25 weeks, 4 days...

I realize I've been slacking again...

I had my 25 week Dr's appt today and all looks good! When the nurse was checking my heart rate she said, "Has anyone ever told you that you have an irregular heartbeat?" I said, "Um, no..." She took it four times, tried both arms, and said that it sounded most definitely like an irregular heartbeat! So I told the Dr when he came in and he checked - sure enough, he heard my heart skip three different times! He said there was nothing to worry about and there was nothing to be done about it. Just one of those things that's been brought on by pregnancy! The Dr jokingly said, "Is it me? Do I make your heart skip a beat?" I laughed and said, "Um, sorry, but no, you don't!" We both had a good laugh about that!

He measured my belly and said it's the perfect size - 25 inches. Then he proceeded to tell me that I'm also growing to the sides - what every woman loves to hear! I rolled my eyes - he said, "There's nothing wrong with that! As tall as you are, I'm not gonna be pleased unless he's at least 8 lbs!" I made a face and he said, "Dad's like big babies! They don't want to have a runt!" I said, "Yes, but mom's aren't real fond of big babies!"

I asked him about other ultrasounds, but he said he doesn't usually do any more unless something is wrong or my measurements are off. He said right now he's not worried about doing any more because my measurements are right on. In 2 weeks I'll do the glucose test - fingers crossed. Then I'll have my next appt on June 25 - then my appts will be every 3 weeks instead of every 4.

I mentioned our vacation to him again and he said he sees no problems with me going. Just to take several breaks while riding in the car and to take it easy - which I doubt I'll have a problem with! :)

I registered us for "child birth prep classes" today which start June 7 - I wasn't sure I wanted to take them, but why not? And my back is doing MUCH better!! The chiropractor gave me a lift to put in my left shoe and after wearing it for only a week she said she could tell a huge difference in my posture and balance. (Thank goodness!)

As for Jack - he weighs about 1-1/2 lbs and is about a foot long. His heart rate was around 150 today which Dr said was good. I think he might've kicked the heart monitor too! His eyes are fully developed now tho I'm finding contradicting ideas - either his eyes are open and he's learning to look around OR they're still sealed shut.... The sacs in his lungs are still forming and his brain is still growing. And I found that his name means, "God is gracious," which I love!

Tuesday I went shopping with my mom over in Missouri and ended up getting very sick! Needless to say, our shopping trip was very short! Not sure what brought it on, but I've been OK ever since! Thankfully! That was NOT pleasant!

Dave likes to see if he can listen to my stomach sometimes when we go to bed. He said he hears faint gurgles, but doesn't know if that's Jack or me. He likes to 'yell' into my belly, "I am your father," Vader-style which cracks me up! After I read him an article about how the baby can recognize his mom AND dad's voices, Dave likes to talk to him quite often. His head was resting on my stomach last nite and Jack gave a pretty good "kick" - too funny!

Seems like I have more to report on, but I can't think right now. Hope everyone's doing well!

Peace & Love....

21 weeks, 4 days...

I know I haven't written in a while. I'm such a slacker! Oddly enough for me, I just haven't felt like writing. I was reading an article at the Dr's ofc today and it said stay-at-home mom's should try to blog regularly even if it's only a few lines a week. So...here I am...again... :)

My Dr's appt today made me angry! I was in a bad mood to start with, didn't feel like going, didn't feel very good - then I get there and have to wait in the little white room for over an hour! I sat on the table, laid on the table, sat on his stool, paced....I wasn't happy! I was seconds away from asking them to reschedule my appt, when he walked in.

I could tell from the look on his face he had been having one of "those" days! He explained that his very first appt of the day had lasted almost an hour which is very out of the ordinary. He said that threw him off, then he had a patient at Alton Memorial who was not doing well - he was going to have to do surgery on her so he kept getting interruptions on her condition - so then I felt a little bad. As my mom said, if I was that patient needing surgery I'd be very grateful his schedule was disrupted for me!

He sat down and opened his laptop and said, "So... you had an ultrasound..." I nodded. He said, "What'd you find out?" I said, "We're having a boy." He goes, "You are?" I said, "Uh, yeah...." He smiled and said, "That's cool! That's exciting!" I said, "Um...have you seen my ultrasound?" He said, "Yes.....but I'm gonna pull it up again." We both laughed and I said, "Good idea!"

He measured me and said everything looked good. We listened to Jack's heartbeat and it was steady around 140 which is good. He kept pinching my legs and said I didn't have any swelling which he said was really good at this point. I asked about my penta-screening and he pulled it up on his laptop - said everything was negative. (Thank you, Lord!) He said most of the statistics were 1 in over 5000 which is very good! So we are very thankful for that!

I asked him about my allergies - he recommended Zyrtec over Benadryl which I think works better for me anyway. And I asked him about my back pain, but he said there's really not much I can do. He said every woman's pelvis opens up differently when she gets pregnant so pain can happen just about anywhere. Yay. Some days are better than others.

Dave took me to IHOP for blueberry pancakes tonite! They were delicious!! :) I'm not really having any weird cravings. I still don't have much of an appetite! I have to have a bowl of cereal and a banana every morning, but that's about it! I still haven't gained hardly any weight, but my Dr hasn't said anything about it.

Guess that's about all for now! Lotsa love -- Sara

18 weeks, 5 days...

Not doing so good on the writing twice a week thing...Just doesn't seem like much happens!

I did have a fun experience Thursday tho. I went to get my haircut and my hairdresser (who is also a really good friend) is expecting their second little girl 2 weeks before I'm due! So our bellies are runnin' neck'n'neck! (haha) She said at her 20 week ultrasound the day before her baby got mad and kicked the technician's paddles! So funny! I told her I was wondering when I'd get to feel our baby moving around - she laughed and said, OH you will!!

So after she finished my hair she said, I want to see if I can feel your baby. So she felt around on my belly and all of a sudden said, There it is! My eyes got big as saucers and I said, WHAT?!? She said, That's it, right there... She took my hand and placed it over a bump that felt like a small baseball. She said, That's probably the butt. But as soon as I felt it, it moved and was gone! Tears instantly sprung to my eyes! I was a mess!! (LOL) Another girl that works there started crying too! Dani hugged me and kissed me and told me how excited she was for me!

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find Juicy since! When I told Dave about it he wanted to come straight home and feel around for it. But neither one of us has had much luck. As I told him last nite, Juicy will make itself known when it wants to!

Our ultrasound is less than a week away and I just can't wait!! I had a crazy dream last nite at a water park and our baby was a boy. But we shall see...

Dave and I went and looked at video cameras this week. I never thought I'd really care to have one, but Dave's wanted one since we found out we're having a baby and when I saw all the "stuff" it can do, I figured why not?? Thank goodness for a nice tax return!

I guess that's all for today. Seems like I had other things to write, but I can't think right now. Dave got a new video game and all I hear is helicopters and guns and bombs!! (LOL)

Much love.....

~ Sara

It's late...or early?

So it is 1:17 am and I can't sleep! I took a very long nap when we got home from my parents house today and that must've ruined my nite of sleep! Dave was also tossing and turning so I decided to come down and play on the computer for a while. It always amazes me though, as soon as I come downstairs, turn on the TV and settle in on the couch with Finch, I can't keep my eyes open anymore! Why can't I do that in my bed??

Anyway...we had a Dr's appt this past Friday. Our Dr was out on "baby leave" - his newest addition was born last Wednesday. We saw the physicians assistant, who I was used to seeing before I got pregnant anyway. I love her!! I was so hoping she would be able to deliver our baby, but I guess not. She was so informative and so sweet!! Dave said he learned more from her that visit than he has from our OB in all 3 visits!

I told her about my back problem - she gave me a diagram of a pregnant woman and showed me how the nerves wrap around the uterus and connect around your backside near your tail bone. Unfortunately! She gave me some more stretches, so I'm hoping if it doesn't completely go away, it will at least be tolerable. Friday was the first day I got out of bed with minimal pain and I wasn't scared to try to walk down our stairs!

She put the heart monitor on my belly - the first time she found the heart beat, it quickly went away. She said the baby was a movin'! And she said that was good! She found the heartbeat again and it stayed steady. It ranged between 135-147 and she said that was great! She said it showed great neurological development! Not long after we heard the heartbeat we heard another sound - to me it sounded like a lightning crash! She said the baby had hiccups! Dave & I thought that was SO neat!! We all laughed about it. She said once a baby gets hiccups it will continue to get them frequently, both before and after birth! And she said I'll probably start to feel them soon.

When she was finished she wanted me to schedule my next visit and also schedule our first ultrasound. She was TRYING to get us to schedule it for 3 weeks out, but Dave coerced her into 2 weeks out since that's what my OB had said to begin with! We've waited long enough!! I had blood drawn that day for the penta screening - tests done to show the odds of our baby having any chromosomal problems. I'm really not worried about it - I have faith that little Juicy will come out perfectly fine! Our ultrasound will be April 16 @ 2:15 - we can hardly wait!!

I've started reading the chapter in my book about 17-20 weeks - I'll write some things from there when my mind isn't falling asleep. Juicy got quite a few things for Easter! That was a sweet surprise! We got a Cardinals bib, a Cardinals bucket hat, some toys, a couple rubber duckies...

Well, I guess I'll try to get some sleep now since my eye lids are feeling heavy! Finch is sacked out on the floor next to me - looks good to me!

Good nite all!
~ Sara

17 weeks...

There really isn't much to write this week. Our next Dr's appt is tomorrow and we'll get to schedule our first sonogram so we can find out the sex of our baby!! :) Oh and so we can make sure things are OK in there. :) My sister-in-law and I were talking last nite about how excited we are to find out the sex of the baby just so we can start shopping!!

I have a new physical ailment - I think I have a pinched nerve around my tail bone! It is SO painful!! I can't lay on our bed - every time I do I'm crippled for a few hours after! I slept on the couch last nite just because the thought of crawling out of that bed scared me!! It feels good to sit in our computer chair or sit straight up in our recliner. I think I'll go get a heating pad today. I want to talk to the Dr. tomorrow but I don't want him to say, "Yeah that kind of stuff happens when your pregnant," and send me on my merry way! (Like they did when I had the stomach virus!) I feel OK as long as I'm active like throughout the day, but at nite when I relax on the couch it gets really bad! I'm not sure I've ever had a back pain like that before!

My girlfriend and I went to the zoo Tuesday - it was SO beautiful!! All the animals were out! We were both grateful we're past our nauseous stages when we entered the smelly penguin habitat! It was a great day! Beautiful, sunny, warm, breezy...

I'm going shopping today just to see if I can find anything. I'm not a big shopper but I feel like getting out of the house - and walking helps my back. Maybe I'll find something cute. Also need to go grocery shopping for Easter. Must get an iced tea first tho! :)

Haven't read the next chapter in "my book" yet - might start that today as well.

Since I don't feel I have much to say I'm gonna wrap this up. Will write more when something exciting happens.

- Sara

Exercise...

I thought I'd share this story mainly because Dave really got a kick out of it. Guess this proves I am a true blonde! :)

Monday nite when I went to bed I was reading in "my book" about exercising. Since the weather is getting nicer, warmer, sunnier, I've been going to the park to walk whenever I can. But in the book it said not to jog on hard surfaces such as blacktop or cement because it would jar the baby since there isn't much fluid in there yet.

So Tuesday I went to the park and this would not get out of my head!! I was SO paranoid about walking on the roadway! I was afraid it was "jarring" the baby! So I kept finding myself moving over to the wet, soggy grass to walk! Then I would come back to reality and think, You are such a dork, Sara! I wasn't even jogging! I was taking a leisurely walk! Sheesh!

I told Dave, maybe I should stop reading that book for a while! :)

16 weeks...

I've decided to start blogging again for a couple different reasons. One, Dave & I are expecting our first baby (we call the baby "Juicy" - it's a cross between Jack & Lucy - thanks, Holly! We love it!) this September and I'm excited to share this experience since we've never been thru it before! And two, I don't work or go to school right now so I have a lot of time on my hands. I'm hoping this helps with my cabin fever.

I am right at 16 weeks right now. I still haven't gained any weight. My last Dr's appt was March 5. My nurse commented about my weight, but my Dr did not so I'm gonna assume I'm still kosher. The first couple months I had a LOT of nausea, but no throwing up - thank you, Lord!! Being nauseous all the time I had zero appetite! Then I got sick with sinus stuff and a stomach virus, so I know that didn't help my weight! I still don't have much of an appetite. In the book I'm reading it says at anytime that will change and I'll want to eat, eat, eat! Still waiting for that change.

I am reading a book called The Pregnancy Book written by a Dr and his wife who was a nurse. They raised 8 children, one having Downs Syndrome, so I thought maybe they might know what they're talking about. I was planning to read the typical What to Expect When You're Expecting, but I read some awful things about it on Amazon! Mothers-to-be said it was very negative and very discouraging, saying it only focused on everything that could go wrong during a pregnancy! No thank you! So far I like this book even though sometimes it feels like I'm reading a text book! It's very informative and I'm sure I'll pass it on to any friends expecting their first one day.

I enjoy the book telling me stage by stage how our baby is developing. This is what is described at 16 weeks - "Baby doubles her length and nearly quadruples her weight." (I'm not using 'her' because I think it's a girl, that's just what the book uses.) "So by the end of the 16th week she may be around 5 inches long and weigh around 4 ounces. Her arms lengthen this month, so much so that she can now flex her arms, clasp her hands, and suck her thumb. Her legs lengthen too and kicking intensifies although you will probably not yet feel it. She begins to swallow. Her external ear folds are becoming more developed, as is her hearing, enabling her to react to sounds. Unique fingerprints develop. Eyelashes start to grow. By 16 weeks your little 'peach' is about the size of one."

Pretty cool, huh?? I still don't feel pregnant, but when I read stuff like this I kind of look at my belly and think, "WOW! All that's going on in there??"

For the most part I feel really good. Much better than I did a month or 2 ago! Yesterday and today I've been horribly sore! I'm not sure what that's about? It's like the achy feeling you get when you have the flu only I don't feel sick... So I'm at a loss! I hope it goes away soon!

I think that's all I'm gonna write for today. I probably won't update every day unless something comes up. But I will try to write week by week. My next Dr's appt is April 2 and Dave gets to go with me again! He only has to work a half day that day due to Good Friday. So far he's gotten to go to every appt we've had, which he loves! This next appt we have to decide if we want testing done to see if there could be any chromosomal problems with the baby. I wasn't planning on doing it, but Dave wants to and after talking to a few new moms I guess there's really no reason NOT to do it.

Bye for now! ~ Sara