Doctors Appointment Today

I had my monthly doctors appointment today, along with the Gestational Diabetes test. The test honestly wasn't that bad...the drink was a little gross (tasted like flat orange pop) and I had to down it in 5 minutes, but other than that it wasn't bad! I'll find out in a few days if I didn't pass, otherwise "no news is good news." I think that I passed - I hope that I passed anyways! I really don't want to go in for the three hour test.

Afterwords, I saw my doctor for my appointment. Will's heart sounded great (still in the 150s) and I'm measuring right on target at 28cm...You should have about a centimeter of growth for every week you're pregnant. She said that the fact that Will's feet are sticking into my ribs is a good thing - it means he's probably head down and facing the right way! We did get a little bit of concerning news...on the anatomy ultrasound I had on 11/7, one of Will's kidneys was enlarged. It is called pyelectasis. She didn't seem too concerned about it at all and said it was a very mild case. I, on the other hand, am not so relaxed about it! I've spent the better part of the afternoon on Google researching it. I will have to go back in for another ultrasound on the 21st to reevaluate.

From what I've found out through my Googling, it's very common in boys and usually resolves itself by the third trimester. If it doesn't, it doesn't mean that there will be a problem after birth, but it could. If it hasn't resolved itself, they will continue to monitor it and after he's born he will have to have some tests run. If it's causing problems then, it would mean a minor surgery procedure. It can be a soft marker for Downs Syndrome...which freaks me out a lot! I just want our baby boy to be perfectly healthy in every way. However, the chances of him having Downs are still not high because we've seen him opening and closing his hands on the ultrasound and he doesn't have any other soft markers for it.

I was a little upset at first that I wasn't told right after the ultrasound on 11/7 that there was a problem, however, thinking about it now, it's a blessing from God. If we would have found out about it right after the ultrasound, we would not have been able to have a follow up ultrasound until the third trimester...so even if we would have found out then, I'd still be waiting to find out anything about it. And knowing me, I would have been worrying about it the entire time and not enjoying life! So now we get to wait until the 21st...and I think it's going to be a long two weeks. I'm really trying not to worry. God blessed us with this baby for a reason and he knows what He is doing. I am trying to rest in His peace and trust him entirely. This is something incredibly hard for me to do; but He is all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, merciful, and my God. He will take care of me and Will, no matter what the outcome of the ultrasound is. Keep Will and his kidney in your prayers!

28 Weeks

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant! Will is the size of an eggplant now and weighs about 2.2 pounds. For some reason his weight gain and my weight gain don't exactly match up ;) That's alright - I'm still well within my weight gain limits! He also has the ability to open his eyes and look around. He's beginning to blink, although right now it's pretty jerky and involuntary. He'll keep practicing and perfect this over the next few weeks. He also now has eyelashes...I wonder what they look like and how long/what color they are!

His movements have really started to feel different. They're much more frequent and much stronger! I used to not feel movements during the day when I was busy and moving around a lot. It was only when I laid down at night that I'd really start to feel him wiggling around. But lately his kicks have been a little distracting while I'm teaching! One of my students asked me today if my "belly was jumping" yet. She said she got to see her mom's "belly jump" all the time last year when she was pregnant. Her terminology made me laugh!

I really wasn't looking forward to giving up my relaxing time at home to go back to school, but the past two days have been great. I really love my students and I'm actually really enjoying teaching math! There have been a few hiccups with me actually getting hired as a "teacher" at Robertson (right now they have me down as a long-term sub). I have to go take another certification test (my generalist exam) on the 13th and then I'll be able to go in and sign my contract and paperwork. It's frustrating, but I know it's for the best. After I take that, I'll be certified to teach ANY subject in grades 4 - 8, which will be beneficial in the future!

Here's my tummy picture for 28 weeks (taken a few days ago) as well as a picture of Greg and I from New Year's Eve...we had so much trouble getting a decent picture! It was actually pretty funny :)

73 and Sunny...

I can't believe it's the 2nd of January. It's currently 73 degrees outside, bright, sunny, and fabulous! I was complaining a few weeks ago about it not feeling like Christmas, but I'm totally loving the weather today. The girls and I went outside to enjoy it for awhile

Sammy went right to the fence and started running with the dog next door...


...while Riley decided to chill with me by the patio for awhile.


I decided to go down to the fence and see what all the commotion was about.


Sammy was putting that big 'ol dog in his place.


And her ears were flying!


She had to make sure she fussed at him enough...


...And then she was back at the races.


Pretty soon, Riley decided to join us down by the fence.


So Sammy had to show off just a little bit.


She waited patiently for the other dog to reciprocate...


...before she took off again.


Riley showed off her cuteness for awhile...


...


But pretty soon she realized that she should get some exercise too.


But all that exercising...


...sure does make a girl tired!


After a short rest, she was off again!


All three of us enjoy 73-degree January days. :)

Third Trimester!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my third trimester...only 13 weeks until we get to meet Will! I could not be more excited. I'm starting to get slightly uncomfortable - my stomach feels like it's stretched to its max (which I know is far from the truth!) and my back gets achy if I sit or stand for a long time. Plus Will has decided to stick his feet under the ribs on my right side and kick...hard! Not so pleasant for mommy! But aside from all the uncomfortable parts, it's fun getting bigger! Strangers have been asking me when I'm due and an HEB employee nearly knocked me over to keep me from picking up a case of water. And I really do enjoy feeling Will moving around nearly constantly...his movements are becoming much more defined and much more noticeable!

He also officially has the most ornaments of any unborn baby ever ;) My parents got him one, Greg's parents got him one, both of my grandparents got him one, and my aunt got him one. Greg says we're going to have to get a bigger tree next year to fit all of them...I agree ;) Speaking of Christmas trees, here is a really horrible picture of our Christmas tree from this year. I took some with the nice camera, but I don't feel like searching through the memory cards to find it right now!


I can't believe it's almost 2009! Time is flying by so fast. My weekly baby email said that Will weighs about 2 pounds this week and is about the size of a head of cauliflower. His lungs are developing and maturing a lot and if he were born now they would be able to function fairly well (with lots of medical help). He's also started opening and closing his eyes...not much to see in there, I'm sure! I can't wait to see what color they are :) Here's a tummy picture for this week, plus a few other fun ones!

Sammy trying out the sling that one of my mom's friends generously gave us...She approved!

Greg and the girls...Riley is showing just how fond of having her picture taken she was!

I hope everyone has a safe New Year's Eve and a wonderful start to 2009!!

99 Days Left...

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I was sick all last week, then I had graduation this weekend and Greg and I finished up (most of) our Christmas shopping. Let me just say this - being sick is not fun at all, but especially when you're pregnant! I don't know if I had a mild version of the flu or some other stomach bug, but I'm so glad it's gone! I ended up going to the doctor just to make sure everything was okay with Will since I'd been running a fever. He's doing great (and is as wiggly as ever!) His heart rate on the doppler was 155bpm. There was a moment while listening to it that I could hear two heartbeats and I think the panic must have shown on my face because the doctor laughed and assured me that it was just MY heart beating on top of the baby's ;) Whew! I go back in on January 7th for my last monthly appointment before they move to every two weeks. I also have my one hour glucose test that day to see if I'm developing gestational diabetes. Before that I have to drink a sugary orange drink they gave me and then they'll draw my blood to see how my body handles the sugar. I'm a little nervous since I've had some issues with low blood sugar in the past and hoping that I don't have gestational diabetes...Even if I do have it, though, it would only mean that I'd have to go on a restricted diet and check my blood sugar levels for the remainder of my pregnancy. Not too bad!

I graduated from UMHB on Saturday with my BA in Education. I can't believe it's over, but I'm very thankful that it is. I learned a lot through all the hands on experience I was able to have being in classrooms, but I'm definitely not itching to get into graduate school or anything like that! I'm also very thankful that I have a job and that I don't have to begin subbing after the holidays. God is wonderful and He truly has a plan for my life that is greater than anything I could ever imagine!

We almost have the nursery all put together! We bought an upholstered rocking chair from USA Baby (and got an awesome deal on it!) and a bookshelf from IKEA in the past couple weeks. Our JCPenney bedding finally arrived and I love it. Now I've just got to get the decorations in there and it will be completely ready for Will. Here are some pictures:




I don't have a belly picture yet for this week...I'll try to get that before we leave for Christmas! But here's what is going on with Will this week. The nerves in his ears are becoming more sensitive and he's beginning to be able to pick up on the sounds of other people's voices; not just mine anymore. He seems to love when I'm listening to music too - no matter what kind it is, he'll start to wiggle around. He's still gaining all that baby fat and practicing breathing with amniotic fluid. He weighs 1 3/4 pounds and is around 14 inches long. We're hoping to get a 3D-4D ultrasound in the next month, so we'll have some good pictures of him and hopefully some video too!

I hope everyone has a safe and blessed Christmas!

Happy Viability Day, Will!

Today marks 24 weeks of being pregnant...the special thing about that is that Will is now considered "viable" outside the womb if he were to be born today! All his major organs are functioning, and although his lungs aren't working properly, he could live with a respirator. His mommy definitely wants him to stay in there and cook for awhile longer though...no early appearances, please!

Will weighs about 1 1/2 pounds this week and is the length of a foot long hot dog. My baby book said that he looks pretty cramped in there now...I can imagine so! I can feel him moving around very often! It's pretty fun if he's kicking to put my hand over the spot and press down a little bit. He usually goes into a fit of kicking as if to say, "Hey! I'm cramped enough in here already. Please don't make it any smaller!" He also looks like an infant now and the next 16 weeks will be spent accumulating fat (for cute, chubby cheeks!) and continuing to perfect his breathing/organ functions.

This past weekend we painted our Craigslist find dresser...It looks great! It was an exhausting, all day affair, but we managed to get it completely painted, clear-coated, and moved into his room! The silver knobs we bought for it look great too. Now we just need a rocking chair or glider and a bookcase. Our bedding should be here any day (provided JCPenney doesn't mess up our order again!) and his room will really start coming together. I have a bunch of cute decoration ideas and I have a friend who is an interior decorator to help :)


I started my job at Robertson last Wednesday and was in a math training today. I'm slowly getting my room set up and will start teaching my kiddos on Friday! I'm really excited about working there and I'm really enjoying everyone I work with. I think it's going to be a great fit...God is so good to me!

Big news!!

I have some big, exciting news...I got a job! It's all been a crazy, fast experience, but I am now the newest 5th grade teacher at Robertson Elementary. I'm so excited to not have to worry about finding a job next August and to have a position in the district I want to be working in.

God is amazing and he takes care of our every need so well! I wasn't seeking this out at all, but it seems like it's going to be a perfect fit. I got to observe today and see my room...I'll fill out paperwork tomorrow and observe for the rest of the week...I'll actually start teaching on Monday. It still seems very surreal - yesterday I was a student teacher and today I'm a teacher! UMHB was wonderful and released me from my student teaching early to go to Robertson (and they all say that they're very proud of me!) They are alright with me leaving in April to have the baby and then coming back in August for the following school year. I know that it will be stressful at times, but it's such a huge weight off my shoulders to have this job.