Birth story (LONG)

Sorry this is so long but I want to try and remember as much as I can.
My water broke in the shower on Monday night 5/3/10 at 9:00pm. Tommy and I spent most of that day walking in hopes that it would get something going. When my water broke I just turned off the water in the shower and told Tommy that I thought my water had broken. We were both so excited that this was actually going to happen soon. We stood around for a while just giggling and staring at each other and wondering what to do next. We took Bradley classes for 12 weeks and I read every pregnancy book I could get my hands on but it seemed like at that moment we didn’t have a clue what to do. I got back in the shower and finished cleaning up. Then Tommy took a quick shower. I had just eaten a big dinner (enchiladas! Yum) so I knew my stomach was full. I wasn’t feeling any contractions so we walked around for a while. We walked down the street from one street light to the next and still no contractions. I did squats in the house and in the driveway. If my neighbors would have been outside they would have thought I was crazy. I still wasn’t having any contractions. We tried to lie down and take a little nap but after about 45 minutes I go up. There was no way I could sleep. So we decided to go to the hospital. I think I may have had a few contractions in the car on the way to the hospital but nothing that really hurt. We arrived at the hospital, they verified that my water had in fact broken and they admitted me at about 2:00 am on 5/4/10 (my due date!). I was maybe 2 cm dilated and -3 station. The baby was still really high!

Once they got me into a room they hooked up the monitors to watch the baby’s heartbeat and to see how often I was having contractions. The heartbeat was fine, and I wasn’t having any hard contractions. I think I had a few very minor ones that were 8-10 minutes apart. They wanted to hook me up to an IV. I requested a heplock and the nurse looked at me like I was crazy and said, “I don’t know we can do that.” I thought that was crazy. So we explained to her that we had a birth plan that was reviewed and signed off by my doctor and he was ok with it. So finally we started walking the halls of the hospital. The nurses and doctors that we passed kind of looked at us like we were crazy. I was shocked by how many women go in, get pitocin, get an epidural, have a c-section, and then leave 3 days later. So we walked and walked and my contractions were still not coming strong or regular. We tried squats, we tried the birth ball. Tommy was helping me every step of the way and suggesting things we learned in class. But nothing was working. I was only 3 cm dilated and still -3 station after being in labor for 17 hours. So around 2pm the nurses finally convinced me and Tommy to try pitocin. At first it wasn’t bad at all. I was noticing the contractions more and more but they were manageable. I was still able to get on the birth ball and rock but I had to be monitored constantly. They checked me again I think around 5 and I was still only 3 cm and -3 station. The baby’s head wasn’t even touching my cervix to make it dilate. So I got extremely upset and questioned the nurses that we tried pitocin and it wasn’t doing anything. The contractions by this point were beginning to become unbearable and they wanted to increase the pitocin because they weren’t seeing any progress. So after and long discussion between me and Tommy we decided to try the epidural and see if it would relax me enough and allow my pelvic bones to relax and make the baby come down. We got the epidural and by 6:00 pm when my doctor came in to check me I was 6 cm (according to the doctor) and 7 cm (according to the nurse) and -2 or -1 station. So the epidural worked to relax me and allow the baby’s head to come down. Around 9:00 I began to notice pressure, the doctor checked me and said I could begin pushing, 10 cm and 0 station. So she was still a little high but we could start trying to push her down. I started pushing at 9:30pm. The nurse helping me push was great and Tommy was amazing! The baby’s head was stuck behind my pelvic bone so it took LOTS of pushing to get it past the bone. They turned off my epidural when I began pushing so I could feel the pressure and contraction and knew when to push. By 11:30 my back was killing me and I had to get the epidural back on. Abigail’s head was sideways so the back labor was extremely painful. At 12:15 am (2 hours and 45 minutes of pushing) I almost gave up. Her head was still behind the pelvic bone and I didn’t think we were making much progress. I told the nurse and Tommy that I couldn’t do it anymore and I wanted a C-section. They convinced me to try to push through one more contraction. That did the trick. Her head passed through the bone and then I was told to stop. Stop??? How are you supposed to stop pushing? We had to wait for the doctor. Well I wasn’t stopping, not after 3 hours of pushing. He hurried in and right when he got in position her head started to come. A few more pushes later and her head was out. One more push for the shoulders and then the rest of her just came out. Tommy was practically skipping around the room in joy. They placed her on my chest and Tommy cut the cord and we had a perfect little girl that was all our own. I was experiencing so many different emotions at that one time. I was so relieved that the labor and pushing was over and that I didn’t have to experience a C-section. I was beyond excited to have a little girl in my arms. I was so in love with my husband. I think I feel in love with him all over again when I saw the excitement on his face as she was coming into the world. Abigail was 7 lbs, 10oz and 20 inches long. She’s a perfectly healthy baby girl and we just can’t stop staring at her and taking in every little feature.

Sunshine award and doctor appt update

Thanks to Vanessa at Grow old with me, the best is yet to be I have been awarded the Sunshine award. Thanks Vanessa! Vanessa is currently expecting a little girl also and she has the same exact due date. I haven't seen an update since Tuesday but it seems like both our little girls are stubborn and do not want to come early. So we're both waiting patiently :-)

We had a doctors appointment yesterday and we FINALLY had some progress. I'm 1.5 cm dilated. It's not much but at least it's something. The doctor said she is still really high so that's pretty much the only thing we are waiting on is for her to drop down in my pelvis. Hopefully this weekend we can convince her to come out!

39 weeks

How far along? 39 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: I stopped counting, it's just too many.
Maternity clothes? I returned my aunts maternity clothes so my selection has drastically reduced. But hopefully I will only need them for a little while longer.
Stretch marks? Ummm, well I just noticed some yesterday. Let's just say I'm NOT happy. 1 week until my due date and I'm finding stretch marks. Me and Miss Abigail need to have a talk.
Sleep: It's really hard to find a comfortable position lately.
Best moment this week: each day we get closer and closer to her being here.
Movement: There isn't much room left for her to move but I can feel her stretching in there. And she likes to punch and push on my bladder.
Food cravings: Sweets
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Still nothing. I a few braxton hicks each day. But at our doctor's appt on Friday there was no progress. At least she's head down!
Belly Button in or out? Still in.
What I miss? Bending over, standing for long periods of time, sleeping, etc etc
What I am looking forward to: Having this baby!
Weekly Wisdom: I need ALOT more patience
Milestones: each day is a milestone...one day closer.

38 weeks - I'm sooooo ready!

How far along? 38 weeks. The little patience I did have is now completely gone. I'm so ready for this baby to come.
Total weight gain/loss: 33 lbs.
Maternity clothes? I found out last week that my aunt is 3 months pregnant for #7 so all the maternity clothes she let me borrow will need to be sent back very soon! Thank goodness I'm done with them. I have a few things of my own to last me the next few weeks (hopefully just the next few days)
Stretch marks? still none!!!
Sleep: Sleep has been good but I can only sleep for 2 hour stretches.
Best moment this week: Feeling her kick Tommy in the face when he was talking to her.
Movement: Yep she's still a little gymnast and she gets the hiccups about once a day now.
Food cravings: nothing really
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Our appt last Friday was about the same as the one before. Still no progress, she was still really high. But she has definitely dropped since then so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for better news this Friday.
Belly Button in or out? It's staying in.
What I miss? Waking up really early to drive to work...just kidding I'm loving staying home and working from home.
What I am looking forward to: LABOR! I can't wait.
Weekly Wisdom: It could be another month before she comes...I just need to get more patience.
Milestones: past full term...

37 weeks - Full term

How far along? 37 weeks. Abigail is official full term!
Total weight gain/loss: 33 lbs.
Maternity clothes? I'm so ready to pack them up and store them away.
Stretch marks? still none!!!
Sleep: It's starting to hurt to change positions and switch sides. I wake up probably 3 or 4 times a night to pee or roll over.
Best moment this week: WE ARE COMPLETELY DONE WITH EVERY BIRTH/HOSPITAL CLASS!!!! I really enjoyed taking the Bradley courses and learning some new things at the hospital courses. But I was so tired of rushing home and having to rush off to class. It's nice to go home and relax in the afternoon.
Movement: She's still shaking her butt in there and punching me with those little hands.
Food cravings: Chocolate
Gender: Miss Lil' Bit
Labor Signs: We didn't have any progress at our doctor's appt last friday. He said my cervix was softening a little and I was just slightly dilated, but nothing to get excited about. Hopefully with the Braxton Hicks and the few real contractions I've had lately we will hear more good news tomorrow.
Belly Button in or out? It's staying in.
What I miss? being able to bend over without losing my breath
What I am looking forward to: doctors appt tomorrow morning and today is my last at work. I will work from home until she comes but no more waking up really really early to drive an hour to work!
Weekly Wisdom: I sure hope motherhood teaches me some patience because I definitely need to learn that.
Milestones: FULL TERM!

36 weeks

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 32 lbs.
Maternity clothes? There isn't much that fits anymore. The shirts are getting short.
Stretch marks? still none!
Sleep: Still waking up about every 2 hours to change positions or use the bathroom.
Best moment this week: finishing the pond and enjoying our backyard. I think we've sat by the waterfall almost every afternoon in the last week just to relax.
Movement: Yep, she's still active in there.
Food cravings: A coke or Dr. pepper icee.
Gender: Little Bitty Abigail
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks and I get maybe 1 or 2 real contractions a day.
Belly Button in or out? still in, I don't think it's coming out.
What I miss? being able to do things on my own, like climb a ladder or pick up heavy objects. I think that's the only frustrating thing about being pregnant that I have to get Tommy or someone else to do things for me.
What I am looking forward to: the labor and delivery tour tonight.
Weekly Wisdom: Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue. We still have 4 more weeks to go.
Milestones: 1 week until she is full term!

35 weeks

I know I skipped the 34 week post but I have been so exhausted and busy with preparing for the baby that I didn't have the 5 minutes to write the 34 week post...so here's 35 weeks/35 days left!!

How far along? 35 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 30...ouch, I didn't want to reach that number and I still have 5 weeks left. I hope I don't gain too much more but it seems like my body has been retaining alot of fluid lately.
Maternity clothes? I'm getting tired of them.
Stretch marks? still none!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next 5 weeks that they don't start popping up.
Sleep: Hasn't been too great lately. I can only sleep for about 2 hours at a time then I'm awake for 30-45 minutes. It's all in preparation for those late night feedings.
Best moment this week: we go the car seat installed and finished buying all the little last minute things we will need. I think we're ready! If only I could finish packing my hospital bag. I've been putting that off for weeks now.
Movement: she hasn't been kicking and tumbling as much but I can feel her sliding around and getting comfortable.
Food cravings: Chocolate again...Easter candy, yum. That might explain those 30 pounds too.
Gender: the ultrasounds still say its a girl but we'll know for sure in only 5 short weeks
Labor Signs: I've have a few cramps/contractions in afternoons about 3 or 4 days a week. Other then that, she's still growing in there.
Belly Button in or out? still in
What I miss? being able to bend over to put on my socks and shoes.
What I am looking forward to: the hospital tour next Tuesday. I have lots of questions.
Weekly Wisdom: I'm uncomfortable, tired and very ready to see and hold this baby, but I know she still needs those few weeks to grow and develop so I just need to be patient.
Milestones: 35 weeks down, 35 days to go!

33 weeks

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 27

Maternity clothes? can't get away from them. I'm about ready to pack them up and store them away for a while.

Stretch marks? still none!!

Sleep: my bladder is getting smaller and smaller and it's getting harder and harder to get comfortable so sleeping is getting more and more difficult.

Best moment this week: feeling all of her kicks and punches, realizing how close we are to having a baby in our arms.

Movement: yep, she's still rolling around in there.

Food cravings: Lasagna

Gender: pearls, and tutus, and ballet shoes....I'm getting so excited about having a little miss priss.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks and I think I've had a few real contractions but nothing that has been consisent or uncomfortable.

Belly Button in or out? still in, at this rate I don't know if it will ever poke out.

What I miss? sleeping more than 2 hours at a time...its all in preparation for those late night feedings

What I am looking forward to: our first hospital class tonight on breastfeeding

Weekly Wisdom: I can have a natural child birth. Hundreds (maybe thousands) of woman do it every day so I know I can manage the pain and have a healthy natural pregnancy.

Milestones: only a few more weeks until she is full term!!

32 weeks

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 26 lbs...woo hoo no weight gain this week. I've been sick all weak so I didn't have much of an appetite
Maternity clothes? yep...and Tommy's T-shirts are now my pajamas
Stretch marks? still none, i'm keeping my fingers crossed
Sleep: Between coughing, trying to catch my breath, and trying to get comfortable...sleeping just isn't going so great.
Best moment this week: finally getting rid of this cold. And Tommy winning 3rd place in the jambalaya cook-off this weekend!! It was delicious.
Movement: yep, I think space is starting to get limited so she's not moving as much. But when she rolls around my whole body jumps.
Food cravings: Pizza
Gender: girly girl
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks are now pretty common.
Belly Button in or out? still not out.
What I miss? being able to breathe
What I am looking forward to: going on our hospital tour in a few weeks.
Weekly Wisdom: No matter how many baby/pregnancy/delivery books I read and how much I research, I still won't have a clue what labor is really going to be like. I'll have to experience it to believe it!
Milestones: each day is a milestone.

31 weeks

How far along? 31 weeks


Total weight gain/loss: 26 lbs.


Maternity clothes? oh yes


Stretch marks? still none but my skin is starting to burn on the top of my stomach so I know my skin is stretching.


Sleep: I've been fighting a cold and chest congestion lately so sleep has not been very great.


Best moment this week: The baby shower. Seeing all of our family and friends and getting some awesome gifts.


Movement: We'll definitely have to enroll this girl in some gymnastics classes


Food cravings: nothing lately.


Gender: after all of the adorable dresses and pink clothes we got this weekend, she better be a girl. Not to mention, I made a pink and black tutu for her Friday...I can't wait to see her in it.


Labor Signs: A few Braxton Hicks each day.


Belly Button in or out? flat, when i cough it sticks out a little


What I miss? sleeping on my stomach


What I am looking forward to: watching her and Tommy interact...he's going to be such a great dad.


Weekly Wisdom: We're going to a baby to hold in our arms very very soon.


Milestones: less than 2 months!

30 weeks

How far along? 30 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 25 lbs.
Maternity clothes? I think I'm actually starting to like wearing them.
Stretch marks? none!!
Sleep: I can't get enough sleep. I wake up in the morning ready for a nap and after a nap I'm ready for bed again.
Best moment this week: Seeing her for the last time before she's born. She looked great. The doctor said the cyst is completely gone and she is growing very well. She is about 3 lbs 6 oz now which is the 48th percentile.
Movement: Its so strange to watch my stomach move around. She definately likes to roll around and tumble at night.
Food cravings: chocolate, and with all the easter candy in the stores lately its been hard to resist.
Gender: Miss Abigail
Labor Signs: I definately felt a few Braxton Hicks last week.
Belly Button in or out? still in
What I miss? Having energy. Hopefully once we get some warmer weather I can start doing this outside and that will help me stay energetic. I hate being stuck in the house all the time.
What I am looking forward to: The next 9 weeks! I can't beleive we only have 2 more months left this has gone by so quicly.
Weekly Wisdom: Everything has a way of working itself out.
Milestones: only 2 more months!

29 weeks

How far along? 29 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 23 lbs.
Maternity clothes? I don't think I'll be giving these up any time soon.
Stretch marks? still none!!
Sleep: Not so great over the weekend. I woke up at 6:30 Saturday morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I guess I need to get ready for those early mornings and late nights.
Best moment this week: Abigail got to experience a UL baseball game. It was a great game and Tommy and I had such a good time.
Movement: oh yeah, lately its been early in the morning and later at night.
Food cravings: I don't think I really craved anything this week.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: nothing yet
Belly Button in or out? still in
What I miss? sleeping on my stomach. My arms have been falling asleep every night lately.
What I am looking forward to: Doctors appointment Thursday with another ultrasound.
Weekly Wisdom: Only 10 more weeks of pregnancy :-( I'm really going to miss feeling those kicks throughout the day and knowing that she's safe with me.
Milestones: we're almost in the single digits for the weekly countdown...10 more weeks.

28 weeks and she has a name!

How far along? 28 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 21 lbs.
Maternity clothes? I wish I could find some maternity jeans that don't slip down.
Stretch marks? still none. I've been lathering on the cocoa butter in hopes that I get lucky and don't have stretch marks. But I don't think I'll be so lucky.
Sleep: I've been sleeping great until I have to wake up to go pee and then my mind wonders and then I can't fall back asleep.
Best moment this week: Well I have a few funny stories for this week...this little girl is already stealing my jewelry. I noticed Thursday at about 9:00am that I'd lost an earring. I thought it might have fallen in my shirt or bra so I went to the restroom and looked and it was nowhere to be found. I looked in my office and couldn't find it so I figured, "oh well, it's gone." Well I got home and changed out of my jeans and my earring was stuck between my belly and the stretch band on my jeans. She wanted to wear my earrings!

Another story that is funny to me now that I look back on it. Last week I was sitting in my office and the cleaning lady came in to clean out my trash can. I recently changed offices so she seemed a little confused that I was in this new office. She walks in and asked me if I switched offices and then proceeds to ask, "You look different. Did you get fat or something?" I know my jaw hit the floor. Now you would have to see this lady to understand her tact. She has tattoos up and down her arms and a mouth full of gold teeth. But anyway, I just told her that I was pregnant so that explains the weight gain. I was floored....I couldn't believe she asked me that. Once she walked out of my office I just started laughing.

Movement: Yep, she rolls around in there a few times a day. I was at a Mardi Gras parade Saturday afternoon and a float came by with really loud music and I she just kept punching and kicking until they got farther away. I guess she didn't like the loud music.
Food cravings: Sweets, chocolate...thank goodness for Valentines candy!
Gender: a little miss priss (that apparently likes to wear earrings). We finally decided on a name. Abigail Marie. I never realized how difficult it was to name your kid. We went through hundreds of names and finally decided on Abigail.
Labor Signs: Still way to early for that...she still needs to grow a little.
Belly Button in or out? Very shallow. It's only a matter of time before it will be poking out!
What I miss: going a hours without having to pee.
What I am looking forward to: Doctor's appt next Thursday. We get another ultrasound to make sure the cyst is completely gone! I can't wait to see her again. And my mom is coming this time so I'm excited for her to get to see.
Weekly Wisdom: Life is great. I have a wonderful husband is doing so much more than I ever imagined for me and the baby during this pregnancy. He is just great.
Milestones: This is final stretch...in only a few months we will parents!

The Saints Won the Superbowl!! & 27 week update

How far along? 27 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 18 lbs
Maternity clothes? all the time
Stretch marks? still none. I have a feeling i will start seeing some soon. This belly is growing quickly
Sleep: Its hard to get comfortable lately. And my arms fall asleep throughout the night so I have to keep switching sides.
Best moment this week: We started the Bradley method classes last week and I think it's really going to be good for us. We're not planning on having a home birth, we're just taking the class to learn more about labor and delivery so we're both comfortable in the birthing room and both have a good understanding of what to expect. I would like to have a natural delivery with no epidural so I figure the more I can learn about how to make myself comfortable the better off we will be.
Movement: She's been kicking and moving like crazy lately. She used to only kick once or twice and then stop for a few hours. Now she kicks constantly for 10 or 15 minutes. I guess she's trying to get comfortable in that tight space. The other night Tommy put a light on my stomach and I guess it shocked her because she kick instantly.
Food cravings: Cinnamon rolls
Gender: Pink
Labor Signs: nothing, I still don't know if I'm having Braxton Hicks contractions or not.
Belly Button in or out? Still in but after I eat and my stomach is full it gets almost flat. I have a feeling it will be poking out soon.
What I miss: being able to move around easily and lift anything I want.
What I am looking forward to: We scheduled the baby shower for March 6th. We just decided to have one large shower rather than having 2 or 3 small showers. I figured that would easier and cheaper for everyone. I can't wait, it's going to be so much fun!
Weekly Wisdom: It just hit me recently how quickly this is going by. The 1st trimester seemed to go by a little slow but the 2nd trimester just flew by. I can't beleive we have less than 3 months!
Milestones: 3rd trimester

And in other news...the Saints won the Superbowl last night! I'm not a huge Saints fan. I just don't follow professional football that much. But I'm excited for the Saints. They definately deserved the win.

New car & 26 weeks

How far along? 26 weeks. We'll really i'm 27 weeks today but i haven't posted an update for 26 weeks yet.

Total weight gain/loss: 17 lbs

Maternity clothes? yes

Stretch marks? none!!!!!

Sleep: great! I haven't gotten up even once to pee the last few nights.

Best moment this week: Feeling her move so often. And all good news at our doctors appt last Friday.

Movement: Mostly late in the afternoon after dinner and right before we go to bed. The other night she was kicking and Tommy put his hand on my belly and she kicked once more then stopped for a while so he took his hand off. Then she started kicking like crazy again until he put his hand back again.

Food cravings: Sweets

Gender: All girl

Labor Signs: nope

Belly Button in or out? Still in

What I miss: not having pains in my back all day long

What I am looking forward to: having a baby girl. I'm getting so excited about all the fun we're going to have, shopping, dancing lessons, playing dress up, Tommy teaching her how to fish and play sports. I'm sure some times it will be tough (like the teenage years) but having kids is going to be so much fun!

Weekly Wisdom: the exhaustion still has not gone away.

Milestones: almost 3rd trimester

We bought a new car last week and I absolutely love it! We got a silver 2010 GMC Acadia. It's so convenient and nice. Now I love my hour drive to work every day!

25 weeks

How far along? 25 weeks. I can't beleive we have less than 100 days!
Total weight gain/loss: 16.5 lbs
Maternity clothes? for now they are very comfortable. I got a huge stash of maternity clothes from one of my aunts so I have a large selection but most of the shirts are still a little big, I'm sure that will change very soon.
Stretch marks? I'm hoping that cocoa butter works it's magic for the next 15 weeks. I still have none.
Sleep: I feel like I can never get enough sleep.
Best moment this week: We started the baby registery this past weekend!
Movement: She was very calm Friday afternoon and Saturday but she made up for it on Sunday.
Food cravings: nothing really
Gender: miss priss
Labor Signs: i think I've had a few Braxton Hicks but I don't really know what they feel like so I don't know if it's just the baby in an awkward position or if its really Braxton Hicks
Belly Button in or out? Not an outie yet
What I miss: Being active all day and not being completely exhausted by the end of the day.
What I am looking forward to: Our doctor's appt this Friday.
Weekly Wisdom: Babies are expensive!!! I couldn't beleive the price of some of stuff that you don't even get to use very often or for very long.
Milestones: less than 100 days!

24 weeks and Nursery pictures

How far along? 24 weeks...viability baby!!
Total weight gain/loss: 15 lbs
Maternity clothes? yep...I can't wait until we get warmer weather so I can wear comfortable dresses and skirts rather than sweaters and jeans.
Stretch marks? Still none, I don't know how much longer that is going to last though because my belly really seemed to grow these last few weeks.

Sleep: Great
Best moment this week: Setting up the nursery with Tommy. He's going to be such a great dad.

Movement: Oh yes!

Food cravings: chocolate ice cream with chocolate magic shell, starcrunch cookies..I think its just CHOCOLATE

Gender: It better be a girl, her room is very pink.

Labor Signs: not ready for that yet
Belly Button in or out? Still in but getting flat...it looks kinda funny
What I miss: Staying up late, hanging out and drinking with friends...I think those days are very limited now.

What I am looking forward to: Hopefully getting the registry started this weekend.

Weekly Wisdom: everything does not have to be perfect.

Milestones: viability

Now for the nursery pictures. Tommy did such a great job with painting and putting up the chair rail. It looks awesome! My mom came over yesterday and helped me with the mural. It's almost ready for the baby! We're still waiting for the hutch that goes over the dresser (don't even get me started on the problems we've had with the delivery of that hutch), but we still have a few months until we absolutely need it.

Tommy painting

The mural!

Crib

Bookcase

Crib and rug

23 weeks

How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 13 lbs...woo hoo I didn't gain anything this week! I gained 3 pounds last week so I started to get a little worried.

Maternity clothes? I couldn't live without them.

Stretch marks? Nope...I hope this last forever because I can definitely live without these.

Sleep: Really good this week. I actually haven't been as tired lately either...except for Thursday when I feel asleep during the National Championship game at 7:30.

Best moment this week: Knowing that everything is perfect and just fine with our baby girl. I can't tell you how relieved we are to know that the cyst is diminishing and she has no other signs of problems!

Movement: Yep, she does a little tumbling every once in a while.

Food cravings: Anything, I'm still on the strawberry kick too.

Gender: She's definitely all girl...we confirmed twice at our last ultrasound, once with the U/S tech and again with the doctor.

Labor Signs: nope. I don't know if I'll even be able to recognize when I'm having Braxton Hicks contractions. I don't have a clue what it would feel like.

Belly Button in or out? Still in

What I miss: It's not pregnancy related but I miss warmer weather. It's been so cold around here lately that we've just been staying inside. I can't wait until spring time when we can get out more.

What I am looking forward to: putting together the crib and setting up the nursery.

Weekly Wisdom: I know this is strange but I still don't think it's fully settled in that we are actually having a baby. At times I almost forget that I'm pregnant. Seeing her during the ultrasound is so surreal and it's hard to put my mind around that I actually have a baby inside of me.

Milestones: 1 more day until viability!

We bought her carseat and stroller over the weekend. We decided on the Chicco Keyfit30 system. We had some 20% off coupons so we figured we better take advantage of the discounted price. I wanted something we could use again for our next child. So I we decided on a gender neutral color. Here is the set we bought:

Choroid Plexus Cyst Update

We went yesterday to see a Maternal and Fetal Specialist to do a more in-depth ultrasound of the baby girl. He looked for the Choroid Plexus Cyst and said he thought he saw some reminisce of the cyst, but it looked like it was dissipating. He also looked for other signs/symptoms for other problems that she may have, but he did not find anything. He said everything looks good and he wants us to go back after 28 weeks to do another ultra-sound to make sure that the cyst has complete dissipated. The news was great and relieved a great deal of anxiety for both of us.We are both more relaxed and hoping for even better news after the next ultrasound.

There is one piece of good news - we got some more beautiful picture of the baby girl. She put on a show for us while we were there. She was not that photogenic and it seemed like the Doctors were interrupting her nap because she kept yawning and putting her hand in her mouth. The Doctor must have woke her up at one point while he was trying to check her feet for Mermaid Syndrome (where her feet could have been connected). He was trying to make her move her feet and he kept shaking her until she finally moved. It was pretty cool how much detail can be determined and seen during the ultra-sound. It was pretty amazing and we are filled with joy that there isn’t anything wrong.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

22 weeks

I'm posting this one a little late since I'm already 23 weeks but I waned to keep up with the tradition.



How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 13 lbs.

Maternity clothes? About the only thing that still fits are a few T-shirts

Stretch marks? Still none :-)

Sleep: Not so great this week. I've been waking up around 1:30 and I can't go back to sleep

Best moment this week: How about scariest moment this week...hearing about the choroid plexus cyst. We'll know more tomorrow afternoon once we see the Maternal and Fetal Specialist. We just keep praying that its completely gone by now.

Movement: She's really acrobatic in the morning on my drive to work.

Food cravings: Pretty much anything. Boiled crawfish has been sounding good though.

Gender: Little Miss Priss

Labor Signs: nope

Belly Button in or out? In for now, I don't know how long its going to last though. And every once in a while she kicks right near by belly button. It's like she's playing soccer with it.

What I miss: Not having my back crack everytime I stand up.

What I am looking forward to: Getting the furniture into the nursery and starting to hang things on the walls. Tommy has the chair rail hung and is almost finished with the painting. It looks great!

Weekly Wisdom: Leave it in God's hands.

Milestones: Only 1 more week until viability!