Nursery

Welcome to Leighton's Nursery Tour.
Once I found out you were a girl my nursery thoughts turned to a pink Parisian poodle theme. Then I found this adorable pink, black and white Wendy Bellsimo bedding on clearance at Babiesrus and knew it would be perfect for my theme.

I loved that the bedding was classic looking, and not cutesy. I wanted a room that would grow with you and not have to be changed out once you turned 4 or 5. The room came together beautifully.

Here is the view when your first come in.

I hand painted all your name letters to match. Boy was that hard work. The next kid's name is going to be short. HA!

My grandma and I (well she sewed, I talked) made your little girl rocking chair cover, a pillow for the big rocking chair and this diaper sack holder.

The furniture was all hand me downs except your crib.

This is my favorite shelf because it just encompasses what the whole room is about.

It is a lovely room for a sweet little girl. Only thing missing is you princess!

Still A Girl

 Today was our bonus sono day. Really it was to check me and make sure my placenta previa situation was resolved, and thankfully it was. Can I get an Amen that I will get the chance at a vaginal delivery! Praise the Lord. It was an opportunity to double check you were in fact still my little girl.  I was starting to get nervous that you weren't because of all the people around me saying "you never know..." Well, I do know; I have always known you were my daughter, but those comments eat at you after awhile!  Plus, the nursery is completely done (well like 96% done) and it is all girly!!! So again big relief you are coming out all pink. ;)

Gosh, just seeing you today makes me so anxious to hold you and kiss you all over! I can barely contain myself and I still have 8-9 weeks to go!!! I know it will be here before I know it but I just can't wait! I love you my sweet baby girl! Love Mommy

The 3 hour GTT from down below

The 3 hour is the worst thing a pregnant momma can experience. First they make you fast. Hello?! I am pregnant and starving. Then they make you drink a doubly rich, syrupy, lemon-lime nastiness in like 2 minutes. GROSS. I mean I thought the orange stuff at half strength tasted disgusting. After I drank the disgustiness, the lab tech told me I had to go downstairs to the OB lobby and hang out for an hour, you know just in case something would happen to me the RNs and docs were right there. How thoughtful. I had no idea what to expect. I brought along my Twilight book and some magazines to kill 3 hours with, only problem was that about 15 minutes into my wait I was feeling very woozy. My head started spinning, I felt like I was going to pass out, the this wave of nausea struck me and I thought I was going to puke all over the waiting room. I rush to the bathroom. {Side bar: Now I am not one that pukes, ever. Even with all the "progesterone poisoning" I had in the early months I never lost my breakfast once. } It is at this moment I lean over and think about up chucking all the disgusting syrup in my belly, but then I stop and summon all my strength to keep it down. I thought I will be darn if I have to do this again! Get it together Michele. Do.NOT.Puke! I walk back out to the waiting room and curl up in my chair, close my eyes and wait for the hour from hell to be over.

Once I head back upstairs I enter the lab room, she sees I am sheet white. I am tough and I keep it together. Must not show weakness. She stabs my arm gets her vial full and then asks "Honey, how are feeling?!" Crap, if I answer I will lose it. I lost it. I broke down in sobs, saying I feel horrible, I can't do this... Bless that tech's heart. She felt terrible for me. She called downstairs and got me an exam room for hour two to lay down in. I spent all of hour two resting in that dark, empty exam room, just praying for this to be over. By the end of hour two I felt slightly better. The world was no longer whizzing by me and the intense desire to puke went down to a 3 from an 11 on a scale of 1-10. I am summoned back upstairs to be stabbed again. They thoughtfully rotated arms, of course, not sure what arm she thinks she is using in hour 3! HA!

The tech asked if I was doing better. I said yes. She said just one more hour to go hon. I went back out to the lobby and thumbed through my magazine. An hour later I gave my final vial of blood and was sent on my merry way. I better freakin' pass that test is all I can say. Holy cow. I pray I NEVER have to go through that again.

So Tired

I am so tired, the simplest of tasks wear me out, but I push on! I want to get everything in "order" before you arrive. I am battling braxton hicks contractions at least 2-3x/day. I just hope you stay in there a little longer! I am only at 30 weeks! I need you to be patient and wait at least another 6-7 weeks! Just saying 6-7 weeks makes me tired! HA! I still have so much to do, but I am so ready for you to come out and play.  I just want to meet you, so bad I can hardly stand it!! I can't wait to look into your beautiful face and know that I helped make you! Well, I am exhausted so I am going to go lie down! I love you my sweet little baby! Mommy 

                 28 weeks. To think next Christmas I will be holding you. :)

Seventh Month Pregnancy Reflection

I've started thinking about the nursery:
Started thinking, shoot, I am practically done! It is pink/black and white. I think it will be super cute.

I've been dreaming about you:
Sometimes imagining what you will look like and grow to be is all I can think about! I can't wait to hold you!

I used to love food! Now I avoid:
No aversions for me!

I never thought pregnancy would make me:
So hormonally crazy! I swear my emotions and hormones are all over the place!

I can't wait to:
Look into your eyes and hold you and hear your first cry!

My prenatal visit this month taught me:
Well, I failed the one hour GTT and had to get a 3 hours GTT (which is the worst thing I have ever experience...it made morning sickness look easy!)

14 Weeks To Go

Gosh- I stink at this journal thing! Sadly it has been because I am so busy with school I just can't find two seconds to update. :(  But school is coming to a close in 13 days!!!!!! Can I get a hip hip HOORAY! And then I can focus on my sweet baby girl. Here is a run down of all my crazy thoughts.

I just can't wait to meet her and see what she looks like. I work at the hospital I will deliver at and every day when I drive there I can't help but long for the drive to deliver her!!! I am so ready...but I am so NOT ready either. 

The nursery is almost completed but still has some work to do {post to come} and I have nothing for her yet! (ie dipaers, clothes, bottles etc.) But I am sure once I have a baby shower that will all be covered. 

She is kicking up a storm. I can hardly make it through an afternoon without her distracting me with all her sweet?? kicks. At least they are still "nice" kicks not the painful ones yet, or so I hear. My pregnancy is fairly uneventful and I wish I had more to say. I will try to update more!  

{Bump Shots} 

 23 weeks

 25 weeks.

A little piece of me wishes she was a boy so I could say

"My 3 Sons!" 

HA! like the old TV show :)

Sixth Month Pregnancy Reflection

Buying maternity clothes was:
Fun and Expensive!!! It is ridiculous what they want for a pair of pants you wear for like 3-4 months. Although right now I can still get away with some of my regular pants, b/c I am carrying so high.

The biggest change in my body has been:
My tummy! I am pretty much all belly!

My favorite change in my body has been:
My boobs! HA! I have never been big busted (and I am still not!!) but at least now I have a little more shape.

What I never thought would change was:
I can't imagine getting much bigger, even though I know I will!


At this month's prenatal visit I learned that:
not a whole lot. She just measures my belly and heart rate (the baby's not mine :) and sends me on my way. I will be having the GTT next time though.

My hopes:
That she will be healthy and on time or a little early ;)!

My fears:
I still fear she will come early!

Fifth Month Pregnancy Reflection

The first time I felt you kick:
At 18 weeks (I think?! That was you, so hard to know for certain...)

It felt like:
I am feeling fluttering in my tummy more and more... I am just sure it is you Slim!

I felt:
It is such an Awesome feeling, but I can't wait until I know for sure that those are your kicks!

The strangest food craving I've had is:
I don't really crave much of anything...which is strange to me. Before I was pregnant I craved foods all the time and now I don't. Although, one day I was dying for cottage cheese and tomatoes!

This month's prenatal visit taught me that:
That you are healthy little GIRL!!!!!

My hopes:
That I carry you to full term!

My fears:
That I will go into labor early.

It's A....

GIRL!                                                                                            
 

It's a girl! It's a girl! It's a girl!!!! I am so excited to have a little girl, can you tell?! 

1. because I just knew it all along.

2. just because it will be so fun to have a girl. Bring on the tutus and bows. It would have been great either way really, I am just happy to finally know sure and plan. :)

 It is so amazing to be able to call her baby "ELLE" (her nickname) and refer to her as something other than Slim, her previous nickname.  She is really starting to move around and kick more! I absolutely love it. 

Anyway here are the details on the sono.

We scheduled the sono for Oct 6th (5 days before my b-day!) pretty much the best gift ever! When we got there I was just so nervous and jittery. I kept wondering if we would be able to find out that day. I was imagining what the tech would say and how I felt about each possibility. Even though I was very confident it was a little girl. 

Side bar: A few days before I could barely concentrate at work thinking about the impending sono. I just asked God to give me a sign or peace about the baby. All of a sudden, and I can't even explaining it I just had this overwhelming feeling it was a girl and she was perfect and healthy. 

Back to the actual sono. We get called back and I lay on the table. The tech was so nice and friendly. She asked if we wanted to know the gender and I exclaimed YES! She told me that I would have to wait until the end because she wanted to get all the other measurements first. Ok, just hurry up already. :) I kept scanning the screen watching our ever growing baby in amazement, but hoping I would see something that would say boy or girl. HA! Just watching her kick around and move on the screen was amazing. She was a little skelator looking, but so perfect in every way. I couldn't believe how much she changed from that 8 week little jelly bean blob. It was a real live baby in there. God is good. Everything was looking very good and healthy. However, the tech said I had a low lying placenta and probably cause for my early spotting. She said my Dr. would discuss it with me more, but it means I get a "free" extra sono at 30 weeks to rule out placenta previa, which would mean I would have to have a C-section as I would be unable to deliver vaginal. Prayers for that. I want to avoid a C-section at all costs!  Finally, came the "good" part. The tech was scanning away and then all of a sudden she says "it's a girl" at first I thought I had mis-heard her. I didn't think we were at the gender part yet. I had to ask her to say it again to be sure I heard correctly! Again she said "it's a girl" and then she typed it on the screen. I squealed in delight and told Chad "I told you! I just knew it was a girl!!" He said "yes, I know you are always right. ;) " The tech printed our pictures and off to our OB appointment went full of glee!

 19 weeks bump shot

 It has been great to finally start planning the nursery, we bought a beautiful crib today and I can't wait to get it put together and get started! Well that is all I have for now! Everything is going great and smoothly I couldn't ask for a better pregnancy!  

Only 1 Week To Go...

Only about 1 week left to get through before we find out the sex! I am so excited!!! I just hope baby slim (that is what the girls at my hubby's work call the baby) is cooperative and we can get a good view of the necessary parts. :) The worse part is trying to decide on a name, we go back and forth it is just such a BIG decision! So far everything is going well, just still tired. But I can't believe how fast this semester is going for me!!! YAY! I am so ready to be done with my internship. Well, that is about all I know...except I do think I am feeling the baby start to move! It feels so funny in there. It is an awesome feeling like little butterflies flying around. 

17 weeks, a tiny baby bump                                                                                                  

Fourth Month Pregnancy Reflection

What I least expected with this pregnancy was:
I really have no expectations with my pregnancy, seems everyone is different and I just take it all in stride! Oh wait, that I would actually be pregnant with my sister at the same time...crazy?!!? (she is currently 6-8 weeks pregnant)

The best bit of advice I've received is:
I am getting a lot of good advice from everyone. But on the what to buy front from a book called "BABY BARGAINS" it is basically a consumer report on products, plus it helps you not just go out and buy every fancy looking thing on the market. It helps you streamline your purchases!! Great for a family on a budget!

What has changed the most in my life with this pregnancy is:
How least concerned I am for myself and more concern for the baby's well being! I can't believe how much worrying you do and he/she isn't even here yet!


What made me realize that I was really pregnant was:
When my stomach started pooching out of my shirt!!! It’s like I just woke up one day and there was my belly!

This month's ultrasound was:
Won't have another u/s until it is time to determine the sex!!!!!{oct 6}

At my prenatal visit this month I discovered that:
I am underweight and my baby is a mover and a shaker! :)

My hopes:
That everything falls into place: baby wise, Job wise, sitter wise. That we just create the best place for our baby.

My fears:
Everything. Every time I have a dr. appt or u/s I feel relieved for like 1 week and then all the "what if this..." starts again! I would have thought that would subside not get stronger :)!

Update

Well, my life has taken such a crazy turn as of late, so I couldn't keep up with my journal. :(   Let's see: 1. I started my last phase of my internship!!! Yay!!! It is going well, but I am just SO tired when I get home and then I have hours of homework to do!  2. On my first day of my internship with my first pt. I nearly passed out! All of a sudden I felt nauseous and  the room started spinning and then it all went black. I wanted to leave or say something sooner, but it was my first day and first patient. I mean here is this guy trying to fill us in why he is in the hospital and all of a sudden it becomes about me. I just kept trying to fight it--mind over matter kind of thing, until matter won out! Finally, I leaned over and whispered to my co-worker that I thought I was going to pass out and she and the patient's son lead me to a chair {talk about mortifying!!}, then they called a nurse. The nurse took my pulse and blood sugar; both were fine. They got me some water and my co-worker walked me back downstairs to our office so I could rest. The one thing I didn't want was to have my pregnancy "define" me, matter of fact my "plan" was to "hide" it {although my preceptor knew} as long as I could. Best laid plans...cat is out of the bag now. HA! After I rested a bit I debated whether I should go to the doctor or not. At this point I still hadn't had my first OB appointment and the referral hadn't gone through yet. Plus, I am not a big "let's run to the doctor because I feel slightly off" kind of person anyway, I better be on my deathbed before I make an appointment. However, I just kept thinking "this isn't about just you anymore, you have your baby to think about you idiot!"  Needless, to say that pep talk won me a doctor's appointment. Of course when I show up and they realize I am preggers they want to know why I am not seeing my OB. I kindly tried to explain 3 different times that they had yet to give me my needed referral, so I had no choice but to come here. Refer me and I would be happy to leave. {Trust me this PCP is less than stellar, thus why I found a new one...heavy heavy sigh} Finally, Dr. E sees me... apparently, my bp just dropped drastically! Our baby is stealing all my blood, the little stinker. All I can do is drink drink drink and take it easy getting up and down too quickly. The Dr. then proceeded to refer me and explain that from now on I was to see my OB about these things, because he doesn't like to handle pregnancy stuff. HA! This guy is a hoot. Believe me I will gladly take this stuff to my OB, because you sir, frustrate me! Then again today I started having the same symptoms, but at least this time I was in our office sitting. Hope I can get this under control, but on a positive note at least I am always in a hospital...never too far from the L&D floor. ;) 3. I had my first real OB appt. today. My Dr. is so awesome! So I am very happy with her. We scheduled our sono to determine the sex! Yay for OCT 6th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Other than that I have been doing fine. Better than my sister who is also pregnant and is puking up a storm. Poor girl.  Well, I will try update more frequently!