27 week appointment

Today was the day for my O'Sullivan Test to check for diabeties. Unfortunately my doctor's office doesn't process their labs in house so I have to wait 4-5 days for the results. We don't really foresee any problems but every pregnant woman has to have this test.

The doctor said everything looked fine. Her heartbeat was 132 & my weight, blood pressure & measurements are all right on track. Now if you ask me 25 lbs seems like a lot to have gained so far & I seem to be flip-flopping a good bite with my weight so who knows what I will weigh when she is born. I will gain a few pounds & then lose them & gain them right back.

My next appointment is in 3 weeks & then after that I will move to 2 week appointments. It is really hard to believe we are about to start the 3rd trimester & she will be here in 13 weeks or so.

Gummy Bears

I just heard on an afternoon radio show that I listen to that gummy bears are good for your health. They say that gummy bears contain an ingredient that helps prevent tooth decay. YEAH!!! Now all of us who love them can eat them with less guilt. My lovely husband always tells me you are eating pure sugar, but regardless I still love them & now even more.

1 Hour Tour

Yesterday we went on the maternity tour at the hospital. The hospital we are using, Presbyterian, has a new Women's Center & its really nice. It even has its own entrance & an elevator that takes you directory to the maternity/labor & delivery floors. That is a great idea, especially for all the new time parents who may be in a panic on the big day & completely lose their minds (hopefully we will not be one of those couples). There were probably 10-12 other couples on the tour with in at all stages of pregnancy & we all had a great time. Two babies were even born while we were there visiting. They play a lulluaby over the speaker system every time a baby is born & we heard it twice, it was so sweet. Chris actually noticed in our brochure that the new parents actually are the ones who play the lullaby so I can't wait to do that on our special day.

We go back to the hospital Aug 15 for our first labor/delivery class. We will be attending 5 classes for 2 hours each. We are getting close & boy are we excited.

Shopping!!!

This morning we went & ordered our baby furniture & it should be delivered to Babies R Us in 1-2 weeks. Being first time parents we were totally unaware that they don't keep baby furniture in stock, all they have are the floor models. So while we were at Babies R Us with Chris' parents we did some shopping. They were having sales on summer clothes so we bought a few things for next summer.

Next we headed to Toys R Us to pick up the crib toy I wanted but once I saw it in person I totally changed my mind. So I will probably go back to the internet tonight & look again. While we were there they had a sale on clothes too, so we pick up 3 more outfits all $4 each.

Then we headed to lunch & to the mall (Concord Mills) to see Batman. While waiting for our movie to start we walked around the mall & guess what we found, you guessed it more sales. The Children's Place was having a huge sale. We picked up 2 bathing suits, a beach hat, a bathing suit cover-up & 1 outfit, out total was $17.

After that is was time to head back to the theater for the movie, which was great by the way. It was long, but really good. Although I don't recommend taking children young in age it could be a little scary for them.

What a great day we have had. Shopping for our little one was a blast. We can't wait for her to get here & we have pretty much decided someone may have to control on spending on her. Today was just way too much fun, at least everything we bought was on sale. The grand total today = $64 (8 outfits, 2 bathing suits, a bathing suit cover & a changing table cover - this was the most expensive $12).

He Broke It

On Wednesday night Chris broke my car. He has been having trouble with his key to my car, it doesn't work on the door locks & sometimes it would get stuck in the car after it is turned off. After church Wed night we needed to stop by my mom's house to help her with something & Chris' key wouldn't come out. He ended up having to yank it out which stripped the tumbler in the ignition which made my car think the keys were still in the ignition. So we had to drop my Saturn VUE off yesterday morning & we really thought they would have to replace the while ignition but all they had to do was replace the tumbler & they gave us new keys. So I have been teasing Chris every since telling him he broke my car.

A Call to the Nurse

This morning after talking to Mama & my sister last night I called the OB nurse about possible contractions I may be having. Its not that I am worried about them but my sister, Karen said it wouldn't hurt to give them a call. Monday night was when I noticed them the most. My belly just gets really tight, but its not painful or cramping just a different feeling. It of course could just be braxton hicks, but I guess the doctor & OB nurse should still be notified. I only had a couple Tuesday night & a couple last night. They only seem to happen at night after I get home from work.

I just spoke with the nurse & she confirmed that it is braxton hicks contractions, but to make sure I start paying attention to how often they occur or if they are accompanied with cramps or pressure. She also told me some things to look out for which may be signs of pre-term labor, which I was glad to know.

Soothing Samantha

So far our crazy cat is as happy & calm as she can be, maybe the Comfort Zone Feliway is really working, who knew. She has not peed outside her box in almost a week & we even kicked the cats out of the spare bedroom this weekend too. Although we did open up the office (its usually closed off unless we are in there, it was Samantha's last choice for peeing months ago) for them to escape to, which they love that room too. Happy cats, we are so glad & hopes it continues.

Nursery Prep

It has finally started, we are prepping the nursery for the baby. Last weekend I cleaned out her closet, last night Chris & his Dad hung a ceiling fan & today Chris is painting. It took us a while to decide on how to paint the room because neither one of us wanted an all pink room (her bedding is pink, brown & off white). Chris found a really pretty picture of a pink/brown nursery online but it seemed a lot of work for a room she may not be in very long since we plan to put the house up for sale next year. Maybe we will save that idea for the new house. We decided to paint one accent wall pale pink & the other 3 beige. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Crazy Cat

That is what we have, a crazy cat, not a physically sick one. I was afraid Samantha was just stressed or upset about something but sadly enough I was hopeing it was something else. At least if its a physical sickness it can be handled with meds or a diet now we have to plan the crazy cat game. Her blood test & urine analysis came back fine so then we wanted to know how to get her to relax. The doctor suggested getting 2 additional litter boxes (where I am going to put those), cleaning them more often & to try Feliway (its like a plugin that is suppose to reduce marking, aggression & stress). We will see what happens, wish us luck.

Cat Issues

I don't know how many of you have cats but I am sure if you don't my lovely husband would be happy to give you ours, especially Samantha. She is at it again. She is peeing outside the litter box & Chris is ready to kill her. Granted she has done this before, but this time I am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt that maybe she is sick or something, there is just no reason for her to be doing it.

In the past we had moved the litter boxes or she was just acting out & if we had already started the nursery I would understand but we haven't. All of the baby items I have received from friends are in the storage room & have been since they came in the house. Plus over the weekend she wasn't quite acting like herself, she hid & wouldn't come out. Then when Chris pulled her out she was yelling if I touched her belly or back area, so I called the vet.

If I had to guess there is probably nothing wrong with her, but I want to make sure before we banish her to the laundry room. Hopefully the doctor will call me soon with an update on her urine analysis & brief blood panel.

Good news

We just got back from our monthly appointment with the high risk doctor & all is good with BB. The specialist said if the hole in her heart is still there is just wasn't visible & it wouldn't be an issue even if it was there. Then he was a little concerned about her one of her pulminary arties being larger than the other, but he said that happen during pregnancy sometimes. Then the Pedicatric Cardiologist came he & said everything looked fine to him. He didn't see any reason why this wouldn't be a normal pregnancy, labor & delivery from her on out. No C-Section will be needed, no NICU after delivery & all they would need to do is an echo & ultra sound of BB's heart once she is born. YEAH!!!

The specialist was almost apologizing for all the thoroughness of this appointment but he wants to make sure there are going to be no surprises since she did have the hygroma in the first trimester. To be honest, I don't mind at all how thorough they have been it has been totally appreciated. We are just glad to hear that the pregnancy is now normal, except we need to continue to see the specialist as a precaution only.

More Rearranging

Last night after dinner we rearranged the living room to make room for our new rocker recliner & it took a lot longer than we both expected. We were both exhausted after getting home late Sunday night (12:20am) from the beach & all we really wanted to do was eat & go to bed, but we needed to get this done. Chris had put the recliner in our room while we were out of town to keep the cats off of it (our youngest cat is peeing outside the litter box again) so he had to drag it back down stairs. I think we arranged the furniture 6-8 different ways before we found one we both agreed on & it looks really good.

Now our next task is to start cleaning out the spare room & making it a nursery. The cleaning out part shouldn't take too long, except for the closet I have stuffed full. We still haven't decided on a paint color either, which we hope to nail down soon as well.

Baby Interaction

Our little one is interacting with the outside world while she is still in the womb & its so sweet. While at the OB last week, she was kicking/punching/knocking when the nurse was trying to get a heart beat count. BB was right were the ultra sound wand was placed on my belly knocking back at the nurse, it was too cute.

She has also be interacting with voices & our pets. If one of the cats or our dog is sitting on my belly she will travel to where they are laying & start knocking on my belly right under neath them. It feels pretty weird but it is also very sweet. Sometimes when we talk to my belly she will knock too. She has become so active & moves all the time now - actually she is moving like crazy as I am typing. She even woke me up Sunday morning, that was a first.

Great Vacation, BUT...

WARNING- Very long!!!

Yes we did have a great mini vacation at the beach with my family & I especially hated coming home last night while the rest of them stayed until today. We went to Sunset Beach & Mama's neighborhood pool with very little sunburn to speak of, including me YEAH!!! I missed a few spot while applying sunscreen so I have a few sunburn places but nothing major & I think my youngest niece, Caroline got a little too much sun on Thursday but everyone else was good when we left. Who knows what will happen today in the sun.

Now our dog, Spencer loves traveling with us & I can't imagine being without him on our family vacations, but he always gets so grouchy. On this trip he decided he didn't like Caroline about half way into our stay. I think he just gets over tired & just doesn't want to be bothered. Granted he did get put in timeout (yes we put of dog in timeout) & punished for his behavior which sometimes worked but sometimes it didn't. We are still working on how to deal with our moody dog but we look him regardless.

We grilled chicken & hotdogs on the mini grills & the girls played with sparklers on the 4th instead of driving to see fireworks as we normally do. While we were outside on the deck, Kaylee, my oldest niece noticed something stuck on Chris' truck tire & that it was hissing. He just happened to be out riding his bike (which he brought to the beach with him) so he was unaware. So when he returned & he had eaten his dessert I broke the news to him about his tire & he was almost unreactive to the news. He then told us that his tire sensor in the truck had been coming on for a week now & he need to have the tires checked anyway.

So, Saturday morning Chris & my brother in-law, Bobby headed to the tire place to get the tire repaired. After several hours Chris went to pick up his truck to find that a 2 inch long thin metal pipe piece is what was stuck in his tire, so they patched it for him.

Thinking the tires we in top shape, we headed home last night around 7:45 (yes we left really late). We were about 30-45 minutes from the beach house when Chris let out a big sigh & I thought he had left something at the house & he said no, the tire sensor just came on. Of course we are in the middle on nowhere in Hwy 9 in SC so I don't want he stopping on the side of the road to check the tires. We finally come to the first gas station about 30 minutes later in the getto for him to check the tire pressure. The pressure appears to be fine so we venture on. Now as we continue to drive the sky is getting very dark & its your typical night sky, it a storm brewing. It was probably the darkest I have ever seen the sky before the storm & I was starting to get a little concerned. It truly looked like we were driving into a tornado the sky looked so bad.

Then it started to rain, no thunder or hail & very little lighting just rain. So naturally we think its just a typical summer storm that we will drive through in a few minutes, not the case. It was pouring & we couldn't see, the road was flooding & we are hydroplaning everywhere - even in Chris' Titan truck. I asked Chris to slow down & little did I know we were already driving 35 in a 55, it was that bad. The more we drove the worse it got & then I started to cry. I hate storms & have since I was a small child. I was even more scared being pregnant & wondering what would happen if we wreck, will the baby be okay. Then I got so upset & nervous I started cramping, which you guessed it, made me cry more. Now of course we are still in the middle of nowhere so we can't pull over & wait for the storm to pass so we keep driving & I continue to cry.

Finally Chris says we will stop in the first town we come to so he can check the tires again & then he says I think we can write the drive in the book as our Trip from H***. My tires are low & the sensor keeps going off, its pouring down rain, we can't see, the roads are flooding, we are sliding all over the roads & my pregnant emotional wife is scared to death crying all the way home. Lord please get us home safe. So we finally come to the first real town with a gas station & he checks the tires again, which are still doing okay but the rain is still coming down. We sit there for a few minutes & venture out in it again. The rain continues to fall, roads still flooding & we are still sliding. I am about to loose my mind. Chris of course tells me to try & sleep but there is no chance, I am too uptight at this point.

We make it to the next town to get gas & check the tires again, they are fine & we head off again - still raining. It rains probably 30 minutes or so longer & I finally start to doze off. Needless to say we did make it home safe & sound but it was one of the most stressful drives we have ever been on & will go down in the books as the Trip from H***.

The only thing that was calm in the truck during this storm was our dog, Spencer. He slept almost the entire way home in his bed in between Chris & I. I am glad he felt safe or he could have just be completely exhausted.

July 4th Getaway

Yes, we are heading to the beach in the morning. I only wish we could leave today like the rest of my family but Chris & I didn't want to use too many days off + I have church duties to attend to tonight. The announcements for Sunday's bulletin are made on Wed nights & our preacher is at camp this week, who is normally the one to give me this info but tonight I need to collect it myself. So after church we will be heading home to update the bulletin & then tomorrow morning printing it at the church building, then heading to the beach. Luckily it doesn't take long to print 100 2 sided pgs & fold them so we should be at Mama's beach house by lunch time.

I hope you all have a wonderful 4th. We are so looking forward to going. This may be our last mini vacation before the baby comes to town.

So Funny...

that I just had to share it. The audio from this video is played on a local radio station & its pretty funny, or at least Vicki (a friend) & I think its hilarious. I am not real sure which is funnier the way the guy looks, his voice or what he says. I just love it. Let me know what you think.

This guy Bobby Botronics is even on a new Taco Bell commercial but he doesn't speak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnH63F8corE