No Fancy Title...just an update!

It's been a while so I thought I'd write a little....We had a little scare last Saturday, I didn't feel baby move for a couple of days so doctor had us go to the hospital for some fetal monitoring. The minute the nurse put the monitor on me, her heartbeat was loud and fast. And then we could hear her kicking around. They kept me on the monitor for about 2 hours and then sent me home. Doctor thinks she was probably just a little far, closer to my back so I couldn't feel her. But she has definitely made up for lost time, i don't think she stopped saturday night through tuesday. She is becoming much more active and harder. She must be growing. Chuck has felt her a good bit more and we talk to her a good bit and she seems to respond a bit to that. Lisa even got to feel her kick pretty hard Tuesday night.
Funny side note: While we were at the hospital, we were trying to think of anything to get her to move so we could hear/feel her. So Chuck decided to put his phone/MP3 player up to my tummy and see if she would respond. First he tried Dave Matthews Band, no luck. Then he played "Insane in the Membrane" which is a really terrible old rap song and she went nuts. She started kicking and pushing and dancing around. It was hilarious. The nurse started calling Chuck "Rockstar Daddy". It was too funny. I really hope bad rap is not the music she likes!
Nothing else really exciting going on. Daddy started painting the crib and it looks great so far. We are going over to their house tomorrow and Chuck is going to help him finish it up. I can't wait for it to be finished and over here in her room. I hope we're able to finish moving furniture around and getting the room as ready as we can, which I'd like to get finished on Sunday, but we'll see! Once it's all arranged, I'll try to take some pics to show it off!
I guess that's about it for the moment, next MD appt is Sept 8, but it'll just be a routine visit. But I'll update! Til then...

Sick..ugh!

Woke up Sunday morning not feeling great with a sore throat but figured it was just from sitting outside on mom's patio saturday night. As the day progressed, I got worse and barely got out of bed all day and by mid afternoon I had a low grade fever. I started the Tylenol. By 4 am Monday I was having stomach cramps, more sore throat, a headache that won't quit, aching back, and just felt crappy all over. Called the doctor and they wanted to see me. I was tested for strep, flu and swine flu. Negative for all thank goodness! Doctor thinks I have a throat infection with a bug of some kind and gave me antibiotics for a week. I still feel kinda blah tonite but I will make it. Baby girl apparently has felt fine because she has continued her kick-a-thon and rolling and spinning right along.
On a darker note, today at our apartment, our neighbor downstairs son who is home on leave from Iraq started having some post traumatic stress syndrome and started shooting. SCARY!!! We heard about 15 shots but as we left for the doctor today, the CSI team and Detectives were doing their thing and we saw 23 "evidence" markers of casings and bullets all over downstairs breezeway. It is all very sad. We spoke with his father, who is our neighbor, a very nice older gentleman. He said that apparently his son "lost it" and started screaming and shooting. He shot himself, I'm assuming in the shoulder, because when I saw him on the sidewalk, the paramedics were bandaging and wrapping his shoulder. His father said he would be ok physically. There was another son injured, appeared to be in the hand. Before the cops arrived we heard a female screaming "I didn't do anything" repeatedly, for which we assumed a domestic violence situation but we did not go out to see where it was coming from, Chuck called 911. But later found out the female was the poor man's mother and I just feel for the entire family. It is very sad that this brave man has gone overseas and fought for his country and comes home to spend quality time with his family, and is able to spend that time, but yet, he mentally can't unwind or forget enough to be settled. I'm not going to make this blog political or anti-war or pro-war or anything like that, but today, seeing/hearing this first hand has really made me appreciate the sacrifices that the soldiers and their families make. Unfortunately, the war isn't just "over there." I pray for this family, and all the others like it that I don't know. The look on his father's face made me just want to hold him and cry with him. Very very sad.
On a much better note, Daddy went through further testing today for his heart, a Pet Scan. Basically a dye is run through his heart to check for blockages and such. They didn't admit him, so we're hopeful this is a good sign and they told him he would hear results in 2-5 days. Mom said he made it through with no problems. He then went to another doctor (he was trying to be a professional patient today!) and had some cysts removed from both eyes. I talked to him this afternoon and he said he felt fine and was having no problems. Thank God!
Well, I think I'm going to go to bed now, I'm exhausted and my head is starting to hurt a bit, so I'm going to medicine up and go to bed.
Night!

Week 24

Week 24 officially began today. I have a dcotors appointment tomorrow for the gestational diabetes test and another sonogram to check her kidneys. So we'll get to see her once again tomorrow and see how she's growing and changing. Can't wait!! I know she must be getting bigger because I'm feeling her a lot more and much more often now. Chuck even got to feel her for the first time on Friday, July 31. About 5 am, we were both awake (I usually am, not sure why he was!!) and watching tv and he leaned over and started rubbing my belly, asking where she was. I pointed him to where I felt her and it wasn't long til she did a couple jumps under his hand and he jerked it back. He said she felt like an alien trying to escape!! But I think he was happy to finally feel her. He said he knows now why I make some of the faces I do when I she kicks and moves. As long as she moving and jumping and happy, so am I!.
In other news, both of her grandpas are having some health problems now so please pray for them both. Both of them mean the world to us and I cant wait for her to have them wrapped her little fingers, as if she doesn't already!
Mom and Daddy plan to start working on the crib in the next week or so. They are painting it black. It's going to be gorgeous!
Chuck got the job he's been wanting forever last week. He starts Aug 25 at AT&T as DSL Help Desk person, not sure what you call that! He's anxious and so ready to get back working, so am I!!!
I will post tomorrow night after the appointment with all the updates!

just a quick note

While Chuck and Michael play Xbox in the living room, thought I would blog a little since I hadn't in a few days. Week 22 begins tomorrow and I'm thankful. Last week was a very hard week, not with baby, because she's moving and jumping and playing and I'm sure growing. We had a few things go on in our life that has put us in a struggle, but we will survive and make it out with only the strength and lessons learned from it all. Baby girl is apparently learning that my bladder is trampoline-like and she gets good "air" when she hits it just right. And she is becoming a pro at it! I've learned that she absolutely doesn't like salsa, which is such a shame because it was one of my favorite snacks. She must be growing because I am getting hungrier more often and am trying to eat as well and as much as I can. Every night when I go to bed, she begins her tumbling and flipping and acrobats! Chuck is trying every night to feel her, but he hasn't yet. Hopefully soon! The worst symptoms I'm having at the moment are major fatigue, which I don't know if it is baby caused or just stress caused, because like I said earlier, it's been a hard week and I've slept next to none and I'm having aches and pains all over, especially my back and feet at night. I don't know if my feet are swelling, but they ache, only at night. But honestly, I feel ok, I'm not complaining! She'll be soooo worth it when she makes her grand entrance!
My next MD appointment is Aug 4 and Dr Christine has already told me they will be doing another ultrasound to look at her kidneys, and I will having a gestational diabetes test.

Name Game

This naming business is difficult. We're down to two names for the most part and can't decide. Chuck says either, and I say either, but I really have my heart set on one. Decisions, decisions! I know this should be the least of my worries, but sometimes it's the little things that are the hardest!

It's a .......

It's official, we will be parents of a beautiful baby girl by Thanksgiving! Had a great doctor's appointment on yesterday. Baby Girl showed us her "stuff" by sitting rearend down so we could be sure she's all girl! She weighs a whopping 13 ounces, she's about 6 1/2 inches long and has long arms and legs. She enjoyed throwing them all around while we watched her! Her spine, brain, heart, bladder and stomach are all there and functioning properly. Heartbeat was 155 bpm. She is lying along my pelvic area, hip to hip and is very low and I have an "anterior placenta" which means the placenta is on top. this means it's going to be another couple of weeks before I feel her kick really well and another month or so before anyone can feel my tummy to feel her kick. Another note is she is actually measuring to be bit earlier than previously thought, Dr measured her to be around Nov 19, not Nov 23 but she is not going to change due date b/c it is only a few days, and we all know babies rarely come on due dates! So, I'm still betting on Nov 21, Chuck is betting Nov 18. I guess we need to start a prediction calender!
I'm healthy too, I've gained 4 pounds since last appointment and blood pressure is perfect (120/75). I'm hungry most of the time now and very tired a good bit too. My body is starting to do some changing as in my belly is growing into all basketball look. I'm starting to walk a bit slower and Chuck says I "walk pregnant" b/c it's more comfy to walk with my back a little bent. I get short of breath if I walk or talk a good bit so I try to pace myself. I go back in 4 weeks and I have to do the gestational diabetes test, which doc says I'm having no symptoms for.
Lisa and Amy are beginning preparations for the baby shower. We are registered at Babies R Us and Wal Mart. They are thinking either last weekend of Sept or first of October. I'll keep posted on that.
I have to call today to register us for baby class at the hospital. Can't wait for that!!!
Well I'm off now to go eat something and enjoy the rest of my vacation!

Babies R Us & WalMart

We decided to start our registries today at Babies R Us and WalMart. Chuck, Lisa and I went to both and it was sooo much fun. And, yes, we jumped the gun a little and registered for girl things and if July 7th has other news for us, then I'll be happy to change it all, but we had such a great time just looking around and experiencing it all. I never knew baby stuff could be so fun! We did go a little overboard with some things, but ya never know! If you want to look at our registries, feel free, you can go online to either and search baby registry and search either my or Chuck's name. (I think on walmart's he entered Charles, not Chuck) There are a couple of duplicates on both because I forgot we had registered at Babies R Us for a couple of things and put them on Walmart too. Oops! Babies R Us definitely has more stuff on it because they have such a better selection. We mostly put the essentials (diapers, onesies, bottles, etc) on walmart.
Next time I blog will probably be July 7th...so see you then!