much but every morning and some evenings she gets her cereal; often mixed with a little homemade applesauce. She has learned that the high chair means food. If we don't move quick enough making her cereal or feeding her she sure lets us know. Hannah still hates tummy time but is getting much better at lifting her head and even rolling to her side from her stomach. She has decided her favorite color is teal. Anything she sees that is teal (toys, clothes, ect) attract and keep her attention. I would say that overall Hannah is developing and growing well. Shes becoming a joy to spend time with and such a sweet addition to our lives.
As far as myself, I am doing well. I am often hungry because we have discovered Hannah has a dairy allergy and instead of switching her over to formula I have decided to adapt my diet to meet her needs. I never knew how much dairy filled you up. I feel like I eat non-stop but according to my doctor at this past weeks appointment I am still not getting enough calories. He was concerned that my weight has dropped too much since her birth. He told me over and over not to lose anymore weight. I don't think he understands that for the first time in my life I have not really tried to drop the pounds... they just fell off and probably will continue to since I don't plan to stop nursing anytime soon. I am learning that some people (including doctors) have some advice and comments about parenting that are unrealistic. Is it necessary to tell me that my child is too attached to me because she soothes better to mom than anyone else? I honestly don't believe it is possible for a child to be too attached to her mother at 3.5 months of age. I am learning to put a filter on what I listen to as well as what I react to. I know that I am not producing a terror of a child that is over attached to her mom. I know that I am 23 years old and plenty old enough to have a child. I know that being 3 lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight and 1 lb over my ideal body weight (according to doctors) is not going to kill me or harm my child. I know that I would do anything in the world for my munchkin and that she is not mistreated or lacking care therefore I have nothing to worry about. My sister-in-law gave Hannah a onsie that reads "My mommy doesn't want your advice". I may need to buy this onsie in every size. You're probably thinking, "wow shes bitter". Am I though? I wouldn't say bitter but simply learning that not everyone's experience is the same therefore their experience is not always right for me. Parenting is teaching me patience, understanding, and tolerance for differences.

Hannah and Cousin Tabathas cow, Ferdinan
(a few days shy of 3 months)

Hannah and Mom at Nana and Papas house
Sept. 2, 2011

Good morning!
3.5 months

Beautiful girl!
Oct. 6, 2011

Poop This... Poop That... Poop Poop Poop.

So Hannah is now almost 9 weeks and 4 days old. She had her two month appointment yesterday and weighed in at 10lbs and 3 ounces and is 22 inches long. My girl is growing like a weed. She ranked in the 40th percentile for both her height and weight. For awhile I had been worried that Hannah was not getting all the nutrients she needs from me but after seeing her consistently grow I will never doubt again. She also got her two month vaccinations at yesterdays appointment and handled really well. She of course did not like them. All she wanted was to be held and loved on by her Momma and she was just fine. Into the evening she seemed to become more fussy and uncomfortable. She ran a low grade fever and her little thighs began to swell some but once she got a dose of Tylenol in she seemed to sooth really well and slept for a good while.

I talked to her doctor again about an issue the poor girl has been having for awhile. She will love me for this one day but its true my daughter doesn't seem to know how to pass gas or poop properly. When she was brand new this was not an issue for her at all. I mean afterall, we made jokes about being able to use her as a human whoopie cushion and how she had "the incident" with her dad but this has now changed for sure.  For awhile now we thought she had a stomach virus because her poop was.... well you don't really care to know what it looked like but it just didn't look right and she was so extremely fussy. I have noticed that poop has been the topic of my conversation with just about anyone and everyone lately. I think its official I am just like every other Momma in the world and find it to be totally ok to make bodily functions a regular discussion. Last time I took Hannah to the doctor to address this issue that I believed was causing her to scream non-stop they suggested that she may have reflux so they put her on zantac. She may have a reflux issue but on top of that I am convinced she has a stomach issue. Her poop seems to be looking more normal now but she sure struggles to pass it. The doctor told me yesterday that we may just have to wait it out until it she hopefully grows out of this phase. Both Tim and I look forward to that day.

Other than her stomach struggles my girl is doing great. I am amazed at how much something so little can change your life.Waking up in the morning doesn't seem so bad when I am greeted with a gorgeous smile. Everything I do seems so much better when I hear her giggle or coo at the simplest of things. She has pretty much transformed both Tim and me but I wouldn't change it for the world. As much as he hates to admit it, Tim and I both are wrapped around her little finger already. I am so excited to see how much life is going to continue to change and grow with our June Bug a part of our lives. I love this new adventure we are on.

Amos and Hannah hanging out together. They will be best friends. 

The most precious face in the world.

Hanging out with Mom at work and babbling away. 

Sweet Sweet Baby.

Many of those who read my blog have brought it to my attention that I have not posted in entirely too long. Don't be mistaken... I am well aware of this fact but simply have been a tad bit busy with a new baby, tons of visitors, traveling, and going back to work. My blogs may be few and far between but I promise to continue to post. 

So lets see, what has happened since my last posting? Oh my goodness, a ton! Hannah is now 4 weeks and 5 days old. Time is going by entirely too fast with her. Her day is not the most exciting. She wakes every3 hours (give or take a bit) for a feeding diaper change and an hour or so of "play time" which typically consists of staring at the ceiling or her dad and me. It was difficult to get her on a schedule with family in town for the first 3 weeks of her life and then traveling to my parents house last weekend. Now that we have been home alone for a few days we have been able to get things into somewhat of a normal schedule.

The beginning of the week was tough on all three of us because Hannah was completely out of sorts. She did nothing but cry and eat. She hardly ever slept and when she did her naps were no more than 45 minutes long. Tim and I were both so frustrated with why she was so upset and totally confused as to what happened to our completely content baby. It didn't take long to realize Hannah was experiencing some discomfort with her left eye. She began developing a nasty crust over her eye on a regular basis and was constantly rubbing it. I had pretty much figured out the girl had a blocked tear duct so I tried home remedies. We applied warm compresses all day long and even went to the extreme to take the crazy advice of putting breast milk in her eye to try to heal any infection going on. By Wednesday I gave up hope on the natural treatment and had completely become frustrated with the constant screaming my child was doing so I called her doctor. They had me bring her right in, massaged (aka pushed as hard as they could) around her eye to release the infection which was absolutely repulsive and gave me a prescription for a cream to apply three times a day. I experienced the mamma syndrome that so many moms tell you about but you can never truly understand until you experience it. It literally broke my heart to see her doctor push on my babies eye and make her cry to hard. Every time we applied her meds or massaged her eye at home Tim and I both cringed at the thought of possibly putting her through discomfort or pain. We have learned that if you do the treatment while she is eating or sleeping she doesn't seem to get quite as upset so its not as bad anymore but boy was it painful to watch my innocent sweet sweet baby hurt so bad. Today her eye is looking so much better and she seems to be in a much better mood. I think she is catching up on some sleep from the past few days because the girl seems to be sleeping all day today.  I am thrilled to be getting my happy, very content child back.

So much has changed in just a 4 week period of time for Hannah. The doctor called her a little cow. At 3 days old Hannah weighed 5lbs 12oz. At her appointment this past Wednesday (4 weeks 3 days old) Hannah weighed 8lbs 4oz with her clothes on. My peanut is filling out. She is still itty bitty but boy has she grown. She is almost completely out of her newborn diapers and into size 1. She has outgrown almost all of her preemie clothes and now fits into some newborn clothes. She is still pretty skinny so some newborn pieces are a bit big but her length makes it nearly impossible to fit her into the preemie things. She still cannot fit any newborn socks or shoes but we will get there eventually. I do not want to rush it... I love her petite-ness and want to hang on to these days as long as they will allow me. 

I am still so amazed by how perfect my child is. I know that sounds so self consumed and ridiculous but I cant help it. I know every mom says that about her baby but its not just me. Everyone keeps telling us how she looks like a baby doll and is easily mistaken for being fake because she is so perfect. I cannot help but stare at her and get wrapped up in every little detail of her. Tim and I are both just amazed at what we have been blessed with. She makes us proud in ways we never thought we would be. I just love that sweet sweet baby. 

Hannahs long but joyous entrance

So how it all happened... Saturday evening on the way home from the ordination service at the district center I started to notice my contractions were becoming more regular and a bit stronger but after nearly 3 weeks of  false labor I was ignoring them and telling myself it was just more false labor. We came home around 8:45pm to find that our well pump had sprung a leak and had soaked a good area of our basement. My mind was a bit preoccupied with that to even concentrate on the contractions. About 11:30 after things with the water mess had called down I decided to tell Tim we better start timing these contractions because they were growing stronger and much more regular but still really not painful. After timing them for over an hour at about 5-6 minutes apart lasting 1 to 1.5 minutes long Tim convinced me to call the after hours line at the hospital and see what they said. I was a bit hesitant because I didn't want to hear "Its just false labor... wait it out". Much to my surprise the on call doctor told me to head to the hospital to be checked out. We packed up and off we went. Keep in mind it is now 2am and Tim and I are both tired from a long weekend with district assembly and everything going on. When we got here I was 2 centimeters and 80% effaced (exactly what I was at my last OB appointment on Thursday). They wanted to monitor the contractions for awhile and thought maybe I would progress since I was contracting so regularly. After two hours of monitoring I had made little to no progress but my contractions were down to 4 minutes apart so the triage doctor did not want to send me home just yet. They sent me walking the hospital for nearly two more hours and then checked me again. At that point I had dilated to 3 centimeters which really didn't seem like much to me. I still was in no pain just simply uncomfortable. I was totally frustrated with being cooped up in this little triage room with an extremely uncomfortable bed and no place for Tim to even try to get remotely comfortable. Suddenly my blood pressure sky rocketed which basically got me an automatic admission to the hospital. After monitoring me for a bit and watching my contractions grow closer together, now 3 minutes apart lasting almost 2 minutes long and my blood pressuring maintaining around 170/85 they decided to send me to Labor and delivery to break my water and get things moving with this baby. I was not sure if I was happy or scared at that point. I wanted to be done but the reality of things really sunk in then. By the time they transported me to Labor and delivery I was 4 centimeter dilated. My doctor broke my water at 10:30am and within in 30 minutes everything started to move along as planned. My blood pressure dropped back down to what is normal for me at 110/60 within minutes of having my water break. My contractions picked up to about every other minute and became more intense but honestly I cannot say they hurt really bad. They were much more uncomfortable than before. Honestly, I remember thinking this labor thing is a piece of cake and I can handle this any day. Tim and I had a discussion about how easy it was and how I would be totally fine with having another baby in no time despite the fact that neither of us really want that. At about 3:30pm I decided to retract that statement because these contractions were actually starting to hurt. They were not unbearable but they hurt. Around 4pm they finally checked me again and said I was nearing 9 centimeters but not quite there yet.  I was not only starting to really hurt and feel like I needed to push but the ac in my room had gone out hours before and I was sweating excessively. Tim was at my beck and call feeding me ice chips, water, and packing on the ice cold wash clothes to try to cool me down and keep me calm. About 15 minutes later I told Tim he had to call the doctor back because there was no way I couldn't push with every contraction. They came rushing back to see that I was a full 10 centimeters dilated and it was time to get this baby out. During the last stages of labor, she decided to roll over and instead of having her face toward my back she was looking up toward my stomach which is not ideal for delivery. I had to push for a substantial period of time just to get her to corkscrew back into the right position before I could actually deliver her. I pushed for about an hour total and finally she came.  Tim did great the entire time. He managed to support and encourage me the entire time and never passed out. The worst of the whole ordeal was the delivery. I can still say labor was pretty easy right up until the end. I am now fairly sore but not in nearly as much pain as others have warned me I would be.
At one point I thought Tim, the doctors, and nurses were just being nice when they told me I have a pain tolerance unlike most but after some observation I am thinking they may be right. The doctor who delivered Hannah said I was the first in the last 60 births he has delivered to go completely natural. When they asked if I wanted drugs I refused almost every last one would make a comment like they didn't think I would last without them. Tim saw a girl out in the hall who was not nearly as close to delivery crying and moaning in pain while I was in my labor and delivery room breathing through each contraction fairly calmly. The other thing that really has confirmed my pain tolerance is the fact that they wrote me a script for Vicodin to help with pain after delivery. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? VICODIN?!?! Yeah, I will just stick with the 600mg Motrin every 6 hours or so. Not to brag but I am not a wimp... I can handle some discomfort. Nobody promised having babies would be pain free before during or after. Pain or not my perfect little girl makes it all worth while.

Hello Hannah!

Right now I am sitting in my recovery room at the hospital with my perfect family.  Our daughter was born last evening, June 12, 2011 at 5:13pm weighing in at 6lbs 7oz. 19 inches long. We named her Hannah June (Hannah is simply a biblical name that we both really liked and June is Tim's Grammy's name). Nothing makes me happier than to see my husband resting with our beautiful little Hannah.Tim is such a wonderful dad! I have no doubt when it comes to how he cares for our little girl that it is not the best she can receive. He not only is great with her but also with me. When I was in labor Tim cared for me better than anyone could have. He was so incredibly patient and gentle with me. I have no question as to why I love this man so much. He makes me so incredibly happy. I will post all the details later but for now I want to go enjoy some time with my perfect family.

38 weeks

As of today I am 10 days away from my due date. I went to the doctor yesterday after a very long night on Wednesday night of being extremely uncomfortable and experiencing sharp shooting round ligament pains. When I got the to doctor things had kind of slacked off some but I was still pretty uncomfortable. I found out that I am now 2 cm dilated, still 80% effaced, and a -2 labor station. "It's just a matter of time" is what my doctor told me over and over again. He assured me that baby girl is in a head down position and he doesn't believe shes going to be a big baby. He actually guessed she would be pretty close to 7lbs. I am hoping hes pretty accurate. He had me schedule an appointment for next Thursday but then told me that he would be shocked if I made it to that appointment. Again, I hope he is right. He told me I really should try to stay close to home and not be going out alone a whole heck of a lot until she is born. With still working that makes things difficult but I am trying to do most work from home.

Tim and I have been walking the railroad tracks that have been converted into biking/walking/ horseback riding paths known as rails to trails a lot lately. We walked for pretty close to probably a mile out yesterday and a mile back. I had contractions the entire time we were walking, a few of which were fairly strong but after getting home and sitting for a bit they backed off again. This whole process is starting to wear on me. I am so ready to just be done. I think Tim would agree with me. I notice hes not sleeping well and he tells me its because he is so ready to hear me wake him and tell him its time to head to the hospital that he simply cannot sleep. Hopefully he tires out and sleeps well tonight.

We have district assembly this weekend which means busy busy busy for me. Tonight I have NYI convention, tomorrow is district convention followed by Merge in the evening, Sunday we have regular Sunday school at church and then off to the district center for the district service immediately followed by Danny and Donnies graduation party and then back to the district center for more assembly festivities. My hope is all this activity will put me into true labor. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

38 weeks 1 day

37 weeks

As of today I am 37 weeks 4 days pregnant and I have officially reached the point of wanting to be done. I am hoping she is coming soon... at least within the next week or so.

Two nights ago I began having contractions that were fairly uncomfortable. I don't want to say they hurt terribly but they kept me up and definitely were not pleasant. They actually were getting me to a point where I was very nauseous. Throughout the day yesterday I had mild contractions but continued with my day. Last evening just about the time youth group was supposed to start I got this shooting pain in my back. It went from a dull ache to a intense pain. I literally felt like someone tied a string around all my back muscles and was pulling them toward the front of my stomach as hard as they could. This then moved down to my lower abdomen and began to really bother me. I began to time the intense times of these pains and they were about 9 minutes apart. By the time church was over I was so ready to get home and lay down. I got home and continued to time the contractions. They got to the point they were about 7 minutes apart and lasting about 2 and a half minutes long. They eased up after about an hour and a half so I took advantage of the intensity decrease and went to bed. I had a few contractions throughout the night that woke me up but managed to catch a little sleep. I woke up pretty early (about 6:30) and decided that I guess that meant I was done sleeping. I have been getting up really early every day lately. I am typically up around 7:15 every morning which is sickening to me on my day off but guess good preparation for a child.

I had an appointment today and found out some news. I actually tested positive to the Group B Strep test I had last week. Group B strep is a bacteria that one in four women carry and often don't know about until tested for it during pregnancy. It often does no harm to the woman but can cause serious illness in babies if not detected and treated properly. I was so disappointed when I heard him say it came back positive. It scares me a bit because I don't want to expose my baby girl to anything that might harm her. I will be put on an IV antibiotic when I go into labor. I am not thrilled about this especially with all my antibiotic allergies but we will see how it goes. To be honest I am more upset about the fact that she will be put on antibiotics immediately after birth. The last thing I want is for her to be over exposed to antibiotics like I was as a child. Many doctors have told me some of my allergies are a result of over exposer so young. I sure hope she has a stronger immune system than I do. I found out that I am now a full centimeter dilated, 70% effaced, and at a  -3 labor station. I have progressed 1/2 centimeter since last Thursday which is not much but its progress and am 10% more effaced than last week. I have had continued contractions today but nothing too strong. My back still aches but again nothing like last night. I am hoping things continue to move along and maybe a little bit more by my appointment next Thursday.

36 weeks 4 days

So as of today I am 36 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I will be full term on Monday! I went to the doctor this morning and had to have a routine bacteria test done. Hopefully that will come back negative. If the test comes back positive they will put me on an antibiotic once I go into labor and treat the baby as well. Seeing that I have so many antibiotic allergies that may be a difficult task or one that won't be too enjoyable for me so lets just hope its negative.  While at the doctor I did find out that I am officially getting closer to delivery (which I could have told you) yet have nothing concrete to report as far as how close. I am 60% effaced and 1/2 centimeter dilated. My doctor seemed a bit surprised by this but said it's all in good timing and nothing to really worry about. She said I am farther along than expected but she still couldn't tell me if I would deliver earlier than my due date or right on time. As far as stomach measurements things have slowed down a bit. I am measuring exactly 36 centimeters which is on track for a normal pregnancy but smaller than excepted based on my passed measurements. So basically, we are playing the waiting game for the next three weeks.

While I was at the office I had a contraction that the doctor observed. She was shocked with my reaction to it because I didn't even flinch. I am not super woman and have an extremely high pain tolerance it just didn't hurt. I have been having contractions like that for a few days now so maybe I am just blowing them off as being normal. Don't get me wrong, they are uncomfortable because of the pressure and the muscle aches they cause but they do not hurt. I did have a few contractions on Tuesday that I can honestly say hurt. I was extremely uncomfortable with them but keep telling myself they will only get worse so that I am not being naive. They were just a small taste of what is to come.

I am ready to be done being pregnant. I want to get back to normal. I want to join my teens in a rousing game of whipped cream whiffle ball on Sunday and not have to sit back and just watch. I would love to go on a bike ride with my hubby. I want to sleep without pain. I want to bend over and not feel out of breath instantly.  But I don't want any of those things so bad that I cannot wait for her to be ready to come. Though my patience is wearing thin, I am willing to wait it out until the timing is right. I will have all of those things back very soon along with a wonderful baby and happy family.

36 weeks 2 days 

These are a few of my favorite things.

This weather today is making me one very happy person. Today is forcing me to make a list of a few of my favorite things (kinda like the song) all of which I have been able to enjoy today. So here I go:

1. grocery shopping with my hubby

2. movie nights with my hubby (we haven't done this yet but its soon to come) 

3. having my doors and windows open 

4. eating yummy strawberries (although, they would be better if they were freshly picked from Henley's farm) 

5. beach walk scented Yankee candle 

6. the smell of fresh cut grass 

7. a somewhat clean house 

8. being in a crafty mood 

9. sitting on my porch enjoying the sunset 

10. watching my dogs unsuccessfully but whole heartedly attempt to catch butterflies.

So as of today I am 35 weeks and 4 days into this pregnancy. I have just over 4 weeks left and cannot wait to be done. My acid reflux/ heartburn has truly been giving me a fit and the braxton hicks are becoming more frequent but overall I still feel pretty good most of the time. Baby girl is moving around a ton but I have noticed the past few days her movements have become less drastic. Instead of full on punches and kicks she is just pushing outward. I have noticed that I am slowing down and not feeling as full of energy as I have the past few weeks. It didn't seem to phase me to walk a ton or even lightly jog from one place to the next but now I do not feel that I have the same drive or motivation to move quickly or go long distances. I suppose this is typical. Everyone tells me it looks like she has dropped and I am starting to agree. I am noticing little things that I had been warned would happen as she started to drop and now after looking at the past few weeks pictures I see what they see.  Last weekend Tim graduated from LU with his Masters in Professional Counseling. We drove down to Lynchburgh, VA for all of the festivities of the weekend and for the first time this pregnancy really caught up to me. The long car ride made my legs ache, the walking made my feet swell, and my stomach muscles began to really hurt from all the movement and braxton hicks that I had been having. Though the weekend was tough on me I would not trade it for anything. It was so good to see my husband graduate and I am beyond proud of his accomplishments. I have my next appointment on the 26th; one week from today. I will update afterwards and let everyone know what is said as we get closer to the big day.

I have not updated pictures in a long time so I will update with what I have for the past few weeks. 

Week 32

week 34

week 34- no feet at all.

35 weeks

32 weeks 2 days!

The last week was completely insane with work being holy week and all. I love this time of the year but for some reason it just seemed so rushed this year. I had pies to make for the teen pie sale, my mom was in town until Wednesday morning, Thursday we had a Maundy Thursday service at church, Friday the teens ran the Good Friday service (which I keep calling Black Friday for some reason... seems more fitting than Good Friday if you think about it). On Saturday we had the children's Easter egg hunt at church that I had to help with followed by our regular weekly Merge service. Then on Easter Sunday we had a Sonrise service at 6am, breakfast with the entire church at 8am, Sunday school at 9:45am, Easter Cantata at 10:45am followed by a baptism service, and then Tim and I joined a few families from church for brunch. Fortunately, I was able to take Monday off and reflect a little on the meaning of Easter and rest after the long week. It may have been a day late but I am grateful for the chance to be reminded that I serve a mighty God and am blessed with the grace of a loving Savior.

As of today I am officially 32 weeks and 2 days pregnant... just over 7 more weeks before my due date. I have a feeling time is going to fly by. I was looking at a calendar today and I am pretty sure there are is only one more weekend that we will have to prepare for anything Tim and I want to get done before she gets here. We have pretty much finished baby shopping. We made our target and babiesrus runs this past week and now have everything and more that we will need (at least I hope...). There really is not a whole lot new going on other than the busy schedules. I have my next appointment on the 9th and then I believe my appointments begin occurring on a weekly basis.

Here are a few updates for this past few weeks.

PA Baby shower

Amos found a new seat on the stroller box

31 weeks 3 days

Excuse my absence but life has been crazy.

I know I have not blogged in weeks but my life really has been going crazy. Since our hospital visit I have had another doctors appointment and found out that baby girls is doing just fine. She is growing well and it won't be long until we see her. I am currently in my 32nd week. Baby girl is about 4lbs and 16.5 inches long. She is quiet the kicker. She is moving a whole lot more often than before and honestly it is the strangest feeling at times. The other night while laying in bed Tim kept feeling her kick his back and he finally say "thats weird and annoying". Tell me about it... its inside of me all day long. It may be strange and slightly inconvenient at times but it really is nice to feel her move. It is a reassurance that all is well and things are moving along as they should. As far as me, I am feeling very good. I often here people complain that at about this time they are so completely over pregnancy. I cannot honestly say that thought runs through my mind too much. To be completely honest, I often forget I am pregnant. It takes me running into a door frame with my stomach, trying to squeeze into a pre-maternity shirt, tying my shoes, or being on my feet too long and having swollen toes and a sore back to realize something is different. I feel like I move at the same pace and I can do the same things I did before pregnancy without great complication.Though Tim may beg to differ, I do not feel as if anything has greatly changed. I feel like I could go run a mile right now and feel even better afterward. No, I will not be doing that but I am simply saying for the most part I feel very normal. The heartburn still exists but it has just become a part of life and not really something I even relate to baby. For the most part I cannot complain about being pregnant.

This past weekend the ladies from church threw us a very nice baby shower. My mom was able to drive down for a few days and attend it with me. We got so many nice gifts. We were blessed  with our high chair, car seat, stroller, boppy pillow, baby carrier, lots of clothes, toys and blankets. Honestly, I think the only things left to buy are diaper wipes, sheets, a changing pad and covers, and a few other small items. Her room has quickly filled up but it's not just her room. The drawers of her dresser are full, her closet is lined with clothes, the kitchen now contains a high chair, one cabinet now has bottles, bowls and spoons, and the basement now has a box of clothes from 6-24months and a stack of other baby supplies that wont be used for the first few months of her life. We are ready! I said the other day that if she came now we would have everything we need... what a scary reality. It won't be long. As a matter of fact, today marks exactly 2 months until my due date. 

My mom just left this morning and I am kind of shocked at my feelings right now. Typically, when we have guests in our home by the time they leave I am ready to say goodbye and get back to normal (no offense to anyone). The past few visits with my family have seemed very rushed and so packed with an agenda that they fly by and are often more stressful than enjoyable. My mom was here for a week and from the moment she walked through the door (literally) she was working. She began with cooking dinner, made curtains for 2 rooms, hung curtains in 2 other rooms, hemmed the sheet I had hanging in the guest bedroom closet door, helped me price some teen yard sale items, organized and sorted baby clothes and gifts, helped me make pies for the teens pie sale this weekend, washed dishes every day, and even changed the sheets on the guest bed before she left. We ran from store to store buying fabric, curtain rods, thread, groceries, along with any other errands that had to be done. The time together was packed full and flew buy incredibly fast. When she left this morning I honestly thought to myself, "man, I am not ready for her to leave yet". It's not because I want her to stay and do more work around my house but more because I want her to stay and simply relax. I am blessed to have a mom who can come visit for a few days and is okay with lending a hand and taking part in our chaotic lifestyle and I am very grateful for all she did while she was here. Knowing I will see her in 3 weeks for Tim's graduation makes things a little easier but again I know that weekend will be busy and not the visit I want to have. I am missing my family a lot today. I realized this week how nice it is to have someone around to talk to and to run errands with. I often do not notice how busy Tim and I are and how that takes away from our time together. I know both Tim and I are feeling the stress and pressure of getting things done but maybe we need to take a day to do nothing but be together. I am not saying we have some serious issues, I am simply saying that sometimes life gets busy and I don't want to take advantage of the precious time I can have with important people. 

Well, it is time to head off to work for another busy day, followed by a busy day tomorrow with the Maundy Thursday Seder Meal, Fridays Good Friday service, Saturdays church Easter egg hunt and Merge, and  Sundays Easter celebrations. Have a wonderful rest of the week and a very happy Easter!

Expect shower and belly pictures soon!

We'll need some smelling salts, ice, juice, and a chair please!

So last night Tim and I went on our tour of the hospital I will be delivering at. I was a bit nervous before hand just because the reality of things is really starting to sink it and it was a bit surreal. The entire evening was quite the adventure. We can say once again that nothing Tim and I do together is mediocre or average... it is always an adventure.
Before I go too much further I should tell you that Tim has always had an aversion to hospitals or any procedures. He simply does not like the atmosphere and has warned me about this several times. I noticed when Tim had his MRI and other scans for his headaches that he definitely was not a big fan but I think that is pretty normal when undergoing anything new that could reveal unwanted results. He has had a history of passing out and waking up with people surrounding him on the floor when he is in certain medical situations but I had never experienced this extreme with him before.  Last evening on our 45 minute drive down to the hospital and even as we waited, Tim didn't express any level of discomfort. As a matter of fact I was the one probably showing more nerves than Tim which is extremely unusual for me since hospitals and me have a long history and really don't phase me much.
We began our tour by visiting the neonatal intensive care unit. I pray that I never have to cross the threshold into that wing of the hospital. We then followed our guide upstairs to the triage area. They showed us the awkward little jacuzzi that could be used for comfort that really made me feel uncomfortable just thinking about it.  They then moved us on the the actual triage rooms and explained how these tiny little rooms would be where I will stay until 4cm and then be moved into a labor, delivery and recovery room. All was going great... Tim and I were getting a feel of what will happen and kind of getting a sense of ease about this upcoming adventure. We then moved to the labor, delivery and recovery room and things suddenly took a quick shift. Crammed in the room with about 10 other couples and our tour guide, Tim suddenly showed some discomfort. He began shedding his coat and whispered in my ear "i am getting really hot". The room was very warm and the body heat probably didnt help. Not two minutes after entering the room he again leans over and whispers in my ear "i need to go out in the hallway and get some fresh air". I kind of looked at him and thought "really?!?!?" but didn't react much to it. After standing their for another 10 minutes or so and not hearing or seeing my husband I began to wonder if he was alright but I didn't want to disturb the whole room by pushing my way out to find him. Suddenly a nurse came running into the room, pushed her way in front of the tour guide and grabbed the smelling salts right on the counter next to me. I still feel a bit bad about my reaction because I had this gut instinct that was telling me to go check on Tim. I had a feeling those smelling salts could have been for him but I tried to push the thought out of my mind and focus on what the guide was sharing with us. A few minutes later as we began to exit the room I saw Tim standing in the hallway looking a quite unusual. His face was pale, his eyes were glazed over, and he was dripping sweat. If I didn't know better I would have thought he had just ran a marathon by the amount of sweat dripping from his face. At that point I needed to question no more, I knew the smelling salts were definitely for him.
Apparently, the warmth of the room was just too much for him. He said he knew when he left he was getting ready to pass out but didn't want to make a scene so decided to leave. After finding a chair and sitting outside of the room things just got worse and he began to get tunnel vision so he decided to make his way to the nurses station on that floor and request some water. A nurse met him in the hallway and probably took one look and knew something wasn't quite right. He tried to tell her he needed a drink but apparently the words didn't come out and he just mumbled at her. She immediately sat him down with his head between his legs and got him some juice and an ice pack. She never actually had to use the smelling salts but grabbed them just in case. It is possible that he simply overheated but it is my opinion that he had a bit of a anxiety attack. We had only been in the room for about 2 maybe 3 minutes when he left and the nurse had just started pulling out equipment that we may see when we go to the hospital. She showed us the belly monitors to measure the babys heartbeat and contractions and I guess that was just too much for Tim. I totally understand this anxiety and discomfort and I am glad Tim knows when it is coming but now I just have to hope he will actually say something if it pops up during the real deal. We have determined that it will be in writing for the nurses on delivery day that Tim will need some smelling salts, ice, juice (which he really liked), and a chair handy at all times. Many would think, doesn't that make you uncomfortable knowing he could pass out when you're in the middle of this big ordeal but honestly it doesn't. I am glad I now know what to look for and will never take his warnings about not liking hospitals as a joke ever again but I honestly feel that Tim's nature to push through when he absolutely has to will kick in on delivery day. He is always strong no matter how uncomfortable when he has no other choice. When it comes time to have this baby, he will have no choice but to push aside the feelings and if he doesn't so be it.
Our night didn't end with Tim's close call. We finished the tour despite Tim still not feeling his finest and went to pay for our parking. When you go into the garage you get a ticket and then have to pay at one of the machines before leaving. When we went to pay, the machine decided quarters didn't sound yummy so we tried to pay with Tim's card. Sounds simple enough right... NO. The stupid machine ate his card and our parking ticket. It would have been no great deal if there hadn't have been a line behind us but thats never the way it works. Finally, we found someone to help us get Tims card out. We waited for him to go all the way upstairs, get the key, unlock the machine, and dig through the box inside to find our ticket and our card. There was one perk to the whole card eating machine though... we got free parking for having to wait.
Like I said, nothing we do comes without adventure. We aren't satisfied without some form of craziness whether it be big or small. Let's just hope the real deal doesn't go as crazy as the practice run but if it does guess it will make for a good story right?!?!

VA visit/ baby shower/ and 28 and 29 weeks.

So last Thursday we packed up the car and drove eight hours to my parents house for a quick weekend visit. When I say quick I am not even joking... it seemed like the weekend came and went before I could even realize it. We actually went to VA because Tim had to take a test at school so that he can graduate this May. We drove 8 hours down to my parents house Thursday and then the next morning we drove 4 hours out to Lynchburg for Tims' test; I waited in the car for 3 and half hours for him, and then we turned around and drove 3 and half hours back to the beach for the night. Then the next morning we got up and met up with Eric, Laurie, and Grace (my youth pastor in high school and his family). Afterwards we ran some errands and then went to our baby shower. I feel so fortunate to have so many people who love and support Tim and I and our growing family. It was a great time to see old friends and family and just enjoy fellowship with them. They also gave us so many great gifts that will come into great use for when baby girl gets here. After the shower we went back to my parents house long enough to pack up the car for our journey home the next morning and then  headed to the church I grew up in for revival. The next morning we went back to church, ate a quick lunch and then hit the road for another 8 hour journey back to PA. To top off the very busy weekend, Tim and I were both sick while we were away. Needless to say, it was a few very exhausting days.

I had an appointment last Wednesday and found out I am anemic which I am sure has contributed to why I feel so easily exhausted. Other than that everything seems to be going well. I think it really sunk in for Tim that things are starting to get closer during our appointment. The look on his face when he realized we now move onto two week appointments instead of four was pretty priceless. Since then he has been talking a lot about the things we need to get done before baby girl gets here. Our list is almost sickening and quite a bit overwhelming but I believe we can finish it all. We have spring cleaning to do, painting to finish, gardens to mulch, a vegetable garden to plant, a lawn mower to fix, curtains to make, any baby planning we need to finish, and so on.

Not a whole lot has changed with the baby and me other than she is definitely starting to move a whole lot more. She is most active within 30 minutes of me waking up and then around 8:30-9pm or anytime I eat. It is such a weird feeling to feel her moving so much. I am interested to see if her movements match up with her active times once she gets here. The heartburn is definitely still there but I think I just need to get used to it for at least the next 11 weeks.

As for this week which marks 29 weeks as of today, there is not a whole lot that will be going on. Tim and I have our hospital tour on Tuesday evening. I have my next prenatal appointment on Friday. I don't expect it to be anything abnormal.  I have a feeling the next 11 weeks are going to fly by seeing that in those 11 weeks there is a lot that will happen. My mom is coming to visit in just over a week, I turn 23 on the 15th, we have a baby shower on the 16th, Wednesday- Sunday of  Easter week is going to be crazy busy, May 6th and 7th I am taking our teens to acquire the fire, May 12th-14th Tim and I will be traveling back to Lynchburg, VA for his graduation, May 15th-18th is our Missional Summit at church, May 23rd we have another parenting class to go to, May 30th is our 2 year anniversary, and then we are into June with graduations and such. Those are just the main things I can think of off the top of my head that are coming up. I know there are lots of teen things, doctors appointments and other smaller things that are coming up that will really make the next few weeks fly by. She's coming sooner than we think! I am getting excited!

Maybe I will get Tim to take a few pictures this week so we can update you all on the growing belly.

27 weeks

I will start my 27th week of pregnancy tomorrow. That means the start of my third trimester. How crazy is that? I only have 13 weeks left. Not a whole lot has changed pregnancy wise since my last post. I did have my glucose test on Thursday which was definitely not fun but was not nearly as bad as I had expected. The nurse warned me that she tried to drink one of the nasty syrup-like orange drinks the other day because she gave up soda for lent and was not making it very well without the sugar and in her opinion it was "scusting" (I think she meant disgusting). I drank the drink and then was sent out for an hour to kill time until I could have the blood work done. I walked target for 40 minutes or so and then I started to feel a little woozy so I decided to go sit in my car and relax until I could go back to the lab. I am glad I actually got to go walk around instead of sitting still in the awkward waiting room of the lab office. I don't have the results yet which makes me thing they must not have been bad. I have another prenatal appointment on Wednesday afternoon and hopefully I will find out the actual results of the glucose test then. I am pretty sure this weeks appointment is my last appointment before they change to every two weeks instead of every four. The only new thing I have noticed with this past week of pregnancy is more round ligament pain. If I didn't know better I would think I did 100 sit ups this afternoon.

Tim and I leave for VA on Thursday morning. Tim has a very big test for graduation on Friday afternoon so that is the main reason we are heading south. We will be going to my parents Thursday night to drop the dogs off so they can keep them during Tim's test then heading back to Lynchburg for Tims test Friday. After his test we will make the journey two and a half hours or so back to my parents house. Saturday we will be going to a family friends house for a baby shower with some friends and family back home and then we will probably go to revival service at the church I grew up in. Sunday we will go to church again and then as soon as church is over we will drive the eight hours back to PA. I am hoping the long car rides won't be too hard on me seeing that I have had some issues with cramping up if I don't change positions often. Though the weekend is pretty well booked I am very excited to go home and see my family and friends.

The weather here in PA has been starting to change just a slight bit. The past few days we have been fluctuating between 40s to the 60s. I know thats a wide range but this bipolar state cannot decide what it wants to be; winter or spring.  As a matter of fact there is supposed to be snow Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I am glad we will be leaving for VA if it does snow. Today was particularly nice so Tim and I decided to go out and take some pictures. Tim had fun playing photographer and taking some pictures to document my current belly. Though the pictures look like it, I really do not have an outie belly button. It has changed shapes but is not popping out completely. Hopefully as the weather gets warmer we can get out more often and take more pictures!

bye-bye feet.

The past week has been pretty uneventful as far as baby goes. She is definitely growing and moving around quite a bit more than she had been. Tim has been able to feel her movements or watch them now several times. He always says, "I want to feel them when she starts kicking REALLY hard". I can't really imagine her kicking harder at times. Sometimes it feels like shes about to push right through my stomach so if she kicks/pushes much harder I may not like it very much.

I noticed a few days ago that I no longer have feet... I only have toes. I am afraid it won't be long and they will disappear as well. My "pregnancy allergy" has been kind of strange lately. The rash comes and goes and still remains on my legs alone. It has yet to cause much discomfort so I will live with it for now. Honestly, I am more concerned about the upcoming capri and short season and having this nasty looking rash on my legs... but then again; here in Butler, PA where it is still snowing on the 11th of March, I may not have to worry at all about showing off my lovely red rash. My current symptoms are frequent heartburn, slight lower back aches, leg and stomach cramping. I have had to learned that drinking lots of water and eating raw broccoli and other potassium sources helps alleviate the cramping some. If I sit or stand for too long my back aches so thats not a hard fix. Changing positions often makes it so I am a little more comfortable. As far as the heartburn, I honestly don't think there is much I can do. I lay on my left side, avoid acidic or other foods that are supposed to be heartburn triggers, eat foods to help calm heartburn, and even take antacids but sometimes none of the remedies work. To be honest, it is becoming something I am used to, therefore I just push through the discomfort and stop worrying about the things I can't change. In just a few months the heartburn, backaches, and cramping and hopefully rash will end. I think I can handle this.

I have to go for my glucose test next week. I am totally not looking forward to it but I just keep reminding myself one nasty drink and I will be done. I have my next prenatal appointment on March 23rd. I am pretty sure my appointments after that will be two weeks apart instead of four. That kind of scares me... I am realizing how close we are getting to having a brand new baby. I will start my 3rd trimester in just over a week. AHH! Tim and I start parenting basics classes on Monday. I know we can handle this and I am ready but a little extra preparation won't hurt right?

Tim and I will be leaving for VA on the 24th so that he can go to school to take his test for graduation. I am trying so hard to be supportive and helpful to him but I just don't know what I can do. He is stressed beyond belief but I have great faith in him and know he will do just fine. If you think of it say a prayer for him between now and the 25th (the day of his test). I am sure he would appreciate it. While we are in VA, we are going to make a quick pit stop to my parents house for the weekend. My mom and Mrs. Kim (close family friend) are planning a small baby shower for while we are there. I am super excited to not only see my friends and family but to start getting some more baby stuff.

I uploaded 25 week pictures the other day and yes I know, apparently I am huge, a beached whale, a hippopotamus, etc but at least it looks like pregnancy and not just chub. But... if we want to classify it as chub so I can have an excuse again to desire for the street sign down at Sandbridge that read "chub lane" we can do that.

25 week pictures.

Allergic to pregnancy?.?.?.

So today I had a doctors appointment. I thought this was supposed to be an appointment for glucose testing but apparently I was wrong and will be doing that in about two weeks. Oh happy happy joy joy! I get to drink a bunch of yucky sugary drink, wait and hour and have my blood tested to determine how I process sugar. At least I did not have to do it today seeing that I was already feeling a big woozy.  Instead of doing the glucose test I just had a normal prenatal visit. I first visited with the head nurse and went over 3rd trimester information. It's crazy to me that my third and last trimester is almost here. We discussed my options for birth, feeding the baby, and even delivery medications and procedures. I was pleased to see that she was ok with me not wanting an epidural and actually wrote it down for the records. I was weighed and measured once again this week.  According to my doctor I am caught up to exactly where I should be. For those that think I look huge for a pregnant woman at 24 weeks you are wrong. My doctor may have just been being nice but he sure did a good job of reassuring me that I am perfectly normal. He explained to me that thy typical womans stomach measurement matches the number of weeks she is pregnant. With that in mind I feel totally fine bout my sizeof 24.1cm. My doctor actually made a comment about how many may think I look bigger than should due to societies tendency to be obese. Too often we are used to seeing women who are overweight to begin with therefore their pregnancies don't always show as soon. He told me there is only so much room for baby girl to go and a belly means healthy growth and development. He also talked to me about her placement. From the feels of it he believed she was bend in half with her bum up under my right rib which would explain the slight rib pressure I have been having when I sit for a long period of time.  Her heart rate was perfectly normal at 152 beats per minute. Lastly, they checked out the rash/ skin issues I have been experiencing for the past month or so. My hands and neck have been excessively dry causing what appears to be hives at times and my legs are covered in this terrible looking rash. I am not sure if it was a cop-out for lack of other explanation or what but my doctor suggested the possibility of me actually being allergic to my own body. He said it can happen where a womans bodies basically react to the pregnancy hormones they produce causing skin allergies. This would only happen to me. His suggestion was to take one benadryl tablet every day and two every night until my next appointment and see if that helps if so the only solution will be a permanent benadryl dosage (addiction) until delivery. That just seems crazy to me. How can I possibly be allergic to pregnancy? I am allergic to my own baby?!?! Taking benadryl daily is not an option for me. I like being awake and there is no possible way I can work and still follow those instructions. The rash does not bother me too bad so I have decided to use my own judgment and go without the drugs unless the condition becomes worse or I experience any itching or pain as a result which I currently do not.

Thats the latest update. Maybe there will even be a picture update soon too. :)

Mexican Jumping Bean.

Mexican Jumping Beans... yuck! 

Our little girl is taking me back to my childhood. I remember getting these Mexican jumping beans as a kid and thinking they were so cool until the creature inside that made them jump about appeared. For those that do not know... Mexican jumping beans are little hard seed looking things that bounce about. The reason they bounce is not because the seed is living but because what is inside is. These nasty little worms jump and squirm about until they finally make a hole in the shell big enough to get out. It was a pretty traumatic experience to one day discover my jumping beans no longer jumped and there were bugs handing out of them. You might be wondering why does your unborn child make you think of Mexican jumping beans? The past week and a half I have gone from feeling flutters or popping pop corn in my stomach to straight up pushing and prodding from the inside of me. Yeah, I am comparing my unborn child to a Mexican jumping bean; don't judge me. Hopefully the reveal of what is inside won't be so traumatic and disappointing as it was for me as a child. Speaking of movement, as I sit here right now I can actually see my stomach move with each push or kick that she does. Most mornings when I wake I can tell what side of my stomach she is on because it literally looks and feels like she is leaning on me from the inside out. Such a strange feeling but I must admit I am pretty mesmerized by it. I catch myself stopping all I am doing to watch her move or try to feel it outside of my stomach.

Last night, Amos (our dog) laid his head on my stomach and began his usual whining at me to give him some attention. The more I ignored him, the louder he got. After about 5 minutes of whining the baby gave one really good kick/ punch. Amos pulled his head back and looked at my stomach in complete confusion. This pattern of resting his head on my stomach and whining, baby kicking/punching, and Amos watching my stomach in curiosity went on for about 5 more minutes. The louder he whined the more she moved. All I can say is my child either has some form of sick attraction to dog whining or absolutely detests it and has already began laying down the law as master.

Amos 

 The nursery has been coming together quite well. We have decided for sure that we should get a changing table so that we can use the dresser for table top space. We will need to order that soon. Since we are going with this antique theme, Tim and I have been able to enjoy some antique shopping. Tim purchased an old school chair the other day for her room. It has such character! I love that he is so willing to be involved and wants to have input on nursery decorating and such. My mom sent me several of her dresses from when she was a child and one of my grandfathers (yes, apparently it was acceptable for baby boys to wear dresses too)  to display in the room.

As far as symptoms for me, for the most part things are going well. I have heartburn issues but have learned to work around them or just tolerate them. I can tell baby girl is going through a growth spurt because my stomach muscles hurt quite bad. I have a feeling I will be expanding more pretty soon. I weighed myself last night and about fell off the scale in shock. I don't think I have seen those numbers since high school, maybe freshman year of college. To be completely honest, my body image is probably pretty screwed up. I lost a decent amount of weight after high school and had become quite proud of myself. To see the scales grow closer to those high school  numbers and think about the fact that the baby inside of me is only about 1lb has a tendency to bring me down. I am now 22 weeks 2 days and have gained a total of 14lbs. I have caught up to the weight gain that I should have for where I am during pregnancy. Though, this is healthy and average it feels pretty discouraging to see my feet and that number all on the same scale. I guess, this too will be worth it in the end.

21 week picture.

20 weeks 5 days!

HALF WAY THERE!

This past Sunday marked 20 weeks into this pregnancy. I am more than thrilled to be over half way there but at the same time I am just not sure I am ready for this whole being a parent thing. I started thinking about the first part of the pregnancy and cannot believe the second is already here. The first 20 weeks held lots of ups and downs. Weeks 1-5 don't really count because at that point I didn't even know that pregnancy was in my near future. Weeks 5-6 were nerve wrecking, down right frustrating, and filled with all ranges of emotions. I remember thinking, "seriously, what is wrong with my body?!?". I questioned why I had terrible heartburn or acid reflux all of a sudden. I was scared to death of the sight of a pregnancy test simply because I didn't want to be let down to see yet another negative but at the same time I wasn't quite sure I was ready for a positive. Week 7 was a week full of excitement. We had doctors appointments and exciting news to surprise all of our family with. Week 8 was filled with ups and downs of just trying to absorb the fact that things were changing and changing quickly. Weeks 9-16 were the worst weeks of this whole ordeal. I threw up non-stop. Every time I moved, I threw up. Ever time I breathed, I threw up. Every time I attempted to eat anything other than mashed potatoes I threw up. I lost almost 8 lbs by the end of the whole "morning sickness" ordeal and was feeling pretty crappy about how poorly I was taking care of my body and the growing sea-monkey (ask Tim calls her) inside of me. By week 10 I had started to gain a belly despite the drop in weight. My clothes no longer fit the way I liked and that alone was a bit depressing. Week 12 we heard our sea-monkeys heartbeat. Hearing the heartbeat brought much relief to our worried minds that there was actually something inside of me causing all of the misery. Weeks 13-18 carried a lot of stress and worry that all was going okay with baby. All too often people glorify pregnancy and fail to tell you the normal yet scary things that can happen to your body. Those things can make for a very irritable mommy and daddy-to-be if not properly prepared. Week 19 was the first week that brought a change of emotion and overall feeling for me about this pregnancy. We were able to see our baby move, breathe, and count her fingers and toes. We even got to find out that Tim was right and were are having a baby girl. At this point, I was beginning to feel much better physically despite the growing belly. I no longer had to worry about morning/ all day sickness and had pretty much figured out how to handle the heartburn. I started to not hate the things happening to my body and began to see them as a blessing in disguise. Week 20 has come and gone and here at sit 3 days shy of completing 21 weeks. I said just a few weeks ago that I hate being pregnant and do not understand women who love it. My mind might be changing a bit. Don't get me wrong it is still awkward and extremely strange to know and feel something moving within you but it might not be that bad now. Though, the majority of the past 20 weeks were pretty rocky and rough I am able to see a much more positive side of what is to come.

This week things got pretty exciting in the Weaver house. We have begun decorating! The bedding for our little girls room came and we spend a good portion of time getting it all into place. Now things are falling together. We have decided to go with an antique kind of theme for the room and based off of that I got two ideas. First, was to hang and old gazebo bird cage in the corner of the room. Pretty sure Tim thought I had lost my mind when I told him I wanted to go antique shopping for a bird cage but despite his skepticism he found one and brought it home to surprise me with last night. It's exactly what I had imagined and shh don't tell him but I think he likes it now. My second idea is to get an old wash board and stencil on her first initial on the top. It is hard to describe but if it happens I will take pictures to explain. Don't get your hopes up too much... I will take pictures prior to the initial being put on... I am not going to break that easily and give you a clue to her name.

Tim's picks (sorry for the color... still trying to figure out the camera)

It is fairly obvious that Tim is getting excited. He came home from work the other day and couldn't wait to surprise me with what he had bought while out shopping with his partner. He had found 3 pretty adorable outfits. My jealousy of his shopping may have grown a little so he took me out to the outlets the other night after work just so we could spend a few bucks getting sale items. Tomorrow and Saturday are going to be shopping days as well. We need to get shelves for the nursery, a new light cover for the ceiling light, and some paint and stain. 

My favorite

   

I think she might be a little spoiled rotten.

                                                                                                                       

                                  

I know I keep saying it but this time I'll try to keep my promise. I'll will post new belly pictures soon.

IT'S A GIRL!

So this week has been quite the exciting one. Tim and I went to our first ultrasound on Friday. The night before you could just seem the anticipation written all over Tim and my faces. We were so anxious to get to bed and have time pass quickly. Unfortunately, waiting for this appointment was worst than Christmas. Niether of us slept much. We were just too excited/anxious to see our baby. The morning came very early and we were off to the hospital. I think I did a good job of covering up my nerves but inside I felt like I was going crazy. Tim and I sat in the waiting room discussing weather we thought the baby was a boy or girl. Tim had a dream that he had a wonderfully smart and well rounded daughter so that lead him to be pretty well convinced that it was a girl. I was unsure. I came up with all kinds of wives tales about what it could be. I am carrying pretty much all out front which of course means girl and girls steal their mothers beauty apparently which had to explain the acne... right?!?! But then at the same time... I started to show earlier than expected and Tim hasn't gained sympathy weight which means it has to be a boy. It cracks me up that people believe those things.

Finally it was our turn to go back. Our ultrasound tech was wonderful. She seemed to be very thorough. I would say she took pictures and measured all kinds of things for 45 minutes to almost an hour. One of the requirements for the ultrasound was drinking a ton of water before hand. I some how managed to hold down the 30oz and still allowed her to press on my stomach for a good while before I finally broke and had to relieve myself in the middle of our ultrasound. How embarrassing but completely normal I am sure. The entire ultrasound I kept getting this weird feeling about things. I couldn't believe that this thing with heart beat, brain, kidneys, fingers, toes and little nose was actually inside of me. It kind of freaked me out a bit... quite a reality check. At one point I looked at Tim and his joy of seeing his child move its arm and hand totally calmed me down and helped me stop freaking out. After showing Tim and I our quite calm and (in my biased opinion) cute child it was time to take a closer look at the physical features to find out what we were having. The tech spent some time trying to get the baby to move and uncross its legs and finally determined chances are good that our modest and very calm child is a GIRL! I sure hope her modesty and quietness sticks around after birth.

BABY GIRL WEAVER!

I expected Tim to want a boy but I was wrong... he couldn't be more excited to be having a little girl. I feel so lucky to have a husband who wants to be so involved. We both have had this itch to go baby shopping. We went to target yesterday after church and kind of became disappointed and discouraged after a long afternoon of trying to register but not finding what we want. That doesn't mean we didn't shop though. Tim and I ordered our bedding last evening off of ebay. Neither one of us are really big on characters or common child themes so we went for a more antique look which fits our personalities and styles well. I am so excited to get started and get things ready for our little girl. Sometime tells me she might be a little spoiled rotten.

The bedding we ordered. The 9 piece set inclues the toy bag, diaper sack,  throw pillow, bed skirt, sheet, quilt, bumper, and two window valances.

Notice there is pink (I know a shock coming from  me the worlds biggest pink hater)... but not too much of it thank goodness. 

We have decided to keep one thing a secret for the rest of the pregnancy. We are not telling the name we have chosen. Many people have asked and many will continue. I will fill you in on one clue... Weaver will definitely be her last name. No more clues until the baby girl is here. Don't bother trying to get us to give in... it won't happen.

Pregger pictures will come later this week.