Hope Still Flies

8 weeks to go!

babyfest 2014 7:20 PM

Has it really been 2 weeks already? We're under 2 months away from a tiny person invading our lives. (Invading in a good way) and I'm still in denial. I keep going to pack hospital bags and just... nope. Can't do it. Hospital bags... need to get the car seat installed... need to get his room organized...

But I got Netflix and Hulu Plus and Apple TV for Christmas sooooo...

(no one tell my dad I'm watching Police Women of Dallas right now instead of doing anything productive)

Thankfully, these past two weeks have been quieter around here. Michael and I spent Christmas day at home - we had my little sister and her fiance over for a ham lunch and playing Super Mario Bros for the Wii. Good times all around. Then we headed to Wichita and spent a couple of days seeing all of Michael's family. Saturday we had Christmas with my family. I love this time of year - I could do without the cold and snow, but getting to just hang out with family and laugh and have good times... it makes me excited to bring a new person around for it next year. He'll fit right in, I'm sure.

It's back to work and reality now. The guessing game of when T will make his appearance. Not for awhile, but every new symptom makes me go "Is this normal oooor is he planning on just falling out of me oooor..." it's just crazy. I haven't had a rough pregnancy by any means. I'm not overly hormonal, haven't had many health problems, my arthritis is in remission... but I am ready for him to be here (not to soon) so I can stop worrying about every little thing with me.

And be able to pop my back again.

Baby shower this Saturday! I'm not a baby shower fan. Silly games and whatnot. But I'm all good for hanging out with my friends and family, and I'm trusting my sisters with this.

I didn't take a picture of myself this weekend, but we took a few maternity pictures last Saturday with the help of my sisters. Michael was less than pleased and his ownry-ness came out. But he's still adorable, so it works out. We just got some funny faces out of the deal. So here's my 32 week picture.

How Far Along? 32 weeks

Symptoms: Getting tired quicker. All of a sudden have a larger appetite.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 10 pounds! My doctor was excited.

Food Cravings: French fries. mmm.

Best Moment This ~~Week~~ semi-Month: Christmas and thinking about next Christmas.

Movement: Getting more and more painful. Lots of pushing. Confused as to how some of these movements come from just him. It feels like he has about 8 arms and legs. He is also partial to punching my left hip, and has finally gotten big enough to reach my right ribs.

Labor Signs: Nada, thankfully. Even the B-H have settled down.

Gender: Boy!

What I Miss: Saw some pictures from last Christmas and missed my pre-pregnancy body. Sleeping on my back.

What I Am Looking Forward To: Baby shower!

Milestones: He's supposedly over 4 pounds now, and over 16 inches long. What?!

Comments: I'll be getting another growth ultrasound on the 13th. At my appointment last week (31 weeks) I was measuring 29-30 weeks. I'm not worried. I can tell he's getting bigger. Most. Definitely. =)

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The Big 3-0 (Weeks)

babyfest 2014 4:52 PM

It's been an interesting couple weeks.

I think I'll start this post with a giant TMI warning, and full permission to skip down to the usual questionnaire after the pictures.

Seriously. It's okay.

I'm writing this out because I can't remember who I've told what or who even wants to know. Or maybe if we have more kids I'll remember this happened and not freak out.

So things had been great around here... then about a week ago I started feeling off. A backache, which I figured was normal because I had a sore back early in the pregnancy. I just kinda shrugged it off, and then figured part of the problem was this:

I'm not a huge bare bump person, but I have an app on my phone where I take a weekly one, and I gotta say it's cool to look back and see how I've grown. ANYWAY. I figured my backache to the fact that I seemed to explode a little over a week and a half. Made sense to me. (Plus I slipped on the ice a week ago yesterday. I fell on my left knee and hip and thought maybe I just hit something.)

Then Thursday morning I woke up to the tiniest amount of blood. Really... it was small. But it was pretty bright red and I know that that's never a good sign, so I decided to call my doctor. My doctor was working the clinic, but the other doctor I saw seemed a little concerned. Since I'd fallen and all that, she wanted me to get checked out, but their ultrasound tech wasn't going to be in until the afternoon and she didn't want to wait that long, so it was off to labor and delivery I went. Not really what I wanted to spend that day doing.

The hospital is really nice, and it was cool to get a glimpse of the rooms. But when they got me and T hooked up just to make sure he was okay, we saw I was having contractions. I couldn't feel them in the slightest. Besides my normal Braxton-Hicks. So they got me hooked up to an IV, took a lot of blood, pee sample, and then little dude got to have a biophysical exam. She checked him out, and we got to watch him practice breathing, which was really cool. He passed his exam with a 10/10, we saw my placenta wasn't detaching (from my fall) and all my blood work was good.

What they did find, was that I had a UTI. Which completely baffled me, because I had zero symptoms. But, apparently that's normal. And they can also cause preterm labor, which would explain the contractions. My contractions had slowed down by this point, but the nurse checked to make sure I wasn't dilating (which... by the way. OW.) and I wasn't, but that started contractions again. So I got a dose of an NSAID that relaxes thing and more fluids. Everything settled down, and about 6 hours after we got there, we got to go home. I just have strict orders to drink lots of fluids (I hate water.) and head in if I start to feel contractions.

Michael was with me the whole time, thankfully. I could tell he was worried, but he got me anything I needed and made me relax. And he told his normal jokes. Definitely lucky to have him around.

In addition to all that, I found out I had failed my 1-hour glucose test, so the next morning I got to go back to the doctor for the 3-hour test. Thankfully, I got the call today that I passed that. Yay, sugar!

On a more fun note, Michael's friends threw us an amazing coed baby shower yesterday. It was full of friends and food. A fun matching game, and watching Tanner feed a blindfolded Michael baby food. That was entertaining. Baby T is one spoiled little guy, and we can't even begin to convey to everyone how much we appreciate everything. It doesn't help that we're both super awkward at being the center of attention.

Holy long post, Batman. Onto the usual.

I fully plan on wearing (and stretching out, apparently) all of my tshirts as long as possible. Also this picture and my tank top make it look like he's sitting higher than he really is. I definitely meant to take the picture before I threw on sweats for the night buuuut.

How Far Along? 30 weeks

Symptoms: Oy. Nothing horrible.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 8 pounds, still. I have no idea where I'm losing weight from, because he's definitely still gaining weight.

Food Cravings: Chicken nuggets. Chips and salsa.

Best Moment This ~~Week~~ semi-Month: The baby shower yesterday!

Movement: Still so much. Less jolting jabs, more pushing and rolling.

Labor Signs: Well, after those contractions I couldn't feel... nothing. Still have daily Braxton-Hicks.

Gender: Boy!

What I Miss: Things I didn't think I'd miss, like laying on my stomach. And my back. Also since the hospital incident, I am infinitely more paranoid about how much water I'm drinking, and if I'm going into pre-term labor. Am I having too many BH, or is he just stretching?! I miss my sanity.

What I Am Looking Forward To: Christmas!!

Milestones: 30 weeks feels like a big one! The knowledge that each day he stays put means he gets that much bigger.

Comments: I'm still measuring 2/3 weeks behind. If that holds true I'll be getting another growth ultrasound next month. I feel so much bigger but apparently I'm just wrong. Ah, well.

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28 Weeks (and some change)

babyfest 2014 5:14 PM

And just like that, it's December.

And we're in the double digits (82) until T's due date.

And I am blatantly ignoring all of the things we still need to get for him/his nursery.

And it's getting cold. I've suddenly turned into my dad and would just rather it not get cold or snow and why can't it just be 75 all the time?

Really, though. Things are flying. I think I'll start updating every 2 weeks since I'm in my third trimester (whaaat) and I'm seeing the doctor every two weeks anyway (and a few friends promised I'm not bugging anyone with these blog updates). I had my 28 week appointment yesterday, which included a sonogram and the glucose test.

My belly's still measuring small, so my doctor wanted to get a repeat ultrasound to make sure that the little dude is still growing as he should... and everything looked great. He's around 2 and a half pounds (54th percentile) and is head down. Waaay down. The ultrasound tech commented on how low he was and said, "You must have to pee all the time!" which... I don't. Baby's playing nice for now. She also commented on how strong he was after he decided to kick the wand a few times. I'm not sure if it's just because he's that strong, or if there's just not much between him and the outside, but I definitely feel and can see him move so often. I feel like he never sleeps (though, as I write this he's been quiet. Must be the music.) except every time Michael comes into the room.

After the ultrasound I ran by the lab and got my sugar-y drink. Which wasn't nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. It was like the orange Hi-C with extra sugar. I downed it on the walk from the lab to my check-in station. Michael was impressed. Appointment went well, the doc okay-ed my birth plan, though I'm still measuring small... about 2 or 3 weeks behind. She said if it stays that way I'll probably have to have another ultrasound in about a month.

Everything else here is good. I am very, very, verrry ready for Michael to be done for the semester. It hasn't been an easy one. Our Baby Care class is on Sunday. Yay? Yay.

I know. Still small.

How Far Along? 28 weeks

Symptoms: Honestly, I have nothing to complain about.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Up 8 pounds. (YAY!)

Food Cravings: All the salt. Still french fries and chicken nuggets. Apples with peanut butter.

Best Moment This ~~Week~~ Month: Getting his car seat in last night. Seeing his cute little profile on the sono again yesterday. Thanksgiving with the fam!

Movement: All. The. Time. Still nowhere close to my ribs (hooray for being tall!)

Labor Signs: None! Had some Braxton-Hicks in the past few weeks, but some water takes care of those.

Gender: Boy!

What I Miss: I am not good at being the center of attention and the bump draws attention. I'm ready to be back in the shadows.

What I Am Looking Forward To: Baby Care class. Continuing to work on the nursery.

Milestones: No big ones. Still right on schedule for his growth. Michael, somehow, hadn't noticed how you could see the kid moving from the outside and I was laying down the other day and he saw it and was astonished. "*insert kid name* what are you doing?!" It was cute.

Comments: My mom made the comment, and the ultrasound tech echoed, that the little dude will take what he needs to grow big and strong and I'm really glad he does. I promise everyone I'm eating (what feels like all the time) and I'm getting enough protein. We're good here.

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24 Weeks!

babyfest 2014 12:27 PM

How is it November??? Pretty sure August was yesterday. Right?

No?

Somehow it's November and Thanksgiving is in a few weeks, then Christmas and New Years and then baby. (Who, by the way, has a name. Michael has forced me into silence. Take it up with him.)

Honestly, I'm glad time is flying. I have an occasional day of being uncomfortable, but for the most part I'm feeling pretty good. I'm having trouble falling back asleep on night's when I wake up, but that could be because Michael's sick and sounds like a motorcycle. I'm definitely growing, and little guy is definitely getting bigger and moving all sorts. I've started to notice his sleep cycles, though it seems like he's more awake than asleep.

We'll be starting our childbirth class this month, and then the baby care class and hospital tour next month. Just want to get that stuff out of the way before the holidays. His nursery is kind of slowly coming together. I'm worried about finishing his rug on time, but it'll get done. I'm not quite in panic mode yet about not having much for his nursery... still have plenty of time. But we're down under 4 months now and that's just nuts. Anyway, on to the usual...

(whoops didn't focus the camera right. how long have I been taking pictures?)

How Far Along? 24 weeks

Symptoms: Some back and rib pain at night. That's about it.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Well I waaaas up some. But then I got the stomach flu and lost 5 pounds right before my last appointment. I'm fairly certain I've gained that back and then some since then, but I haven't weighed myself.

Food Cravings: Salt. Still. McDonald's french fries, Wendy's chicken nuggets. That's unfortunate.

Best Moment This ~~Week~~ Month: Going bridesmaid dress shopping with my sisters, nieces and might-as-well-be-sisters. And solidifying little dude's name.

Movement: Seems like alll the time. Finally some up higher. Last night I'm pretty sure he was practicing his drum solo or something.

Labor Signs: None!

Gender: Boy!

What I Miss: I went to jump off a small wall yesterday and realized I probably shouldn't do that. So that.

What I Am Looking Forward To: Definitely not the glucose test in 2 weeks. Working on his nursery. Seeing family at Thanksgiving!

Milestones: Name picked out. Finished up his door hanging.

Comments: I wouldn't recommend the stomach flu while pregnant.

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20 Weeks & Gender Reveal!

babyfest 2014 5:06 PM

Hey-lo everyone! As promised, I'm back after the big ultrasound yesterday. After the inconclusive wives tales tests below, I thought I'd poll facebook friends to see if they thought Thing 1 was a boy or girl. There were 9 votes for boy, 5 for girl, a few for Wildcat (as if that wasn't a given...). I'd flopped back and convinced myself it was a girl. It just seemed right. So we went in and the results were...

Thing 1 is indeed a boy! Measuring perfectly, with everything looking great. The tech was great at explaining what we were looking at. Little dude was really active at first and she was having trouble measuring, and then just like that he curled up in a ball and was out. So then she had trouble measuring again. Had to shake my stomach a few times to get him awake and moving again. He made her work to see he was, indeed, a boy... but after she found what we were looking for initially, he made it very clear for the rest of the ultrasound. Here are a couple pictures...

Towards the end, when he decided to fold in half.

Sweetest little profile.

I couldn't be more happy that everything looks great, and that my weight loss hasn't effected his growth (he was about 13 ounces [lucky number!] which is a few ounces more than all my baby books/websites/apps said he would be at this point). Michael and I are... seriously ecstatic. Only partially because we get to go play with the registry gun at Target this weekend.

Here's the 20 week update! (gotta stop wearing black in these pictures)

How Far Along? 20 weeks, 3 days

Symptoms: Trouble staying asleep some nights. No sickness anymore!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: At my 18 week appointment, I was back up to just being 2 pounds under prepregnancy weight. I'm sure I'm up past it now.

Food Cravings: Salt. French fries. Potatoes.

Best Moment This ~~Week~~ Month: Honestly, hearing everything was great yesterday. I feel so much better about everything.

Movement: Yes! Much stronger the past several days. I love it. He's started moving around after I sneeze, which I always chuckle at. He pushed back against the sonographer yesterday too.

Labor Signs: None! Better stay that way.

Gender: Boy! Little dude. My new guy. Ahhhh.

What I Miss: Running. I've gone too long without doing it and so I'm sticking to yoga and walking.

What I Am Looking Forward To: Registering this weekend! More movement.

Milestones: Hm. Still got nothing here.

Comments: I think I covered all of it up there.

ALSO Happy 12th Birthday to my oldest nephew, Gage!! Love you buddy!

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Boy or Girl Wives Tales!

babyfest 2014 5:57 PM

So I came across a list of wives tales that could predict the sex of the baby... and since my ultrasound is Monday and (baby cooperating) we'll know what it is... I thought I'd fill these out, just for the fun of it.

Wives Tale #1: Heart Rate

If the baby's heart rate is above 140 bpm, it is said the baby will be a girl. Under 140 bpm - boy.

Thing 1: Heart rate has been in the 140s or above... so girl.

Wives Tale #2: Shape of Belly

If you are carrying high with a big, round belly, the baby's a girl. If you are carrying low with a smaller belly that sticks straight out, it's a boy.

Thing 1: It's hard to tell because I'm still pretty tiny, but when I feel movement, it's definitely low. So... boy

Wives Tale #3: Acne

If you have acne while pregnant, it's a girl. Thought to be caused by extra hormones.

Thing 1: My skin hasn't changed all that much. A breakout here or there, but definitely not bad. So we'll go with boy.

Wives Tale #4: Cravings

Craving salty food? Boy. Craving sweets, fruit, orange juice - girl.

Thing 1: So I've always craved salty foods. But I guess I have been put off by sweet foods so boy.

Wives Tale #5: Skin under left eye

(this is a new one for me) If there is a "V" or "branches" appear when you pull down the skin under you're left eye, it's said to be a girl.

Thing 1: Doesn't everyone have these? Girl.

Wives Tale #6: Legs

If your legs get really big, you're having a boy. If your legs stay in shape and lean, it's a girl.

Thing 1: I lost weight which has contributed to this but... girl.

Wives Tale #7: Moodines

If you are really moody, you are having a girl (again, extra hormones).

Thing 1: Not to my knowledge... boy

Wives Tale #8: Chinese Gender Chart

The Chinese Gender Chart claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that she conceived.

Thing 1: Boy

Wives Tale #9: Mom's Beauty

If you have having a girl your beauty disappears during pregnancy because the girl "steals" the mother's beauty.

Thing 1: I'm not sure about this one. I feel pretty much the same. So. inconclusive.

Wives Tale #10: Dream of Sex of Baby

If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. Dream of girl? Having a boy.

Thing 1: Definitely had dreams about a boy, so girl.

Wives Tale #11: Clumsy vs. Graceful

If the pregnant woman is graceful throughout her pregnancy, she's having a girl. If she becomes clumsy, she's having a boy.

Thing 1: Hahaha have you met me?! I've always been clumsy. Though I've fallen down less so we'll go with girl.

Wives Tale #12: Side You Most Rest On

If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she's having a boy. If she prefers resting on her right side - girl.

Thing 1: I'm honestly good with either. I've fallen asleep both sides this week. I feel better on my right, so girl.

Wives Tale #13: Dad's Weight Gain

If the dad-to-be gains weight while you are pregnant, it's a girl. If he doesn't gain weight, you're having a boy.

Thing 1: Well Michael's been running, so boy.

Wives Tale #14: What Do You Think?

71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she is having.

Thing 1: I have flip-flopped about 5 times. Boy.

Wives Tale #15: Morning Sickness

If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it's a boy. If you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, it's a girl.

Thing 1: I only threw up once, and I haven't felt sick in the slightest since then. Boy.

Wives Tale #16: Protein

When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy.

Thing 1: Not usually. Girl.

Wives Tale #17: Feet

Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant? If so, you might be having a boy. If your feet have stayed the same temperature wise, you're having a girl.

Thing 1: My feet have always been cold. Girl

Wives Tale #18: Headaches

If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy.

Thing 1: They've gotten better, but boy.

Wives Tale #19: Baby Names

It is said that when you can only think of specific names for a boy or a girl, you will have that particular baby.

Thing 1: We've narrowed the list down for both, and I really like names on both sides. Inconclusive.

Wives Tale #20: Urine

Bright yellow pee - boy. Dull yellow - girl.

Thing 1: It varies! But girl.

Okay... final tally.

Boy: 9

Girl: 9

Inconclusive: 2

Well. Fat lot of help that was! Haha oh goodness. Only time will tell then! I'll do my 20 week update after the appointment next Monday!

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16 Weeks!

babyfest 2014 5:31 PM

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The reason why I'll start updating again...

babyfest 2014 5:02 PM

I can't believe that last time I updated was right after I started working. So. Time to fix that.

So work is going well. Just like every job, it has its moments, but overall I like it. There will be great opportunities for movement and such the longer I stay, which is always a plus.

As for a rest-of-life update... Michael is about to start his final year of his masters program. He's still planning on getting his phd after he finishes his masters, and I'm all for it. We moved in the middle of June from our little one bedroom apartment to a 3 bedroom, 2 bath duplex. And we were considering getting a puppy until...

Well, we found out I'm going to have a baby.

While it was a bit of a surprise, we're both really happy and excited. We've been plagued with the normal worries and all that. Thankfully I haven't been too sick, and my energy is starting to come back? (Knock on wood)

There's not much story behind finding out... I was fairly certain I wasn't pregnant, but Michael forced me to take a test. So one morning before work I took one and then went about getting ready and was more than just a little shocked when it was positive. My reaction was similar to when Michael proposed. A few, "Oh no"s. I woke him up before I left for work and talked some nonsense before he asked what was wrong and I kinda just threw it out.

I've had two doctors appointments and sonograms so far, and little Thing 1 seems to be growing right on schedule. My next appointment is in a couple weeks, but hopefully no sonogram this time. Thankfully, my arthritis has gone into remission after I had to cut out my medicine cold turkey. But I am officially 12 weeks and 1 day and feel much more bloated than actually pregnant, but here's a picture and that silly survey everyone does anyway.

Excuse my sunburn.

How Far Along? 12 weeks and 1 day.

Symptoms: Still super nauseous if I don't snack most of the day. A little fatigue-y. Dizzy.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: According to my parents' scale, I'm still down about 7 pounds.

Sleep: Goes back and forth. Whenever I want to sleep in, I can't sleep more than 8 hours though... that's annoying.

Food Cravings: No intense cravings. Carbs. Salt. But I craved those before.

Best Moment This Week: Finishing telling the world about Thing 1. I hate being the center of attention, but being able to talk openly about it now is fantastic. Poor twitter.

Movement: None

Labor Signs: Hopefully none for a very long time.

Gender: An internal debate. Michael's convinced it's a girl. I've felt it's a girl, but had dreams about a boy and tend to call it "him". Won't know for another month and a half or so.

What I Miss: This nausea stuff going away entirely, please.

What I Am Looking Forward To: Doctor appt a week from Friday. Feeling movements, finding out gender, buying alllll the things.

Milestones: A bad one - I actually puked for the first time today? So weird. Hopefully never again.

Comments: We inherited some baby things from different family members. We're very blessed at the amount of love we're getting from every direction. Little one is already very loved. I have about 1000 books to read.

So there we go. I probably won't update every week cause I feel like not much changes week to week... but definitely every four weeks. And if anything crazy happens I'll be sure to update the blog.

Time to go eat a pickle.

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Oh, April.

7:56 PM

Anyone remember me? No? That's okay.
For anyone still around... I thought I'd give a life update, because I actually have things to update about! So after that post in January I had an interview with a company that went really well, but then didn't hear back from. So I was feeling pretty down once again about the job situation. But I found out about this entry-level program a local contract research organization was going to be doing and applied. Did the whole interview thing and felt good about it when I found out they were hiring about 40 people.
The day I was supposed to hear about that job, the job that I interviewed back with in January called and offered me a contract position. But then I heard from the second job and got that as well. So after so many months of not hearing anything... I was offered two jobs in the same day in March. After deciding with the CRO, I started a week ago yesterday.
So far, everything has been great. The other 28 kids in my program are really nice, bright people. I have six and a half weeks of training left before I get pushed into my position. There's a variety of possible positions to go to, and the company is growing so I'm excited about the prospects! It's not an engineering job, but I know I'll be able to use the skills I learned in school.
Now that I have an actual job, stress has been lessened, at least a little, in life. We're moving this summer! Originally we were looking at moving into KC, but we'll be able to get more for our money if we stay in Lawrence. It's looking like we'll have at least two bedrooms and two bathrooms (YAY) and they allow pets so hopefully we'll be getting a dog sometime soon. (shhh don't tell my dad).
Things haven't gone according to my plan. At all. But through it all I've had my health, Michael, and my family... I honestly couldn't ask for more. I'm totally ready for this next journey. I promise to keep this sort of updated, though currently my life appears it will be work, work, work. And I couldn't be happier about it.

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