1st Official Freak Out!

So, I had my first official freak out of the pregnancy! I didn't even really tell anyone about it, well except Tony of course and my mom:) So the baby had been moving a ton over the last few weeks. It seemed like anytime I sat still, he was movin' and groovin'. Well, over the weekend I didn't really feel him. There was a random kick here and there, but nothing really substantial like it had been. So of course Tony noticed because usually in the morning when we are waking up or at night when we are laying in bed, he gets to feel him.....but nothing over the weekend! So we both got a little worried about it and I tried to stay calm. Well at about 2AM this morning when I got up to pee, my worrying got the worst of me. I tried to go back to sleep, but just kept thinking that maybe something was wrong. It was almost to the point of my waking Tony up and telling him to take me to the hospital for an ultrasound! Luckily I was able to go back to sleep and this morning I about cried when I felt him moving around! Tony felt better too, but we were both a little nervous for our appt this afternoon. Of course now as I type this I can feel him moving around---seriously mom, there is nothing to worry about!

Speaking of appt......everything was fine. His heart rate was 154 and my belly (which was measured for the first time) measured perfectly. We did have a lot of questions for Dr. R. (the other doctor in the practice) and he very patiently answered all of them. He talked about my back and told me to keep exercising with PT (but didn't really sound like he cared if I quit), but said that it is all due to how my body is reacting to keeping my center of gravity with all of the extra weight. He said that nightly back-rubs were a must and that I could even do some light weight-bearing exercises with my "home-trainer!" I asked about the flu vaccines and he said that they both would be a must, but it would depend on when the H1N1 actually hit the market-especially with my due date-on whether I would get it or not. I've also been having a little more burning, bleeding, and stinging with my Lovenox injections, so he suggested rotating between each side of my tummy and the tops of my thighs. There is also foot and mouth disease going around one of the schools I consult with, but he said it was fine for me to go there but to just practice good hand-washing skills while I was there. I also asked about the lack of movement and he said that babies will do that from time to time. He said that starting with my next appt. we would start tracking kick counts, so that would give us a better idea of how active he was. When all was said and done and he assured us that we didn't sound paranoid (believe me, we asked!!) we felt better about everything!

So my next appt with the OB will be in 4 weeks or so. I have to have the 1 hour glucose test done to check for gestational diabetes (Aunt Jill has already given me pointers on what is and what isn't good to eat before that test!!), get to have my first Non-stress Test (NST) and a regular check-up with the doctor. The NST was recommended by the perinatologist, so we just made it a party of an appt.! Since I will be seeing the Peri on Monday's, Dr. R. suggested we come to that office on Thursdays so we could space it out in the end when I am going weekly to both places! So, let the appt's begin!

Oh and we start our 4 weeks of childbirth classes tomorrow night!

24 Weeks

Sorry it is a day late....

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Therapy

So I had my first physical therapy appt this afternoon. Needless to say, nothing really much happened. I filled out some paperwork and they checked out my insurance coverage. The therapist then watched me walk and did some different stretches with me. He also went over some strength training exercises to help strengthen my lower back. He then checked on my back, feeling around on the muscles to see where it was tight. He ended the session with some electric stimulation on my back with ice--it felt nice:) At times he was a little perplexed on how to accommodate me because I couldn't really lay on my stomach--although he did ask if I still could! Didn't he see the huge bump in front--who would think it would be comfortable to lay on that thing! Of course when I told Tony that, he wondered if I had gotten his card to see what initials he had after his name:) He wanted to know his qualifications because he's not sure he gave me anything pertinent to do that would help my back. The good news is that they want me to come 3 times a week--isn't that great! I only scheduled through next week because I want to see how the next session goes since I am thinking he didn't really do much of a therapy session--just an evaluation. I did do my exercises tonight, so I will give it the old college try! We'll see how it goes.....I'll keep you posted:)

Time for a Change...and More Appts!

So I decided to change the colors and page set-up of my blog. It was time:) I decided to go with more blue instead of the pink to honor our boy! The pink was getting a little hard on my eyes:)

Overall things have continued to go well. We had a good weekend, not too busy but definitely had some things to do:) I got caught up on laundry and Tony helped a friend move. Unfortunately things with my back have not gotten any better, in fact maybe a little worse. Now it feels like I have pulled the muscle that runs under my "chest area" along my ribs on my right side. So, I called the doctor's office today to see if I could be cleared to do some light weight-bearing exercises to see if I could help to strengthen the muscle that has been giving me so much trouble. The nurse thought that sounded like a good idea, but wanted to check with the doctors to make sure there wasn't anything else that I should or could be doing. Well, it turns out that they want me to go to Physical Therapy! I was a little surprised at that, but I guess I understand that they want to make sure that I don't end up hurting myself more with something I might do at home. (Although I have a pretty good trainer of my own here at home, if I do say so myself!!-love you honey!) So, I had to call the insurance company and see where I could go and then call the office back so they could set something up for me. They should call tomorrow to let me know when my appt will be. So, add that to my list of ever growing appts:) Although, I'm really not complaining--waited too long for this baby to do that!

Oh--and our bedding and all of our furniture arrived! So much for 3 weeks! Now we just have find someplace to put it all while we are still finishing the basement....kind of a hard task to do with all of the HUGE boxes!

23 Weeks

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

1st Perinatologist Appt.

So today was our 1st visit with the perinatologist. I say our 1st visit, because apparently we will be visiting him quite a bit more as the pregnancy progresses. We met with the ultrasound tech and she asked a lot of questions about my history and what medicines I was taking. Then she did quite a bit of looking at the baby with the ultrasound. She said that everything looked well and we even got some of the 3D images at the end of the session. The baby wasn't being very cooperative--in one he even put both his hands up in front of his face. She took quite a few pictures and then also gave them to us on a CD, which was really nice. It made loading the ones below much easier than scanning them in!

The Dr. came in a spoke with us about the results. He said that the baby looked great! All of his measurements were right on and he was in the 49%--so not too big and not too small, but just right! They also estimated his weight at 1 pound 2 ounces. He also talked to me a little about the APA syndrome. He made it sound a little scarier than I was thinking that it was. He wanted me to add a baby aspirin, as well as continue taking my daily Lovenox injection. He then said he wanted to see me back in 4 weeks to check everything again, and then from that point on he would see me weekly! I was a little surprised at that, but understand that they want to make sure that my body continues to give adequate blood supply to the baby so that he is growing appropriately. This way if they think things aren't going well, then they can see that soon and make arrangements for delivery.

So overall, it was a good appointment and we were a little excited that we would be seeing the baby lots in the future:) I put 2 of the 3D pictures below--I love looking at them! Hope you enjoy them as well.

Nursery

So after much deliberation and consideration, we have come to a conclusion on what furniture and bedding we want for the nursery. I never realized how many choices there are out there! I ordered everything today so we make sure that everything is here in plenty of time for when we are ready to start painting and putting stuff together. We hope to have a "Painting Party" with two "crews" working:) One in the nursery and one downstairs in the basement. Might have to draw straws to see who gets to work where:) Tony said that I will not be allowed in the house because of the fumes, so I will be shipped off and he will have to stay to supervise-he's not really a painter:) Thankfully we have lots of family that like to paint (or at least don't mind) and are good at it!

Here are the pics of the bedding and furniture that we picked out.

22 Week Belly Picture

It has been 4 weeks since my last belly picture, so I thought I would update. Big brother Tasker had to be in the picture because he likes getting his picture taken and was feeling left out! (Can you tell we used to only take pictures of him?? He sees the camera and starts posing!)

22 Weeks

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Ugh!

Well, it has been back to work for me after 2 1/2 weeks off. I have to admit that I was getting a little bored and had practically cleaned everything that I could think of in the house, but just the fact that now I HAVE to go--just isn't the same:) Now I guess it is just a countdown until maternity leave!! So that is why there has been a little delay in the posts!

Overall I am still feeling good. I went to Chicago on Saturday and my back was feeling very sore after the trip and into Sunday. Plus I have a bit of a sinus thing going on, so Sunday we spent mostly in the recliner not feeling too well. I finally broke down and took some Sudafed and felt a little better, but I just hate taking things if I don't really need to! Since work started, my back has been a little sore again. I'm trying to decide of the chiropractor is really helping or if I could forgo the $20 and just have Tony rub it every night--which he does willingly:) I also called the office yesterday to ask if I could use some icey hot--yesterday was an exceptionally bad day. I think I have discovered that I need to split my time equally between sitting and standing to help alleviate the pain. I also found a little back support when I cleaned out one of the closets that I think I will take to work and put on my chair to see if that helps a little as well:)

The baby continues to move a lot, only stops when daddy tries to feel most times:) My belly is sore at times with feeling like it is stretched to the max, especially after I eat a fairly decent meal! I keep telling myself that it will only be stretching more as time goes by and also that all of the little pains are reminding me that the baby is growing and doing well:)

We are off to our last cubs game of the season on Saturday. We are sitting in actual seats this time and not the bleachers, which should be a little better for my back, but I'm sure that I will be taking frequent walking and standing breaks during the game so that I can remain comfortable:) My parents are going with us, so I will have a few different people to come with me each time! Hopefully things will be ok in the back area and maybe the cubs could actually win one for a change!

21 Weeks

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Help = Progress

So I know I have mentioned in past posts that Tony has been working on getting part of the basement finished. Since he began, he has done most of the work by himself when he has had time. He has had a few people come over and help from time to time, but the majority had been completed solely by him. I have to say that I was very impressed with his carpentry skills:)

Well, over the past two weeks he/we have had a lot of help getting things done downstairs. I have to admit that last weekend I had grandiose visions of having the whole thing drywalled after everyone left, which definitely did not get done:) But we have made some major progress! That is all thanks to a bunch of help from our family and friends. Tony finally decided that he could not do everything by himself and asked for some help. He/we have really appreciated the effort and time everyone has put in to help us get this far. I haven't really been able to help much with the process, so I really appreciate the help as well. (Aunt Jill did help me clear out the sports stuff from the soon-to-be-nursery and pack it away, so it was nice to feel like I added to the process for once!) Unfortunately, as with every home project it seems, things do not always go as planned and there are some set-backs, so we are not as far as we thought we would be by this point. I keep telling him that things will be fine and we will work until we run out of time or money:) Then we will just have to wait until we have more time or money before moving on...it isn't something that HAS to be done before the baby is here, just something that would be nice to have done.

So I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has helped!

20 Week Sono Pic

Here is the sono picture I mentioned earlier. You can clearly see the face and two arms up on one side of it. There are 2 leg bones visible too. Just wanted to share:)

And The Results are In......

Well, to those of you who voted with the majority--you were correct! It's a boy! It was a little difficult to see at first with the position of the baby, but then he shifted and gave us a good look at his goods! There was definitely something there between the legs. Tony started jumping up in down in the room when she pointed everything out:) We got several new sono pics as well. I hope to get one up and loaded soon. There was one with a very good view of the face and the arms were up by it--very cute. The sonographer said everything looked great, baby had good blood flow and everything appeared to be normal and perfect. We were very happy with that assessment.

After the sono we stayed to see Dr. B. She too looked over the pics and said everything looked good. She even said my cervix looked great--then commented that only an OB/GYN could appreciate a picture of a cervix:) I asked her when she was going to refer me to the perinatologist/maternal fetal medicine specialist and she said--right now. So on my way out they contacted the doctor's office at Methodist and got me an appointment for 2 weeks from today. She just wants me to have some extra monitoring because of my APA syndrome which I am still taking the Lovenox injections for, not for anything dealing with the baby.

So needless to say we are over the moon with our news. Now we just have to nail down bedding and furniture for the nursery and we will be well on our way. I did buy a few outfits last week, so they are already hanging in the closet--Tony was worried I would jinx us, but I didn't:) So congrats to those who voted correctly--we can't wait to meet our little boy in about 4 1/2 months!