Ebin Daley Miller

I’m pleased to announce that my son has finally arrived!

Ebin Daley Miller was born on Wednesday, October 15th at 6:40 pm after 9 hours of labor.  He was delivered by c-section, weighing 7 pounds 3 ounces, Measuring 20 inches.

He is the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen!!

Here’s some pics from the last 9 months as long as the labor and delivery pictures

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7 weeks

15 weeks

3 months

4 months

18 weeks

18 weeks – it’s a boy!!!

5 months

23 weeks

6 months

 

7 months

8 months

9 months

9 month ultrasound

The day before

Labor and Delivery

About Me

1. WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP THIS MORNING?  430
2. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS?  diamonds
3. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA : Pineapple Express  
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? right now – political news
5. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? toast or rice cakes
6. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Melissa

7.WHAT FOOD DO YOU DISLIKE?  oysters, if I wanted to eat mucus, I would just blow my nose and eat that.

 8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CD AT THIS MOMENT?  Jason’s ipod he left in my car

9. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE?  1999 Acura 3.2 TL.  I <3 it

10. FAVORITE SANDWICH? right now Tuna on whole wheat is pretty ’safe’ w/ my diabetes
11. FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING? pj’s

12. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON VACATION, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? Hawaii, Australia, Amsterdam, Europe                                 

13. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO? somewhere beachy and mountainy .. so California I guess

14. WHAT WAS YOUR MOST RECENT MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY? I don’t really have one

15. MORNING OR NIGHT PERSON? I’m a night owl

16. WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE?  6 ish
17. PETS? Roxie Anna Special Puppy Dog Miller  

18. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE? secretary/mom
19. WHAT ARE YOU TODAY? secretary and almost a mom 

20. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? oh gosh, I love them all .. really… I can’t pick
21. WHAT IS A DAY ON THE CALENDAR YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO? whatever day Ebin chooses to make his debut

22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the keyboard clacking
23.WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? a bagel 
24. DO YOU WISH ON STARS? no, I pray to Jesus, which I think is different
25. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Coral

26. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Overcast and cooler, feels like fall!!

27. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK?  Right now, Diet Dr. Pepper
28. HAIR COLOR? light brown-ish
29. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? CHICK FIL A

30. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?  Barbie Dolls I think

31. SUMMER OR WINTER?   Neither – Fall 
32. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?  Chocolate, white choco, dark choco, milk choco .. ALL CHOCO .. but I can’t eat it right now bc of the DAG GUM DIABETES

33. COFFEE OR TEA? Both .. but I have to keep my caffine intake low right now
34. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? this morning, but I’m pregnant, so that means nothing, don’t worry

35. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? a bunch of crap that my dog ‘hides’ under there, she gets very protective of it.
36. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT  Hung out with my best friend Erin in town from Cali!

37. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Dying during childbirth, it happens, AND the dark

38. SALTY OR SWEET? sweet
39. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING? 4 or 5 I think

40. HOW MANY YEARS AT YOUR CURRENT JOB?  9 MONTHS
41. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK?  Saturday

42. DO YOU MAKE FRIENDS EASILY? I think so, if I try

 

I COULD NOT resist

Ok, so I haven’t personally bought a lot of outfits for this baby.  I’ve been given such GREAT hand-me-downs or brand new items that I just really don’t need anything.  So, what I’m about to show is you is TOTALLY a ‘want’ not at ALL a ‘need’ but I just HAD to buy it!

I was given a SUPER cute Halloween outfit, a pumpkin, by my friend Wendy.  It was her baby boy’s and it’s totally cute.  However, my husband said it was too ‘typical’ (sorry Wendy, I thought it was super cute) So his comment put the idea in my head that maybe I should get another costume.  Afterall, it is his first Halloween.

So … this is what I bought at Target:

It’s a MONKEY!!  Are you dying?!  I LOVE IT!!  It’s tiny, just perfect for a little guy like him.

Woooaaah dude, too much info, I don’t know you!!

So throughout my pregnancy people have given me advice.  People I know and don’t know alike.  Everyone is a ‘critic/know-it-all’.  I’ve welcomed these opinions .. I really have, I don’t mind hearing difference circumstances, that’s cool, maybe I can learn something, right?  But sometimes the advice/personal experience goes TOO far.  Here is an example.

A patient’s father comes to the check-out counter where I take a co-pay and make a future appt.  He sees I’m pregnant and asked how far along I am.  I tell him and he proceeds to tell me that he is a registered EMT and father of 2 and has a bit of advice to give me.  I will NOT go into all the detail that he did .. I’m SO not getting that graphic.  But, basically he tells me that from 35 weeks on he helped ’stretch’ his wife by messaging her rectum (WHAT!!??) starting with 2 fingers, then 3 fingers, then 4 fingers, and so on.  This helped ’stretch her so she didn’t tear with episiotomy’. 

Keep in mind 1. I don’t know this dude, he’s a PERFECT stranger!! 2. He’s a patient 3. He’s a he

That was WRONG on so many levels, I don’t even know how to process the awkwardness I felt!!!  I know he meant well and all, but GEEES.

Funny to me

Jason and I went out to eat this weekend.  While we were eating I was making mental notes of everything going on right now, sorta keeping a check-list of everything so I know all my ‘ducks are in a row.’  As we are talking I tell him that I was looking back over a Drs bill and I noticed something interesting about the cost difference between a c-section and a regular birth.

Here’s how the conversation went with my extremely quick witted husband.

• Me: “So everything seems to be in order for the delivery.  Do you know what the difference is between a c-section and a regular birth??” 
• Jason: with the straightest face and without batting an eye spurts out – “LIPSTICK?” (for those of you in a cave, ‘lipstick’ is a reference to a joke that Sarah Palin has used at least 7 billion times about hockey moms … and my ‘7 billion’ in the above sentence is a reference to the bailout.  It’s my attempt to be funny)
• Me / Jason at the same time – we laughed so HARD, I’m pretty sure everyone in the restaurant was staring at us!!  I just don’t know that many people that are THAT quick witted! 

funny to me

What a great weekend!

I had a really great weekend!  Here’s a little glimpse…

Friday night I went to see my niece dance at her high school football game.

way left, #12, back row

Ashleigh and me (she has her driving permit now! crazy!!)

Later that night, I watched my nephew CJ play on his new John Deere motorized Tractor (naked)

Then, my dear friends from high school thru me a super nice shower.  It was at my house, so I didn’t have to go anywhere!!  Here’s a pic with the hostesses with the mostesses.

cutest petit fores (sp?) ever!  I TOTALLY cheated on my diabetes diet!!

Work girls

Bunko girls

my mom, me, and my sister

my mother-in-law, my neice, sister-in-law, me, cousin-in-law, aunt-in-law

I got a TON of stuff at the shower, I mean a TON!!  Ebin needs more closet space.  Here are just a FEW of the cute things I got.

For his first Thanksgiving

For when the sun gets in his eyes in the car … and a sippy cup

His new favorite blanki

Then, I watched the Florida Gators / Tenessee Vols game.  TN got creamed, they should have stayed home.

I ache

Let me preface this by saying I know that EVERY pregnant woman goes thru what I am going thru and what I’m feeling is NOT unique.  I know that it could be a lot worse.  I know it’s normal.  However, NONE of that makes me feel any better.

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I ache from head to toe.  I’m beginning my 9th month (who knew you were actually pregnant for 10 months?) and I can’t seem to get ANY relief.  If I sit to long my back/butt/ribs ache.  If I lay to long my back/neck/hips ache.  If I stand to long my feet/hands/back/hips ache.  There is nothing I can do to get comfortable.  The baby’s movements are MUCH more deliberate now.  Gone are the days when I got excited that he was fluttering around.  At this point, it just plain HURTS.  It’s like he’s riding bumper cars in my stomach.  He bumps into my hip bone, then plows into my ribs, then into my belly button!  Oh Lord, when will this end?  I want him to be healthy, happy, and well developed .. but I also wish I could get some relief.

Anyone have any suggestions?

written at 37 weeks

Post-Partum Preparations

So I wrote here, more like protested on that post, about how I was not, not, NOT nesting.  And I still don’t think at that period in time I really was nesting.  I really just wanted to get the baby’s room done, and that’s totally normal.  A HUGE weight was lifted off my shoulders once it was complete. 

BUT, it occurs to me as I think about what I’m about to post, that I DEF. am ‘nesting’ now.  Also, I have a MAD case of ‘first mom syndrome.’  You know the type .. they wash all the sheets, clothes, and blankets, they get all the lotion, powder, and bath wash organized, they even organize the draws in the dresser with little organizers.  That’s TOTALLY me right now.  And you know what’s sad??  I CAN’T STOP IT. 

I digress.  I’m here to tell you about the project I am currently working on to make my life easier post-partum.  You see, I’m not much of a cook.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to cook, and I’m not bad at it … but I have never really been consistent.  1 meal cooked one week, 5 meals made the next.  I was all over the chart.  I realized before I got pregnant (or before I knew I was pregnant) that I really needed to have us on a routine, so that we could stop eating out and have nice dinners at home.  I wanted to get a menu prepared each week and really take control of my kitchen.  So, I did just that.  And I can proudly say that I’ve consistently cooked 3 meals a week for the last 8ish months.  (There have been some puking and crappy days where I physically couldn’t cook, but all in all I’ve done pretty good.  And ya know what?  I actually ENJOY it?!  Who knew?!) 

So my project.  Every meal I cook for the next 5 weeks I am tripling the portion size so that we can eat one meal the night I cook it, and then I can freeze two meals.  So far I have 6 meals frozen that are perfect Jason and Keren portion size.  I felt like this would really ease some of the pressure for me to get things done right after Ebin is born.  I mean seriously, the LAST thing I’m going to need to worry about is a home cooked meal … but I still want us to have yummy dinners.  So, on the 3 days a week that I cook, I can just pop the entre’ out of the freezer and then at night just heat it up with some veggies and VOILA!!  a meal!  Easy peasy.

So, here’s where I need your help.  If you have a simple, easy, freeze-able recipe PLEASE share it with me!

The sweetest thing

Ok, I’m just going to gush for a second.  I don’t do this a lot, bc honestly I’ve been pretty miserable throughout this pregnancy. 

However, this morning the sweetest thing happened.  (It’s really a VERY normal thing, but it just struck me as the cutest thing ever.)  As I was laying in bed, procrastinating getting up, the baby had a MAD case of the hiccups.  They hiccup while in-utero to get their lungs ready to breath (doesn’t make sense to me, but it doesn’t have to)  Anyway, he had the hiccups for awhile, probably 10-15 minutes or so.  So, on one side of my stomach I felt his little torso hiccuping (which I figure I was feeling his back) and on the other side of my stomach I feel him kicking me real gently, sorta like he was peddling or something.  It was TOO sweet!

written at 35 weeks

Grapes and Pancho’s Cheese Dip

I was eating lunch the other day with my co-worker Tori.  She brought pancho’s cheese dip, chips, and a bolgna sandwhich.  I had a noodle dinner, grapes, and strawberries.  Tori let me eat some of her pancho’s cheese dip and it was OH so yummy!! 

But as I was eating, a strange thought occured to me … “hey, cheese, grapes and wine taste good together … I can’t remember the last time I had wine … I wonder what grapes and cheese dip will taste like”  Yep, that’s right, I dipped the grapes in the pancho’s cheese dip and it was DE-LI-CIOUS!!

Another weird food combo, brought to you by pregnancy.

(written at 14 weeks)

The nursery is finished!!

After 4 months of decorating, the nursery is finally COMPLETE!!  The last and final phase of the nursery decor was painting the baby’s name over the bed.  This was a little difficult for awhile since we had such a hard time deciding on a name.  But, once the name was set in stone, I was ready to get the rest of the nursery done.

My friend Ashleigh gave me this super cute idea for puting the babies name over the bed 

-note, this is not the babies name-

But, that was going to take some crafty-ness, and I’m not that crafty.  Luckily, I am married to a man that has a small flair for art.  This came in handy when it came time to execute the plan of painting the baby’s name over the bed.

Here is the finished product.  I am SOO in love with how it turned out!  Thanks Ash!!

THANK YOU!!

I just wanted to post a BIG OLE FAT THANK YOU to all the people that have helped me get ready for this baby!!  God has really blessed Jason and I with great family and friends that have been able to provide necessities to get ready for this little one.  I am SHOCKED with how generous people have been.  I am completely ready for Ebin’s arrival because of how much people have helped us (and I haven’t even had a shower yet!!)

The list of things given to us-

• crib
• mattress
• crib bedding
• changing table
• changing table mattress
• rocking chair
• bassinet
• stroller
• car seat
• bouncy seat
• swing
• high chair
• pack-n-play
• bumbo seat
• baby clothes ranging from 0 to 24 months
• diapers by the cases
• wipes by the cases
• lotion/shampoo
• bath tub
• towels
• book’s
• cd’s
• bottles
• paci’s
• socks, shoes, hats, onesies
• toys
• blankets
• and other things I’m sure I’m forgetting

Everyone I want to thank -

• Mom and Dad
• Pam and Larry
• Leah and Christopher
• Misty and Chad
• Wendy and Nathaniel
• Shannon
• Ashleigh
• Amber

Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my <3!!  Becoming a Mom can be a scary experience, and without everyone’s help I would have been VERY overwhelmed!  It’s wonderful how God has provided!! 

I’m sure I’ll have more thank-you’s as the due date gets closer, but I wanted to go ahead and post this now bc I’ve just been SOO blessed!!

See the closet?  It’s packed!!

written at 33 weeks

Sleeplessness

So I know I am still not that far along in my pregnancy (I’m writing this at 17 weeks).  I realize I have a LONG road to go and a lot of sleepless nights ahead of me as the baby grows and then after the baby is born … BUT still, it stinks when you can’t sleep. 

Between weeks 8-12 I couldn’t sleep enough!  I slept when I got home from work, I went to bed at 8pm, I slept all day on Saturdays and Sundays … my body craved sleep.  And now, I’m wake up every 2 hours or so because I have to pee.  You’d think the little thing isn’t pressing THAT much on my bladder, I’m barely showing and have only gained a few pounds!  But something’s got my bladder ALL out of wack (later found out this was due to the diabetes)

Anyway, a few nights ago, I woke up for my regular 2 am bathroom break and I laid awake until 4:45!!!  I was tired, I’d had a long week, but my mind wouldn’t turn off!!  What’s the baby doing right now?  What’s it look like?  Is it healthy?  Is childbirth going to kill me?  Will I ever sleep again?  Ect ect ect.  All these thoughts running through my mind and no sleep in sight!  Worst of all, I can’t drink coffee (and when I do drink half a cup or so, I feel guilty all day!) so I’m stuck being sleepy all day.

written at 17 weeks

I’m done

I wrote here about my struggles with picking a name for this baby.  I’ve really agonized about this over several months!!  I’ve gotten a 1,000,000,004 opinions and just never could decide on a name I ‘loved’.  I actually STILL don’t think I’m 100% in love with this name, but Jason and I KEEP coming back to it, so I think it’s His name.  ‘Baby Miller’ was starting to grow on me though … HAHA!!  JUST KIDDING!!

So what’s the name you ask??

Ebin Daley Miller

Ebin - Hebrew for rock.  This is Jason’s absolute favorite name.  Spare me the remarks of how it sounds like a stutter, I KNOW, I’m over it.  But you know what?  Everyone has some sort of hang-up about their name.  Think about it.  You do too!  It always bothered me when I was a child that people couldn’t spell my name right, but I’m over it now.  Yeah, Ebin sounds like a stutter, and yeah you’ve never heard it before .. BUT that doesn’t mean it’s not a good name.

Daley – English for valley.  Dale is my brother’s middle name (he’s a Jr.)  His name can’t be carried on since he can’t have children and it’s very important to me that we pass Dale on.  We both think ‘Dale’ is a little big red-neck-ee bc of Dale Earn-whatever Jr.  So we changed it to Daley.

D-O-N-E.  Baby named.

Little by little, the nursery is almost done

I did a little bit more in the nursery.  I bought some pretty cute Chinese Lanterns and hung them up in the corner over the rocking chair.  I’m not going to use them as lights.  They are just hanging on fish wire over the chair .. kinda looks like they are floating.

So here’s a pic of the ‘inspiration’ from the Target website – see the lanterns -

My ’spin’ on the room

Another view

The lanterns from up close

The only things left to do are 1. get a lamp for the changing table 2. decide on a name so I can paint that over the bed 3. have the baby.  Not really a lot left to do!

Is it bad …

…. that I work in a pediatric office and the sound of a baby ‘talking’ is about to make me hurl .. and I’m 6-8 weeks away from having a baby of my own?? 

What’s wrong with me?

Maybe my sugar is just low …

How do I name this child?

There are a lot of difficult things about pregnancy.  Being sick, being tired, watching your body change seemingly overnight, food aversions, early lactation, being swollen from head to toe, aching from head to toe, diabetes, throwing up .. OH I could go ON AND ON. 

But all of those things are fleeting.  You blink and they are over with (well at least that’s what I hear … I don’t believe that bc it feels like I’ve been pregnant for YEARS)  All of my aches and pains will fade and with time will just be a memory.  But the baby’s name is FOREVER.  That’s a lot of pressure!  What if I pick the wrong name?  What if I love the name today but hate it after he is born?  What if he’s made fun of bc I tried to be a tad bit creative?  What if he hates his name and then thinks I’m a weirdo for loving it?  UGH, it makes me tired.

I know this is not an uncommon hurdle to cross in life, everyone goes thru it, I just wish I could see 6 months down the road to know what name I finally chose and if I was happy with it.

And everyone, I mean EVERYONE, has an opinion about the names you have on your ‘list’.  I’ve heard it all … ‘oh I don’t like the way that is spelled’, ‘that one is hard to say’, ‘that’s a stretch – isn’t it keren?’, ‘are you sure about this one?’, ‘the first name doesn’t go with the middle name’, ’that’s an odd name, he’ll get made fun of’ … ect ect ect.

So, needless to say, I’m tired of looking, I’m tired of comparing, I’m sick of it all.  Anyone want to name my baby?

written at 24 weeks, but still feeling this at 31 weeks .. I think I’m going to be one of ‘those mom’s’ that has to see their baby … UGH

Charlie Horses and Strange Coincidences

So I’ve been having these HORRIBLE Charlie Horses / Leg Cramps that wake me up in the middle of the night.  They come out of NO-WHERE and they KILL for about 45secs – 2min, then they vanish.

I get to talking to my Mom and turns out she had the exact same thing while she was pregnant with me!  She said she doesn’t really remember it happening when she was pregnant with my sister or my brother, but def. with me.  We keep talking and we realize we both get them in our right leg.  SPOOKY!

written at 31 weeks

He’s ALL boy

If you read below, you saw that I was very sick while we were in Florida on vacation.  So I don’t have a WHOLE lot of stories to tell about the trip .. but here’s a cute story I read on my sister-in-law blog about Jason and I’s nephew CJ…

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“OK, so CJ loves boobs.  One morning we were all sitting out on the balcony looking at the ocean and visiting.   Keren and her big pregnant boobs came outside and she picked up CJ.  CJ immediately grabbed on to her boobs and said “booooooobie” and had the biggest smile on his face!!  Two seconds later, Chad got on to him and told him not touch Ker-Ker’s boobies.  CJ looked at him like he had absolutly lost his mind, giving him a look like “daddy, we are SUPPOSED to like this, what’s wrong with you??!”  Then he baby cussed his Daddy, but we aren’t exactly sure what he said thru his paci.  The look and cussing was priceless!!  Anyway, then he turned and looked at my Aunt Donette, then my Mom, and then me and seemed a little disappointed.  So CJ’s ALL boy!”

_________________________________

I took this picture while we were in Florida, then I read my sister-in-law’s blog and re-looked at my pics and realized that ANY time I was holding CJ he always had one hand firmly planted on my boob. 

Oh my gosh!! It isn’t!! It couldn’t be!!

Crap, I think it is.

I might have the first signs of what could be stretch marks.  How could this happen?!?  I cocoa-butter 2-3 times a day, I’ve gained 11 pounds in 7 months (a minimal amount – I can’t keep weight on bc of the diabetes, so don’t freak people) and my mother doesn’t have them (apparently they can be hereditary – but as my Dad reminds me “You aren’t all your mom Keren, you are me too. ”  THANKS Dad!)  I could just be over-reacting .. I don’t have the tell-tell signs … no purple or red marks .. just some suspicious white squiggly marks under the skin.

I was still holding on to a little bit of hope that I would get by body back after the baby was born.  If I get stretch marks I guess I’ll just get over the idea that my body will bounce back after the birth.  UGH.

*written at 26 weeks – since I wrote this,  I’ve realized I don’t have one single sign of stretch marks YET, I was just freaking out.

More phases of the baby’s room

The new blue chair!  $50 on Craigslist!

Isn’t it precious.

If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times .. it’s the cutest nursery ever!!

My mom also found a super cool light fixture that I am hanging tonight or tomorrow .. pics to follow.

7 Months Pregnant + Beach = Hell

Jason and I got the chance to go to the beach last week with his family.  We hadn’t been to the beach in over 2 years, and the beach has always been a special place for us!  Jason proposed on the beach, so it always brings back sweet memories.

Fast forward and we arrive at the condo.  The whole ride down I felt like I was coming down with something.  But, since I’m preggers, I just thought the discomfort was one of the many random aches and pains that I’ve gotten used to.  I tried to ignore it .. but sure enough, Monday night, I get a fever.  Awesome.  This continued all Monday night, and into Tuesday.  Tuesday was our first full day to get on the beach, so I took it easy, stayed hydrated and cooled off every chance I had, and tried to soak up the sun. 

As Tuesday progressed, it was clear to me that I was definitely sick.  I went out for a ‘nice’ dinner with the girls, while the boys went golfing.  I say ‘nice’ in quotations, bc for me it was HORRID.  The food was good, I hear, the company was great as always, but I was so nauseous I couldn’t make it through the whole meal without throwing up.  Luckily I only ordered the $7 soup, instead of a $20 entree.

The nausea/vomiting/fever/aches ect continued all thru the night Tuesday and into Wednesday.  I stayed in bed all Wednesday and I was SOO very sad bc it was a beautiful beach day.  Jason stayed by my side the entire time taking care of me!  Wednesday I tried my hardest to go out and visit with friends and family, and just ended up near passing out 2 or 3 times, so that wasn’t a good idea, I should have stayed in the bed!! 

Wednesday night my Doctor’s office told me to go to the ER bc I was very dehydrated and needed some fluids.  The combo of fever, nausea, throwing up, not eating, not drinking and heat was taking it’s toll on me.  But, for some reason I decided I could take care of this on my own and I would get better.  It was just a virus, right?? 

Well, as a side note, each day I had these shooting pains in my stomach and back.  I’ve had pains similar to this before so I just figure, again, I’m just uncomfortable from the baby.  Well, I started getting worried bc the pains were coming about every 15 minutes … mmmm, sounds suspish.  Anyway, again, dumb me, I decide I’m fine.  I’d know if I was having contractions, right?  I mean, it was a stabbing pain, but no water breaking or anything like that. 

Fast forward and it’s 2 am Wednesday morning and I’m still in pain and miserable.  Jason turns to me and says very stern voice says “If you aren’t better in the morning we are going to the ER!”  Around 4 that morning my fever breaks and, thank the LORD, I’m able to keep some fluids down, and the stabbing pains in my back and stomach are moving farther apart and seem to be fading.

By the end of Wednesday I could eat solid food and I was regaining my strength, but I still felt like CRAP.  Jason and I had a few days left and were hoping to get on the beach.  BUT it rained the remainder of our trip!!  Can you believe it??!

I ended up going to the doctor later, and I spoke to my obgyn about all my symptoms and she told me that the stabbing/shooting pains I was having were actually contractions.   She went on to say if I had stayed dehydrated and with a fever for 2-3 more days I would have begun labor.  Thankfully I didn’t, the fever and dehydration went away as did the contractions.  GEES.

* MORAL * Don’t do the following:

1. Go anywhere hot on vaca while in third trimester
2. Get a virus
3. Refuse to go to the Dr.

3 Pregnant Woman Fight Fire, Kitchen Saved.

Six lifetime friends settle in for a nice evening of food and fellowship.  Through no planning of their own, three of these six girls are pregnant.  Not wanting to cook or really clean up too much for dinner, pizza was decided as the main course.  A few girls got to the host home a few minutes early.  Not everyone was there yet, so they decided to put the pizza’s in the oven on warm, to make sure they stayed hot for dinner.

Forgetting about the pizza’s, the girls begin to hang out in the living room and wait for the other’s to arrive.  Suddenly one of the pregnant girls smells an oder that smells alot like smoke.  She ask her other pregnant friend “do you smell smoke?”  The both pop up off the couch and see smoke POURING out of a vent on top of the stove.  One says to the other “maybe the stove is just broken!” .. the other says “No, I think the pizza’s are on fire!!”

Frightened, the two quickly open up the stove and sure enough the top of one of the pizza boxes is ablaze.  Fire begins to pour out from the top of the stove!  WHAT DO THEY DO??!  The owner of the home and third pregnant woman runs into the kitchen.  Staying calm they brain storm, how do three pregnant women fight this fire?!?  One says “baking soda is always good for kitchen fires” .. the other grabs her phone to dail 911, as the owner of the home clearly remember “the people we bought this home from 2 months ago left a fire extinguisher!!”  The fire continues to blaze, the smoke is getting thicker by the second.  The fourth friend wisk the 1.7 year old out of the house bc of the fumes.

Panick begins to insue.  As all three pregnant women stare frantically at the extinguisher.  “How do we work this thing?!??!”  None of them know!!  The owner of the home reads the instructions and they all squat down and look at the fire as she begins to spray.  The most sensible of the pregnant women says to them all “ya’ll, I don’t think we should be in here, the fumes are horrible!!!”  She runs out of the house.  The other two pregnant women stay in the house watching the extinguisher spray into the stove.  Between the fire fumes and the extinguisher the girls loose each other in clouds of dust.  Certain the fire is out, they run out of the house.

After a few minutes, the fumes die down, and the un-pregnant friend goes into the home to access the damage.  The fire is out for sure.  They all go in the home to survey the damage.  Remarkabley the stove is in fine working order.  All that is left is about 2 inches of dust and debri over all the kitchen surfaces.

Don’t ever underestimate a pregnant woman!

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The burnt up pizza’s!

The poor stove!!

Our saving grace!!

A re-enactment of the night’s events – all women with child

Funny to me

• Me: As Jason and I were watching tv I jumped up about 2 feet off the couch bc the baby kicked the crap out of me in my ribs (it H-U-R-T!!)
• Jason:”What’s wrong??”
• Me:”UGH, He kicked me!!!”
• Jason:”WHO kicked you?!?” <- in a protective “I’ll kick their butt” tone
• Me:”The baby, duh!!!”
• Jason:”Ohhhhh”

I don’t know why that was so funny to me .. but it was.  Jason was being protective of a boy kicking me with a foot that’s about 1.5 inches long (if that)

Nursery Phase II

I wrote here about the beginning stages of the nursery.  Jason and I worked a little more on the decor in the nursery.  Here’s some pics.

The baby bed with the bed skirt and new rug.

The night-light

The new curtains

The ever growing closet

The new wall decals – SO CUTE!!

Too stinking cute!!

It’s the cutest nursery EVER!!

I’ve GOT to have wedding punch!

I CAN NOT get enough of drinks that taste like wedding punch. 

* EXAMPLES *

• Orange juice mixed with sprite or ginger-ale
• Fruit punch mixed with sprite or ginger-ale
• Pineapple orange juice mixed with sprite or ginger-ale
• White grape juice mixed with sprite or ginger-ale
• Sparkling white grape juice

The strange thing is, I HATE sprite when I’m not pregnant.  The taste of it just brings back memories of being sick and throwing up as a child and my mom forcing flushing liquids down to drown out a fever.  So it’s by far my least favorite drink.  Somehow though, when I make these little juice concoctions, magic happens and I can’t get enough!! 

Written at 23 weeks, but observed from 12 weeks on.  Retired at 28 weeks due to gestational diabetes (which explains the need for sweets)

Glucola aka Glu-Crap-O, part 2

So I wrote here about my adventures in chugging glucola .. a nasty little orange drink you have to ingest to be tested for gestational diabetes.  Well I failed round 1 of my GD testing.  So, I had to go back to my Dr. for round 2 of the GD testing.  This round of testing consisted of a 4 hour test that I had to fast for in order to ‘cleanse’ my blood of all sugars.  Yeah, exactly my thoughts, pregnancy and fasting don’t exactly go hand-in-hand.  Also, at the 4 hour test I had to, you guessed it, drink an even larger quantity of the glu-crap-o.

Long story short, I failed the test again.  So guess who’s got Gestational Diabetes?  Me. Yippee.  I have to modify my diet, take a 5 hour class on G.D., and might have to have a C-Section.  Other than that, me and the baby should be ok.  I was just really hoping for one of those non-complicated pregnancies.  OH well!  It all happens for a reason!!

It’s not nesting, it’s just getting organized.

So I wrote a few post back about the baby’s nursery decor.  It’s totally cute from Target.  Anyway, I haven’t really done a ton in the ‘nursery’.  I had a few things that my friend Ashleigh gave me from her first baby, and that stuff was in the closet.  My mom has bought a TON of stuff, but until recently she wouldn’t let me have it bc she wanted to save it for a shower.  Also, my sister in law had a ton of stuff to give me, but hasn’t had the chance to go through everything.

I digress .. the main point is, there really was no huge proof of the ‘office’ transforming to a ‘nursery’ as of lately.  All of the office furniture was still in the room (although the desk had been emptied out and the closet cleaned out, that’s about it)  UNTIL last week.  Something inside me just clicked I was all ‘you’re six months pregnant and have done NOTHING to get ready for the baby to be here … no crib, no decor, no nothing .. what’s wrong with you?  Kick it up into high gear.’  So, that’s exactly what I did.  This past weekend Jason and I spent half of saturday moving office furniture upstairs and out of the room and baby furniture in.  We hung blinds, got the closet organized, got the bath-time stuff organized, arranged the room and discussed color schemes.  I felt a pretty good sense of accomplishment, I still have a TON to do .. but I still have time.

Here’s my take on it … I always hear the term’nesting’ … apparently it’s this syndrome that over takes pregnant women before their baby is born.  It’s just this overwelming urge to clean and organize.  Apparently some women go a little nutty.  I don’t really think what I have is ’nesting’ it’s just organizing.  I’m simply re-decorating one room from an office to a nursery and just happen to have a time limit in which to finish it.  I have not had this HUGE sense to ‘nest’ for this baby, just the need to get the room ready for him when he gets here.  Maybe it’s the same thing …

Here’s some pics…

Diaper changing table/dresser (thanks mom)

Baby bed with some bedding (thanks Mom for the bedding and Misty for the bed)

The closet with all kinds of clothes and baby stuff (thanks Misty/Wendy/Ashleigh)

Some bathroom items

Decor idea (thanks Ashleigh) that name is NOT set in stone by any means.

Glucola aka gluclose test taste ‘just like orange soda’

Liars.

It taste like orange soda that is as flat as my hair after I sleep on it, and is pumped full of sugar.  DIS-GUST-ING.  I threw it up in my mouth twice, but I was able to keep it down for the test.

It was time to test my blood sugar to see if I have gestiational diabieties.  I failed the test “with flying colors”.  So they are pretty sure I have gestational diabetes.  I go back next week for a 3 hour glucose test and I’ll know then for sure if it’s GD then. 

So, seems like I’ve run into my first technical pregnancy complication.   On the bright side, that could be the reason I’ve felt like CRAP-O-LA this whole time.  I’ll keep you posted.

People stare a lot more…

… at you when your pregnant.  I don’t get this phenomenon.  It doesn’t make sense to me.  When I see/feel eyes on me, I get paranoid and begin thinking “is there something on my face, my butt, did I drip food on my boob again, did I leave a sticker on this new shirt/pants .. nope, just fat and pregnant!!” 

Anyone have an explanation??

Gestational Gingivitis, what?

I recently went to the dentist.  I’ve read in all my pregnancy manuals that I need to take extra care of my teeth during pregnancy.  Apparently while you are pregnant, the baby sucks calcium from every nook and cranny in your body, beginning with your teeth.

So I scheduled a regular teeth cleaning.  I’m a FREAK about my teeth anyway!  I love going to the dentist and getting my teeth cleaned.  I don’t like all the scrapping, poking, and proding.  I just like knowing that my teeth are in good shape and taken care of. 

As the hygenist is cleaning my teeth she makes a comment my gums are bleeding a lot.  (Normally when you’re at the dentist getting your teeth cleanined and they start bleeding it’s because you haven’t been taking care of them, and you get a lecture on flossing and brushing.  This was not the case for me.)  Apparently I have developed a case of Gestational Gingivitis.  Ick.  It’s no big deal.  Basically when you are preggers your hormones are all our of wack and your blood flow is different.  This can affect a lot of things, and for me it’s affecting my gums.  So I just have to step up my cleaning while I’m pregnant, and it will go away once by body goes back to normal.

I never imagined how many things in my body would be affected by this baby.

(written at 14 weeks)

 

I’m SO over being sick

Ok, so I have put my ‘pregnant sick time’ in!  I was sick day in and day out for the first 3 months straight!  I had a 2 hour window each day that I could eat.  The only thing that eased my tummy was my anti-nausea meds.  If not for those, I wouldn’t have been able to function!  Seriously, I took them almost every day every 4-6 hours (Doctor recommended dose, don’t freak, I’m not medicating my baby)

So here I am, WELL into my second trimester (6 months), I thought I was WAY past the ’sickness’ of pregnancy.  I had gotten all kinds of energy back in my 4th month (that lasted all of 2 weeks) and I was starting to feel like myself again (minus the 8 pounds -total- I’ve gained and bump on my tummy)  And then out of nowhere, I start getting sick again!!  Throwing up, nauseated, food aversions, the WHOLE NINE YARDS!! 

So, back on the anit-nausea meds I go .. wish me luck!

(written at 19 weeks, but sickness continues at 24 weeks)

It’s a BOY !!!!

I recently found out that I’m going to have a BABY BOY!!!  As of right now he is around 11-12 inches long weighing around 1.8 pounds.  He is very active, has all this organs and everything is functioning just perfectly, and looks to be very healthy!!  From what I can see in the ultra sound, he is PRECIOUS and so very cute!!  I can’t wait to meet him!!

Below are some ultra-sound pictures, as well as some pictures of his nursery bedding.

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All curled up at 23 weeks .. his feet are OVER his head!

Yeah, that’s a boy for sure!!

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Nursery Pics – I like it bc it’s modern but still cute!!  It’s at Target!

It’s precious!!!  Although the nursery isn’t the “traditional” baby boy decor I love it.  I’ve never been big on the baby-baby stuff.  Girls room’s that are throwing up pink or boys rooms that are throwing up blue, that’s not me.  This set has yellow, blue, red, brown, and green polka dots.  It’s sort of modern, which I like.  I can baby-boy-it by adding blue/green accents.    

Girls just want to have fun!!

I have the BEST time with my friends!  I’ve got two groups of sweet girl friends.  My Bunko/GNO girls and my Supper Club girls! 

Here’s a pic of me and the Bunko/GNO girls:

Amy, Kim, Me, Misty, Wendy, Shannon

We had a great time at GNO!  We ate yummy food at Misty’s house, and talked while the kids ran around and played in the back yard.

_______________________________________________

And here’s a pic of my Supper Club girls!  Half of us are pregnant right now, so the girls thought it would be funny to take a “pregnant” picture.  Can you guess who really has a bun in the oven??

Ashleigh*, Jana, Me*, Deanna, Karen, Kristen*

*expecting

Ode to the Pretzel Dog

Ok guys, I have GOT to tell you about the amazing delish hot dog pretzel at Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Shop.  It is FREAKING amazing!  Now, this might just be the pregnancy talking … that thought has crossed my mind … but seriously they are SOO good!!!  It’s like a pig-in-a-blanket, only it’s a hot dog wrapped in a yummy, warm, crispy pretzel.  It’s amazing, did I already say that??? 

Try it. Now.

News

For all of you that don’t know, I’m pregnant!  I am 23-ish weeks along.  This was FAR from planned, so I did have some mixed emotions about it in the beginning.  But, now that I can feel the baby flipp-flopping around it’s actually been pretty cool!! 

So, for all of you that have babies, don’t hesitate to give me some advice!  I need it!  And for everyone else, have fun reading on my blog about the ups and downs of my pregnancy.

I’m due in early fall. 

—————————————-

Here are some ultrasound pictures.

My Little Peanut.

 

15 Weeks

18 Weeks