Latest picture

Not much to update, but Happy Holidays, everyone! Kenny and I took the latest picture so it is here for all to see. The doctor is starting to see us every 3 weeks, instead of every 4. My next appointment is the 31st. I suspect it will be same old, same old, but if anything new comes up, I'll let you know. He is definitely getting bigger. I'm starting to feel him up under my ribs when I sit down. He is also kicking hard enough now that it hurts sometimes or surprises me. My whole belly moves every time he kicks. Kenny can feel him move pretty reliably. It's weird to feel how long the baby's reach is. He can punch my left hip and kick me in my right-side ribs. I can feel him move around to different spots, but he definitely has places he likes to hang out more than others.

And so begins the third trimester...

Well, it seems like it has been a while, but I'm finally 2/3's of the way through the pregnancy. I had my glucose tolerance test and another doctor's appointment today. The doctor said my uterus is measuring 26 cm at 26 weeks, which is right where it's supposed to be. I haven't found out the results for the GTT yet, but I'm not overly concerned. The baby is definitely getting bigger. I can feel him up in my ribs, which he seems to enjoy. Every few days or so, I feel a little crampy for short bursts. I had already guessed this, but the doctor confirmed that it's my uterus "practicing." It's a little strange to think that I'm already experiencing contractions, albeit not labor ones. The baby is viable now, too. It makes it a little more real and reassuring to know he could survive outside the womb now. It's getting harder to sleep because it's so hard to find a comfortable position. The baby likes to kick on the side of my stomach that is against the the mattress. He doesn't seem to like any pressure being placed on my abdomen. Kenny's birthday was Sunday (the 7th), and I was on my feet for awhile cooking and shopping. I was surprised at how tired and sore I was afterwards. My body isn't quite used to all of this extra weight. Thanksgiving went really well! Lots of really good food that did my body and the baby good :). I am feeling much better and am keeping myself hydrated. We scheduled childbirth classes and a tour of the maternity floor for January. The third semester is crunch time for getting prepared, so Kenny and I are busily trying to get things together. It's been a bit hairy because it is exam time for both of us, as well. In deference to Aunt Ann's request, I'm posting some pics of the belly that include Kenny and I. Hope you enjoy! The picture in the green was actually take after the picture in the red. The green just doesn't emphasize the stomach as much... As you can see, there is already a large difference between this picture and the last belly shot 3 weeks ago.

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...

Surprise!

The moment of truth has arrived! And everyone but Kenny has been really surprised... Which means: we're having a boy! We had the ultrasound today, and he didn't really feel like cooperating at first. He was napping and, of course, had his face turned away from us too. Eventually, with some poking and prodding, we got him to move. He had his cord wrapped between his legs, but he eventually untangled himself. And he turned his head just long enough for us to get a decent picture. So for those of you that are interested, here are the pictures:

This is the "boy" shot. There's a little arrow pointing to a very important piece of anatomy, so we have photographic evidence.

This is baby's first head shot. It took awhile to get him to look this way. He'd turn just long enough for us to get a hint of what he looked like, but only this one time did he take time to pose.

This was one unsuccessful attempt to get him to look at us. He actually had his arm curved up around his head at one point. He was sleeping and didn't want to be disturbed. And he let it be known too. Whenever we poked him, he would poke back hard. The technician actually felt the wand move when he bucked back at us.

And this is his little foot. He was curled up with feet tucked under him and crossed for most of the ultrasound.

So the ultrasound went pretty successfully. I started to cry a little bit after she told us it was a boy- good tears, of course. And Kenny wanted a high five. I think he's already picturing coaching baseball teams. They took images of the baby's brain, which was cool. That's the neuroscience in us talking. They said he weighs about 14 oz. We got to see his heart and all of the chambers pumping. The doctor said everything looked good and that he appears to be healthy.

The grandparents and aunts and uncles already know. Our parents were all really excited, as was everyone else. My sister, in true Lynn fashion, gave this response when I told her it was a boy: "That's terrible!" But she laughed and said congratulations, so I don't think she entirely meant it. Grandpa offered up his name as an option, and also Ferdinand Leopold- which was his dad's name. While Grostati was alive, there was a substantial monetary amount offered to whichever of his granddaughters named their son after him. Mom and Dad balked, and Candie never got the chance. Since there isn't the same incentive, I think we might have to pass this time. We do think we are going to use the middle name Patrick, since he's due so close to St. Patrick's Day. And we're trying to pick a first name that reflects my Scottish/Welsh heritage, so that he reflects both of us in his name.

I'm already starting to feel him move a lot. I can even feel him on the outside of my abdomen already. Kenny says he still can't feel it, but I don't think it will be much longer. The baby's pretty powerful.

20 weeks photo

Alright, here is my 20 weeks photo:

I think you can officially tell I'm pregnant now... I feel bigger than that.

I also found out today that I can still take classes next semester. I am permitted a two week medical leave. This doesn't leave a lot of time for recovery, but I'll only be taking eight credit hours. So hopefully, that will be okay. I'll be taking off of work from the time we have the baby until the end of the semester. It doesn't make sense to work just to make enough money to pay for daycare. Kenny should be able to take some vacation time to stay with the baby while I'm at school.

I forgot to mention yesterday that the rumors about pregnant women being really forgetful is true! I am absent-minded anyways, but I have taken it to a new level. I lost four pairs of sunglasses in two weeks. Yesterday, I took Kenny's house keys out of his pocket while we were unloading groceries and proceeded to IMMEDIATELY lose them. It took a good thirty minutes for us to find them. So if you have anything important to tell me, make sure I get it in writing!

Our first blog!

Hi everyone! I know it's a little late into the pregnancy to be starting this, but I was inspired by our friends Dennis and Mary in Atlanta. I'll be in my 20th week (five months or so) tomorrow! Half way done! So for everyone who doesn't know the whole story, we'll start at the beginning. We found out we were pregnant on July 4th. I had been feeling weird for a week or two and Kenny kept trying to tell me I was pregnant. I was doubtful, however. He convinced to take a test and it took two before I was really convinced. We called the doctor and made an appointment but couldn't get in until August 1. That is a long time to wait!! So every two or three days I would get nervous and have to take another test. Needless to say, they all came back positive.

I told Mom a couple of days after we found out, but waited awhile to tell everyone else. I did tell my bosses early too, so that they wouldn't wonder why I wouldn't work with radiation or the animals anymore. I wanted to wait until after the doctor's appointment in August to tell everyone else. Mom ended up having to tell Dad so that he didn't insist on taking me to the hospital for food-poisoning. That was my first bout of morning sickness- and it wasn't in the morning... We told his mom soon after that. We waited to tell the rest of the "immediate" family until after the first doctor's appointment and closer to the three month mark. Most of his family had already had it figured out, as had my sister. We didn't really tell anyone else until after we heard the heartbeat. As some of you know, I'm still telling some people. (Sorry, it's been really hectic...)

I didn't start getting sick until the middle of July. I was mostly just really nauseous all day long and couldn't really think about food. I am definitely feeling better now, though. Kenny's happy because I can finally cook again. We heard the heartbeat at the beginning of September. I have it recorded and am going to see if I can find a way to link it. We go on Halloween to get our ultrasound. Everybody we've told but Kenny seems to think it's a girl. We'll just have to wait and see...

Here are a couple of belly pics so you can map my progress. I'm not divulging my weight...

4 weeks

9 weeks

13 weeks

16 weeks

We'll take the 20 week picture tomorrow and post it. I'm out of my regular clothes and into maternity ones now. I can wear some of my old jeans with a belly band, but most of my old shirts are out of the question. We'll keep you posted as we find out more!