8 weeks to go....lots of movement

We had another doctor's visit this week. All measurements were good. No further changes with the cervix and the growth measurements on the baby are right on. The baby weighs 3.9 lbs and the heartrate was at 128 bpm. The baby is moving around like crazy...I don't think it is just kicks...there is some rolling over or around going on in my belly. I am still really achy in my lower ab area. When you don't have much room the baby just hangs out in one area and it just happens to be down low for me. If I don't have to walk I am much better off....I move really slow when I do walk and of course I have the waddle going on. Don't get me wrong, but sitting isn't all that comfortable either. My tailbone starts to hurt after awhile. If I could lay down all the time, I would probably be okay. :) The good thing is I have only gained 9.5 lbs with this pregnancy. I can't imagine how I would be if I had a lot more extra weight on me. I met with my cardiologist last week and he said everything seems to be okay from a heart standpoint with the pregnancy. He has no concerns. I would have to agree with him as I haven't really experienced any problems as far as the heart is concerned. I have 8 weeks to go. Just taken it week by week now.

10 weeks to go

Though 10 weeks seems like a long time yet, I am just praying that I make it that far. I went to the doctor this week for my normal 7 month check-up of listening to the heartbeat, answering questions, etc. I had told my doctor about the lower pains that I have been having, so they decided to go ahead and do an ultrasound to measure my cervix again. They thought I might be having preterm contractions, so they wanted to make sure my cervix was remaining closed. My cervix had been measuring over 4 cm until this week when it dropped down to 3.5 cm. They also hooked me up to a monitor to see if I had any contractions, but I didn't while I was in there. The doctor then measured by cervix himself and said it was long and a lttle thin and that the head was down lower than what he would expect at this time. He said there was no concern for bedrest right now, but I will continue to go every 2 weeks to have my cervix measureed and growth measurements on the baby. So for now I just have to take it easy and call if I experience any problems. We are talking to the baby and telling it to hold off for another two months. :) Since I got an ultrasound I got to see the baby again. That's always comforting. We were able to get one good picture of the baby actually looking at us. My stomach also feels like it is bulging out more and more nowadays. It's going to be a long 10 weeks I am afraid.

Nursery pictures coming soon.......


Our precious baby...finally a frontal view although it looks plastered to the wall


Belly shot at 29 weeks

Baby Shower at Work

Last Wednesday, a few of my close friends from work threw me a baby shower. One of my co-workers even made a homemade cake for the occasion. There were several people that participated. We got a lot of awesome things for the baby. Alex even came back to his old stomping grounds for the occasion. I think it was good for him to see those he used to work with and vice versa. All of these people meant a lot to Alex and I especially 2 1/2 years ago when we had some difficult times in our lives with my first pregnancy, the loss and then my open heart surgery. Between this shower and my shower with our families and close friends, Alex and I are pretty set on the arrival of this baby. There are just a few more items that we need to get yet.

Surprise Weekend

My husband decided to pamper me Valentine's weekend. He started off by telling me to pack a bag for the weekend and that I was not coming home until after church on Sunday. I was not allowed to ask any questions. We had plans for lunch on Friday and the big surprises started after that. He arranged for me to have a half day of vacation and then treated me to a pedicure, manicure, facial and a prenatal massage. Once he joined me later that evening, we had dinner and spent some time together at the casino in French Lick. He's so amazing. It was just such good timing as I have been really stressed with the work situation and experiencing a lot of lower back pain with the pregnancy. I needed this relaxation time. On Saturday I had my baby shower with family and close friends. My family then joined us for dinner in French Lick and a tour of the West Baden Hotel. Alex, Breanna and I crashed in early. Just when I thought all surprises were over, I arrived home to another surprise Sunday after church. I thought my family was coming over for pizza and after lunch the girls were all going to go to Home Depot to pick out paint for the nursery and the guys were going to stay back and watch the IU game. Well, those weren't exactly the plans as my nursery had already been painted and decorated by my family. While Alex and I were away for the weekend, he made arrangements for my dad to paint the nursery on Friday evening. Then, when my family left us in French Lick Saturday evening they came back to our house and decorated my entire nursery with everything I got from the shower earlier that day. They had everything taken out of boxes and put together. I was soooooooo surprised. Thanks to the wonderful husband I have and the great families we have, this will be one weekend i will never forget.

25 Weeks.....Date Set

I am now 25 weeks and 3 days. Things are progressing very well. We had my 6 month check-up on Monday and the doctor said things look good. Just for precautionary reasons, I will now be going to the doctor every two weeks basically for measurement purposes. They want to measure my cervix to make sure that it is holding up and also the growth of the baby. I am basically one month ahead of the normal schedule. I typically wouldn't start going every other week until I reached month 7. We now have the C-Section date set. I will be having the baby on Friday morning May 15th...of course unless I go into labor sooner. I am looking forward to my baby shower coming up this next weekend. I am also having another shower at work on the 18th. After my showers are over then we will begin getting the nursery ready for the baby's arrival.

5 Month Ultrasound

This past week I had my 5 month ultrasound appt in Jasper. Alex and I were very pleased to see the baby and hear that all measurements were good. The baby is measuring about 10 inches long and 15 ounces. The baby was a difficult little thing in trying to get good 3D pictures....the baby kept putting it's right hand in it's face. We were able to get a few good ones though. We are still keeping the gender of the baby a surprise. We also had a visit to the high-risk obstetrician in Evansville this week to get a more extensive ultrasound and a closer look at the baby's heart. With my heart condition, my OB is taking lots of precautionary measures in making sure the baby is okay. We received good news that the baby's heart is normal and the high-risk OB didn't see any effects from my condition. This summer we had seen a genetics doctor to review my history and he didn't think my condition was genetic and would pass onto a child so it was good to see a healthy little heart this week. At first they thought we may have to get a fetal echo done on the baby's heart, but that is no longer the case. So that is good news. We should still be okay to stay in Jasper for this entire pregnancy which is a relief for Alex and I. We wanted to stay close to home. Alex and I have also began our search for baby's name. We have lots of options written down for both genders. It will be a challenge narrowing it down, but we have some time. That's about all for now. Enjoy the pictures below of the baby.

20 Week Update - Happy New Year!!

Reality is starting to sink in. I am now about 20 weeks (over halfway) and I am starting to feel the little munchkin. It catches me off guard sometimes. Alex has yet to feel anything. Everytime I put his hand on my belly after I could feel it the baby stops. It's such a neat feeling though. I did receive good news a couple weeks ago that my heart tests came back and things are looking well with the pregnancy, the extra blood and my heart handling it all. I just have to be careful.I go back to the cardiologist again when I am about 7 1/2 months.

We are starting to plan for the nursery. Alex and his brother-in-law put the crib together that was given to me. It goes really good with our wood trim in our house. I was pretty pleased. Now I just have to find other pieces of furniture to go with it. My sister Tammy, my mom and I went to Evansville this past weekend and spent about 3 hours in Babies R Us registering for baby stuff. I was quite overwhelmed, but enjoyed it. I think Alex is gung-ho about painting and getting the nursery ready. We will have to wait until after my baby shower but would like to get it ready as soon as possible before I get to where I can't help much. I am already experiencing a lot of lower back pain.

Next Monday, Alex and I go for my 20 week ultrasound followed by another extensive ultrasound with a high risk obstetrician in Evansville on Tuesday, so we should have lots more pictures to post.

Until next time, we hope everyone has a Happy and Prosperous New Year. We know we have a lot to look forward to.


Belly shot at 19 weeks


The crib that was given to me.