Baby Mania

As the time dwindles down, everything is baby, baby, baby. This week we had lot going on. Monday night we started with a class. Family & Friends CPR & First Aid. The class was good, minus one of the couples taking it. The husband was an arrogant know it all, and the wife was the opposite. She wouldn't stop asking questions, which normally I'm fine with, except for when it's questions like "what if they're choking on a piece of food?" to "ok, well what if they're choking on this kind of food?" Um, they're choking, it's all the same. During the class we went over CPR for adults, children, and infants, and then went into choking for the 3 and the differences between them. The second part of the class is dedicated to first aid, and we'll be doing that tonight.

Tuesday night we finally got onto the tour of the Birth Center. I am feeling much more relaxed and at ease about my hospital stay. It's an all new wing. Very secure. There is no way into the baby floors without going past a security guard. Everyone has to show ID. Baby gets an ankle bracelet that will sound every alarm if taken near any exits or elevators. The rooms are all clean and nice. The labor/delivery room is large, has a whirlpool tub, birthing balls, private bathrooms with showers, tvs, cd/mp3 players, mini fridge, a sofa, a glider, and basically everything you could need. The Mother/Baby rooms where you spend the next 2 days are almost as nice, just a little smaller and no tub.

Started my weekly appointments today, and it didn't start out great. My blood pressure was the highest its ever been and there was protein in my urine. Early signs of preeclampsia. My doctor sent me to the lab to do blood work, which a couple hours later I got a phone call saying everything came back normal. Thankfully. Now it's just an added worry and something they are going to monitor more closely. Over the weekend I have to do a 24 hour urine check, meaning I have to collect my pee in a jug for a full 24 hours and then take it into the lab to get checked for the protein levels. They'll have the results by my next appoint on Tuesday morning and we'll just go from there. If it does get worse, then it will be delievery sooner then expected. The only cure for preeclampsia is to not be pregnant anymore. Just one more thing to worry about. This is just proving that pregnancy is difficult and I'm not very good at it. I don't know why I'm planning on doing this again.......

Education and a Checkup

The past week has been all baby, all the time. After our shower, I spent the day going through everything that we got. There was so much! After doing a lot of laundry, a lot of cleaning, and a lot of organizing, I made a list of what we still needed. Not much was on there. So Gary & I headed to Babies R Us to use some gift cards and get the remaining things we need. Gift cards are the greatest thing ever. Shopping for free, who doesn't love that? While we were out shopping, we were attempting to make some decisions on what types of things to get. We were stuck on bottles. We have one set that I'm excited to try with Isabella. But I know that babies are picky about what they will actually take. So we ended up not getting anything, and are going to wait and see. We still have close to $100 left in gift cards, and have almost everything that we need. So I'd say we're in excellect shape.

Last Wednesday I had a checkup. Everything with baby is looking great. Heartbeat and size are right on track. As for me, well I'm doing ok. Exhaustion is really getting me down. I'm also having severe back pain. By the end of the day, I struggle to walk. Both of my doctors have talked to me about doing physical therapy, but I haven't given in yet. I am going down in my hours at work, only doing 6 hours a day instead of 8 and going to see if that helps. Hoping it will. If, after this week of reduced hours, it doesn't help then I will be forced to do physical therapy at least once a week. I'm so close to my due date that I hope I don't have to add this into my schedule.

Wednesday night, Gary & I took a class on "Baby Basics." I think it was really helpful for both of us to think about being home with  the baby and all the things that we have to do. We also got to just get into the hospitial and find where we need to go when I am in labor. We also learned more about the hospital itself and what to expect. The class was taught by one of the delivery nurses so she was very upfront with us on how things work. Any vistors that come to the hospital have to go to security before being allowed onto the baby floor. ID's are a must unless you're underage. As a patient, Gary & I have the ability to say if we want visitors or not, and when we want them. During the class we went over the basic care that we will be giving Isabella. We went over the importance of saftey and paying attention to the little things. We got to play with dolls and change a diaper and then learn to swaddle them. Also went over giving a bath and putting the baby in the car seat. Overall it was a great way to learn/relearn the things that we really need to know. Speaking of car seats, Gary went to get ours checked on Thursday and it was almost perfect. The only thing he had to change was the angle setting but otherwise everything else was perfect. :)

We are almost ready now. A few small things to do around the house, and we'll be done. Reorganizing the kitchen is the biggest thing. We need to make space for her bottles (that we have to buy) and her baby bullet from Megan. I'm so excited to make her baby food! After reading through the booklet that came with it, I realized just how much money I can really save by making her food instead of buying pre-bottled baby food. Now I just have to wait until she's big enough to start using it. It is really great though that we did get some things that are going to be good when she's older, so we don't have to worry as she grows.

Shower of Love! Again!

Again we were able to spend a day with family and friends celebrating the upcoming arrival of our little one. It was a fantastic day. My mother in law threw the party at Angellino's Resturant in CT. She had a wonderful Princess cake made. Some of my college friends that I haven't seen since my wedding were there. Gary's extended family was there, and a few family friends. And of course our cutest guest, Cameran. We ended the day with a ton of gifts, and a lot of love.

On a sad note, Gary's Gram passed away last week. We're both very sad and wish that she could have met Isabella. It has been a rough year for the Jones family. First losing his Grandfather in June, and Grandma Jones in September. We will all miss both of them very much, and remember them everyday.

Shower of Love!

This weekend Gary & I had our first baby shower. What a fantastic day filled with love for our little girl! Spending time with my family was great. I got to see people I hardly ever get to see, like my Grandmother. Speaking of which, both my grandmothers made beautiful blankets for Isabella. I remember when they made them for me, I'm so happy that I get to share that with my daughter.

My mom made an awesome cake, complete with teddy bear! And we got so many great, helpful gifts. Lots of diapers, wipes, clothes, a stroller, a carseat, and a rocking chair that my dad finished for the nursery! I feel so spoiled with everything, and we have another shower coming up! I can't thank everyone enough for coming out and helping us with great gifts!

No more worries!

On Monday we had our ultrasound to check on the development of Isabella's kidneys. The result: Perfect. :) Thankfully the one concern we had with her is behind us and now it's more about enjoying the remaining weeks until we get to meet her.

This ultrasound was so different from the first. We weren't able to see her in full on the screen because she's gotten so big. But we could really see her face, fingers, and toes. It was amazing. We could see her movement so well. It was great seeing her move while feeling her.

We had our checkup with my doctor today and asked a lot of questions. A lot of things that we've been concerned with are all coming together. The good thing is that we have our birthing class coming up so a lot more of what we're wondering about will be answered then. We also got all of our checkups scheduled through Nov. 8.

This weekend is baby shower #1. I'm excited to spend some time with my family and just focus on Isabella for the day.

Even better news:
Megan & Jesse welcomed Cameran Rigel Weeks to the world on Sept. 12! A beautiful little boy that is a great addition to our growing family. :)

Close

It's becoming more and more clear how close to the end I am. And it's amazing! I had a checkup appointment on Wednesday, everything was great. Isabella actually let us listen to her heartbeat without trouble, no kicking the doppler this time. :) I'm measuring at 31 weeks, about a week ahead of where I'm at. Good sign. My doctor had me get a flu shot, and Gary gets to have one at his appointment next week. We'll be all set for this winter. She also told me the pain that I've having, I just have to deal with. Fantastic. My body is just getting ready to give birth so the joints are loosening and with my problems I already have, it's just natural.

Wednesday I also realized that I will only be on 6 more schedules that come out at work. 6. That's so few! My countdown is offically at 9 weeks left now. Single digits. It's becoming so close and it's making me so excited. And we have so much going on until then, the time is going to just fly. I'm looking forward to my showers. Getting to see our families and share this time with them is great, I just wish everyone lived closer to us.

We've decided to start saving and preparing more for Isabella's arrival. Tips are now going towards diapers and formula. Since I'm not going to be breastfeeding, formula is going to be expensive so the more I can get now, the better. I just don't know where to start with that. So at my next doctor's appointment I'll be asking lots of questions on the best formula to go with. But the problem with that is, will she take it?

A little over a week until our ultrasound. I'm excited to get a glimpse of Isabella and see how much she's grown and developed since June. I'm also really nervous for the results of her kidneys, so I asked my parents to come with us for a little extra support. Hoping for only good news, but at least I'll have a great support system with me in case anything is wrong. My mom is also awesome. She's saving a week of vacation to come and stay with me after Isabella is born. My parents are going to help me out as much as possible especially because we don't know how long Gary's going to be able to get off of work. He can borrow vacation time against the next year, but at the same time, we don't want to start off the year with him "in debt" in case we need time off later.

For now, we're going to enjoy our last free weekend for the next month and wait impatiently for Isabella to arrive. :) I'm ready for her now.

10 Weeks to go

If the last 2 weeks are any indication of how the next 10 are going to be, I'm in for a long couple months. It hasn't been the easiest pregnancy and I've had my struggles but everything is getting even harder now. I've tried everything to ease the pain in my legs and back but nothing is helping. My feet are constantly swollen, and my hands are most of the time too. I haven't been able to wear my wedding ring for the past 2 months. My job is becoming more difficult. Standing for 8 hours a day is a lot, a lot more then I ever realized, especially with swollen feet. Shoes don't fit anymore. Flip flops it is! Thankfully it's not the middle of winter, I don't know what I would do then. My only problem now is trying to find dressier looking flip flops now that we're getting into fall and I need them for the upcoming events I have. Maybe I can buy a bedazzler and decorate the ones I already have. lol

With all the pain that I've been having, it's been wearing me down mentally and emotionally as much as physically. I've had a couple of break downs this week. Just getting through the day takes a lot out of me. And the morning sickness is coming back again. And on top of that, nosebleeds. I'm still taking the medication to control the morning sickness, but it's getting stronger still.

I feel so ready to have my little girl here. I hate playing this waiting game. I'm ready to have her and hold her and hear her cry, see her smile. I can't wait to share my life with her and teach her everything I know, and to learn from her.

Gary has been so supportive through everything I've gone through and the struggle I've been having. This was such a tough week, it was such a nice surprise to come home to this last night:

I love my husband. :)

Thinking Ahead

I rarely have time to myself. Gary picked up a shift today so that we could have the weekend off, so that meant house to myself. As much as I loved having time to do something for myself, with no one to talk to, my mind raced. And it didn't help that Isabella was deciding to do backflips and make me think about her all day.

I'm starting to realize just how much our life is going to change. As much as we're prepared, I know that we can only prepare so much. And our little one is coming just before the holidays, so everything is going to be crazy as it is. Now we have to refigure out our holiday plans. There's no way I'm taking a newborn on our crazy holiday adventures. When Thanksgiving comes, the most she will be is 2 weeks.  I don't even know if I'll be completely recovered by then, and if I'll be up for travel at all. And then we have Christmas. It's always exhausting as is. Christmas Eve we travel to CT, come home, sleep for a couple hours, and then get up and travel to my parents. We do 10 hours of driving (without traffic) in 2 days plus try to spend and enjoy time with our families. I don't know how we're going to pull it off this year, or any other year from now on. Neither of us want to let anyone down, but it just might have to happen. We also don't want to disappoint ourselves by not being able to be with our families. That's what the holidays are all about, but because we live so far from either family, and they live so much further from each other, it's always hard and exhausting to manage. Add a newborn into the mix and there's a lot more exhaustion.

Then there's the issue of going back to work. I'm taking 3 months off, how will I adjust to going back after that? And not only that, I'll be spending all my time with my little girl, how will I adjust to being away from her? And not only that, how are we going to afford for me to work part time, and pay for daycare? We're just getting by now, and we're both working full time and not paying for a child. And now we have to consider not seeing each other so that we can split up watching Isabella and only pay for parttime daycare. And then we have to find a daycare. We need one close by and even that is a struggle.

A few things that are coming first - I feel like I'm disappointing myself, and others. We have cancelled all travel plans, except for weddings and showers before Isabella gets here. This means no time with family, which I would really love. But I know that working full time is really taking a lot out of me and I can not physically do it. I'm already pushing myself too far and had to take this weekend to recoup. We're such "go, go, go" people that we always go somewhere on the weekends and I just felt so drained. My body was rebelling against me and I had to cancel the trip to my sister in laws baby shower. My feet and hands were so swollen. I was having trouble walking. It's so frustrating because I just want to do things and have fun, and I can't.

But on a good note, not going anywhere gives Gary and I more time to spend together and just be happy and excited for our little girl to get here. There's still a lot to do to get ready. Lots of laundry to get to. Cleaning out the nursery, still a little bit in there. Reorganizing pretty much the entire apartment to make room for baby things. I am beyond happy that I did the nursery early. I don't know how I'd fit it all in now. But it's completely done, all the furniture is in there and in it's place (minus the rocking chair my parents are getting me). The decorations are up. The dresser is starting to fill up. Now it's just waiting for the baby showers to load up the toys and other gear. I already cleaned out the linen closet so there's an entire shelf empty and ready to be loaded with all of her sheets and towels and such.

3rd Trimester!

Today I am 28 weeks, officially starting my 3rd trimester. 12 more weeks and little Isabella will be joining us! To celebrate, I registered us for some classes. And the best part, my insurance covers the childbirth class! That's a $100 savings! September and October are going to be busy months. Sept 17 is my cousin's wedding, Sept 25 is my baby shower my mom is throwing, Oct 1 we're doing the childbirth class, Oct 2 is my baby shower my MIL is throwing, Oct 5 we're taking a class (baby basics), Oct 17 & 19 we're taking an infant CPR class, and then end of the month I go on maternity leave, go to NH for a wedding, and have a bridal shower. All other travel plans have been cancelled until after Isabella is here, and not sure how long after we'll start travelling again.

I sat down today and went through all of my bills that have built up this year. Wow, there's a lot. I now have (finally!) the information for Maine Care so I can get the information to the various places that have sent me bills so they can bill them, and then rebill me if needed. I am hoping that Maine Care will cover everything, but I don't know if they will. A couple of the bills, including the ER visit, was all pre-Maine Care coverage. The ER visit was only 2 days before so I'm hoping I can get them to cover it, otherwise it's $500 out of pocket. And I haven't received the bills from the glucuse tests that I just had done. Having a baby is extreamely expensive, even with insurance.

Almost time to say goodbye to #2

My 3rd trimester starts on Saturday. Heck yes, I'm excited!

So the past week has been a pretty great week for us. We had my Smith family reunion. Fantastic! Spent the day at the lake with most of my family. The 4 girls were together! I miss spending time with Hannah, Bri, and Trish and spending the weekend with them was great. It was great sharing the excitement of the coming months with my family. And my Gram made my day, well made my month. She looks at me, when I'm 27 weeks pregnant, and asks if I've lost weight. Obviously not in the belly area, cuz that's growing out of control lately, but everywhere else. My mom pointed it out too. :)

I had my monthly checkup yesterday. Everything is looking good. Right on track where it should be. Still 1 pound under pre-pregnancy weight. :) Went over the results of my labs I've had the last couple weeks and everything was explained a little bit more. Doctor is not worried about anything with me and Isabella. What a relief to hear! We talked a little about when I do go into labor. Once I go into labor, we call. 1 or 7 doctor's will be oncall. Whoever it is will be the initial doctor in to see me. But they call either one of my doctors to tell them that I am in labor and whichever one is oncall that day will be in. She said that the only way neither of them would be able to be there is if they both happened to be on vacation, or there was a death in the family, etc. They only miss maybe 1 or 2 births a year from their patients. Makes me feel so much better that they are that dedicated to being their for their patients. When we were there, we did the heartbeat check. Let's just say someone is already stubborn. Dr. P got the heartbeat in about 2 seconds, and then Isabella must have realized what was going on and decided to move to the other side of my tummy. She kept "running" away from the doppler. And then she kicked it! All I could do was laugh. Such a little brat already!

Dr. P gave me the best news of all: no more labs! Well, unless something goes wrong but otherwise, no more! My next appointment is in 3 weeks, and then we go to every 2 weeks. I can't believe we're that close already! Starting Oct. 19 we will be going every week. We're starting to look into all the classes that we can take and figure out our schedules so that we can take them. That's the hard part. And they're expensive. To take 3 classes (general birthing, beyond basics, and CPR) it's going to cost us $240 and we're going to have to miss work to do it. But it'll be worth it and we'll feel a little more prepared.

Good News

I woke up to a phone call from Katie (one of my nurses) today. What a great way to start the day! She told me that my results were in and NORMAL from my test on Friday. No gestational diabetes here! My next appointment is next Monday, normal checkup. Get to her our little one's heartbeat. Can't wait.

There is one thing that I don't understand. Why is it that the father's aren't invited to the baby shower? I just don't get it. They are in this as much as the mom, sometimes more so. They created the child, are there for the moms when they need it, and are going to be there to raise the child. But they aren't allowed to celebrate the upcoming arrival with their families because they have a penis?! I guess I'm just not one for tradition and won't ever be.

Bad, bad day

So I had to take the 3 hour gluclose tolerance test today. 3 hours, doesn't sound so bad. Ha! What 3 hours really means is 15.5 hours. I got to fast for 12 hours, get at the doctor's office at 8am, have my blood drawn. And then I got to drink more of my favorite liquid, and because of my orange allergy I had to drink 2 bottles of the nasty stuff. So I do this, 20 ounces in 3 minutes (they give you 10 but I just wanted it over with) and then wait for an hour to have more blood drawn. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything, including water. I was only allowed to take a few sips of water. I also wasn't allowed to leave. I could go outside on the bench if I needed some air, and that was it. So after 2nd round of blood was taken, I got to wait another hour and then do it again. And then I got to wait another hour and finally give a 4th blood sample. During all of this, I was slowly getting weaker and weaker. By the end I was struggling to walk and Gary had to help me out. I got home and ate a sandwich and then had to get ready for work. I got ready, and got to work just a couple minutes late. At this point I was still feeling incredibly weak and I tried to work but after about 20 minutes couldn't stand anymore. I went to the backroom to sit for a few minutes, hoping it would get better but it didn't. I then decided I had to leave. I called Gary and he's so amazing he came to take me home. I took a nap and ate a bagel and felt 1000 times better. I went back to work and finished out the night. I'm so glad it's behind me. Now I just have to wait a week for the results.

I think this would have been harder to do earlier in my pregnancy. The entire time Isabella was kicking and moving, reminding me why I was going through all of this trouble and it made it worth it.

The Good and The Bad

Well I guess I'll start with the good. Our crib came in! A big thank you to my inlaws for getting us a beautiful crib. It was the last piece of furniture that we needed for the nursery. So as you can guess, we worked on the nursery tonight. Very unexpected but so happy that we did. Everything is in. We have a toy chest/bench, dresser/changing table, crib, and bookcase. Oh, and the rug. We changed the setup from the original idea and love it. Now I just have to redo a little bit with the Tinkerbell/Star wall and that will all be set too. Which I realize I didn't even put in here. Well as soon as I have that figured out, I'll post more pictures. The bad about the crib: it came in with a chip in it, so we are waiting on a replacement part. The good news is that it'll be an easy fix when it does come in and we can just pop off the chipped piece and put the new one on in about 10 minutes.

So now for the bad. Last Friday I had my first gluclose test. Since I'm at high risk due to family history of diabetes, I got to take it a month early. Got up early, went into the lab, got my aweful drink and chugged. Because of my allergies I did not get the normal orange flavored drink so I got to "enjoy" the special lemon-lime flavor. Gross. The nurse comes out, gives me this bottle of clear liquid (10 oz) and tells me that I have 5 minutes to drink the entire thing and then I have to be back in exactly 1 hour to have my blood drawn. So I chugged the sugary gross stuff down and head out. I get through the test, all the while not haven eaten anything, and then go home and eat a lot. Then it was off to work I went. I got a phone call from the lab later in the day with the results. To make my day even worse, I find out that the results weren't good and my sugars were high. They wanted me to schedule a follow-up appointment for the following week. My heart just sank when they told me all this. Everything in my pregnancy has been exactly how I expected it, not good. And now it's just getting harder and harder and more is going wrong. It's very difficult to handle all of this, especially because my hormones are already on overdrive and I'm super emotional all the time. I called Gary crying and he did his best to reasure me, but honestly it just didn't help.

Now I'm waiting to go to have my next lab work done on Friday. I get to fast for 12 hours, go have my blood drawn, drink more of the nasty lemon-lime liquid, wait an hour, get my blood drawn, wait another hour, get my blood drawn, wait another hour, get my blood drawn. Then it will finally be over and after about 15.5 hours, I get to eat something. The worst thing about this is that I still have morning sickness. If I don't eat first thing in the morning, I get sick. After this lovely morning, I get to go to work for 8 hours. On a Friday night. :( Let's just say, I can't wait for this weekend to get here so I can be past this. The thing I worry the most about is that if I do have gestational diabetes, I might have to take injections. I just don't know if I can do it. And just checking my sugar levels at home. I grew up with my mom doing this multiple times a day, and still, after 26 years, cannot watch her actually do it. It's just a waiting game now, and wishing for the best.

Travel

Yesterday I got to spend the day with family, celebrating the upcoming arrival of my nephew. Overall a great day filled with love and joy of the new baby that will be joining us this September. The bad thing about my family is that they live so far away. Every event or visit is a full day of driving. It used to be that this wasn't a problem. Just annoying since I'm an impatient person and being in the car for close to 3 hours at a time was just boring. Well lately it's more than just boring. I am realizing how uncomfortable travel can be while pregnant. I am now 6 months and having to pee all the time. Just sitting in the car can be frustrasting. I don't want to stop all the time and make the trip longer, so I just wait until I can't wait any longer and then we have to make a bathroom stop. By doing this, I just get uncomfortable everywhere. Especially if we hit a bump. And then there's just the travel itself. Sitting for that amount of time is very uncomfortable. My legs get really sore and then when I do get the chance to get up, its tough to walk becuase I either have to pee so bad or my leg muscles are so tense. Here's the thing that gets me, out of the next 16 weekends left in my pregnancy, we already have plans to travel for more than 2 hours at a time on 8 of them. One of those weekends includes a trip (hopefully) to Canada. And then once Isabella is born, we'll be in the holiday season so we'll see how much travelling will be with her.

Nursery

Looks like everything for the nursery is coming together. My parents came down yesterday and brought the bench with them. I had the cushions all set and was able to set it up. It looks great! I'm so happy with the way it came out. The crib should be here within a week. We're going to work on switching out the dressers this weekend and getting the new hardware on. I'm loving everything about it. :)

A few pictures:

Maybe we have a soccer player?

Today started out fantastic. When I woke up this morning, little Isabella was going crazy. She was kicking and moving pretty steadily. Thankfully she finally cooperated and Gary was able to feel some of the strong ones. Usually when she starts kicking hard, Gary will put his hand on my belly and she stops. Today, his face lit up as she gave kicked for a good 10 minutes. Now that Gary's able to feel her, me feeling her kicks is getting better. It's something that we can share and feel closer to our little girl, and closer to each other.

Since it was so hot, we cancelled plans to be outside and instead went to pick up the supplies to make the bench cushions for the nursery. So I made 2 mistakes, both pieces of fabric I got, I didn't get enough of. Frustrated to say the least. So now I have to come up with creative ideas to put it all together. I think I can do it, just extra work. The good news is, so far I'm loving the way it looks. And my parents will be brining the bench itself when they come to visit on Thursday.

A little change of plans for the furniture for the nursery. So first, my larger bookcase is too big, so we went and bought a smaller one. I put it together and it works great in the room. Second change, the dresser. So my childhood dresser looked like it was in great shape and was going to be an easy fix. No such luck. My dad said that the back is completely ruined, and the bottom drawer. I was so sad about this, but at the same time it is working out. We have an extra dresser already so we're going to use that instead. A simple hardware change will make it fit into the nursery just fine. I'm so thankful we had a backup plan and don't have to go out and buy anything new.

4 more months to go

I'm definately feeling more pregnant. There was such a long period of not feeling it at all that it's all hitting me at once. Sleep is limited now. My hips hurt no matter what I do. My back is awful. And I wake up to pee multiple times a night. On top of all that, my brain is racing with ideas for the nursery, being able to pay bills, what to do about daycare, etc. And I can't shut it off.

I keep going shopping. It's so bad. I know that I shouldn't be out spending the money but it's so exciting not to. I already bought outfits for her to wear to my brother-in-laws wedding when she'll be a month old. And for the rehearsal dinner. They were just so cute I couldn't not get them! I got an extra one too, so in case she pukes or whatever on one, there's a backup ready. We are making out really well on the nursery. Since we are able to use furniture that we already had, and we are being given the crib, we're putting out $400 for everything else. To redo a room from scratch, that's really cheap. The biggest expensive was the curtains, half the budget went to that.

Last Sunday Gary and I spent the day out in the sun. It was a perfect day, except I am realizing that being pregnant and summer aren't a good mix. So much hotter than I used to be. Which is another reason sleeping is difficult. We have an A/C and I still get hot.

I think it's finally sinking in how much I have actually planned for us to do in the upcoming weeks. We have 6 free weekends from now until the baby's here. I'm hoping I didn't take on too much and I won't be too worn out to enjoy everything. Work is getting more difficult. 8 hours on my feet a day is a lot. I cherish my 10 minute breaks. I just go and sit, put my feet up when I can. Speaking of feet, they're starting to swell. And not only my feet but my fingers too. In part cuz of pregnancy and part cuz of humidity. Either way, I don't know how long I'll be able to wear my rings for. I can't wear my wedding ring right now. 3 of the stones are loose and I don't want to risk losing them.Now it's a matter of saving up the money to get it fixed. I need the one that I lost, get the rest tightened, and they want to replate it cuz it's getting so worn from work. Basically work is ruining everything. I am hoping that I will be able to go down to part time post maternity leave. Crosses my fingers daily that we can save enough money and get our bills caught up/paid off before then so that I can make enough to do partime and be home with my little girl. That's all I want. If I could work 3 or 4 days a week and have the rest of the time with my little one, I'd be very happy.

More Big News

Gary has started to be able to feel Isabella's kicks! We were sitting on the couch on Monday at his parents and he felt her for the first time. Happy 4th of July to us! And we were just sitting here and she decided to give a few good strong kicks, and we were able to get him over here and feel them too!

21 weeks

Lots of good news to report. First, we got MaineCare! Biggest relief in awhile. And coverage started in June so it will cover the ultrasound and everything from then.

Second, we had our monthly checkup today. We were able to talk about the extra fluid in the kidney. We are very lucky. She has a mild case, which generally means it corrects itself. We will see on Sept. 19. Isabella didn't want us to hear the heartbeat at first, she was running away from the Doppler. The doctor had to "chase" her to get it. And when she did, it was perfect. :) Also, I'm going to say it again. Pregnancy is the best diet. I'm still 5 pounds less then when I started. It is still so weird. Now that I'm showing and knowing that I'm losing weight is a weird feeling. But I'm so excited. I was nervous I was going to gain 40 or more pounds from this and instead the opposite is happening. Love it! Now I just need to hope the rest of the pregnancy goes the same way, and then afterwards I can keep up with losing even more. Ideally I would love to get in better shape so when Isabella is running around I can be too.

Last weekend we spent some time with Gary's family. My mother-in-law were able to get out and do a little shopping. A couple of cute outfits and a mattress later, we're a stop closer to being ready. Gary and I found great wall decals to add to our exsisting decor. Let's just say the castle is even better. Pictures later. I can't wait to get the bench in there with all the fabrics and see it all together. I love it already, I can't imagine how good it's going to be. :)

Expensive

Having a baby is expensive. And I mean all the stuff before the baby comes. I have insurance but it only covers a percentage of everything. I have to cover the rest. The bills are coming in, and we're up to $900 so far in out of pocket expenses. I have no idea how we're going to cover any of it. My ultrasound alone was over $400 and I have another one coming in September. I guess I never really thought of just how expensive the medical aspect of having a baby could be. And all of this is only with monthly checkups. Can't wait to see the bills when I have to go more often. One good thing, I did get a letter in the mail saying that I have temporary MaineCare coverage, and I will know by July 31 if I will have full coverage. If they give it to me, then all my expenses will be paid. I just have to wait and see.

Positive note: Nursery is coming along. We decided on making wooden letters to spell out her name. We painted them purple and decorated with ribbon and glitter. I love the way they came out! Here's a picture:

Halfway!

Ok, so I've been halfway since Saturday but just updating now. :)

The last 20 weeks seem to have gone by so fast, and yet it seems so long ago that I found out I was pregnant. The good news is my sickness is finally easing. I did have a bit of trouble today, but luckily it passed quickly. I sometimes forget to eat. Always leads to no good. But it's hard to remember to eat when you're not hungry. That's one thing I am getting worried about. So far I'm still under my pre-pregnancy weight, but now only by 2 lbs. Now that I am feeling better and able to eat, I know that I'm going to start gaining weight. Yes, this is good for the baby. But at the same time I started my pregnancy overweight so the amount I should gain my the end is much less then someone of "normal" weight. I also would love to not gain weight and still have a healthly baby. For me, I've been overweight for the majority of my life and as much as I'm ok with it, I struggle as well. Sometimes it's just hard to look in the mirror and know my growing belly isn't because of weight but because of a growing baby. But if I look in the mirror from the neck up, I'm happy with what I see. My skin is in great shape, I feel like I have that "glow" that everyone talks about. I can also tell in my face I have lost weight and that makes me happy. I'm hoping that post-pregnancy I can stick to it and lose weight so I can be in better shape to run around and play with Isabella. The problem I forsee with this (or I should say one of the biggest problems), she is due Nov 12. Right after that we have Thanksgiving, followed by the Christmas season. All the while I will be at home. Yup, could be difficult.

Gary and I have been working hard the last week to get going on the nursery. As I posted last week, we got the curtains up and we love them! This weekend we got even more involved, and it's even better! Since we can't paint we are working around the cream colored walls and making the most of it. As much as I would love to have a lilac base, I'm working with the cream. And I have to say, it looks good. We are using peel and stick reusable wall decals. Easy to apply, no mess, and looks like real wallpaper. We found the perfect Disney Princess border featuring Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, and Tiana. We also found a giant mural of a castle. Couldn't be more in love with that room! Tonight I started a new project for Isabella. We got wooden letters to spell out her name. I painted them purple and decorated them with ribbons and over decals and such to make it a personalized gift for my little one. I am so happy with they way they came out. I can't wait for them to be dry to so we can get them on the wall. Now all we have to do is wait for the furniture and load it up. My dad is almost finished with the bench, which I will then be making a custom cushion for. Then he will be refinishing the dresser. Decided that the bookcase we have isn't going to work, so we will be getting a smaller one. I also picked out the area rug that I want, going to be pink to match the curtains. And then we just need a crib.

Isabella has been moving around more lately. Hoping soon that Gary will be able to feel her too. He's jealous that I get to and he can't. We have been using our at home heatbeat device. And we're finally able to hear her on there. Doctor's appointment next week. It seems like forever since I've gone, and yet it's only been 3 weeks. We have just found out so much since then. I can't wait to share the news with our doctor. Which just sounds weird. Isn't the doctor supposed to tell us what we're having? But also some concern for this next appointment. We will be talking more about the development of the kidneys. I feel like this is becoming more real to me, and even though 90% of the time it's nothing, there's that 10% that it is something. And although surgery and whatnot can correct the problem, I don't want her to start her life out like that. Also at this appointment I'm going to bring up the concern I have with my knees. Thankfully I'm not pregnant through the winter or I don't know what I would do. I can barely walk without a pregnant belly to carry around then, I don't know how I would handle it. But I have had a few bad days already, and I'm not looking forward to more when I'm further along.

So work has been difficult on me as well lately. Working 8 hours a day on my feet is getting tiring. By the end of the week I'm worn out. Thankfully I was able to talk to my boss about working less closing shifts so that will hopefully make it a bit easier. And my awesome coworkers have been nice enough to be understanding and help me out a little more then usual.

I was going over the calender tonight and writing everything in. Well, let's justs say we're busy. Lots of traveling involved. A few weekends at home, a few in CT, a few in Winterport, one in NH, and even one in VT! I am probably most excited for VT for a couple reasons. I finally get to see my roomie Jackie! And we're going to Ben & Jerry's and doing the factory tour. I've also never been to VT so it shall be a new, fun adventure. And only a 4 hour drive each way. lol

In the coming months, there's so much to look forward too. I'm going to keep working away at the nursery. I'm going to celebrate the birth of a new nephew. I get to celebrate the weddings of a lot of wonderful family and friends. I get to reconnect with old friends. I get to gain a new sister. I get to welcome my daughter into the world and share a love greater then anything with my husband. 2011 is looking really good.


I'll leave a couple of newer pictures of the work Gary & I have accomplished in the nursery:
Her own castle!:

The border:

Closeup of the border:

Kickin'

So a little back information first. So I never wanted to have children because I found pregnancy to be disgusting. Having something growing inside of you being "normal" just seemed wrong. Generally when something is growing inside of you it's a tumor, cancer, or something else that is just bad. I never had a problem with adpoting and thought that it would be a wonderful thing to adpot. You get to give an unwanted child a home full of love and you don't have to go through pregnancy. I still feel the same way about pregnancy, although I am pregnant. I now understand though the reason for having "your own" children. I have never felt so much love for anyone in my life then I do for my husband. Having children really is the ultimate expression of that love. We are creating a symbol of out love and it's greater then anything I can really explain. I have never felt more in love or closer to Gary then I do now.

With all that being said, at 17 weeks, 6 days I was relaxing on the couch when I suddenly felt something in my belly. It took a minute or so to process and I realized that the baby was kicking. After realizing what happened and talking to Gary, I called my mom. I started crying and couldn't stop. I was so freaked out and disgusted. My worst nightmare had finally come true. My mom was so excited about it and trying to be understanding and reassuring but nothing was helping. Gary tried to comfort me but again, it wasn't helping. It's been a week and a half since that first time and little Isabella has been kicking a lot more. Every time she does, I have to convince myself that it's just a muscle spasm so that I can remain calm. I know that her kicking is a great sign. It means she's there, healthly, and moving. All good things. But it doesn't help me be ok with it. It still grosses me out. So with all this being said, please no one touch my stomach. I am not ok with it and I might seriously punch you in the face. :)

So it might seem like I'm not excited but I am. I mean yes, I am grossed out by knowing she's growing inside of me, but I am very excited to have her and for her to be here. So excited in fact that yesterday after finding out that we were having a girl, Gary and I did some shopping. A couple of cute dresses and such later, we started working on the nursary. Curtains are hanging. I love them. They're perfect. I will leave you with pictures of the curtains and of course, the first picture of our baby girl.

It's a girl!

We were so excited today to learn that we are having a girl! Isabella Kay Jones, expected November 12, 2011. :)

What a crazy day it has been. Ultrasound appointment was for 8am today. We got there, and while waiting in the waiting room, Gary's glasses randomly broke and fell off his face. Good news is he had a backup pair of old glasses in the car. We got to go into the ultrasound and our tech, Nate, was such a great guy. Very friendly and put my nerves at ease. Most people don't realize what the mid-pregnancy ultrasound is, other than finding out the sex. But in fact, it's quite a big checkup. They check everything on the baby - heart, lungs, kidneys, spine, head/brain, bowels, arm/leg bones, and anything else you can think of. Everything was looking good, only one concern. The kidneys had extra fluid in them. This could mean something, or nothing. The doctor said that everything on the baby developes at different rates so it might just mean that the kidneys are developing faster then the bladder or the connection to the bladder. Basically what it means for us is we are having a 2nd ultrasound in September. They will check the kidneys again and make sure that they are developing correctly, and if not then we will have to have an ultrasound done on the baby after she is born. Doctor also assured us that in most cases, about 90%, this problem is clear and gone by 32 weeks. So yes, I am going to worry a bit but I know everything else is perfect and exactly what it should be so I'm not going to fret too much.

So Nate was asking me what everyone thought that we were having. I said a girl, which meant that I thought it would have to be a boy. And then he told us that everyone was right, and we had a little girl. She was spread eagle so not much doubt to it. Although he said he would never give a 100% answer on a girl, he said he was very certain. As soon as he told me it was a girl, I started crying. I was just so happy that I couldn't stop.

After finding out that were having a girl, we made our phone calls and headed out to Babies R Us. Our registry is finally complete! We had fun scanning some girlie things, and of course buying a few things too. A couple of super cute dresses. Gary picked out a pink Red Sox outfit (of course). I love the buy 1 and 1 50% off  clearance racks! We also went to Walmart and got out nursary items - removable wall decals including a border! We also picked up beautiful pink curtains. I was torn between a pink glittery set and a white with pink polka dots and Gary said that we should have a "pretty pink room" so pink glittery curtains it is! Now I just need to get a rug, a crib set, and a crib and the nursary will be complete. And I'm willing to accept help on these. ;)

Emotional Overload

So the last 2 weeks have been an emotional overload, to say the least. First there was the ER extragravanza. Memorial Day was great. Went to the casino, saw an amazing concert with Gary. BSB & NKOTB rounded out my boy bands that I wanted to see when I was younger. So much fun. After that, things took a turn for the worst. Gary's grandfather was in the hospital. We were able to go and visit him on Tuesday. We could tell that he wasn't doing well. The best thing about it was that we were able to make him smile and see his joy and excitement when we told him that the baby was healthy and growing strong.

On Friday we got a call saying that his grandfather had passed away. On Saturday night, we got a call saying my uncle Van had unexpectantly passed away. It was an overwhelming amount of emotions for one weekend.Monday we went down to the wake for Papa and to be with the family. One plus side to losing a family member, is being able to see all the family members you generally don't. I know that this meant a lot to Gary. Tuesday was an even more overwhelming day. We started the day with a beautiful service for Papa, followed by a great reception. We were able to be at peace with Papa's passing and knowing that he is now with his wife, who he missed the last 8 years. It was also nice to see the family so much and just be the support system that we all needed. Gary got to spend time with his Godmother, and he was thankful for that.

After the reception, we went to my Aunt's house to be with my family. Again, not the best circumstances but so grateful I was able to see them. And we will be able to see them again next week when they come to Maine for a family gathering to remember my uncle.

After all of this, on little sleep and being sick, I got home today to a wonderful piece of mail. A packet of information on my upcoming ultrasound. Gary and I cannot wait! June 20 can't come fast enough. Not only will we find out what we're having but I will be able to be put more at ease knowing that everything is ok with the baby and just seeing our little one again is going to be amazing.

Checkup

I had my monthly checkup today. Things are looking good. I've lost 5 pounds this month. Yes, pregnancy has been the best diet for me. Baby's heartbeat was strong. Normal is between 110 and 160, our little ones was 130 at first, and then a little poke and went up to 151. :) I had to have a screening done for my liver because during the ultrasound they saw a slight fat mass. Otherwise, everything is great. Blood pressure was fine. Guess it was just because I was in the hospital that it was high. Katie (one of my nurses) is going to be setting up my ultrasound, we're shooting for June 13. If we can't get in then, we should have it by June 20. :)! I can't wait. It was amazing seeing our little one last Friday, and I'm excited to see she/he again. And of course to find out what we're having. I'm hoping that Baby J works with us and lets us see everything. No legs crossed!

ER

Spending Friday night in the ER is not how I pictured my week ending. So I've been sick all week, a cold. I've also had a migraine and vomitting. Through all of this, I continued to work since we're short staffed and I couldn't find coverage. That was my biggest mistake. Yesterday I was feeling pretty bad to start the day but went to work anyway. It was going ok, and then around 3 I started not to feel good at all. I took my break and though sitting for a bit would help and it would pass. That didn't happen. So I attempted to go back to work. I felt like I was going to fall over because I was so light headed that I went to the backroom to sit. I hadn't eaten in awhile so I thought I would try to eat something. Before I even attempted that, the vomitting started again. I spent the next couple of hours in and out of the bathroom, throwing up everything including water. I decided that something was majorly wrong and I was getting really worried about the baby. So Gary and I got ahold of my doctors office and they told me to get into the ER.

For the first time in my life, I entered the ER to be a patient. In 26 years, I've never had to go for myself and was hoping I could make it even longer. Thankfully it wasn't too long of a wait to be seen. If I had been 20 weeks along I could have gone and gotten a room and been in and out a lot faster. Instead, being 16 weeks I got to stay in the ER and wait. When I got into a room I got hooked up to an IV and bloodwork done. I had some pain and tenderness so the doctor ordered and ultrasound to check my gall bladder, apparently infections here are common during your first pregnancy. So after being swaddled in blankets and getting fluids and zofran pumped into me, we finally got to leave at 11pm. Results: really dehydrated, blood pressure high, and a low white blood cell count. Low count they are atributing to having a cold, and also why I'm not recovering from said cold as fast as I should. Now I have to discuss my blood pressure with my doctor on Thursday, which hopefully by then it will be lower. Doctor also doesn't want me working for 24 - 48 hours, so my 3 day weekend just turned into a 4 day weekend, and I'm beyond grateful for that. I plan on spending today on the couch, drinking water and relaxing.

When I got my ultrasound on my gall bladder, the tech snuck in some images of Baby J. By far this was the most incredible experience. Baby J was moving around, had a strong heartbeat, and just looked perfect. The tech said everything looked great and healty. Straight spine, the brain was in great developement, and we saw the little eyes. This changed everything for me. It made being so sick so worth it. Just catching a glimpse of my little one and knowing that she/he is healthy makes all my suffering worth it all.

Boy or Girl?

I feel like we're going to have a boy. I want a girl so much that I feel like, with our luck, it's going to be a boy. I guess it won't be that bad if we do, but as my ring tone says, "I hate boys." I feel like this is childish of me, but my heart is set on a girl. I will be slightly crushed if we find out it's a boy. Now we just have to continue to wait for a phone call to setup an appointment for the ultrasound. I'm getting frustrated with waiting, I just want a date now so that I can worry about that instead. Next appointment in 1 week. Excited to hear the heartbeat again, and hoping my parents can make it down to hear it too and then do dinner together. I miss my family. I haven't been home in 2 and a half months. So sad when they only live 2 hours away.

Frustrations

So I'm getting to the point of complete frustration. I'm a planner. And I'm impatient. Neither is good for pregnancy. The doctor's office won't even schedule my ultrasound. I have to wait for them to call me. Is it really that hard to set an appointment? I'm not even asking for one soon, just at my 18 week mark when the doctor said to get in. So not only do I not have an appointment, no matter when that appointment is set I still have to wait at least another month to find out the sex. It's so hard to plan ahead when you don't know what you're planning for. Yes, there are plenty of things that are unisex. We've done the registry for that. And yes either way we want the bigger things to be unisex so we'll be ready for the next child. But at the same time, there are things that want just for a girl or a boy. I'm waiting to start planning out the nursery, buying the right fabrics to make cordinating things. Just buying clothes is really hard when you don't know what to buy for. Yeah, there are neutral things out there, but not that many.

More frustartion is just being sick. I'm at 14 weeks, 5 days and am still struggling with the morning sickness. Still on medication just to make it through the day. And some days, I don't make it. I'm tired of vomitting and just feeling aweful 90% of the time. Sometimes I just break down and cry because it's so overwhelming always being sick. And not just being sick, but the fear of being sick. Just knowing if I don't wake up and take medication, I won't make it an hour. Knowing that if I don't eat something small every 2 hours, I'll be sick. And now on top of it all, I'm getting my headaches back and the migraines. Which again, led to more sickness. If I go through all of this and not have a girl, I'm really going to be pissed.

More frustation is not having the space to have a real nursery. The uncertainity of not knowing if we're going to be able to move before the baby comes is incredibly stressful. I want to set the room up as soon as I can and get it ready, but there's no space. I have to pack up the guest room and figure out where to store it all. I can put the dresser in the basement, but I really don't want to keep a bed down there in case of mold growing. And then if we do get the 3 bedroom apartment and I've moved the bed somewhere else, then I'll just have to move it again and that's not very convient either. And I need a place for parents when they come and stay with us, which I know my parents will be at least once before the baby is even here.

So I'm going to end on an upbeat note. I am very happy about having the baby, it is just stressful sometimes. We have started a nice collection of things, thanks in a large part to family and friends. We did buy a few things, it's hard to resist not to. And as soon as I can make it up to my parents area, there will be more. That is the best part about having kids after everyone else. They want to get rid of all the stuff that they don't use and is just taking up space so they give it to us. I love it. :)

Fail

Experiment failed yesterday. No Zofran=vomitting.

Working on the registry again today, and hopefully going to setup my ultrasound appointment.

2nd trimester has begun!

So I am now 14 weeks, 1 day and excited! I'm hoping that the bad of the 1st trimester is mostly behind me and I can have an easier time. So far, not happening. But hopefully in the upcoming weeks it'll be better. New symptoms have come up though. So apparently being pregnant can make your allergies worse or better. With my luck, mine are worse. :( I wake up everyday not able to breathe. So other symptoms that are happening, breathlessness. So I was getting worried. Just walking up the stairs I had that out of breath feeling and I knew I wasn't that out of shape! So I was reading my "what to expect" book and it was in there. It was a relief to know that it's "normal" due to the hormones. I've also been getting headaches, at least 1 a day. Oh and lots of lower back pain. I'm experiementing today. Since we have no plans for the weekend I decided I would attempt to not take my medication for the morning sickness. I've been down to just one every morning but I'm going to try not to take it at all. So far, so good.

So I have a lot coming up this year; 2 baby showers, 1 bridal shower, 1 rehearsal dinner, and 3 weddings. I started looking for dresses for each event and sadly am struggling to find anything in stores for maternity. So now I have to buy online, which I HATE. I may see something that I like on a model but then when I get it, it looks horrible and then it's such a long process to return. sigh, at least no events until July so I can start the process now and hopefully be ready by then.

Registry... A work in progress

So we decided to work on the registry today. We went into babies r us and went through the setup process. I was overwhelmed before I got there, and still felt that way by the end. Thankfully when you sign up for a registry they give you a list of essentials that you should be putting on there. That helps a little. We already had a stroller picked out, so that was one thing down. Our goal for today was to pick out a crib that we both liked and that had a good finish on it that wasn't going to chip off. We spent most of our time comparing different ones and finally agreed on one. It didn't come in a cherry finish like we wanted but a close second in espresso. So at least that's done. I wish we had the money right now to buy it b/c all furniture is on sale for 20% off. But good news is we got the rewards card so anything we do buy there we will be earning poins and that will give us savings. Other then the crib we got a play yard on there that we LOVE. Monkeys! And plays music, and you can plug a MP3 player into it so you can play anything.

So we didn't end up getting too far on the registry b/c I just had to get sick and have to leave. But the big things are on there at least and I feel good about that. It was also hard to decide on things when we don't know if we're having a boy or girl. I'm definately taking the day off of work when we have the ultrasound done and then we can go and add a lot more.

We have recieved a few gifts so far and it's great. We have some diapers, a box of neutral clothes, Gary's baby blanket, a homemade blanket from my Gram, and a beautiful white blanket. I'm starting to feel like we're getting somewhere. We also have decided to stay in our apartment for now. If the price of the larger ones goes down, we'll then pay the fee to move. But as of right now the larger apartments are $200 more a month then what we're paying now.

Heartbeat

I'm now 12 weeks, 4 days. The last week was fantastic! A vacation with the hubby was exactly what I needed, and it was an amazing trip to Disney World. Finally was able to relax and have fun like I needed. I felt really good all week. Driving was a bit difficult for such long periods of time. Day 1 to FL was the longest day, 14.5 hours in the car. Discomfort in every possible way. We stopped at a hotel in NC around 8:30 and went to bed at 9pm. Was so exhausted. Day 2 wasn't as bad, or as long. Ended up making the remaining trip in 10 hours and was in beautiful Florida for the next week.

The first day we were there we went to the Magic Kingdom. While we were surrounded by kids all day, smiling and having the time of their lives I couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful it's going to be when I get to bring my kids. During the "Wishes" show (nightly fireworks) about wishes coming true, I teared up while Gary and I just held my belly knowing our baby was our wish coming true.

Had 1 day in Florida where I was so hot and uncomfortable I didn't want to move. Even in the AC I was struggling to be ok. Gary wasn't even really hot at all but I felt like I couldn't breath. I told my mom about this and she reminded me about August, when I'll be 6 months along and it's the most humid time of year. Fantastic.

The last day we were done there we decided to explore Orlando. And we both fell in love, again. We found some great areas to live in. Palm trees and warm weather year round sounds so good. It's so depressing in the Northeast. In the Southeast there are trees and flowers everywhere. It's warm. And just beautiful. I don't know when we'll be living down there but someday we will.

The drive home wasn't as bad as the drive down. We made much better time and less traffic, well expect for on day 2 when our stupid gps took us right through DC at 9am.

First day back this morning and we had a doctor's appointment. Everything is going really well. I love my doctors and everyone that their office is really nice. Went over a bunch of information and at the end, we heard the baby's heartbeat. It was the most incredible sound I've ever heard. It took awhile to get the heartbeat, as the doctor said one of us must be stubborn because the baby was being really stubborn. But she found it and we got to listen for awhile. I teared up over the sheer happiness I felt. It was incredible. I go back next month for a checkup and get to hear the heartbeat every time I go in now. :) We get our ultrasound in 6 to 8 weeks, which we'll find out the sex then. I can't wait! We're going to hopefully move into a bigger apartment this summer so that we can have a nursery. I can't wait to get it setup. Everything is going so well, no problems at all. :)

11 down, 29 to go

Gary & I are officially on vacation! And officially 11 weeks. This was a bit of a hard week for me. The morning sickness was back in full force, even with the medication. I'm starting to not be able to eat again. Speaking of eating, there are so many things I can't have. Pizza, my FAVORITE thing, makes me sick every time I have it. Well, I should say when it's a plain pizza with red sauce. BBQ is fine. At leat there's that. Anything mint makes me want to vomit just by the smell of it, including toothpaste. I've switched to children's strawberry toothpaste. I had a bad experience with a cheeseburger over a month ago and am afriad to try that again. I crave mashed potatoes. YUM! I've always loved them but lately I've wanted them all the time. Mostly loaded ones, not just plain.

So pregnancy has been the best diet for me. I've lost weight since getting pregnant. The sad part, my stomach is getting bigger. As someone who has always struggled with weight, knowing that I weigh less and am still getting bigger is kinda frustrating and a little depressing.

I'm a little worried about going on vacation. This week has been hard with the morning sickness so I'm worried how it's going to be in the car for 13 hours a day. Just driving an hour is difficult. But it's worth it to get away from the stress of here and just have fun with my husband and enjoy time for ourselves before it becomes baby all the time. I can't wait to get to Disney, and I can't wait to get back there in 5 or so years with our children so they can experience the magic of it.

10 Weeks and Counting

Last week was a mellow week, and I was happy for that. Big news, we did agree on a name for a girl. :) Isabella Kay Jones. And yes, feel free to call her Izzy. Now we have to wait 2 more months to find out if we'll have a little Noah or Isabella. It might kill me waiting that long.

Good news to report. Megan & Jesse (my sister & brother-in-law) are expecting a healthy baby boy in September. I can't wait to meet their little guy! And it works out perfect, now I'll have 2 nephews and 2 nieces.

Gary & I set up our registry with babies r us last night. We put 1 thing on it. lol As soon as we have time we're going to actually go to the store and add to it.

The Name Game

I'd say this was a good week. Only got sick a couple of times, a nice change of pace. I am feeling tired all the time now though. Overall I'm feeling good though.

Gary & I had a great day today. We started the morning with some baby research. Checking out different cribs & strollers. We decided we're going to go with Cherry furniture. :) My mom is the best and said that she would strip and stain my dresser that I had as a child and my toy box that my grandfather made me so it will match the crib and changing table. I think we're going to go with Graco for whatever we can. I'm looking forward to starting our registry. I think we're going to take it in steps so it's not to overwhelming, and we can start now without knowing the sex.

I did my first maternity shopping today. Although I've lost weight, my pants are starting to feel tighter. I wanted to be prepared for vacation in 2 weeks so headed out to Old Navy and found some good vaca clothes. A new bathing suit and everything! And I actually bought a smaller size then I wear in regular clothes, with plenty of room to grow. :)

So we've been back and forth on names for a little girl. It makes me feel like we're having a girl because we just can't decide on one. Boy name, no problem. Done. Noah Robert Jones. (Ok, that did feel slightly weird typing it and seeing it in front of me for the first time. ) Now a little girl, there's so many choices. My top picks are Isabella, Juliet, and Chloe. Gary likes all of those and Eliza. But I also like Cameron. Too many choices! Good thing we have until November to decide.

So last weekend we talked and decided that our upcoming vacation is a very important one. Not only is this something we both need because we need to get away from work and it's been planned for awhile, but now we realized that this is going to be the last one for just the 2 of us for a long time. So we decided to splurge and take ourselves to Disney World. I am beyond excited. Gary keeps making fun of me about how much of a kid I am. He keeps saying he's going to video me and send it in for one of those commericals where the kids find out they're going on a surprise Disney vacation because I am just that happy and excited. It's fine. He can mock me. At least I'm happy. :)

Success!

Today marks my official 8 weeks. :)

Yesterday I met with my new doctors. Let me say, LOVE them! Such a relief. They actually had personality and were actually happy to be the ones to help me through this time. I don't think I'll ever be seeing anyone else. :) The appointment itself wasn't anything special, just a "new patient intake" but went over all the genetic history for both our families and such. I had my first EVER blood drawn. I wasn't too happy about it but I guess I have to get used to that. :( Also talked with them about my aweful morning sickness and how it's gotten so bad I can't even hold down water. Needless to say, I'm on Zofran now. I still don't feel great but at least I'm not puking my guts out all day long. Just a couple times a day. ha!

Next appointment starts the more involved appointments. Not really looking forward to that but I will be able to make sure everything with the baby is progressing as it should so that will be worth it. May 4th is the next appointment. So I get to go and enjoy my vacation and then come home to the doctors.

I'm so thankful that I have so many friends who are pregnant right now, and for those who already have kids. I feel like I have a huge support group of wonderful women. And we're already planning play dates for when my little one is big enough. :)

Morning Sickness strikes again....and again... and again....

I have to say, vomitting while at work and then having to wait on customers is not an enjoyable experience. I'm feeling so useless at work. I can't do anything because I'm always feeling sick. Thankfully today was a slow day and I was able to get away with running off the floor a few times. And thankfully my fellow partners picked up my slack and got most of the stuff done for me. I'm realizing now how much I actually do at my job and how much I would like a desk job.

Friday's appointment is looming. I know once we get through it we're going to be ready to start buying baby things. :)

The 'Big' Announcement

Well I decided it was time to make the 'big' annoucement and told everyone on facebook. It's kind of a relief. I'm so bad at keeping secrets. And now my entire extended family knows. The love and support we've recieved from them have been wonderful. It's what I needed, cuz I was starting to regret getting pregnant.

The last couple weeks have been great and horrible at the same time. I got so stressed out, I started regretting being pregnant. But after reevaluating life and talking with Gary, I knew I was just stressed out and being stupid. This is the right decision, no more regrets.

The morning sickness has been worse than ever this week. Vomitting every day, at least twice a day. Thankfully today was better. I wore Sea Bands today, and felt great all day. No sickness at all. :)

We've been talking names a lot lately. We're set on a boys name, but still have about 5 choices for a girl. And we keep thinking of more names that we like. And we can't seem to agree on the best one. Good thing we still have 8 more months to decide. :)

So many friends have come out this week saying that they're pregnant too. I think it's great! Such a large support system for all of it, and the best thing is that my closest pregnant friend is only about 20 minutes away.

1 week from today I get to go to my first doctors appointment. I'm excited and nervous. I just want to know how our little one is doing. I'm so impatient about everything in life, this 8 months is going to take forever!

Morning Sickness

I'm so tired of the morning sickness. I've had a couple of really bad days now and it's just aweful. Everyone I talk to says this probably points to a girl, so I guess in a way it's worth it. ;)

I'm starting to get really anxious about finding out if I'm having a boy or girl but I'm going to have to wait to find out until end of May/beginning of June. I just want to know now! I want to go and buy all the cute clothes that I can, and the crib set, and well everything.

I'm still taking our road trip to Florida at the end of April. I'll be about 3 months along by then so we'll be stopping a lot to pee but I'll live. I am a little nervous about going to far away at that point in the pregnancy. I guess I'll have to discuss everything with my doctor.

Speaking of doctors, I found a new one! It's actually who I originally wanted as my doctor a couple years ago but they weren't accepted new patients. Luckily they were now! So April 1 will be my first real appointment. I can't wait to get in there and see how our little one is developing. Until then, I'm going to make no plans and buy nothing. I don't want to jinx anything.

What a week....

Needless to say this has been the best and worst week of my life. This week was supposed to be happy and full of love and family. Instead it was full of water, in our basement that is. Monday morning we woke up to 5 feet of water in our basement. And from there, things just got worse. We spent our entire day locked in our bedroom to avoid the constant stream of men coming in and out of our apartment, upsetting our animals. Finally by 5:00pm the water was down to about 1 inch and under control.

During this day of the flood, we had our doctors appointment. Let's just say I didn't really like my doctor before, and now I plan to NEVER go back there. I get there, do a urine sample and then go and wait with Gary. The assistant comes in and quietly, without looking at me says "well it's a yes." I take this to mean I'm pregnant. Gary didn't even hear what she said. That moment of joy was lost in her nonchanlence. So then my doctor comes in, with her fake smile. Spends about 3 minutes talking to us. Doesn't really tell us anything just asks if we have questions. Hmmm, you think?! She also goes on to ask what our plans are. Never once being upfront that she doesn't deal with pregnancies. She also doesn't refer us anywhere or give and reccemendations. At the end of the 3 minutes she has the nerve to say she hopes to see us after the baby is born b/c she loves babies. Yea, right.

So the rest of the week was filled with everything that was destroyed in our basement getting replaced. Wednesday was the worst day of all. Maintenance let Lily out. She ran away and I was stuck at work. Thankfully Gary was able to come home to look for her. At one point she came home and the idiot maintenance man saw her and decided to drive his truck at her "to catch her." Hmm, isn't a normal reaction to run AWAY from a truck driving at you?! Yup, that's exactly what my little puppy did. We kept looking for her all night, by 12:30am we decided there was nothing more we could do and we would starting looking again when it was light out. I dosed off on the couch and woke up at 2:30am. I left like I just had to look out the back door, and there was our little one, sitting at the bottom of the porch waiting for us to let her in. That was the biggest relief I have ever felt in my life. I don't know what I would do without my little puppy.

After all of this, we decided we were going to have a sit down meeting with the property manager. We needed to figure out what we could do to get our personal belongings replaced, and we wanted something done since manintenance lost our dog. So far things are looking better. The property manager is fairly reasonable and is working with us as much as possible. We're getting a professional cleaning company in here next week to get the basement sanitized and cleaned out so mold won't grow. Working on getting us into a bigger, 3 bedroom apartment with no extra fees so we can have a room for Baby J and not have to give up our guest room. And we may not have to pay rent for a little while so this all gets sorted out.

Overall we are trying to move past all of this and just enjoy being pregnant. Now if the morning sickness would stop, I could enjoy it more. ;)

Baby Jones is on the way.

Gary and I have been talking for a couple of months about starting our family. In January we decided that we weren't going to move to FL this year, so why not have a baby now? So January 28 I stopped taking birth control. Feb. 28 we had plans for a long weekend away in CT for Gary's birthday and I knew that I was going to be going out and having some Margaritas at Margaritaville. Being the resposible one (ha!) I decided to grab a home pregnancy test and make sure that I wasn't pregnant even though I was still a week early. Surprisingly the test came out positive. Talk about mixed emotions! I was so happy that it happened so quickly, and so surprised that it happened so quickly! We decided to keep going with all the plans and drove down to CT.

So being "Negative Nancy" that I am, after dinner with Mom & Dad J, we went back to the hotel and retested. Again it came out positive. This time I was starting to believe that I actually was pregnant and so we decided to tell both our parents. The next day, we called and setup an appointment to get a test done with the doctor but we couldn't get in until the following Monday. By that Thursday, my "Negative Nancy" feelings were kicking in and I decided I needed to be reaffirmed and tested myself again. Again, a positive result.

So a few days went by, just waiting to meet with the doctor at this point. And then today, we finally got there. The doctor confirmed that yes, I am pregnant and looking at a Nov. 14 due date. That's about all we found out. Now we're in search of a new doctor to carry us through the next 9 months.

We're both excited and looking forward to the year ahead, and all the years after that. I, of course, am hoping for a girl. Gary, of course, is hoping for a boy. We'll see who wins this debate. ;) Oh and we have names choosen for each already. Yup, we're that prepared. :)