21 weeks

I'm just over the halfway mark at 21 weeks. Not much to report, really. Just the achiness of the loosening of joints, baby girl kicks in my belly, and psiatic nerve pain that is literally a pain in my butt.

I wish I was more exciting, but I'm really not. :)

Today we found out we are....

Pain in the ass .... literally.

Today I dropped $100 at a compounding pharmacy for progesterone shots. My OB recommended that I get the once a week shots from weeks 18 to 36 to hopefully keep this baby in me full term, since I delivered Bayley at 33 weeks.

I am not wild about dropping my pants to show off my glow-in-the-dark-white butt to someone, but I'm nervous about letting my husband do it since you can hit your psiatic nerve. That would send me through the roof, so I'm letting a nurse at work do it. I realize she's a nurse and is used to seeing hineys all day...but she's used to LITTLE hineys because she's a pediatric nurse. Gyah!

Anyway. Insurance doesn't pay for this, and this vial is only for 9 shots so I'll be shelling out another $100 in 9 weeks. This baby had better be AWESOME!!

And on a positive note....we go for our big u/s on Thursday, so hopefully we'll find out what we're having. :)

Halloween 2011

Bayley had a great time trick or treating last night. She went as Princess Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty) and looked precious. Afterwards, we went to my neighbor's house for chili. She scarfed a bowl of it down and so she was Princess Chili Face. And she had a pretty tiara on, but she had just taken it off for this photo. :)

GD or not GD. :)

Halle-freakin-leujah!

My doc's office called this morning and told me that the parameters for the 3 hour GTT are set a little low and my OB thinks anything 130 or less on the last one is fine. Mine was 128. YAY!!! No nutrition class and no extra monitoring -- for now. I took this as my wakeup call and still plan on sticking with a lower carb diet.... right after I finish this chocolate cake. :) ha. Just kiddin.


One other thing that has me convinced I need to stick with lower carbs is that my OB also wants me to consider taking weekly progesterone injections. These injections are to prevent having another preterm baby. So I told her I'd think about it while I researched it. From what I've read so far, the side effects seem to be: headaches, dizziness, and higher likelihood of gestational diabetes. Well, I'm already having headaches and occasional dizziness, so that will stink. And I'd more than likely (in my oh so not professional opinion) get GD, so I'm def sticking with the low carb diet to keep things under control.

The shots are not covered by my insurance and I'll have to get them from now until 36 weeks. They're not cheap, but from what she's told me, they're do-able. I just hope I don't have to consume a bottle of Tylenol before this pregnancy is over. :)

GD

I have Gestational Diabetes. Super.

Now I need to figure out what to eat. I will be attending a nutrition class next Wednesday and will find out if the doc recommends diet changes alone or if I should take a pill. I'm thinking dietary alone except the holidays are coming up. How can a pregnant woman eat HEALTHY during the holidays? Okay, I know it's possible....but seriously...the holiday food should be consumed in obscene amounts with atrocious amounts of calories. Just my opinion.

Second pregnancy is not as easy as it should be.

Spinning.

So this pregnancy so far is kicking my butt. I went about a week or two thinking, "Oh, this 2nd trimester is going to be easy! I don't even really feel pregnant!" Then I wake up yesterday morning and this morning with the room spinning. Horrible dizziness. I have to get up really slowly and then still feel icky for hours afterward. I've had to break out the Zofran again so I don't puke my guts up. Not a good feeling.

Tomorrow I go to the OB for my checkup. I'm just over 14 weeks and so it'll probably be too early to tell the gender. But I'm SO ready to know! I need things to PLAN.

Something here.

I think we finally have a boy's name picked out. Joe LOVES the first name and I like it, but am not in love with it. Hopefully it'll grow on me. The initials are pretty cool, though.

I'm 12.5 weeks and am beyond ready for the exhaustion to GO AWAY already. I have to have a daily 2 hour nap to function well.

Tired of frozen dinners for lunch and snacks. In a food rut. Hard to make fun stuff when you're broke.

Sorry this isn't longer, but I have to leave work and get to class. Ugh.

What's in a Name?

Joe and I cannot agree on a boy's name. We have a girl's name picked out already, but even that took me letting him choose a name and I gave final approval. We arrived at a middle name by going through a list of baby names on the internet and when I read the one we ended up choosing, we both immediately said, "I've never heard of that, but I like it!"

So if this baby is a boy, we are at the drawing board. Joe vetos EVERYthing. I love Mason, Bennett, Garrett, and Xander. He hates all of them but Xander. And he says he isn't sold on Xander, but maybe as a middle name. We also sort of like Xavier for a middle name. But we don't want too many "er" names because of our last name ending in "er."

We don't want anything super common or WAY out there. Joe hates last names as first names. I thought Davis was a cute name too. Nope. Last name. So, I already know how this will end up being resolved: Joe will decide on a couple of names he really likes and I'll choose the one I like. Hopefully I'll love one of them.

So I'm open to suggestions. No biblical names, Jackson is cute but there are WAY too many already. And it's a last name. He sort of likes Conner, but it's an "er" name.

And if you know me, then you know I need a name picked out for both genders just in case. And no, I'm not having twins. Just one baby. :)

First OB Appt

My first OB appt was last Friday, the 9th. I LOVE my OB! I had only met her once -- when I was delivering Bayley -- and it wasn't a pleasant meeting because I wanted more pain meds (never got my epidural) and I ended up delivering naturally. She got soaked in the process, so she didn't stick around to say congrats. So anyway.

I finally got to really meet her and she is SO nice. I can email her and she emails back the same day. I've tried it twice. :)

My due date was moved back a few days to April 15th, as the baby measured 8 weeks and 5 days on the 9th. So now I'm 9 weeks, 3 days. And according to a prego app on my phone, the baby is 1.5 inches and the size of a prune. They measure everything according to fruit. I wonder what they'll say when I'm about to give birth: "your baby is the size of a WATERMELON!! Good luck pushing that thing out!"

Cozy pants

I have had one pregnancy craving so far and it's still going strong: Taco Bell crunchy tacos. I want two of them with mild sauce. I have only eaten them a few times, but I could honestly eat them every night for dinner. Why can I not crave broccoli or something healthy? I do eat fruit and veggies, but I don't crave them.

I've been great about limiting caffeine. I like so many other drinks that it doesn't even bother me to have only 1 cup of coffee or none at all, to not have sweet tea (although I make it decaf with Splenda at home), or any other caffeinated beverage. I've been drinking sprite with fruit punch when I go out. Fun to mix them, like when I was a kid. Except I don't have all the flavors.

Finally got maternity clothes. I'm only 8 weeks (almost 9) but I feel bloated. My pants aren't buttoning, so I got some linen maternity pants from Old Navy and they have a stretchy waist but no panel. I had to roll them down so they'd stay on, but they are OH. SO. COMFY. And I got the softest tops that will stretch when my tummy balloons out. So nice, but they are more spring/summer wear. Fine for now, but I'll be getting slacks at some point. I also got a pair of maternity leggings. They were so soft and cozy that I wore them to bed last night. Slept like a baby. It was fantastic. I didn't care that I looked dumb...I felt cozy. :) I'm so thankful that most of my pregnancy will be during the colder months. I can pile on layers and thick, cozy socks and I'm getting all excited just thinking about it!

I'm so ready for fall.

Barf.

With this pregnancy (so far) and also with Bayley, the thought of eggs made me gag. Funny how certain foods and smells make you want to barf. The other day at Target the popcorn smelled a little burnt in the snack area as I was in the check out line. I had to breathe through my nose. Waves of nausea rolled over me and I had to grip my cart before I succombed to the ickiness.

I don't remember if I was constantly nauseated with Bayley, but this pregnancy I definitely am. Bleh. I have had to take Zofran several times already. That is one miracle drug. I just hope it doesn't cause any harmful side effects. The docs I work for assure me it doesn't, but I'll ask my OB when I go for my first visit just in case. And if it's okay, I plan on asking for a TON of it.

The whole nausea thing has its upside: I don't want to eat but I eat just enough to ward off the icky feeling. Usually I eat a few saltines or a piece of bread. For lunch yesterday I had a small baked potato with a little butter. Last night I had a hard time keeping my pj pants up. I do remember losing weight in the beginning with Bayley too, so this is a good thing. Lord knows I can spare the poundage.

I just hope this pregnancy is as pleasant as with Bayley. I really enjoyed it. Now just ask me again in a few months. :)

7 Weeks

Okay, I am NOT nearly as cute as some of my friends who post their prego photos, but I decided that I want to SEE my progress and my own worst critic is me. Right? RIGHT? So, let's ignore the fact that I'm overweight and bloated; but this is where I'm starting my photographic evidence. You know, it's really hard to turn sideways and take a photo of yourself without looking totally goofy. This actually took a few tries.

6 weeks, 4 days.

Week 6 and I want the persistent nausea to go away. It's awful in the mornings and lets up for the most part throughout the day, then starts coming back a little at night. No vomiting, thankfully, but I just feel awful. I can't make myself eat crackers so I chew gum until I can eat. Then I eat something small every 2-3 hours during the day. It helps, but doesn't make it totally go away.

I work for pediatricians and they all say, "As much as it sucks, at least it means the pregnancy has a good strong, hold." Yes, I'm glad. I'm extremely fortunate to have never lost a pregnancy, so I try to remind myself of that during my most miserable moments.

I'm 6 weeks, 4 days. According to an app on my phone, the baby is now almost 0.25in long and is as big as a blueberry.

Trying to get back into the groove of writing again...

Joe insisted we get a test from a doctor's office because he doesn't believe in the validity of a home pregnancy test, despite my telling him it's very rare to have a false positive. So yesterday we went to my PCP and yes, we are indeed prego.

It took us 2 years and many failed attempts. My struggle with getting pregnant has not been as extreme as other people I know, but it has been my struggle. I never tried fertility treatments or anything, but I did try ovulation kits and finally started tracking my cycles with an iphone app called Period Tracker. Over a year into it, it has my cycles (which are VERY irregular) nailed. It's pretty amazing. My average cycle length is not the "average" 28 days. Mine is 50. So you can imagine why I was never getting pregnant. Being in school full time (for a year or so, both Joe and I were both FT students), both of us working full time, and Joe taking on several side jobs, it left little time or energy for anything else. Add two kids into the mix and it is crazy we managed our schedules the way we did.

So, he finally graduated May 2010 and a few months ago he finished his last side job. So I guess God was telling us to wait until we slowed down a bit. I'm still in school but my grades have been terrible and I lost my financial aid. This summer I took 9 hours to bring my GPA up and to become eligible to reapply for financial aid. I got two B's and an A, so I know I can do better. Now that we have a baby on the way, it has reiterated to me that I need to just get my $h!t together and crank out those classes and graduate already. If I can stay on track, I should graduate with an accounting degree May 2013. Let's cross our fingers and toes on that. Seeing as how I'll deliver sometime in the middle of Spring 2012, that may not happen.

Anyway...

with prego symptoms... I know someone is dying to hear about them. ha.
Very tender boobies, almost constant nausea (no tossing cookies, though, thankfully), and a little constipation. Isn't that fun?

Went to the store last night to get some groceries and feeling like a great grandma, I got some prunes. Bayley saw the individually wrapped ones and thought it was chocolate, so she INSISTED on getting them. I figured since she has poop issues too, why not? So last night she ate two of them. And loved them. Hope the fireworks happen at daycare. ha.

First OB appt is 9/2 so I hope to get an ultrasound that day. Then I'll have photos to post. :)

After two years of trying....

Random Stuff Again.

Trying to raise a little money so I can take classes this fall. I have an iPad 2, 64 GB, 3G, Wi-fi that's brand new, unopened and sealed in the box. It's a Verizon model if anyone wants to buy it from me for $700. I'll send it UPS next day air or whatever.

So, on to other things... nothing new with me. But that's good. I'm a boring ol' girl who likes things to remain steady and constant. I'm okay with good surprises, though. :)

I read FaceBook daily and it amazes me how many people have NO filter. I mean, don't air your dirty laundry, show how immature you are, or tell people way too much info about yourself. I also don't need to see every check-in (I'm so glad you got to go by the bank, or to McDonald's. Yay you.) nor do I need to see those ridiculous "duck face" photos of yourself. AAAHHH. If there is one thing I hate, it's that goofy kissy lip photo that you took of yourself. If you are friends with minors, then please don't post photos of yourself with your boobs hanging out either. Or the survey of "tell me what you think about me" or things that solicit compliments. It screams insecurity.

Whew. Had to get that out. I had to remove the feeds of people so I wouldn't be constantly bothered by their "hey look at me!" strategies. Some I unfriended but others I still like, but don't want to see their idiotic behavior. Am I the only one who feels like this?

So anyway. Bayley's latest thing is telling me something is "dangerous." That's a big girl for a 25lb 3 year old. She's tiny and uses big words like her daddy. That's a whole other post. I'll have to write down some of what he says on a daily basis so I can give you a glimpse into my life. haha!

I've noticed that most of the people I follow on Blogger, no longer blog. Or we've become FB friends (thankfully none of them do the above annoying things). There are a few of you I still read, but don't always comment because I can't think of anything clever to say.

I don't have any photos to upload. Been busy with summer school and hope to be done this Saturday at noon. Wish me luck!

Still alive.

I'm still here. Not much to talk about. Summer school, Bayley is growing like a weed, and we're still trying to get pregnant. Oh, and we're still broke. That about covers it. :)

Not sure if I have already posted this photo yet or not, but this was a month or so ago when I had to take Bay to the doctor. She had a persistent cold that had turned into a sinus infection. She's my beautiful little princess who is very much a girly girl.

No title.

Started counting my calories two weeks ago. Using an app called My Fitness Pal, which also has a website that I use to log my food and exercise. So far I've lost 5.5 lbs and am pretty excited. I have made several dietary changes and am pleased so far. I started working out but will gradually increase my exercise too.

All the rain here in AR has left me stuck in the house so I can't take my dog for a walk, so I used Wii Fit and Jillian Michael's wii workout. I was NOT impressed with JM's wii workout. Granted, I only did the "low" intensity but it just was BORING and didn't sync up with what I was doing. It will probably end up in the "for sale" pile at our next yard sale.

Last night I went WAAAAYYY over my calories and now I am exhausted today. Of course, the last few days I've been tired a lot, despite eating well. Maybe tonight I'll get a quick workout in (Day 1 of 30 Day Shred) and then head to bed in a single digit hour.

I need to do a before shot and then post updates. Will get to that, after a nap. :)

Tornadoes

My Dad & stepmom's house was hit by a massive, pissed off tornado. It smashed the whole front of the house and ripped six HUGE 100+ year old Oak trees out of the ground and tossed them around like tiny sticks. One of them had the powerlines wrapped around it numerous times like the tornado picked up the tree, spun the power lines around it like a spindle, and then tossed it on the other side of the yard. VERY scary stuff.

This happened Monday night. Dad texted me that he was okay but the house was not. They couldn't see outside to know how bad the damage was. Tuesday morning my husband, cousin, brother, and I took off work and we all met at my Dad's house. When we pulled up, you couldn't see the house at all. We had to climb over these huge trees by hugging them and rolling over. Several minutes later, we got to the house, or what used to be the house, and I was just speechless for about 10 minutes. Wide-eyed and in shock, I just soaked in the surroundings. Then I just broke down and started bawling. I was so thankful my Dad was okay. They had been in the closet for less than 5 minutes when it hit and the trees JUST missed them. God was watching over them, for sure.

Joe and my cousin ran the chainsaws and cut up these huge trees while my brother and I pulled these massive limbs off to the side. We made a path for my Dad and stepmom to get out. Their cars had been blocked in. So we made a path and then had my Dad drive his car out to the road since the driveway was gone (cement totally ripped up and GONE), and the yard was so soggy when you took a step, your foot sunk in about 6 inches.

While Arkansas was not nearly as bad as Alabama, there was still a LOT of damage. I think we are going to research having an underground shelter put in.

Three Years.

My baby went from ...to...

in three short years. I love my sweet, sassy, independent, hilarious, dirty-faced princess.

Peeping out of the rabbit hole...

So, I really am alive and will be surprised if ANYone reads this blog anymore...but I'm gonna post anyway. :)

School has been B U S Y and I am pushing myself like crazy. I work 8 to 4:30, then stay til 7 or later on Mon/Wed/Thu nights so I can study, do homework, take tests, etc. Monday night I was here until 11:30pm and go home and was exhausted. Joe and Bayley were snuggled in their beds and sleeping peacefully. I hate that I can't be home every evening and have dinner cooked and on the table, laundry always caught up, and dishes always washed. I hate that I miss out on the 300th viewing of Tinkerbell in Bayley's room while she plays in her kitchen and puts on all her necklaces. My time will come, I know, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to go back to school and keep pursuing my bachelors degree. It's fun to learn new things, but I feel like I'm not giving 100% to ANY aspect of my life. I'm doing just enough to get by and am praying that it's enough.

We are off work on Monday, so instead of spending the day with Bayley, I'm going to be studying and trying to catch up after being home all last week with her being sick and then being snowed/iced in. However, I'm devoting Tue & Fri nights to her and Joe and Z (when we have him). On weekends, my mom watches Bayley until 4:30 and so I try to get as much school work done then as I can. And at the end of March... I have spring break. I am going to hopefully be caught up by then but I know I will have to give myself a few nights off from school.

On a more positive note, Bayley is great. She just got over a virus that we suspect was the flu. She had a high fever for 6 days but that's finally over. And yes, she had her flu vaccination this year.


Her vocabulary has exploded and she speaks in the craziest full sentences. She cracks me up. Joe and I love to just sit and watch her sometimes. She has brought more joy to our lives than I ever thought possible. I still want more kids, but that will happen when my body is ready (hopefully sooner than later).

Ooooh. And I just became a Scentsy consultant. I never thought I'd do something like that, but I love the product and am doing it for the discount and hopefully make a little money from it. Something tells me I need to put anything I may make from it into savings for when Bayley hits her teenage years and I have to finance her wardrobe and car. haha!

New Year Resolutions

This is the first year I didn't think, "I need to prepare my resolution list!" I have barely thought anything about it until yesterday when a friend asked me what my resolutions were. Of course I have things I need and want to improve about myself, but I guess my timelines are a little different since I'm back in school full time. I think of my life in terms of semesters now, I guess.

This spring semester, I need to make all A's and B's. I need to make sure I don't drop any classes and I really learn the basics of my major. I've had two intro courses in accounting and I don't feel like I know much more than when I began. This is a big deal because when I'm through with school, I really need to take the CPA exam so I can ask for the big $$. That, and I'd really like to have some fancy schmancy initials after my name. :)

Every year most people want to Lose Weight! or Get Healthy! and yeah, I want to do those too, but I'm more focused on getting back into running again. It has been about 10 years since I laced up my shoes for a 2 mile jog and I really miss it. I miss the feeling you get after you've just run 2 miles and have taken a nice hot shower or bath, then are laying around in your jammies watching tv. I miss wearing single digit sized clothing. I know it will happen if I run. That's the best way to drop weight.

If I drop all this weight, I'm nervous about saggy skin and all that goes with losing a considerable amount of weight. My husband says I'm young enough that my skin still has enough elasticity, but I'm not THAT young. I don't know if he's just saying that to convince himself or what.. but we shall see.

We have a little debt that I'd like to get paid off. Mainly medical bills, but a couple of Joe's old credit cards in addition to we now have to start paying on his student loans since he graduated in May. He has the same job with the same pitiful pay, so we're going to have to explore our options with repayment.

Those are some pretty standard resolutions but there you have it. :)