Gotta get back in the Game!

My blogging has been nonexistent apparently.

I stink.

I will try to do better.

Promise!

Things have been wild and crazy lately. Some for the good, some for the bad.

Been trying desperately to finish unpacking our house. Our bedroom has been piled up with boxes in the corner, the baby's room had become the dumping ground for anything we didn't know exactly where it should go yet, and we've had random boxes stuck here and there and everywhere.We finally  managed to finish unpacking our bedroom. Well...I finished at least. My husband has a small stack of 3 boxes that he still needs to go through. And we completely cleared out the baby's room. YAY! Finally. I'm only 27 1/2 weeks now. I told my husband that I'd really like to be done with unpacking and getting the baby's room ready by July 4th. So if I don't feel well and want to sleep when I get home everyday, I can. Guilt free. Cause this gal isn't getting any smaller anytime soon. I feel so huge and bloated and gross and fat. Not to mentioned tired.

It's amazing how different 2 pregnancies can be. With my first, hardly any weight gain, no morning sickness, no heartburn, no swelling. Beautiful pregnancy. Was full of energy, felt great, looked great. This time...not so lucky. And y'all I'm not normally a complainer, but lately I've felt like one. Maybe even a whiner. I don't mean to be. I swear. I'm just so tired. And I'm sick of throwing up - 3rd trimester sickness just kicked in. Heartburn galore. I'm just frankly ready for it to be over with. It's all worth it - 10,000,000 %, but I'd rather have my baby in my arms than be pregnant (this pregnancy) anymore.

We been so wonderfully blessed. We still have to paint the baby's room, but in the meantime...I've been Craigslist shopping. And man! Have I found some deals! Found a matching cherry crib, dresser, and changing table for $155. And she threw in a Boppy and a cute crib set. It has flowers and ladybugs on it. It is so cute. Then on another Craigslist run I got a whole lot of 6 items for $100. A bumbo seat, a door swing, a bouncy rocking chair, a snugli, a carseat, and a little tub. Awesome!

Then, last night, was starving, but Wednesday night's my women's group from church. So I swing through McDonald's (I know, horrible!), and get a cheeseburger and fries. I'm so hungry that I eat the cheeseburger on the way to her house, but decide they'll just have to forgive me for eating my fries in front of them. I get there, knock on the door, and no one answers. So I open the door just a tad and yell hello, but no one answers. So I push the door open all the way, and all my lady friends jump out and yell "SURPRISE!". Surprise baby shower for me! Awwww! So sweet. It was awesome. They had cooked. We had BBQ ribs, potato salad, spinach salad, baked beans and cake. (So sorry I ate a cheeseburger at this point, but I had some of it all anyway.) At this point, I'm so full of food and baby that I can barely breathe. Then we play some games and I get to open a bunch of wonderful gifts. Wonderful night! I don't know that I've ever had a surprise party before...It was amazing.

My brain's all over the place, trying to remember what I wrote about last, what I need to cover...

Had a doc's appointment yesterday morning too. Glucose test and sonogram rolled into one. Drank the glucose stuff and got my blood drawn. Then they did a sonogram to see if the Placenta Previa had corrected itself or if we were going to have to schedule a c-section early. Awesome news! No c-section! I can deliver naturally. YAY! Of course, I will have an epidural this time. (Once without drugs was more than enough...been there, done that, don't ever want to do that again) Pain free sounds much better.

I'm 27 weeks and 4 days. 12 1/2 weeks to go...

Oh, and the sonogram yesterday showed a full head of hair. The lady said she'd never seen that much hair at 27 weeks. So we're going to have a baby with some long, lovely locks it seems. How cute!

Sorry for such a short blog, but I'm going to do better and keep you up-to-date.

Thursday Schmursday

I have been a totally slacker blogger. I haven't written in forever it seems.

Soooo...let me catch you up...

Pregnancy
I'm now 21 1/2 weeks pregnant. I weigh exactly 1 lb. less than I did before I found out I was pregnant. So 'way to go' on not gaining a million pounds. Let's see if I can keep that up! At my beginning pregnancy weight, I read that I should aim to not gain more than 10 pounds total, so I'm doing good so far. I have been eating pretty horribly though. I'm scared if I keep this up, I will not keep the same momentum I have going on much longer. I just crave sweets, candy, etc. It's like they are calling my name.

I'm still tired all the time. My little body-hijacker is draining the life out of me. But that's OK. I'll deal. I know it will be so worth it in the end.

I know this may sound crazy, but there are days when this all doesn't seem real. That I'm not actually pregnant. That I'm really just fat and tired. I keep trying to remind myself that it's oh-so-very real and we'll be having a crying, pooping baby here very soon.

I have placenta previa. And initially after doing some research figured my chances of it going away were pretty good. Then my doctor called me in and basically scared the crap out of me. He told me basically no more physical activity, especially of the fun kind. And that he would monitor me really close for 8 weeks and then decide if he wanted to take her early. So we wait...

House
Finally getting some unpacking done at the house. We decided to have a NO-TV night this past Friday and got so much done, that we've managed to have several more since then and gotten tons done. Our house is finally coming together. YAY! Now if we can just get the baby's room done, we can start collecting baby stuff.

Church
I got re-dunked (re-baptized) recently at my church. I was baptized when I was 6 and although at the time I knew what I was doing and made a conscious decision, now that I'm older and more mature, my understanding is different. I felt it was necessary to rededicate my life and a profession my Christian faith.

Randomness
I've finally gotten used to wearing my seat belt. That doesn't mean I like it, but I'm doing it. And it makes my husband happier.

Funerals suck. I realize that everyone dies and that we are all going to die, but I have seriously seen my fair share of death and funerals. I'm done. I need a break from death. Everyone must stay alive until further notice.

I've gotten very fed up with my job recently. Just plain sick of it. I don't know what to do to get over it. And I want to, really. I live right outside of Savannah. If I get another job, chances are it would be in Savannah and then I would have to deal with traffic every day. I like working in the same county our kids go to school in, not dealing with traffic, I'm off at 3:45 everyday. It's just the politics and bull-hockey, I'm so sick of it. I have literally done the same research at least 8 times that I can prove, to be able to make a substantial purchase justifiable. Basically we have this software that 40 people need to use on a daily basis and we have 18 licenses to use it. So I waste at least 1-2 hours a day releasing licenses per request. I seriously have better things to do. I've done my part - at least 8 times just justify purchasing more licenses, but they just shelf it until it comes up again and want me to write down how many times I get called everyday for licenses and such. I don't have time! It's ridiculous! OK...Ima quit whining now. Most people don't like their jobs...I'll just have to get over it.

Guess that it's for now. Have a great day!

Weekend recap and the Tuesday Blues

Today is a very sad day.

I just lost my second mom, Linda. She basically adopted me into her family 8 years ago when I met her daughter and we quickly became friends. Her daughter Christina and I were super close, and tragically a little over a year ago, she decided to take her own life. Christina had developed a mental illness that made her fear getting in a car, or basically going anywhere at all. Through Christina's illness, I became really close with her family. I call both of her parents, Mom and Dad. Her mom mothers me, just like my own does. I just recently saw the whole family Easter weekend when my "brother" Robby got married. She told me that she wanted to come see our new house when we got it all unpacked. She was always so happy and smiling, and loved everyone dearly. Between losing both of them, I'm devastated. My heart aches. I hurt for the family too. In the last few years, they have lost Linda's father-in-law, Linda's mother (MeeMa), Christina, and now Mama too. I'm sure her husband Ronnie is devastated. They were still in love after 30 something years of marriage. They had the marriage that everyone hopes and dreams of on their wedding day. I can only pray that my husband and I will still be so in love 30 years from now.

I'm trying to stay busy and occupied so I don't think about it too much, so I'll catch you all up on the last little bit of my life since I haven't been posting like a good little blogger should.

I'm still tired. Apparently that's not changing. So needless to say...no unpacking has happened at my house. None. Living in madness. Still.

We did get to get out of town for the weekend. Joe's cousin got married in Birmingham, AL. I don't recall ever having been there. It was a nice little drive. Little hard on the pregger's back. But nothing I can't handle.

Here's a few shots from the wedding. Please excuse the quality, my phone stinks and my camera is lost amidst the mountain of boxes we have yet to go through.

The last one, as Joe's mom took it, Joe felt our little girl kick him for the first time. He teared up a little after this shot. It was really sweet and cute.

Then we saw this tractor being hauled on the way home. I think this is probably one of the funniest things I've seen on the road. Joe and I had some good laughs on this one!

Then my loving husband indulged his wife some more. I love waterfalls and although it was raining, he stopped at High Falls and helped me get some great pics!

Thursday Schmursday

I'm still here.
I know I haven't been posting like I used to.
I'm exhausted.
I was praying for some reprieve with the second trimester, but that's not happening apparently.
So basically all I want to do is sleep.
Only...

AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT!

I work full-time. I'm married. We have 2 kids at home, and 1 MIA most of the time (teenager), and 1 on the way. We have a house to keep clean, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking...I could go on...but you get the idea. It's life. It doesn't stop. For anyone. Especially me. And we still have an enormous mountain of boxes that just doesn't seem to be getting any smaller.

I've resorted to crawling under my desk at lunch...just to get a little nap. Sad. I know. But it's all I got. Unfortunately, I scared the crap out of someone yesterday who was bringing me their personal computer to look at and was going to leave it on my desk only to find me under it. She screamed. Then was worried something was wrong...pregnant woman lying on the floor...I'm sure it's not a pretty picture.

I'm thinking I need to start walking again. But just finding the energy to get out there and do it is going to be a challenge. I need motivation fairies. If anyone has any...send them my way!

Today is my Friday!

I am so terribly excited about having a 3 day weekend! You'd think it was Christmas!

Been a long time since I've posted. I'm still alive. I promise! Just super busy and extremely tired.

We're all moved thanks to a bunch of wonderful people. Here are some pics from moving day:

These wonderful people helped us finish packing and helped us get it all moved. When the line of trucks, trailers, and cars pulled out of our old house headed to the new, I started crying. I wish I could have gotten a picture of that convoy. We are so truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives! The guys are all from my husband's small group. The men and a few of their wives helped us get it all moved and packed and then the women in my women's group provided food for all these wonderful people. 

We've still got to get a few rooms unpacked, but we're slowly getting there. 

We've got a 3 day weekend this weekend, so hopefully we can get a few more things unpacked this weekend. 

Everyone have a blessed and Happy Easter! 

Insurmountable Boxes and Surprising News

I haven't posted in forever it seems.

Lots has been going on.

I got put on 2 days of bed rest last week. Apparently I got super dehydrated and in combination with a little too much caffeine, was having contractions. I know you're not "supposed" to drink caffeine when you're pregnant, but no one ever told me why. Now I know. I spent Thursday afternoon and all day Friday in bed.

Then Saturday comes. We are moving, only I've been in bed for 2 days, so I never finished packing. So there are a bunch of people heading to our house to help us move and I haven't even finished packing yet. Panic sets in. I get up at 6 and just start throwing things in boxes. But packing gets a little crazy when you can't pick up the boxes and move them out of the way. Needless to say, once they got the packed boxes and furniture out, I had a big huge mess. I was exhausted an tired, so the guys helped my husband get all packed up and I tried to relax. But relaxing is hard when you know that eventually you are going to want to shower and you don't know where your shower stuff is or where your towels are. That you don't know which box your clothes are in. That you don't know where basically anything is. So basically, relaxing is out of the question.

We've been trying to unpack for days now...it seems for every box I unpack, 2 more pop up from nowhere. ARGH!

I do have some really great news! We haven't really told anyone yet but our immediate family, but the results from my Materni21 test came back. All the tests were negative for any chromosome defects and....

I'm so excited. But really skeptical. The test is supposed to have a 99 % accuracy, but...I'm holding out until our next ultrasound to verify for sure. The other part of me is doing that little dance in my head! Woohoo! I'm so excited!!!

Hopefully, I'll get some more boxes unpacked this week and can get back on schedule with my blogging.

Wonderous Wednesday!

I know I'm way behind on posting. Been a crazy few weeks.

I have been having heart palpitations and been extremely tired and when I went to my first baby appointment the P.A. noticed an irregular heartbeat. So I have to go to the heart doctor twice. Once for an EKG and initial consultation and another time for an echo-cardiogram. Just got the results back yesterday and everything is normal. Whew! The doctor said that a woman when pregnant pumps 25% more blood through her body to compensate for the baby. Didn't know that. That's a lot. He also told me that I was too old to be pregnant. Wow! Thanks crazy guy. I'm 35. My grandmother was in her late 40s when she gave birth to my dad. I'm NOT too old. That's just craziness and rude.

Today we went for the first trimester test. They measure the skin on the neck of the baby to determine whether or not there are indications of down syndrome. Everything measured all good. So no indications of down syndrome. They also have a new test they started last year to take the place of amniocentesis, call Materniti21. It does all the chromosome tests and genetic stuff, but instead of having to draw amniotic fluid and poking a hole in the sac, they can run tests on my blood and tell with 92-99% accuracy depending on the test. How cool! So no risk for the baby and more accuracy than amnio. Awesome! I'm down. Also, because they are looking at the baby's chromosomes, they can determine the sex early. I'll know what the baby is in 10 business days instead of having to wait until April 29th for the 20 weeks sonogram. YAY! I'm so excited.

Here's our little nugget:

Look at that face! So beautiful! They tried to do the 4D, but she said that at 12 weeks the baby was so tiny it was hard to get a good picture in 4D. But the baby was kicking and squirming and touching it's face. It was so beautiful! And so weird to see so much movement and not feel anything yet. But I know it's coming. That's an active little critter in there.

I'm doing good about not eating everything in sight, although I want to. I've actually managed to lose 2 lbs since I've found out I'm pregnant. Can't tell from my clothes though. There is a belly protruding for sure. With me already being overweight, I've read that I should try to only gain 10 lbs. And everything I've read says to only increase your caloric intake by 300 calories for the baby. That actually isn't a whole lot of calories. If you eat an oatmeal Debbie cake, there's your 300 calories. LOL.

So....we're closing on our new house Friday! So excited and nervous at the same time. Ready to get moving over with though. I've been trying to go ahead and pack everything up, but it's not looking good. We've only managed to get half the house packed up. We're actually not moving until the 16th, but I'm still so tired. I don't see me getting it done without help. We are hoping to use the next week to get the new house cleaned up and painted before we move the next weekend. I'm hoping maybe that some of the guys from my husband's mens group will volunteer to help us Sunday, since we all go to church together on Saturdays. But I also feel like that might be a little much, since his mens group will be the one's moving us the next weekend. But we'll see how it all works out. God is wonderful and he has a way of working these things out.

So good news all the way around! Just got to get the papers signed on the house and get to moving. I'm in good health and the baby is all good. Can't wait to get the test results back though! So excited!