Wow, I can't believe how much I have neglected to stay up-to-date with this! Ever since we moved into our new house, it's been totally crazy & I never seem to remember to set aside time to type on here. I know it doesn't take very long either, which is why I'm a bit ashamed. However, I know there were times I aimed to type but waited since I wanted to add new pics of Marinne & Kameron for the entries, so I waited to do that at the same time. But, that always got put aside & still isn't ready so I figured I better not use that as my waiting excuse any longer. Well, not much I can do about it now, so I'll just try my best to pick up where I left off, and get pics posted as soon as I can since I have to have Buddy help me with this website upload.
Anyway, I have tons of pics to share from each week Marinne has been with us since the only ones on this website right now are from her newborn session. Hallween was a lot of fun for Kameron, and Marinne looked cute, even though she didn't have a clue what was going on & slept for all the trick-or-treating.
So yes, we have moved into our new house & out of our temp housing (two level hotel room), which has been a big blessing. We moved in Nov. 8 & as I said, it's just been crazy since then, plus with getting ready for Thanksgiving & Christmas. Our new house is beautiful, but we are still not completely unpacked. Although I will say we've made a lot of progress in just the short time we've been here, plus with the kids & holidays, but we still have things to hang/decorate & unpack. It will get there! Our new address is:
2016 E. John Dr.
Mahomet, IL 61853
November was filled with juggling both kids & moving in, holding two Huge PC parties, decorating for Christmas and then a trip back to our hometown (which is now only 2 hours away for us) for Thanksgiving. We didn't stay very long though since we all came down w/ strep throat (except for Marinne)! Fun! Luckily we enjoyed the eating festivities first! :)
So far in December we have had a little less of that overwhelming feeling since we have had help from family & time to just relax without worrying about getting everything done all at once! Buddy had a work Christmas party & then we had a neighborhood ladies Christmas party, followed by our own subdivision/work Christmas party. It proved to be a success & really helped us get to know people here. There are lots of kids in our area for Kameron to play with, so we are looking forward to that, especially the ones he'll go to school with.
Kameron started at a different preschool since we weren't completely happy with the one he started at once we first got here in late Oct. He goes three mornings a week. He will also start a full day program for two days a week next week. He has been having a lot of fun w/ Marinne & the new house, but is still reminded to be gentle!
As I mentioned, I've had two very big PC parties & now more to come from that, and from meeting people in our neighborhood & through Buddy's job, so looking forward to those starting back up in Jan. I'm not going to do quite as much as before, but still want to keep a good pace going & aim to earn the next incentive trip to Disney! We will go to FL in May for this year's trip (I didn't go for the big one this past year w/ all the fertility things & Marinne's arrival).
Marinne...where to I begin on here updates?! I bragged at how wonderful she did at sleeping at night on my last entry, and that has proven to be even better now that she's a little older. She is now sleeping 8-9 hours at night without waking up to be fed! Just amazing! She's been doing 7 or so hours since 6 weeks or so. She likes baths, loves her hair washed, but hates to be dried off & dressed! Kind of funny. We are out of newborn diapers & clothes but she is actually still fitting into some 0-3 month clothes, which is good I guess since she's a bit bigger than Kameron was! Her 2 month appt. (which was actually done at 2.5 months) showed her to be 90% for weight & 83% for height. The Dr. wasn't concerned at all though - I was mainly I guess since I was used to Kameron being so little (he was 10-25% almost every visit). She likes her cradle swing a lot more now & is really enjoying her crib mobile. She just loves to smile at that thing! Her activity mat is still a favorite & the bouncy seat has proven to be fun at times.
Well, I have lots more to say, but I need to run so I'll aim to pick up where I left off again soon & hopefully have pics to post, too!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
4 weeks old
Already 4 weeks old, but not quite a month yet...that's kind of weird how that works out. Anyway, Happy Halloween! We plan to post some pics of the kids from tonight at some point to share the first Halloween with brother & sister. We will be heading to Normal for the evening to go trick-or-treating w/ our friends that we now only live 45 minutes away from!
So, updates since the last entry...we have moved out of our house & into temporary housing here in IL while we wait for our TN house to sell! It's been a crazy past couple of weeks, with just moving here last weekend, but we made it! LOTS of craziness as movers came & packed up our entire house & we found out we had a LOT more stuff than they anticipated (they filled up an entire semi & then had to call in another moving truck!). But, we also have two businesses packed up along with everything else. Moving out of our house was a bit bittersweet. That was the house we built from square one & picked out every detail for, but it's also the house that we have made so many memories in, mainly Kameron's past few years. However, this move is such a great thing for us in so many ways, that we have to look at that part as well. We'll have many more memories here, both in our temp housing & once we finally get into our new house! Our temp housing isn't bad, it's just very crammed for space & we are still having to live out of boxes to some degree. We've already ventured out to the apple orchard for their pumpkin festival & went to the mall's Halloween kids night w/ games, etc. so Kameron really enjoyed both.
Buddy is enjoying his new research engineering job here & Kameron jumped right in to loving his new preschool. I already have a couple PC parties booked & am in the process of trying to meet new people for that & to have some new friends here! I think not having a house yet has been the hardest for my job since it's hard to make contacts living in an extended stay hotel! But, I'm trying my best when I'm out and about.
As for Marinne, she is such a wonderful baby! She's been great & we're enjoying each day w/ her. She's awake a bit more now & started to grin back this past week! Her nights have been amazing for her age really...she'll have a good 4 to 5 plus hours at least once a night where she won't wake up; well, most nights anyway! Then it's about 3 to 4 hours...except for the other night she wanted to stay awake just to be up for 3 hours! At least she wasn't screaming during those hours. She's still sporting her newborn clothes, which I'm enjoying while I can. She has started enjoying her play activity mat & gazing at all the colors & hearing the sounds everything makes. She still enjoys her cradle swing for the most part, but if she's tired, she'd rather sleep in someone's arms; go figure. That's hard to not take part in everytime though! We have her sleeping in a snuggle nest at night, just like we did w/ Kameron & that has been just fine.
Kameron is still really enjoying being around Marinne & is getting better knowing that he must be gentle when he touches her. He's really wanted to help with things as well, so that's been good for him since he wants to be part of everything. He's adjusted pretty good to the housing arrangement, and it's been a bonus for him since he has his own king bed here & didn't have that at home!
So, updates since the last entry...we have moved out of our house & into temporary housing here in IL while we wait for our TN house to sell! It's been a crazy past couple of weeks, with just moving here last weekend, but we made it! LOTS of craziness as movers came & packed up our entire house & we found out we had a LOT more stuff than they anticipated (they filled up an entire semi & then had to call in another moving truck!). But, we also have two businesses packed up along with everything else. Moving out of our house was a bit bittersweet. That was the house we built from square one & picked out every detail for, but it's also the house that we have made so many memories in, mainly Kameron's past few years. However, this move is such a great thing for us in so many ways, that we have to look at that part as well. We'll have many more memories here, both in our temp housing & once we finally get into our new house! Our temp housing isn't bad, it's just very crammed for space & we are still having to live out of boxes to some degree. We've already ventured out to the apple orchard for their pumpkin festival & went to the mall's Halloween kids night w/ games, etc. so Kameron really enjoyed both.
Buddy is enjoying his new research engineering job here & Kameron jumped right in to loving his new preschool. I already have a couple PC parties booked & am in the process of trying to meet new people for that & to have some new friends here! I think not having a house yet has been the hardest for my job since it's hard to make contacts living in an extended stay hotel! But, I'm trying my best when I'm out and about.
As for Marinne, she is such a wonderful baby! She's been great & we're enjoying each day w/ her. She's awake a bit more now & started to grin back this past week! Her nights have been amazing for her age really...she'll have a good 4 to 5 plus hours at least once a night where she won't wake up; well, most nights anyway! Then it's about 3 to 4 hours...except for the other night she wanted to stay awake just to be up for 3 hours! At least she wasn't screaming during those hours. She's still sporting her newborn clothes, which I'm enjoying while I can. She has started enjoying her play activity mat & gazing at all the colors & hearing the sounds everything makes. She still enjoys her cradle swing for the most part, but if she's tired, she'd rather sleep in someone's arms; go figure. That's hard to not take part in everytime though! We have her sleeping in a snuggle nest at night, just like we did w/ Kameron & that has been just fine.
Kameron is still really enjoying being around Marinne & is getting better knowing that he must be gentle when he touches her. He's really wanted to help with things as well, so that's been good for him since he wants to be part of everything. He's adjusted pretty good to the housing arrangement, and it's been a bonus for him since he has his own king bed here & didn't have that at home!
Friday, October 17, 2008
2 weeks old
I didn't mean to wait this long to update my blog, but as you can likely imagine, extra time has been pretty hard to come by!
Marinne (which, by the way, I have found out some aren't sure how to pronounce...see last posting for that) is two weeks old as of yesterday, and we are loving every minute of it (well, lets be honest...not really loving the missing sleep, but oh well). She has been just the sweetest baby. The first week was pretty much just sleep a lot & up just long enough to eat & back asleep she went! I know that's typical, but we rarely saw her eyes open that first week. This past week has been a bit better. She's still sleeping a lot of course as a newborn, but we are seeing her eyes open & she's awake a bit more now during the day. She's had some pretty good nights really for a newborn. A few nights ago she went 5 hours without waking to eat! Most other nights she'll go 2-4 hours for each segment. During the day it's 2-3 hours. There have been some times she's hungry after about an hour and a half, but not a lot.
We've had fun w/ Kameron & her photo session, and some pics from that session are posted under the photo galleries on the main page. Kameron is really enjoying his new baby sister...he just needs to work a little more on remembering not to use his outside voice while inside, and that Marinne is a baby so we must be gentle!
At her appt. yesterday she weighed 7 pounds 15 oz. & is 20.25 inches long. Everything is just perfect & we're thinking her cord will be off soon. She goes back at 2 months for her next appt. & more shots - I'm not looking forward to that appt.!
In other news, we move out in less than a week! Wow! The movers start on Mon. & finish on Thurs. In the meantime, we have to go room by room to pack up on our own what we will be taking w/ us since the movers will take everything we won't be using in temp housing (which could be anywhere from weeks up to four months & we don't know how long). Buddy has his big Professional Engineering test on Friday that he's been studying for months now for & while he's doing that all day, the kids & I will be finishing up Dr. appt.'s & then heading to IL. We "move in" to our temporary housing on Sunday. I'm not really looking forward to it, but honestly, I don't think it will be too bad...at least for a while. We will be at a suite in an extended stay hotel, but luckily it's a really nice one w/ two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and upstairs, loft, full kitchen, etc. So, pretty much like a townhouse. Plus, the hotel ammenties include an indoor pool, fitness center, free breakfast daily & a cocktail each evening! So, I guess it will have it's perks, but I'm sure we'll be ready for our house after a while. We have a contract in on a brand new house, but still have to sell our current one first to get the other. So, here's to hoping a seller finds us soon!
Marinne (which, by the way, I have found out some aren't sure how to pronounce...see last posting for that) is two weeks old as of yesterday, and we are loving every minute of it (well, lets be honest...not really loving the missing sleep, but oh well). She has been just the sweetest baby. The first week was pretty much just sleep a lot & up just long enough to eat & back asleep she went! I know that's typical, but we rarely saw her eyes open that first week. This past week has been a bit better. She's still sleeping a lot of course as a newborn, but we are seeing her eyes open & she's awake a bit more now during the day. She's had some pretty good nights really for a newborn. A few nights ago she went 5 hours without waking to eat! Most other nights she'll go 2-4 hours for each segment. During the day it's 2-3 hours. There have been some times she's hungry after about an hour and a half, but not a lot.
We've had fun w/ Kameron & her photo session, and some pics from that session are posted under the photo galleries on the main page. Kameron is really enjoying his new baby sister...he just needs to work a little more on remembering not to use his outside voice while inside, and that Marinne is a baby so we must be gentle!
At her appt. yesterday she weighed 7 pounds 15 oz. & is 20.25 inches long. Everything is just perfect & we're thinking her cord will be off soon. She goes back at 2 months for her next appt. & more shots - I'm not looking forward to that appt.!
In other news, we move out in less than a week! Wow! The movers start on Mon. & finish on Thurs. In the meantime, we have to go room by room to pack up on our own what we will be taking w/ us since the movers will take everything we won't be using in temp housing (which could be anywhere from weeks up to four months & we don't know how long). Buddy has his big Professional Engineering test on Friday that he's been studying for months now for & while he's doing that all day, the kids & I will be finishing up Dr. appt.'s & then heading to IL. We "move in" to our temporary housing on Sunday. I'm not really looking forward to it, but honestly, I don't think it will be too bad...at least for a while. We will be at a suite in an extended stay hotel, but luckily it's a really nice one w/ two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and upstairs, loft, full kitchen, etc. So, pretty much like a townhouse. Plus, the hotel ammenties include an indoor pool, fitness center, free breakfast daily & a cocktail each evening! So, I guess it will have it's perks, but I'm sure we'll be ready for our house after a while. We have a contract in on a brand new house, but still have to sell our current one first to get the other. So, here's to hoping a seller finds us soon!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
We are home now!
Welcome home our sweet little Marinne Grace! We named her after two things - Marinne(pronounced Muh rin)is my sister's (that was killed in the car accident) middle name & Grace came from our church, Grace Community.
We are pretty tired & in need of some much deserved rest, but are home! Everything was pretty much perfect. I thought my labor experience w/ Kameron was really lucky, and then Marinne's was even better. My last post around 8 a.m. on Thurs. was right after the Dr. broke my water. Then I just continued to move along, but they did take me off Pitocin a bit after that since I was moving along so quickly & by keeping me on it, the baby's heart rate was decreasing more with contractions. So, I just continued quickly on my own & a little after 11 a.m., I started pushing. Amazingly, I only pushed through three contractions for a little less than 10 minutes worth, and there she was! I actually decided to watch this time & it was pretty incredible. My Dr. did find a small cyst after I had Marinne, but was able to easily take care of it so it's no longer an issue. Even my epidural was even less pressure/pain than w/ Kameron - not that it was even much w/ him.
I was so looking forward to my parents bringing Kameron up to meet his sister for the first time. It was pretty exciting & caught it all on camera & video, of course! He was soooo excited to meet her & just so cute w/ his little comments about how he loved her & wanted to be her big brother & hold her. Then, he made a point to tell me, "Mommy, your belly isn't big anymore - baby is out. And, now your toes & feet aren't puffy anymore!" I thought that was pretty funny that he picked up on how I had mentioned my feet being so puffy these last few weeks!
Now it's just recovery & enjoy time! I'm having quite a bit of cramping, as to be expected, but the drugs aren't really helping as much as they did yesterday. And, I'm having some side effects. Hoping for a better day tomorrow & some rest tonight!
Until next time, here are the pics from the hospital & more to come from the studio soon:
http://www.buddybartels.com/marinne-hospital/
You are welcome to come visit us!
We are pretty tired & in need of some much deserved rest, but are home! Everything was pretty much perfect. I thought my labor experience w/ Kameron was really lucky, and then Marinne's was even better. My last post around 8 a.m. on Thurs. was right after the Dr. broke my water. Then I just continued to move along, but they did take me off Pitocin a bit after that since I was moving along so quickly & by keeping me on it, the baby's heart rate was decreasing more with contractions. So, I just continued quickly on my own & a little after 11 a.m., I started pushing. Amazingly, I only pushed through three contractions for a little less than 10 minutes worth, and there she was! I actually decided to watch this time & it was pretty incredible. My Dr. did find a small cyst after I had Marinne, but was able to easily take care of it so it's no longer an issue. Even my epidural was even less pressure/pain than w/ Kameron - not that it was even much w/ him.
I was so looking forward to my parents bringing Kameron up to meet his sister for the first time. It was pretty exciting & caught it all on camera & video, of course! He was soooo excited to meet her & just so cute w/ his little comments about how he loved her & wanted to be her big brother & hold her. Then, he made a point to tell me, "Mommy, your belly isn't big anymore - baby is out. And, now your toes & feet aren't puffy anymore!" I thought that was pretty funny that he picked up on how I had mentioned my feet being so puffy these last few weeks!
Now it's just recovery & enjoy time! I'm having quite a bit of cramping, as to be expected, but the drugs aren't really helping as much as they did yesterday. And, I'm having some side effects. Hoping for a better day tomorrow & some rest tonight!
Until next time, here are the pics from the hospital & more to come from the studio soon:
http://www.buddybartels.com/marinne-hospital/
You are welcome to come visit us!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
We are at the hospital!
The day is here! We are at the hospital and have been here for a few hours now since early this morning. I started to feel increased contractions and closer together around 9:30 last night. They were 10 minutes apart and then by the time we left they were 4-6 minutes apart. After talking to the Dr. around 11:15, we headed for Nashville around 1a.m. I got my epidural around 4 (I think) and it was better than the one I had with Kameron. I was 3 cm at that point. They put me on a little Pitocin to help things move along comfortably. The only issue right now has been my blood pressure is low and the baby's heart rate is lower during my contractions, but that is better now that they have been able to regulate it more. My contractions are about 3 minutes apart now.
It's 8:00 now and I'm at 4 cm and my Dr. just broke my water so things are going well! I'll have Buddy update when he can but she'll be here today at some point! We will be here at Baptist until Sat. and feel free to come visit us!
It's 8:00 now and I'm at 4 cm and my Dr. just broke my water so things are going well! I'll have Buddy update when he can but she'll be here today at some point! We will be here at Baptist until Sat. and feel free to come visit us!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
38 weeks
Things are moving right along! My appt. on Tues. went well, but an unexpected 'progression' I guess you could say. My Dr. stripped my membranes, which I didn't realize she was going to do until it was happening, so needless to say, it's not the most fun experience! But, I do remember it from Kameron's pregnancy & it's supposedly done to help the process towards labor. It does cause some bleeding, but isn't a lot. I am a little more than 1 cm & 50% still, but the baby is not quite as high as she was last week. She felt her head this time, but she is still sitting higher than lower. She compared my office visit details to Kameron's pregnancy & I am actually a little farther along compared to Kameron's at 38 weeks. Having said that, neither of us are really to the 'I can't wait' point of having her make her appearance & she did say she doubted it would happen over the weekend, so likely I'll be back for next week's appt. We'd both rather the baby be ready than push things along faster, unless it gets to that point to where I can't take it or something else comes up.
My belly measured at 37 cm & the baby's heart rate was 140. I actually keep forgetting to ask my Dr. about the heart rate recently, but looked back to see it was 140 the week before & was 150 the two weeks before that. I only gained one pound over the past week, so I was pretty excited about that since it was almost 4 the week before! My Dr. said all is good though and I'm not at or passing up weight gain equal to number of weeks pregnant, which I guess they use to compare.
I am continuing to experience minor contractions & actually thought one episode last week was the real deal since I felt it three times within about 20 minutes, but then it went away, which will not happen with actual labor. My Dr. did say I will likely continue to get them & more often/more intense now that she has stripped my membranes, but so far I haven't really had anything different in the two days since then.
We are enjoying some just fun play time w/ Kameron! It's kind of nice to have Buddy come home from work & neither of us really have other obligations to take care of in the evening at all since we have now officially closed the photo studio & all my PC work is now just catalog/online parties. Not that we didn't have it under control with each of those things, since I can gladly say we did & put family first, but it's nice to just have these times to take advantage of while we can! We took Kameron to the zoo on Friday while I can still make it & enjoyed likely our last trip to the Nashville Zoo. Kameron LOVES animals! Last night we installed car seats & upgraded Kameron's since he'll outgrow the one he's in once he gains another 3- 4 pounds (and Kameron made it a special point to say he loved his brand new car seat this morning we he officially got to try it out; which is good since I put a lot of research into which one to get based on ratings/crash tests & maintain the latch system as long as possible). And we started getting baby gear & toys all washed up & put together from being in storage, so things are coming together to be ready to go when baby sister arrives!
For now, we just enjoy our time, and at the same time await the soon arrival of our new addition! I will go back to the Dr. on Tues. for my 39 week appt...unless someone decides to make her appearance sooner!
My belly measured at 37 cm & the baby's heart rate was 140. I actually keep forgetting to ask my Dr. about the heart rate recently, but looked back to see it was 140 the week before & was 150 the two weeks before that. I only gained one pound over the past week, so I was pretty excited about that since it was almost 4 the week before! My Dr. said all is good though and I'm not at or passing up weight gain equal to number of weeks pregnant, which I guess they use to compare.
I am continuing to experience minor contractions & actually thought one episode last week was the real deal since I felt it three times within about 20 minutes, but then it went away, which will not happen with actual labor. My Dr. did say I will likely continue to get them & more often/more intense now that she has stripped my membranes, but so far I haven't really had anything different in the two days since then.
We are enjoying some just fun play time w/ Kameron! It's kind of nice to have Buddy come home from work & neither of us really have other obligations to take care of in the evening at all since we have now officially closed the photo studio & all my PC work is now just catalog/online parties. Not that we didn't have it under control with each of those things, since I can gladly say we did & put family first, but it's nice to just have these times to take advantage of while we can! We took Kameron to the zoo on Friday while I can still make it & enjoyed likely our last trip to the Nashville Zoo. Kameron LOVES animals! Last night we installed car seats & upgraded Kameron's since he'll outgrow the one he's in once he gains another 3- 4 pounds (and Kameron made it a special point to say he loved his brand new car seat this morning we he officially got to try it out; which is good since I put a lot of research into which one to get based on ratings/crash tests & maintain the latch system as long as possible). And we started getting baby gear & toys all washed up & put together from being in storage, so things are coming together to be ready to go when baby sister arrives!
For now, we just enjoy our time, and at the same time await the soon arrival of our new addition! I will go back to the Dr. on Tues. for my 39 week appt...unless someone decides to make her appearance sooner!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
37 weeks
Wow, I can't believe how quickly things are progressing now! I did write a small book in my last entry just a few days back so a lot is in that entry compared to this one, but I wanted to include other updates as well.
My appt. yesterday went very well. Thankfully things went smoother this time & not as rushed! Buddy was able to come to this appt. & was a good thing since we were anticipating an ultrasound, which he didn't want to miss. She did one pretty much at the beginning to just see how the baby was positioned. She is, in fact, head down & in position. She also checked her heartbeat & the fluid. It really was only a matter of a minute or so, and nothing like our last ultrasound. And, since she's so crammed in there now, it's hard to make out much of anything aside from the spine & heart! I am also progessing since I'm 1 cm & 50% effaced, so things are moving along! It's still hard to say when to expect her (early, on time, late). I am continuing to feel the minor contractions, but no pattern to them as far as frequency & they only last about 10 seconds. But, it's moving in the right direction. My bags are officially packed for the hospital, directions ready to go for whomever happens to be here when I need to go, and the baby's room is almost complete! We just have a little more laundry & searching for 'missing' baby items to put into place (like I don't remember which storage tub that crib aquarium is in or the other parts to the mobile).
Well, we finished up my maternity pics session tonight & I'll be posting a link to that in this blog entry probably tomorrow (Thurs.). They are awesome! Of course my feet are paying for it...especially that right foot feeling all numb & definitely looking like a cankle! :) Heartburn seems to now just happen in the late afternoon regardless of any certain foods I can pinpoint to blame.
Here's the link for my maternity pics: www.buddybartels.com/danelle-maternity
Next appt. is on Tuesday & I'll keep this updated then, or before if anything changes!
My appt. yesterday went very well. Thankfully things went smoother this time & not as rushed! Buddy was able to come to this appt. & was a good thing since we were anticipating an ultrasound, which he didn't want to miss. She did one pretty much at the beginning to just see how the baby was positioned. She is, in fact, head down & in position. She also checked her heartbeat & the fluid. It really was only a matter of a minute or so, and nothing like our last ultrasound. And, since she's so crammed in there now, it's hard to make out much of anything aside from the spine & heart! I am also progessing since I'm 1 cm & 50% effaced, so things are moving along! It's still hard to say when to expect her (early, on time, late). I am continuing to feel the minor contractions, but no pattern to them as far as frequency & they only last about 10 seconds. But, it's moving in the right direction. My bags are officially packed for the hospital, directions ready to go for whomever happens to be here when I need to go, and the baby's room is almost complete! We just have a little more laundry & searching for 'missing' baby items to put into place (like I don't remember which storage tub that crib aquarium is in or the other parts to the mobile).
Well, we finished up my maternity pics session tonight & I'll be posting a link to that in this blog entry probably tomorrow (Thurs.). They are awesome! Of course my feet are paying for it...especially that right foot feeling all numb & definitely looking like a cankle! :) Heartburn seems to now just happen in the late afternoon regardless of any certain foods I can pinpoint to blame.
Here's the link for my maternity pics: www.buddybartels.com/danelle-maternity
Next appt. is on Tuesday & I'll keep this updated then, or before if anything changes!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
36+ weeks
We were finally able to get the belly pic uploaded so I could type my entry this week. I guess I don't really have to wait for the pic to be on here, but it just seems to make sense that way. Well, we are officially a little over three weeks away from the due date - wow!
My 36 week appt. was fine...I just left there feeling like I was left hanging since she was pretty quick w/ me & didn't even take the time to help me up from the table or wait for me to do it before she left, which is hard to do now days on my own! My Dr. must have had a busy morning already that put her behind since I normally don't wait more than 5-10 minutes if anything, but I didn't see her until almost an hour after my scheduled appt. In fact, after I got home, I realized she didn't even measure my belly this time! Oh well...she did listen to the baby's heartbeat & said it sounds great. I also asked her if she could tell how the baby was laying, and it's just about like I figured - her butt & back are normally sticking up in the top next to my ribs. She did say the baby isn't close enough down yet, but that normally happens over the next week or so & she will see how it is when I come back next week. If she can't tell where her head is, she will do an ultrasound in the office to see how she's positioned. She also did the strep B test that is always done at 36 weeks. I gained 2 more pounds, which was fine. I also found out that I have been saying it wrong lately when I've been asking how long I pushed w/ Kameron's pregnancy...it was actually right around 30 minutes, not 1.5 hours! I know I knew that but must have thought it was longer since most are for first time moms. Anyway, I also found out from my file that the cord was wrapped around Kameron's neck 4 times! Wow! I remember it was around there, but not that much, so I guess it's lucky we didn't have complications that could have cut off his air flow!
The swelling has progressed quite a bit over the past week. I am still seeing it moreso in my right foot, but now the left is starting to show a little bit, too. And, it's more obvious earlier in the day. The top of my right foot looks like a pin cushion & feels a little numb. And if I press down on it, it doesn't pop back up, which is kind of funny! My fingers have been swollen for a few weeks now (I haven't worn rings for a few weeks), but not bothersome. Heartburn continues to be a daily thing, but mainly in the evening & not really too bad. My biggest thing over the past week is the shooting pain I've established that starts at my left hip & shoots down my butt & leg. It's not very fun & sometimes is pretty painful to walk/get up from sitting, and of course sleeping. All in all though, still doable! :)
Kameron has been really getting excited & asking about when his baby sister will be here (he keeps asking if she'll be here before Santa comes). He's actually had a much better run this past week or so...we've been having some 'terrible threes' issues with him the few weeks prior to that, but his sticker incentive chart, new bedroom furniture & being able to 'earn' his way into see Disney on Ice has really helped him. He enjoys the sticker chart & after seeing the Disney on Ice commercial a couple weeks ago, he was set in getting there. We went on Thurs. night & he loved it. He just was trying to do what little boys his age do I guess - see how far they can push & get away with it. But, timeout has always been a weakness for him, so that has continued to work, and luckily not needed as much over the past week and a half.
His latest excitement is that he decided he wants to be Larry Boy from Veggie Tales for Halloween. So, we ordered a hat/head, but no one makes a costume! They have Larry the Cucumber, but when he turns into Larry Boy, the outfit is quite different, and no costume exists for that. So, Buddy took on his sewing skills & has completed the costume, and it's great! I'll be sure to post pics at some point or by Halloween. Baby sister will likely be a cat since Kameron picked it out for her. They were originally going to be Scarecrow & Dorothy, but then Kameron decided he was set on Larry Boy. I guess I could do a Tomato for her to go w/ the Veggie Tales theme...we'll see.
I had my last PC party yesterday until after the move, so now it's time to focus on relaxing before the baby comes, and spending some quality time w/ Kameron & Buddy. I also plan to get what I can done as far as going through things in the house in preparation for the move, but luckily we'll have movers that Buddy's job pays for to come pack us up. Still, I need to go through things to sort & sell on ebay, which I have already started.
I have had quite a few people ask about where I will deliver & visiting, so I wanted to post something here in case I don't get an email out to everyone...I will be at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. I actually enjoyed visitors at the hospital when I had Kameron, so that is welcome on my end! The hospital parking garage for maternity is located at the intersection of Church St. & 21st Ave. (from Clarksville you take I-24 to I-65 to I-40, staying to the right each change & then take exit 209A - Church St. - from 40; turn right onto Church & then right onto 21st & park in that garage to your immediate left). Maternity is on the 3rd floor. Since we don't really know when she will make her appearance obviously, I will try to have Buddy type in a message on the website at some point or send a mass email after her arrival, but not sure that we'll have an opportunity to do that. So, I guess just keep checking here, &/or call the hospital as it gets closer...could really be any day now!
I go back on Tuesday for my 37 week appt. & we'll see how she is doing & if we can tell how close it is! Oh, and check back soon for a link to view my maternity pics! We have done most of them but aim to do a few different ones still & then I'll have them posted. Of course you saw one of them on the main page, too...isn't that such a cute shot? :)
My 36 week appt. was fine...I just left there feeling like I was left hanging since she was pretty quick w/ me & didn't even take the time to help me up from the table or wait for me to do it before she left, which is hard to do now days on my own! My Dr. must have had a busy morning already that put her behind since I normally don't wait more than 5-10 minutes if anything, but I didn't see her until almost an hour after my scheduled appt. In fact, after I got home, I realized she didn't even measure my belly this time! Oh well...she did listen to the baby's heartbeat & said it sounds great. I also asked her if she could tell how the baby was laying, and it's just about like I figured - her butt & back are normally sticking up in the top next to my ribs. She did say the baby isn't close enough down yet, but that normally happens over the next week or so & she will see how it is when I come back next week. If she can't tell where her head is, she will do an ultrasound in the office to see how she's positioned. She also did the strep B test that is always done at 36 weeks. I gained 2 more pounds, which was fine. I also found out that I have been saying it wrong lately when I've been asking how long I pushed w/ Kameron's pregnancy...it was actually right around 30 minutes, not 1.5 hours! I know I knew that but must have thought it was longer since most are for first time moms. Anyway, I also found out from my file that the cord was wrapped around Kameron's neck 4 times! Wow! I remember it was around there, but not that much, so I guess it's lucky we didn't have complications that could have cut off his air flow!
The swelling has progressed quite a bit over the past week. I am still seeing it moreso in my right foot, but now the left is starting to show a little bit, too. And, it's more obvious earlier in the day. The top of my right foot looks like a pin cushion & feels a little numb. And if I press down on it, it doesn't pop back up, which is kind of funny! My fingers have been swollen for a few weeks now (I haven't worn rings for a few weeks), but not bothersome. Heartburn continues to be a daily thing, but mainly in the evening & not really too bad. My biggest thing over the past week is the shooting pain I've established that starts at my left hip & shoots down my butt & leg. It's not very fun & sometimes is pretty painful to walk/get up from sitting, and of course sleeping. All in all though, still doable! :)
Kameron has been really getting excited & asking about when his baby sister will be here (he keeps asking if she'll be here before Santa comes). He's actually had a much better run this past week or so...we've been having some 'terrible threes' issues with him the few weeks prior to that, but his sticker incentive chart, new bedroom furniture & being able to 'earn' his way into see Disney on Ice has really helped him. He enjoys the sticker chart & after seeing the Disney on Ice commercial a couple weeks ago, he was set in getting there. We went on Thurs. night & he loved it. He just was trying to do what little boys his age do I guess - see how far they can push & get away with it. But, timeout has always been a weakness for him, so that has continued to work, and luckily not needed as much over the past week and a half.
His latest excitement is that he decided he wants to be Larry Boy from Veggie Tales for Halloween. So, we ordered a hat/head, but no one makes a costume! They have Larry the Cucumber, but when he turns into Larry Boy, the outfit is quite different, and no costume exists for that. So, Buddy took on his sewing skills & has completed the costume, and it's great! I'll be sure to post pics at some point or by Halloween. Baby sister will likely be a cat since Kameron picked it out for her. They were originally going to be Scarecrow & Dorothy, but then Kameron decided he was set on Larry Boy. I guess I could do a Tomato for her to go w/ the Veggie Tales theme...we'll see.
I had my last PC party yesterday until after the move, so now it's time to focus on relaxing before the baby comes, and spending some quality time w/ Kameron & Buddy. I also plan to get what I can done as far as going through things in the house in preparation for the move, but luckily we'll have movers that Buddy's job pays for to come pack us up. Still, I need to go through things to sort & sell on ebay, which I have already started.
I have had quite a few people ask about where I will deliver & visiting, so I wanted to post something here in case I don't get an email out to everyone...I will be at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. I actually enjoyed visitors at the hospital when I had Kameron, so that is welcome on my end! The hospital parking garage for maternity is located at the intersection of Church St. & 21st Ave. (from Clarksville you take I-24 to I-65 to I-40, staying to the right each change & then take exit 209A - Church St. - from 40; turn right onto Church & then right onto 21st & park in that garage to your immediate left). Maternity is on the 3rd floor. Since we don't really know when she will make her appearance obviously, I will try to have Buddy type in a message on the website at some point or send a mass email after her arrival, but not sure that we'll have an opportunity to do that. So, I guess just keep checking here, &/or call the hospital as it gets closer...could really be any day now!
I go back on Tuesday for my 37 week appt. & we'll see how she is doing & if we can tell how close it is! Oh, and check back soon for a link to view my maternity pics! We have done most of them but aim to do a few different ones still & then I'll have them posted. Of course you saw one of them on the main page, too...isn't that such a cute shot? :)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Almost 35 weeks
Well, last week's entry timeframe is gone since it kind of slipped away from me! Oh well. The 34 week pic is proving to show that I'm continuing to grow. I went in for my 34 week appt. last week & am measuring right on schedule at 34 cm. I did gain 4 pounds from 2 weeks prior, but she said that was fine & normal to have more in the end (and a lot better than in the beginning). I think I'm up to about 25 total, which is good.
I was concerned about the swelling I'm getting in my right foot so she checked it out since that can sometimes mean a blood clot, especially when it's only on one side, but she didn't find anything & I'm not having any pain. She felt better about it knowing that it happens late afternoon ususally but then is gone by morning until the late afternoon again. But, I am watching it just in case. It's an everyday thing.
Other than that, I am getting more & more heartburn episodes, so I should probably see if I can pinpoint certain foods that set it off since it is bad at times. For the most part though, Rolaids does the trick.
In other news, we have put an offer in on a new house in the Champaign, IL area. We are pretty excited, but trying not to get our hopes up since it all depends on the sale of our current house, and if no one else puts an offer in for the new house before then. Since we had our current house built, we discussed looking into that option again, but we really like this other house that was just built (and that's amazing in itself), plus don't want to live in something temporary if we don't have to, especially with kids! So, we'll see - at least it's a back up plan in place.
I go back to the Dr. next Tues. for my 36 week appt. & then will go back weekly. It's getting close!
I was concerned about the swelling I'm getting in my right foot so she checked it out since that can sometimes mean a blood clot, especially when it's only on one side, but she didn't find anything & I'm not having any pain. She felt better about it knowing that it happens late afternoon ususally but then is gone by morning until the late afternoon again. But, I am watching it just in case. It's an everyday thing.
Other than that, I am getting more & more heartburn episodes, so I should probably see if I can pinpoint certain foods that set it off since it is bad at times. For the most part though, Rolaids does the trick.
In other news, we have put an offer in on a new house in the Champaign, IL area. We are pretty excited, but trying not to get our hopes up since it all depends on the sale of our current house, and if no one else puts an offer in for the new house before then. Since we had our current house built, we discussed looking into that option again, but we really like this other house that was just built (and that's amazing in itself), plus don't want to live in something temporary if we don't have to, especially with kids! So, we'll see - at least it's a back up plan in place.
I go back to the Dr. next Tues. for my 36 week appt. & then will go back weekly. It's getting close!
Friday, August 15, 2008
32 weeks
My Dr. was back for this appt. and it seems that the nurse that did my measurement two weeks ago was a little off since my Dr. measured me at 32 cm this week, which makes more sense. I was starting to get worried about growing more than the 2 cm for the week timeframes, but now it looks like I'm back to being right on schedule. I've gained two pounds from the last visit, which she said was really good, so looks like everything is going great.
The baby continues to be active, and sometimes a bit painful for me up in my ribs! Nights are starting to be more difficult still with leg/side pains & cramps, getting up a few times, etc. Still tolerable though, so no complaints really!
Kameron has his latest experience with a baby over the weekend when we stayed in IL with our soon-to-be "neighbors" & best friends for IL with their 4 month old. It proved to be a great experience & he's looking forward to his own little sister to come. He was so cute playing with her, holding her & just trying to help do what he could for her!
We have official set up the crib & nursery decor for the most part! Kameron was pretty excited to "help" Daddy set up the crib & get things ready. Of course as most of you know by now, we won't be here long after she arrives, but since we will be here, we had to get the room as ready as we can - just no painting now!
And that's really our latest & biggest news...our upcoming move to Champaign, IL at the end of Oct. We are very excited for everything this move will bring to us as a family, but of course sad to say goodbye to people & what we have here in Clarksville. So, we've got our house on the market & just hoping it will sell by then! We have been looking at houses & plans for houses in the Champaign area & trying to figure out what will work & what we want to do. We may be making another trip there before I can't travel that far anymore due to ending of the pregnancy just to get things done if need be. There are some wonderful options, it's just figuring out what will work best with time & money.
I plan to continue selling Pampered Chef after we move but will take a bit of a break between relocating & the new baby. I hope to start back in Nov., just not near as many as I do now. In the meantime, I'm filling my dates between now & mid Sept. & then also offering incentives for anyone that does a catalog/online party to help me get through Oct. & part of Nov. when I won't be doing any parties. So, let me know if any of you are interested! :) I already have a few people lined up to do a party in the Champaign area & I'm looking forward to meeting others & starting an additional team there as well.
Buddy will continue his wonderful photography business there, but it all depends on what we do for housing as to when he'll start it. Plus, he's been really into commercial & different types of photography lately that he plans to focus on once we move, too.
My next appt. is in two weeks so I'll update from that one then.
The baby continues to be active, and sometimes a bit painful for me up in my ribs! Nights are starting to be more difficult still with leg/side pains & cramps, getting up a few times, etc. Still tolerable though, so no complaints really!
Kameron has his latest experience with a baby over the weekend when we stayed in IL with our soon-to-be "neighbors" & best friends for IL with their 4 month old. It proved to be a great experience & he's looking forward to his own little sister to come. He was so cute playing with her, holding her & just trying to help do what he could for her!
We have official set up the crib & nursery decor for the most part! Kameron was pretty excited to "help" Daddy set up the crib & get things ready. Of course as most of you know by now, we won't be here long after she arrives, but since we will be here, we had to get the room as ready as we can - just no painting now!
And that's really our latest & biggest news...our upcoming move to Champaign, IL at the end of Oct. We are very excited for everything this move will bring to us as a family, but of course sad to say goodbye to people & what we have here in Clarksville. So, we've got our house on the market & just hoping it will sell by then! We have been looking at houses & plans for houses in the Champaign area & trying to figure out what will work & what we want to do. We may be making another trip there before I can't travel that far anymore due to ending of the pregnancy just to get things done if need be. There are some wonderful options, it's just figuring out what will work best with time & money.
I plan to continue selling Pampered Chef after we move but will take a bit of a break between relocating & the new baby. I hope to start back in Nov., just not near as many as I do now. In the meantime, I'm filling my dates between now & mid Sept. & then also offering incentives for anyone that does a catalog/online party to help me get through Oct. & part of Nov. when I won't be doing any parties. So, let me know if any of you are interested! :) I already have a few people lined up to do a party in the Champaign area & I'm looking forward to meeting others & starting an additional team there as well.
Buddy will continue his wonderful photography business there, but it all depends on what we do for housing as to when he'll start it. Plus, he's been really into commercial & different types of photography lately that he plans to focus on once we move, too.
My next appt. is in two weeks so I'll update from that one then.
Friday, August 1, 2008
30+ weeks
I went for my 30 week appt. this week & all is good as of now. My belly is measuring in at 32 cm, which is still fine, but it's best if it doesn't get 2 cm bigger/smaller than my week are along. If it does, they'll just need to be sure she isn't growing faster to where it would be a concern for my travel, etc. in case she were to look like she would arrive earlier. But for now, it's all good. Her heartrate was good...after she finally got it since she moved a bit. They also confirmed that my gestational diabetes & HIV screening both came back negative.
She seems to be very active & has some days that I can't tell if she's been able to sleep much since she's so active. I love every minute of it, though. Of course it's more obvious when I'm sitting down or laying down at night. I have noticed a slight big of swelling starting in my right foot, but this is about the time it starts! Heartburn is making an appearance again a couple of times a week.
Not much else really to report. We are just enjoying this process & seeing how Kameron is getting excited for his baby sister's arrival, too!
She seems to be very active & has some days that I can't tell if she's been able to sleep much since she's so active. I love every minute of it, though. Of course it's more obvious when I'm sitting down or laying down at night. I have noticed a slight big of swelling starting in my right foot, but this is about the time it starts! Heartburn is making an appearance again a couple of times a week.
Not much else really to report. We are just enjoying this process & seeing how Kameron is getting excited for his baby sister's arrival, too!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
28+ weeks
Continuing to grow, as seen in the pics! At my 28 week Dr. appt. my belly was measuring in at 29 cm, which is good. I gained another 5 pounds over the past month & still right under the range, so my Dr. was pretty happy at how things are progressing. The baby's heartrate was at 160 & everything sounds great. She was quite active during this appt. to where it took a few tries to get her heartrate since she was kicking so frequently. I also had my gestational diabetes & HIV tests done. I didn't hear anything the following day like she mentioned I would, so I'm guessing they both came back normal. Well, I know the HIV one did, obviously, but more concerned to see about the diabetes. The glucose drink wasn't real fun that I drank on the way to the appt...a lot more of a burning sensation then I remember from the first pregnancy. My Dr. suggested I stop working Pampered Chef parties around mid Sept. to be safe but we'll play it by ear as far as how I progress in the weeks to come to know when she'll aim to have me deliver & how much past my due date she'll let me go. She doesn't want to induce if it isn't necessary, of course, but won't let me go a week over my due date either. I go back on July 29 for the next appt. (I now start on 2 week visits).
As for how I'm feeling, I'm getting quite a lot of movement each day & it beginning to form somewhat of a pattern of when she is awake & asleep. She seems to be more active right before I go to bed, right before lunch & right before I wake up. But then I have other days, like two days ago, where she was pretty much active a majority of the day; then others like yesterday where she wasn't overly active. I'm having an upper back pain on my right side that seems to flare up more at night. I did go to a prenatal massage appt. recently that really helped all areas from the aches starting on at this pregnancy stage, and she keyed in on that area which helped a lot. I really don't feel too bad; just more awkward & of course a little slow to go.
I just got home from my Pampered Chef National Conference in Chicago. As always, it proved to be a great deal of learning, networking, nice time to catch up with friends & fun. I was a little slower this time, but did find out I can still run a bit if needed...when trying to catch a bus! So, I'm pretty worn out today from being nonstop for the past few days, but all is good. I'm anxious to implement all I have learned for my team & myself, and for the Fall season line-up.
My local baby shower last weekend proved to be an incredible experience. I can't explain how wonderful it all was, and how much time went into everything. It truly made me feel special & loved! I was simply amazed at the site, how beautiful it all was from the decorations to the fancy food, & how much fun we all had. I owe a great deal of appreciation & thanks to Kristin & my sister for helping make it happen, and for my mom & sister for traveling to come. I also had another little surprise I never anticipated...one of my friends that used to live here (moved a year ago) came in & surprised me a couple days before at dinner! Andrea lives in Nebraska now & I never thought she'd be able to make it, but sure enough, she & Kristin surprised me with her arrival at dinner a couple nights before. I know the look on my face was priceless since the waitress & staff were in on the surprise & they started to sit Kristin & I at a table with a lady already sitting down. Since Andrea's head was down, I had no idea it was her & just looked at the waitress & Kristin like they were nuts trying to seat us with another person we didn't know! Needless to say, I was thrilled & thank her for making the trip & helping get things ready for the shower. So glad & unbelievably thankful to have people care enough to help me celebrate this true miracle & have this to honor her!
Kameron continues to be interested in meeting his baby sister soon. He is enjoying playing with some shower decorations in the meantime (mainly the big mylar balloons). Buddy just took some pics of him, so you can check them out at: www.buddybartels.com/kameron-black
As for how I'm feeling, I'm getting quite a lot of movement each day & it beginning to form somewhat of a pattern of when she is awake & asleep. She seems to be more active right before I go to bed, right before lunch & right before I wake up. But then I have other days, like two days ago, where she was pretty much active a majority of the day; then others like yesterday where she wasn't overly active. I'm having an upper back pain on my right side that seems to flare up more at night. I did go to a prenatal massage appt. recently that really helped all areas from the aches starting on at this pregnancy stage, and she keyed in on that area which helped a lot. I really don't feel too bad; just more awkward & of course a little slow to go.
I just got home from my Pampered Chef National Conference in Chicago. As always, it proved to be a great deal of learning, networking, nice time to catch up with friends & fun. I was a little slower this time, but did find out I can still run a bit if needed...when trying to catch a bus! So, I'm pretty worn out today from being nonstop for the past few days, but all is good. I'm anxious to implement all I have learned for my team & myself, and for the Fall season line-up.
My local baby shower last weekend proved to be an incredible experience. I can't explain how wonderful it all was, and how much time went into everything. It truly made me feel special & loved! I was simply amazed at the site, how beautiful it all was from the decorations to the fancy food, & how much fun we all had. I owe a great deal of appreciation & thanks to Kristin & my sister for helping make it happen, and for my mom & sister for traveling to come. I also had another little surprise I never anticipated...one of my friends that used to live here (moved a year ago) came in & surprised me a couple days before at dinner! Andrea lives in Nebraska now & I never thought she'd be able to make it, but sure enough, she & Kristin surprised me with her arrival at dinner a couple nights before. I know the look on my face was priceless since the waitress & staff were in on the surprise & they started to sit Kristin & I at a table with a lady already sitting down. Since Andrea's head was down, I had no idea it was her & just looked at the waitress & Kristin like they were nuts trying to seat us with another person we didn't know! Needless to say, I was thrilled & thank her for making the trip & helping get things ready for the shower. So glad & unbelievably thankful to have people care enough to help me celebrate this true miracle & have this to honor her!
Kameron continues to be interested in meeting his baby sister soon. He is enjoying playing with some shower decorations in the meantime (mainly the big mylar balloons). Buddy just took some pics of him, so you can check them out at: www.buddybartels.com/kameron-black
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
26 weeks
Since I've last typed in, Buddy has officially felt the baby move (as of Saturday, June 21)! Since then, he's been able to see & feel the baby move a few times, but isn't real big on placing his hand on my belly & waiting for her to kick him. He just doesn't want to have to wait longer than a minute or two, but seems he's not the only father that way after talking to Nikki!
My belly seems to be progressing along & Buddy even commented thinking it was bigger this past week for tonight's belly shot pic. I have been feeling fine & really been able to stay up until around 11 most nights, but as of yesterday, I'm starting to want to call it a night around 10:00 again. It's worse when I fight it, like I did last night, so maybe I'll head to bed after this.
My latest pregnancy thing is the new 'secret belly fit' capris & jeans I have discovered at Motherhood Maternity. I had heard about them, but once I ordered them & tried them on, wow...such a difference from any other maternity bottoms out there! Not only is it nice that you can't see a line under my shirt from the elastic in the pants, but they are actually very comfy & don't cut in, roll down or bulge like a lot do. So, I'm off to find a pair of shorts when we go by the mall tomorrow on our way to IL for the 4th weekend. We haven't been to Six Flags in forever so we decided to make that part of our trip to IL to visit family since they have things for Kameron to enjoy, plus my sister only lives about 30 minutes from the one in St. Louis area.
Oh, I am starting to notice having to catch my breath or loss of as of lately. I remember having that towards the end of my pregnancy w/Kameron while conducting a Pampered Chef party, and as of my party on Sunday, it's to that stage again. I also have to tweek my workout program moreso now due to that & just comfort level, but all to be expected.
Kameron has been asking lately about when his baby sister will come out, so sounds like he's on board. Plus, he's really been into the Precious Moments doll that my mom brought for the baby & treating it like a real baby (especially rocking & calming when she pretend cries). It's so cute!
We have started the transition for Kameron into the guest bedroom to give him plenty of time to adjust before the baby arrives. We ordered his bedding outfit (animals, his favorite, & it's just adorable) since the one we have in his bedroom is for a twin & they don't make that same one in a full. Luckily the curtains & accessories all match this new bedding set. We decided to put him in the full bed already in the guest bedroom since first, we have no place to store it (won't fit up the attic hole) & second,it will be helpful to still have when guests stay. We bought paint for his room & the baby room last night but went ahead & put Kameron's new bedding on the full bed & let tonight be his first official night in that room. He was sooo excited when I opened up his new bedding when it came in on Monday so needless to say, we didn't have to do much convincing to get him to sleep in the 'big boy bed w/ animals'. So, we'll see how it goes! The other goal is to help keep him in his own bed all night. He's been doing a lot better with the rewards we offer, but sometimes still wanders in. However, if I wake up & remind him to go back to his bedroom & what he'll get in the morning, he's usually pretty good at doing it. Speaking of progress, as of last week, we officially took him out of nighttime pull-ups! He'd been going for a couple of weeks or more without wetting them, so it was definitely time. And so far, no accidents. He really is getting to be a big boy & anticipating his new role as big brother!
In other new things for us, we have started our small group at church on Sunday evenings and are really enjoying all of it from the friends & fellowship to the learning about all aspects. We really like our church (just started in April) and have grown very fond of everything about it. It's great to be able to look forward to going each week & know we are in the right place for numerous reasons. It's a wonderful feeling to have a place to call our own now & that need for faith be brought back into our lives. It's been a hard go for us, and mainly for me to adjust to religion again after losing my sister & grandmother, so it's such a huge step for me to have this feel so right. We've never experienced a church like this to where we can actually walk away with such a powerful message each week & something that keeps you interested & coming back for more. Thanks, Grace!
No other new baby announcements to report as of now (i.e. a name). I guess we'll eventually get that squared away, but it really isn't something we've done a lot of talking or researching on yet. She'll have a name, it just may not be until shortly before she's due!
My belly seems to be progressing along & Buddy even commented thinking it was bigger this past week for tonight's belly shot pic. I have been feeling fine & really been able to stay up until around 11 most nights, but as of yesterday, I'm starting to want to call it a night around 10:00 again. It's worse when I fight it, like I did last night, so maybe I'll head to bed after this.
My latest pregnancy thing is the new 'secret belly fit' capris & jeans I have discovered at Motherhood Maternity. I had heard about them, but once I ordered them & tried them on, wow...such a difference from any other maternity bottoms out there! Not only is it nice that you can't see a line under my shirt from the elastic in the pants, but they are actually very comfy & don't cut in, roll down or bulge like a lot do. So, I'm off to find a pair of shorts when we go by the mall tomorrow on our way to IL for the 4th weekend. We haven't been to Six Flags in forever so we decided to make that part of our trip to IL to visit family since they have things for Kameron to enjoy, plus my sister only lives about 30 minutes from the one in St. Louis area.
Oh, I am starting to notice having to catch my breath or loss of as of lately. I remember having that towards the end of my pregnancy w/Kameron while conducting a Pampered Chef party, and as of my party on Sunday, it's to that stage again. I also have to tweek my workout program moreso now due to that & just comfort level, but all to be expected.
Kameron has been asking lately about when his baby sister will come out, so sounds like he's on board. Plus, he's really been into the Precious Moments doll that my mom brought for the baby & treating it like a real baby (especially rocking & calming when she pretend cries). It's so cute!
We have started the transition for Kameron into the guest bedroom to give him plenty of time to adjust before the baby arrives. We ordered his bedding outfit (animals, his favorite, & it's just adorable) since the one we have in his bedroom is for a twin & they don't make that same one in a full. Luckily the curtains & accessories all match this new bedding set. We decided to put him in the full bed already in the guest bedroom since first, we have no place to store it (won't fit up the attic hole) & second,it will be helpful to still have when guests stay. We bought paint for his room & the baby room last night but went ahead & put Kameron's new bedding on the full bed & let tonight be his first official night in that room. He was sooo excited when I opened up his new bedding when it came in on Monday so needless to say, we didn't have to do much convincing to get him to sleep in the 'big boy bed w/ animals'. So, we'll see how it goes! The other goal is to help keep him in his own bed all night. He's been doing a lot better with the rewards we offer, but sometimes still wanders in. However, if I wake up & remind him to go back to his bedroom & what he'll get in the morning, he's usually pretty good at doing it. Speaking of progress, as of last week, we officially took him out of nighttime pull-ups! He'd been going for a couple of weeks or more without wetting them, so it was definitely time. And so far, no accidents. He really is getting to be a big boy & anticipating his new role as big brother!
In other new things for us, we have started our small group at church on Sunday evenings and are really enjoying all of it from the friends & fellowship to the learning about all aspects. We really like our church (just started in April) and have grown very fond of everything about it. It's great to be able to look forward to going each week & know we are in the right place for numerous reasons. It's a wonderful feeling to have a place to call our own now & that need for faith be brought back into our lives. It's been a hard go for us, and mainly for me to adjust to religion again after losing my sister & grandmother, so it's such a huge step for me to have this feel so right. We've never experienced a church like this to where we can actually walk away with such a powerful message each week & something that keeps you interested & coming back for more. Thanks, Grace!
No other new baby announcements to report as of now (i.e. a name). I guess we'll eventually get that squared away, but it really isn't something we've done a lot of talking or researching on yet. She'll have a name, it just may not be until shortly before she's due!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
24 weeks
Even though the last picture was less than a full week from this one since we took it late, there still seems to be a bit more belly in this week's belly progress pic. However, I was standing weird the week before, so that caused some differences as well.
My 24 week appt. went well. All is still great! I got to hear the heartbeat again, and my Dr. said everything sounds perfect. My belly is measuring in at 24, which she said is great. I have gained 11 pounds so far, and that seems to be wonderful. I was thinking it was more, so according to my weekly book, I'm just under the range! I did ask her about the pain I'm getting when I bump into something or Kameron climbs on me. It seems that goes along with the bulging veins I have. She did say they have a type of support hose for pregnancy, but a heck of a time of year to start those, especially since it's tolerable.
I go back in a month & after that, it will be twice a month. This next appt. will be the test to see if I have gestational diabetes. They have changed the way they test for it now, so they gave me the glucose drink this time & instructions to take it before I come the next so I can have my blood drawn exactly one hour after taking it. Nikki had it with her recent pregnancy, so I know the fun of dealing with that & all the monitoring needed throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. They will also do another test for HIV. It seems the state of TN is requiring all mothers to have one the first trimester & then another in the third trimester now. You can refuse, but then you are required to have it at the hospital when you deliver. So, no need to refuse anyway!
In other news, Kameron got to experience his first Fair & carnival rides (since Disney isn't a carnival!) last night & loved it! I really should get some of his pics posted on here soon. Check back for that as I get Buddy to put a link for Kameron on the main page! In the meantime, here is a link to view the pics from his visit to the Fair: www.buddybartels.com/kameron-carnival
And here is a link from some recent pics downtown: http://www.buddybartels.com/kameron-may08/
My 24 week appt. went well. All is still great! I got to hear the heartbeat again, and my Dr. said everything sounds perfect. My belly is measuring in at 24, which she said is great. I have gained 11 pounds so far, and that seems to be wonderful. I was thinking it was more, so according to my weekly book, I'm just under the range! I did ask her about the pain I'm getting when I bump into something or Kameron climbs on me. It seems that goes along with the bulging veins I have. She did say they have a type of support hose for pregnancy, but a heck of a time of year to start those, especially since it's tolerable.
I go back in a month & after that, it will be twice a month. This next appt. will be the test to see if I have gestational diabetes. They have changed the way they test for it now, so they gave me the glucose drink this time & instructions to take it before I come the next so I can have my blood drawn exactly one hour after taking it. Nikki had it with her recent pregnancy, so I know the fun of dealing with that & all the monitoring needed throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. They will also do another test for HIV. It seems the state of TN is requiring all mothers to have one the first trimester & then another in the third trimester now. You can refuse, but then you are required to have it at the hospital when you deliver. So, no need to refuse anyway!
In other news, Kameron got to experience his first Fair & carnival rides (since Disney isn't a carnival!) last night & loved it! I really should get some of his pics posted on here soon. Check back for that as I get Buddy to put a link for Kameron on the main page! In the meantime, here is a link to view the pics from his visit to the Fair: www.buddybartels.com/kameron-carnival
And here is a link from some recent pics downtown: http://www.buddybartels.com/kameron-may08/
Friday, June 13, 2008
23+ weeks
Well, those of you that keep up with my belly progress shots will have to wait until tonight or tomorrow to see the 23 week shot since Buddy has been out of town for a photo class. But last week's shot wasn't anything new compared to the week before, so we'll see!
Not a lot to report but I am noticing some 'common' pregnancy things lately. I may have mentioned the bulging veins before, but those are becoming more obvious & a lot more on my legs. That is something I did not have when I was pregnant with Kameron. One of them is scary since I feel like I could bump into something easily & puncture it. Anyway, I'm now into the the heartburn phase that I definitely remember. I had never experienced heartburn before I was pregnant w/ Kameron, and now it's back! Luckily it really isn't too bad...at least so far. I'm starting to have to cut back on my exercise routine a little, too, but I guess that's to be expected as I get bigger.
We are in the process of getting the bedrooms ready to transfer! Thanks to my mom & Tommy being here the past week while Buddy was gone & helping get closets cleaned out & things moved out. We are moving Kameron into the spare bedroom & putting the baby into Kameron's current room. It just made the most sense because of the 'baby' furniture already in Kameron's current room (minus the stages crib/bed) & the wood all matches. So, that's been a task that isn't done, but a real good chunk of it has been accomplished. Then we'll start painting the spare bedroom to get it set for Kameron first. I just want to have this all finished well before baby is due since you never know when she'll make her appearance!
In other news, thanks to the help & added shows from customers & family, I made my yearly award for Top Performance Cluster for Pampered Chef! It's a great honor to have, so I'm thankful to have earned it again this year, and look forward to the added diamonds to my ring, spending money, and additional incentive trip day/night.
Kameron is calming down from the fun of the past week w/ Grandma & Tommy (they enjoyed seeing Kung Fu Panda together, too) & has developed a heat rash from playing in the pool. So, looks like we'll stay indoors for another day or so. He is able to feel the baby kick, or at least he tells me he can! Buddy still hasn't been able to, but my mom & sister have. I'm very much enjoying it.
Our next Dr. appt. is Tuesday, so I'll post any news then or on Wed. after the 24 week belly shot. Too bad we won't have another ultrasound to post pics from! In the meantime, I should have my 23 week belly shot posted once Buddy gets home.
Not a lot to report but I am noticing some 'common' pregnancy things lately. I may have mentioned the bulging veins before, but those are becoming more obvious & a lot more on my legs. That is something I did not have when I was pregnant with Kameron. One of them is scary since I feel like I could bump into something easily & puncture it. Anyway, I'm now into the the heartburn phase that I definitely remember. I had never experienced heartburn before I was pregnant w/ Kameron, and now it's back! Luckily it really isn't too bad...at least so far. I'm starting to have to cut back on my exercise routine a little, too, but I guess that's to be expected as I get bigger.
We are in the process of getting the bedrooms ready to transfer! Thanks to my mom & Tommy being here the past week while Buddy was gone & helping get closets cleaned out & things moved out. We are moving Kameron into the spare bedroom & putting the baby into Kameron's current room. It just made the most sense because of the 'baby' furniture already in Kameron's current room (minus the stages crib/bed) & the wood all matches. So, that's been a task that isn't done, but a real good chunk of it has been accomplished. Then we'll start painting the spare bedroom to get it set for Kameron first. I just want to have this all finished well before baby is due since you never know when she'll make her appearance!
In other news, thanks to the help & added shows from customers & family, I made my yearly award for Top Performance Cluster for Pampered Chef! It's a great honor to have, so I'm thankful to have earned it again this year, and look forward to the added diamonds to my ring, spending money, and additional incentive trip day/night.
Kameron is calming down from the fun of the past week w/ Grandma & Tommy (they enjoyed seeing Kung Fu Panda together, too) & has developed a heat rash from playing in the pool. So, looks like we'll stay indoors for another day or so. He is able to feel the baby kick, or at least he tells me he can! Buddy still hasn't been able to, but my mom & sister have. I'm very much enjoying it.
Our next Dr. appt. is Tuesday, so I'll post any news then or on Wed. after the 24 week belly shot. Too bad we won't have another ultrasound to post pics from! In the meantime, I should have my 23 week belly shot posted once Buddy gets home.
Friday, May 30, 2008
21 weeks
We survived the beach & had a great time! At first I didn't know how it would go since Kameron acted scared of it despite his desire for weeks now to go! But, after the first day, he allowed Buddy to take him off his shoulders & stand w/ him in the ocean & then even walked around a little on his own. He thought it was pretty funny to have the ocean water come 'get him'. He had a really good time building sand castles & playing in the sand. He also enjoyed his first miniature golf outing & didn't do too bad! So by the time we got home, he wasn't wanting to be away from the beach.
Not much else new this week since our big news came in last week in that blog posting. Oh, I have had some people say they are having issues putting a name in to leave a comment & then needing to do it under anonymous. You should just be able to use the 'name/url' option & then put in a name (url not required).
The video link at the bottom left of the main page is now working for the full extent if you want to see our little girl in action for a few minutes from last week's ultrasound!
Not much difference in the weekly belly progress pic from this week compared to last. I actually don't even know how much weight I've gained so far. Some of my friends that saw me last night said they didn't think much at all from looking at my face (how nice of them to make me feel good!), but I know I've gained! Maybe 12 pounds or so - that's about right for this timing anyway.
Until next time - thanks for checking in & leaving your comments! We are very blessed to be going through all of this & with the support of you all!
Not much else new this week since our big news came in last week in that blog posting. Oh, I have had some people say they are having issues putting a name in to leave a comment & then needing to do it under anonymous. You should just be able to use the 'name/url' option & then put in a name (url not required).
The video link at the bottom left of the main page is now working for the full extent if you want to see our little girl in action for a few minutes from last week's ultrasound!
Not much difference in the weekly belly progress pic from this week compared to last. I actually don't even know how much weight I've gained so far. Some of my friends that saw me last night said they didn't think much at all from looking at my face (how nice of them to make me feel good!), but I know I've gained! Maybe 12 pounds or so - that's about right for this timing anyway.
Until next time - thanks for checking in & leaving your comments! We are very blessed to be going through all of this & with the support of you all!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
20 weeks - half way there!
Well, you know our news for the latest big question...it's a GIRL!
The appt. went well. We started off w/ the ultrasound, which lastest 30 minutes. They do a lot of measurements & pics at this appt. to check for all kinds of things w/ the baby & w/ me. It ended up being more than 50 things they took pics of & measured between us, & all are perfect! After some initial measurements she tried to look for the sex of the baby, but legs were crossed so it took a few minutes. But, before she could announce & show us what she say, Buddy blurted out, "It's a girl, isn't it!" I couldn't really see the screen that well laying down but after a few seconds, she pointed out the three dots that confirm it's a girl! Buddy said he knew what he saw from looking at our friend Nikki's ultrasound of a girl. It was so cute to see her "talking" (you can see that in the video, too) & moving all about. She had her legs up over her head during some of it, which I didn't realize she'd be doing at this point. The sonographer said she was very active. In fact, we had to wait a few minutes for her to settle down in order to get a resting heart rate! The heart rate was 163. We also got profile, face straight on (a little skeletal looking) & parts pics. You can see all the 20 week pics as well as the video we got through the picture gallery & video link on the main page.
After the ultrasound, we met w/ my Dr. to go over the results. She confirmed that all looks great with us both. She gave me some hospital & baby class info & registration & told us about a Big Brother class Kameron can take, which sounds very cute. The due date will remain Oct. 8, although some of the measurements could lean toward a couple of days later. We go back for our 24 week/6 month appt. on June 17.
After we left the Dr.'s office we headed to Babies R Us to do some registering for things we will need. We didn't realize all we'd need for not only a different gender but replacing & new things that are out here 4 years after our first!
Now we are packing up to head off in the morning on a little vacation to the beach! Kameron has really been wanting to do, so we're making a little trip to have some fun in the sun! Thanks for checking in about our news for a little girl heading our way!
The appt. went well. We started off w/ the ultrasound, which lastest 30 minutes. They do a lot of measurements & pics at this appt. to check for all kinds of things w/ the baby & w/ me. It ended up being more than 50 things they took pics of & measured between us, & all are perfect! After some initial measurements she tried to look for the sex of the baby, but legs were crossed so it took a few minutes. But, before she could announce & show us what she say, Buddy blurted out, "It's a girl, isn't it!" I couldn't really see the screen that well laying down but after a few seconds, she pointed out the three dots that confirm it's a girl! Buddy said he knew what he saw from looking at our friend Nikki's ultrasound of a girl. It was so cute to see her "talking" (you can see that in the video, too) & moving all about. She had her legs up over her head during some of it, which I didn't realize she'd be doing at this point. The sonographer said she was very active. In fact, we had to wait a few minutes for her to settle down in order to get a resting heart rate! The heart rate was 163. We also got profile, face straight on (a little skeletal looking) & parts pics. You can see all the 20 week pics as well as the video we got through the picture gallery & video link on the main page.
After the ultrasound, we met w/ my Dr. to go over the results. She confirmed that all looks great with us both. She gave me some hospital & baby class info & registration & told us about a Big Brother class Kameron can take, which sounds very cute. The due date will remain Oct. 8, although some of the measurements could lean toward a couple of days later. We go back for our 24 week/6 month appt. on June 17.
After we left the Dr.'s office we headed to Babies R Us to do some registering for things we will need. We didn't realize all we'd need for not only a different gender but replacing & new things that are out here 4 years after our first!
Now we are packing up to head off in the morning on a little vacation to the beach! Kameron has really been wanting to do, so we're making a little trip to have some fun in the sun! Thanks for checking in about our news for a little girl heading our way!
Monday, May 19, 2008
19 weeks
We are about 5 days behind in the official 19 weeks post but I will say that I had to be sure to get it on here since I can tell a difference in this week's belly progress shot compared to just the week before!
As of Mother's Day (how appropriate), I can feel the baby from the outside of my belly! The flutters have now turned into simple punches & kicks, especially when I am lying down on my side. Speaking of that, I'm supposed to strictly be on my side now & keep off lying on my back, while relaxing & sleeping. So, my two body pillows have helped keep me in position as much as possible. Every now & then Buddy will readjust me before he leaves for work in the morning. As for Buddy being able to feel the baby, well, not really yet. He claims he 'may have felt something' the other day, but it's just not as noticeable to his hands yet I guess. Now Kameron on the other hand says that he felt the baby, but I'm sure he was just excited that I was telling him what to feel for.
Kameron is pretty verbal almost daily in telling me my belly is getting bigger, but he says the baby is stuck & that's why it's not out yet! He still goes back & forth every day or so in thinking the baby is a girl & then a boy. Lately we've been asking him what we should name the baby & he'll start rambling off letters that of course don't spell anything, but now he's stuck on just stating the ABC's & at the end he'll say, "that spells Baby!" What a name that would be!
Well the big day when we find out the baby's sex is quickly approaching on Thursday (22nd)! Be sure to check back likely later that evening for the official news & newest ultrasound pics! We may even have another video posting if they give us one like they did for Kameron. If you haven't voted in the poll to the right yet, you can do so until Thursday afternoon.
As of Mother's Day (how appropriate), I can feel the baby from the outside of my belly! The flutters have now turned into simple punches & kicks, especially when I am lying down on my side. Speaking of that, I'm supposed to strictly be on my side now & keep off lying on my back, while relaxing & sleeping. So, my two body pillows have helped keep me in position as much as possible. Every now & then Buddy will readjust me before he leaves for work in the morning. As for Buddy being able to feel the baby, well, not really yet. He claims he 'may have felt something' the other day, but it's just not as noticeable to his hands yet I guess. Now Kameron on the other hand says that he felt the baby, but I'm sure he was just excited that I was telling him what to feel for.
Kameron is pretty verbal almost daily in telling me my belly is getting bigger, but he says the baby is stuck & that's why it's not out yet! He still goes back & forth every day or so in thinking the baby is a girl & then a boy. Lately we've been asking him what we should name the baby & he'll start rambling off letters that of course don't spell anything, but now he's stuck on just stating the ABC's & at the end he'll say, "that spells Baby!" What a name that would be!
Well the big day when we find out the baby's sex is quickly approaching on Thursday (22nd)! Be sure to check back likely later that evening for the official news & newest ultrasound pics! We may even have another video posting if they give us one like they did for Kameron. If you haven't voted in the poll to the right yet, you can do so until Thursday afternoon.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
18 weeks
Well, another week has come & gone. It seems that happens so fast! Anyway, I have another pic posted in the weekly belly shot, but I can't tell a difference. However, I will say I feel different. My belly is growing out more & definitely getting tighter. I am still calling it a night around 10:00, and now it seems that headaches are coming back more frequently. But, they are under control luckily with simple Tylenol, unlike the migraines I had earlier in the pregnancy.
I can now officially say as of Sunday I have felt the baby! And it happened just as it's supposed to, as a flutter across my belly. I was just thinking about when I'd know for sure since I can't remember the difference when I was pregnant w/ Kameron without something to compare it to, but now that this is the second baby, I knew when it was the real deal. It happened when we were in the car on our way back to TN.
Last weekend was a nice weekend that we looked forward to - we finally got to go see Nikki, Bryan & their new baby, Ella (Nikki is my college roomie for those of you wondering who I'm talking about). We are so close with them that I hate the distance we live apart, but luckily we get a chance to visit & vice versa as much as we can, so it was wonderful to finally see Ella. So, we had a wonderful time & had fun taking her first pics!
Not much else to report, although I will say that I have finally decided I need to really take time management more seriously! Being your own boss & mom takes some planning out to really follow in order for it to work! I really do a lot of that already, but lately things are catching up with me to where I'm at the end of what I can take. So, hopefully I can get a better grip on a schedule of everything & still be sure to include social time before the new addition gets here!
Thanks again to all of you who keep updated & post your comments; we appreciate that you care!
I can now officially say as of Sunday I have felt the baby! And it happened just as it's supposed to, as a flutter across my belly. I was just thinking about when I'd know for sure since I can't remember the difference when I was pregnant w/ Kameron without something to compare it to, but now that this is the second baby, I knew when it was the real deal. It happened when we were in the car on our way back to TN.
Last weekend was a nice weekend that we looked forward to - we finally got to go see Nikki, Bryan & their new baby, Ella (Nikki is my college roomie for those of you wondering who I'm talking about). We are so close with them that I hate the distance we live apart, but luckily we get a chance to visit & vice versa as much as we can, so it was wonderful to finally see Ella. So, we had a wonderful time & had fun taking her first pics!
Not much else to report, although I will say that I have finally decided I need to really take time management more seriously! Being your own boss & mom takes some planning out to really follow in order for it to work! I really do a lot of that already, but lately things are catching up with me to where I'm at the end of what I can take. So, hopefully I can get a better grip on a schedule of everything & still be sure to include social time before the new addition gets here!
Thanks again to all of you who keep updated & post your comments; we appreciate that you care!
Friday, May 2, 2008
17 weeks
Well I was waiting for Buddy to upload my first belly progress picture to the main page before I typed in, but that took a little over a week since he was out of state on business, so I'll just update over the past couple weeks!
My 16 week appt. went very well (the belly progress pic is from last week; week 16). It was my first appt. w/ my new Dr. since my regular Dr. has decided to be home w/ her children. I was more anxious really than nervous to meet her since I really liked my other Dr. She was great though, just as I had been told. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat & go over some questions/concerns I had. Mainly I was worried about what foods & ate in London & Paris since I couldn't be for sure what was in everything, even though I watched & read carefully. But, things are different there so I wondered if I was okay. She reassured me that I would have been pretty sick if I was affected by anything. She said I could resume exercise to a certain limit & still need to watch how much I lift, as any pregnant woman should. We discussed the Cystic Fibrosis testing & all agreed that since there is nothing you can do about it before the baby is born anyway, there was no reason to get it done since it wouldn't change our decision for having the baby. The other tests are different since they give options to help manage or cure some of the disorders. This was the timeframe to get the Tetra Screen. But, since I already had the Nuchal Screening for Down's (Down's testing is a part of the Tetra Screen but not nearly as detailed since it's just blood work), they just did the Spina Bifida/neural tube defects & Trisomy 18 blood work test. About 5 days later they called to say those tests came back negative. I go back on Thursday, May 22 for the answer to the latest...is it a girl or a boy? It was funny since my Dr. asked if I knew already so thought I'd take her up on finding out right then, but she just thought I may have already known from a previous appt. If you haven't voted in the poll to the right, you can do so until then!
I have gained a little weight, and as you can tell from the pic, I'm starting to show! I actually can still get by on some bigger shirts that aren't maternity, but that's out now for pants! And now that spring is here, the short sleeved tighter fitting shirts are out & I'm going to my spring/summer maternity clothes from I was pregnant w/ Kameron. I guess it worked out nicely that it's exactly the same seasons for my pregnancy since the baby is due just a couple weeks before Kameron was due. However, just like anyone else, I can't help but want a few new things this pregnancy, so I've found a couple cute summer shirts & comfy pants I can wear for when I do my shows.
Ever since shortly after I started my second trimester, I've been done w/ nausea, so that's been nice. I am still tired, but able to stay up until around 10 or 10:30, so a little longer than the first trimester. I am anxiously awaiting the day I can officially say I KNOW I have felt the baby (which normally happens between 16 & 20 weeks), but when I think I can say that, I later think it was just my stomach, so I'm not for sure yet.
Kameron is enjoying telling others that my belly is getting bigger (the guy in Sears the other day was impressed, I'm sure) & seeing the progress to make it more real. Lately he likes to 'tickle the baby' when he tickles my belly. He also really liked that he was the first to pick out the first toy for the baby. We went to the zoo & Babies R Us last week & he picked out the Baby Einstein Dragon (BLAH) clip on squeeze toy for the baby. I wondered if he'd actually give it up since he still loves that character, but that night he told Daddy that he didn't need Blah to sleep with him in his bed since Blah was for the baby. So, I guess he's fine giving a toy he enjoys; great sharing skills...hope it continues!
Other than that, nothing too exciting! Business for me is pretty slow right now, and that seems to be for a lot of Consultants w/ the economy so I'm doing what I can to get back on somewhat of a regular routine since this is my job, yet it's nice that I'm not to the point where we are hurting; just not doing as much as I would normally be doing. I guess that's not always a bad thing though since it gives more time to enjoy family, friends & hobbies. I do have a Breast Cancer fundraiser going on right now since May is our annual Help Whip Cancer month, in which each year we raise millions for Breast Cancer Education & Awareness programs through our limited edition pink products & fundraiser parties. So, we'll see how well I do in helping that great cause with my upcoming fundraiser open house. I'm also trying to work towards a pretty big award for Top Performance Cluster (I earned it last year) that ends in May, but with the economy & me being off my normal schedule w/ the couple in vitro procedures, I'm a bit short. It awards with recogntion, diamonds added to my ruby ring I was awarded with last year, money & an extra day/night on the next year's incentive trip! Hopefully it will come together, but if not, at least I know I tried my best due to the circumstances.
Well, I guess that's all for the update over the past two weeks. I should have another weekly pic of the belly posted soon for this week. I'll update again once or twice before our next appt. Keep in touch & feel free to post your comments so I know you were here!
My 16 week appt. went very well (the belly progress pic is from last week; week 16). It was my first appt. w/ my new Dr. since my regular Dr. has decided to be home w/ her children. I was more anxious really than nervous to meet her since I really liked my other Dr. She was great though, just as I had been told. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat & go over some questions/concerns I had. Mainly I was worried about what foods & ate in London & Paris since I couldn't be for sure what was in everything, even though I watched & read carefully. But, things are different there so I wondered if I was okay. She reassured me that I would have been pretty sick if I was affected by anything. She said I could resume exercise to a certain limit & still need to watch how much I lift, as any pregnant woman should. We discussed the Cystic Fibrosis testing & all agreed that since there is nothing you can do about it before the baby is born anyway, there was no reason to get it done since it wouldn't change our decision for having the baby. The other tests are different since they give options to help manage or cure some of the disorders. This was the timeframe to get the Tetra Screen. But, since I already had the Nuchal Screening for Down's (Down's testing is a part of the Tetra Screen but not nearly as detailed since it's just blood work), they just did the Spina Bifida/neural tube defects & Trisomy 18 blood work test. About 5 days later they called to say those tests came back negative. I go back on Thursday, May 22 for the answer to the latest...is it a girl or a boy? It was funny since my Dr. asked if I knew already so thought I'd take her up on finding out right then, but she just thought I may have already known from a previous appt. If you haven't voted in the poll to the right, you can do so until then!
I have gained a little weight, and as you can tell from the pic, I'm starting to show! I actually can still get by on some bigger shirts that aren't maternity, but that's out now for pants! And now that spring is here, the short sleeved tighter fitting shirts are out & I'm going to my spring/summer maternity clothes from I was pregnant w/ Kameron. I guess it worked out nicely that it's exactly the same seasons for my pregnancy since the baby is due just a couple weeks before Kameron was due. However, just like anyone else, I can't help but want a few new things this pregnancy, so I've found a couple cute summer shirts & comfy pants I can wear for when I do my shows.
Ever since shortly after I started my second trimester, I've been done w/ nausea, so that's been nice. I am still tired, but able to stay up until around 10 or 10:30, so a little longer than the first trimester. I am anxiously awaiting the day I can officially say I KNOW I have felt the baby (which normally happens between 16 & 20 weeks), but when I think I can say that, I later think it was just my stomach, so I'm not for sure yet.
Kameron is enjoying telling others that my belly is getting bigger (the guy in Sears the other day was impressed, I'm sure) & seeing the progress to make it more real. Lately he likes to 'tickle the baby' when he tickles my belly. He also really liked that he was the first to pick out the first toy for the baby. We went to the zoo & Babies R Us last week & he picked out the Baby Einstein Dragon (BLAH) clip on squeeze toy for the baby. I wondered if he'd actually give it up since he still loves that character, but that night he told Daddy that he didn't need Blah to sleep with him in his bed since Blah was for the baby. So, I guess he's fine giving a toy he enjoys; great sharing skills...hope it continues!
Other than that, nothing too exciting! Business for me is pretty slow right now, and that seems to be for a lot of Consultants w/ the economy so I'm doing what I can to get back on somewhat of a regular routine since this is my job, yet it's nice that I'm not to the point where we are hurting; just not doing as much as I would normally be doing. I guess that's not always a bad thing though since it gives more time to enjoy family, friends & hobbies. I do have a Breast Cancer fundraiser going on right now since May is our annual Help Whip Cancer month, in which each year we raise millions for Breast Cancer Education & Awareness programs through our limited edition pink products & fundraiser parties. So, we'll see how well I do in helping that great cause with my upcoming fundraiser open house. I'm also trying to work towards a pretty big award for Top Performance Cluster (I earned it last year) that ends in May, but with the economy & me being off my normal schedule w/ the couple in vitro procedures, I'm a bit short. It awards with recogntion, diamonds added to my ruby ring I was awarded with last year, money & an extra day/night on the next year's incentive trip! Hopefully it will come together, but if not, at least I know I tried my best due to the circumstances.
Well, I guess that's all for the update over the past two weeks. I should have another weekly pic of the belly posted soon for this week. I'll update again once or twice before our next appt. Keep in touch & feel free to post your comments so I know you were here!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
15 weeks along
Well, we made it to London & back! What a wonderful trip that was! Aside from a delay coming back from DC back to Nashville, everything went as planned. Just a great reminder for why I enjoy my job & the flexibility it has provided for me & my family, and then to get a tremedous trip once a year is icing on the cake! We had a great time visiting all there is to see in London & then our day in Paris. Pampered Chef pulled out all the stops for the Galas they had for us, including an event held where they hold the UK Emmy's & a fabulous river boat cruise w/ dinner at the Painted Hall at the Naval College in Greenwich.
I was a little nervous about how I'd feel on the long plane ride & then with the different food being pregnant, but all was fine. Aside from my knee giving out & a foot cramp that I think was caused from my shoe inserts, I felt fine. I was even able to stay up past my 'normal' pregnancy bedtime, but since they are 6 hours ahead, that screwed me up for the past few days of being back home. I'm still tired, but not quite as bad...still not back to late nights though as I was pre-pregnancy.
I'm starting to have a belly pop out & make an appearance as well! I guess it's time to start the weekly belly progress pics. I still have a few pairs of jeans that fit, but not for long! I'm anxiously awaiting that first moment when I know I feel the baby move, but it really is just a little too early to expect that yet. I'm definitely back to using the restroom more frequently! Good thing I had aisle seats on all the flights to & from London!
My 16 week appt. is set for next Thursday, April 24. There won't be an ultrasound, but we should be able to hear the heartbeat. This will be our first appt. meeting my new OB. My other OB (same one I had for Kameron) has decided to stay home to raise her family & her last day was April 4. I'm excited to meet my new doctor (in that same practice), as I've heard a lot of good things about her.
Since my last post (well, Buddy's) our results came back normal for the Nuchal Screening, which brings our risk for Down's Syndrome down to 1/702. I may be getting a Cystic Fibrosis test at next week's appt., but insurance has to have a letter of medical necessity from the doctor in order to pay for that.
Other than that, we're keeping busy as always! Kameron enjoyed a week with both sets of grandparents, but seems pretty happy to have mommy & daddy back home. He recently said he thinks the baby is a girl, but has always said boy until the other day. I'm honestly on the edge of my seat to find out, yet at the same time there is a part of me that thinks it would be neat to wait the whole time to find out. I just don't think I could do it! You can take the poll on the right for what sex you think it is until next month! Well, I guess that's all for now...I'll post another update after my appt. on the 24th.
I was a little nervous about how I'd feel on the long plane ride & then with the different food being pregnant, but all was fine. Aside from my knee giving out & a foot cramp that I think was caused from my shoe inserts, I felt fine. I was even able to stay up past my 'normal' pregnancy bedtime, but since they are 6 hours ahead, that screwed me up for the past few days of being back home. I'm still tired, but not quite as bad...still not back to late nights though as I was pre-pregnancy.
I'm starting to have a belly pop out & make an appearance as well! I guess it's time to start the weekly belly progress pics. I still have a few pairs of jeans that fit, but not for long! I'm anxiously awaiting that first moment when I know I feel the baby move, but it really is just a little too early to expect that yet. I'm definitely back to using the restroom more frequently! Good thing I had aisle seats on all the flights to & from London!
My 16 week appt. is set for next Thursday, April 24. There won't be an ultrasound, but we should be able to hear the heartbeat. This will be our first appt. meeting my new OB. My other OB (same one I had for Kameron) has decided to stay home to raise her family & her last day was April 4. I'm excited to meet my new doctor (in that same practice), as I've heard a lot of good things about her.
Since my last post (well, Buddy's) our results came back normal for the Nuchal Screening, which brings our risk for Down's Syndrome down to 1/702. I may be getting a Cystic Fibrosis test at next week's appt., but insurance has to have a letter of medical necessity from the doctor in order to pay for that.
Other than that, we're keeping busy as always! Kameron enjoyed a week with both sets of grandparents, but seems pretty happy to have mommy & daddy back home. He recently said he thinks the baby is a girl, but has always said boy until the other day. I'm honestly on the edge of my seat to find out, yet at the same time there is a part of me that thinks it would be neat to wait the whole time to find out. I just don't think I could do it! You can take the poll on the right for what sex you think it is until next month! Well, I guess that's all for now...I'll post another update after my appt. on the 24th.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
13 Week Ultrasound - 4/2/08
We went in today for what's called a Nuchal Translucency Screening which assesses the baby's risk of having Down syndrome (DS) and some other chromosomal abnormalities as well as major congenital heart problems. This screening involves both a blood test for Danelle and a very lengthy in depth ultrasound in which the technician measures the Nuchal Fold which is located on the back side of the baby's head. It is a very lengthy examination because the reading can only be taken if the baby has it's neck extended (difficult due to the baby naturally having it's chin down by it's chest). I counted that the technician was able to get about 6 different measurements and Nuchal fold averaged about 1.5mm from what I could tell. They said we would not have test results for 48 hours, but the curiosity was killing me about what that number meant so I did a little online research. From what I saw on the internet (because the internet is always 100% accurate, right?) for a baby between 10-14 weeks, with that size Nuchal Fold is less than 1% chance of having Down Syndrome. Of course, the blood test results will tell about other chromosonal abnormalities, etc... It's nothing we're worried about and we didn't even have these tests done when we were pregnant with Kameron. However, we found out the health insurance that we have this time around covers the test 100%, so why not....
The really cool thing about this test though is that we were able to see the baby for about 30 minutes during this extended ultrasound and the technician burned a 30 second video clip along with about 10 still images on a CD for us to take home. The main BabyBartels site has a short 5 second clip that I edited down and there is also a link to view the entire 30 second clip (the full length is about 5mb though...dialup users beware). The BabyBartels Gallery link has all the still images as well...even a few freaky "3D" ones that the technician was playing around with. The 3D ones do not look like much of anything so don't get too excited. I don't think the 3D technology was meant for 13 week ultrasounds.
On a final note, male & female organs are already developed at 13 weeks and the technician tried her best to maneuver the scope to get a sneak peak at the gender. However, I think it would be premature to start painting the new baby's room blue or pink based on the fuzzy picture we saw. I have a very good assumption, but you guys are just going to have to wait until our 20 week ultrasound when we know for sure.
Be sure to vote on our new poll on the side of the blog page: Boy or Girl?
Take Care - Buddy
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The really cool thing about this test though is that we were able to see the baby for about 30 minutes during this extended ultrasound and the technician burned a 30 second video clip along with about 10 still images on a CD for us to take home. The main BabyBartels site has a short 5 second clip that I edited down and there is also a link to view the entire 30 second clip (the full length is about 5mb though...dialup users beware). The BabyBartels Gallery link has all the still images as well...even a few freaky "3D" ones that the technician was playing around with. The 3D ones do not look like much of anything so don't get too excited. I don't think the 3D technology was meant for 13 week ultrasounds.
On a final note, male & female organs are already developed at 13 weeks and the technician tried her best to maneuver the scope to get a sneak peak at the gender. However, I think it would be premature to start painting the new baby's room blue or pink based on the fuzzy picture we saw. I have a very good assumption, but you guys are just going to have to wait until our 20 week ultrasound when we know for sure.
Be sure to vote on our new poll on the side of the blog page: Boy or Girl?
Take Care - Buddy
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
12 week ultrasound
Today we had our 12 week & one day (moved forward again a little bit) ultrasound and first visit w/ my OB Dr. The baby was quite active today from the two different ultrasound views we got. We got to see so much at this visit, which was pretty exciting! We even had a glimpse of a shot from the front w/ a skeletal face image. Lots of movement going on with stretching out arms and legs, and moving them all over. We got to see all the features. As you will see from the picture below, our child is an acrobat...the picture is upside down so we had to flip it for posting! You can pretty much see the face features, spine, hands, leg & foot in this picture. The baby stayed on it's head for the last half of the ultrasound! You can see the other three pics (two upright and another upside down that we flipped) in the picture gallery link. I think the second to the last one in the gallery shows a clearer face but the one posted here shows more.
The baby is measuring in at a little over 2 inches and heart rate is the same from the 9 week 4 day visit at 170. The due date is at October 8.
Then I had my appt. with the Dr., which went well. We basically went over what all to do/not do and the upcoming screenings I will have. I will probably have a screening within the next week or so that will test for abnormalities through a blood test and precise ultrasound where they will take detailed measurements of specifics parts of the baby and of me. Not sure if I'll get another picture from that or not, but I'll post if I do! Aside from that testing, I go back on April 24 for my next Dr. appt.
Other than the latest and greatest with the baby, Buddy and I head off for our week long trip to London on April 6! We are really looking forward to this trip, as I earned it through Pampered Chef like last year's trip to Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. We plan to visit Paris on this trip as well, so lots to see and do!
Kameron is getting better at talking about the baby to come. He's as active as ever and very involved in his CARS & Toy Story toys, among others things. He does very well at preschool two days a week and we continue his learning at home (there's the teacher in me) so he's pretty good at quite a bit of stuff...when he wants to be! He's adapted this middle of the night routine where he comes in & sleeps w/ Buddy & I for the remainder of the night for about three months now. We're hoping to break that before the baby comes though!
Well, as always, thanks for keeping up with us, your continuing support & posting your comments. I aim to update the blog once every week or so with the latest!
The baby is measuring in at a little over 2 inches and heart rate is the same from the 9 week 4 day visit at 170. The due date is at October 8.
Then I had my appt. with the Dr., which went well. We basically went over what all to do/not do and the upcoming screenings I will have. I will probably have a screening within the next week or so that will test for abnormalities through a blood test and precise ultrasound where they will take detailed measurements of specifics parts of the baby and of me. Not sure if I'll get another picture from that or not, but I'll post if I do! Aside from that testing, I go back on April 24 for my next Dr. appt.
Other than the latest and greatest with the baby, Buddy and I head off for our week long trip to London on April 6! We are really looking forward to this trip, as I earned it through Pampered Chef like last year's trip to Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. We plan to visit Paris on this trip as well, so lots to see and do!
Kameron is getting better at talking about the baby to come. He's as active as ever and very involved in his CARS & Toy Story toys, among others things. He does very well at preschool two days a week and we continue his learning at home (there's the teacher in me) so he's pretty good at quite a bit of stuff...when he wants to be! He's adapted this middle of the night routine where he comes in & sleeps w/ Buddy & I for the remainder of the night for about three months now. We're hoping to break that before the baby comes though!
Well, as always, thanks for keeping up with us, your continuing support & posting your comments. I aim to update the blog once every week or so with the latest!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
9 Week (and 4 days) Ultrasound - 3/11/08
Today we had our 9 week ultrasound, which actually added on 3 days, so I'm 9 weeks & 4 days along. Everything looked great, and as you can see, it actually looks like a baby now! We could even see the feet, toes, hands & fingers. In fact it was incredible to see the baby move it's hands up to it's face and back a few times! We were just thinking it would be similiar to our last picture, but what a difference! As you can see below, the head is pretty noticeable, & if you look, you can see the little toes at the bottom.
As for details, the baby measured in at 1.1 inch and had a heart rate of 179 (our 6 week appt. was 139). We were able to hear the heartbeat this time as well.
Other than that, the past week has been similiar to the 8 week entry with being very tired & occasional nausea on & off most days, but all is going well!
Kameron wasn't too excited at first see the latest picture (he hit at it) but then said he was sorry & gave it a kiss!
Our next picture update & appt. will be on March 27 with my OB Dr. & first official appt. w/ her. I will try to type a blog entry though once a week as well. Thanks again for all your support!
As for details, the baby measured in at 1.1 inch and had a heart rate of 179 (our 6 week appt. was 139). We were able to hear the heartbeat this time as well.
Other than that, the past week has been similiar to the 8 week entry with being very tired & occasional nausea on & off most days, but all is going well!
Kameron wasn't too excited at first see the latest picture (he hit at it) but then said he was sorry & gave it a kiss!
Our next picture update & appt. will be on March 27 with my OB Dr. & first official appt. w/ her. I will try to type a blog entry though once a week as well. Thanks again for all your support!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
8 weeks along
Well, I figured I'd write a little something since I haven't lately. I'm officially 8 weeks along and so far so good! Well, except for the occasional sickness, but it's really not that bad. This past week has been better than the previous one, which was full of nausea, migraines & the feeling that I'm really hungry, yet then I can't finish my food once I have it. Now it's a headache & nausea maybe every few days, but one thing that hasn't changed is how tired I am! I'm pretty much done around 9:30 each night (and those of you who know my schedule know I'm usually up until midnight). I've had many days where I am pretty tired midday as well.
Other than that, things are going great! As for cravings, I've had a few. The latest have been wonton soup, (thanks Nikki M. for passing that one along!) cereal & tuna fish (which I can't have much of).
Kameron is still ify about a baby coming, but I think he'll be fine by then (he was really good around a baby last night). Sometimes he is nice when he talks to the baby, yet other times he wants nothing to do with it! I'll try to get some of his latest pics posted on this site soon under the picture gallery.
Up next will be our next appt. & ultrasound on Tues., March 11. Check back for an updated photo then!
Other than that, things are going great! As for cravings, I've had a few. The latest have been wonton soup, (thanks Nikki M. for passing that one along!) cereal & tuna fish (which I can't have much of).
Kameron is still ify about a baby coming, but I think he'll be fine by then (he was really good around a baby last night). Sometimes he is nice when he talks to the baby, yet other times he wants nothing to do with it! I'll try to get some of his latest pics posted on this site soon under the picture gallery.
Up next will be our next appt. & ultrasound on Tues., March 11. Check back for an updated photo then!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The Results Are In...
...and I was right! Just ONE baby! HA! And a healthy baby at that! Needless to say, we are pretty excited and relieved (Buddy was actually pretty anxious since he was almost certain it was twins and wouldn't sit down in the waiting room or during the ultrasound, whereas I was actually calm about it...I guess I just knew I was right!). Everything looks great so far. You will see the the yolk sac and heart in the picture below. We got to see the heart beating during the ultrasound, which was great, but was still too soon to hear it.
I'm still on progesterone meds through the middle of March (but luckily it's no longer the long, thick, painful oil injections that we got to stop a couple weeks ago) and will remain on 'high risk' for lifting/exercise, etc. through the first trimester. The progesterone is needed to support the pregnancy since my body isn't able to make enough on it's own after going through the surgeries. My due date has been updated to October 10th. We go back for another ultrasound in 2 weeks, so we should have another picture then. Thanks again to all of you who have kept us in your prayers and will continue to do so throughout this pregnancy. And thanks for posting comments on this web site. It will be great to continue to have all this saved for keepsake. We appreciate all your support and prayers!
I'm still on progesterone meds through the middle of March (but luckily it's no longer the long, thick, painful oil injections that we got to stop a couple weeks ago) and will remain on 'high risk' for lifting/exercise, etc. through the first trimester. The progesterone is needed to support the pregnancy since my body isn't able to make enough on it's own after going through the surgeries. My due date has been updated to October 10th. We go back for another ultrasound in 2 weeks, so we should have another picture then. Thanks again to all of you who have kept us in your prayers and will continue to do so throughout this pregnancy. And thanks for posting comments on this web site. It will be great to continue to have all this saved for keepsake. We appreciate all your support and prayers!
Monday, February 11, 2008
What do we think?
Okay, quite a few of you have been asking our input on the poll, so I figured I'd just post our thoughts (and yes, we did each vote as well) - I think we are having one baby, but Buddy feels it's twins! However, we'd both prefer one, but we are completely blessed with whatever we have; it's a miracle no matter what! Although, I will say I hope my vote proves MOST of you wrong that voted for 2 or more! But if not, we'll make it - we are happy for whatever God blesses us with (we may just need to start up a fund!! HA!).
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Initial Blog Post
Hey Guys -
Since this is the first blog posting, there is a lot to update everyone on. So here goes...
We have recently found out that blood tests have confirmed that we are pregnant! Yeah!
As some of you may know, we began our In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) process (same way we conceived Kameron) initially in October. Unfortuately we had a harder time this time around as my body didn't respond well to the amount of injections I was receiving. So, after about 3.5 weeks into that cycle, it was cancelled. Fortunately we didn't make it to the two-part surgery!
However, we started the next round in the first part of January, and this time it was a success! The doctors used a different method so my body wouldn't be so stimulated, and that seemed to do the trick. After a couple weeks of injections in the belly (which I must say I am proud of myself that I did on my own this time around instead of having Buddy do them), I had to have a shot precisely at 9:30 p.m. on January 15th to prepare my body for the embryo retrieval surgery approximately 36 hours later.
The embryo retrieval surgery was performed on January 17th in Nashville. Out of 10 embryos that were retrieved, 8 fertilized, but then only 3 progressed. This is pretty accurate to how it works, which is why I had to go through weeks of injections to have my body create a mass production! However, when we went back in 3 days later for the embryo transfer procedure on January 20, we were told that one more embryo was a 'trooper' and made it through! So, we now had 4 total.
The embryo transfer is typically done on day 3 or day 5 following the retrieval surgery. A day 5 transfer is preferred since they can better determine the progress of the embryos to see what to put back in, but a lot of times that can't be done. Sometimes the embryos just don't do well in the lab setting, so if they were to wait until day 5, they could actually lose them all. So, due to that and the fact that I didn't have a ton to play with, and mine didn't care for the lab setting (poor embies...they just wanted to be back where they belonged!), they decided on the day 3 transfer (Kameron was the same). See picture below of our 4 embryos that were transferred:
Because 2 of the embryos were a very low cell count and grade (two on the right top & bottom), a decision was made to transfer all 4 embryos back. FYI - 3 were transferred back with Kameron's cycle.
Following the embryo transfer, I was on bedrest for 2 days. I was also on a lifting restriction of 10 pounds (and still am).
Well, we couldn't wait until the blood pregnancy test at the doctors to see the results, so I took a few home pregnancy tests at the very end of January which came back positive! However, I was still anxious to be 100% sure through the doctor. Well, the pregnancy was confirmed on February 1st at my first blood test, which gives an accurate count of my hCG level. The first blood test gave a count of 89. For a normal pregnancy the hCG count is supposed to double every 36-48 hours, so to verify the first reading was not false, I was scheduled to go in for 2 additional blood tests. My blood test on Feb 4th gave a hCG count of 551 and a final blood test on Feb 6th gave a HCG count of 1976.
So, needless to say, after all we have been through physically, emotionally and financially to get to this point, we are THRILLED to be pregnant! Our estimated due date is October 13 - looks like we are meant to have October in our family (Kameron's birthday is October 21, mine is the 15th). The next step will be our first ultrasound on February 19th. That is when the ever popular question will be answered...how many embryos actually took?
So, before then, please take a moment to answer that question poll to the right of this blog page BY February 18 (it will disappear on the 19th). Also, please feel free to post comments (like signing a guest book) so we can hear from you all along the way! To post comments, see below. Just click on the word 'comments' after this blog session below and it will take you to a page to post. Let us know you've visited!
Stay tuned for more news as we progress and thanks to all of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers through all this, and will continue to do so! God has truly blessed us with a miracle! We greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness and support!
Since this is the first blog posting, there is a lot to update everyone on. So here goes...
We have recently found out that blood tests have confirmed that we are pregnant! Yeah!
As some of you may know, we began our In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) process (same way we conceived Kameron) initially in October. Unfortuately we had a harder time this time around as my body didn't respond well to the amount of injections I was receiving. So, after about 3.5 weeks into that cycle, it was cancelled. Fortunately we didn't make it to the two-part surgery!
However, we started the next round in the first part of January, and this time it was a success! The doctors used a different method so my body wouldn't be so stimulated, and that seemed to do the trick. After a couple weeks of injections in the belly (which I must say I am proud of myself that I did on my own this time around instead of having Buddy do them), I had to have a shot precisely at 9:30 p.m. on January 15th to prepare my body for the embryo retrieval surgery approximately 36 hours later.
The embryo retrieval surgery was performed on January 17th in Nashville. Out of 10 embryos that were retrieved, 8 fertilized, but then only 3 progressed. This is pretty accurate to how it works, which is why I had to go through weeks of injections to have my body create a mass production! However, when we went back in 3 days later for the embryo transfer procedure on January 20, we were told that one more embryo was a 'trooper' and made it through! So, we now had 4 total.
The embryo transfer is typically done on day 3 or day 5 following the retrieval surgery. A day 5 transfer is preferred since they can better determine the progress of the embryos to see what to put back in, but a lot of times that can't be done. Sometimes the embryos just don't do well in the lab setting, so if they were to wait until day 5, they could actually lose them all. So, due to that and the fact that I didn't have a ton to play with, and mine didn't care for the lab setting (poor embies...they just wanted to be back where they belonged!), they decided on the day 3 transfer (Kameron was the same). See picture below of our 4 embryos that were transferred:
Because 2 of the embryos were a very low cell count and grade (two on the right top & bottom), a decision was made to transfer all 4 embryos back. FYI - 3 were transferred back with Kameron's cycle.Following the embryo transfer, I was on bedrest for 2 days. I was also on a lifting restriction of 10 pounds (and still am).
Well, we couldn't wait until the blood pregnancy test at the doctors to see the results, so I took a few home pregnancy tests at the very end of January which came back positive! However, I was still anxious to be 100% sure through the doctor. Well, the pregnancy was confirmed on February 1st at my first blood test, which gives an accurate count of my hCG level. The first blood test gave a count of 89. For a normal pregnancy the hCG count is supposed to double every 36-48 hours, so to verify the first reading was not false, I was scheduled to go in for 2 additional blood tests. My blood test on Feb 4th gave a hCG count of 551 and a final blood test on Feb 6th gave a HCG count of 1976.
So, needless to say, after all we have been through physically, emotionally and financially to get to this point, we are THRILLED to be pregnant! Our estimated due date is October 13 - looks like we are meant to have October in our family (Kameron's birthday is October 21, mine is the 15th). The next step will be our first ultrasound on February 19th. That is when the ever popular question will be answered...how many embryos actually took?
So, before then, please take a moment to answer that question poll to the right of this blog page BY February 18 (it will disappear on the 19th). Also, please feel free to post comments (like signing a guest book) so we can hear from you all along the way! To post comments, see below. Just click on the word 'comments' after this blog session below and it will take you to a page to post. Let us know you've visited!
Stay tuned for more news as we progress and thanks to all of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers through all this, and will continue to do so! God has truly blessed us with a miracle! We greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness and support!
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