Summer is almost over!

Wow, it's been a month since I've posted anything. Well I've been working on my business and taking it easy. I've also been quite busy with church and just didn't have time or energy to post.  So, yes we know the sex of the baby but we are keeping it to ourselves for now. We enjoy having that piece of information all ot ourselves for now.

So, what's been going on you say? Well the baby is kicking more and more daily. Although today not so much. I received my at home dopplar so that we can hear the heartbeat whenever we want, especially if we're concerned about the level of movement. We've started to make some movement on getting the room toegether. We got rid of some furniture in one of the bedrooms and decided to give the baby the small room which was being used as the office. The larger bedroom will be a guest room/office. We've received some estimates on some drywall repair needed and hardwood floor sanding. We even got estimates on kitchen and bath remodelling, though they are not the priority right now.  We've also decided on a theme for the baby's room and Kim even ordered some paint samples to try out that look nice. She found a website that sells room stencils so that you can paint a theme that I'm 95% sure we'll go with. So that means I need to sell more houses!

We had our bi-weekly dr appt Tuesday and the Dr wants to monitor my blood pressure more saying it's close to gestational hypertension. Great. My bp was 128/86 and gh is 140/90. Since that bottom number is close to 90, I had to go get blood work done. But the most shocking news was that I gained 8lbs in 2 weeks!!!!!! Kim said, "Well you are pregnant" and that's true but that is a lot in 2 weeks for someone who has a small appetite to begin with. So, I'm going to watch what I eat more and eat every couple of hours. I'm not dieting just being more conscious of what I'm eating. Kim always says I'm not eating enough for the baby but I think that proves I am.

We go for a perinatal ultrasound next week and once we confirm the gender (again) we will consider telling everyone else.

Here are some pics that I've been taking documenting my journey:

20 wks                                                               21 wks

22 wks

23 wks

Read more...

Feeling the baby!

Well as of today I am 18wks, 5 days. Here's a pic of me from two days ago:

I have been feeling the baby move more and more in the last few days. At first it was a kick here and there. Now I can feel kicks and I felt a rolling of sorts a few days ago that was interesting. It's such a welcome event to feel that and know the baby is doing well. We go for our 20 week scan next Friday and I'm excited to hear that the baby is growing on target. The heartburn is still going strong. I need to go look for another over the counter medicine to help because the Tums aren't doing their job too well. Sometimes the heartburn wakes me up in the middle of the night if its bad enough.

Kim is being over protective, which I'm used to, but more than usual. It's sweet though so I'm not going to harp on it, yet. It's hot here, but I've been in the a/c all day. Boy do I wish we had central air, but I'll have to do with the window a/c for now. My rings are starting to be a little hard to put on and off so I left them off today. I'm guessing at this rate I won't be able to wear them by September or so.

I'm sitting here watching one of my new fav shows, Two and a Half Men. Today was a rough day in real estate. I'm hoping that all works out on my difficult transactions by the end of the week.

Ta Ta!

Read more...

Just Checking in

Well I'm sitting in my office and I really need to get to work but I wanted to post. It's been a good week for me. Last week we went to the doc and found out that the baby is lying transverse so he couldn't tell the sex of the baby. He also said it looked like I had a heart shaped uterus which concerned me some but I'm trusting in God that everything will be ok.

We've had a good couple of weeks in real estate. Last week we had 3 closings and I listed two homes. I also have one offer that I'm waiting to see if its accepted and two listings have gone under contract in the last two weeks. Today my goal is to find some more folks that need to sell their home so I can schedule some appointments for the next week.

The holiday weekend was good. We saw fireworks live and on tv. We went to a bbq and we enjoyed spending time together. I was so happy that we had the extra day on Monday off to get it together for the week.

Last week we also had a chance to visit a baby store in the area. They had the lightweight frame that we've been talking about to use as a stroller while the baby is an infant. It was only $80. They also had this convertible stroller that you can use from infancy to toddler but when they told me it was $1100 I quickly turned from that one. Kim said, "That's a mortgage payment!".

Well here's today's 17 week pic. I really should take another to face the same way as the previous one. I'm tired right now so let me get some work done while I can.

Read more...

Ultrasound

Wednesday we went for an ultrasound and saw a very active baby. The baby was kicking and hands were moving. I'm going to post a pic. We could see the lips, nose, eyes and in one picture a very clear right hand. We're so happy all is going so well!

Read more...

It's official, everyone knows now!

Ok, so yesterday I told sorors at the chapter bbq about the good news and today we told everyone at church. So, I decided to go ahead and post on facebook so that everyone knows. I'm so glad I don't have to hide it anymore and people can know that I'm not just getting fatter. Some of my clothes no longer fit and maternity clothes are the most comfortable right now even though I don't have much. Yesterday I wore a maternity dress I got from Target and today I wore a regular dress I got from there. I think dresses are going to be the way to go this summer for me. They're comfortable and flowy and breathable.

We took a trip to Rochester, VT a couple of weeks ago and boy was it a nice trip. We started off bumpy (literally) when we took the wrong road up the mountain at 9pm with the high beams on. There were rocks and tree limbs and ditches abound and I had no idea if my car was going to make it. We did finally get to the house, which sits up the mountain but I didn't sleep well through the night wondering how I was going to make it back down the mountain in to town for groceries. Well the owner of the house we stayed in had a good laugh with us when she told us that road has been closed down for decades and was an old farm road. Boy were we scared, so much so that when I looked over at Kim, she was taking a big gulp of water and turned on the a/c. We started singing, "We've come this far by faith" until we got to the house.

Otherwise, it was a lovely trip. We were able to really spend time together, relax, look at the beautiful scenery out the back door of the green mountains and just enjoy God's beauty. We went up on Wednesday and were supposed to leave Sunday but Friday night I had a breakdown of how dark it is at night and how quiet it is. I'm not used to being in that type of environment and my mind kept thinking that someone was going to come up there and do something violent to us and no one would ever hear. So, we decided to pack up and leave the next day which really worked out because Kim had homework to do anyway and needed all day Sunday to do it.

We ate at Liberty Hill Farm down the (correct) road and enjoyed our time with Beth & Bob (the owners). It's a dairy farm and the milk from their cows goes to Cabot to make cheese. We milked a cow, fed a calf, talked to the goats and met new people. On our final day, we went to Waterbury where we visited Ben & Jerrys and did a tour. We also went to the Cabot Cheese Annex where we tasted and bought cheese. Lastly we went to Cold Hollow Cider Mill. The kitchen in the home we stayed in was georgeous and I just loved cooking in it and on the viking range/oven. WOW. I need one of those!

We will definitely return there. That time was a milestone of sorts because it happened just when we entered our second trimester.

Our view from the back porch

Read more...

Jillian Michaels

So, I'm sitting her watching Jillian Michaels on "Losing It" and wow is she tough on the first day. A lot of folks really need that boot camp experience to get themselves together. I like her a lot.

So, I'm 12 weeks tomorrow and excited to get closer to that second trimester so I can wear some of my maternity clothes and let other people know what's going on. I'm definitely showing but I'm hiding it right now as much as I can.

Sunday, I was the beautiful wedding of my bestie Monique. She looked so georgeous and we had a ball at the reception. I am so very happy for her and her husband. They're leaving for Jamaica tonight and I'm sure they'll have a relaxing time. I'm a little concerned about the current druglord violence but because she's on a resort I'm sure they'll be fine.

At the wedding, I ate chilean sea bass stuffed with crab. It was good but I regret eating it now. There are so many conflicting accounts about sea bass. I see my Dr on Thursday and am really looking forward to having a conversation about that food choice. I'm feeling like I don't want to eat fish for at least another 2 weeks to counteract the possible effect of what I ate. I stressed so much about it on Monday that I made myself sick.

On a brighter note, I was able to have pancakes from Cracker Barrel yesterday and they were oh so good! I also got to get a couple of outfits from Target to hold me over until I can do a bigger shop later this month.

I almost forgot, I found out a very good friend is 16 wks pregnant right now. I am so excited for her and it made me get excited again. Not as exciting but Celine Dion is pregnant with twins and due around the same time.

Anywho, let me get back to this show. I'll try to check back in after the appointment later this week.

Read more...

Feeling Good Today!

So, yesterday was a crappy day in terms of how I felt. I woke up with a headache. I think it was from the way I wrapped my hair the night before. I was also quite nauseous even though I couldn't wait to wake up and have some Cinnamon Toast Crunch. So, I got up, got dressed took my pre-natals, did my daily injection and went downstairs to eat come cereal. I could only eat about 3 spoonfuls before the nausea came with a vengeance. So, Kim finished my bowl and we headed to the doctor's office with a trash bag in case I couldn't make it out the window during the 5 minute drive.

Once we got to Dr. Bailey's office I started to feel a bit better. We saw the baby on the sonogram and heard the heartbeat which was wonderful! Every time I see the baby it makes me feel reassured that he/she is going to be just fine. Thank God for my faith too.

Other things I found out at the Dr is that I've lost weight, about 6lbs since I was weighed at the hematologist's office last month. I can have some caffeine and splenda is ok, though I'll probably still stay away from both. Maybe an occasional tea, I'm not into coffee anyway. Shellfish is cool (I knew that) and I can have a turkey hoagie!!!! I've really been wanting one too. Kim told the Dr that I've been moody and he told her he already had to deal w/that at home so she needed to figure it out. LOL.

I also made sure I was cool to take the 8hr car ride to Vermont in a couple of weeks and he said it was indeed okay. He also recommended a great route so we are looking forward to going.

Two things Dr. Bailey did that I was really impressed about. When we were first taken to the exam room, he peeked in and said hello and said he was glad to see us back. The other thing was that he asked how often we wanted to come in because he understood that we may want to see him more often after the 2nd trimester loss last year. So, we're going back next week and the week after for a scan and then will go to every two weeks. I also talked to him about getting a dopplar and he recommended waiting until 14 wks to do so but understood. He also recommended I get a blood pressure cuff because my blood pressure was a bit high. He said I need to keep the bottom number under 90.

So, I'm watching my salt intake (as I have been anyway) and I have to make time to walk around the neighborhood for some exercise.

This weekend, I'm going to a bachelorette party and I'm looking forward to having a great time!

Tootles!

Read more...