Christopher's Birth Story

On Wednesday, July 6 we had our 40 week doctor's appointment. According to my midwife, my blood pressure was a little elevated and I looked puffy. My midwife was concerned so she wanted to refer me downstairs to labor and delivery. I was wheeled down there (I wasn't even allowed to walk!) at about 4:30 or so. I was checked out by the doctor on call and he decided to admit me and induce labor based on my blood pressure and the fact that we were 40 weeks, 2 days. I was only about a "loose 1" centimeter dilated and about 50% effaced. I got hooked up to pitocin, the fetal heart monitor, the contraction monitor and the blood pressure cuff. This is where the fun began...

Pitocin can be increased to 20 milliunits/minute and that's exactly what I got. The contractions started coming stronger than ever, but so far it was managable. We were supposed to sleep but there was no way I was falling asleep now. I also tested GBS positive during pregnancy so I had to get antibiotics during delivery, which they started at this time. I ended up having an allergic reaction to it so they stopped that one. About 8 hours into the pitocin, I elected to get a dose of Stadol thinking it was a better option than the epidural at this point in time. It was awful. It basically made me feel drunk. It didn't stop the pain, it just made me less aware of it until right when the contraction was bad. There was no way for me to relax or prepare for the contractions! I believe I was still right around 3 centimeters at this time.

The doctor was worried about me because my blood pressure was staying high so he ended up hooking me up to magnesium sulfate. Yuck! It basically makes you feel like your veins are on fire. It was no fun!! Our doula, Jade got there and was an amazing help. She made me feel so relaxed, but it was getting to the point where I was exhausted, starving and just plain done. My body was wearing down. About 10-11 hours later I elected to get the epidural. My pain was becoming pretty bad (the pitocin was now up to 30 mu/min!) and I was still only about a 4 or 5. At this point in time the epidural was the best thing to ever happen to me. After 19 hours on pitocin induced labor I was hurting bad and I guess I needed that extra bit of help. (If you fight the contractions too much the pitocin could become less effective at dialating you, and because I hadn't slept or eaten in almost 24 hours I needed to relax!) The epidural helped me jump to a 7 and 100% effaced. It took me about 5 more hours to get to a 8/9. By this time the pitocin was becoming ineffective. The epidural was wearing off, so they increased it to try to get me to completion. The worst part was about now when I felt like I needed to push. My body was ready but my cervix was not. I could NOT get from a 9 to a 10. Imagine being told not to push for 3 hours. THREE HOURS! It was awful. Honestly that was probably the worst part about my labor! After 3 hours I was starting to swell, which is very bad. They ended up taking me for an emergency c-section after about 29 hours of labor. For a moment I felt like a failure. There is honestly nothing I could have done differently, but after so long of wanting and preparing something and it was all changed. My birth plan was shot to heck. BUT in the end a healthy baby, healthy mom is the goal of Bradley Method and that is what we had :)

At 2239 on July 7, 2011 our beautiful baby boy was born. All I was able to hear was his cry, but oh what an amazing sound. DH went over to the nurses to watch while they cleaned him up. When they brought him to me to kiss and snuggle... I fell in love with him instantly. Oh and I about lost it when they told me his weight. 9 pounds, 6 ounces. 22 inches long. Are you kidding me??? He is definitely a hoss.

The best feeling in the world is holding him in my arms. After 9 1/2 long months he is finally here. He is perfect in every way. He looks just like his daddy, but has my nose. :)

Christopher Aaron

July 7. 2011 2239

9lb, 6 oz 22 inches

PUPPPs

So I was diagnosed with PUPPPs at my 38 week appointment (though it appeared a week earlier). It is essentially an "allergic" reaction to pregnancy. Apparently there is something in my body that does not like the male hormone, those pesky y chromosomes are causing so much problems :)

Here are some pictures of my rash. It's awful. The rash first showed up on my belly (it normally appears in stretch marks first). It has since spread to my arms (underarms-hands) and legs (butt-feet).

The best things I have found for PUPPPs are Grandpa's Wonder Pine Tar Soap, Benadryl cream, Caladryl gel and Aveeno baths. I shower about twice a day and use the pine tar soap...in cold/warm water. Never use hot water. It makes things unbearable. (Apparently heat makes it worse, which makes like miserable considering how it's JULY!) I take a bath at night and literally rub the aveeno bath on the spots. It helps a little bit. Benadryl cream and Caladryl gel help...but only temporarily. OH! The best thing ever is using a hair dryer on the cold setting and drying off that way instead of a towel. Kind of like a car wash :)

Belly at it's worst

Side View

My poor fat feet :(

See?

Top of my leg

Looks like I have chicken pox

Poor spotty leg :(

Top of my legs

Fat feet!

The worse part right now is my feet and ankles. They itch like something awful!

Belly now. It's faded a little bit and doesn't itch as bad!

Arm

Other arm

37 Weeks

So this has been an interesting week for our family. Friday afternoon contractions started...they were about 20-30 minutes apart, not really going away but not getting stronger. They were waking me up throughout the night, but like I said, not really getting stronger. Saturday brought more of the same. Saturday night they got really close together...like 3-5 minutes. My doula suggested we go to sleep and see what happens. They continued through the night, but weren't really that strong. Now Sunday they were getting much stronger. They were starting in my back and moving forward. They never really got closer than 7-8 minutes, but they weren't stopping. Can you say frustrating??? I sure can. My 38 week appointment is on Monday so we decided to just wait until then so we can see what is going on. I wish he would either come or the contractions were stopping...

Basically this is what my doula calls the "putzy putzy" stage. Nothing really changing. Nothing really progressing. I'll update this later on so I can post what the midwife says! :)

36 Weeks

So DH, Abby and I went to GA for our baby shower and had such a wonderful time. We got to see a lot of friends and family that we haven't seen in a very long time...some as long ago as the wedding!! We got the last few things we needed and lots of clothes (which we got hardly any of last time...just the differences between guys and girls!!), which was awesome :)

On a side note, C is getting huge. He literally takes up my whole belly. DH and I were driving home yesterday and he was feeling the baby's foot and trying to find his back...I said something like here, you can feel him right here and DH said while moving his hand all over my belly, and here and here and here. Yep...all over. Apparently he's about 18 inches long and maybe 6.5 pounds now. So about the size he'll be when he gets here!!

It's very hard to believe that the next time I see my family I will have a baby. Literally in less than a month there will be an infant in our household...that is a very, very strange thought.

35 Weeks

Well our household had an interesting night last night (which at 35 weeks, 6 days it applies to this blog!). After about 3.5 hours of pretty regular contractions I finally called my doula, Jade. She advised me to go ahead and call Labor & Delivery. The advice I got was pretty standard since I'm under 36 week, they said come on in. Once we were there, DH and I went to a triage room and I gave a urine sample and then got hooked up to the monitors. ....on a side note, do you realize how hard it is to pee in a cup when you can't see into the toilet??? It was ridiculously hard.... It was neat to be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. Also very strange to see my contractions and the correlation of his heartbeat and my contraction (during one his hb would speed up). Anyways, turns out I was hydrated enough and because I was only about 1.5 hours short of 36 weeks the midwife on call said she wouldn't want to give me anything to stop labor. I could in fact be in early labor, but I wasn't dilated at all so she gave me an ambien to "make my uterus go to sleep". She just told me to come back if any of the normal things happened: water broke, bleeding, contractions were so bad I couldn't walk or talk through them.

So I took the ambien and promptly fell asleep (but that could have been just because it was 11:30 at night!). I woke up a few times to more contractions and they have continued today, but not serious enough for me to want to count them. I know they are happening pretty frequently, and we've resolved the fact that we probably won't have a July baby, though hopefully he'll stay nice and comfortable until AFTER the weekend because we are going to GA for our baby shower! I'm super excited about it. I just hope baby C cooperates :)

34 Weeks

Well....since I didn't post last week I figured I'd post pictures we took last week instead :)

I bought a groupon for Picture People, it was pretty good...though I don't know if I saved any money in the end or not. Oh well. It was fun to have our picture made :)

My favorite one :)

33 Weeks

OOPS! I forgot to write during week 33, so here I am at 34 weeks writing my 33 weeks blog :)

We had our birthing class this past week...it was okay. It's incredible how many people go into labor/birth without knowing what will happen. Our class was supposed to last from 10-2...we were done by 11ish. And that included a tour of the delivery room. Hmmm....how the heck is someone supposed to be ready for this after that amount of "training"??? Do you not train for months for a sporting event or say a marathon?? How is this any different? The average labor can last a long while...come on people, get prepared for something this important?? I've been taking birthing classes for the past 10 weeks, and I couldn't imagine this without them. AND I'll have a doula there. I doubt I'll even be prepared enough for this!

Whew. Enough ranting. We also had our 32 week appt. It wasn't bad! I should have gotten yelled at for my weight gain, but they were busy so I don't think my midwife even noticed. On the bright side DH got to see baby C on an ultrasound and hear is heartbeat. I am so thankful they did that for us. It's hard because he's been gone the entire time, and seeing your baby via skype and email just isn't the same! :)

I've gained almost 40ish pounds. I weigh more than I've ever even dreamed of weighing. It's awful. I HATE being this big. I love being pregnant, and I am convinced we will have more children, but I just hate the end of the pregnancy. I'm tired. Ready for baby. And ready for my body to be back!!

This week should be a busy one, we'll be traveling a lot. From Wed-Sat we get to be all romantic by ourselves for our "babymoon"and then we'll be spending time (Sat-Mon) with DH's brother and his sweet family. We haven't seen our niece in months, and she's growing like a weed. We can't wait to be there with them :)

32 Weeks

Oh what a fun weekend!! We had our first baby shower and oh how our friends and family blessed us. I was convinced that no one would buy us expensive gifts (because, I sure as heck wouldn't spend like $100 on someone I barely knew...but that's just me apparently!), but boy was I wrong. These guys spoiled us and baby C rotten! This shower was mostly for DH's Army guys and I'm pretty sure if their hadn't been alcohol these guys would have been even more terrified walking in. It was so funny :)

We ended up getting a lot of good things, and a good amount of stuff off our registry which is always nice! OH! And DH put together the crib, it looks so good! We ordered the dresser and it should be here soon. As soon as we get it and DH puts it together (and the room gets organized!) I'll post pictures. It is super cute and I can't wait to see it all put together!

We have our birthing class through the hospital on Tuesday. And then as soon as that's over we go upstairs to the Women's Center for my 32 week appointment (yes, I realize I'll be 33 weeks...). So not looking forward to being in trouble about my weight. I'll report how much I've gained next time, maybe that way people will feel better when they gain a ton of weight and it's all in the belly. (We'll just ignore the fact mine is also in the butt and thighs...whatever.) HURRY UP JULY....I'm ready for my body back. And I don't even feel bad saying that...

As for baby C, he's getting big. And heavy. He's about 17-18 inches long and just about 4 pounds. Just about 6-7 weeks left! :)

I was looking back through my blog and saw this from 19 Weeks (was I supposed to do this more often...oops!). Enjoy :)
How far along?  32 Weeks, 6 days 
Total weight gain/loss?  We'll find out for sure next week, but I think I'm at like 40 pounds...
Maternity clothes?  Oh boy am I ever. I'm even OUT of some of my maternity clothes. Looks like it'll just be sundresses and skirts for me for the rest of the pregnancy...
Stretch marks? On my thighs (inner and outer)...they are not pretty :(
Sleep?  What's that? I wake up several times a night...play solitaire then go back to bed. It's ridiculous.
Best moment last week? Our baby shower was probably the highlight of the week :)
Movement?  All. The. Time. It's no longer cute little kicks, he is mostly rolling around so I'll get like a knee and/or elbow slide across my belly...which is very uncomfortable.
Food cravings? Fries with ranch dressing. That's pretty much the only thing. I like a lot of things and have random daily "cravings" but I don't like have to have them!
Gender? Boy :)
Labor signs? Nope, just BH.
Belly button in/out? Outish. The top part is out, the actual button sticks out but not all the way out.
What I miss: My body. Sleep. Eating and drinking without heartburn. Reading at night without falling asleep.
What I am looking forward to: In the next week? The birthing class at BACH and our 32 week appt, it's the first one DH will be at!
Milestones: It looks like the main one is his chance of surviving without breathing mechanisms is greatly increased this week. Yay baby C, keep those milestones coming! :)

31 Weeks

What a WONDERFUL week!! My DH came home from his one year deployment this past week...that was incredible and definitely the highlight of my month!

The next best thing that happened is that he got to feel baby C kick for the first time. The look on his face was priceless. He now keeps his hands on my belly and lights up when C is moving (which is all the time now!). It is the coolest thing ever and I truly feel like I'm getting to experience all the firsts again now that he is home!

Apparently baby C is about 16 inches long and weighs about 3.5 pounds...though those are the stats for 31 weeks and I am 31 weeks 6 days...so he may be bigger by now! Sometimes I wish my belly had a sunroof so I could see what he's doing in there :)

OH! And we went to Once Upon A Child just to look and ended up buying our pack n play. It seems smaller than the other ones out now which is good because we have next to no space available. It's really very cute. A few weeks before baby we'll have to move our room around again so it can go next to my side of the bed for the first few months...then he'll move in to his crib, which we also got thanks to my in laws! DH is going to set that up in a few weeks and I can't wait!! I also can't believe that we are almost to the 8 weeks countdown. That's if he even waits until his due date...which going early is entirely possible considering how big I am already!

This next weekend we have our first baby shower and I cannot wait. I'm so excited about it :)

And then after that we have our birthing class at the hospital, complete with a tour and my 32 weeks visit (I'll actually be 33 weeks, but I really wanted them on the same day and because I'm low risk my midwife said it was fine!).

30 Weeks

I'm getting exhausted. I still have 9 weeks left...and I don't think I'm going to make it. I'm huge. The first thing out of everyone's mouth is...I don't think you're going to make it to July! Well I don't either so I suppose we're even! THOUGH....I think they are all jinxing me. With the way people keep talking I'll probably stay pregnant until the end of July!

So Abby Grace and I are getting ready for DH to get home. The next blog will probably include him...because HE'S COMING HOME!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!! I'm getting so excited. So we've been cleaning. Actually I've been cleaning. She's been sleeping! :)

I just realized that I don't think I've talked about Abby...so you might be confused. She's my loving puppy. Who's graying around the mouth because she's almost 4. Old woman :)

This is my princess. She's spoiled rotten. But she's my baby and I love her.


And here is the another baby of mine. Only he's hidden in the belly :)
30 weeks, 6 days :)

Baby C is good. He's a beast and likes to be big. Which he tries to do all the time. I try to explain to my loving son that he can not stretch out because there's not enough room but he tries anyway. :)

29 Weeks

...written at 30 weeks. OOPS :)

So last week I went to my parents house in GA, and spent the whole time on the go! You know how when you go on "vacation" and end up spending the whole time in the car trying to see everyone you don't normally see?? That just about sums up my week!

I had a 3d/4d u/s and got to see baby C. He is adorable of course and looks just like DH. So much for looking like me :)

 The first thing we were able to see are his legs, crossed at the ankles...this is how I sit all the time!

Crying :)

 Sticking his tongue out!!

 Sucking his thumb sideways

 Hi my name is Christopher :)

 His foot that is directly under my rib cage on the right side. His feet stay there...

He looks like DH :) 

Chubby little cheeks!

Baby C is head down already! Yay baby C! Hopefully he'll stay that way :)

28 Weeks

It seems like as we get farther along, I get slower at posting! Well considering how it is not yet 10:30 pm on Sunday night and my weeks change on Mondays I guess I'm still on time for the 28 week blog!!

So the biggest disappointment of the week was the fact that my ultrasound was cancelled. Twice. RIDICULOUS. I get how people get sick. And I forgave you the first time. But the second time? I'll take my money and go elsewhere...thanks. (This would have been an elective 3d/4d u/s) Anyways, it was hugely upsetting. So I looked around for places in GA and found one near where my parents live and made an appointment for NEXT week. SOOOO I'll be able to post pictures for my 29 week blog! The best thing about moving it to GA is that now my parents and in laws will be able to come which will be neat. So the only person that won't get to see baby C is DH. :)

Speaking of C (since this is supposed to be a blog all about him!), he is approximately 2.25 pounds and almost 15 inches long. Thinking of him at 15 inches is crazy, considering how most babies are between 17-22 inches when they are born. He's getting so big! He kicks like crazy. All the time. Really...all. the. time. His most active times are between 0400-0700 and 1800-2200...or just whenever he wants. It does seem like he sleeps more during the day. I like to say that I rock him to sleep :)

I've been thinking of how to describe what it feels like when he moves around in my belly and I think I've figured out a comparison. It almost feels like your stomach growling...but it's not, it's him. Now I'm not talking about the kicks. Those are just like jabs coming from the inside (which are no longer cute and he hurts a lot of the time!). But when he's rolling around that's what I think the feeling reminds me of!

On a side note, Abby is passed out and snoring. It's making me smile. :)

I'm so ready for DH to come home. Just a few more weeks! This year has been HELLA long.

28 Weeks 5 days, about to go to my cousin's wedding yesterday! :)

27 Weeks!

Getting BIGGGGGG is the story of the week. It's ridiculous! I'll post pictures with my 28 week blog, but just take my word for it...it's crazy.

So I've ordered my diaper bag, Ju Ju Be Be Prepared in black/silver. See http://www.shopjujube.com/Product.aspx?l=00010005000000000000&p=JJB01238 LOVE IT! I can't wait until I get to use it! I also got my Ergo Baby Carrier. It's amazing. Though it doesn't snap around me right now...I hope it's just because I'm pregnant and I'm not really too fat for it!!

So C gets the hiccups all the time, they are cute but sort of annoying (iggnoying like one of my Operation Hero kids said!). Also the kicks are no longer cute, they hurt. It's like he does it on purpose now! Jerk :)

C is about 15 inches long and just about 2-2.5 lbs. Getting bigger!!

So this past week I've had my glucose test and rhogam shot. The Rhogam shot didn't hurt at all! And my glucose drink was amazing. But I have a craving for fake orange stuff so that could explain that. After my test I had some time to kill so I ate at the PX and discovered my new favorite food...RANCH DRESSING!! Yum! :)

Alright more next week!

(Are you counting down for July as much as I am???)

26 Weeks

Well since it's already Friday, I guess I'm technically 26 weeks and 4 days, but hey...who's counting? :)

So this has been a rough week, and none of it has to do with the baby. Our soldier's suffered a major blow. I'm just really ready for them to ALL be home. Just a few more weeks...but they can't end soon enough. I can't wait until DH is home, I miss seeing his face and hearing his voice. I joke that he won't know how to talk to me for longer than 30 minutes a week...but in reality it's not funny at all. It's actually very sad. If you're reading this and have your SO home please hug him tight. It's hard being alone. It's really hard to be alone for a year. We just passed our 11 month mark. One more month. Just one more month.

Alright back to baby C! So my child has a closet full of clothes (but barely any NB clothes!). I buy only on clearance. I'm actually being pretty good, it could be worse :)

He is getting big. Apparently my uterus is the size of a basketball. Ridiculous. What to Expect says the baby is about the size of a cucumber. He's about 15 inches and 2.2 lbs. What a chunk :)

So DH said I can get another 3d-4d u/s for our anniversary. I'm so excited. I'm going in 2 weeks and I can't wait to see my little soccer player (he kicks me ALL DAY LONG!)!

25 Weeks!

Dear Braxton Hicks, I hate you. You can just disappear now.

UGHHH they sucks so bad. I know how to fix them, but sometimes I just can't. For example, on Monday while driving home (from my parents house!), and sure enough they started up in the car. They don't really hurt...it's just a lot of pressure. Jade (my doula/bradley method teacher) described labor as a blood pressure cuff around your abdomen...and that sounds about right for these contractions. I had them one after another...it was not fun to drive with. You can make them go away by relaxing, drinking water and sometimes just breathing...well relaxing while driving (like laying down with my eyes closed!) is impossible and drinking water is hard because then I'll have to pee sooner. I did breath though, obviously :)

Also I have heartburn that is radiating in my knee caps (hahaha love Juno!!). Honestly though this might be the worse symptom. I have meds for it, but I'm trying not to overdo the medicine...I mean I haven't had anything other than prenatals since I found out I was pregnant....so I only take it at night, even though I could take it more often that. Eh, it'll be okay.

On another note, C weighs almost 2 lbs and is just under 13.5 inches. And I'm huge. Like I joke that my belly gets into the room before me...but it's totally true.

So I did some fun stuff last week, my mom and in laws and myself went to a baby and kids consignment sale and got some great deals. I bought a bumbo seat with tray, boppy pillow, extra crib and cradle sheets, sleep sacks, onesies, and some toys. My mom has a fancy washing machine that has a "sanitary" cycle...so everything soft has been washed, and I'll wash it again when I wash all of the rest of his clothes/sheets/blankets/etc before they go in his dresser. OHHH and I bought his car seat, base and extra base off of AAFES.com. No shipping and no tax! Thank you Army :)

24 Weeks!

GAHHHH....it took me like 8 years to sign in. Reminder, don't forget password. Ugh. Sucks.

Anyways! I had my 24 week appointment today, Christopher is perfect...he's measuring in the 60th percentile for size...I didn't know the did percentiles in utero, well learn something new everyday! I also learned that my midwife seems almost as excited as me for my natural child birth plan!! I'm so excited!!!

His heart rate is good, and my weight is good. (Which I was hugely stressed about!)

On a really good note, my next doctor's appointment without the hubby!!! Do you realize he's been gone almost a year??? This is huge!

Later this week I'm going to GA for the All 4 Kids Consignement sale, which should be fun!

Ohhhh!!! I forgot to talk about Bradley Method classes :)
So I started them last Thursday and have my next one tomorrow. They are very good, I'm learning new things and I can't wait until we get more into them.

Alright this blog kind of stinks, but I'm kind of drawing a blank! Let's see if I can post my picture from today :)

24 Weeks :)

24 weeks, 5 days

23 Weeks!

It's pretty crazy to know that we are already 23 weeks. This is flying by. I'm getting huge. Hopefully I don't get yelled at when I go to the doctor in a week. I gained a lot last visit, but since then I've mostly been maintaining...I can't lose any right now, but I can actively go against gaining anymore (at least all at once!). I just finished a prenatal yoga video, I enjoyed it...though I'm not sure C did. He was supposed to be all mellowed out because of it, but nope...he started kicking. And then I played his song afterwards and he was really kicking. His song is Return to Pooh Corner, I love how you can transpose Christopher Aaron where it says Christopher Robin, it is just perfect! He kicks during it, DH says it's because he wants me to stop singing...thanks a lot hubby!!

I'm going to try and alternate walking Abby and yoga everyday. So yoga was today, walk is tomorrow...he likes that better I think. It's more active for my crazy active little boy! :)

I also have noticed that I don't drink enough water (well I didn't JUST notice it...I've noticed it since I found out I was pregnant!). I TRY....but not hard enough. So let me grab my water...

On a side note (well more just back to the Return to Pooh Corner song!) I really love Kenny Loggins. I've always liked him, but I love him even more. He is so easy to sing along with, and that's something I love to do. Better to sing Kenny Loggins than some other songs I normally sing. Let's try to give this kid the best start we can by NOT introducing rap quite so early :)

Some stats on baby C. He is about the size of a papaya. Just over a pound and about 11 inches long. Such a big boy :)

More later on, probably on Friday...I have my first Bradley Method Class on Thursday!! And then my 24 week appointment on Monday. Told you this was going fast! :)

22 Weeks!

Soooo for the first time since I started this blog I DIDN'T write on the day I was supposed to! Oops!

Anyways, we are 22 weeks and 2 days now. Christopher is getting big, apparently he is the size of a papaya (8 inches, 1.2 lbs...chunky monkey!). Also his eyelids have formed and he has also gotten his eyebrows! Also his internal systems are developing and maturing. Overall, he seems to be moving right along! I can't believe I have like 17 weeks to go. That's so crazy to me.

DH comes home in a few months, his day got pushed back a little bit (thank you Army...) but he'll still make it home in plenty of time to do the nursery and be here for me and the baby, before the baby is actually here.

Some random symptoms I've started to notice (who knows if they are pregnancy related or not....though I'm pretty sure you can attribute every positive or negative thing going on in your body for 9 months to pregnancy!): a random vibration type feeling right underneath my left breast/rib cage area, who knows what that is about; also I think I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions. Originally I thought the baby was pushing out right below my belly button because every now and then my uterus gets really hard at the bottom. It's slightly uncomfortable and almost always makes me feel like I have to pee...I just always blamed him, anyways I googled it last night and it sounds more like BHC and less like the baby. So I'm going to focus on my water intake to make sure I'm not getting dehydrated. Also my sleep habits have gone to crap. Like I can go to bed around 10-11 and without fail I will wake up between 4-5 and find it impossible to fall back asleep. I generally play a game or two (or three or four...basically until I win!) of solitaire, start my music over again and fall back asleep. Ughhh. I find that probably the most annoying of all. Oh and the back pain. RIDICULOUS. I bought a pregnancy wedge and it's helped a little, but sitting for too long is awful, laying down it's hard to get comfortable. Overall things are good and if these are the only complaints we have so far I think everything is going okay! I can live with these things :)

I'm also trying to focus on what I'm eating. I weigh myself everyday to make sure I'm not gaining too fast. I know I'm supposed to gain weight, but I gained like 10 lbs in one month...it could have been all baby, but I just wanted to make sure. So I'm writing things down (along with calories, fiber and protein!) and keeping track. I'm aiming for 75g of protein a day. It sounds like a lot, but it adds up fast. I've also discovered my craving- Flintstones Push Pops....YUM! I try to limit them, but I do indulge every now and then!

Alright, more in a week :)

I have a banana in my belly!!!

21 weeks today!!

The stats say the baby is the size of a large banana or a carrot this week. Approximately 3/4 lb and 10 1/2 inches. He is also kicking like crazy. I can't wait until I can feel it on the outside! Sometimes I think I can, but I'm not sure yet. It's not consistent yet. However I'm starting to figure out when he will be active (mostly at night!). He's definitely not a morning person like his mommy...he's more like his daddy and would rather sleep in :)

On a side note, I keep getting fever blisters. They are starting to piss me off. I think I've had like 4 these past 5 1/2 months, when normally I only get like one a year. How freaking annoying?!

Oh! So I flew to West Palm Beach to be with family for my niece's 1st birthday party (she's not 1 yet...just need to clarify for my bil, he is deployed too and is trying to make it home for her birthday so he gets annoyed when people were saying happy birthday at the party :) Anyways, Christopher kicked the entire plane ride. I'm not sure if he liked it or not, but he sure was crazy active!

Alright more next week :)

He's still a he :)

Profile view- he looks like he has my nose :)

His hands are by his face, so cute!

His foot. Hard to see, I think that he moved it but oh well!

Apparently valentine's day is 20 weeks away from 4th of July :)

Well we're 20 weeks today!! Can you believe it?? Half way! I can't. It feels like I just found out I was pregnant yesterday.

Anyways, I'm feeling great. The baby is good. Last week at my 16-20 week appointment, part II, my midwife measured my belly and I'm measuring just a little ahead of schedule, just like 1 cm which my doctor wasn't concerned about at all. My baby boy is big and strong!

I met my doula today and I absolutely love her. I hope she feels the same way about me...she probably thinks I'm super random. We talked for almost 2 hours about everything and nothing. I start Bradley Method classes on March 10, and then meet every week after that until May. I'm ready to start them up...the sooner we start the sooner DH comes home and Christopher gets here!

After I left my doula's house I went to Walmart to grocery shop. Apparently there is a special diet (not really special...just healthy!), I have to aim for approximately 75 grams of protein everyday. Once I'm in my third trimester that number goes to 80-100 grams. Holy cow. It seems like a lot, hopefully I'll pick it up easy enough!

I have my Army u/s on Wednesday and my mom is coming up for it...I'm super excited (and I'm pretty positive she is too!). I'll post pictures if blogger is cooperating yet. For some reason it isn't finding my recent pictures...I'll keep playing with it though, no worries!

More later :)

19 Weeks Pregnant :)

We're almost half way there!! People are starting to forget I have a face and only talk to my belly. I get greeted by "Hi Christopher" more than I am greeted by "Hi Betsy" it seems :)

I was supposed to meet with my doula for the first time today but the snow prevented that, we postponed until next Monday (I really will be half way then!!). Tomorrow I have my second 16-20 week prenatal visit at BACH. I had my first one at 14 weeks (I didn't schedule it they did...) therefore I am having another one. The good thing is I'll be able to hear his heart beat and...well that's pretty much it. There's not a whole lot of exciting things that go on at the 16-20 week. However, next week I have my first official ultrasound!! We had one a few weeks ago at the 4d Peek here, it was a lot of fun and I got to have DH on skype the whole time. He smiled for the entire thing...it was amazing :)

I saw a version of this on a friend's blog and decided I wanted to do it too. I may or may not do it every week...we'll see. I'm just impressed I've written as much as I have!

How far along?  19 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss?  I'm really not sure. Maybe 5 pounds... :(
Maternity clothes?  Yes sir. Maternity jeans. Normal (but DH's :) sweatpants. Or size mediums if they are mine. About half and half maternity and non maternity shirts. I prefer my maternity tank tops though.
Stretch marks? None. So far. Apparently they are genetic and my mom had them, so I'm terrified.
Sleep?  I sleep okay. I wake up night at least once to pee. But other than that I'm pretty comfortable. My back hurts...but only while awake!
Best moment last week? I can't really remember. I feel the baby almost everyday. He's still little so it's not all the time yet. So that's probably the most exciting baby thing this past week.
Movement?  See above comment :)
Food cravings? Hmm...well I joke that I crave food. All food. I say it's because it's a boy :)
Gender? Boy :)
Labor signs? None. If I had them now that would be very bad.
Belly button in/out? In. 
What I miss: My DH. Oh you mean from before I was pregnant?? Hmmm...alcohol. And the weird thing is that I didn't even really drink before. It's almost like because I can't I really want to. And running. I know I can, but not the same. And I get really winded really fast.
What I am looking forward to: Next Wednesday's ultrasound with my momma who is coming up for it :)
Milestones: Hmm...I googled the baby's progress this week and apparently his kidney's are fully functioning! Yeah!!

18 Weeks

HELLO baby bump! I'm officially in maternity clothes (you know those sexy maternity jeans with the blue waist?? Oh yeah, they're hot :) But I have had fun in Motherhood lately. I bought some nice shirts that make me feel pregnant and not fat. Which at this point in time it's pretty obvious that I'm pregnant and NOT just fat :)

Oh on a side note (major side note...but still a side note!): We are having a BOY! I'm fairly certain his name will be Christopher Aaron. I'm not asking if you like it, because it's our name. Keep your opinions (negative ones at least!) to yourself :)

17 Weeks

Apparently my child is a whopping 5.1 inches long (head to rump :) and weighs a whole 5 ounces. Watch out :)

I still occasionally feel flutters...I can't wait for the real kicks and when I can feel the baby move all the time. Though I think that wish is like wishing your child would learn to crawl, or walk, or heck even potty train. It's all good in theory, but the moment you have a one year old that's trying to walk (SLOWLY!) everywhere or a three year old that tells you they have to pee...like ten minutes too late...you change your attitude. Wasn't carrying them and changing diapers so much EASIER?!? I know, I know...even my 5 inch long child has to grow up sometime.

DH and I have (I think) agreed on a boys name, Christopher Aaron. If you know our last name than you know our child will have his hands full learning that whole name. Poor kid. But if my name can be just as long, alright 2 letters shorter but STILL, then he'll get used to it. And he'll probably be Chris anyway :)

But for girls. Sheesh. How is it so hard?? He did say he liked Hannah. Which is a step in the right direction...considering how it's the first girls name he's said he liked. And I've given tons of options...so it's not for lack of me trying! I know you're probably thinking it's only 17 weeks...we have time (unless this is who I think it is and she will totally understand!) but I'm the kind of person that I want everything to be planned out. Including, especially including, the baby's name.

So I ran yesterday morning. At a slow pace, only a 10 min/mile. And I only ran one mile. (I really had to pee...so I did the best I could :) But then I got a really funny comment from someone saying to be careful or my water could break. At 17 weeks. Oh okay. I've heard a lot of reasons for not running, or even exercising at all, during pregnancy...that tops them all I think! The funny thing is, she's pregnant with her second child so she really believes this. Where did these beliefs come from? Why is it that doctors or midwifes tell people this? I know some pregnancies do not allow for any type of exercise and that's different. I'm completely healthy and pretty active. Besides the more active you are during pregnancy the easier you're labor should be. I for one am all for making labor easier!

On a side note, I found a doula and registered for Bradley Method classes. I WILL have this child without medicine. It's just my personal belief. It's something I have to do, for me. In order to do this I want to be as prepared as possible. And I want DH and my close, completely high strung friend to be comfortable too :)

I am completely out of non-maternity pants. I haven't zipped them in awhile but it's too the point where the zipper bothers me. So hello maternity jeans.

Oh and I can no longer suck my tummy in. Hello baby bump as well :)

Cloth Diaper Collection (so far!)

I've been told I should use such and such brand and not get so many because it'll be confusing by several people, but my baby's not here yet and I have no idea which kind will work best for us! So far I have Bum Genius pocket/aio diapers, Gdiapers, Ragababe, Diaper covers, Kissluvs, prefolds, and a few others.

For some reason the pictures aren't uploading now...I'll finish this post later on :)

16 Weeks...

...we've still got a while to go!

So I'm still not feeling pregnant, but apparently I'm starting to look pregnant!

Thank you, Elisa, for being my photographer! We had tons of fun taking picture after picture. She's getting used to my "fat or pregnant" game we've started playing. After each pose or picture I immediately say, FAT OR PREGNANT. Of course she answers pregnant...but that's because she loves me :)

My only complaint is the nightmares. Before I had "nightmares" that were just extreme emotion charged dreams...not necessarily scary though. Now they are scary. Real scary. And so real. And the worst part is even when I get up to go to the bathroom (so I get all the way up, not just half awake or anything!) and then go to fall back asleep, I find myself in the SAME dream. It's extremely messed up. And apparently they only get worse. Lovely. The worse dreams are the ones where I think I'm spotting. I wake up immediately, run to the bathroom and nothing. It's really annoying, that's for sure.

I am also starting to stock up on cloth diapers. I have some favorites now, but I don't know what I'll lean towards when the baby gets here. I showed Elisa some of the AIO (All in Ones) today and she said oh it's just like a normal diaper. Yes ma'am. That they are. The cloth wipes were a little too much for her though :)

I can't wait until the next picture time...20 weeks!! I'll be halfway next time. DH will be 4 weeks closer to being home (because it's 4 weeks from now, duh!) and then HE can be the one taking the pictures. (Though I have a feeling Elisa still might take them...just because she likes to :)

Until next week...or sooner if I get more diapers in, I can't wait to post pictures and specs of what I have so far :)

OH! I almost forgot to say that I think I felt the baby for the first time! I was getting my haircut at Style America on the 15th and I felt the popcorn popping feeling people talk about. That's exactly what I felt! I felt it a few times later that day. Then nothing on the 16th. And then once today! It's so stinking cool. I can't wait until I feel "real" kicks :)

15 Weeks Today!

Apparently I'm carrying an orange in my belly...which is crazy because I STILL don't feel pregnant at all. I know, I know...I'm lucky. I still wish the baby made me feel something. Besides having to pee a lot. :)

Let's recap the last few weeks, shall we?

DH came home for R & R in October. And that led to baby. I found out I was pregnant on November 1, 2010. DH was already back in Afghanistan when we found out. Let's just say that getting a hold of your spouse for something like this is not easy. I emailed, texted, called AND finally got a hold of him. He was shocked. Once the shock wore off he was (and still is!) thrilled! I went to my PCM on November 3 and got confirmation via blood test. Then the fun started! We had to wait forever on Tricare to decide where I would be for prenatal care and the delivery. Blanchfield Army Community Hospital took my case. Therefore, 9 1/2 weeks pregnant I had my first OB appointment! Which basically meant I filled out a ton of paperwork. The next one was really fun though! I got to hear the baby's heartbeat AND see the baby on the u/s. It even kicked while we were watching!! I'm due on the 4th of July, which is pretty stinking cool! :)