How Do You Feel About Saturday?

Yesterday marked week 39 of our pregnancy. For those of you who don't know (which I am sure you all do) most doctors consider a baby fully developed at 38 weeks. Some doctors feel like 41 weeks is the maximum length a pregnancy should go, some think 42 weeks is the maximum (depends on whether they are old school or new school).

Our doctor told us at the beginning of the pregnancy that she does not advocate going more than a week past your due date. She said the longer we wait, the larger the baby gets, the less amniotic fluid there is, and the higher rate for fetal distress during labor. So no more than a week past our due date.

We went to see our doctor today and I had it all worked out in my mind. I was going to ask her... no, TELL her, Joshua had to be delivered no later than Monday the 24th. (Our due date is the 17th and the 24th is exactly one week past the due date). I was going to tell her that I did not want to be in the hospital during the holiday, #1)- Because of the skeleton crew and #2)-I figured I would be bitter if I had to work on Thanksgiving, so why wouldn't the hospital staff be bitter too... Who wants to be poked and prodded at by a bitter nurse? :)

Thankfully, I didn't even have to broach the subject with her. She said "If you don't deliver by your due date, I want to induce on the 20th!" I thought "Hooray, our little boy is going to be here next week! My family won't have to miss the church meeting this weekend- (especially since my Brother-in-law is being ordained as deacon)... Brother Buddy won't be mad at me for missing church for no good reason :) it was perfect!" As we were getting ready to leave, I reminded Dr. Schwartz that she had mentioned doing one more ultra sound to see how much Joshua weighs and how much fluid is there and she said "Oh, well since you are here, lets see if they can squeeze you in real quick".

So, we saw the U/S tech and got to see the cutest chubbiest lil cheeks that you ever did see, and the long strands of hair floating in the fluid (apparently, Joshua has a lot of hair)... and we saw that he is weighing on the ultrasound 8lbs 2oz (the tech said there is a 1lb discrepancy, he could be anywhere from 7-2 to 8-2...) Then she said to wait in the waiting room to see Dr. Schwartz. To which I replied, "Oh, we already saw her" and she told us that the Dr. would want to review the u/s and discuss it with us before we left. Ok- that makes sense.

Next thing I remember is hearing our doctor down the hallway squeeling "8-2????" "Um, Kelly, I think we need to rethink our game plan here- If I let you go to next week, there is a possibility that Joshua is going to be pushing 9lbs- I would like for you to come in on Friday evening and we will induce on Saturday"

THIS FRIDAY??? THE 14th???? OUR SON IS GOING TO BE HERE BY THE WEEKEND???? OH BOY, MY SISTER IS GOING TO BE SOOOOO MAD AT ME....

I was given strict instructions by my sister to have the baby before the 15th or after the 15th, but not on the 15th... she obviously needs to be with her hubby for the ordination, but she did not want to miss her first nephew's birth... I AM SO SORRY KERRY!!!

So, please, be in prayer for me and Jim and Joshua as we near this weekend. The next time I blog (which may not be for a little while) will hopefully be to post pictures of BABY JOSHUA!!!

PS- Bekah, I looked for your email so I could tell you before I posted the blog, but it was nowhere to be found... so I asked Mel to text you for me! :)

It Is Finished!

I have had numerous requests to post photos of the nursery and as of this week, and Jim completing a few items on my "Honey-do" list, the nursery is finally complete and ready to be showcased!

We chose the smaller of the three bedrooms in our house as the nursery with two thoughts in mind: 1). How much room could a little baby really need (BIG MISTAKE) and 2). The other room will be plenty of room for a guest room/office (WRONG)... However, once the paint went on the walls in the nursery, there was no turning back! :) It's probably a blessing in disguise that the room is so small, less room= less stuff... RIGHT???

Well, here are the pics, and I also included (for the very first time on this blog) a video at the end. If you read Kerry's blog about the baby shower at her house, the video is one of the two toys that cousin Grace bought for Joshua and it is so entertaining, I had to get it on video to share with all of you... I have a feeling the batteries will need to be replaced before Joshua arrives because I can't stop playing with it! :)

These are the paintings my sister, Kerry, did for Joshua-

The Crib and bedding (and the paintings)

The turtle bedding and ducky rug!

The dresser/changer combo w/ the shelves of toys!

The very organized closet (at least for now)

My Montage 11/8/08

Pregnancy Humor

This is a list of pregnancy terms defined that I found on a website I was researching today. I would like everyone to know, that I appreciate and identify with the final definition of Third Trimester! Absolute Hillarity!


AFTERBIRTH: When the hard part begins.

CRAVINGS: An excuse to gluttonize your way through pregnancy.

DILATION: One of those things a pregnant woman has to take her doctor's or midwife's word for.

ELASTIPHOBIA: Fear of making it into the Guinness Book of World Records for "Most Stretch Marks."

FIRST TRIMESTER: The first three months of pregnancy when you wonder, "Is it too late to hire a surrogate mother?"

MATERNITY CLOTHES: What a pregnant woman wears to show people there's a reason she's fat.

MIRACLE: 1. The birth of a baby. 2. The fact that you lived to tell about it.

OBSTETRICIAN/MIDWIFE: The person who tells you you're doing fine when you think you're caught in the jaws of death.

PREGNANT PAUSE: The amount of time it takes for a 9-month pregnant woman to get out of a chair.

PRENATAL: When your life was still your own.

SECOND TRIMESTER: The time when you ask the question, "Will my husband notice if I eat this gallon of ice cream and side of beef before he gets home?"

THIRD TRIMESTER: The final months of pregnancy when you wonder, "How much longer can I keep from waddling?"

Checklist Update

For those of you following the progress on my checklist, you will be happy to know that I have marked quite a few things off my list! Still working on those thank you notes though! ;)


1. Last Day of Work "CHECK"

2. All Day Prepared Childbirth Class "CHECK"

3. Turn 30... "CHECK" :(

4. Pack bag for hospital "CHECK"

5. Write thank you notes for shower #2 and now shower #3- This week, I WILL finish my thankyou notes! I WILL, I WILL, I WILL!

6. Wash all baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, etc... Yeah, I am still going to need to do this too!

7. Convince hubby to finish renovations in the house... I have decided to let this be his idea- if he has time, great, if not... nobody is coming over to see me or my house, they will be coming to see Joshua! (P.S. Sister Gayle, you cannot bring your white glove when you come over!) ;)

8. Finish washing any baby clothes that have not been washed yet... "CHECK"

9. Obtain a few more plastic storage bins to hold larger baby clothes not being used... "CHECK" (but I think I need more again- Thank you, Mel, for the new bag of clothes!)

10. Baby proof entire house (although, Josh won't be crawling for quite a while)... Decided to procrastinate until the renovations are done!

11. Determine what exactly does go in a diaper bag"CHECK"

12. PACK DIAPER BAG... "HALF CHECK" (still need to add a couple of things)

#13- Practice breathing exercises with Jim- yeah, we, still need to practice. I don't remember when I am supposed to do what breathing exercises! :(

Checklist Update

1. Last Day of work "CHECK"

My boss, Julie, and some of the front office stafff that I worked with periodically threw me a going away/baby shower at work. It was a complete suprise and of course made me tear up as I walked into the conference room.
While the real estate office has over 100 agents, these are the people that I worked very closely with and I appreciate so much their generosity!
This is me and Julie(in front of the group). As we said goodbye before I left, we shed a few tears and exchanged several hugs. It felt as if I was losing a family member, but we kept reminding each other that we live just around the corner (literally) and will continue a life-long friendship!

2. All Day Prepared Childbirth Class "CHECK"
When given a choice of a 4-week long class, a two Saturday class, or an all-day Saturday class, my choice was a two-Saturday class... however, due to "phone issues" with the course admissions dept, we were "stuck" taking this class in one all-day Saturday session. 9:ooam-5:00pm... Of course, going into it, we were not very enthusiastic as it seemed like such a long time to sit in a classroom... especially when you are 36 weeks pregnant! However, the class was not that bad and we did learn several techniques and information that will hopefully help in the upcoming days! My one complaint is that the class was mostly geared towards women who were having a natural (no-meds) birth and showed LOTS and LOTS of distressed tense women. Even though the instructor said at the beginning of the course that you are not a hero if you deliver naturally and you are not a "wuss" if you get an epidural, she seemed to make it fairly clear that she was one that did not really "support" the epidural. But overall, she was a great instructor! Very energetic, humorous, etc!

As a side note, it was very interesting to learn that out of the 17 couples that were at the class, only 2 of us were having boys, 2 couples chose not to find out the sex of their baby and the rest of the couples were having girls! And the majority of us were due in November and December!


3. Turn 30... well, as of this evening, I decided that I would not celebrate my 30th birthday tomorrow, but instead, celebrate the end of my 20's today! So, Jim and I went to Chili's for dinner and I had an appetizer AND an entree!


4. Pack bag for hospital... not yet, but learned a good tip today at the class, Pack a small bag for triage/labor & delivery (this would be items you will use specifically in these areas... i.e. music or focal point materials, socks- becuase apparently your feet tend to get really cold during labor, long-sleeve shirt for hubby- because you apparently get really hot and will freeze your hubby right out of the room, camera, etc.) the other bag will be left in the car until after you have had the baby and will contain the items you need for your "48-hour" stay. Good tip I thought!


5. Write thank you notes for shower #2... please bear with me ladies... I am working on them! Not as efficient as I was after the LU shower! Sorry!


6. Wash all baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, etc... I promise, soon!


7. Convince hubby to finish renovations in the house... ummmm, yeah he's got a lot on his plate, I think I am going to let this one slide and possibly cross it off the list!


8. Finish washing any baby clothes that have not been washed yet... there's only 3 outfits right now, so I am waiting for a larger load! (in other terms, procrastinating) :)


9. Obtain a few more plastic storage bins to hold larger baby clothes not being used... maybe on Tuesday


10. Baby proof entire house (although, Josh won't be crawling for quite a while)... Do I really need to baby proof yet?? I think I will procrastinate on this one too!


11. Determine what exactly does go in a diaper bag (besides the obvious diapers and wipes)... Thanks to all the wonderful tips from my readers, now I know what to put in the diaper bag so I will check this off the list, but then add:


12. PACK DIAPER BAG... :)


I will also add, #13- Practice breathing exercises with Jim- I appreciated that the instructor explained today that the breathing does not take away the pain, but helps you work through the pain... I have heard so many women say "Oh, that's a waste of time, it doesn't work" but if I know it's not supposed to make the pain go away, but just help place the focus elsewhere, then I think it will be a lot better going through this prior to receiving the "Good Stuff" (AKA- epidural)

My Personal Checklist

Danielle recently posted a blog about "When Did That Happen?" referring to how quickly she went from "just pregnant" to 25 weeks pregnant. Well, lately, when I log in to my blog I see the Baby Countdown on the side bar that has been ticking down the days and today we were at 33 days to go. WHAT??? 33 DAYS???? I thought I still had 5 weeks? Ok, so it's the same thing, but 5 weeks does sound a lot further away than 33 days.

So, as I contemplate that there are only 33 days to go (give or take a few days) I started thinking what do I still need to do? And I put together this checklist (for all you organized list people, I know you will appreciate this) :)

1. Go to last day of work before becoming a permanent homemaker (Oct. 17)
2. Go to prepared childbirth class (Oct. 18)
3. Turn 30 (Oct. 19)- not a pleasant task, but who can avoid it?
4. Pack bag for hospital
5. Write thank you notes for shower #2
6. Wash all baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, etc
7. Convince hubby to finish renovations in the house
8. Finish washing any baby clothes that have not been washed yet
9. Obtain a few more plastic storage bins to hold larger baby clothes not being used
10. Baby proof entire house (although, Josh won't be crawling for quite a while)
11. Determine what exactly does go in a diaper bag (besides the obvious diapers and wipes)

I am sure there will be more to add as the days progress, but for now, I am pleased that this list is not that long (nor are the items completely un-obtainable).

Did the Post Office Tamper with My A/C?

Ok, now we've gone too far!!! You can't take the comfort of Air Conditioning away from a pregnant lady in the middle of October in Florida!

I may have been a bit hasty in blaming the post office for the fry incident, but were they vendictive enough to tamper with the A/C while I was off quilting today?

When I stepped inside, it was as if the heater were on. The temperature was 85 but the thermostat was set at 76... I immediately called Jim (I am still convinced that my mighty man can fix anything even if he's not at home!) he instructed me to turn off the A/C for 10 minutes and then to turn it back on. I did as he said (only I waited longer than 10 minutes). About 20 minutes ago I turned it back on, and it may be cooling a little more... I can't really tell, although the temp is reading 84 now.... I will give it another hour and see...

Tune in later for more updates on the Post Office vs. Pregnant Lady...

Answer: Things that make a pregnant girl "angry" (Read previous post)

Question: What is "dropping the soda from McDonalds thus ripping the same bag of fries from previous post, spilling the soda on your dress for church and sending the fries, once again to the floor- all 5 minutes before having to leave to meet your sister for church"?

So, as you read in my previous post, I spilled my fries on the garage floor yesterday. After cleaning them up, I brought the bag inside and set them on the counter with the intentions of throwing them away in the outside garbage can before leaving for church Friday night....

5 minutes before leaving to meet Kimberly, who was gracious enough to let me ride to church with her, I picked up my soda, walked to the kitchen grabbed the bag o'dirty fries, walked over to the table where my purse was, realized the soda was tipped over dripping on the paper bag causing me to over-compensate dropping the soda, which caused the already ripped bag to rip even more, sending the fries, once again to a "SPLAT" on the floor and the soda splashing all over my legs, shoes, DRESS, floor...

Once again, I had to clean up the fries, now soggy from the soda, dry the floor (thank goodness it was in an area where Jim had the carpet pulled up) change my outfit... die of thirst...

DADBLASTED USPS!!! YOU BET I AM STILL BLAMING THEM!!!! I have decided the next can drive they do, I am putting in cat food... That'll show them!

P.S. USPS is not my BFF! LOL

Answer: Things that make a pregnant girl cry

Question: What is "spilling an entire order of McDonald's french fries on the garage floor"?





Need I say anymore?



Well, I needn't say any more, but of course, you know me, I can't leave it at just that! :)



I went through the McDonald's drive-thru this afternoon, I waited until I got home to eat my french fries (normally I would consume them as I was driving). I got out of the car and placed the bag on top of the car (along with my drink) and headed to the mailbox to get the mail... as I walked back to the car... hands full of junk mail and bills I reached up to grab my soda and bag o' fries when much to my dismay, the bag ripped, sending my fries plummiting to the garage floor and "SPLAT" not a single fry left in the bag or the fry box... I blame the post office! Why??? Because I am an irrational pregnant woman that just lost an entire order of hot, salty deliciousness~ That's why! Sooooo THANK YOU USPS~ Just see if I buy stamps anytime soon!

The Best Borrowed Little Sis EVER!

This weekend, my BLS, Bethany came to town and took photos of me and Jim (as well as my niece and nephew). For those of you who don't know Bethany, she is an awesome photographer and if she doesn't take a career in it, I would be really suprised!

We had a fun time and are very thankful for her friendship! Here are a few photos from the shoot! Once Bethany finishes editing them, I am sure she will post them to her photography blog: http://www.ohiwishphotography.blogspot.com/ stop by and look at her other photos too! She is very talented!

Name That Body Part

One of the things I have found most enjoyable with this pregnancy is the movement I feel from Joshua inside my belly! As he has been growing the movements, obviously, have started feeling much different than before.

I guess since it's my first pregnancy, I was not able to identify (earlier on) the difference between a kick, a poke, or a roll... but all that has changed, and I am so loving it. I like to call it my personal game of "Name that body part". As I sit on the couch (or in the pew at church) which is when I feel it most often, I usually feel Joshua up near my rib cage (and sometimes just under the sternum [I think that's the name of it]) and as he moves I can usually determine if it's a knee, a foot, or sometimes even a little "tiny hiney"! :) It makes me smile everytime. While sometimes it can be quite uncomfortable, it's just one of those things that I know I am going to really miss after he's born!

I think it's very interesting that the "medical" field calls this movement "quickening"... I should do some research and find out how it came to be known as that. I am not sure if other denominations, besides Primitive Baptist, use the term "quickening" to describe the new birth, but I wonder if the term was first used as a religious word, or if it was first used as a medical term...

My dear Bethany (who I would like to refer to as Borrowed Little Sis) has offered to do a pregnancy photo shoot with me next Saturday! Soooo, if all goes well, I may be able to post some current photos soon! I can't wait!

Pregnancy Ettiquette

When did it become acceptable for people to tell pregnant women (or women who have just had a baby) that they look big? I can handle the "are you sure you're not having twins?" question, but the "Well, you sure are looking big" comment just doesn't sit well with me... Or the husbands who tell their wives that they look like whales.... GARY.... so I decided to put a short list together of what I would consider Common Pregnancy Courtesy....

1). Comments about my weight are OFF LIMITS!

2). If you are a complete stranger, do not touch my belly (only my very best of friends or family is allowed that privilege!)

3). If you, your mother, your best friend's neighbor's cousin's sister-in-law had a labor & delivery horror story... please, please, please spare me the details! This is my first pregnancy, I am scared enough as it is, I don't need the extra stress of thinking about what else could happen!

4). Did I mention comparison to large land or sea animals is NOT acceptable?

5). If there is a long line for the women's bathroom and you see me at the end of the line with my legs crossed, it would be nice to be offered the chance to jump ahead in line!

6). I know that sleepless nights are in my near future...I really don't need a constant reminder! :)

Lullabies

I was at a baby shower the other night and the mother-to-be recieved a children's book of lullabies. I had been thinking about posting about lullabies prior to that and thought now I definietly have to.

Of course the world has it's view of "Common" lullabies, and I am sure it varies among cultures but I was thinking about the songs that my parents used sing to us when we were going to bed.

I remember my dad would sometimes come in and sing "Oh I wish I was an Oscar Mayer weiner" while tucking us into our covers so tight that we felt "snug as a bug in a rug". And becuase of the shift work that he was on, it was a lot of times mom that came in to sing to us. One of my favorites that she would sing goes like this:

If I had a nickle, you know what I would do?
I'd spend it all on candy and give it all to you,
Yes, I'd spend it all on candy and give it all to you.
Cause that's how much I love you, baby! That's how much I love you!

If you were a picture a hangin on a wall
I'd stand all day and watch you and never move at all
Yes, I'd stand all day and watch you, and never move at all
Cause that's how much I love you, baby! That's how much I love you!

If you were a horsefly and I an old gray mare,
I'd stand and let you bite me and never move a hair
Yes I'd stand and let you bit me and never move a hair
Cause that's how much I love you, baby! That's how much I love you!

We would also get to hear "You are my sunshine" and several other songs that are wonderful nighttime memories for me.

As November approaches rapidly, I think often about the nights that I will be putting Joshua to bed and wondering what I will sing to him. I like Mel's idea of singing hymns to him, especially since I pray that he will love the songs of Zion as much as I do. But I would also want to pass on the wonderful songs that I remember as a child. Jim says he doesn't really remember songs being sang to him, but he thinks maybe his mom would sing "You are my sunshine" too.

I would like to add the song that Elizabeth posted several months back that is to the tune of Edelweiss:
May the Lord, mighty God, Bless and Keep you forever;
Grant you peace, perfect peace; Courage for every endeavor.
Lift up your eyes and see His face, and His grace forever.
May the Lord, mighty God, bless and keep you forever.

So now it's time to hear from my blogger friends.... What lullabies do you remember from your childhood and if you have children, what lullabies do you sing to them?

Nesting

I have been neglecting my blogging duties of late as Jim's sister and brother-in-law and the kids have been in town and I have been trying to soak up as much time with them as possible. I also have FINALLY started "nesting". I was certain there was something wrong with me since Danielle, not being quite as far along as me, had been nesting for a while and I had "NOTHING" done! But as Sis. Tina assured me it was different for each woman (and sometimes even different with each child) and so my energy level kicked in about 2.5 weeks ago.

It started with me needing to clean the house terribly! (Danielle, I feel your pain) :0) We have been "renovating" the master bathroom since before I found out I was pregnant and with all the sanding of the walls our bedroom has been constantly dusty! So I started in the bedroom cleaning and then it hit me... Why not clean out the nightstand drawers (we have really big nightstand drawers)? Then, why stop there, clean out all the drawers in the bathroom.... Finally on to the rest of the house! Ahhhhh! The house is clean again... I'd better tackle that linen closet now while I have the energy! Alas, all is right with the world! Clean house, clean closets... and then.....

Jim: We need to clear out the "Office" so we can turn it into the nursery. You realize that means we have to put all this stuff elsewhere.

So, we first had to clean out the garage to make room for the bookshelves and filing cabinet. We then put "EVERYTHING" else in the guest room... needless to say, we will not be having any guests stay over anytime soon. We painted the room with it's first coat on Thursday (1.5 weeks ago) and then Jim touched up and second coated the room on Saturday and then we went to Brandon and picked up the baby furniture and last week put the crib together and placed the change/dresser in the room. The next day I washed baby clothes... Oh, did I forget to mention the MOUNDS of baby clothes that were given to me by my wonderful, dear, sweet friend who happens to have 3 boys??? What in the world would I do with out my MEL?
Then, I stocked the drawers FULL of baby clothes, only to realize... I NEED MORE ROOM! :)
Then Jim picked up the closet system and we have it "somewhat" installed. We need to get a couple of longer shelves and today I went out and bought some plastic bins and kids size clothes hangers. I am DETERMINED to be organized before Joshua gets here!

All in all, I feel comfortable with what we have accomplished, however we still have a LONG way to go! I will try to get pictures of the nursery posted soon! "Try" being the key word!

JOSHUA UPDATE

I am 5 1/2 months a long (as of yesterday) and had a routine doctor visit today. While I may be exaggerating when I say this, I could have had the baby and put him through college already by the time they called me back for my appointment this morning. I am not sure what the purpose of having an appointment is, when 40 minutes after your scheduled appointment you are finally be called back to the exam room, then after a 5 minute visit with the nurse, you wait an additional 15 to 20 minutes to see the doctor. And would you believe that my blood pressure was normal?

Ok, well now that I have vented about that, on to more important things! Everything checked out fine with Joshua. I was able to hear the heartbeat as usual. The nurse laughed at how quickly he moves away from the Doppler. I told her he is definitely a mover. The routine questions were asked: "Are you able to feel the baby move?" to which I was finally able to answer proudly "YES".

I have gained back 7 of the 10 pounds that I lost when I was so sick... the one time I am actually happy about a weight gain! My doctor feels like I will probably gain back the 10 I lost and another 10 (or at least I hope no more than that).

And, now- confession time... I posted a blog back at the beginning of June that my morning sickness was ended and that I was off the B-6 & unisom. Unfortunately, several days after that post, I learned (the hard way) that the morning sickness was not over so Jim suggested I start taking the B-6/unisom again. When I spoke with my doctor at the last appointment. She suggested that maybe because I stopped so suddenly that that was why I got sick again so she put me on a schedule to ween me off the medicine. I was told take your normal dosage for two weeks and then go to every other day for two weeks... well my first day off after the two weeks, I got terribly sick (NOTE: I will not be eating grilled cheese for a very long time).

Well, all that to say, after talking to the doctor today, she reassured me that it was ok to continue the medicine, that I am just in that small percentage of women who remain sick the whole pregnancy! JOY!

There's not a whole lot more to say: we will have another appointment on August 12 in which we will have hopefully our last ultrasound. The yummy sugar water test! :( and doctor visit. I am hoping we receive good news with the ultrasound that the placenta has moved and I will be cleared for a normal delivery, but we'll see!

I Know, I Know, I am neglecting my blogging duties!

As my sister so subtly pointed out, I have not posted in a while. You would think being pregnant for the first time would present a lot exciting things to write about. However, I am having a fairly uneventful pregnancy.

I have been asked by several people, "Are you feeling Joshua move?" and my answer in the past has been, "I am not quite sure. Maybe." I tried to put into words the things that I was feeling that could possibly be Joshua moving, but I was never able to accurately describe it.

As the weeks have gone on, I can definitely say I am feeling him move. I am not sure I can explain it any better, but the closest I can get to putting into words is it feels like something in my stomach is "twitching". You know that feeling when your lip or eye twitches, only this is on the inside of me. And the funniest part is I feel it most when I am sitting on the couch (like I am now) cross legged, and with my laptop in my lap.

I am at a point in the pregnancy where I am feeling really great! And as I said before, it's been uneventful (thankfully). I have had more strange dreams, one in which my extremely active and fidgety infant turned into a fidgety crab (or beetle, or something) and I kept dropping it because it kept biting me, and then it got slammed in the car door... WHAT WOULD THE PSYCHOLOGIST/PSYCHOTHERAPISTS SAY ABOUT THAT DREAM??? (Yikes)

Now, changing the subject, I would like to take this time to plug this new tv show that Jim and I watched the other night, that I absolutely LOVE! It's called Wipeout. If you have never been the type of person to laugh at other people's stupidity, you may just want to try this show on. It is by far the FUNNIEST thing I have ever watched. On this show, contestants compete against one another in this massively brutal obstacle course. One of the obstacles that I have yet to see anyone actually make it through is this rock climbing wall that has random boxing gloves that pop out and punch the contestants while they are scaling the rock. Another unbelievably funny obstacle is 4 HUGE red rubber balls (I mean MASSIVE) and these people (mostly covered in mud) have to jump from a platform on to the first ball, then the next and so on, but the amount of bounce that is produced by jumping on the ball generally PROJECTS the contestant backwards, sending them right into the water! It's awesome! Trust me, words cannot justify how funny it is to watch these people. And we're not talking about athletic, American Gladiator type people, were talking about average joes and quite a few "ditsy" jills! TUESDAY NIGHTS- ABC- 8:00pm (ET) PREPARE TO LAUGH YOUR HEAD OFF!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Today was a big day for the Spezzano Family! Jim and I had our "big" sonogram this morning and found out that Joshua Aaron Spezzano will be joining our family in November. For those of you who did not vote on my blog the polls have officially closed! Sorry! :)

Everything is normal, we saw all the vital organs, including all four chambers of Joshua's heart, his kidneys, bladder and brain. (which the tech said measured to be normal) :) There was no sign of a cleft palet and the femur bone was normal as well. So all looks good! Thank you, Lord!

Everyone has been asking, "Is Jim excited" and for all of you who know Jim personally, you will understand this statement "As much as Jim can be excited, yes!" That NY mentality somewhat zaps the excitement emotion from you, not to say that you aren't experiencing it. But if you talk to him, and think that he's not really acting excited, trust me he is. His comment to me was, "I told you it was a boy" with a big smile!

The funniest things have been what the kids have said...

Brady: Aunt Kelly, momma told me you're gonna have a boy!

Me: Yes, are you excited?

Brady: Yes ma'am

Me: Are you going to teach Joshua everything you know?

Brady: Yes ma'am

Me: Like what?

Brady: How to cross eyes and how to be a pirate, that's what boys do!

------------

Brady: Ummm, Aunt Kelly, can I still call him "Baby Bazzano"? (you know Spezzano really is hard for a child to pronounce)

Me: Sure, you can call him "Baby Bazzano" but when he's born you have to call him Joshua!

Brady: Ok

My friend Melissa told her oldest, Connor, the news today too and he said, "I am really glad she's having a boy, becuase if she had a girl she would name her, Lucy and I would be very upset and have to go live with Aunt Kelly" (Lucy is the name Connor has picked out for if/when he has a sister- and he thought for sure I was going to use that name too). Then Melissa told him, "no Aunt Kelly isn't going to use the name Lucy, she was going to name her Elizabeth Gayle, like Grandmommy's name." and he said "Mom, that is not Grandmommy's name, it's Grandmommy"

Kids have some of the funniest things going through their minds... I cannot wait to experience these unforgettable conversations with Joshua!

A common question that I have been asked is, "Will you call him Josh, or Joshie, or Joshua" and I have to say, I don't have problem with nicnames, but I really think it will depend on the personality. If our child is like his dad, serious-minded, I will probably stick with Joshua. If he turns out to be silly like me, then I may consider Josh (probably not Joshie), but we'll just have to wait until we meet our little guy!

I will scan and post our sonogram photos shortly. I have of course been on the phone all day as well as showing off photos to the family! So I will try to get them up by Thursday!

It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times...

It was morning sickness! I am very thankful to report that I went an entire day (yesterday) with out my B-6 vitamins and my nightly 1/2 a unisom. I have started to get an appetite back. I actually ate breakfast, lunch and dinner! AND NO MORE NAUSEA!!!! HOORAY!

For those of you who have experienced morning sickness (or are currently experiencing) I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about the B-6/unisom combination! It worked very well for me, although, there were some key factors to the regiment for me. I had to be very careful in taking the vitamins at the same time each day (one at breakfast and one at dinner) and the unisom at 9:30pm. (which was about 30 mins. before I would start feeling sick). If I altered my schedule even the slightest bit, I noticed the onset of nausea the next day.

Don't ask me why unisom... I DON'T HAVE A CLUE! I just know it worked! And now, I seem to be over the hump! (You'll get there too, Dani, don't worry!)

The pregnancy has been, for the most part, un-eventful. My sister passed along this neat contraption that allows you to try to listen to the baby's heartbeat.

It's a little microphone that fits on the stomach and has earphones that hooks to it. I was able to hear my heartbeat, I was able to hear my stomach gurgle, and yes, I even tried it on my cat to see if I could hear his heartbeat (and I did)... I don't think I found the baby's heartbeat though. At least not the way we heard it at the doctors office! It was unmistakable at the doctors office, on this thing at home, it could have been anything (maybe the fluid, rushing all around)... I don't know.

I also braved the "dark side" of pregnancy yesterday... TRYING ON SWIMSUITS!!!! (I can just hear the screams of fright). My sister had passed along her swimsuit from when she was pregnant and it was absolutely adorable... it was also absolutely too small for me... (FYI- it's hard to get hand-me-downs when you are taller and weigh more than both your older siblings). And may I also point out that she was 9 months pregnant when she wore this suit, I am barely 4 months pregnant and I don't fit... she's a petite little thing! So I braved Target and boy was I appalled! Everywhere else in the store you can by swimsuit tops and bottoms separately, but in the maternity section, oh no, you have to buy the top and the bottom together (FYI- I only needed a top as I had already invested in swim shorts for women). So, I ended up in the Women's plus size section! I was able to find a top that fit, and that I am happy with. Although, the lady at the fitting room (who , no offense, most definitely shops in the Plus Size section) gave me the oddest look when I came walking up with a plus size bathing suit top to try on. It's the same look I get when I walk into Layne Bryant to purchase a gift card! Talk about discrimination...
Well, the point is, I now have a complete bathing suit to wear for the family reunion at the beach in a couple of weeks, and I am happy! Now if there were only some way to get my pastey white skin tan without causing cancer, cooking my innerds, or washing off when I get in the pool.... Oh well!

As I said earlier, very uneventful. No odd cravings yet, although there was this candy my grandmother used to have for us when we were little "Charms Sour Balls" that I just can't get out of my head. But, I would actually have to order them online if I wanted any, they just don't sell them anymore in the local stores. I guess you could say that's an odd craving. But it's not like wanting a pickle and peanut butter sandwhich... (KYLE!)

I guess we'll see what week 16 has to bring. And pretty soon, I will be back at the doctor and hopefully find out if we are going to have a Joshua Aaron, or an Elizabeth Gayle... I can hardly wait!

Look It's A Baby!

I know everyone was expecting pictures of Baby Lindsey... but I thought I would share photos from our first ultrasound yesterday.

The minute the tech placed the wand on my stomach, I instantly saw our child! I couldn't help but cry... it was the most amazing site to ever experience. The baby was moving around non-stop, although it's too early for me to feel it. We were even able to see the heart beating on the monitor. Once in the exam room, the nurse held a mobile doppler to my stomach, and we were able to hear the heart beat as well. But, with as much as the baby was moving it was difficult to hear the heart beat more than a second. Still, it too was amazing!

Dr. Schwartz said that every thing looks normal and I am apparently a little farther along than we thought. I am about 13 1/2 weeks (instead of 11 1/2 weeks) so our new due date has been set for November 17!

You will notice in these two photos that the baby's head is on one side, and then in the next pic it's on the other side. That's how much he/she was moving.

Let The Baby Dreams Begin

Last night I officially had my first baby dream. After attempting to eat "real" food (i.e. Italian) I experienced an uncomfortable night of heartburn and odd dreams!

I had started the evening off working on a special babyshower project for my oldest sister, Kimberly, I came across a newborn diaper. My comment to Jim was "Look at how teenie tiny this diaper is" I can't imagine a little baby being so small that it would fit into this teenie tiny diaper. Then came the dream. I dreamt that I had given birth to my baby (is there any significance that I dreamt it was a girl?) Anyways, she was perfectly healthy, absolutely adorable, but it wasn't until I went to put a newborn diaper on her that I realized she was miniature.

Just as this picture illustrates, she was as small as my hand. The newborn diaper completely covered her from head to toe. And to make it all worse, ... I was blinded by a bright light and couldn't locate a cloth diaper to cut to fit my miniature baby. I keep having problems "seeing" in my dreams lately... I think it may have to do with my subconscience trying to convince me to wake up (since I have not been able to open my eyes before 10:00am)

So all you pregnant, or experienced pregnant ladies out there, am I nuts? Is is common to have such weird baby dreams? Anybody else have a crazy dream to share? Please don't let me think I am the only nutty dreamer... my pregnancy emotions can't handle that! LOL