17 Weeks and another dream

I'm 17 weeks today! Gosh I can't believe it. My next doctor appointment is this afternoon, I'm not sure what we're going to do. I know they're going to do some sort of blood test, and I'm sure we'll do a doppler heartbeat too. I think we'll probably schedule my big 20-week ultrasound, so that will be super exciting!

I think for my own mental well-being, I really need to get going on the nursery, buying baby gear, and all that jazz! I had another baby dream last night. I had the baby on April 8, one month early! And for some reason I had it at home, I guess we couldn't make it to the hospital because it was so sudden. It was a boy!! Little Noah Ryan. (So now the dream count is all tied up, 2 girls, 2 boys.) Anyway, after he was born, I was so mad because I wanted to know how much he weighed! We decided that we should get him to a hospital to be checked out, but then we realized that we didn't have ANYTHING. A car seat, stroller, baby carrier, we hadn't done the nursery yet, anything! So I freaked out, sent Jeff to the store to pick up a car seat carrier thing, and I remember being so mad that I wasn't able to research which carrier to get and that Jeff was going to go randomly pick one out. Ha!

I think this was triggered because last night I went and delivered a meal to our friends Bobby and Terra, who had a baby a few weeks ago. We spent a few minutes in baby Joshua's nursery, and I got a little overwhelmed just looking around and seeing all the things I still have to buy and do to my own nursery! So all that was floating around my subconscious.

Jeff and I are headed out of town tonight to go to San Antonio. We're going to watch the Sooners play in the Big 12 Championship. It should be a lot of fun!

Kicking Spree

The baby went on a kicking spree yesterday. (I know, you're going to get tired of hearing about the baby kicking, but I never get sick of feeling it!) It was about 30 minutes after lunch. I was sitting back in my chair, getting back to work, when I felt a few thumps. Less than a minute later, I felt a few more! Keep that pattern going for about 10 minutes and that's what I felt! It was awesome! The most I had ever felt it was about 3 thumps and out... But this just went on and on! I loved it. A few minor thumps today, but not much.

I'm getting a haircut today after work. Still not sure what I want to do. I'm enjoying letting my hair get a little longer, but the ends are so damaged they need to be cut off. So I think I'll just have her cut off the bare minimum and re-trim the bangs. All I know is that a ponytail will be a MUST come May!

I got shipment notification for the Canon Digital Rebel camera I bought this weekend. It was sent UPS, signature required, and guess when it's coming? Friday. That figures. So I don't know what to do. If I'm not home, it'll be sent to the shipping center in Mesquite for me to come pick up, and I won't have it in time for this weekend when we go to San Antonio. I'd love to play with it a bit this weekend! But there's this thing called WORK I generally have to do on weekdays. Maybe I'll see if my boss will let me work from home that day, it would be very helpful! I want my camera! Get ready to be bombarded by pictures once I get that thing!

16 Weeks!

Up another week to 16 weeks! It is flying by so quickly.


It doesn't look like I'm sticking out any further this week, but I think I'm starting to look a little more rounded! I also had my dad take this picture, and it was at my parents' house, so it was taken from a different angle, different position, etc, so that may be why I look a little different.

I'm feeling movement almost every day now. It has been so great. It is still just the slightest of thumps, but it keeps happening in the same spot and with too much frequency to be my body doing it. This morning I was eating a strawberry smoothie. About 10 minutes into the smoothie, I started feeling some bumps! Can you say sugar rush??? :) My books say the baby is about the size of a softball right now. I can't believe how huge that is!

We spent Thanksgiving with my family this year. I love the years we're with my family, and I get to eat all the old traditional dishes I grew up with in Minnesota. I think I alone must have eaten about a pound of Wild Rice! Yum.

On Friday we drove up to Oklahoma to go to the OU/OSU football game with Jeff's family on Saturday. While we were there, the Blairs had us all gather up, dress in our OU gear, and take a family picture. Isn't Bailey so cute???



On our way home from Oklahoma, we passed by a really bad wreck. As we were driving by, we saw them loading a body bag into the Coroner's van. So sad. Jeff and I were reflecting on how we made two stops in Duncan before we left town... If we hadn't made those stops, who knows how much closer we could have been to that accident. We are very thankful for God's protection.

Jeff is now at an in-town conference until Wednesday. While it's in-town, it's still far enough away from home that he is staying there, so I'm home alone until then! (Poor thing Jeff will be staying for free at the Dallas Four Seasons. hmph!) I don't know what I'm going to do with myself!!! I guess turn the heat up, put on some comfy clothes, go rent some chick flicks and cuddle up with Bailey to watch them!

Anxiety!

I don't know where all this anxiety in my life is coming from, but it's coming out in my dreams!

On Monday night I had a dream. In the dream, Jeff and I woke up very early, for a scheduled induction and possible c-section. (Let's hope that's not a glimpse of the future!) As we were headed out the door, I panicked and realized that I had never packed a hospital bag! All the stuff I wanted to have raced through my head, and realized I wouldn't have time for any of it. Clothes to wear, makeup, the baby's coming home outfit, etc! I grabbed my red Vera Bradley Duffel bag and all I had time to grab was a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. Out the door we went, then I woke up.

Weird. SO apparently I'm going to pack my bag early to make sure that doesn't happen! haha. I'm not feeling particularly anxious about anything lately, but apparently I have issues somewhere that come out in my dreams! :)

15 Weeks and Movement?

Other than the sad news about Becky, I had a great weekend!

It started out on Friday, with me reaching 15 weeks! Here's my picture. I'm definitely on my way!


It's so fun! I love having a little baby belly out front!!

On Friday night, my friend Lauren and I went to the Nickel Creek concert at the House of Blues. It was awesome, I think they only have 3 or 4 concerts left now... It's so sad! They are all so incredibly talented. I'm sure they'll do great in their solo careers, but I like them together! We were probably less than 30 feet from them, I loved it. I could see every expression on each of their faces! Chris is very funny and kept us laughing. I snapped a picture with my cell phone... It's not the highest quality, but what do you expect out of a 4 year old phone! (Yeah, a new phone is on my list of things to buy.)


They played most of my favorite Nickel Creek songs, so it was fun to hear them in person. There were a few others I would have loved to hear, but isn't that how every concert goes?

Saturday was nice, among intermittent crying. It had been a long time since we'd had a weekend where we could just stay home and relax. We got some housework and laundry done, and watched a lot of college football. I got a good start on cleaning out the Nursery. It's going to take a lot more work, but hopefully I can force myself to keep chipping away at it. I got the closet cleaned out, and probably about 1/4 of the room. So I actually have some clothes hanging up in the closet now! It won't be too long before we have to register and think about buying furniture. Eek. Probably first thing after Christmas.

Saturday night I was laying down on the couch, watching the OU game. (Let's not talk about that...) But then suddenly I felt some... activity over the span of a minute or so. It felt like a muscle twitch inside, hard to explain. I felt it about 4 times, then it was done. The consensus from my mommy group online is that it was probably the baby! They all said that's exactly what they would explain their first flutters as. So that is very exciting! Every once in a while I think I might feel another thump similar to that, so hopefully these will become all the more frequent. It is so amazing!

Very Sad Today

I'm walking through the day today with a very heavy heart. I learned this morning that one of my friends passed away Thursday night.

I didn't know Becky Mello in real life, but we have been part of the same internet Message Board for nearly 2 years. After daily interaction like that, whether you know them "in person" or not, you still KNOW them. She was always there making me smile when I was having a bad day, offering advice about my pregnancy and baby, and sharing her struggles with us as well. She was a beautiful wife, mother, and friend.

She posted on our message board on Thursday evening about a 105 degree fever & throwing up she had. She told us that because her spleen had been removed, she was at higher risk for danger associated with several illnesses. She had taken some advil and gotten her fever down to 103 and she was in "better spirits," and was wondering if she should go to the ER to be checked out. Those who were online at the time urged her to go in and get it checked out. That was the last we heard from her.

She did go to the hospital, her husband took her that night. One of the girls talked to him, and relayed this. "At the hospital the fever broke and they did a ton of tests. They did a spinal tap for menengitis and that was clear. She passed out in one of the rooms they were doing some test in. (I can't remember what) Then somehow the infection /virus made itself known. They gave her antibiotics to treat Mengococcal Septis. (a common bacteria that only people who don't have spleens can get very sick from) He told me that she had gotten immunized for it and everything, because they know it can happen easily to people without spleens. He said they always monitor people without them when they get bad fevers to try and prevent this. He said she went 'out' and they tried reviving her for 1 1/2 hours. But....unsuccessfully, and she died. "

She leaves behind a darling daughter Cecilia, who will turn 3 in a few weeks, and a sweet 3 month old daughter, Natalie.



It makes me so sad to think that Cecilia isn't going to understand why her mommy isn't coming home. Natalie will never know her mom who loved her so much, and went through so many scares at the end of her pregnancy, how she sat by her during the NICU stay, and rejoiced the day they brought her home. I can't imagine what her poor husband is trying to deal with right now. His girls still need to be taken care of. Life can't stop.

My heart is just heavy. It's so weird to log on to the message board posts and see her words there, and know she will never post again. She was taken way too young. We will miss you, Becky.

Ann Taylor Loft Shoppers

I got an email from Ann Taylor loft with a coupon for 25% off all your purchases this weekend! Follow this link to print the coupon for yourself:

AT Link

Valid in stores and online! You're not allowed to go to Northpark Mall in Dallas before me and buy up all the maternity clothes! :)