New Blog

Check out my new review blog:
The Everyday Woman Reviews

I'll be posting there regularly from now on.

Freedom

I am super psyched - today was the last day of summer school! That means I get 2.5 weeks off to do WHATEVER I WANT (along with whatever "honey do" list my husband comes up with!). Funds are low, so my vacation is going to consist of me reading, lounging by the pool at the clubhouse, taking long walks, and just plain relaxing. Maybe I'll try some prenatal yoga to get my body ready for labor. At any rate, I'm just looking forward to a break from teaching. It is my greatest passion, but without a little respite, there would be no oil left in the well.

So...when money is tight, what do you do for fun? Any suggestions? While we're at it, any good book or movie recommendations?

The Results Are In!!!

We are officially...TEAM BLUE!!! We are super psyched and couldn't be happier! The ultrasound went GREAT! Baby was very cooperative, and the tech got all the measurements really quickly. When I asked, she said he was measuring right on track. He is already about 9 in from head to toe! She said his spine, heart, and brain all look good. She also said his femur is the right length and he has a strong nasal bone (problems could be an indication of Downs Syndrome). We met with the doctor immediately after the ultrasound, and he confirmed that everything looks great. He tried to listen to the baby's heartbeat with the doppler, but the baby kept dodging him. We'd hear 3 beats and then it would go to static. The doctor was so funny. He joked, "I'm not going to chase you around...we know you're fine, because we just saw you!" Finally, he found the baby way up to the right of my belly button. The doctor was like, "What are you doing way up here?" haha...our baby is already so smart! ;)

I will never forget the look on Matt's face when the tech said, "It's a boy!" Matt jumped out of his chair and said, "It's a boy?!!" He said after the u/s it finally feels real (he wasn't letting himself get his hopes up too high after what happened last time). Now he's talking about painting the nursery bright blue and has been looking at cribs online. Men are so cute!

Anyhow, I know I haven't been updating my blog much lately. I'm going to try to write at least 1-2 times per week. Until next time...thanks for reading, and thank you so much for all your prayers and support!

Hold On For One More Day

Well, tomorrow is the big day - it's finally time for our 20 week anatomy scan (a.k.a. the "big" ultrasound)! We hope to find out the baby's gender, but most of all, I hope to hear nothing but good news about how the baby is developing. I have been praying for a healthy spine, brain, and heart for so long...I hope God has been listening! ;) Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers tonight!!

Baby of Mine

The doctor's visit went great. I just had an infection, which he prescribed an Rx for. He found the heartbeat right away - still going strong at 150 bpm!

Today I was thinking about my own childhood - about books, movies, and songs that made a lasting impression on me so much so that I want to share them with my own children - and this movie/song immediately came to mind:



Ok, I will throw a dollar at anyone who can honestly say this still doesn't choke them up - even just a little :)

Scared!

So I took Friday off to go downtown with Matt and his sister for the Blackhawks/Stanley Cup parade. It was extremely hot and humid outside. I forgot to eat breakfast. I got a Snickers bar after we got off the train and ate it as we walked. We walked all the way to Michigan Ave. We secured a spot along the parade route and stood, waiting for it to start. After 20-30 min, I noticed how much more crowded it had gotten. I suddenly felt extremely hot and could hardly breathe. I felt like I might throw up. I told Matt I thought I was going to black out. I held on to him and made my way to the sidewalk. I sat down on the curb and waited for Matt to bring me some water and Gatorade. I sat for about a half hour. I started to feel better and was ok to stand when the parade started. When it was over, I walked over to Qdoba for lunch. I felt ok after that. We walked around a bit more and had lunch at The Cafe Lux before heading back to the train to go home.

I decided to take it easy the rest of the weekend. Yesterday we did a little shopping and met up with his family for dinner. After that we rented a movie and relaxed at home. I wasn't cramping or anything, but all day I noticed an uncomfortable itchy/burning sensation "down there." And then, right before bed, I noticed the tiniest bit of pink spotting on the TP when I wiped. I panicked, immediately thinking of what happened almost exactly this time last year. One little spot of pink blood was the first sign that things weren't going to work out.

So I've been freaking out since last night. Hopefully it's just some type of aggravation/infection that can easily be treated. I am taking off work tomorrow and plan to call my dr first thing in the morning for an appointment. All I can do right now is rest and pray it's nothing major.

If you read this, please say a little prayer for the bean. I am 15.5 weeks along right now, almost halfway there. Please pray this baby sticks and I get to meet him/her in December.

:)

We had another check up yesterday. Everything went great! We heard the heartbeat again - 156 bpm! The dr felt my uterus and said it is the perfect size for this stage in pregnancy. He said he expects everything to continue to go just fine. We asked about the 20 week u/s. We will be able to find out the gender at the end of July. I am psyched! I think it's a boy, but we'll see :) He said there's always a 1-2% chance of birth defects, but that includes mild issues like the ears not measuring the correct size. Hopefully everything is perfect. Even if it's not, my baby will still be perfect :)

Frabjous Joy Callooh Callay

We heard the heartbeat last Saturday! The doctor said there's less than a 1% chance of anything going wrong at this point (knock on wood, of course!). The little heart was ticking away at over 170 bpm! Now I just keep thanking God for this blessing and praying that the little bean is healthy. I told God I'll never ask for anything again as long as he/she is healthy.

I'm starting to get a little bulge. I'm sure two months from now it will be a lot more noticeable. I'm looking forward to that - right now I just feel fat!

Anyhow, all is well. We are both very excited. We keep praying things continue to go well and that our little one stays strong and healthy.

YEAH!!!

The u/s yesterday went GREAT! The peanut measured 7w4d (only 3-5 days off from my doc's guess) and had a heart rate of 160! I am still on cloud nine right now. I know we aren't out of the woods yet, but it's hard not to smile after a day like yesterday. :)

V-Day

Well, tomorrow is V-Day (viability day). Tomorrow we'll either see a healthy heart beating away, or we'll be slammed with the realization that this isn't our sticky baby. I am terrified yet hopeful. I am excited about the future yet fearful my dream may soon become a nightmare. I know it's out of my hands - nothing can save an unhealthy pregnancy, just like very little can stop a healthy pregnancy. What is meant to be, will be. I just pray I'll have a little more than turkey to look forward to this coming Thanksgiving! Please keep the little bean in your thoughts and prayers. I keep praying that God keeps this baby healthy and that He gives me the strength to handle whatever happens tomorrow.