Farewell 2008

Well it's time to say goodbye to 2008. It's been quite a year with ups and downs and lots of excitement. I would like to got through some of my memories from each month so come along for the ride.

January - We went to some friends house for a great New Year's Eve party and played Guitar Hero all night and ate and drank. I don't think we'll have so much excitement tonight. Birthdays for me and Nathan. Mom cooks whatever we want to eat.

February - We celebrated our 4th anniversary in Fredericksburg, TX. We stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast outside of town. We shopped, ate wonderful food, and visited some friends and family nearby.

March - That's when the fun of IVF journey began. I've already posted the whole story in one of my first entries, but I'll just take a moment to say that the month of testing, medicating, and waiting was exciting and excrutiating at the same time. Since we were offered a spot in a clinical trial, we didn't have a lot of time to think about the offer. We pretty much decided in about 2-3 days if we wanted to do it. We weren't previously doing any treatment. It was a big decision, but I think we made the right one.

April - More medicine, egg retrieval and embryo transfer. Things were very busy at work that month too with a major turnaround (shutdown of the chemical plant to work on things) going on. So I was going to the dr every week, missing lots of work, trying to keep secrets. Whoo!

May - Oh May!! May 11 - Mother's Day, I took my first home pregnancy test, and it was positive.

June - 1st u/s showed 2 babies. That was quite a shocker!

July - Found out that one of the babies didn't make it. Very sad, but happy that our little boy was doing well.

August and September - Dominated by hurricanes. We evacuated for Gustav, which hit around New Orleans. Then 2 weeks later, Ike hit us. We were out of our house for about 10 days with no power, no clean water, and no sewer. We only had minor exterior damage and some roof leaks in one room. We were fortunate to have places to stay in the area after the storm so we could clean up the mess at the house.

October and November - Just riding through the pregnancy, getting bigger, more uncomfortable, but also very excited that our son is coming soon!

December - Baby showers! It was so fun to get baby gifts and get the nursery set up. It's all ready for the little boy. Christmas was a bit sad because I was on bedrest and didn't get to see all the family, but dr's orders. Now I just have 2 weeks (at the longest) till the baby comes.

2009 is going to bring lots of changes to our family, and I am very excited to get it started. Plus tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm not on bedrest! Not that I'll do anything crazy, but it will be nice to go to Grandpa's house for lunch.

We passed!

We actually passed the NST! Little boy decided to cooperate and move around so the NST would look good. Then the dr came in and asked how I was feeling and how things are going. We talked about bp, and she said it's a little higher than it should be, but to keep same meds, and that it is not anything to be too worried about at the moment. That was nice to hear. I'm measuring a little behind. She wasn't really worried. She said baby's head is very low, and that is why I'm not really big. But we are doing a growth scan on Friday just to check his weight.

She did the exam... which was extremely painful... I mean for real people... and I'm 1 cm dilated, which doesn't mean a lot, but that I am progressing. She also said, the big kicker, that she doesn't want us to go past 39 weeks because of the bp issues and risks to my health. So, we will be having a baby on or before Jan. 14!! Very exciting.

I asked about bedrest and activity level, and she said I can do a little more, even go run an errand or two, just no majorly long outings. So yay for no more home-bound bedrest! I did tell her that I really didn't want to go back to work. It's not so much that I wouldn't mind going in to work for a little while next week, but it would be hard to get back in the swing of things. I get really tired and out of breath easy. She didn't have a problem writing me a note that I need to stay home through the rest of the pregnany and 6 weeks postpartum. Plus if I go back at all, I start over with 2 weeks unpaid before I get short term disability. So maybe I'm a little lazy, and maybe we will need the money. I just think it's better if I don't go back. I will spend most of my time at home, but maybe we can go to the movies or out to eat this weekend. That will be nice. Maybe I can get a massage or a haircut.

So things are looking pretty good for today!

Rough night

So I definitely have that nasty cold and it is making me miserable. I was up every hour or two all night after I finally fell asleep around 1:00 am. I took Claritin, but it didn't help much. Sudafed usually helps, but it makes my heart race and bp go up. I'm sure I'll survive though. BP was good all day yesterday and this morning so far. I'm very curious what the dr is going to say. I wish I would have made my appt earlier, but I know it's better for Nathan for it to be in the afternoon. He is not planning on coming, but if things don't go well, like the past two times, he will come as quick as he can, and I'm ok with that. I just want to know, is she going to keep me on bedrest until the baby comes? Does she consider my bp under control with some days being high and some days being ok? Am I starting to dilate and efface? And it's a little scary knowing that if the tests don't go well, I could have to stay in the hospital and have the baby. But we are one day from being 37 weeks (can't hardly believe it) so he will be ok. I trust her, so I will do what she thinks is best. Of course I will want to ask questions, but she has seen me through this far, so I think she will take care of us.

Appt is at 1:40 pm central time, so I will update when I get home, whenever that may be. I may test out mobile blogger if I'm going to be there for a while.

Pawpaw

Hopefully no one minds my two posts a day these days. I just get kinda bored and lonely, and sharing with you all helps a lot. My grandpa calls me every day to check on me. I think he has come over to our house more in the past week than in the past year. He only lives 15 minutes away, but he is majorly a homebody and never leaves the house, and when he does come over, it's usually for like 10 minutes. He has really been good to me. He's 77 years old and in fairly decent health. When my grandmother passed away in 2003, it was very hard on him. It was hard on all of us. He's dealt a lot with depression, and he has his good days and bad days. Back to the story, so yesterday he made cookies (pre-made dough, his specialty) and brought them to us, one plate of chocolate chip for Nathan and one of white chocolate macadamia nut for me. Yummy. Then today he calls and wants to bring us dinner, chicken and dressing. Yummy. It's just really nice of him to take care of us like that. And yesterday on the phone he was telling me I'm his favorite grandchild... I try to say nice things about my cousins and bring up how my brother is doing better, but he insisted. Of course I loved it...

Reflecting

Just wanted to take a chance to reflect on a few things. First of all, Nathan, Chesley, and I are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. (Except for the fact that I think one of our wonderful visitors lately gave me a cold...) We had three baby showers with wonderful gifts, food, and love given freely. One was at church, one at a friend's house, and one at Nathan's aunt's house. We got pretty much everything we needed for Chesley. How awesome is that? I went out and bought the rest of the things we needed and we have gotten some money and gift cards since then. The generosity and love is really amazing. Second, as I think I've said, Nathan has been really great this past week since I've been on bedrest. He's been good with helping throughout the pregnancy, but up until the doc said bedrest, I was doing most of my normal housework, grocery shopping, and activity. When he heard the doc say bedrest, it must have really hit him that something bad could happen, and that I really need to take it easy. He just does everything I would normally do, cook, clean, shop, laundry, usually without me having to ask. If I ask for a certain thing to eat, he gets it, though I am not picky these days, and will pretty much eat whatever doesn't eat me first. He's just been great to us. I'm really blessed to have him to take care of us and to have him for my husband. Finally, I am blessed to be having this baby in the first place. Through three years of infertility, there were many tears, and there were many times I thought I would never be a mother. I've always wanted to have a child, always knew I would have a child. Now, sometime in the next few short weeks, he will be here. So though I will probably continue to complain about how miserable my body feels, which it does of course, I really feel blessed.

So I'm all alone today in the big quiet house. My throat is sore, so I hope I'm not getting sick. BP was up and down yesterday. I think highest was about 138/92 or something, not great, but not horrible. Going to the dr tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see what she wants to do with us then.

Summer is doing better

Nathan went to church this morning and found out that Summer is doing better. They stopped her pre-term labor and are working on getting her pain under control on oral meds so they can make the trip home. They are still in Arkansas somewhere and have quite a long drive home to SE TX. I'm just glad to hear they are doing better, and I'm still praying for a safe trip home and for things to calm down.

My In-law baby shower

So instead of posting about how bored I am and how much my back hurts... I will share some pics of my baby shower from my in-laws. This little monkey-cupcake-set-up was so dern cute.









And my SIL made this precious arrangement for the table and for me with the little animals. She is so creative.











And I got lots of presents, lots of clothes, blankets, books, and the high chair, play pen, and monitor.











And here is me in all my big glory... and that was 3 weeks ago, on 12/7. I like this picture though.

So we'll see what excitement happens today. Hope everyone has a good day. I haven't heard an update from Summer, but I will update when I hear something.

Please pray for Summer

My friend Summer is 27 weeks pregnant with her second child, a daughter. She is our pastor's wife. They went out of state for the holidays, and she got kidney stones that are sending her into pre-term labor. I don't know all of the details, but I just hope wherever she is, the drs are taking good care of her and trying to keep the baby from coming just yet. I know her baby has a good chance of survival, but it's really best if they can hold off delivery. Poor Summer is in lots of pain too. Please pray and think good thoughts for Summer, Eric, and baby girl. I always pray for friends in need, but I do feel a special bond with my sisters who are pregnant at the same time as me.

Dear Lord, Please heal Summer. Calm her body and mind. Allow her baby to stay inside her and grow healthy and strong. Be with her family as they take care of her and her son Ethan. Amen.

Updated - Another exciting day in the life

I am on partial bedrest, so I am allowed to sit up and "move around the house" says the dr. But I probably should lay down more than I am. I probably need the lecture. It's so hard to lay down all day. It is nice to be able to rest and not have any responsibilities, but dang... Stir crazy for sure. And yes, I would only be alone during the day while Nathan is at work. It's not so bad if I can sleep late, eat, watch tv for a little while, nap, get on the computer for a minute, and then he is home. BP has been creeping up a little today, so we'll see what happens. And I'm doing way less today than yesterday. I do wish we had bought a laptop instead of a new desktop. If I would have known about bedrest, I certainly would have gotten a laptop instead. It was just such a good deal for the desktop, printer, big monitor. I do like to read, but I get so sleepy, and I know if I sleep all day, I'll be up all night. I want to work on my scrapbook, but sitting at the table working on it really makes my back hurt. Maybe I'll try to learn how to crochet if it's not too hard.

Oh and just for fun... I swear that none of my maternity clothes fit anymore. Well, they are pretty dang tight anyways. It's almost 80ºF here this week, hotter than it has been in a while, so I need short sleeves, and those shirts are not fitting. So I raided Nathan's side of the closet. His soft Old Navy polo shirt is nice n comfy! He said, "why are you wearing my nice shirt?" I said "It's comfy. Do you want me to take it off?" He said "no."

So here we go again, another day of non-excitement, which is good. It has been nice that Nathan has been home a lot to keep me company. And I'll only be home alone Mon, Tues, and Wed next week since he'll be off for New Year's Day and the day after. Then things will get tough if I have to be home for 2 weeks alone... But I'm trying to take things one day at a time. I do wish I could go to the mall or to the movies, but I'll survive. Well I'm off to go shopping, online that is. Have a great day.

Fun times at the hospital

Everything went well with the tests at the hospital. It sounds scary when we tell people we had to go to the hospital, but the only reason is because the drs office is closed today. We got put on the monitor, and little boy was not moving much, even after drinking a Sprite. Then the nurse ordered an ultrasound. Then as soon as she said that, he started moving like crazy and his heartbeat went up and down like they wanted to see. But they wanted to go ahead and do the u/s. I had to ride in a wheelchair... OMG I was really hoping I didn't see anybody. I felt silly, but they wouldn't let me walk. He did good on the u/s too. He did his practice breathing and lots of movement. So now we're home. Hopefully we have a nice uneventful weekend.

Another NST

Well I just ate a nice big sugary breakfast and the little boy is wiggling around and kicking me pretty good. Hopefully he'll keep up the good work when we go in for our NST and monitoring this morning at the hospital. I still can't believe they are making us go to the hospital just for this test... I'm thinking about the money involved. $30 to have it done at the dr office, $250 at the hospital, and that's if you don't see the dr... Plus my dr is off until Tuesday. So I would really rather not have the baby with another dr. But I'm trying to leave things in God's hands and just do what the dr says. My bp has been really good today and yesterday. I'm not sure if it's because of the rest or the medicine or a combination of the two, but I am very happy about it.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Mom and Mya came over around 11:00 and ate lunch and visited and brought presents. Then I took a nap, hung out with Nathan, took a bath, and then his parents came over at 9:00 pm. They didn't stay too long though. They brought us lots of nice presents. It kind of makes you feel bad when you say you're not buying presents, but then you are the only one who actually does not buy presents. It's not really fair. I guess now we know that even when we say that people will buy stuff. It also makes me feel bad because everybody has done so much for us for baby stuff, then buys us presents, and we have nothing to give them... We did buy presents for all the kids, so I guess that counts for something. Oh well.

Merry Christmas

Isiah 9
2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Christmas last year

Just wanted to share some pics from last year. This is my SIL (Nathan's sister) , her husband, and my nephew Corben.

This is my niece Mya and nephew Omar. The look on her face in this pic is hilarious. You might have to enlarge the pic to see it. She is such a drama queen.









This is my SIL (brother's wife) and my lovely husband watching the kids open presents.














Hopefully they will take some pics tomorrow so I can see all the fun.

I got a call from my health insurance and they approved me for short term disability for the rest of the pregnancy. So that is reassuring. It is only 60% pay, but with me staying home, I'm not really spending any money, using any gas, or going out to eat, so hopefully it won't be too tough.

I did have a rough night last night. BP was high, around 140/95, I was very uncomfortable all over, and I was having lots of BH conttractions till about 2:00 am. They came every 5 minutes for a few hours, but they were getting weaker instead of stronger, so I was pretty sure it was not labor. I was hoping I made the right decision not going to the hospital, and I think I did. I slept pretty decent from 2:00 till 9:30 am. Now the contractions are just one or two an hour, still weak. He's moving really well today. It's just so crazy going through this for the first time, not knowing exactly what to expect. I think the sound of the keyboard clicking is making him kick me really hard LOL.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas Eve with family and friends. Hold everyone dear. Give lots of hugs and kisses.

Christmas Eve Eve

We always called Dec. 23rd Christmas Eve Eve. It was a very exciting day for us as kids. One more day till Christmas Eve, presents, cookies, candy, and of course Santa. I'll be having a quiet day today and thinking about how exciting it was to be a kid at Christmastime.

I spent some time on the computer filing for my short term disability. I think I'm still a little bit in denial that I will be out of work till the baby comes. But I seriously doubt that my blood pressure will miraculousy stay low and even if it does that the dr will let me go back to work. So I filed the information, talked to HR, told them what is going on, and now I'm waiting for the health insurance rep to call me and ask me questions and tell me what I need to do. Not exactly all calm and stress free activities, but knowing that money will be coming in will help with my stress about paying the bills. For a girl who has worked the past 5.5 years straight with only hurricanes and short vacations as breaks from work, the thought of all this time off is crazy. I would like 8 weeks after the baby comes, so if the baby does wait 4 weeks, that is 12 weeks. If the baby waits less, then less. Crazy that a little tiny boy that I haven't even met yet is running the show.

Well, I hope everyone has a nice Christmas Eve Eve until the craziness of Christmas gets here. Remember Jesus's birth and the miracle of God's blessing to us all.

Back home!

So I just got home after seeing the dr. I saw her first and we talked about the high bp. She wants me to stay on bedrest and same meds. So I will be spending Christmas quite alone on the couch. That is pretty depressing. But lots of visitors will probably not be good for my bp anyways. I was just a little dilated. She said to call if bp gets to 160/105 either top or bottom number. Then we did NST and did not pass that. They look for the baby's heartrate to accelerate, and that did not happen. I ate a brownie and drank a dr pepper, still nothing. His HR was good, just steady. Then we did the BPP (biophysical profile) where the ultrasound tech looks for movement. We got arm and leg movement, but no twists or turns. So we only scored 6/10 on that. At this point, it's after 1:00 and I haven't eaten lunch. During all of this Nathan was at work. While I was getting the u/s, someone knocks at the door and says that there is a man here to see me. I said, "Who is it?" They said "Motiva" which is the name of Nathan's company, so I knew it was him. It was so great that he came to see us. He was getting worried. So after we didn't pass the BPP, they sent us to the hospital to be monitored more. So I was glad to not be alone. I was getting a little freaked out. Then the baby started moving a little more and had some accelerations. Then the dr came and saw us and let us go home. So I just got home, and I'm waiting for Nathan to bring me some food. Hopefully after I eat the baby will move some more. He is not moving much at all today. We are going back to the hospital on Friday for another NST since the drs office will be closed. So things are getting crazy around here these days. The dr said we might be having a New Year's baby... For those of you who don't know, I was born on New Year's Day. I just hope the baby can hold off at least one more week. So I might be done with work. I doubt the dr is going to let me go back with this bp issue. That is a little stressful financially, but I'm trying not to worry. I'm on bedrest but dr said I can move around the house. I don't have to stay in bed 24/7, which is good, just no going anywhere or doing much of anything. Well I hear Nathan's truck. Say a prayer for us.

Quick update

This morning when I woke up, bp was 130/100. I was a little freaked out. I called the nurse, and she was going to pull my chart and call me back. I ate breakfast, took my meds, and waited. I checked bp again, and it has gone down a little bit. So probably nothing dire. She called and didn't sound too worried and said I can come in now to get monitored and see the dr. So I'm going right now. This little boy is taking me on a rollercoaster already!

Another day of rest

So I'm still resting and taking it easy. Tomorrow we'll see what the dr says. I just hope I get to keep the baby in a little longer and work a little longer. But I really trust the dr, so we'll go with what she says. There is really nothing on tv!! I think all the tv shows are on holiday breaks. And for some reason some of the tv channels that are showing movies are not working. I guess I'm destined for goofy shows and pay-per-view.

Checking in

I'm downstairs for a little while to eat breakfast, so I'm checking in. BP got up to 140/94 last night, then went back down. This morning it is 131/91. So I'm watching it closely and trying to stay laying down and resting. My back is not liking the laying down all day and all night. I just hope the bp doesn't go up anymore. I increased the dose of the meds, but that really hasn't brought it down. Kind of scary.

Nathan put together the stroller, swing, and high chair last night. Not that we will need the high chair for a while, but I just want to make sure everything works right and has all its parts in case we need to take something back. So far, so good.

Update

Sorry so late. We got home from the dr around 3:00 and I was so tired I took a nap. Baby boy is growing well. He is right on track for his age. He weighs about 5 lbs. 11 oz. Dr. was very concerned about my blood pressure and swelling. He said bedrest for the weekend until I see my OB on Monday. He said if my bp bottom number goes over 100 to go to the hospital. He increased my dosage of bp medicine and said that may take care of it, but if it doesn't, they can give me stronger meds or just let me have the baby. He said that if I go into labor, that he wouldn't stop it and that the baby would be ok. The baby's head is very low, already making it's way into my pelvis. So, not really bad news, just precautions for me. He was pretty serious about bedrest, laying down to prevent swelling and keep bp low. BP before my nap was 140/82, and after it was 135/80. So, I'm going to rest more.

Goin to the dr

I'm sitting here waiting for Nathan to get ready so we can go to the dr. He always make me wait. I like to be on time... It's 8:30, and our appt is at 10:20. It takes about 1 hr and 45 mins to get there, so we'll be close, but oh well. I'm a little nervous about what the dr is going to say today. Hopefully little boy is growing big and strong. My blood pressure has been high since yesterday afternoon. I knew that there was something going on yesterday since I didn't feel good. It has been about 140 over 90. And at 4:00 am, I woke up with my hands very swollen and hurting. I can deal with these symptoms ok, but I know that they can indicate pre-emclampsia. So we'll see what the dr thinks and what he wants to do.

Make it through the day

If I can just make it through the day today, I have a three day weekend coming up. Tomorrow we go to Houston for a growth scan. Not exactly a day of fun, but at least we won't have to work. Maybe Nathan will put together some of the baby stuff I've been nagging him about. We don't have any plans for this weekend, so hopefully I can get some rest.

I still need to buy a gift for my niece, grandpa, and Nathan's grandma. I'll probably try to knock it all out at Target. My feet can only go so many steps these days. Micah said something about an Elmo doll for Mya, so I'll see if they have that, if not I'll give him some money and he can hunt for it. Maybe I'll give her some coloring books or something too. Grandpa asked for some new cookie sheets. He bakes cookies (pre-made dough) all the time, especially around the holidays. So I'll try to find some nice ones for him. For Nathan's grandma, she is always complaining about being cold, so maybe a nice throw blanket. I mean, always complaining. It's funny. At Thanksgiving, we had a 20 minute conversation about how she is always cold, and how everybody is out to get her and make her freeze. She gets mad at people at church when they turn on the A/C and tells them that they must have high blood pressure and that's why they are hot. She leaves church when she gets too cold. Too funny...

Nancy mentioned she is having a hard time leaving comments. Anybody else? I will try to figure out what is going on and email somebody to help me.

Tired today

I'm just so tired today. I woke up crampy and having BH contractions and feeling a little run over. I'm to the point where I really can't take a deep breath anymore. Little boy is using up my lung space. It's definitely a good thing that I can park close to the building at work and take the elevator.

We just had our holiday pot luck lunch at work. The food was really good. We had kids from a local elementary school come and sing Christmas songs. It was such a nice treat. The kids were really cute and sang very well.

Dr appt update

I saw the dr yesterday and everything is going well. Baby boy passed the NST, barely. He just wasn't very active yesterday. They like to see lots of movement and two heartrate accelerations in 20 minutes. At the last minute he cooperated. I told the dr about the pressure I've been feeling, so she checked me, and said everything is closed up. It's just nerve-wracking being pregnant for the first time, not knowing what to expect. I asked a few questions about delivery. Does she use staples for c-section? No, she does not. I like that answer. TMI alert........... Does she routinely do episiotomy? No, she does not. She prefers to let things happen naturally. I am really scared of tearing. I know it happens, and there is nothing I can do, but it is scary. I also know that the recovery is probably somewhat fast. I'm more scared of tearing than I am of the c-section. But I know that c-section has a longer recovery.

My brother is in town this week for a job interview. He lives in San Antonio, about 6 hours away, but this job really sounds good. It would be great if he eventually moved down here. I know it will be a tough transition to get his wife and 3 kids here. He has my niece with him and will try to find childcare here. His wife works at a restaurant and works evenings sometimes, so it would be hard for her to have the little girl and find childcare. So it was good to see them last night. I'm hoping and praying that he gets this job. It would probably be really great pay. And I'm praying that if he gets it everything will work out.

Back to work

So I'm back at work today for my normal short Monday. Dr appt is at 2:30. I don't expect anything extraordinary to happen.

I got the monitor to work! It makes the funny noises when the receiver and the listening devices are too close together. I turned on the radio in the nursery and listened in from our bedroom, and it worked fine.

We had a great time at the party Saturday night. I got tired pretty early because I did a lot on Saturday. I got pretty much all the rest of the baby stuff we needed, did laundry, returned something at Hobby Lobby, and bought a couple of maternity lounge pants at the mall. I hated spending more money on clothes, but I do need more comfy pants. They don't even look maternity, so they'll be good for after I have the baby. Saturday we also went to Best Buy and bought a camcorder. We were there forever. It was so busy and crowded. We ended up getting a hard drive camcorder that is small and cute and works very well. It holds hours of video. We also got a new computer. Thank goodness for 18 month no interest financing. Our "old" 4 year old computer was full and needed major upgrades and extra memory. The cost to do that was about the same as a new computer package. So we have lots of new toys to play with. I didn't get a chance to get on the new computer yet because Nathan was on it all night. But I'll be home before him today, so I'll get my turn.

I spent 3 hours yesterday on the couch writing thank you cards! It felt good to get them written. It's so important to me to express my grattitude to friends and family. I wrote 48 cards! And that doesn't count the 20 cards I already sent out to church friends! I still need to address envelopes and send them out. Hopefully this week I'll get that done.

I'm really wanting him to put together all the big baby stuff, the stroller, car seat, high chair, swing, bouncer... to make sure it all works. Plus I hate seeing all those big boxes everywhere. Maybe this weekend. We go to the perinatologist Friday for a growth scan. Hopefully baby boy is growing big and strong. I'm pretty sure he is, or at least I'm growing big...

Baby boy is coming soon. 5 weeks and 2 days left. I can't hardly believe it. And my friend Nancy is 2 days behind me, and Rachel is about 10 days ahead of me! It would be crazy if babies were born on the same day. I really feel a special connection to these ladies who I've gone through the pregnancy with.

Up Early

So I woke up around 6:30 this morning, earlier than I wake up during the week. How does this happen?? I ate dinner pretty early last night, so I was starving and had to eat breakfast. So I'm going to get started on laundry and then go run some errands. At least I can finish errands early and have time to do things in the nursery and then rest before our party tonight. I opened the baby monitor last night and set it up, and I'm not sure if it's going to work. If I turn it up very loud at all, it beeps and makes horrible noise. Not sure what the deal is.

TGIF

I'm so glad it's Friday. I'm leaving around 3:00 today, going home and getting stuff done in the house. I just need to do a few more things to get baby's clothes, blankets, and burp clothes organized. Then I need to start opening the big stuff to make sure it all works and get it set up. Hopefully Nathan will help with that. I would be super happy if we got it all done this weekend. Tomorrow night is our Christmas party with our wonderful friends, so that will be fun.

I'm training my replacement for when I'm on maternity leave, and man... we have a lot to learn. I'm so used to working with younger people who are good on the computer, type fast, and remember things easily. He's doing a good job, but if I was working with one of the other engineers, we wouldn't have to go over all of this. They wanted someone with lots of experience to fill in for me in case they have a strike and need the person to take on a lot of project responsibility. So they picked someone with lots of project experience, but no experience at this facility and slow on the computer. So I'm trying to be patient and nice and a good teacher. Some days patience and manners are hard to practice.

Winter Wonderland

Yes people, this is really snow! Nathan took these pictures early early this morning. I couldn't believe it. It snows about one time every 2 or 3 years here in warm Southeast TX. But never in my life have I seen a blanket of snow around here. The newspaper says

"Estimates of snowfall at 7:30 a.m. were two inches at the Southeast Texas Regional Airport, Beaumont and Groves, and one inch in Nederland, Port Neches and Orange, Escude said.
This is the earliest measurable snowfall at the airport since the late 1800s, Escude said. It is also an all time record of snowfall for the area for the month of December. "

Schools actually had late starts this morning, mostly because of the dangers of driving around. We're just not prepared here for icy roads. Plus it gave the kids a chance to play in the snow, probably for the only time in their lifetime around here.

Nice Visit

We had a really nice visit from some friends last night. Lynn and Liz came over to bring us a baby gift. Liz couldn't make it to the baby shower last weekend. They gave us the lamp that goes with our bedding set. It's so cute!! They got to check out the nursery and look at all the cute stuff we have. And for some reason baby boy was being super active so Liz got to feel him kicking the crap out of me. She really enjoyed that. It's so good to see Lynn doing better after his motorcycle accident. He still has a sling on his arm and has had some complications from a shoulder surgery, but he is recovering well.

I rested more last night and my back didn't hurt so bad, so I guess I need to try and limit my activity to a little bit each night and not do too much.

Returns... YUCK

So I'm a freak... Yes, I went out yesterday and attempted to return some of the gifts that were duplicates and some blankets and clothes. I was super excited that Walmart made it so easy. The lady just scanned everything, and if it rang up, I got credit on a gift card. So I got $50 there. I had $50 in gift cards, so I bought some bottles, burp rags, receiving blankets, and nursing essentials. It was really fun buying stuff for him.

Then...... I went to BRU and it didn't go so well. I told the lady I would like to return some things. She said that they will only take a return without a receipt if it is something on the registry. So I couldn't return anything! Not even the mobile that a dear friend bought that was the wrong one. I told her that the two mobile look almost exactly alike on the package, but that I got the wrong one. She talked to her manager, and both of them just sat there and shook their heads and looked at me like I was stupid. So I just walked out mad. I'm sure they didn't care. Oh well, the mobile will still look good. It's just the principle that I brought a lot of business to their store, and they could care less.

So I went to Target and bought some other things we didn't get, a swing, boppy, more burp clothes, changing pad, and other little things that somehow added up to $250.

Good news - I got the check in the mail for $230 that I overpaid the gas company! So things are working out. Kind of nice when you spend a bunch of money to get a check in the mail. And baby boy passed the NST yesterday.

I slept so bad last night. My back was really hurting. Probably the hours I spent on my feet shopping and the hours I spent working on stuff in the nursery. I think I'm going to have to force myself to rest tonight. It's so hard when I want to get stuff done to sit on my butt! But my body just can't keep up with what my mind wants to do.

Another great baby shower!

Yesterday was another big success! Again, I am struck with how much these people love this baby and how much they did for him. My SIL headed up the shower and did such a great job. The food was great, the cakes and cookies and candies were great. I'll post some pics soon. Nathan's aunts all helped out too. There was quite a crowd! And believe it or not, nobody touched my belly! I was worried I would say something wrong or do something wrong, but everything was really relaxing and fun. I think I worry too much. It's a little strange getting so many lovely gifts from people I don't know, but that's the nature of these things with in-laws. Nathan even said there were a couple of people there he didn't know. They were all very sweet and very excited for us. We got some big items from the registry, which is a great help! We got the high chair and the play pen! We got a lot of first aid and bath items, which are great. We got a ton of clothes and blankets too. I might exchange some of the newborn clothes because I don't think he'd get a chance to wear them all. But we also got a lot of 6-9 month clothes, which is awesome because it would be a shame to have all tiny clothes, and then in 6 months, have no clothes. My SIL put on the invitation for people to get a book for the baby, which is great. So now I think he has enough baby and kid books for his whole childhood. Now we just need a book shelf. Overall a really great shower!!

I spent about 2 hours in the nursery last night arranging things, and I still have a lot of work to do. I'm just getting things in baskets together until I decide where to store them. I haven't filled his closet and chest of drawers yet, so we still have plenty of storage room. We haven't opened up the big things yet, but hopefully this weekend we'll get that done. I have my NST appt at the dr at 2:30 today, and if I get out at a decent time, I might go to Walmart and try to exchange some things.

Fun facts:
- There is one monkey toy that we got 4 of!
- We only got one baby bottle!
- Yesterday brought in 18 newborn outfits!
- No burp rags!

Of course, I just think it's funny that people think along the same lines. I guess bottles and burp rags are not fun. But if that is all we have to buy for the baby, that is great! We did get a few gift cards and some money, so we really are set. I also need a full sized diaper bag, the swing, and maybe some other little things.

Nathan had to go to work yesterday morning, work till about noon, go to the shower for a little while, then go back to work till about 6:00 pm. When he got home, I was in the nursery arranging things. He helped me decide which clothes to keep and which to try to exchange. Of course, if it says "Daddy" in any way, it's a keeper. Then he was looking through the books, and I asked him to read one to us. He read us "Green Eggs and Ham." And he read it so well, not just boring and quick. The baby started to move around like he was enjoying it. I get teary-eyed thinking about it. It was really a special time for us.

Awesome Baby Shower

The baby shower yesterday given by my friends was really awesome. Words can't begin to describe how grateful I am for the love, hard work, and time that was put into making this happen. This picture is of the lovely hostesses, from the left, Jill, Heather, Tiffany, me, Tabatha, and Vanissa. The shower was at Vanissa's house. She had the house set up very nicely for the shower. Everything really looked great. The food was wonderful. Mom brought the cake, red velvet, yummmm. The girls did such a great job. I hope I can at least take them to dinner one night soon to thank them. Then, if all of the hard work wasn't enough, they all pitched in to buy the biggest thing on my registry, the huge montrosity of a stroller/car seat combo! Wow! I'm very blessed to have such great friends. And Chesley is blessed to have so many wonderful people ready to take him in and love him!


This is me, Jennifer, Heather, and Tiffany relaxing for a minute. This might have been the only time Tiffany sat down during the whole shower. Yes, I notice these things...
These two diaper cakes are so cute!! The one on the left was made by Gail, and the one of the right by Heather. I don't think I can bear to take them apart, but everything there is usable!

And a big thanks to Ricky, Tiffany's husband, for coming over to the shower and loading everything in his truck, bringing it all to my house, and carrying everything upstairs to the nursery. Nathan got called out to work for this whole weekend. This is the first time in a long time for that to happen, of course the day I have a baby shower. And he's working today too. I hope he gets off in time to go to the baby shower today given by his family. A lot of people will want to see him. And a big thanks to Shawn and Vanissa for allowing us to use their lovely home. I know it was a lot of work to get everything together. It really looked great. Vanissa even had de-caff coffee for me. Talk about thinking of everything!

I'm seriously getting teary-eyed thinking about all that everybody did for me and Chesley and Nathan yesterday. A big thanks to everyone who hosted, attended, and helped with the shower.

Happy and Sad

As I check my Blogger reader, I am amazed today at the grand mixture of happiness and sadness all in my list. I almost feel bad talking about happy things when some of my blogger friends are experiencing such sadness. As I sit and wait for a very happy event today, I'm struck with sadness. For what is happiness without sadness? Life really is this big mixed bad of both that we all have to deal with. So for lack of better grace, I'll mention the sad first and then the happy. But then some of the sad has a touch of happy, and some of the happy has a touch of sad. Please know all my friends that I'm deeply touched today by all of you and praying for all of you.

I'm praying for Jessica today as she mourns and celebrates the 6 month birthday into earth and into heaven of her son Treyson.

I'm praying for my friend today as she grieves the loss of a pregnancy that did not come to be after much intensive treatment.

I'm praying for Jewels today as she struggles to believe what the pregnancy test is telling her, that for today, she is pregnant. She has experienced loss, and I know that her mind is full of what ifs.

I'm praying for a blessing for my baby shower today that my child will soon know all of the people that love him and work hard to give him the things he needs.

Busy Weekend Coming Up

So this is the big weekend with two baby showers! I'm very excited! I'm also a little nervous that I will get overtired. I also get a little overwhelmed sometimes in big crowds of people. I am not used to being the center of attention. So I come off as being rude when really I'm just overwhelmed. It's similar to claustrophobia. Maybe there is a real term for what I fell. So I hope I don't hurt anybody's feelings. I'm working today, and when I get off, I'm going to Hobby Lobby to buy some picture frames for the prints of my maternity pics that I got. Hopefully I'll find some cute ones! I want to set them up at the showers for people to see. I'm a little nervous about the in-laws seeing my belly shots... That's probably silly since the pics are on the internet! It's going to be so fun to get the nursery fully set up, but it will be a lot of work! And I'm not one for patience, so I'll probably want to come home after the showers and work on it. I'll try to get some rest tonight.

Nursery Pics

Here are the nursery pics as promised! Now there is the crib, armoire, rug, and the futon in the room. The dresser is in the sunroom that is joined to this room. So our little boy will have plenty of room to play, and maybe I can sit down for a minute on the futon.

Time is flying!

I really can't believe how close it is till I meet the newest man in my life! January seemed liked years away when I found out I was pregnant. Now it's weeks away, and it's possible the baby could come a little early and be here really soon. I'm sure every expecting mother has some of these feelings.

I know that people can't help but stare and comment at me, but I sure will be glad when my body is back to some state of normal. I just don't understand how being pregnant makes people think they have a right to comment about my body and touch my body. I really don't like it. Every day someone has something dumb to say. I really feel like a weirdo sometimes. I love the fact that I'm having a baby. It's just annoying to deal with all of the comments. What do I say when someone says, "You look pregnant" or "Your belly is big" besides, "Yes I am." "Yes it is."

Work is really getting busy for me. A lot of things I've been waiting on are all coming together. Hopefully I can do what I need to do before it's time to leave. Also, my fill-in person is coming on Friday, so I will have to try and get my work done and teach him a lot! Yikes!

Back to work

Well I'm back at work today after a little extenstion from holidays. I have quite a lot to do, so hopefully I'll get some motivation. I'm still not feeling well with this earache. I called the OB this morning to tell them the name of the antibiotic the dr gave me yesterday, and they want me to take something else. The one the dr gave me is Class C, and the OB's nurse said there are safer choices to take. I took the camera in yesterday, and it will be covered under the accidental insurance we purchased! Yay! But... it's going to take a couple of weeks to get fixed. Yuck. I do have a small digital camera that takes good pictures, so I'll have to use that at the baby showers. I hope everyone is having a good day. I can't believe it is December already...

Not feeling well today

I have a nasty earache. It's been coming on for a few days, but this morning it was excruciating. So I am missing work today. I went to the family doctor, and he gave me some antibiotics and ear drops. Then I have my NST at the OB office at 2:30, and with the 30 minute drive to work, not much point going in. Hopefully the meds will kick in and I'll feel better soon.

I dropped my SLR camera yesterday. I was very upset, but then I called Nathan, and he told me we have an extended warranty that covers accidents! Yay! I might try to take it in before my dr appt. I really want to have it working for this weekend for the baby showers.

I also ordered some prints from my maternity pics to frame and give to my mom and MIL. The prices are so good, and I decided I would like to hang a couple up on the wall. One of them that is fully clothed is really pretty, so maybe Nathan can put it in his office and think about me... Aww...

He fixed the roof!! Poor thing, he worked so hard. He was off all week on "vacation" but he worked everyday. The one day it rained, he was taking apart and putting back together furniture to rearrange things for the nursery. It looks really great. I will try to take some pics when the camera gets fixed. I'm thankful to have a strong healthy husband!

I am a homebody

I really like being at home, even if I'm doing housework. So today, I'm expecting my brother and his family to come over and hang out at our house. I was away from home most of the day yesterday. Well it's 1:00 pm, and they still haven't come. I just want to stay home in my comfy clothes and do some laundry, do some organizing in the nursery, and be here in case Nathan needs something. I actually need to do a little shopping, but I don't want to fight the traffic and the crowds. I might go out this evening or tomorrow. I need a curtain for the nursery, maternity dress for shower next weekend, and some random things. I'm trying to decide what kind of camcorder we should get. I'm leaning towards the DVD recorder or mini DVD because I don't want to have to put it on the computer and burn a DVD. Plus we don't have a great computer or a DVD burner. I also like the ones that record on DVD or on the memory stick. Any advice?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I got all the prep work done yesterday thanks to my brother's help. Now I'm just popping each casserole in the oven for it's turn to cook. Then when everything is done, I'll put them all in the oven on low temp to stay hot till it's time to go. Nathan is on the roof working because it's supposed to rain tomorrow. He really thought he would finish yesterday, but there was a lot more rotten wood than he thought. He doesn't think there is a great way to fully protect the little room from rain. I'm sure he'll do the best he can. I just feel bad that he has to work on the house on Thanksgiving. His dad is here helping him.

So as I sit and wait for the food to bake, I have a moment to reflect on my life and what I'm thankful for.

Thank you God for giving me loving parents that brought me up with good values and prepared me for the big world. Thank you that they were able to send me to a good college. Thank you for giving me a big dose of motivation to finish college and get a great job. Thank you for placing Nathan in my life. Thank you for allowing us to be parents to one of your newest children.

Thank you for all my friends and family out there reading this message. I pray that everyone has a great day and takes a moment to share what they are thankful for.

Crazy Day Ahead

My massage was so great yesterday. Then I went and bought some new bras. I hate spending the money when I know they won't fit for long, but I did go up on the band size, and I just can't be miserable all day. Then I went to HEB (grocery store) to use a gift certificate Nathan got from work for a free turkey and other food. As soon as I walk in the door, who do I see but my mom! There are 1000 people in that store, and I never go in there. I just went because of the gift certificate, so it was funny! We asked about what all we got from it, and I gave it to mom. She's cooking the turkey anyway.

So today should be a pretty crazy day too. I'm "working" till 11:30, meeting my friends for lunch, going to the grocery store (ughhh) to fight the crowds, then cooking broccoli cheese casserole, cornbread dressing, green beans, and broccoli salad for tomorrow. I will probably do all of the prep work and some of the cooking today and bake everything tomorrow morning. My brother and two of the kids came in last night from San Antonio, so maybe he will come hang out with me while I cut up millions of vegetables and cook. Hopefully I don't wear myself out too much. Last night, I was tired and hungry on the way home, and I had lots of BH contractions.

I hope everybody has a great day today getting ready for tomorrow! I will try to post tomorrow, but if I don't, Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for friends and family that make my life fulfilling and keep me busy!

Maternity Pics

Here goes nothing! Here are my maternity pics! http://amberhamiltonphotography.com/maternity.html

Kind of scary seeing me all out there, but I really wanted to share the pics to help Amber get more maternity clients. She did such a great job. I really like the pics with the baby shoes.

Dr Appt

Yes, I know, I go to the dr a lot! But I actually learned a few things today. Nathan went with me, which is nice. It makes it less miserable to have to sit and wait forever. We got their at 2:30 and didn't leave until close to 5:00. The tech tried to do the 3D u/s again, but the baby is not in a good position to see his face. Then we did the NST (non-stress test - where they hook my belly up to a monitor to watch the baby's heartrate and watch for contractions). We will be doing these every week now. And - I learned that I get to pay $30 every week for these. Great. All for one little boy... Then the dr came in and said our NST looked great. We talked about my contractions and pains, and she said it is a preview of labor. I also asked about timing of labor. She said that she would let us go into labor as early as 37 weeks. She said that they would try to stop labor at 36 weeks, but if he really wanted to come, they would let him. Then I asked what was the latest we would go. She said that she wouldn't let us go past our due date because of our risk factors. So it sounds like we could be having a baby as early as 36 weeks, which is December 24! Or 37 weeks, December 31! And January 21 at the latest! Of course I don't want him to come early, but it's just nice to know what the dr's plans for me are.

Today Nathan is working on fixing the flat roof that has been leaking. I'm thankful that my husband is big and strong and knows how to work on our house. I know he doesn't like doing it, but I'm glad he is willing to. I'm also thankful that we got our sewer problem fixed. I think another problem is coming though. It seems like our water from the tap had dirt in it. Yuck! If it's not one thing, it's another. We got our cat fixed yesterday, the little orange one. He is my little baby, so I was worried about him, but he is ok. He was still drugged up when we picked him up yesterday, but this morning, he was back to normal and wanting to be petted and loved.

Thoughts on Number of Babies - Updated

Updated to make correction: I said I was pro-life, but hate abortion. I meant that I am pro-choice, but hate abortion. Thanks Nancy for helping me clear this up.

Nancy and Jewels had posts last week about implanting embryos and abortion that were very thought provoking. I can't help but share my thoughts.

For those unfamiliar with terms and situations for selective reduction, let me explain. Selective reduction is basically ending the life of a fetus, usually using a chemical solution, usually done in the first trimester. This can be done for a variety of reasons, including a terminal pregnancy where the infant how little or no chance for survival, and high order multiples.
For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_reduction

High order multiples (I'm defining as more than two fetuses) can occur for many reasons: naturally, after transferring embryos, after insemination, or with the use of fertility drugs and intercourse.

In transferring embryos, there are statistics that predict how many transferred embryos will implant and grow. For instance, a woman could transfer three and be told her chances for no pregnancy is 60%, singleton is 20%, twins is 17%, and triplets is 2.9%, and the chances of an embryo splitting to have quadruplets is .1% (made that up). She would have to make the best decision she could. Her decision would probably changed based on her age, financial situation, quality of embryos, and her thoughts on how many children she could handle. Hard decisions.

For an insemination or timed intercouse with the use of fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries, things are different. A woman may be told, you have 3 follicles that could produce eggs. She has to decide if she is ok with possibly having 3 embryos form. Or she could be told she has 4 follicles. She has to decide where to draw the line and say no. That would be hard to say after she has invested time and money into a cycle.

It's hard to say what I think is right and wrong. I think there is a line to draw. To me, a small chance of quadruplets would be a good place to draw the line. More than 4 embryos to transfer or more than 4 follicles for IUI or intercouse seems like too much for sure. I don't think I would transfer more than 2 embryos because of our history of transferring two and getting two to implant.

But, who am I to judge people for their decisions? Selective reduction sounds so much more acceptable than abortion to some people, but really, it's the same, a life lost. But then again... what about our frozen embryos? What if we are not able to transfer all 9 of our embryos? I like to think life begins when the embryo attaches to the uterus. But some people may define life starting at conception. It won't be an easy thing to do for us to let them go if we have to, but where does that rank on the terrible people meter?

I'm pro-life, but I hate abortion. I hope we can concentrate on how to help women avoid having to do selective reduction and abortion by having adoption programs and having REs counsel women on the dangers of high order multiples. I've actually seen women post on message boards about using some of their leftover medications on their own, not supervised by their dr!! That is horrible! That could result in high order multiples or OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) which can result in severe pain and even death for a woman.

Bottom line, this is a very sensitive topic, and decisions of this nature should be given much thought and should be guided by a competent doctor.

Nursery

I'm so excited to have stuff for the nursery! I'm going to try and get the bedding washed and put in sometime today! I've got one load of baby clothes, sheets, blankets, and towels in the wash with about two more to go. I went online to BRU and they must not do a very good job updating the registry. I went in one day last week to check on their stock, and I bought the boppy tummy mat because they only had one, and it wasn't even in the right place. I went online this morning, and it was listed as not purchased yet. I got a couple other things yesterday that weren't counted as purchased too. I already know after one baby shower I'm going to get way too many clothes and blankets, but unless I know where they came from or have a gift receipt, I'll probably keep them. If I don't use them all, I'll give them to someone who needs them. Dinner is in the crock pot. We're going to church in a little while. Hope everyone has a great day.

Baby Shower

The baby shower at church was today. It was very nice! There was a small group of ladies from the church and little girls and cake and punch. I had the little girls bring the presents and they were so cute. One little girl sat right next to me and watched me open all of the gifts. Maybe it is her dream like it was mine to be a mother. I'm so thankful that in about 2 months my son will be here. It's a dream come true for me. I'm thankful for the ladies who gave the shower and gave up time that I'm sure they could be doing something else for me and my family. We got a lot of baby clothes, towels, and blankets. Mom bought my baby bedding! I put it in the bed, and it's adorable. I need to wash and arrange a lot of stuff!

My friend Britton had her baby on Friday, and I'm hoping to go to the hospital tonight and see him. She had a planned c-section due to previous uterine surgery. The baby was over 9 lbs! Can't wait to meet him and see how she is doing.

Dr. appt update

We are home from the dr with good news! Baby boy measured a couple days behind but still on track with normal growth. His size is in the 43% percentile for his age, which is normal. He weighs about 3 lbs. 12 oz. He seems plently big enough for me. I already knew his head was very low and the dr commented on that. I asked if it was normal, and he said that there really is no normal. I asked if it was ok for him to be so low. He said as long as he stays in! LOL! Baby's butt has been right up in my right ribs the past few days (OUCH!). Dr said that could be a problem. As long as I can breathe I guess it's ok. So I'm thankful that our baby is growing strong. We go back in 4 weeks for another scan.

Maternity pictures turned out great! Amber Hamilton is the photographer. She is super sweet and did a great job. As soon as she gets the gallery up, I'll let you all know, and you can see the pics!

We had a plumber come out, and he thinks the problem is not cracked pipes under the house, but plugged line and bad installation of a clean out. That's the good news. Price to fix is $585. Not anything super high, but a little more than we thought. So we may get another estimate and decide what to do.

Finally Friday!

The maternity pics went great. Hopefully there are some good pictures! We are off to see the perinatologist. I will update when we get home.

Thankful Thursday

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm going to share each day a few things I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for my husband and the fact that he is loving and caring to me even when I complain every day. He's becoming more sympathetic and gentle. Maybe it's the paternal instinct kicking in. I'm thankful for my family for just being there for me and the joy I get from being there for them. I'm excited to see how the new little boy will fit into the family. I'm thankful for my job. I work with friendly caring people, and my hours are very flexible.

I really struggled with taking my maternity pictures without Nathan, but I'm going to go ahead and do it today. I'll probably feel a little less insecure without him there and be more open to what the photographer wants to do. Plus it will be a surprise when he sees them.

Tonight is our last baby class. It's the baby care class. I don't expect to learn anything completely new, but like I've said before, I'll take all the help I can get. Tomorrow we're heading to Houston to the perinatologist for our level II scan for growth. Hopefully little boy is growing big and strong.

Wrong Wednesday

I'm calling today Wrong Wednesday because so many things seem to be going wrong. Of course they are little things that really don't keep me up at night, but they are a pain in the behind. In no particular order...

First of all, I forgot to pay Entergy (electric company) this month their $267. So yesterday I quickly sent an e-payment to them (so I thought). BUT I somehow accidentally sent the money to Centerpoint Energy (gas company) who I already paid this month, and that bill is only about $30 a month. I called Centerpoint, and they got my money, but it will take 2 - 4 weeks to get my refund. WHAT??!! We'll survive, but now I get to pay Entergy their $267, plus the next bill is due $256 on Dec. 5. Guess I should pay more attention next times.

I planned on coming in to work late today because a plumber was supposed to come and pump out the nasty sewage water from under our house and see what is leaking. I saw him get to our house around 8:00, got dressed, and was about to go outside to see him, then he was gone. Nathan called me to tell me that the guy tried to call him, but wasn't answering now. Apparently, the guy decided that he is too big to get under our house. Ummm.. Duh! Saturday when he came he said he would send "his guys" over to do the work. Either he doesn't have any guys, didn't pay attention Saturday when he saw how much room was under our house, or he just doesn't want the job. So back to square zero on that. Yes, there is raw sewage under our house, and yes, at times we can smell it in the house.

This was technically last night, but I'm counting it for today. Nathan finally got a hold of the insurance adjustor. We are trying to settle our claim for damages to our house during Hurricane Ike. Damages aren't major, but they do need to be fixed. She said that she tried to call us previously and left a message (Um, no you didn't) and that roofers came to our house and inspected our roof. They supposedly found quite a bit of damage to the main part of the roof, so she is including that in our claim. She said that they were not going to cover the only part of the roof that actually is leaking (WHAT??!!), but they are covering the ceiling under that part of the roof (OK?). So, if you've never had a big insurance claim, you would think, "ok, so fix what needs repair and don't fix what you don't want to mess with." BUT, (as we say in TX) this is not our first rodeo. We had extensive damage after Hurricane Rita, so we know how this goes. The insurance determines how much money the damages will cost, then (since we have a mortgage) they send a check to us written to the bank. We send the check to the bank, and the bank cuts us a check for a portion of the money (50% or 30% maybe). This takes an extra few weeks of course. Then after we are 50% done with the work, they send another check. And they do come out and inspect the house. Then after 100% completion, they send the rest of the money. So I'm not sure how this will work. If we don't fix the roof that may or may not be damaged, we might not get all of the money. Maybe we can talk to the bank and see what they think. Or maybe our roof is more damaged than we thought. The roof on this house is 3 years old. It's very steep (VERY) so difficult to climb on. What's next here?? Not sure yet.

I slept pretty bad last night. My pubic bone hurts bad. I think this kid has horns on his head... My belly is hurting today and the BH contractions are crampy. I woke up sleeping on my belly this morning. Yes, my belly is too big to sleep on. That did not feel good at all for an hour or so.

My photographer called and she can't take our maternity pictures on Friday afternoon. So she is coming tomorrow afternoon, which means I have to leave work really early, and Nathan won't be able to be there. I struggled with if I should do it tomorrow or not, but I decided to do it. We have a good camera, and I can get a friend or Mom to take pics of us together. I just want a professional to take pics of me that will be good memories of how my body looks all big and pregnant (ok, so maybe not so big, but definitely pregnant). I thought about waiting till I'm bigger, but with holidays coming, it might be difficult.

Good news - We did get an estimate from a local contractor for the damages to the house (not including the possible roof damage), so that will help move along the insurance claim. And I think Nathan is going to fix the part of the roof (small flat section) that is leaking into the nursery.

Hope everybody has a great day and not a Wrong Wednesday!

Happy Birthday Samuel

Happy birthday to Samuel, son of Sara, born 11/19/2007. Samuel had a very short life here on earth and now resides in Heaven. Please pray for Sara, her husband, and their families on this day of remembrance, celebration, and sadness.

Quiz Results

I finally took the quiz. I couldn't do it at work for some reason. I just answered how seemed best, but I'm a little surprised at being a Joan. She doesn't seem very nice... A lot of it is true, but some is a little too harsh for me. Or maybe not...

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Joan!

You are a Joan -- "I need to succeed"
Joans are energetic, optimistic, self-assured, and goal oriented.

How to Get Along with Me

* Leave me alone when I am doing my work.

* Give me honest, but not unduly critical or judgmental, feedback.

* Help me keep my environment harmonious and peaceful.

* Don't burden me with negative emotions.

* Tell me you like being around me.

* Tell me when you're proud of me or my accomplishments.

What I Like About Being a Joan

* being optimistic, friendly, and upbeat

* providing well for my family

* being able to recover quickly from setbacks and to charge ahead to the next challenge

* staying informed, knowing what's going on

* being competent and able to get things to work efficiently

* being able to motivate people

What's Hard About Being a Joan

* having to put up with inefficiency and incompetence

* the fear on not being -- or of not being seen as -- successful

* comparing myself to people who do things better

* struggling to hang on to my success

* putting on facades in order to impress people

* always being "on." It's exhausting.

Joans as Children Often

* work hard to receive appreciation for their accomplishments

* are well liked by other children and by adults

* are among the most capable and responsible children in their class or school

* are active in school government and clubs or are quietly busy working on their own projects

Joans as Parents

* are consistent, dependable, and loyal

* struggle between wanting to spend time with their children and wanting to get more work done

* expect their children to be responsible and organized

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Jealous...

I'm a little jealous that Nathan is going to take vacation all next week. I sure would like to not work, but I'm saving my vacation for when the baby comes. Plus I really won't be working that much next week. But it is different working half days and not working at all. Half of the work is getting up and getting ready.
I will be off this Friday to go to Houston for our ultrasound. Then Friday afternoon, we are getting maternity pictures taken!! I'm excited. I've been wanting to do them, but I don't want to spend much money. I found a local photographer offering a great deal for a one hour session and about 15 prints for $60. That's just what I wanted, a little book of pictures for us to look back on. And she's going to come to our house! We'll do some outside and some inside, some just me, and some me and Nathan.
Next week I will work Mon, Tues, and Wed. I have an appt Mon, so I will be leaving early. I'll probably leave early Wed too to go to the grocery store before it gets too crazy and crowded. I can't believe Thanksgiving is practically here!! Then Christmas, then another birthday for me (Jan 1), then BABY TIME!!

The Boots

I slept pretty late this morning (normal for me) because I didn't sleep very well. I thought I would try to be cute today, so I wore my purple dress and tall black boots. This morning was quiet at work. Then Nathan called and wanted to see if I was going out to lunch. So we met for lunch, and he got there a minute before me. First thing out of his mouth... "Why are you wearing those ugly boots?" I think it was one of those speak before you think moments because he felt bad immediately and apologized. We don't have the same taste in shoes for sure, but HELLO! Be nice... Momma always said

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say nothing at all." Words to live by.

Nice Weekend

This weekend has been really nice. I've had plenty of time to rest and relax and get some things done around the house. Last night we grilled some steaks and had yummy mashed yams with butter and cinnamon and sugar... MMMMMmmm... Just the two of us. Today we went to church, and then mom cooked fried chicken. MMM.... Then Nathan got a wild hair (I've been asking him to do this with no results) to clean out his closet and get rid of stuff. It feels good to do some organizing. I'm weird, I know. Then, my husband who never drinks alcohol, decided he wanted some spiked hot chocolate. He's digging around, hoping I have something stashed. All we have are a few beers and a bottle of vodka. He actually took a drink of it from the bottle! Too funny!! Then he decided to try it in his vodka. It actually turned out ok. Then I decided that roasted marshmellows and smores sound good. I think I'm about to go get some marshmellows. MMM... I'm really into sweets these days. Not good for weight gain, but it sure makes me happy!

Waterfall

Some situations in life are like a waterfall. You jump off the edge not knowing exactly what to expect, and the ride is nothing like what you dreamed of. When you get to the bottom, you crash and cry out in fear. Then as you float down the river and look back, it's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen in your life.



What exactly am I talking about? I could put this to a few situations I've been in. I was just looking through my pics trying to find one to share with you and these thoughts just came out.

This is a waterfall we went to in North Carolina somewhere along the Blue Ridge Mountain highway to nowhere.


I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Becoming a Parent

For the past few weeks, it’s really hit me that I’m going to be a parent. A little person is going to enter our home, and we are responsible for his development. The focus of trying to conceive was always to have a child, but the main goal was getting pregnant. Then the focus of pregnancy is to be healthy and deliver a baby and learn how to feed and care for the baby. But there’s so much more to come soon after that, which I know of course, but reality is setting in, and I’m thinking about that a lot more now.

I’ve been reflecting a lot on my childhood, the good and the bad parts, and thinking about how Chesley’s childhood will be. Me and mom were always very close, and I know my kids will be close to her too. Just seeing the way Mya’s eyes light up when I mention Mimi (my mom) makes me excited for my child to feel that way. I grew up with a lot of love, but also a lot of anger from my dad. I know that has affected me and my brother. Just the thought of being a parent makes me think about certain situations, and I shudder to think that I could get so angry at my child. On a more positive note, I was very close to my grandparents. I have so many happy memories with them. Grandma passed away in 2003, but Grampa is thankfully still with us and doing well. I’m sad when I think that my kids will not know my Grandma, but her love for me and my brother added so much to our lives and will not be forgotten.

What kind of mom will I be? Here are my feelings about that now. We will revisit this after he’s born to see what I stick with and right and wrong this is!

I know I will be anal about germs and being gentle with him when he is newborn and very young. He will not be in large crowds of people for at least 6 weeks. It will make me very nervous for children to handle him. I won’t like people kissing him all over, (MOM…). I’ve already told Mom about my no kissing rule, one kiss on the forehead is good. Ok, so very anal.

I will breastfeed hopefully for one year, so he probably won’t get to spend the night away from me till he is weaned. I can’t see myself trying to pump in the middle of the night to relieve my breasts while he is away. Hopefully when he gets older I’ll chill out and let things slide.

I will not be anal about solid foods. He will get French fries, cookies, ice cream, and sweets. He will also get fruits and veggies, but I want him to enjoy food and learn moderation.

It will be hard for me to let him make big messes. I’m sort of a clean freak. I will not let toys take over my house.

He will not sleep in the bed with us. The risk for SIDS is enough to scare me away from that. Plus Nathan throws elbows around, so it wouldn’t be very safe. I’m planning on trying to keep him in the playpen for a few weeks until he sleeps at least a few hours at a time. Then we’ll move him to his bed.

Only time will tell…

I Have Not Forgotten

Ok, so I had this on my heart to write about, and I just saw that Nancy posted on the same topic. I guess we were both thinking about it.

I have not forgotten what a struggle I went through to get pregnant. I will never forget how it feels to want a baby and not be able to get pregnant on my own. I've already given all of the details in one of my first posts, so I won't go into all of that.

I sometimes feel bad about complaining too much about the pregnancy. It really is difficult to carry around and make a baby. God promised us after the fall of Adam and Eve that it would be difficult. But I am extremely thankful that I am given the opportunity to bring one of God's children into my family.

Since I was very young, I've always loved babies and children. I've always known that I wanted to have a baby. Getting married was very exciting for me because I knew that the time was coming where I could have a baby. We started trying after being married a little over a year with no luck. I saw friends and family have babies, planned and unplanned, some after the first try or a few months of trying. That is so hard to see, but I resolved myself that I would be joyful for the families for their new babies. I would not let my IF (infertility) make me bitter. I truly loved every child that I held, keeping my jealousy at bay. Not to say it wasn't hard. After holding a new baby or going to a baby shower, I would go home and slip into a brief depression. I'm glad that Nathan was there for me through that and was always good to me. Baby showers were so hard. I really enjoyed them, but I always dreaded when people asked me, "When are you having a baby?". I didn't realized how hard baby showers were for me until I attended one about a month ago and had such a great time and felt so excited for the new mom-to-be. It was a completely different experience that I had ever felt.

I never really gave it much thought as to what kind of pregnant girl I would be. Here are the two main categories of pregnant women (according to Hollie).

The Fragile Flower - This pregnant girl loves the idea of being a new mom and having a precious child, however, she complains a lot, is always tired, always at the dr or calling the dr worrying, and has a hard time being pregnant. She likes to stay home and rest.

The Warrior Woman - This strong woman thinks that all woman should carry on with life as normal through pregnancy, keep exercising, cooking, cleaning, working, doesn't experience many painful symptoms, and if she does, she doesn't worry and doesn' t complain.

Most ladies probably fall somewhere in between. Let's say Fragile Flower is a 0 and Warrior Woman is a 10. I would give myself... about a 3.5. I do work, clean, cook, but not as much as normal. I go to the dr a lot, and I certainly like to stay home and rest as much as possible. Something is always hurting. I thought I would been more of a Warrior Woman, but I'm not. I don't feel like I can help it. I do possess a slight glow of pregnancy. I like talking about the baby. I like rubbing my belly and feeling the baby move.

So, my point... I'm not really sure. I just wanted to share how I'm feeling and to say to my friends who are TTC (trying to conceive) that I've been there, and when I say that I'm thinking about you and praying for you, I really am. I really want each of you to get pregnant, soon. My meager advice, if you are the praying type, pray a lot. Go see the RE (reproductive endocrinologist) or your OB. Take all the help you can get. I'm thankful I was in a clinical study, and we did not have to spend a lot of money. But I would if I had to. I say to go for it. Your best chances are when you are young. You don't want to pass up your best chance and then decide later that you do want to get help from the dr. Have a support system, internet friends going through the same things as you, church, family, friends. Keep your husband close. And for the most part, take any advice you get (including mine) and put it to the side and follow your heart.

If you are not TTC and are just a friend reading my blog, take heart for your friends who are TTC, and remember that you never know who is sufferering from IF. They don't always tell people. So try to be sensitive when you ask people when they are having babies.

For my fellow pregnant friends, here's to each of us, with all of our differences and likenesses, may our children be healthy and our husbands stick by our sides! And just for fun, give yourself a score on the Fragile Flower - Warrior Woman scale.

Dr. appt

We saw the dr today and everything is good. I told her about my contractions and how some of them are getting strong and painful. She checked me, and everything is closed up, so my contractions are just part of how my body deals with pregnancy. Great... 10 weeks of contractions. I had some painful ones last night and this morning, and I slept horrible last night, so I'm feeling a little crappy and tired today.

We were supposed to get the 3D u/s today. I've been really looking forward to it, but the baby was not in a good position to see his face. The tech looked at him in 2D when we first got there, and he was head down on his tummy. Then I saw the dr, and she looked again. He had flipped over, and we could see his face profile in 2D, but when she turned on the 3D, it didn't look very good. We could see his face in 3D for a second, but with being head down, face wedged in, no fluid around his face, the picture quality is really bad. So we will try again in two weeks, but I think we might just have to wait to see his face until he comes out, and I'm ok with that.

I hope everyone is having a good day.

My Girl

She is really cute here! I didn't even put her in that pose
We're a pair!
Here's the belly shot!
Here's all three of us!

Breastfeeding Class

I went to Breastfeeding Class last night at the hospital. Nathan didn't go, but my friend Rachel was there so I wasn't alone. The class was pretty good. I didn't hear anything that I've completely never heard of before, but it's nice to put everything together. The nurse talked about the benefits of breastfeeding and the fears we have of breastfeeding. When she was talking about the benefits - higher IQ, less chance for allergies and sickness - she even went as far to say that she thinks it is child abuse not to breastfeed. OK, so I was caught off guard with that one. I think that is taking it a little too far. But more positives - I'm looking forward to the bonding time I will have with my son by breastfeeding. He will pretty much be attached to me for 30-40 minutes, 8 times a day, that is alomst 5 hours a day. Then with holding him and changing him and rocking him, which I will share with other people, we will get to spend lots of time together. And breastfeeding is good for me too! It will help me recover and lose weight quickly. Nurse mentioned that fat stores up during pregnancy for the purpose of feeding the baby. So the fat storing up on my thighs and hips actually has a higher calling! She really downplayed the negatives, such as soreness, pain, and problems latching on, but I know that those are real problems. She gave us her phone number to call her, and my pediatrician also has a lactation consultant. So I think I'm about as ready as I'll ever be!

We are having a contractor come to give us a bid on our hurricane damage at our house today. That will be nice to get us on our way to getting our claim money from the insurance and get things repaired.

Tomorrow is the 3D u/s!!!