Wednesday, June 30, 2010
A Celebration, a Name, and a Giveaway!
Posted by Katy at 9:52 PM 6 comments
Week 20- A Banana & Week 21- A Carrot
Week 20 - June 22nd, 2010
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurementsare taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)
Milestones This Week
-Sonogram said we are having a healthy and very active baby girl!!!
-Felt the first longterm movement that lasted more than a few seconds. It was amazing!
-Got my first (and hopefully only) stomach bug during pregnancy. It wasn't a fun day. My doctor said that several of her patients have been coming down with it.
Week 21 - June 29th, 2010
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long —the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.
Milestones This Week
-Had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and we received an explanation of the sonogram results and other testing results. A birth defect that runs in my family is the cleft lip and palate. We had some screenings run since it is hereditary. It can require seeing a specialist during pregnancy and that one is available during birth. According to the sonogram and testing everything is perfect! We are so happy! I would've loved my little girl just as much but I would've wanted to make sure she had the best available treatments and care before and after birth. Now obviously no testing is 100% accurate but it is still such wonderful news!
-I feel her kick a lot at night time now. The closest thing I can compare it to is gas bubbles...lol.
-I can see the outline of my uterus popping out on my naked stomach now. It is slowly making my two spare tires turn into one big belly and my belly button looks different.
-I decided on a bedding set for her room this week. You'll see it in a post soon.
Well now it is time to get on with my giveaway post! See y'all soon!
Posted by Katy at 8:51 PM 1 comments
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Baby 2010
Whoops...
With all of the excite of the sonogram last week...I completely forgot my weekly baby update post. Then this week we have been in the actual carpet installing process. Every single piece of furniture, knick knack, clothing, etc...is sitting in my living room. See?
I've been working on my giveaway post and it will up this evening. I'm going to post a combined weekly update for weeks 20 and 21 and then you will find the giveaway post!
Posted by Katy at 8:08 PM 0 comments
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Random
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
I can already tell...
Posted by Katy at 10:43 PM 2 comments
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Baby 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Boy or Girl?
Tomorrow is the big day! The day we find out if our future is full of snips, snails, and puppy dog tails or of sugar, spice, and everything nice! That is...if our little boy or girl will cooperate tomorrow. I certainly hope that he/she will. I'm anxious...hoping that everything will go ok. I worry about this baby all of the time. Am I eating enough vegetables? Drinking enough water? I still tend to wake up and find myself sleeping halfway on my stomach and I worry if I've squished it! My mom says the worry is just getting started. I know she is right and I would trade it for the world. Kevin is absolutely glowing today. He has been talking about tomorrow's scan all day long. It just swells my heart to see him so happy. I worry about Kevin too. He works all the time...very rarely gets home before 7 pm. Then he starts his homework. Last night I got up to go to the bathroom at 5 am and he was still in the office typing away. I worry how the lack of sleep is affecting his health and then I worry about him driving and running his equipment while exhausted. I will be so happy when this summer semester is over on July 7th. He is only taking 1 class next month so it should a little easier and then he will be completely finished with his associates degree! I'm so proud of him but I don't want him to kill himself trying to accomplish it. We don't really have any immediate plans for his degree but it feels so good to know he will have it.
I hope I can sleep tonight between the excitement of tomorrow and the fact that I've been tossing and turning for the last several nights. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can make myself sleep on my side? I bought a snoogle pillow which sorta works but I get so hot with it on and usually have to take it off of the bed after a few hours. I hope I'm not squishing our poor child!
I hope everyone had a great Father's day weekend! Kevin did receive a card and a TomTom for his first Fathers day. I had been looking to replace his TomTom that was stolen and found a good sale last week. He spent the entire day at home working on homework except for a few hours when he went to check on jobs for work so I can't say it was really a fun day but I hope he was happy.
Well here is your chance to register a guess on the gender of Baby J! Leave a comment telling me what your guess is! My appointment isn't until tomorrow afternoon so I may not be able to get on here until late tomorrow evening. I've received my items I ordered in the mail so as soon I get a chance I will be hosting my first giveaway! Maybe I'll make the giveaway retroactive and pick a random name from among the guesses!
Posted by Katy at 9:42 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Trinkets By Lindsay
One of the high points of this week was that I won a fantastic contest! I've been reading the blog of a sweet girl named Lindsey for over a year now. She has the cutest little boys and is a fantastic mom. I've really enjoyed reading about their life and chatting with her from time to time. I was initially drawn to her blog because she is such a genuinely kind person in her posts but then I realized that we have something else in common. She actually works in the main office of the career and technology teacher organization that hosts conferences I attend. I was quite surprised when I received a conference update email from her at school one day! The director of my department at school is also the president of the organization this year. Lindsey just recently got the opportunity to become a work from home mom and I'm so jealous! She was a fabulous working mom who always seemed to be able to juggle everything and now she is an awesome work at home mom. I hope that someday I will manage to be a great mom like her. Lindsey hosted a giveaway for her 2 year blogoversary. I won the most adorable necklace. It is from a store based in Lubbock. I get to choose what style I want and what I want the personalization to say. Lindsey is graciously allowing me to wait until our sonogram next week before I make my final decision. Thank you so much Lindsey! I'm so excited!
PS: Lindsey's generosity has inspired me to host my own giveaways in the next few weeks. A late celebration of my 2 year blogoversary that was in May. I have already ordered the prizes so keep you're eyes out for the giveaways!
Posted by Katy at 9:15 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
19 Weeks-A Large Heirloom Tomato
19 Weeks
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.
My Week
-On last Wednesday night the baby decided to do gymnastics or something in my stomach. I was sitting on the couch watching a little TV before bed when the baby started rolling around and fairly quickly positioned itself directly above my right hip bone. It was the weirdest and most awkward feeling but didn't really hurt. You could actually run your hand across my low stomach (the baby is always REALLY low) and feel the hard knot on my right side. It made it a little weird to walk and lay down but I tried. I finally got out the fetal doppler and was able to find the baby's heartbeat right on top of the knot. It's BPM was as speedy as ever hanging out around 150-156. It is always around that rate. It was pretty neat.
-I feel the baby rolling around more. After that first acrobatics session on wednesday I can feel it more easily. It is still sporadic.
-I've been busy working on our house this week. We're having new carpet installed in the next few weeks so I'm getting organized.
-I have chosen a crib bedding set for each gender. They are just adorable. I cannot wait to find out what we're having! The girl's bedding I chose is very surprising because it is not at ALL what I thought I would choose. The first words out of Kevin's mouth when I showed him were, "Wow! I assumed it would be purple!" Put it this way...it is not purple. There is a store in town that carries both beddings and I'm going to go look at them in person this week.
-We had a big surprise arrive this week. It was the baby's bedroom furniture! It actually arrived 6-8 weeks sooner than we expected. I've been peeking at baby furniture for a very long time so I had a general idea of what I wanted. I knew I wanted a convertible crib in a medium wood finish. Not light pine but not dark cherry. I also wanted the final larger bed to look more like a true headboard/footboard instead of crib rails.
I've looked at Target, Walmart, and even a furniture store in town but everything seemed low quality. (Remember that my town has very small selections of baby items.) A friend recommended I look at JCPenney online. They got their crib from there and it was the best quality one they had been able to find. I spotted a crib I loved almost immediately after we found out about the baby and have been checking in on it every few days for the last 2 months. It went on sale over a month ago and I noticed it but since we're not even close to needing it yet I wasn't worried about it. Two days later it went back off sale and was priced higher than it had been originally! I was so mad! Weeks went by and finally it went back on sale and this time it was at an even better price AND I had a coupon to take 15% off of my entire purchase. The price has since gone back up again! Kevin and I talked it over and decided to go ahead and make the purchase during the sale using the coupon.
Since school will be starting off at a rapid pace in August and will be nonstop until the baby is here we want to get as much preparing done as possible before school starts. The website said it would take 6-8 weeks to arrive making us get it just in time before school starts. Well it took a week! And since we weren't expecting it...its new home is the garage for the time being. My Tahoe has been kicked to the curb until the furniture can move inside (which probably won't be for multiple weeks.) I was worried about getting things too early but my mom said it was time to start preparing since we find out the gender next week. I'm still debating which room (larger guest room or smaller office) will become the nursery. So many decisions! Ah! I hate making decisions! These are kind of fun decisions though... :)
Posted by Katy at 8:44 PM 0 comments
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Baby 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
A Funk
I am in such a blogging funk! Each time I sit down to blog...I'm completely stumped as what to write. Except for baby news (which is fantastic), there isn't really a whole lot going on around here. If I'm not at my parent's new house helping my mom get things settled then I'm at home cleaning out junk. (I have a stack of textbooks as tall as my leg that the college bookstore wouldn't buy back! We will be having a garage sale sometime this summer.) I usually blog while Kevin and I watch DVR'd shows in the evenings but Kevin is so busy with work and summer classes that we haven't had time to watch anything. Our DVR is getting very full!
Kevin will complete his college classes on the day that I have to report back to school for work so we won't really have any down time together this summer. We're hoping to take a mini trip in between the 1st and 2nd summer semesters but we'll just have to see because I have to be in Dallas for a conference the day after. I would really like the chance to go to Midland sometime soon. We like the drive-in movie theater and I would like to go to Summer Mummers with a few of my friends. I also believe that there is a Babies R Us there. Hopefully we can make a day trip or weekend trip sometime soon.
We still haven't decided what to do about our house. Most likely we will refinance and use some equity to remodel the kitchen or back porch but I'm just not sure. I haven't seen any houses on the market that are nice enough to make me want to sell my current home. We are having new carpet installed in the bedrooms in the next week or two. That will mean that we have replaced the flooring in the entire house. Carpet in the bedrooms and tile everywhere else. When the desk and bookshelves come out of the office for the install, they will not be going back in there. This is because that room will begin to become a nursery! I have to get a lot of stuff packed, thrown out, or organized soon.
My blog never really has had a theme besides online diary. Oh well...maybe I will think of something else more interesting to blog about someday. For now I think I'm going to go swimming at my brother's house. I hope everyone is having a fantastic day!
Posted by Katy at 9:05 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
18 Weeks-A Bell Pepper
18 Weeks
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.
My Week
-has been exhausting...and I'm not really doing that much work. We've been helping my parents move. They won't actually let me help move anything but I've been packing boxes and unpacking boxes. They are officially out of their old house and into their new house. The new house is getting paint and carpet though so they are far from being all moved in. Of course the temperature outside has been over 100 degrees the majority this week...ugh.
-18 week OB appointment was today! Everything is going fantastic! My blood pressure was great and the baby's heartbeat was loud and clear in the 150 bpm range. I've been told to drink even more water since it has been so hot outside this week! I did gain a few pounds this month but my doctor is thrilled with total gain so far. I lost several pounds when I was so sick so I'm now about 1 pound above my pre-pregnancy weight.
-I still cannot get enough fresh fruit to satisfy me. I could eat japanese steak house hibachi cooking everyday but my wallet wouldn't stand for that. I adore grilled/sauteed zucchini. I cannot get enough of the macaroni & cheese from Logan's roadhouse. It is the BEST!
-My stomach is really bothering me. It is tight and sore constantly. It feels like I've eaten 10 double cheeseburgers even though all I had was 1 burrito. I'm guessing it is stretching pains but it just seems unbelievable. If it is this bad at 18 weeks...what will it be like when I get farther along? I've always been aware of my belly fat but I have never really felt it when I walk. I actually feel it pulling now when I walk or lay on my side. I'm guessing this is because the muscles are so sore. I sometimes wish I had some kind of corset that would pull it up and hold it tight so it didn't hurt. lol
-My regular clothes have officially become to tight to wear all day. They are tolerable for short periods of time but no more than an hour or so. I currently own 1 pair of maternity jeans that still fall down when I walk. Dressing each morning is becoming a huge pain. I guess it is time to buy some more pants. I'm going to start by looking for capris.
-Milestone of the Week! Last night on Monday, June 8th, 2010 (at 17 weeks & 5 days) I felt my first definite movement from our little one!!! I don't know if it was a kick...it was more like a whoosh in the very low bottom right corner of my stomach. I was driving home from my mom's new house when I felt something weird as I turned a corner. It startled me and I thought..."hmm...what's that?" About 10 seconds later, I very distinctly feel the exact same thing again! That is when I realized what it was! I was so excited that I started talking to the baby saying things like "Good Job! I'm listening! I'm listening!" lol I immediately called Kevin and then my mom. I haven't felt anything since but my doctor said that at this point it may not happen everyday.
-I've been having some crazy dreams this week. Thank goodness that so far it hasn't been anything that made me wake up mad or crying. Let's hope that it stays that way.
Posted by Katy at 8:10 PM 2 comments
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Baby 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Door A, B, or C???
I hate tough decisions! I really wish I didn't have to make them. Life would be so much less stressful if someone else told me what to do. Now I realize that this is not actually feasible and wouldn't be much of a life but it sure sounds nice.
Kevin and I have been trying to make a decision about our house. When got a very good deal when we purchased our home so it has increased in value substantially. We have quite a bit of equity in our home. Interest rates are very low right now. Much lower than the rate we have so we're debating a few options. Four to be exact...A. refinance our remaining balance for 30 years decreasing our interest rate by 1.5% and lowering our payment by over $100. This saves $34,000 in interest over the life of the loan. B. refinance our remaining balance for 15 years decreasing our rate by 1.75% and raising our payment $81. Choice A and B have almost no refinancing fees. This saves just under $80,000 in interest over the life of the loan. C. refinancing with a home equity loan. It would lower the rate but increase our loan amount and give us a nice amount of cash to remodel our kitchen, add a desk area, and possibly covered back porch. This option will increase our loan but give us the exact same payment as we currently make. Our loan would still be well below a possible sale price for our home. This choice requires substantial closing costs. D. We could put our house for sale and put the equity down on a new home on the other side of town. For this option minus the down payment, we would be financing about $25,000-$30,000 more than our current home loan.
Option D has it's pros and cons. Pros: More square footage. Closer to everything including shopping, restaurants, entertainment, my brother and parent's new home. The best schools in town, nicer neighborhoods, growing home values. Cons: Higher taxes. We would almost have to double our current purchase price to find what we want and it might not have as nice finishes as the improvements we have made in our current home. We currently live on just over a half an acre lot in what many call a "retirement" neighborhood. On the other side of town we would be looking at half as much room at the absolute best-this is good and bad...less mowing...less parking...). I really do like my home but my biggest complaint that cannot be remedied is the size of the tiny current office/future nursery (9' 7'' X 10' 4'') and it's closet. It is "landlocked" by the design of our house and cannot be made bigger.
I could go on for days debating pros and cons but there doesn't seem to a clear choice. Part of me wants to keep our loan as low as possible for the slim hope that I might someday be able to stay at home with our baby but the other side of me says that I will have to work forever anyway because we need insurance and I should just give in and get a bigger home that I could enjoy. Every night when I pray for our baby, I also pray for god's guidance. I do not feel one clear path to any choice which makes me want to just not do anything. If we sit and do nothing then we may have missed a fantastic chance with low rates. Like I said...I hate hard decisions...sometimes knowing so much about financing due to my business degree feels more like a curse than a blessing. I think writing my thoughts down has helped me sort my thoughts a little but I'm not really any closer to a decision. Any suggestions? Hmmm...well until we meet again...
Posted by Katy at 8:31 PM 0 comments
17 Weeks-A Turnip
Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outbursts). Your baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration to the front of his or her head) are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. And since practice makes perfect, your baby is sharpening his or her sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first (and second…and third) suckle at your breast or bottle. In fact, most of the survival reflexes that your baby will have at birth are being perfected in utero right now.
My Week
-Has been fabulous! Last day of school was Friday. I have been relaxing ever since and did manage to do some laundry and the kitchen is clean...but that is about it.
-Constant stretching in my stomach hasn't gone away. It doesn't really hurt...just annoying.
-We had a very low-key Memorial Day weekend. Kevin had to work for a while each day and I just was lazy around the house.
-We have been trying to make some tough decisions lately. I'll go into more detail in my next post.
-It is about 3 weeks until our next sonogram and I am getting more and more anxious!!! I cannot wait to see our little one again!
-Question...when is it time to start getting ready for the baby's arrival? I need to have the bulk of my preparing done before school starts in August but it seems like I'm jumping the gun.
-I'm starting a MAJOR spring/summer cleaning project this week. I'm am purging at a ridiculous rate. Kevin and I have been married for 7 years without the need to make room for anyone else. It is time to make space...
-Kevin I had a meeting with a dietician and diabetes specialist today. It went really well! My PCOS, weight, and family history put me at risk for developing gestational diabetes. Up to this point all my blood work has been fabulous with perfect sugar levels and great blood pressure reading. This meeting was a preventative meeting. I was actually really surprised because apparently my eating habits while lacking vegetables (which I knew) fit very well into where I need to be. They gave me an Accu-check blood glucose monitor for free so I can test my levels periodically when I feel like it. If there is one day that I feel bad in particular I will be able to check and see if my blood sugar is reacting to what I have eaten. My levels were perfect again today. I have had my sugar checked before with a similar monitor by my mother and grandmother (it was her monitor). It was when I was much younger but I knew to expect the pinch of the needle. It might not get a lot of use but it is nice to have in case I want to check.
-One of the big changes that has been going on is coming to a close tomorrow...My parents close on their new house here in town! My parents sold their house a few weeks ago and tomorrow they get to begin moving into their new home. It is gorgeous! I can only dream that someday I'll be able to own a home like their new one. I will post a picture of the outside soon. I'm so happy for them...especially my mom. She has always wanted to have a house big enough to host family and now she is getting the big, beautiful house she deserves.
Posted by Katy at 7:27 PM 0 comments
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Baby 2010