34 weeks & an update...

From my newsletter: "Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well."

I had a doctor's appointment today. The ultrasound showed that my cervix was still a good length, although it has shortened like a millimeter and a half in the last ten days. She is allowing me off strict bedrest. Now, I'm up to 'restricted activity.' I can do light-duty housework, go to a movie or make a quick trip to Wal-Mart, but no lifting anything remotely heavy or being on my feet for more than an hour or two at a time. If I make it to 36 weeks I'll be released back to normal activity. I asked if they would try to stop my labor if I went into labor today & she said they would try to stop it with the Brethane shots (which they tried before & all they did was slow it down a little), but wouldn't put me back on the magnesium (thank goodness!).

Edited to add 34 week belly pic...

Update IV...

I was released from Centennial on Friday night and came home Saturday afternoon after spending the night at my dad's in Clarksville. I'm on bedrest at least until I see my doctor on Wednesday. I don't know if she'll want me to stay on bedrest after that or not. I'll be 34 weeks then. So, baby & I are doing well. I'm still on an oral medicine to keep me from having too many contractions (Nifedipine - brand name Procardia). I still have 3 to 4 each hour, but as long as I behave myself & don't try to do too much, I don't start having too many more. Poor Anthony has had to take over all the household chores & drop off & pick up Wesley each day. Ironically, it's good preparation for when she gets here & I'm out of commission for a while :)

Funny Wesley story to come later tonight...

Update III...

They took me completely off the mag today. I feel so much better - no double vision or trouble breathing. I had some mild contractions, but they weren't too concerned with them. I'll have another ultrasound in the morning to see if there has been any change in my cervix. If there hasn't been, they're going to discharge me to go home to be on bedrest for at least another week. The doctor here seems to think that if my doctor at home sees me in another week & there still hasn't been any changes that she might let me resume normal activities. After 34 weeks they probably wouldn't try to stop labor, they would let her be born. I'm 33 weeks one day today, so that's only six more days. I'd rather her stay in there until 37 weeks so she's not born premature.

Another update...

Baby & I are still doing fine. They have me on a magnesium sulfate drip as well as oral procardia medicine to keep me from contracting too much. I still have some contractions, but not enough to be worrisome as far as throwing me into full-blown labor. They have started decreasing the magnesium sulfate (thankfully) & I'm beginning to feel more like myself. If you don't know anything about 'mag' (as it's called), it relaxes your muscles (the uterus is one big muscle), so you can't breathe as deep, can't focus your eyes (I was seeing three of everything on Sat. morning when they had me on 3 grams/hour - I'm now down to 2 grams/hour & can focus as long as I don't move my head around), can't walk (my legs felt like jello when they let me get up to go to the bathroom the first time yesterday); it's even hard to chew.

They gave me steriod shots Friday & Saturday night to help the baby's lungs develop in case they can't stop my contractions & she comes early. They did an ultrasound on Sunday (TMI warning: if you can't deal with childbirth talk you might want to skip to the next paragraph) to check my cervix & it had closed back up (was 2 cm dialated Friday night & Sat. morning) & was a good length. The doctor thinks that is an excellent indication that as long as we keep the contractions under control I will make it to 34 weeks or later & will likely be able to get moved back to Martin after next week.

They also looked at the baby on the ultrasound - all her organs, measurements, fluid levels, etc. & everything looked good. The tech estimated her weight at 5 lbs. 9 ozs. (I've read that ultrasounds can be off by as much as 1 lb., but if the tech was right, she would be in the 76th percentile for her gestational age.) Translation: I grow big babies :) Wesley was 8 lbs. 9 ozs. at full-term. If I were to carry her to term (40 weeks) and she gained the 1/2 lb. per week that they estimate, she could be around 9 lbs. The tech went on about her chubby cheeks & even printed out a couple pictures of her face for us.

Looks like it's going to be an exciting night here in Tennessee with some severe weather rolling through. Hope you and yours are safe and sound.

UPDATE

This is Anthony, posting for Mindy. She wanted to let anyone that didn't know already what is going on with us. She went to the hospital Friday night to be monitored for contractions. They tried everything they could to get them to stop and decided Saturday morning to transport her to Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Centennial has tertiary care neonatal ICU that is equipped to handle a 32 week baby where as Martin cannot. They have her contractions stabilized and are hoping to hold off the delivery for at least two more weeks, at which point she might be able to go back to Martin to have the baby. Other than the pre-term labor, Baby and Mindy are doing fine. The doctors do not know what caused the pre-term labor. We'll try to post an update every couple of days.

Pregnancy Complaint 112

I should start a series of these since it seems there are so many. One thing you get a lot more of when you are pregnant is attention. For the most part it's not a bad thing. A lot of people you barely now all of a sudden ask you all kinds of things about the baby & how much longer you have, etc. Of course, strangers do double takes when they see your belly. And, It is really funny to watch people I don't see very often at work checking out my belly discreetly, trying to figure out if I'm pregnant or not (this doesn't happen much anymore because it's obvious now) before they ask.

But the subject of this particular rant (which I feel entitled to since I've made it seven whole months without ingesting someone's head in a hormonal rage) is the never-ending "How are you doing/feeling?" questions. I know most people are just being nice/making conversation. Some are genuinely interested in how I am & how the pregnancy is going & others really do want to hear that I'm uncomfortable as all get out most of the time (those people enjoy others' pain/difficulties). But, when you get asked at least twenty times a day (I promise I'm not exaggerating) "How are you feeling?" "How much longer do you have?" "Are you to the uncomfortable stage yet?" "How's the pregnancy going?" it gets old pretty fast. The biggest reason this starts to grate on my nerves is because I know most of them don't really want to hear my litany of complaints - they just want to hear that I'm doing fine.

Still, I'm sometimes tempted to give them an honest rundown of all the miraculous changes my body is going through making this baby. "Well, actually I can't sleep very well because it feels like I have someone sitting on my lungs, another person using my bladder as a stress ball and a very heavy bowling ball strapped to my abdomen which crushes me if lay on my back or causes me roll over on it if I try to lay on my side. When I do finally get some sleep I wake up to leg & foot cramps every time I try to stretch. Oh, and the very fun kicks/punches in the ribs & feeling like an alien is doing gymnastics in your stomach while you're trying to eat are loads of fun, too. Or, one of my favorites, the sensation that you've just consumed the biggest Thanksgiving meal ever & the skin on your belly is at its absolute breaking point & if you take one more teeny bite you will simply explode - except you have this sensation for hours on end - not just when you eat." I could keep going, but I'll stop there before I get into some of the more gruesome & unpleasant gems of pregnancy.

So, the next time you see a pregnant acquaintance, instead of asking her a pregnancy/baby related question, assume she's already been asked 10 times that day & just tell her she's the most beautiful pregnant woman you've ever seen. :) If you're related to said pregnant lady or she is a close friend, feel free to ask genuine questions of her condition... but only if you want the ugly truth. Rant over with... :)

In other news, Anthony survived our second and final childbirth class this last week & actually said he learned some useful information. As of today, I have only two months left until my due date - hard to believe she's going to be here soon.

Lil' sack of navel oranges...

From my 31 week newsletter: "This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out..."

From 30 weeks (because I forgot to take a picture & post last week - sorry bout' that): "Your baby's having a ball in there! Now that her senses are fully developed, she can taste, touch, hear, see, and smell everything that's going on around her. She continues to practice breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which may mean she gets the hiccups more frequently now -- sending your uterus into funny, twitchy spasms!"

She certainly does get the hiccups a lot - at least two or three times a day. I can also start making out body parts that are poking me & play with her feet sometimes when she pushes them outward.

31 week belly pic

Totally hosed...

Anthony has sort of left the baby item shopping/baby room preparation up to me & hasn't wanted to be real involved - which I totally understand. It's a woman's thing to get all excited about teeny lil' socks and sleepers. I do occasionally subject him to the "Isn't this soooo cute!?" comments (while holding up a little flowered dress). He obliges and says, "Sure," but to him I could just as well be holding up a plain paper towel. Again, I understand that all things baby just doesn't float his boat like it does mine. Anyways, there is a point to all this chatter. One of the blogs I check out daily is a mainly scrapbooking one by Erin Lincoln (who works for Creating Keepsakes - which if you don't know anything scrapbooking won't really matter to you). But, she is also expecting, and get this, she is also due on March 26th. So, occasionally she posts about baby-related topics. Well, she posted the video below of her & her husband shopping for baby stuff - had me totally cracking up (mostly because I can see Anthony feeling the same way as her husband about all these gadgets that you 'need' for baby). So, I thought I would share... (can't get the video to embed in my post right, so click here to watch it on YouTube).

We had our first of two (3 hour) childbirth classes last night. I went to them when I was expecting Wesley & certainly haven't forgotten what labor is like, but a lot of things have changed at the hospital I'm going to deliver in over the last seven years so I thought I should take it as a refresher & Anthony should have to go with me as a beginner. Good news! He survived the first one (graphic photographs & all) - although he (jokingly - or at least I hope so) tried to get one of his buddies to go in his place as we were driving there. During one of our breaks he said, "I know what I'm doing when I get home. I'm playing a ball game." Me: "On the playstation?" Him: "Yes!" Me: (laughing) "Why?" Him: "Because I need to do something manly." He cracks me up.

She's Here!

Introducing...[drumroll please]

Ella Grace M.

She was born Tuesday, February 26th at 3:10 P.M. She weighed 8 lbs. 0 ozs. & was 20 1/4" long.

Mom is doing fine, Ella had some trouble breathing at first but seems to be doing fine now. Hopefully they will get to come home tomorrow.

Lil' Butternut Squash...

From my newsletter – “This week your baby's eyes will finally open and she'll begin blinking, even though it's pitch black in there. She's also on a regular sleep-wake schedule, although she's only getting about 20-30 minutes of shut-eye at a time. Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel.”

I’m starting to get the oh-so-lovely comments about ‘waddling’ & ‘growing’. It’s like being a kid again when your aunts & uncles who didn’t see you very often would say, “My how you’ve grown!” Except now it’s a little harder to feel proud about that fact. Practically all of my co-workers did a double take when they saw me after our week & a half long Christmas break & several of them felt compelled to tell me that I had gotten bigger (as if I hadn't noticed). Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not feeling self-conscious of my size at all. In fact, I feel like I'm not gaining enough weight & have started doing things that my younger brother did in high school when he was trying to put on weight for sports - drinking milk & eating ice cream right before bed, eating lots of carbs & peanut butter. I'm still not gaining the suggested one pound a week. Any other time I could just look at food & gain weight. Anyways, back to what I was saying... it's not that my getting bigger bothers me in any way, I just don't understand why everyone feels the need to point out the obvious, especially when they do it in not-so-nice ways. For instance, you can see in the very bottom picture (29 weeks) that I'm wearing a polo shirt. This is one of the many non-maternity shirts I have from work that have always been too big for me (because they insist on ordering in men's sizes, so I can't get one small enough to fit). Well, this morning one of my co-workers comes in my office, glances at my bulging belly and says (I'm totally not making this up or changing her words in any way {yes, it was a woman - one who has had two children herself}), "So, that works as a fat shirt?" I thought, "Excuse me! I'm not FAT, I'm PREGNANT!" I've read horror stories on the pregnancy message board I frequent of the stuff rude people say to pregnant women, and I thought when people started making those types of comments to me that I would let them know in no uncertain terms how rude they were being, but really, it's better just to act like it's no big deal & move on. So, that's my pregnant woman rant for the day. :)

Christmas Day - 26 weeks, 6 days - might as well call it 27 weeks

Didn't feel like taking one for 28 weeks last week...

Today - 29 weeks - somehow I look bigger in the first one, but I think it was just the clothes

24 & 25 week belly pics

24 weeks

25 weeks (big change)

Seven short years ago...

at this moment I was welcoming one special baby boy into the world & exclaiming, "Oh, my beautiful baby!" I say this every year, but it's hard to believe he's this old already. With every year it becomes harder and harder to remember him as a small, helpless infant, but it never gets easier to accept that he's growing up before my eyes. Happy Birthday to my favorite little boy!

We have a tradition that you get to have a cupcake for breakfast on your birthday, so this was him this morning before digging into his breakfast.

Our lil' Rutabaga...

Don't really know what a rutabaga is, but my newsletter says the baby is about the size of an average one. She's about 13 1/2 inches from head to heel & weighs about a pound & a half. Her hair is recognizable now & is probably the color and texture that it will be at birth (if she has any - Wesley didn't have much & what he did have, he lost within a couple weeks. Poor child was nearly bald for the first year and a half).

I'm not on my home computer so I can't post my 24 week belly pic, but it's on my Flickr account so all you have to do to look at it is click on the small picture at the top, right of this page to look at a larger version. It's fairly obvious that I'm pregnant now, so maybe I won't get any weird looks for parking in the "Expectant Mother" parking spots at the grocery store : )

Man cold...

I usually try to refrain from man-bashing jokes, but this video is just too funny + it's got people with British accents.

Behind on belly pics...

Here's my belly pics for weeks 21-23...

At 24 weeks the baby is about the size of a cob of corn (nearly a foot long)...

Her tastebuds & sense of touch are developing and she is able to swallow now. Her brain is growing rapidly. She is almost constantly moving when I am still & favors my right side. She also likes to kick her mommy in the ribs every now & then (which is not very pleasant).

Two of a kind...

Baby Girl Miller on top -- Wesley on bottom (both with their hand on their forehead)

Looking at these two ultrasound pictures I’m struck with the realization that I now have two babies. Shouldn’t be too much of a shocker, huh? But, it really is. It’s hard for me to grasp that. I’ve been a mom of one for seven years now. Back when Wesley was little and people would ask me if I wanted more kids I would say, “Yeah, but not for a long time.” I expected there to be at least eight years between Wesley and the next one since I was ‘planning’ on going to vet school straight out of undergrad. God had different plans for me (I wouldn’t change a thing now). The older Wesley got the more I wanted another baby. It wasn’t that strong of an urge until Anthony & I got married. Then I dreamed of nothing more than to have a child with him & to feel the weight of my own baby in my arms again. Now, after some very impatient waiting on my part for it to be the right time, it’s coming true. After so much waiting & wanting I keep having these moments where I stop & think, “It’s really happening. We’re really going to have a baby.” Every time Wesley says something about his baby sister, it’s like my mind does a double take. Then I go, “Oh, yeah. We’re having a baby.” Maybe by the time she gets here it will be really real to me. For now I’m enjoying the secret pleasure I get from feeling her kick & flip inside my belly all day + looking at her ultrasound pictures and trying to picture her beautiful face + collecting lots of little pink things.

Lil' Carrot & 20 week belly pic...

Baby is about the size of a carrot (~ 10.5 inches long). Her taste buds are beginning to form.

And, here's a belly picture for 20 weeks...


I found out today that two of the professors in my department actually didn't know I was pregnant. One thought I might be but knew better than to ask a woman if she's pregnant (smart guy), but the other didn't have a clue. One of the other professors was telling me about a conversation she & some others were having at lunch earlier this week talking about the baby pool we have going (see link in post above) & he was like, "What? Mindy's pregnant?" She said they all got a good laugh out of him being totally clueless. I thought it was pretty funny, too. He came by my office today & congratulated me & confessed that he just found out. I was like, "Did you think I was just getting chubby?" He very wisely side-stepped that question. :)

IT'S A GIRL!!!

After what seems like forever waiting to find out, we have finally found out we're having a girl. Here are some ultrasound pictures...

In case you didn't know, babies in utero are verrryyy limber. In the picture below her legs are extended above her head (which doesn't look very comfortable to me). I labeled some of the different parts so you would know what you're looking at.

The one below shows her face really well. She had her hand on her head the whole time the tech was trying to take a profile picture. I have an ultrasound of Wesley doing the exact same thing.

Another profile pic...

And, the one & only time I will post a picture of my daughter's bits on the internet. For those who don't have children, the way they tell the gender is by looking for either boy parts (obviously) or looking for the three lines you can see in the picture below, indicating it's a girl. It's not simply the absence of the boy parts that makes them think it's a girl. And, that's your anatomy lesson for the day. :) (In case you're having a hard time figuring out what you're looking at, her booty is to the right and her legs are pointing to the left, on the top & bottom of the words "Girl").

She was very active the whole time the tech was trying to get the right shots for the measurements she has to have. The doctor said everything looks good.

Grrr.....

My big ultrasound was scheduled for 3:00 this afternoon, but had to be rescheduled due to the ultrasound tech having a family emergency. Sooo, I get to wait some more (not happy about that). It is now scheduled for Monday at 8:30 am.

As for a 20 week update, the baby is about 10" long (head to heel - at twenty weeks they switch from measuring crown to rump to using head to heel) & weighs about 10.5 oz. Newsletter says it's roughly the size of a banana. Its hearing is developed enough now that it can probably hear my heartbeat and the noises my stomach makes. It will be a few weeks before it can make out the sound of mine & others' voices. Right now (and at this time every afternoon) he/she is doing all kinds of acrobatics & karate kicks. I read that it takes a couple hours for nutrients to reach the baby after meals, so the sugar from that slice of hershey's pie I had after lunch is probably kicking in right about now.

Tune in Monday for ultrasound pics & the big announcement, as promised.

Superman & 19 weeks...

Wesley was Superman for Halloween (more specifically Clark Kent). Here's one of the pictures I took of him (minus the glasses that made him look more like a Drew Carey look-alike than a Clark Kent one).
And, my 19 week belly pic...

Grapefruit...

Almost halfway (hard to believe). Newsletter says at 19 weeks the baby is about 6" long & about the size of a grapefruit. Good news: the nausea is almost totally gone. Over the last week I've stopped taking my nausea medicine. I still feel it a little in the mornings, but it's not anywhere near as bad as it was - definitely tolerable now (as long as I don't drink juice or milk in the mornings). I feel like jumping up & down and shouting, "Hallelujah!" I was beginning to think I would be plagued with it for the entire pregnancy.

He/she is really starting to do some acrobats in there, especially after lunch & when I'm laying down to go to sleep at night. Love, love, love feeling the little kicks & flips. Anthony has been in Las Vegas since last Wed. for work - can't wait for him to get home on Monday so he can finally feel the baby move.

Only one more week until the big appt. I will try to post scans of the ultrasounds next Thurs. night for all to see.

18 week belly pic

I suppose I'll try to keep up with weekly belly pics from here on out, but I won't promise anything. This one is from Saturday (18 weeks 3 days)...




















I think Wesley feels left out if I take a picture of myself & don't take one of him. :) Here's his impression of a pregnant lady...




















Edited to add: Wesley felt the baby move last week. His eyes got real wide when he felt it & for the rest of the night & several times over the last few days he's been coming over and putting his hand on my belly and saying he wants to feel the baby move again (unfortunately the baby doesn't quite operate on his schedule). For a while he was saying he wanted a baby sister, but now he's saying he wants a baby brother. A little over a week until we know which one it'll be :)

A new family member...

My brother got married today, to a girl who seems to fit perfectly in our family. I hope they have a lifetime of happiness together. They asked me to take some pictures, and here are a couple that I like (haven't had time to edit them yet-they're straight out of the camera-except that I blurred out their last name). I'm going to have to go back and take some more of the two of them when it's not rainy & dark outside, because I had to use such a high ISO on my camera that they are all horribly grainy.

Lil' daisy...

At 18 weeks, the baby is about the size of a gerber daisy. I had to go to the doctor yesterday for some minor issues (that you'd rather not hear about) & they went through the usual checking my weight and blood pressure & listening for the heartbeat. It was 154 (good) and I heard it as soon as she put the doppler wand on my belly. Only two more weeks until my 20 week ultrasound. Can you tell I'm excited?!

17 weeks

To satisfy Sunny's request for a belly pic, here's one from tonight...




















And, because Wesley wanted to be in a picture, too, here's one of the two of us...




















Before you know it, he's going to be taller than me. :)

Lil' onion...

According to the newsletter, the baby is the size of a large onion now (about 5 inches from the top of the head to the bottom of the rump & about 3.5-5 oz.). It also says that its weight will more than quadruple this month. That's some serious growing!

The nausea is not getting any better. The other day as I was losing my breakfast in the toilet I just burst into tears and couldn't stop crying for like 5 minutes. I tell you this because thinking about it now makes me laugh. Anthony looked at me like I was a little off my rocker & asked if I was okay. I just said, "I'm tired of being sick," and got in the shower.

On a less depressing note, I've been feeling more and more of his/her movements over the past couple weeks. And, the other night in bed he/she was really going to town doing some serious gymnastics. I keep laying my hand on my belly when I feel movement to see if I can feel it from outside yet & I actually felt it several times in a row. Very neat!

Rubber ducky, you're the one.

According to the newsletter, the baby is now about the size of a rubber ducky.

Had my 16 week check-up today and everything seems to be going well. I am back to what I weighed at my 8 week appointment, so that's good. Now, I need to shoot for gaining a lb./week. It's so odd to me that I *need* to gain weight. The only times in our life that we are encouraged to grow & get bigger are when we are children or when we are pregnant (for us women, at least). It's weird for me to be able to quiet that little voice that says, "You really shouldn't have another spoonful of those mashed potatoes." Not that I'm planning to eat to my heart's content or to eat a bunch of junk food. I'm trying to consciously choose healthy foods.

Anywho...back to my appointment. The nurse had the little doppler, trying to find the babies heartbeat. We could hear the placenta (it makes a whooshy heartbeat-like noise at the same rate as my heart - from the blood being pumped through it to the baby - pretty cool, huh?) & we could hear the baby moving (which sounds almost like when you have the earpieces of a stethoscope in your ears and you tap on the end of it), but it wouldn't stay still long enough for her to get the heartbeat. I jokingly said, "Looks like we may have to do an ultrasound." She said, "We just might." After a few more minutes of trying to get it, she gave up and took me to the ultrasound room.

So, we got to see the baby. The picture was much clearer than on the machine at work. We could see the baby was all curled up on my right side again. The heart rate was 161 (which is good). I asked very sweetly, "While we're here, would you mind taking a peek to see if you can tell whether it's a boy or a girl?" She said, "You want to know?" I said, "Yes, if you don't mind." So she moved the wand around trying to get a good look, then said, "Well, the baby is still pretty small, but I would say it's probably a *****************, because ******************," (while pointing at the screen). You didn't think I was actually going to tell, did you?! :) Seriously, they usually don't try to figure out the gender this early so she wouldn't say for sure, but after today I'm pretty sure of what it is. And, in a little less than four weeks we should know for certain. Then, I'll definitely let you know. *Insert devilish little grin*

Apples & Oranges & Prizes, Oh My...

Last week my newsletter said the baby was about the size of an apple (I'm guessing they mean a small one) & this week it says it's about the size of an orange (~4" long & ~1.75 oz.). The length is from head to rump so it doesn't count the legs.

I can feel him/her swirling about occasionally when I get really still, like at night when I'm laying in bed. This morning, as I was sitting at my desk working, I felt a very distinct kick. If my hand had been laying on my belly in the right spot I think I could have felt it from the outside, too. But, that's only the second time I've felt anything that strong.

We have a couple portable ultrasound machines here at work (for use in ultrasounding cattle for meat quality, not for obstetrical reasons). This afternoon I got one of the professors who is a friend of mine (and is a vet) to drag one out so we could play around. The machine is probably as old as I am so we weren't expecting much. So, we put a little gel on the wand & put it against my belly and start moving it around trying to find the baby. It took us a few minutes, and then we're both like, "Oh, there's the head...that's definitely a head....Oh, Oh, there's a hand, and a spine.....Oh, you can see his little heart beating." It was very cool. You can go back in my posts and see the last ultrasound I had, the baby just looked like a blob. I can say for sure that he/she now has two arms & two legs & one head. My friend was joking around and she said, "Wouldn't it be neat if we saw two heads." I was like, "No, that wouldn't be neat." I would freak out if I found out that I was having twins when I was just playing around with an old ultrasound machine out on a farm (and without Anthony there), especially since we only saw one at 8 weeks. It had its legs curled up to it, but we could see it moving its hands around above its head and in front of its face. I hope it cooperates at my next ultrasound in Novemeber so I can stop referring to it as he/she & it.

I've started a baby pool on ExpectNet where you can enter a guess as to what the gender, weight, birthdate, etc. will be. I'll have to think of something good to give away as a prize to the person who wins. You don't have to register to enter, just make sure if you want to be eligible for the prize that you put enough information in that I can figure out who you are. Have fun! Click here to play (if it doesn't take you directly to the page where you can guess in our baby pool, then you need to do the following: in the box to the upper left that asks for game name, type: BabyVega, hit enter & it will take you to our page.)

To all the mothers out there...

I found this post via one of the blogs I read. It's a great little story - made me tear up - although these days, the smallest things can make me teary-eyed. For example, the other day I was trying to explain to Wesley that we as Americans have the freedom of speech & as part of that, we are allowed to protest things which we think need to be changed or are unfair, etc. (we saw some people protesting on the way to school that morning). I got so choked up I had to stop talking. Then, last night, watching Private Practice, the new spin-off from Grey’s Anatomy, I was bawling during the scene where two mothers, whose babies were switched at birth, have to give back each other's biological child. I probably would have cried about that even if I wasn’t pregnant, but I’m definitely more emotional these days.

Anyways, I thought the story was something that all mothers will appreciate. We have a tendency to feel neglected & unappreciated for the millions of things we do that go unnoticed. This really puts into perspective what all our hard work is for.


And, because I like posting a picture with every blog post, here's a couple pictures I took of St. Patrick's cathedral in NYC a few years ago - yes, it was snowing. (These will only make sense if you read the linked story)...


not the greatest quality because they are just scans (from before I had my digital)

Wow!

Saw this link on someone else's blog...not much else to say except, "Wow!"

By the way, I'm officially in my second trimester now. The symptoms that are supposed to magically dissappear after the first trimester haven't said their goodbye's yet, but I'm holding out hope that they'll pack their bags and hit the road any day now.

Butterflies & lil' fishies...

I definitely felt the baby move this weekend. The best way to describe it is that it feels like a goldfish swimming around in my belly. I've felt it a few times today. I can't wait until Anthony & Wesley can feel him/her move & kick.

I also have a noticeable lil' bump. I saw my mom yesterday and the first thing she did was rub my belly (not something I'm especially fond of people doing, but what can you do?) where it was poking out.

Ticker

The ticker in my sidebar was taking too long to load everytime I opened the page, so I added a different one at the top. It's cuter, anyways. :)

Bloglifting...

There's a term in the scrapbooking world for when you steal/borrow/copy an element or a whole design from someone else's scrapbook page called scraplifting. Well, I'm bloglifting a sidebar element from Ali Edwards' blog and adding a spot for a quote that I'll change out periodically (I hope). I'm also shamelessly bloglifting the quote she had up the other day from Anna Quindlen that I love.

And, just because I adore Ali and her outlook on life (as well as her scrapbooking style), here's a picture of us from CKU Nashville last month.

Lil' Peach

I'm 13 weeks today, and according to my newsletter, the baby is about 3 inches long and roughly the size of a peach.
Edited to add: It also says he/she now has his/her own unique fingerprints. How awesome!


I *think* I've felt him/her move, but it's so light that I'm not totally sure that what I'm feeling is the baby. If I'm laying completely still and really concentrating, I *think* I feel faint, little swishes.




My doctor would be proud of me. I weighed this morning and have gained a couple pounds since last week. The nausea is still hanging around, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that it will magically dissapear over the next week. :)

Lil' Kiwi Update

So, my weekly pregnancy newsletter says the baby is the size of a kiwi this week. Amazing how such a tiny little thing can make me so sick. : )

I just got back from my 12 week appointment and got fussed at because I've lost 5 pounds in the past four weeks (I'm definitely not 'trying' to lose weight - just keeping food down has been my goal for the last month and a half). Other than losing weight everything checked out fine. The nurse used the doppler to find the heartbeat. It took a minute or two to find it (see above comment about it being a tiny lil' thing) and as soon as she found it the little booger moved and she spent another few minutes trying to find it again. When she finally did, it was 153 bpm (which is good).

I haven't felt it move yet, but I distintly remember the day I felt Wesley move for the first time and it was around 13 weeks, so I may feel a flutter or two starting in the next couple weeks. I don't think anyone but me can tell that I'm getting a little baby bump. I'm sure that will change soon. : )

People are constantly asking how I'm feeling. In case you're curious, I feel about how I imagine someone with the flu feels (I say 'I imagine' because I've never actually had it) - nauseated 24/7, nearly constant headache, so tired that at any given time of day I feel like if I'm still for more than 10 minutes I'll fall asleep, cranky, and sickened by just the sight or smell of food. Pregnancy is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. But, lest I sound like a big, complaining ball of hormones, I should add that I know it's worth it in the end, and once I get to hold that little bundle of joy, I would gladly do it all again (I think). : )

My next appointment is Oct. 10th. And, I went ahead and scheduled the big ultrasound for Nov. 5th. So, in a little less than 8 weeks we'll know whether it's a boy or girl!

Ultrasounds & Such

By popular request (meaning Anthony said I should), I'm just going to post all the baby info. on here rather than making everyone sign up and login to the Care Page website every time they want an update. So, here's the post I put up on that page last week...

Here is our first ultrasound from Aug. 15...

There wasn't much to look at when we had that ultrasound, but the baby measured right on target (at 8 weeks) and the heartbeat was a healthy 167 bpm. We got to see the little heart beating and they turned the sound on for just a few seconds to measure the heartbeat, so we got to hear that precious sound. It never ceased to amaze me when I heard that at every doctor's visit with Wesley & it's no less amazing this time, either. I asked Anthony later that day if it seemed more real to him since he had seen it and heard the heartbeat. He said something like, "Yeah. You're growing a kid inside you." I thought it was cute.

I've been posting weekly belly pictures on my flickr account. If anyone is interested in seeing my belly grow, you need to sign up for an account and add me as a friend (you can search by email - the one I'm registered with is monportrait@yahoo.com) and then I can give you access to them. I don't have them as public pictures (thought it would be a little weird for the general public to be looking at my belly), so only people that I mark as friends are able to see them.

We found out last week that one of Anthony's good friends at work & his wife are expecting their second child about two weeks after us. They also have one son with a big age gap between the two, like us. I think it will make it easier on Anthony to have a buddy that's going through the same thing and who has been through the birthing & infant stage and can assure him that he'll survive it. :)

We've also known for a while that Anthony's sister, Lynsey & her husband, Jordan, are expecting their first. I was so shocked when I found out she was pregnant, too. Not necessarily just because she was pregnant, but because she is due the very same day as me. Yes, you read that right. She's due the same day. Lynsey's dad didn't believe me when I told him Anthony & I were also having a baby and we're due on the same day. He really thought I was pulling his leg. I finally convinced him that I was for real & he (and my mother-in-law) were very excited to be getting two grandkids at once. I doubt that Lynsey & I will end up delivering on the same day, but I would venture to guess that the babies will be born within a couple weeks of each other.

Lots of people have asked if we have names in mind yet, so I'll go ahead and say here that we do, but we're keeping them a secret. Since everyone will know what the gender is, we want to keep something for a surprise. And, I don't want everyone weighing in their opinions on our choices. Once the baby is here, no one will care what we named it (and if they do, they probably won't say anything to our face). :)

My next appointment is Wednesday, September 12. They probably won't do an ultrasound, but I'll still post an update afterwards.

Picture of the week.....

I snapped this picture while driving home last week. Wesley almost always falls asleep on the way home. I think he is trying to start a new fad, two pairs of sunglasses at the same time.

We have a...

in the...















Expected to be done baking March 26, 2008

Picture of the week...

Oh, to be a kid again...