sick

No new pictures, just a quick update for everyone. There's been a nasty stomach virus going around that I was unfortunate enough to catch... Yesterday, I ended up going to the hospital and being admitted for observation because I couldn't even keep water down. I was really dehydrated, but the baby is fine. He doesn't particularly like being monitored and took every opportunity he had to kick the monitor when it was on. The staff was pretty impressed with how active and strong he is. Kenny thought it was funny because you kept hearing loud blurbs on the monitor when he moved or kicked. I think he understands a little bit now what I'm saying when I feel him moving. They kept me overnight and released me around noon today. I'm still feeling pretty tired and weak, but the nausea and vomiting are gone and the diarrhea is in the process of subsiding. I'm just trying to get some rest, stay hydrated, and take in some calories. Kenny has been amazing and kept me company at the hospital and has been waiting on me around the house. He made me lunch and dinner and went to the grocery store to pick me up some Gatorade and soup. How lucky am I to have such a wonderful husband!?! I just wanted to thank everyone who called to check up on me. Unfortunately, Kenny and I aren't going to be able to make it up for Thanksgiving in Mansfield like originally planned. We are just going to switch holidays and do Thanksgiving with his family here and go up to Mansfield for Christmas. But I'm feeling much better than I did yesterday and will hopefully keep improving over the next few days. Now we just have to hope Kenny doesn't catch it...

Busy, busy, busy

Things have been really busy around here the past few weeks. We moved into a new apartment at the beginning of the month, so things were really hectic packing and unpacking. We've got most of the stuff unpacked now, but we still have a decent amount of work to do. I used the moving as a reason to take a registry break :). I have found the best way to destress is to look at cute baby things. You can't be mad holding something that adorable. After scanning the store, we decided to do a jungle theme in his room. It'll be a lot of greens, browns, tans, and cute wild animals. We were also in an accident a couple of weeks ago. Luckily, none of us (including the baby) were hurt, and the car barely has a scratch. School has also been busy for both of us, so it's been difficult to find time to just relax. I'm starting to feel some of the aches and pains of pregnancy. I pee more times than I count now. I'm also starting to feel the effects of sciatica. I got a maternity support belt to help alleviate some of the pressure. It actually seems to be working. I'm completely into maternity clothes now. I can wear an oversized t-shirt or sweatshirt when I'm just laying around, but other than that, it's all big belly stuff now. You'll see why in the picture. The baby is moving around A LOT! He is very active and goes through definite sleep-wake cycles. He really enjoys kicking or lying on my bladder. We try to read something to him every night, just so he can hear our voices. We've got the names narrowed down to three choices, we think. We know the middle name is going to be Patrick. Now we just have to decide between these for the first name: Evan, Braden, or Lucas. That's all we have so far. We'll keep you updated as we start decorating the room and buying stuff. And congrats to Mary and Dennis on their beautiful baby girl, Maia!

Here is the 24 weeks picture. Now you can understand why I need the extra clothes space...