26 Weeks!

•How far along?: 26 weeks!

•Current Weight: Still 130 this past Tuesday. I gained 0 in a week.

•Total weight gain: +7 from pre-pregnancy weight.

•How big is baby?: Size of an eggplant! 14.5 inches tall and about 2 pounds!

•Movement: All the time! And Matt can feel

him moving almost every night. It's amazing!

•Stretch marks?: Nope! Not yet, anyway.

•Sleep?: Eh..I'm up to pee now at about 4am everyday.

•Symptoms?: A lot of RLP and belly pressure. I think I started getting Braxton Hicks contractions too. Also, I've had some leg cramps.

•Food aversions?: Seafood, currently.

•Food cravings?: Still: Mac&Cheese, pasta, and anything with cheese!

•Labor signs?: I don't think so. Just BH's.

•Belly button in or out?: Pretty much even with my belly.

•What I miss: Moving around easily and quickly. Bending over.

•What I'm looking forward to: Finding out everything with Cael's heart and brain is ok - hopefully.

•Best Moment this week: Seeing Cael with the 3D yesterday. It was pretty amazing, and I'm glad he cooperated!

•Milestone: Every passing day and week. Today I am pregnant, and I love my Cael.

Also, I figured out (with the help of Laureen) where Cael's nose came from! I showed her the ultrasound pictures this morning, and expressed that I had no idea whose nose he had. She then said that Matt had that nose when he was a baby, and showed me a picture of Matt when he was a few months old that she had on the fridge. S

ure enough, she was right! He had the same broad, wide nose as a baby. Definitely not the nose he has now. Hopefully Cael's nose will change into his Daddy's nose as he gets older.

Double Digits!! And Pics To Boot!

So we're down to :::drum-roll, please::: 99 days! Until our due date! Amazing - it's going by so fast! And I'm doing my best to cherish and love each day. I was also scanned today by a co-worker. We were trying to see if he was in a good position or not..and it turns out he was! He hasn't been in a good position to get any good pictures the last time, so I was happy he was cooperating this time, even though it was for "fun". Here are some of the pictures we got today. I am so in love with this Little Man, there are no words.

Just Had To Share

Every single patient I scanned today mentioned my pregnancy in some way. Whether asking when I'm due, if this is my first, etc. I guess I'm really showing, and look pregnant and not just chunky. So I figured I'd take a whole-body picture today (especially since it's HDBD on The Bump), and see what the "situation" looks like. I love my belly so much!

Hello 3rd Trimester, Hello!

According to my midwife today, the beginning of the 25th week marks the beginning of the 3rd trimester! Wha-wha-whatt!? That just sounds so crazy to me! I asked her because I have been wondering. I know there are probably different answers to this question, but she referred to the gestational wheel, so I'm taking her word for it. I just can't believe that I'm pregnant with a 3rd trimester baby right now :) It makes me smile.

Our follow-up appointment today went well. Of course, last night I started having actual pain (I described it as a burning-cramping-tearing feeling) on the right side, just under my belly button. It hurts when I move, or am stretched out flat. But everything felt and sounded good at the appointment today. His heart rate was 160bpm, and the midwife thinks the pain I'm experiencing is just growing and stretching. She suggested regular-strength Tylenol and heating pad - which Matt when out and got me today. I secretly had co-worker scan me when I got back to work, and my appendix is normal, and my placenta looked fine. I could have just listened to my midwife, but that's the worrier in me.

We also accomplished something else big today. We got the loan we needed to start the construction of the apartment! I thought we would never get started on it, and that poor Cael would never have a room. But now, since we have the estimate and the money for it, we should have everything done by July - early August the absolute latest. The construction shouldn't take more than 3 days tops, but it's getting the contractor to figure out when he could do the work. As a reminder, we're taking over a living room just outside our apartment door; our old living room will become Cael's nursery (with the building of a new wall); our two exterior doors will be removed, re-aligned and re-hung; and our apartment door will be removed, and a new entry-way put in. It will be like a half wall open entry, because it will go into our kitchen. It will definitely open everything up, and we'll obviously have more room with the addition of a room. We also have to paint everything and do the flooring, but those are things Matt will do after the new walls go up. I am so excited, and can't wait until it happens!

:::No more scares for Mommy, Cael. You hear!?:::

25 Weeks!

Another week gone by. Another week closer to meeting Cael. I just have to say that I am so in love with this little guy inside of me. I had no idea the amount of love I could feel for someone who isn't even in this world yet. But I feel him moving and kicking stronger every day. And so does Matt. I'm happy that he can feel him pretty much every night when we're laying on the couch. Matt told me last night, "How can a baby with problems move around and kick this much? He'll be fine. There's nothing wrong with him." I know in my heart that he'll end up being ok, and we're stressing for no reason. But I didn't have the heart to tell Matt that babies with even severe health problems can still move around and kick in the uterus. I didn't want to make it sound worse than I know it is.

Today is also a sad day. My mom had to put Beau, her 7 month old Burmese Mountain dog, to sleep. Long story short, he's been having problems standing and walking the last 2 weeks or so. He went for X-rays yesterday, and it turns out he has the worst case of Hip Dysplasia the vet has ever seen in the 25 years that she's been a vet. He was pretty much born without hip sockets. It's amazing that he was able to move around at all up until this age. But he is a big dog, and grew at an amazing rate. He would have had to undergo a bilateral hip replacement, and knee replacement. And that would be just for now. He's still growing, so he would probably end up needing more surgeries, and be in more pain. Putting him to sleep was the best option for him. It just would have been too much pain for Beau. I obviously was not around him all the time, but Beau did grow attached to me, and didn't leave my side whenever I was down. He would plop himself on my feet and legs, and just want to be pet. I can say that I loved him. And I will miss him greatly.

•How far along?: 25 weeks!

•Current Weight: 130 on Tuesday.

•Total weight gain: +7 from pre-pregnancy weight.

•How big is baby?: Size of an eggplant! He weighed 1 pound 10 ounces on Tuesday.

•Movement: All the time! And Matt can feel him moving almost every night. It's amazing!

•Stretch marks?: Nope! Not yet, anyway.

•Sleep?: It's getting better.

•Symptoms?: Well, I have officially not thrown up in about 2 weeks! Currently, I've been having a lot of pressure, and I'm more hungry. Also, I find myself out of breath more, and more tired.

•Food aversions?: Nothing that I can think of now.

•Food cravings?: Mac&Cheese, pasta, and anything with Cheese!

•Labor signs?: Nope, thankfully.

•Belly button in or out?: It's been around the same the last few weeks. It's almost even with my belly.

•What I miss: Moving around easily.

•What I'm looking forward to: Finding out everything with Cael's heart and brain is ok - hopefully.

•Best Moment this week: Finding out everything was ok on Tuesday, even though I was feeling pretty bad and uncomfortable.

•Milestone: Every passing day and week. Today I am pregnant, and I love my Cael.

Here is a video of Cael kicking me from last week. The biggest movement can be seen in the very beginning, so look carefully!

:::Mommy and Daddy love you very much:::

We'll Be Going To A Specialist

We are set up with a fetal cardiologist for June 14th (2 days after my shower out of state).

Backstory: After having what I thought were mild contractions late in the day on Monday (tightening, discomfort, pressure), I called my OB to see what they said. They called me back Monday evening, and told me measures to get comfortable, that it probably was some stretching. I used heat packs, took tylenol and rested. As the evening went on, I started getting more uncomfortable, and was contemplating calling the OB on call, or going to the hospital to get checked. The whole time, Matt was a nervous wreck, and I could tell he was worried about me. We finally fell asleep at 1 am, after deciding to just wait it out and see what happens.

I woke up yesterday morning, and felt about the same. Except when I actually started moving around, I started feeling progressively worse. My belly would cyclically tighten with discomfort and then relax. I went to work, because I figured my doctor is where I work, and they will probably want to see me. I was right. Within minutes of them opening at 8:30, they told me they thought I was contracting, and to come right over.

So Anyway: Since my official OB visit was next Tuesday with a follow-up ultrasound to recheck Cael's heart (bilateral echogenic foci), they just did everything yesterday. My husband was supposed to go to that appointment next week, but because they took me right in, he was going to miss everything, and I knew that broke his heart (we live an hour and 15 minutes from the hospital).

Turns out my midwife thinks that I have been having Braxton Hicks, combined with ligament/uterine stretching, and some GI thing. She told me she wanted me to go home and rest the rest of the day. I kept my appointment for next week on Tuesday for her to follow up with how I'm feeling.

So at the ultrasound that I had yesterday, they still saw the bilateral echogenic foci. The one in the left ventricle was slightly larger than the one in the right ventricle. Because they were still seen, my midwife wants me to see a fetal cardiologist, and have a fetal echo done. That is in June. However, since they also looked at everything during this ultrasound, they noticed the lateral ventricles in his brain were prominent, and that the choroid plexus (which sits inside the lateral ventricles), is starting to "splay" out. It should be sitting strait inside the lat ventricle, and his is starting to push outward because of the extra fluid in his lat ventricle. He doesn't have hydrocephalus currently, but because the choroid plexus is starting to splay, it merits further investigation. When there is fetal hydrocephalus, the choroid plexus will "dangle" at almost a 90 degree angle, within the lat ventricle. We're not there yet, and I hope we don't get there.

Great - another issue to worry about. The midwife said that they will be doing a comprehensive ultrasound at the specialist appointment in June, and that they should look at his brain again too. But I'm not so sure, because he isn't an MFM doctor - he's a fetal cardiologist. So I'm assuming that they will only be looking at his heart. I will have to ask her about it on Tuesday just to make sure. I don't want to let it go, and find out at birth that it has developed into hydrocephalus.

On a good note, everything else looked good, and my cervix wasn't shortened. He weighed in at 1 pound 10 ounces +/- 2 ounces.

When I got home yesterday and explained everything to Matt (sometimes I hate the knowledge I have from being in the medical field), he started crying. And he never cries. It just broke my heart. I'm going to try my hardest to remain optimistic. He doesn't have a definite problem with his brain (yet), and I'm happy they'll be looking at it again. And I know there are worse things that can be wrong, so I feel bad venting about this or even stressing about it.

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24 Weeks!

And I think I've popped! I love my growing belly so much. It's got to the point where strangers are noticing my belly, and asking me when I'm due. It's awesome :)

•How far along?: 24 weeks!

•How big is baby?: 13.5" long from head to toe, and about a 1.5 pounds!

•Movement: Heck yes! He must have been throwing a dance party the other night. It was crazy!

•Stretch marks?: Not yet.

•Sleep?: I feel like I can never get enough.

•Symptoms?: Leg cramps, heartburn, pressure.

•Food aversions?: Nothing that I can think of now.

•Food cravings?: Anything with cheese!

•Labor signs?: Nope, thankfully.

•Belly button in or out?:Still on its way to becoming even with my stomach!

•What I miss: Getting off the couch without help.

•What I'm looking forward to: Continuing to feel Cael move and kick stronger each day.

•Best Moment this week: Matt being able to feel him kick.

•Milestone: Every passing day and week. Today I am pregnant, and I love my Cael.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day! My first official Mother's Day, unofficially. Matt woke me up this morning with breakfast in bed, which I loved. I've never had breakfast in bed before. I felt so special and loved.

Yesterday was also an awesome day - we got all of Cael's nursery furniture, including his crib mattress. Turns out the crib we got for free from a friend was a recalled metal, white, drop-side crib. I figured it out after I cleaned the whole thing off, and immediately was disappointed. So instead of going to Babies R Us on Saturday to find a matching dresser/changer combo, we now had to go and find a crib.

But lucky for us, BRU was having an amazing sale on furniture - 20% off all furniture. So we got his changing table, lifetime convertible crib, 4 drawer dresser and mattress yesterday - for only $550! Which I feel is amazing for everything we got considering some of the cribs or dressers alone were close to that price. We also got an additional 10% off because we opened a BRU credit card. We wanted to stay away from another credit card since all of our debt will be paid off in 3 months, and we did away with credit cards, but it was 12 months interest free and an additional 10% off everything. We were going to pay for it all then and there anyway, so we'll have no problem paying it off. I'm so excited! Here is a picture of the furniture set from a website :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Mother's Day! My first official Mother's Day, unofficially. Matt woke me up this morning with breakfast in bed, which I loved. I've never had breakfast in bed before. I felt so special and loved.

Yesterday was also an awesome day - we got all of Cael's nursery furniture, including his crib mattress. Turns out the crib we got for free from a friend was a recalled metal, white, drop-side crib. I figured it out after I cleaned the whole thing off, and immediately was disappointed. So instead of going to Babies R Us on Saturday to find a matching dresser/changer combo, we now had to go and find a crib.

But lucky for us, BRU was having an amazing sale on furniture - 20% off all furniture. So we got his changing table, lifetime convertible crib, 4 drawer dresser and mattress yesterday - for only $550! Which I feel is amazing for everything we got considering some of the cribs or dressers alone were close to that price. We also got an additional 10% off because we opened a BRU credit card. We wanted to stay away from another credit card since all of our debt will be paid off in 3 months, and we did away with credit cards, but it was 12 months interest free and an additional 10% off everything. We were going to pay for it all then and there anyway, so we'll have no problem paying it off. I'm so excited!

((I just found this post on 6.23.12, and published it. I didn't realize that I didn't publish it! I changed the date to the original date of the post, thought))

Ah!! 23 Weeks!

Time is just flying by! I can't get over how fast it's going by, and I feel like we have so much left to do. We still haven't started on the apartment renovations, which is kind of worrying me. But according to Matt, everything will work out, and it will all be done by the time Cael gets here. We went from wanting to have a contractor do the work, to having Matt do the work, back to the contractor, then to Matt doing it, and now we're currently waiting for the contractor to come by when he's done with another job. He's going to give us an estimate to just put the walls up and install the 2 exterior doors. I'm afraid it's going to be too much money for that work, but Matt says we can take out a small loan. I understand he wants the work done correctly, as do I. But I just don't think we can do that right now, especially having to prepare for Cael's arrival. ::sigh:: I guess it will all work out in the end.

On another note, we've been slowly buying some clothes for Cael. They're all so cute! And I've bought them all at BRU on sale, which is even better. Today, we're probably going back to BRU because they're having a 20% off sale on all baby furniture. We're going to be looking at cribs, and hopefully buying one today. We'll be using Layaway so that we can pay it off over the next few months. We were originally going to be buying a dresser/changer combo, because we were going to be getting a crib for free from a friend. Well, that fell through yesterday after Matt picked up the crib and it turned out to be a metal drop-side crib. Which, obviously, was recalled. Unfortunately, I cleaned the whole thing before I found out by looking at the manual. Needless to say, I was really disappointed and upset. However, it's probably all for the best. We'll get a safe, up-to-date crib, in a color that we love, that will last for a long time. I'm really excited for today. BRU has been my new favorite store to go to :)

One more thing! Yesterday I bought the Safety 1st Clic It! car seat stroller frame from Safety 1st. I'm so happy I found it, because we really want the Safety 1st onBoard Air35 car seat. But after we spent 2 hours at BRU last weekend, none of the stroller frames they had fit it. And we must have tried a dozen and a half other car seats. None of which we love as much as the Safety 1st. I'm so excited!

•How far along?: 23 weeks!

•How big is baby?: Size of a papaya (from weeks 21-24); 10.5-11.8 in, 12.7-20.8 oz!

•Maternity clothes?: Yup! And loving every minute of it!

•Movement: Heck yes! In addition to seeing him kick stronger through my belly, Matt felt him kick for the first time last Sunday! Very exciting!

•Stretch marks?: Not yet.

•Sleep?: I feel like I can never get enough.

•Symptoms?: I haven't thrown up in 5 days! A new record! Leg cramps, heartburn.

•Food aversions?: Nothing that I can think of now.

•Food cravings?: Still pizza, mac & cheese, pasta

•Labor signs?: Nope, thankfully.

•Belly button in or out?:Still on its way to becoming even with my stomach!

•What I miss: Being able to move around quickly.

•What I'm looking forward to: Continuing to feel Cael move and kick stronger each day.

•Best Moment this week: Matt being able to feel him kick.

•Milestone: Every passing day and week. Today I am pregnant, and I love my Cael.

:::Keep kicking Daddy, Cael.:::

My Stroller!

Well, I don't have it yet, but Matt and I finally decided on what stroller system we want to get. Initially, Matt wanted to get a Travel System, because it seemed "like the best idea, since we get everything in one." However, I fell in LOVE with the Baby Jogger City Mini. It is the lightest stroller, and the easiest stroller to fold up that I've ever seen! We're also going to get a Snap'n'Go stroller for use with the infant car seat we get. I'm so excited that my stress over this is over! Now we just have to pick out an infant car seat. But I think we're going to go with the S1 Safety 1st onBoard 35 car seat, in Black. And also the Convertible Car Seat by Safety 1st, for when Cael gets older. I think it's safe to say I'm really excited!

22 Weeks!

•How far along?: 22 weeks!

•Current Weight: 125. I managed to gain 2 pounds despite my constant throwing up.

•Total weight gain: 2

•How big is baby?: Size of a papaya (or spaghetti squash - depending on the source); 11.5" and 1 pound! He's getting so big!!

•Maternity clothes?: Maternity jeans, and I started wearing maternity shirts, especially at work.

•Movement: Heck yes! He loves being feet down, and kicking my cervix. That is the weirdest feeling ever. And we can now see him kick through my stomach! :)

•Stretch marks?: Not yet, and hopefully not ever.

•Sleep?: Eh - it's so-so. Matt has been waking me up in the early morning with his snoring. It drives me nuts!

•Symptoms?: Throwing up, gas, RLP, back pain, leg cramps.

•Food aversions?: Nothing that I can think of now.

•Food cravings?: Still pizza, mac & cheese, pasta

•Labor signs?: Nope, thankfully.

•Belly button in or out?: Definitely almost even with my stomach!

•What I miss: Being able to move around quickly.

•What I'm looking forward to: Matt being able to feel Cael kick and move.

•Best Moment this week: Still feeling Cael move and kick. That will never get old.

•Milestone: Every passing day and week. Today I am pregnant, and I love my Cael.

:::I love you so much Cael!:::