25 weeks and growing!

Wow - its been a while and things are starting to change! I had my monthly appointment last week and all is well. My blood pressure is still good, Froggie's heart rate is still good, and the dr measured my belly this time for the first time. I'm around 24 cm and I still don't know what that means, but she didn't seem worried! I get to have the joy next month of taking the GD test, so I get to chug the sweet red liquid that she gave me, and get my blood drawn again. So I suppose that no new news is good news...right!?

As for the other changes, well, I'm finally showing a bit, and I did gain 10 pounds finally. Not that I'm really excited to add more weight to my already over extended skin, but it was nice to see that there was something growing inside, and its getting bigger! I'm still not into maternity clothes yet, and I'm not sure if I'll ever wear the pants, but I do like the occassional larger shirts and the dresses will come with the heat!

The even better news is that I finally started to feel Froggie move! I know, it should have happened a long time ago, but since we found out the placenta is in the front, I never thought much about it and quit trying to stress over it. Well one night I was just laying around (like usual) and I just thought, what if...and I pressed on my lower belly and woo hoo!! I felt something that I'd never felt before, so at that point I tried to feel it again to make sure I wasn't imagining it, and it took a little bit, but I did feel something again. So at that time I just assumed it was Froggie, becuase I'd never felt anything like that before, so what else could it be! Now that I know what I'm feeling, I feel it all the time...when I eat too much, when I'm hungry, when my pants are too tight, etc...Froggie is letting me know what's up - so they really do start running your lives at an early stage! Isaac hasn't felt Froggie yet, but I blame that on his really rough hands and they aren't very sensitive to the small movements, so he'll just have to wait until they are stronger and possibly even visible.

Enough about me, now for the fun stuff! I was able to get some baby stuff over Easter!! I stopped at my Grams house and she gave me a pack-n-play, and stroller, and a baby car seat!! I was able to get it home and set it up in the nursery room (that isn't finished, but is cleaned out!!). The pack-n-play is awesome! It is exactly what I'd been looking to buy, with the bassinet and changing table all built in, so we can leave it set up in the living room. Thanks Grams! The car seat has the base so I don't have to fiddle with anything but a latch and go. I just got all the pads and cushions off this last week and got them washed and all cleaned (oh yeah, with my new washer! - sorry had to through that in there). Now they are all ready and waiting for Froggie to come so we can start to use them.

OK, I have to tell you about my new washer! We just got it last week, because my old one pooped out, and we went to find the water pump but no one carries parts anymore. So for being down a week and not wanting to wait another week, Isaac said I could buy it!! We ended up at Lowe's after a couple other stores and they had started the 10% off for Enegry Star, 100% pedistal rebate, and another % for the weekend sale!! So it was really good deal, and I couldn't pass it up, but it was probably the most expensive washer water pump you'll ever come home with! So all last weekend and this weekend, I've been doing laundry and sanitizing the dog stuff and playing with the steam features. I just can't believe how bad of a job my old one did, and how good the clean stuff now smells!!

And the final new stuff is that we started to paint the nursery room!! Mom came over Saturday, while it was crappy outside and we couldn't do anything else, and we started painting! We started priming the trim, which was pink, and we put green on two walls. Its the same green as my kitchen (for those that know what that is), and now I have to get a lighter beige for the other two walls and a darker color for the trim. When I figure out what I'd like, it'll only take a couple more hours and it'll be done!! Ooo, ooo, ooo, and then the shopping begins!! Ok, so I've started doing some online shoping, but I haven't bought anything, just created registries, and I'm using them as shopping lists! So I can go back to them when I'm ready and see what all I should buy (and don't neccessarily need, but want! :))

As for things not baby related - Isaac has been a machine this spring with yard work. He's aerated the yard, spread seed, and fertilized. All this after he thatched and bagged the entire yard! He's a machine, I'm telling ya! He's slowed down a bit at the shop with the really nice weather (farmers are back in the fields), but with the rain this week, its picking up and things are getting dropped off at the door to be fixed! This is baby related, but we did finally agree on 2 names, boy and girl. We have time to think of others, but we both like Cooper and Kendra. Depending on what we have, the middle names will be 'D' or 'Dee' but we still are in discussions about it. He wants the boy to be Lee, which I want to use, but for the 2nd child. I want the first one, boy or girl, to be D. So we'll see what happens. I do like the fact that either name can go with either middle name!

Well, I think that's about it for now, I'm getting tired and Froggie is saying its time to eat something and go to bed. Oh, here is a picture of me now that there is a bump...so there, I've taken pics!

OK, I'm going to bed now, I'll talk to you later! Hopefully it won't be this long next time, but you all know better - I'm 'super' good at staying on this stuff! G'Nite!

Our 20 week update

Good Morning all!!
We just had our ultrasound appointment yesterday. We now have an album of pictures of Froggie and I'm only halfway done! While we were there the tech showed us all the parts of the body - except the 1. We could see all the organs and bones and some features of the face. We had the older ultrasound (not the 3D one), so it wasn't near as detailed. We were able to see the brain, spine, feet, fingers, stomach, etc - it all looked really good. She took some good pictures for us of the feet and hands and of the face. I'll put them on the bottom so you can see Froggie.
While we were in there, she had a hard time getting some pictures of certain things or of both hands and feet. I'm telling everyone now - This is Isaac's child! Almost the entire time the baby's feet were moving and kicking me. Froggie also had fun rolling around when she wanted to look at certain things. I had my suspicions after our first ultrasound at 8 weeks and then every month while listening to the heartbeat, we could hear the kicking and punching - but this solidified it that Froggie is going to be just like his father - going nonstop!
For those of you that aren't sure who Froggie is, its the nickname for our baby! Since we don't have a clue if its a boy or girl, I'm not calling the baby 'IT' for the next 5 months - so I told Isaac that I wanted to come up with a nickname. Its a long story, but it has to do with my love for green and needing a unisex name - so I came up with Froggie. Most of you can probably figure out that Isaac isn't too excited about it, but it sounds tons better than saying 'it' :) so that's what we use!
Everything else during the appointment went well - I met with the Dr after the ultrasound and blood pressure & all vitals were good, so onto the next month! I did talk to her about my weird episodes that I've been having. She mentioned something about allergies or it could be a migraine. So we talked about what I had been eating before it started, and what I was doing, and she is starting to think that I may be getting a migraine from something in the food. I asked about my blood sugar or anything else that could be fluctuating, and because its only one side that gets affected at a time, she said that wouldn't cause it. So because the tingling only happens on one side of my body and it doesn't seem to have any rhyme or reason to what causes it, she wants me to prepare some of the food at home that have caused this reaction. This will let us know if its something in the processed food - like MSG - that is causing it. So I figured we'll have taverns for supper tonight and I can see how the beef settles. I'll keep you posted if it gets better or not - I'm sure if I stay away from all the bad food (which I should be doing anyways!) I'll be just fine.
Well, I suppose that is about it for now - if I think of anything else, I'll let you know! Have a great week!

There's my baby!!

Good laugh

I just wanted to share the good time I had with my physical therapist on Thursday. I ended up making a chiropractor appt right before my therapy appt, to hopefully kick this hip problem in the butt! :)
Well, I went to my therapy appt as scheduled, but when I got there, they didn't have me on the schedule. Since I come from out of town and it was my 1 week check up, they wanted to squeeze me in. I ended up having a different therapist, named Brad. I know him from somewhere, but I can't figure it out...anyways, he went through the same routine as last week of figuring out how bad it was and where exactly it was causing the problems. Which was much improved, to my relief!
We got through the initial stretching and moving my legs, and then he wanted me to walk with my left arm behind my back and my right arm in front of my stomach...talk about weird feeling...but the pressure went away. So he tells me that when I'm having bad pain, this is a way to immediately relieve the pain. GREAT - except for the fact that I'll be walking around the office or the store looking like a complete idoit!
Well, we got passed the looking dumb part and he started on the massage of my hips to loosen the muscle. About half way through the massage, my therapist from last week comes in, so not only is my butt hanging out for the whole hallway to see, I find out that she is a member of our church and works with Isaac's sister...this is getting much better! After the door was finally shut, Brad decides to explain what he's doing. In lamen's terms: massaging my muscles...is what I got. But he was very adament when he explained it. The people at the the therapists office call this kind of treatment 'soft tissue stimulation of the piriformis muscle'...so I just thought: great another thing wrong with me that I can't pronounce and even remember! But then he decided to tell me that he's doing this soft tissue stimulation and I shouldn't confuse it with a 'butt massage' :) I just about fell off the table when he said it! I asked him what the difference was between the two and he told me that what he was doing was the soft tissue stimulation and a butt massage was something that Isaac gets to do!
So for the rest of the appointment, everytime he referred to the piriformis muscle, he made sure to add the disclaimer 'not the butt muscle!'
We both had a lot of good laughs and I did leave with a very relaxed 'butt'!

Week 16 update

Happy Friday! I know I'm glad for the end of this week. Most of you know already that my Grandma Culbertson passed way last week and we had her funeral this week. Which the day was beautiful and everything went very well. Although, at this point, my body doesn't handle traveling very well. I've been having very bad lower back & hip pains, and sitting down for that long of a time, doesnt' help at all.
I did have a check up yesterday though. All went well. My weight has gone up 1 pound, blood pressure is good, and the baby's heart beat is steady at about 150. She found it much easier this time, so I didn't have a mini freak out! I also told her about my back pain and she sent me straight over to physical therapy - oh my gosh, that woman is a miracle worker. I've been to the chiropractor and stretched and all the things they tell you to do - none of it worked. The therapists spent 10 minutes or so rubbing my muscles and moving things in the right spots, and I stood up and had no pain. Too bad I can't see her everyday! She said its not my syatic nerve, which is good, but it is in my hips. I think they just aren't strong or flexible enough (hard to believe, I know!) for all the changes going on.
I have my next appt & the big ultrasound scheduled for March 25th. So we'll have another update then and I can scan my pictures too so you can all see the little one. We aren't going to have any pictures of the privates, because we don't want to spoil the surprise, but we can still see the face and arms/hands! As of right now, I haven't felt anything, but like I said its been one heck of a week. So hopefully I'll get some time to lay down this weekend and just check things out. The dr. told me about where to start looking to feel it. So I'll let you know if I find anything!
Well, I'm fighting a migraine today (didn't eat soon enough) so I'm going to wrap it up and try to relax a bit so I can function. I'll let you know if I have any changes!

First Timer

Hello all!
I just wanted to try something new...with all the changes in our upcoming lifes, I thought this might be a nifty tool!
Right now, nothing much exciting is going on. I'm just starting to feel better occasionally, but I am definately getting more energy! As for Isaac, he has slowed down at the shop, but of course, they are staying busy with little stuff.
This weekend will be sort of relaxing. Terra and I are going to be enjoying Saturday night like a couple of old ladies! We'll probably enjoy a game on the Wii and maybe some supper. Then Sunday I'm off to enjoy the game at my mom's. She always has the best munchies - which is great for me at this point, since that's about all I do anymore!! I'll take the girls with me for some much needed socialization & spoilin'!
The girls are doing well. Charlie is still hanging on to the extra 5-10 pounds this winter, but they'll come off quickly when the snow melts and I can leave them out longer. Kodi is still spoiled and little. She still likes all the attention, but we've been working with her some since she won't be able to have it all or push her way in with our new bundle! I'm excited to have them meet the new member. They will be such great big sisters!
Well, I'm going to call it quits for now, I just wanted to start with a little info. I'll probably not update this very often for awhile just because there haven't been many changes yet. I mean, my body is changing tons, but no one wants to hear that! When I start feeling things and its more about the baby, I'll update you!
Talk to you all soon!