22 Weeks 1 Day

Thank goodness it's Friday! It has been an incredibly long week -- we were busy all last weekend and then every night this week, I've been working on a valance for the baby's room. MIL and I bought fabric on Sunday afternoon. Scott and I managed to order the crib on Wednesday afternoon, so we're finally making some decisions. The crib skirt and baby book came on Thursday afternoon -- I like them both really well. The crib should be here in 4 to 12 weeks -- so it's finally coming together.

Baby has been moving . . . a lot . . . especially tonight. It has been kicking and kicking me.

There's been tons of rain here -- it basically rained all day. We couldn't get into the neighborhood the regular way or the regular alternate way -- those were both flooded and the other routes were close to being flooded.

Tomorrow is our first "pregnancy" class. It's supposed to be from 9:00 to 3:30 p.m. We'll see if we make it all day.

Next week is our "baby moon" mini vacation. So, it's a short work week although Tuesday will be a long day for me. I have a public meeting in Durant for their downtown Historic District.

Have a great evening.

Early Morning

It's very early this Sunday morning. I've been up four times during the night to use the restroom. Now I can't stop sneezing, so I gave up, got out of bed and am now on the couch. I told Scott that the time has come for me to move into a different room. I wake him up way too many times.

Speaking of Scott, he finally got to feel baby move on Thursday night (I think). And then again last night. Always before he said he couldn't feel what I was feeling or there was too much activity in my stomach to distinguish (and therefore, it must just be gas). However, these kicks were unmistakable.

Our baby book should arrive sometime this week, yeah! Now if we could just get a bed ordered and I could find some material for bedding, and some upholstery material and an upholsterer for my rocking chair . . . there's so much to get done. Now that all our Saturdays are tied up with church stuff, maybe we can get some stuff accomplished, although we do have baby class starting next Saturday. The first set of classes are about pregnancy, but since we're more than halfway done with that stage, we may be very choosy about what to attend. We're really going more for the later series about labor and delivery.

This evening we're off to a Hornets game, so a late night to start the week. Hopefully this week passes more quickly than last week -- it was so long. Then the next week is our mini-vacation and our "big" ultrasound! Last week was hard, because I was doing the monotonous stuff at work and I really wanted to be at home, working on stuff around here. I still haven't decided when to broach the subject of part-time and maternity leave at work. I'm a chicken! I want this job, but I also want to be home. Oh, the dilemma.

5 Month Appointment

Everything went fine at yesterday's appointment. Heartbeat was 156 bpm. I have to go in tomorrow morning early for a fasting blood sugar test (because of the family history of diabetes). Then I still have to get checked for gestational diabetes during week 28. The "big" ultrasound is scheduled for April 5 at 11:45 a.m.

We went to StorkLand to look at the crib I love. It's just hard to justify spending so much for a crib! However, it makes into a beautiful toddler and then full-size bed. You do have to pay for matching rails (another 120.00), but that's not horrible for an heirloom quality full-size bed. I don't know what to do -- I told Scott that it is his decision! I love the crib, but . . . there's so many places for $$$ to go these days.

In other news, we woke up at 7:24 a.m. this morning. I could swear I set the alarm, but . . . I guess not. Scott didn't get home last night until after 10 p.m. due to a late softball game, so he needed the rest. However, it made for an unsettling start to the day.

Halfway there!

We are 20 weeks today. It seems like it has been such a long time, and yet we have such a long ways to go! I am feeling some tummy movement, although nothing really visible. Scott says it is gas.

I have had horrible indigestion today. But, I am feeling a little better right now. I am looking forward to having Friday off to drive to Atoka and spend with my family.

We are still trying to decide on a bed and bedding. After doing some reading, it seems as though a bumper pad is a bad idea and that a quilt is unnecessary, so I am really just trying to buy pretty sheets and a crib skirt. We're looking at some discontinued stuff from PBKids called chamois lambie. I went to a local store on Saturday and found some other stuff I really liked, that was super expensive. But I liked it . . . I really want to make some decisions on these things. I want everything planned out, if I can.

And as for names, we've given up even discussing it. We have the first name for a boy (Frederick -- the family name) and a middle name for a girl (Elizabeth). But we haven't "fallen in love" with any other names to go with those. I like Anne Elizabeth and Frederick Ward, but . . . I guess we'll see.

We have our next appointment on Monday. No ultrasound then, but we're supposed to schedule one at that appointment. So, that's good news. I'm ready to see this little one again.

My first baby purchases

Scott bought baby a book for Valentine's, but before tonight, I hadn't bought anything. I think I was too superstitious. It's still hard to accept sometimes that this will hopefully happen!

So, I bought a bassinet and some onesies, plus two more pairs of maternity pants at a consignment sale in Norman. I thought I would share.

New Furniture!

Well, Scott and I finally own our own living room furniture! He thinks it is darker than we expected, but I still like it. I couldn't take a photo of the entire ensemble because he was sitting on it and did not want to be disturbed, so this is just a sample. There is also a nice couch and a dark leather club chair!

Belly Pic 16w6d

Okay, so I meant to post this earlier. Scott took this the morning after the other pic to show how much I "grow" during the day. Actually, it doesn't look as though there is too much difference! I guess we'll be due for an updated pic in a few days.

On Assignment

Hello from the fair city of Bartlesville! I thought this was a relatively small town, but now, after surveying here for several days, it doesn't seem quite as small!

I"m absolutely exhausted. I think I got in and out of the car over 50 times today. I had hoped to go research at the library tonight, but I simply cannot. I am having some kind of pain. I don't know what it is, but it happens every once in a while and is a dull achy thing.

3 days is simply not enough time to get everything done that needs to be done here! I will definitely have to come back.

Stopping to eat and use the restroom frequently also slows me down a lot.

It's also been more emotionally trying to be here than I expected. I should have made someone come here with me! I'll be glad to be gone, even though I really like this place.

I miss my Scott!

Oh, I hope my Cowboys can manage to actually win a game tonight.

Belly Pic 16w5d

Okay, these are belly and belly only pics. It was late, I'd been rubbing my eyes. And, these are the evening edition photos. I look considerably smaller early in the morning. So, keep that in mind. Scott was laughing while he took these.

I was definitely uncomfortable today -- I feel like I'm on the path to huge!

Latest Visit

Well, today's appointment wasn't super exciting. No ultrasound, no bloodwork. They weighed me, took my blood pressure, and listened to the heartbeat. His doppler was much better and we could hear it really well. The heart rate was 152 bpm! Does that indicate boy or girl? :)

Valentine's Day

Today was a good day. I virtually finished the historic district nomination for Durant. And . . . my supervisor only made minor changes. Yeah! And, I got to leave 30 minutes early. All good.

Tonight we had dinner at Zio's. We even had dessert -- a first for me in a while. Then it was off to the Hornet's game. Luckily we were parked close to the Ford Center. It was about 24 degrees with blowing snow! It was a good game and the Hornet's won.

Then, Scott surprised me on the way home with one gift for me and one gift for baby! It was some new historical reading material for me and some fun monkey reading (complete with finger puppets) for baby.

It took a while to get home because of the weather. Maybe we'll luck out and things will be closed down tomorrow.

We go in for our monthly checkup tomorrow. Ideally, we might be able to find out what the gender is, but dh doesn't really want to find out. We also have more bloodwork and paperwork and some questions (like can we make the family trip to California in July?).

Will update tomorrow!

Ready for Bedlam!

Thank goodness it is Wednesday at last! It has been a long and tiring week (as usual).

I did make it to some fabric stores yesterday. I am looking for some inspiration for the nursery. Nothing I've seen is just right. I'd really like to make everything -- just seems more special that way. I found some material, but I don't know how Scott will feel about it. I want to get started on those kinds of things. I like to get the decisions made and things taken care of.

My tummy certainly seems to be blossoming. My non-maternity knit pants barely fit and my front is sticking way out. Some people take pics, but I don't know if I want to share!

Tomorrow, I'm off to McAlester with my supervisor and the SHPO architect to meet with some locals about a building. Maybe we'll get to have some yummy Italian, although I've never really had anything great in Krebs.

But tonight is the big game -- I'm really scared because my Cowboys have not been playing well lately. They barely beet OU last month! It should be a good though. I really wanted to order pizza or something, but I managed not to. I always feel so badly when we pick up food. I'm trying to be good! I want to get that IVF debt paid off before the baby arrives.

Oh, here's the bedding I like. What do you all think? http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductsHOM.aspx?DeptID=42249&CatID=42330&GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=1183e67&CmCatId=42249|MP|42330|shopbyitemtype

Heartbeat

I was weak and decided to rent an at home fetal heart monitor. Despite multiple ultrasounds, we still haven't gotten to hear the heartbeat -- we've seen it, but they've never offered to let us listen. I'm just curious and why not?

So, it took a while to find, but then, there it was. I have no idea how fast, I wasn't sure exactly what to count. But it was still amazing to hear at last!

Can't wait to let Scott listen!

Exhausted

Thank goodness it is Wednesday -- only two more days until the weekend. I've threatened to call in sick every day this week. But somehow, I manage to make it in each morning. I may regret being there later in the day, but it's too late by then.

I've been telling people that I feel pretty good -- just a little obnoxious nausea. Well, yesterday dh told me to stop lying! The nausea is definitely annoying and seems to be around much of the day. I feel worse at night (okay, downright yucky), but have some bad times during the day as well. I have to eat almost constantly and it has to be protein -- nothing else helps. No sweets! No throwing up though, thankfully. I just feel like crap. But I am so happy to be feeling like crap.

Only thing is that I am absolutely exhausted -- my nighttime sleeping is abnormal -- I fall asleep on the couch every night -- I need a nap every afternoon. I am trying to do my best at my new job, but I'm certainly not being able to enjoy it like I had hoped. I have to admit that I'd rather be at home -- and that does bother me. I wish I could only work part time, but I'm too chicken to ask about that possibility.

So, I'm whiney. But very happy to be in this positon.

12 Week Update

We went in today for our 12 week/1st OB appointment. Everything went well and luckily, we got to have another ultrasound! It's really late, so I won't say much about it. I just really wanted to share pictures.

Snowed In!

Well actually, it's not snow. It's sleet. Whatever it is, we're stuck in the house for an indefinite period of time.

The rest of this past week has been a busy blur. Tuesday I was in Perry. Wednesday, we had a meeting with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation about bridges (especially a WPA one in Coal County). Then Thursday we were in Bartlesville and Tulsa. We got back into town Thursday night around 7:00. As I was walking to my car, I started getting scared. It couldn't be -- not a flat tire! (I bought new tires during the fall semester). But alas, it was. Security had noticed it early in the day and tried to find me, but of course, I was not in the office. So, I had to call roadside service. I was prepared to wait a good hour and a half. Then, someone at OHS volunteered to change it for me. Thank you sooo much. I was home by shortly after 8:00 and I'd even gotten my last progesterone shot.

All this Thursday night was after I was late to work Thursday morning due to an accident on I-235. I left a little early that morning and had just enough gas to get to work. However, because traffic was crawling, I almost ran out. I ended up taking a detour and getting a little gas. I suppose that is when I ran over what eventually would cause me to have a flat. What fun!

So Friday morning, I'm late to work so I can go get my tire fixed. Hibdon's doesn't open until 8:00, but I'm out of there and at work by 9:00. Then, the freezing rain and sleet starts. Around 10:00 the governor declares his state of emergency and tells all non-essential state workers they can go home. So, at 10:30, I leave after putting in a hard 1.5 hours of work. It took a while to get home (once again I-235 was not moving). Luckily, dh was able to leave work at 1:00.

So, now we're home just hanging out. We've watched lots of tv, he's played lots of video games, and I've done lots of cooking. I made stew for him, meatloaf for me, brownies, muffins, and a yummy breakfast. It's been fun, although we may be stir crazy before this stuff all melts next week.

Trying to Stay Awake

I've really had a hard time staying awake recently. I seem to be tired all the time. I fell asleep in the car today (while riding with my supervisor back from surveying in Perry). Last night, I fell asleep at 7:00 and slept through most of the National Championship game. Part of the problem is that I haven't been sleeping as well at night. Sunday night I was up at 3:00. That really stinks.

The nausea and indigestion also continues to be a problem.

On a happier note though, work is good. It's great to have a job where you're not watching the clock. I looked down today and it was 4:51. I was like, crap, it's time to go home. Today, we walked through miles of a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) park in Perry. I think my supervisor forgets that I'm PREGNANT! I was a total pig at lunch because I was starving. My stomach had been rolling and making horrible noises for over an hour (other people heard it). I do hate the times for commuting purposes though. I hate traffic. I did manage to make dinner and then we went grocery shopping. I'm really trying to eat out less.

On another happy note, this Thursday is my last progesterone shot! I didn't know it was going to be my last, but apparently, they only want to make sure you have it through at least the first 8 to 10 weeks. So, we're good there. It kind of makes me nervous to stop taking them. I'm kind of used to it at this point.

Well, it's late. This trying to stay awake till bedtime stuff is rough!

New job add nausea

So, I started my new job as a historic preservation specialist on Wednesday. Everything is going well. Everyone is nice. My first project will be helping with the nomination for a historic district in Durant (yeah!) and doing a reconnaisance survey of Bartlesville (God has a funny sense of humor -- good thing I still . . . appreciate Bartlesville. Hopefully it's not too weird being there again).

I'm off tomorrow for Durant, then next week, we travel to OU, to Perry, and to Bartlesville/Tulsa. I will not start the survey in B-ville until February. For now, I will be learning how Oklahoma does surveys (and maybe making some modifications to the process).

As for the nausea, I started feeling really crumby yesterday afternoon. This morning, I tried to throw up I felt so bad and was pretty yucky a large part of the morning. That continued this afternoon and tonight. For the most part, it's not horrible nausea, just minor nausea that is constantly there. Breakfast made me gag; I wanted salty food!

I'm looking forward to my trips, but I hope my stomach cooperates. Thankfully tomorrow is Friday.

Happy New Year!

Well, as I sit here and moan at the OU game, I thought I would blog a little to take my mind off of other things. (I tried to get dh to mute the game -- I'm tired of hearing the commentators).

I was set to start my new job tomorrow. However, because of the official day of mourning to honor Gerald Ford, I do not start until Wednesday. Apparently, my first day on the job will largely consist of paperwork. What fun! It's been fun to be off for the last month and a half. I'm gonna miss it, even though I look forward to this new job. I guess I will announce my pregnancy as soon as I get there. I don't really think I could hide it and why would I want to?

I have been pretty sick today. Not morning sickness. It's the sinus junk or virus stuff that has been going around. No fever, just lots of congestion and sinus pressure. I may try to go to the doctor tomorrow -- I hate to start a new job sick.

OU just scored. It's 26 to 28. We have to go for a 2 point conversion. I'm scared.

8w6d Ultrasound

Well, we got to see baby again. And this time she/he was kicking and moving around. Very sweet. I have a new pic that I will upload soon. The doctor says he/she is measuring just right and he gave us a due date of August 5th (different than those internet gurus). Who cares, though. I will still consider myself 9 weeks today -- it sounds better! It was 7 weeks ago today that our little one was "conceived" so . . . there.

We are now officially ob patients! Our first ob appointment is the 18th of January. I called them this morning to try to find out how much things are going to cost -- the business office is not very helpful. We want to withhold from paychecks enough to cover medical costs so it is deducted before taxes. The evil business office said they would go over all of that information at our January appointment. They did give me the before insurance costs, but just for the doctor, not the hospital. Those (hospital) are the charges that really scare me! The doctor's fees aren't that bad, by comparison. It's a lot cheaper than surgery!

The countdown to the new job is on. I've been trying on clothes (my selection is still very sad -- I thought I was okay on work shirts, but I can tell my wardrobe is going to get very boring, very fast. Oh, no, I'll have to go shopping!) I've also been trying to get the house in order. I did watch "The Devil Wears Prada" this morning, though. Lots of fun. Maybe I shouldn't have watched that before I went through my closet? :)

Got to get to work.