Adventures in Parenthood

Finally finished my mouse pad and an update to the Poe files

2010-04-29T17:19:00.001-06:00

I finally after having bought the stuff for this project a year ago and having started it several months, was able to make a point this past week of sitting down and finishing my mouse pad. Poe weighed in at 19lbs 7.5 oz and 28" long as of Monday at the doctor's office too. He's gettting too big too fast and is wearing 9 month old clothes too at only 6 1/2 months. I had my appt today and so far at 11 weeks 3 days all is well. We almost didn't find the heartbeat though. Maybe this maybe doesn't like heart monitors either? We'll see. And best of all, me and my DF will be married tomorrow!

A lot of changes happening here....

2010-03-14T12:47:00.003-06:00

Okay, I know it's been quite a while since I last posted something. My great uncle passed away yesterday morning due to multiple conditions he had over the past several years and he will be missed greatly. I just wish I could be up in Washington state to help my aunt out through such a tough time.

My DBF and I are engaged as of a couple weeks ago. We are getting married on April 30th, 2010. We aren't doing a big show, just heading down to the courthouse to get married. We'll do our big show later sometime when we can afford to have the wedding we would like to have.

And we found out yesterday baby number 2 is on the way. I am due November 16th, but if this child takes after big brother, he or she will be here about 3 weeks before that.

My lil sis is also pregnant and due in September, congrats sis!!! She thinks maybe this one is a girl, but we will see when she's far enough along. I've already started buying a few things for the new baby she's having and so far it's all froggy stuff.

My son is also 5 months old as of yesterday. Time has been flying by for us with him. He laughs at us for having to change a poopy diaper and has learned how to scream and thinks thats funny too. He already has selective hearing and loves tv as well. He's looking to be a natural flirt also. He had all the girls playing with him a few weeks ago at my job. He is already 26" long and weighing in at over 16 lbs. which is bigger than his dad was at his age. We think he's going to be a tall kid when he gets older.

Heidi and her DH finally are back state side also. They got here in December and spent Christmas with all of us. It was the first time in 5 years we had everyone together for the holidays which was really nice.

My first month as a new mother

2009-11-10T05:00:00.005-07:00

Poe Byron Jones was born October 13, 2009 at 9:19 pm after 22 hours of active labor and one week of inactive labor. He was 6 lbs 8.7 oz and 20.75 inches long. He now weighs in at 7 lbs 7 oz as of one week ago today and is already 4 weeks old. We spent the first week of his life at the hospital with him on antibiotics since he was born with a fever and higher than normal white blood cell count. I think this was due mostly to the cold I had caught a week earlier but wasn't quite over yet. The docs even informed me while I was in labor that I had a fever although I didn't notice it or feel sick from it. All his blood work and cultures came back negative so the docs are feeling bewildered as to why this happened in the first place. We got to bring him though once he was 7 days old and had received what the docs felt was enough antibiotics to be safe to bring him home and not have him become sick. He has been growing like a weed and gaining weight fast, and eating us already out of house and home. So much so, we've had to resolve to supplementing with formula just to keep up with him. He eats twice as much as what the docs say a kid his age should be eating on average. So much for waiting for him to be a teenager first, huh?

We have found he sleeps through anything, and I mean ANYTHING, from TV and the vacuum cleaner, to a video game war zone. Not even the sirens of an ambulance have woken this kid up. But if I set him down for a second lately, instant crying. Hence, I have been up all night with my little one attempting fruitlessly to try and put him to bed. But to no avail. If I'm not holding him, he isn't sleeping tonight. And yes, the pic above is how my son sleeps on a regular basis: head back, mouth open, hands behind head even. He sleeps like his daddy, eats like his daddy, and sleeps through most anything like his daddy. However, he is acting like me so I'm told, by getting upset every time someone sets him down. This kid is good so long as he is being held. My DBF and I are finding ourselves having to take shifts so that each of us can acquire that mystical thing commonly referred to others as 'sleep'.

My nephew is finding himself facing competition for attention at my mom's house for the first time as well. Life is tough as a 6 year old. He got upset for being told not to do something that could result in broken elephants and became more upset that my son was not yelled at alongside him. Well, my son being only 4 weeks old, can't very well start getting into stuff yet so naturally he wasn't in trouble. But then we got the sob story of a lifetime on how we loved the new baby more than him as a result. So we spent the next hour trying to explain to a 6 year old boy about newborn babies and why he got yelled at. This worked out well... sort of. He continued to cry at the dinner table even after we figured this was over. Apparently, we forgot the melodramatic side of the family is also genetic. We had to send him to his room until he was ready to eat dinner with us. And then the wails started. We thought we had a banshee in the house. So we couldn't help but quietly laugh at the attempts for pity all the while trying to make sure he couldn't hear us. He would only have wailed louder I'm sure. After a while of seeing this wasn't working for him, he decided he was ready to eat dinner. Never a dull moment with kids around...

And as for the pets in our house, we have yet to have a single problem with any of them. My cat thinks she can curl up in my son's lap despite the fact that she is bigger than him, and the dog thinks she is still the baby too. Remy checks on our son regularly, gives him lots of kisses, comes to get us if he's crying, and has even cuddled at his feet on the couch to nap with him. So much for Pitbulls being vicious, huh? So far she is only more protective of the house now that we have a baby around. I think she is going to be just fine.

A little bit longer....

2009-10-10T09:42:00.003-06:00

Apparently, I'm one of those people other women are disgusted with. I've been in labor I found out since Wednesday afternoon or evening. And I misread things just a little bit as to when the baby is coming yesterday. I had my doctor's appointment like clockwork and was told I had started to dilate and efface and was at 1 cm.

Ironically, I had called my mom when we left the doc's office to give her the update since she had asked me to do so and told me they were expecting 3-8 inches of snow tonight and when she saw the weather report, she thought, yep, she's going to go into labor tonight. And such would be my luck afterall. Leave it to me to go into labor on the first big snow of the season.

Then, not more than 90 minutes after my doctor's appointment, I stood up off the couch and felt something wet on my leg. So I went to the bathroom to check it out and see what was going on. A tiny piece of mucous and an almost clear fluid with a pale brown tint was to blame. Because it seemed to be a slow and steady trickle, I thought, 'Yes! Finally! My water broke!"

So, thinking that it was finally time to go to the hospital and have my son, we rushed to target to pick up a few last minute items we knew we would need since my DBF had just gotten paid. We picked up an infant carrier while we were there since the two car seats we were given are more upright and would require the baby to be able to at least be able to support his head, along with some extra diapers, wipes, nursing pads, and a nursing bra for me.

We then proceeded straight to the hospital from there, while I'm making phone calls telling everyone it's 'time' since our family list can be a bit lengthy and they have all been waiting for this to happen. When we arrived, we parked in the long term patient parking area and got checked in. They gave me a room, hooked me up to a fetal monitor which again Poe repeatedly tried to dodge the whole time we were there and a monitor to check my contractions. My cervix was checked multiple times and they even took samples of the fluids leaking from me to verify if it was in fact amniotic fluid. I began losing my mucous plug we found out, along with 'bloody show' starting to appear.

In an effort to see if things would progress, they had me walking around the maternity floor for about thirty or so minutes and then checked everything again. I had barely gained half a centimeter at this point. I was then left on the monitors for quite a while longer and they even did an ultrasound to check the fluid levels around the baby, which turned out to be at a healthy level, and any fluid leaking my doctor said was from my cervix, not the amniotic sac like I had hoped. Naturally, I was a bit disappointed to find out the baby was not coming just yet.

I was having contractions, but none of them were strong enough to get things going and proceed into active labor. My mother had arrived shortly after we got checked in and kept looking at the graph printing out and kept asking me, "Can you feel anything right now?" And, for whatever reason, I told her I couldn't, it wasn't strong enough to be felt or cause any pain that would register on my radar. Naturally, she was disgusted with me since she felt every one of her contractions when she had my sisters and I. Knowing this, I commented how she was going to be jumping for joy when I finally did feel something. However, the whole time, the most I felt was a slight (and I mean very slight) achiness to my lower back and maybe occasionally an indication of soreness or a muscle tightening somewhere. But otherwise, absolutely no pain.

After being there for a good 4 hours or so, they decided to release me since both baby and myself were doing fine, but full on labor was not in the cards just yet. I was sent home much to my delight and disappointment. Delighted, because I was hungry and if it was labor, they were not allowing me to eat anything just in case. Disappointed because I would love to have this baby already. I was told if my water breaks or I start experiencing painful contractions, to come back to the hospital then. So now I'm at home, waiting for these contractions to actually progress, but unable to go walking around the neighborhood to try to speed things up due to the cold weather and unable to drive out to the mall to walk around either. I'm still hopefully actual active labor will set in before the weekend is out.

2009-10-08T22:05:00.003-06:00

We spent last weekend working on getting things setup and put away in Poe's room. We have it done save for a few minor details that will be addressed in time. Anyway, here's a few pics of his room in progress, decor is on the way to brighten things up further, so no worries he'll be getting wall decor along with other items to make his room more fun.

Also, due to the amount of soreness I've been experiencing in the tissues around the hips (perineal, thighs, etc...), the doc said on Friday that I could go into labor within 1-2 weeks. I can't wait either, I'm very much ready to squeeze this kid outta me and be able to reach and see my feet again. I've had BH contractions that come and go since Wednesday night this week and seem to be subsiding for now, we'll see if they start up again tomorrow or middle of the night.. It seems as though my body is somehow teasing me about whether I'm starting real labor or just more practice. A co-worker was shocked I haven't gone to the hospital to get checked out over this, but what is the point if they aren't consistent and aren't intensifying? I don't see why I should sit in a hospital bed for up to 3 or 4 days assuming they would bother to wait that long, if it is the real deal, when I can be more comfy at home until I'm certain we've got actual labor going? I've had so many instances that could be mistaken for the real deal that I could be in and out of the hospital needlessly for weeks or days. They would prolly get sick of me if I went every time I started to wonder if this time was it. Besides, I see the doc again tomorrow afternoon and I'll find out at this appointment if I have effaced or dilated at all. I doubt at the rate things are going right now, that I'm in actual labor just yet. We'll see what the doc says about it...

Carpet Update

2009-09-23T13:53:00.003-06:00

Just a quick update on the carpet this time. Our order for whatever reason is taking longer than expected, but we were told it should come in by October 1st and we already have an appointment to have it installed on October 2nd. Not as soon as I had hoped, but at least it's getting done so we can start putting Poe's room together by next weekend and I can update everyone with more pics :D

Nursery

2009-09-21T18:27:00.003-06:00

Here's a few pics of the nursery under construction and in progress. I am hopeful to have the carpet installed by the end of the week. However, we are waiting for them to call and schedule the installation with us. I'll be updating these pics once we start getting more of it together. My DBF had to rip out all of the old carpet since it was coming up at the seams and the padding with it. We found old tile and the original wood floors underneath. Unfortunately, the wood floors cannot be saved and returned to their original glory days.

Baby shower, Fall and other lil things

2009-09-21T14:24:00.006-06:00

Okay, next time I decide I want a baby shower just smack me. We went through all the trouble of putting one together and my only guests were my mother, my lil sis, my nephew, and my DBF. I know some of you are out of state so you couldn't be here, but some in town who said they wanted to be there all either had prior commitments, or had to work. Talk about convenience. But we did have fun anyways and I got some really cute stuff for Poe including some adorable outfits, a froggy that plays music and lights up, a bath tub, some cute hats, shoes, socks, blankets, hooded towels, mittens, a crocheted teddy that squeaks (Remy thought it was hers so I guess we are going to have to get her a squeaky toy),baby booties, bottles, bottle drying rack, brush cleaners, bath and lotion items, a box of diapers, a package of wipes with a refill, pacifiers, onesies, sleep and play pjs, seat belt strap pads, teether, and a few other small items.

The balloon bouque stayed in the truck for couple days since we were both space cadets and finally remembered to bring them in before my DBF had to go to work one morning. I set them by the door not thinking twice about them, and went to reading my emails. Our 'vicious' dog, Remy, starts growling and barking as if there is an intruder in my door way. She even backs into the kitchen because the 'intruder' was not backing off. This went on to my bewilderment for about an hour. It wasn't until later when I tried to take her out to go potty that I noticed she wouldn't go any where near the front door because of the balloons. I just started rolling after that. Our dog is afraid of balloons. So I moved them away from the door so I could get her to go out and she had to check me over and make sure I wasn't hurt from my ordeal with the bad balloons.

Shawn spent 2 weekends painting Poe's room to perfection and even ripped out the old beatup carpet that was in there. He even scraped the old paint out of the window and parts of the room where it was peeling and bubbling and fixed a patch in the ceiling so it would be perfect. We ordered new carpet last Friday and I am hoping they call today to schedule the install so we can start putting things together in his room. Our property manager even agreed to reimburse us on the carpet since it's an upgrade to the apartment too (we have awesome management for our property too). I am hoping we can have it all setup by this weekend so I can post pics of his room nearly finished. We will have to wait for a box from his Auntie Heidi who is making his curtains and even picked up a few finishing touches to his room which I will update once she is able to mail it all out to us. She thinks she will be able to send it all out on the first so I will repost pics with the new stuff once it arrives.

We received a box with an adorable blanket hand made by my great aunt on Saturday which is absolutely adorable.

A few of my co-workers mentioned on Thursday about getting something for Poe, they were just waiting for payday so I will put updates as to what and when they are able to get a few things. One of them mentioned maybe throwing a shower after Poe is born too so maybe we can still have a successful 'shower' later. A few of them have already brought me a few things we needed too. So far, a jogging stroller, a swing, clothes, shoes, blankets, burp clothes, bottles, and a few maternity clothes for me. So I can consider myself lucky that I have a few co-workers whom are thoughtful enough to have given us those things. They are definitely going to be a big help.

Now if only I can motivate myself to get that bag packed for the hospital and put into my DBF's truck so I don't forget it by the time I go into labor. But I've been a lil preoccupied with getting this apartment ready that it seems to be taking a backseat.

Fall or Winter, however you would like to look at it, has arrived. The leaves started turning a few weeks ago which is early for our area. A cold front moved in last night and brought plenty of moisture along with it. We had snow and rain simultaneously this morning when my DBF left for work this morning and it's been cold, wet, windy and rainy all day since then. The forecast calls for this to last until about Thursday. So I guess I won't be needing anymore cold showers to stay cool for the remainder of the year. But with the weather being like this, I'll have even more reason to cozy up to my DBF with a blanket and stay there.

My belly has been dropping a lot in recent weeks also. There have been a few occasions when I get out of bed it feels like the baby is smacking my cervix almost or pretty close to it. Everyone is expecting me to go into labor any day now despite my due date is October 29th. We shall see if he is an early bird or if I carry to term. The Braxton Hicks aren't exactly letting up much either.

Braxton HIcks, Real Labor, and Early Labor

2009-09-08T09:39:00.002-06:00

Okay, so it's looking like Poe might be arriving a little earlier than his due date. My mom commented last night that he could be a couple weeks early and a friend I work with says I'm probably going to be early too. I'm waiting to see if they are right. I keep getting over the last few weeks symptoms across the board that could indicate anything from preterm labor to braxton hicks or maybe even the real deal. But not enough to add up to anything yet to date. Anyways, this doesn't seem to be 'textbook' on signs of any of the categories I could put my symptoms into.

False Labor/Braxton Hicks:

Contractions are irregular do not increase in frequency or severity

Contractions subside if I walk around or change postions (although a nap sometimes provides temporary relief I am finding out)

The baby punches me in the stomach when I get contractions

Prelabor or Preterm labor symptoms:

Dropping (this occurred aproximately 2-3 weeks ago)

Sensations of increasing pressure in the pelvis and rectum (also could be considered a normal third trimester symptom due to baby sitting on one's bladder again)

A change in energy levels (I've had days that I feel up to getting things done and others I just drag my feet)

Intensification of Braxton Hicks contractions (as was the case last night, they got stronger for about an hour, then just quit like someone hitting a switch)

Diarrhea (so appealing to hear about I'm sure, but nonetheless, a symptom. I go through spurts where I'm in the bathroom more frequently than usual, but that's about it on this one.)

Real Labor symptoms:

The contractions intensify, and do not ease up with a change in position or walking

Contractions increase in frequency and become steadily more painful

Although the local hospital also lists period-like cramps that come and go, low, dull backache, pressure in the vagina or lower abdomen that may feel like the baby is pushing down, change in the type or amount of vaginal discharge, abdominal cramps that may be accompanied by diarrhea, 4-5 uterine contractions in one hour as preterm labor. I've experienced all of the above but mostly in spurts and not always at the same time.

A lot of this stuff comes and goes at random and has yet to last long enough to add up to anything. My instructions say I should call the doc right away for a number of these symptoms, but I don't see the point in going down the hospital constantly just so they can send me home. I am waiting to see if my mucous plug falls out (although some never actually see this occur), some form of bloody show, or the obvious breaking of my water before I worry about calling the doc and telling them I think it's time and making my poor DBF drive me down to the hospital and have another late night due to a false alarm. If we went to the hospital every time I experienced something that could be described as preterm labor or the real deal, I think the poor guy would almost be guaranteed many a late night or no sleep at all. Besides, I hate the idea of crying wolf over every little thing. Maybe I'm just stubborn about spending more time in a hospital than I feel I should have to. But my body doesn't seem to know that it's only supposed to do certain things to get ready for D day, so it's going to be interesting to see how this all pans out.

Also, a last side note, I had a checkup with the doc on Friday and she confirmed Poe has already turned head down as well.

Third Trimester at 30 weeks

2009-08-20T10:37:00.003-06:00

Okay, I know this is a long overdue post. We had our internet down a couple times but thankfully that's been fixed now and I've been exhausted over the last few weeks. I started my third and final trimester at the beginning of August and we only have ten more weeks to go before we get to meet our son face to face. I am already finding out that these last few months are going to be the toughest part of my pregnancy. About 2 weeks ago, I had to leave work early and go get checked out at the hospital due to pains across my abdomen that would not subside. Apparently, I need to drink more than the standard eight glasses of water. My stomach started to drop a few days ago as well and my feet have been a royal pain for over a week now. Of course, Remy stepping on my feet lately hasn't helped my cause much.

I've had symptoms across the board that fall under braxton hicks, false or early labor, I dunno which one you want to file the;m under. But they have consisted anywhere from cramping, pain in the lower back, to nausea. However, my only belief that I haven't gone into true labor are the major symptoms of water breaking, loss of mucous plug (I hear it's a gross thing to see), consistency of cramping or contractions, or a bloody show if you will. So chances are these pains that come and go are just my body's way of getting ready for labor later down the road.

Poe has been quite active although his activities have seemed to slow down some as of late, and none of them can be felt above my belly button, reinforcing my belief he is starting to drop down into my hips. The doctors say he is doing well, but we are finding he doesn't like fetal monitors of any kind. Each time they have tried to locate him and get a heartbeat, he moves on us and so the search begins to see where he went off to. I'd say he is already showing signs of a typical little boy who simply cannot hold still.

I purchased a bunch of DMC thread and such to start Poe's baby blanket, at least one of them anyways, but I am off to a slow start. I am still on the first square and have yet to find the time to finish it and move on to the next square. However I am hopeful I will have more time to work on his blanket soon since I am going part time at work for the sake of taking things a lil easier on myself. My body isn't exactly giving me a choice on this.

My sister Heather got married on August 9, 2009 and so the crazyness has ended there. Her son stole the show with his dancing at the reception. It didn't help that he had as many as 3 gals dancing with him at a time. She is going to have her hands full with him. My DBF is almost done with mom's bathroom and we will start working on Poe's room very shortly as well. I can't wait. We also have finally set a date for the baby shower to Sept 13th. I will be picking up invitations today or tomorrow and will be sending them out very shortly. I will also be emailing some recent pics to everyone so no one can say they don't have anything recent of me and my DBF together. Although, I think I look huge in them, but I guess that's just a part of being pregnant to start with.

It's a boy!!!

2009-06-20T15:38:00.004-06:00

We went to the ultrasound on Friday and found out that we are having a boy so my DBF is getting a son. We are both really excited and will be planning the baby shower shortly and sending out invitations so if you need me to send you one, send me an email with your addy and i'll be sure to get one out to you. I need to start on the list anyways now that we know what we are planning for. We have already settled on a name which is Poe Byron, Poe for Edgar Allen Poe, my DBF's favorite poet, and Byron for my dad who was there to actually raise us. Baby Poe already has been kicking on a regular basis as well, though it seems fairly random at the moment. I imagine me running around a lot may be putting the kiddo to sleep or I'm too busy to notice him kicking me. Also, on a side note, the ultrasound says Poe's due date is October 28th, but I'm just planning on him arriving during the last week of October, it's rare a child arrives on schedule so it's best guess.

As for work, it's been really busy, I've been working as a line cook on the early morning shift. It's great exercise with everything we do there day to day. Although my lower back muscles, ankles, and feet don't exactly agree with me right now. The aches are slowly subsiding so it's just my body getting used to me being on my feet again. It's nice to be back at work doing something and bringing home a paycheck so we don't feel so tight on our budget.

New bloggers and Baby Jones update

2009-06-08T10:03:00.003-06:00

My DBF started a couple blogs recently on Friday about his thoughts in this world here and impending fatherhood here. His best friend also started his own blog here about his own views and politics as well. They are really good people with some unique points of view on the world you may very well find interesting to read and interact on. But I give you one warning: they don't care if you agree or disagree with their point of view or if you think they might be a little out there. So read at your own risk.

Also, in a few weeks we will start planning out the baby shower and getting ready to send invitations out so if I need to send you one please make sure I have your current addy by emailing me and put 'Baby Shower' in the subject line. I'll try to double check as many addys as I can before I send them out, but I can't guarantee I won't miss someone. We are registered at Babies 'R Us and our registry number is 61933365 in case you need it. However, you can also look up the registry under my name, my DBF's name, our phone number, our addy, as well as the names, addys, and phone numbers of our parents if you should know them a little better than ourselves, but still wish to get a lil something anyways. We will also be doing a gift registry at Target this Friday as well so there will be a couple places you can choose from. I am including items on both ends of the financial spectrum so depending on your finances, and what you can afford to splurge, there's something everyone can get for the baby if you choose to do so.

I have also felt the baby start to kick a few times off and on so the baby is definitely getting strong enough at last for me to feel movement as it (we don't know if we are getting a boy or girl yet, hence the 'it'.) bounces around inside me. My colostrum seems to have started coming in already as of last night is when I noticed it. I wasn't expecting to see any for at least a little bit longer. The only information on the subject is that it's a normal pregnancy symptom and usually happens late in pregnancy. Although I don't think 19 weeks is really 'late' in my pregnancy. At least I know I'll be getting milk for feeding the baby by the time I go into labor.

Update on baby stuff and baby Jones

2009-06-01T08:26:00.003-06:00

We have gotten a few items already from my mom for the baby that she surprised us with this past Saturday. Her boss had a couple items that they bought thinking they would be using them for their grandchildren, but only used them a couple of times so they are practically new. We also received from his wife who was very thoughtful to do this, a new car seat. So we already have 2 car seats, a playpen, and a stroller much to our surprise.

She is planning on getting a crib from them as well that changes to a toddler bed. They are buying a new bed for their little girl and then we will be able to pick up the crib. My sister, Heidi, plans on buying a bassinet this summer for the baby as well.

I am 18.5 weeks into my pregnancy, and at the beginning of my 5th month (time is flying here). We have 18 more days until we settle the debate once and for all of boy or girl and we finalize our picks for names. We have a name picked out if we are having a boy, and I am working on a list for possible girl names which may be longer before it gets shorter. I was able to convince my DBF to consider going through a list of names and discussing possible options which he is letting me do (yeah!) so he isn't hellbent on Kachana anymore. For whatever reason, I cannot think of a middle name to compliment Kachana, and it does not speak to me as being a good pick for us on a possible girl's name. So the possibilities here are ongoing...

And one last bit of good news... on Friday night, I felt the baby kick briefly. It was on my lower right side and very light. I haven't felt any more kicks since, so I think the baby isn't quite strong enough yet to really let me have it. Also, I've been doing a lot of running around so it could be I just haven't sat still long enough to make it noticeable too. Also our registry number at Babies 'R' Us is 61933365, but you can also find us using our names, our phone or addresses, or even our parents' information online or in the store. And they do phone orders for in store pickup too just in case that option will work better for you. We are planning on doing a registry through Target as well, but it hasn't been started yet.

The month of May

2009-05-19T10:32:00.006-06:00

My DBF and I spent Mother's Day having a nice ham dinner at my mom's house along with my nephew, one of my sisters, and her fiance. I also was given some really pretty flowers in a cute gazebo planter I can hang up. I had to transplant them and put them on my front porch since my apartment is lacking badly on the sunlight department. Hopefully, when we move, we'll have a place that lets in lots of sunlight and not just small bits of light.

Then on Monday, Heather and I went down to Ft. Collins to go do a registry at Babies R Us. Just before we hit the exit, starting about 2 miles back, we came across someone in a small white honda who was doing 55 while the speed limit on I-25 is 75. I would have gone around him except we risked missing our exit and I didn't feel like back tracking to get where we were going. I tried honking at the driver, but they ignored me, even as they passed a speed limit sign. No sooner than we got to our exit and left the highway, a trucker came up behind the car and quickly had to change lanes to avoid plowing the jerk in the honda. Most truckers around here usually do about 65 since they can't brake as easily as the smaller vehicles. If the left hand lane hadn't been open like it was, the lil white honda would have been roadkill for sure. Anyways, we spent over 2 hours scanning items and browsing Babies R Us. They have a huge selection in Ft Collins and we figured this way family and friends who want to buy something for the baby can go to a store that's usually found just about everywhere in the country. I scanned over 400 items into the registry so yes I was VERY scanner happy. And we don't even know what we are having yet. We plan to go back after we do the ultrasound and do the boy or girl only items.

We learned while we were there you can look up my registry online via my name, my DBF's name, his parents' names, or even by my mom's name. You can also order over the phone at the Ft. Collins store, pay by credit card, and have in store delivery to save on shipping. Then you just give me or my DBF a call and let us know we have something to pick up and we go get it. Or, you can have the item sent to us, or to you, and then you can bring it with you to the baby shower. Unfortunately, not everyone I would love to see will be able to make it to the shower, but I hope to see as many as I can, even if I have to wait until after the baby is born to visit.

Awesome side note about Babies R Us: all the baby products they carry are BPA FREE. So you don't have to worry about figuring out which bottles are safe and which ones need to get with the times and put our babies' health first.

While we were in Ft. Collins, we stopped at a lil burger shop called 'Five Guys' and found out they have really good burgers and the cajun fries are awesome snack food. Speaking of which, now I'm getting hungry... We went down to the nearby mall after that, and did a bunch of window shopping. Heather picked up a flute set and a serving set she and her fiance had been wanting to buy at Things Remembered. They have a lot of really nice stuff there. We searched the whole mall, and could not find the pedicure place she was talking about so we figure either they moved locations or went out of business. On our way out, we picked up an Orange Julius for each of us, and it was long overdue. There isn't one in Cheyenne, and they really should put one here. Until today, I hadn't had one since I moved here to Wyoming. I miss having one nearby. And my DBF was disappointed when we picked him up from work that we didn't bring him one. I didn't know he loved them too until he said something so next time I go I will have to bring him one too. Coming home went without a hitch, which was nice.

Heather asked my DBF if he would watch her son while we went to the mall in Cheyenne to get our pedicure, and he said he would. No sooner than we get to the house to pick him up and he realizes he's going to spend some time with my DBF, he was all excited about it and couldn't wait to leave. It was really cute.

We went to the mall and got our pedicure which felt great after a day of being on your feet. We'll have to go again sometime. Anyway, here's a pic of my big toe after the lady got done painting a pretty flower on it.

Last Friday, we went to go see Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood in it. It was nice to get out and have some 'us' time since we hadn't been able to do anything in a while. We enjoyed the movie, got some good laughs out of it too. The ending is bittersweet and from what I read of the reviews that others wrote on yahoo, it's one of those movies that you either like or you don't. But if you are at all a fan of Clint Eastwood, you should at least watch it and see if it is a movie you will enjoy. My sisters and I watched a lot of his movies growing up so maybe I am already inclined into liking his movies due to my upbringing. I'll let you decide if it's one you like.

We spent this past weekend at my mom's house since she needed my DBF's help going to Lowe's to pick up materials for putting in a dog run and remodeling the downstairs bathroom. She's hoping to get most or all of it done before she takes her trip to Germany on June 19th to see my sister and her girls. She's really looking forward to this trip and I think she needs one. She's overdue on the vacation department as it is anyways.

My mom's bday is this Friday too so I will have to see if we can pick up a lil something for her. I dunno what yet, I'll have to wait and see.

My doctor checkup is on Friday which I am sure will be fine, I haven't had any complications or issues (except the hormonal mood swings as of late) so all should be fine. But I could live without the mood swings.... they haven't been any fun for either of us...

And just 4 more weeks until we get to do the ultrasound! Yay!

Stitching

2009-05-19T09:27:00.004-06:00

Here's a quick update on projects that I've had going this year. I finished my needlepoint butterfly that is supposed to go on the side of the purse it came with, however, the zipper on the purse broke :(. So maybe I will save it for another purse or make it into a pillow... I haven't decided yet.

And here is the celtic bookmark I made which my DBF has been using so I guess as far as he's concerned it's finished. I'd like to make a tassel for it and add a backing to protect the stitches later when I have a chance.

I started a mousepad design that's really cute of a kitty tangled up in yarn and a colorful maze for the background. I haven't worked on it much lately because none of my hoops like the plastic canvas that came with the kit so I am having to make do without the benefit of a hoop. It's a pain to stitch when you don't have it stretched out and flat while you are working on it. I plan to come back and finish it later when I feel I have a lil more patience for it.

My latest project I started is an asian butterfly design which I will post a pic of later once I feel I've actually got something done on it. I've only got the body of the butterfly done which isn't much in comparison to the total design.

Some recent events/afterthoughts

2009-04-21T11:59:00.004-06:00

We had our Kitchenaid coffee pot drop dead on us a lil over a week ago, we called Kitchenaid about it since it was still under warranty. They are sending us out a new one and want us to send the old one back using the same box and the enclosed return shipping label. We had only bought it last August, so we were surprised it went out so fast. The lady also explained we get a new warranty with the new unit.

Our 70 lb baby, gave us up for pizza last night. And she crawled between me and my DBF to cuddle after we had passed out. He froze the rest of the night since she was laying on his part of the blankets. She cries and whines everytime he steps out for anything if he doesn't take her with. I've already told him, she's your dog. She follows him everywhere all day when he is home. I told him I'm not letting her sleep on the bed when the baby gets here, or taking her out every few minutes. I'll be getting up every few hours just to take care of the baby so I am hoping that the weather is good and we've since moved to a place that has a fenced in yard so I can put her outside on the nice days. It's not that I don't like her being in the house, but I don't want to listen to her whine for attention all day when I will be completely exhausted already. And the fresh air won't hurt one bit.

On the plus side, I can eat parmesan again. I had no trouble eating my share of the breadsticks last night. Also, morning sickness seems to be subsiding for sure this time, as long as my sinuses are in check anyway. All the excess phelgm seems to be what grosses out my stomach as of late.

Second Appointment

2009-04-21T10:44:00.003-06:00

April 20, 2008

No thanks to the snow that started Thursday night, and didn't stop until Saturday morning, most of the doctors who work at the clinic I go to were unable to make it into work. We got over a foot of snow and most of the roads going out of town were closed during this time as a result. Visibility was horrible if you were not in town. And despite the fact that the plows went down our street 4 times and later a 5th, you could not tell most of Friday morning. We got a phone call from my doc early in the morning explaining that she would need to reschedule us due to the weather. Although we were disappointed, I could understand.

So on Monday, I called the clinic to reschedule my appointment and we were fortunate to land an appointment that very day for 4:15 pm. The earliest otherwise would have been Wednesday or two weeks from Friday. Luckily, my DBF had Monday off this week. He normally only gets Fridays.

When we got to our appointment, we listened to the heartbeat of our baby, and for those who have been teasing me about having twins, we only heard ONE heartbeat. So plan on only one baby arriving this October. My DBF later was kind enough to argue that if there is a second baby in there, it could be hiding behind the first which is why we only heard one. Don't get any ideas from this, we are planning for one baby at this point. Afterwards, my DBF opted out of being in the room for my physical, pap smear, breast exam, etc. And of course, they needed me to be naked for this. I was given the equivalent of a small poncho that went over my head and was open on the sides to cover my upper half. The lower half had the luxury of a paper skirt. The exam went off without any hitches. And as usual, the doctor kept a nurse present for the entire exam. They also asked me what symptoms I'd been experiencing during my pregnancy so far, and I have to admit, there have been several at least. So far, this is what I've been experiencing: morning sickness, excess phlegm (my nose feels like Niagara falls), nausea, hamburger has not been appealing, soreness in the lower back, growing pains in the lower abdomen, frequent urges to pee, exhaustion (I've had to take naps, and go to bed early), extreme hunger (I can eat 2-3 times what my DBF does on a good day), and some mild cravings (corn dogs, ice cream, sweets, fruit).

The doctor also let us know the results of the blood test I had to do on my last visit, of course, I wasn't worried. It came back stating I had no diseases and was otherwise healthy. She explained to us about the insurance companies being cheap and not willing to cover more than one sonogram unless it is shown to be medically necessary. I was disappointed that we would not be able to do more than one unless we had $400.00 to cover a second one later if we chose to do so. She also mentioned that they would not do a lumbar test unless absolutely necessary. For anyone who does not know, the lumbar test consists of them taking a long, long needle, and running it through my belly button, into the placenta of the baby, to draw a small amount of fluid or tissue out. It's only done if the blood test they will do later shows any indication that the baby would be born with down syndrome, or any possible genetic diseases that show up at birth. It is typically not done due the risk of a possible miscarriage that can result from the puncturing of the placenta. Our next two appointments have been scheduled as well. The next one is on May 22nd which is just a normal OB checkup and the ultrasound will be done on June 19th. The doctor told me I am allowed to bring a couple people with me if I wanted so they could see the baby too. I imagine I will have to see who has the day off and wants to go. My mom will be in Germany visiting one of my sisters so I know she won't be attending. Maybe our other sister would like to go and see? We've also started receiving in the mail subscriptions to American Baby and Baby Talk (www.babytalk.com), which have been nice. There's some interesting stuff in them for new parents to be. My DBF won't hardly read them, he's saying 'I already know how to take care of babies and kids, I don't need to read those.' This is also in reference to me suggesting to him that he should read a couple of the books we have lying around as well. The way I see, refreshing one's memory about what it is to have a baby in the house for the first time in years, is not a bad thing. And there's some interesting ideas on ways to deal with the unpleasant times when baby has colic, won't fall asleep due to being over tired, potty training, etc. Even suggestions for how to get dad involved when the baby is born so both of us have the opportunity to bond with our newborn, what you can expect to experience post-partum, as well the experiences of other moms and dads with their children, and how they overcame an obstacle with their little one. Anyway, I'm loving reading them, despite the fact that I've taken care of everyone else's kid but my own for the last 10 years.

Remy

2009-04-09T14:13:00.005-06:00

About two weeks ago, we went out and adopted a dog from the local animal shelter because my DBF has been really wanting to get a dog. We looked online at the pets available locally for adoption as well as each dog's profile. I can't explain what it was that made us fall for Remy, but the sad look on her face in her picture only tugged at out hearts further. We went that afternoon down to the shelter to meet her and see if she would be a good fit into our now ever changing lives. We learned from the shelter employees what a wonderful dog she truly is. She loves children, is very mellow, submissive, does well with other dogs, and she passed with flying colors the temperment tests and the kitty test. When she was brought into the meeting room, she ignored us at first, sniffing all the smells of other pets and people that had been there before. She looked around out the windows at all the people and animals passing in the hallway with excitement and wonder in her eyes. She first paid the most attention to the young girl who brought her in being very playful, and laying on the kisses as if she hadn't seen the girl yet that day. We were told about how sweet she is, and how she was a favorite of the staff that worked there. We learned she had been brought to the animal shelter three times, but not once due to her own fault. The owners all (talk about bad luck for a dog) had to move to a place that would not allow them to take a pitbull mix with them to their new home and were truly heart broken by it. She did eventually start sniffing us, learning our smells. Then we were flooded with kisses once we were deemed to be ok in her book accompanied by a wagging tail. We were floored and impressed by her all in those few minutes. She was even house trained, a bonus for us. We called our landlord just to learn that the rental insurance company they went through did not permit pitbulls, and a number of other large breed dogs, many of which are actually big babies, nothing more, on the property. They were unjustly labeled as "vicious dogs." This broke our hearts as we bid goodbye to Remy.

Over the weekend, we did extensive research on the whole extensive list of why insurance companies practice "breed discrimination." Which I will get full into on another day, but we ultimately learned that the majority of bites that are reported, are due to one of three things (and I don't care if this pisses you off or not, truth hurts here): Irrisponsible parents, bad owners, and unruly kids. If you are truly responsible with your pets and your kids, dog bites are nothing more than a rumor. The general exception being the royal idiot who tresspasses on a dog owner's property. They deserve what they get every time and have no right to act surprised when it does happen. If you aren't tresspassing, you have nothing to worry about.

We learned of overpriced dog insurance for dogs on the "vicious dogs" list despite that statistically, there's no justification for this list whatsoever. It' s a corporate money making scheme from what we've seen of the real numbers. We only agreed to buy some of this liability insurance so that the landlord would not have a problem with us bring home a very sweet and loving dog. Her days here since then have only reinforced why there should be a class action lawsuit against insurance companies nationwide for breed discrimination.

Since she has been home, and as she has been getting more comfortable, her biggest crime is wanting to be part of your daily routine. She follows us around the house due to what we believe a little insecurity from being brought to the shelter three times prior, cuddles with us when she can, and gives lots of kisses and love. There isn't a vicious bone in this dog's body. Not one. Well, maybe if you're the intruder. She also has a submissive smile she does that looks like she would be growling but all she is doing is trying to smile. She even prances on her front feet and wags her tail excitedly to go outside for anything. She would walk all over town with you if we let her. Here are a couple videos of her reaction to going outside:

Remy Prancing from Lynnette Spittler on Vimeo.

Remy wants me to take her out again from Lynnette Spittler
on Vimeo.

Summary of Me and my first trimester to date

2009-04-08T14:59:00.001-06:00

Ok, for those of you who do not know me personally, my name is Lynnette, I'm 28 years old and live in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I have been with my current other half for more than 20 mos and our 2 year anniversary since our first date is July 15th, 2009. He is definitely what keeps me sane during the tough days and is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Some of you may find him a bit out of the ordinary in his wants/desires and/or beliefs. I am fine with this, since what is normal to one of us may seem very weird or strange to another. But without variety, we'd all be pretty bored right? My intention is not to say anyone's opinion or way of life is wrong, just to share my world a little bit with you. We all have our own perspective of what should or shouldn't be, but that's why we respect one another's differences and appreciate others for what or who they are, not who we think they should be.

Also, if I seem a little on the blunt or straight forward side, it's because that's how I am in life, I don't believe in sugar coating everything. Especially when I'm not dealing with a small child, I'm dealing with adults. So if it seems cold hearted, no worries, you're not the first to think so. I'm not being cold hearted, I just don't care much for beating around the bush, and I hate liars anyways, so I make it a policy not to lie to anyone about anything, unless it's a new outfit you just love or that surprise party I'm planning and don't want you to know about it.

Anyway, one of my sisters (you know who you are), thought I should start a blog to discuss things going on in my mind, various events happening in my life, or even some of the projects I have managed to occasionally complete here at home when I manage to work on them. Or even critique a few movies or books that I watch or read. Not a bad idea, really. But I seldom feel as though I have much to share with someone I have never met. I only recently decided I would try to blog about my pregnancy. I have been doing a lot of research on do's/don'ts during pregnancy and things we will need for the baby when it gets here. Seems simple right? Wrong. There is enough information out these days, some good references, some not so good, that you could fill up a library on just pregnancy and tips/ideas about what works when it comes to raising a child. Right down to child-proofing your house, and your life. It never occurs to you how much is really out there until you are faced with parenthood and start looking through it all in an attempt to be "prepared" for the inevitable. All I can say is, talk to friends, family, and your GYN/OB for tips and advice. They are very much your best resources for ideas on how to raise or discipline your little one. Even tricks for getting them to bed at night or ways to get them to the next big step in life. You'll find though as welll that opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. So be careful who you ask. You may or may not like the answer.

And now we know why I started getting stuff from Similac months before I even knew I was going to become pregnant. Apparently someone else knew first. It was a running gag until now, right down to the survey about the children I didn't have yet.... HHHMMM.... why couldn't they just tell me this was going to happen so I could've started working on the mom to be stuff? It would have been nice to have a little bit of extra time to get a few things done and planned out.

Ok, enough rambling, down to the nitty gritty :

We are going to back track a couple of months here so I can fill you in on the changes that started before we knew it. Shawn and I had a bad fight Valentine's Day weekend over the house, housework, me not being able to find work, my truck not working, etc. Normal stuff when things feel tight and a lot of people are experiencing tight budgets or a lack of a job no thanks to this economy we're in. I had no idea why at the time, but I was so upset all I could do was cry for hours over us fighting. Normally, this is not like me, I only cry on overly happy occasions (like my neices and my nephew's births) or when my father passed away a few years back. Occasionally if I feel frustrated enough over a situation, I have found crying a good way to relieve that stress. But over the fight we had? Not normally me. Now, before you ask, we did make up within a few days, we each just needed some time to say our piece and chill out. We normally do not have big fights, so this was a surprising first for us. I thought we'd been doing pretty good on the communication and the compromise until that point. Another couple we know had a fight that weekend or just a bad weekend so our first thoughts were of planetary alignment screwing up what should have been a nice, romantic weekend. And without another thought, we put it all behind us. When we look back now, my hormones had really started kicking in, we just didn't know it then.

During the week: My lower back started to feel sore no matter how I sat down on the couch. I started to blame our comfy couch since the padding was going flat was many, many hours of everyday use and the bars underneath that is part of the recliners on each end. Again, no idea at the time this was a head's up from my body of my being pregnant. How many of us hear about from friends and family about the soreness in the lower back during pregnancy? I didn't know about it.

Friday, February 20th, 2009

The morning sickness started. I woke, took my usual morning pee (TMFI I'm sure for some of you), made my coffee and sat down to have my cigarette. (I've since quit smoking FYI). In less than 30-60 minutes I was running for the bathroom to unload that cup of coffee I just had. Every once in a while, more like a blue moon, when I am getting ready to start, this is not so unusual. I throw up once, I feel fine afterwards. Period starts. Normal. Not this time.

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

Again, coffee, cigarette, toilet, nuff said. I still felt nausiated afterwards and later that evening, my other half decides we should have a pizza night. Sounded good to me since none of us felt like cooking that day. We ordered two large pizzas, one of them a six cheese pizza from papa john's that is very, very good. I highly reccomend it if you haven't tried it. I don't remember what the other one was right now. But although I love their six cheese pizza, I could not stomach even the smell of it. The parmesan cheese was overwelming to me. I kept the box closed as much as possible.

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Again, almost threw up. Avoided doing so this time. Thankfully, but unfortunately, the nautia stayed with me throughout the day. We began to wonder about my being pregnant. Ironically, our roommate, Chris, commented, "No offense, but if you're pregnant, I'm moving out." I couldn't help but laugh about it.

Monday night/Tuesday morning,

I couldn't sleep over the thoughts racing through my head about whether or not I might be pregnant and all the ways it would change our lives forever. So I crawled out of bed, and took the EPT test with me to the bathroom. And I waited the longest 3 minutes of a women's life. It was positive. I felt numb a little bit at first. This is a lot to take in when the most you've had to think about concerning your own actions is yourself, maybe a roommate or a boyfriend at the time. And of course, my spoiled cat named Jennie (she's about ten years old now). Granted, I have 2 neices and a nephew that I have helped out with off and on over the years, but have never had any children of my own. We almost thought I wasn't meant to have kids, and I learned to be fine with that. Now my whole world and my perspective of the world is changing in an instant and my brain is struggling to keep up. I did start to feel excited as it sunk in, and then, for the same reasons I couldn't sleep, I found going back to bed to be impossible. So I waited....

Tuesday morning, about 5:00 am, Shawn's alarm goes off. I anxiously waited for him to get his coffee and come out to the livingroom, let him take a few sips, and then, resolve to tell him. I always figured one of two things would be his reaction: a) he'd freak out at first, then get excited, or b) be really excited about it all from the start. The answer: c) neither of the above. I handed him the pregnancy test, told him he was going to be a father, and he asked if I was sure. I handed him the directions to the test (which are very easy to follow) and he said after a few quiet minutes of reading, that he's gonna have to start smoking outside, and I'm going to have to quit smoking. He was very calm during all of this. Not quite what I thought would happen, but not a bad reaction either. He did request that I go down to Planned Parenthood or a health clinic and have a doctor do the test just to be certain. I told him no problem, I would see about doing it as soon as I could. Of course, home pregnancy tests are usually about 99.98% accurate, so I doubted the doctor would tell me different. I still don't know why some advertisements suggest that a home pregnancy test would be hard to read. They seem fairly simple to me.

Later that morning, after Shawn goes to work, I ask our neighbor Tony (we've known him for years) if he would drive me down since my truck is not yet running. He agrees as soon as he is off of work, he would take me. Anyway, I looked up on the internet for places that offered free or discounted pregnancy tests via the doctor so I would know where I needed to go before we left. It wasn't until we arrived at planned parenthood that we learned they are closed on Tuesdays. I thought such services would be open at least five days a week. I was wrong. So we went to the City Health Clinic just down the street. The nurse gave me a pregnancy test, I had to pee on this one too, and then as we were waiting for the results, Shawn called. Of course, I answered and we both got the news at the same time. I believe he said "oh sh**" and then went a little quiet after that. The nurse asked me a few questions, such as whether or not I wanted to keep my baby, and of course, I told her I am keeping my baby (no, this is not a weird madonna flashback to her music). She commented that 70% of all women who come in there do not want their babies. I was shocked. I mean, a few here and there not wanting or feeling ready to take on parenthood, but 70%? That's a huge number. Why so many here? I can't help but wonder. Anyway, paperwork aside, she explained some options to me about having access to a group of nurses who help you prepare for parenthood, help you with questions and concerns you have, etc. And even classes offered, health care options, the works. She even went over with me if I had insurance, and if we qualified for a state funded insurance program. Thankfully, we did qualify on that one. Having kids is expensive, so every little bit helps. She even gave me my first bottle of prenatal vitamins.

When I got home, I started looking for OB/GYNs in town to see what options I had for doctors. Granted, Cheyenne is a small town compared to what I'm used to, they still have several options for expecting parents on the list of doctors they can choose from. I found an ad for the Cheyenne Women's Clinic on 20th and decided to make my appointment with them. They have multiple doctors and even midwives (aka nurses) available at the clinic and if you feel uncomfortable with one doctor there, all you do is let them know and you can choose to see a different one there at the clinic instead. Easy right? I don't know yet. But I'm not one to feel uncomfortable with a doctor regardless of them being male or female. My trust in them is based on how I am treated as an individual, how they handle my questions, how professional they are, etc. Two of the best doctors I ever had were male years ago. If I could have, I would've had them move to Cheyenne with me. But that part wasn't up to me, and neither of them specialize in women's specific health care so I would not be able to make a maternity appointment with them anyhow.

I called to see about making an appointment with them and I was scheduled for March 20th, the approximate date of my being about 8 weeks along in my pregnancy. They asked me a few questions for my basic information, and viola! I was scheduled.

That night, we called Shawn's parents to tell the news. I wish to this day I had someone with a camera in the house to film his mom's reaction. Bear in mind, they have several pets, many dogs in the house, so the sound was overwhelming to hear. But we all put them on speakerphone so we could hear her reaction. All she could say at the top of her lungs is "We're gonna be grandparents!!!" over and over again. She got so excited all the dogs in the house started barking and getting excited too. It was the best reaction I'd ever heard. Too bad I don't have video though. His dad had to ask a soon to be infamous question that many other asked themselves "Well, how'd that happen?" HHMMMmm..

We told my mom and my sisters the next night at my mom's house and they were very excited. My nephew (he's only 6) is trying to grasp still the idea that his aunt has a baby in her tummy and he is getting a new cousin. Of course, he doesn't want to wait until October to meet him or her. He wants to meet the new baby now. How cute is that?

On March 28th, we called my other sister Heidi and told her the good news. She is very excited but disappointed she can't be here for my pregnancy like she wanted to do. Her two daughters, my nieces are also very excited.

Within the coming week, we found ourselves running around inquiring about food stamps, WIC, and anything else that might be helpful to us in providing good medical care and nutrition to this baby from the get go. The amount of paperwork is nuts, and these agencies we learned, are nosey about your income, what you drive, and what you spend your money on when you get it and even how or where you get your income. Food Stamps here does not care about what bills you have to pay, or the deductions that come out before you can even cash that paycheck. They only care about your gross income. Doesn't leave much for the cost of living, does it?

Anyway, we found out with food stamps and the medical coverage, as far as they are concerned, we make too much based on our gross income. And despite the fact that I have been searching for work for some time now, even before becoming pregnant, is not helping us. No one hires a pregnant women despite the fact that it's a violation of federal law to discriminate against someone who is pregnant. They get around this by simply not calling you for an interview. No one says it, and nothing in writing, means no lawsuits, no violations. But deep down you can't help but wonder if your pregnancy is their reason for not calling you in the first place. So me working right now to help us get some extra cash for this baby is seemingly not an option.

We have managed to qualify for some WIC benefits for the time being, we'll see long they last.

February 28th, 2009

I started calling friends and family to tell them all the good news. The universal questions were when was I due and if Shawn and I were planning on getting married. My response to these: last week of October and not at this time. Shawn is indecisive about marriage itself. Sometimes we catch him saying things that indicates someday he will propose, but if you ask him directly how he feels and it's no way, no how he wants to be married. I believe a good part of this reasoning is the modern day divorce rate (well over 50%) and the fact that many of his friends, including his sister had great relationships until they got married. Then they found themselves ill prepared for their new roles and expectations of one another. Their marriages didn't last 6 months to a year after that. I believe he fears this happening to him, and all things considered, I don't blame him for it. Not one bit. Of course, he already told Chris, his best friend of more than 20 years, that he was going to be the best man and he would drag him to the wedding from the hospital if he had to in order to make sure he attended. So the jury is still out on this subject. Time will tell if it's in the cards for us or not. I'm not going anywhere and I have no intention of walking out on the best thing that has happened to me even if he ultimately decides he doesn't want to do the wedding thing. Besides, it's just a piece of paper, right? What matters is how we feel about each other, and the fact that we are always there for each other. Marriage is not a requirement for love.

In the weeks that followed until our doctor's appointment, I spent many hours online refreshing my mind about what it is to be pregnant (until now, I could only watch my sisters and their experiences of pregnancy) as it is different for everyone each time and this is my first baby so this is uncharted territory for me as well. I started looking through all the do's and don'ts while you are pregnant, birthing options (I know I have some time, but it couldn't hurt, right?), pain medication options, stuff for the baby nursery (it's a given in my family that my first baby shower and nursery theme would be Precious Moments, if you knew me that is), etc. Anything I could think of that was baby related I went looking online for information on it. At first, it's overwhelming, then you start to sort through it as though you are back in school trying to write that report for a science or histor class, or maybe the occasional english composition assignment. I even signed up at www.planningfamily.com for email updates that I recieve weekly telling me about how my baby is developing. It's a learning experience and a wonder all at the same time. I highly reccomend it. They even have forums where you can get questions answered, and share your experiences with others just like yourself who may be having their first or their fifth kid.

We also received paperwork ahead of time to fill out for the doctor and Shawn initially also wanted to keep the sex of the baby a surprise until it was born. I can't wait to find out and his mom wants to know too before she starts crocheting. He changed his mind within a matter of days when he realized all of the rest of us wanted to know before hand. He said he would let it go, this time. Hmmm..... (this coming from the guy who has repeatedly insisted that he is getting fixed after the baby is born, I wonder....)

March 20th, 2009

Our first official doctor's appointment, or so we thought. This visit consisted of me drinking a lot of water in an attempt to go pee in a cup, before I could be seen by the doctor. Once I got that out of the way, we got a room to go wait in. We didn't have to wait long, only a few minutes. They asked us about our medical histories, any allergies I have to any medications, the usual stuff. We were diappointed we couldn't do the sonogram yet. And even though Shawn doesn't like to admit to being excited about anything, if you knew him you could see the excitement before this visit about hearing his baby's heartbeat and seeing the sonogram. Naturally we were both very disappointed to find out we had to wait another month. Shawn even said as much after the appointment. Apparently, their equipment, as they explained it, was not sensitive enough to see the baby at only eight weeks.

Anyway, I've had an insane appetite (they say I should only need an extra 200-300 calories per day during the first trimester) that has just thrown the charts on how much to eat out the window along side typical weight gain. It's been interesting. I'm already out-eating the guys I know. Everyone is telling me either I'm having a boy or I'm having twins. If we are having twins, I have some butts to go kick. Starting with one of my brother in laws. He commented years ago "Watch, when you have kids, you're going to have twins!" I promised him a good beating if it came true. All in good fun of course. Our next doctor's appointment is April 17th, also on a Friday, that way Shawn can be there for all of the appointments we go to. It's his one day off during the week, so we are trying to make sure he doesn't have to request any time off from work. I'll be posting pictures as we get them ourselves along side any updates. Hopefully next week I will have some sonogram pictures to share.