Radio Silent

So, since I am not able to find the time to keep this blog up-to-date, I've decided it's time to shut her down. For now. I'm sure the time will come again when I need to vent/chronicle my life- much to the boredom of anyone who may stumble across my ramblings ;o) Thanks to those of you who have sweetly checked in from time to time- I look forward to when I'm able to keep up with all the blogs again sometime soon! ~ Take care, A

Ummm, Yea...

Time is seriously going lightening fast. I barely even have time to read blogs, let alone write one! How do other people do it??? I want to know their secret! I seem to have very little "baby-free" time to do anything for myself, which is not a complaint, but when I do get a little time I usually spend it sitting mindlessly watching TV or showering :o) I'd love to say that I squeeze every second out of every moment by actually getting anything done, but in truth my time is spent with Ally and it flies by! Maybe you'll forgive me if I post a video of our little cutie :o)

3 Months!

Our little lady is already 3 months old! How did that happen?!? Ally is getting so big- trying to sit up on her own (she does pretty well with our help) and starting to giggle! Ally had professional pictures taken yesterday and we got some adorable pics until little Miss started to meltdown (she was soooo tired since she'd skipped her morning nap, again!). Oh well, such is life with a baby!

How cute is she!!!


12 Weeks


10 Weeks

Still Reading!

Even though I'm not able to write lately, I do stop by and see how others are doing- thank you iPhone! I'll probably continue my hiatus, but I've found a minute while Ally naps to update :o) Ally is 13 weeks old tonight, which seems impossible! I also fully admit to not putting Ally down long enough to type something up! She's just so darn cute I can't help but snuggle her all day long! Laundry? Dishes? They'll still be there tomorrow, but our little girl is growing right before our eyes and we're busy watching it happen! I am extremely thankful that I am able to be with her all day. Ally is making all kinds of fun sounds, getting louder and generally finding her voice. She's grabbing at things and likes holding onto the burp cloth or her bib or your shirt- whatever she happens to come across and then putting it into her mouth ;o) There has even been a little hair pulling! She is very observant- looking around soaking it all in, and she loves looking at your face, "talking" and smiling at you. She's all smiles when I peek into her co-sleeper and she's also starting some big-girl-baby things like holding her ear or twirling her hair when she's feeding. Melts my heart! Ally's alter ego is affectionately known as "The Milk-Monster." When she gets hungry, watch out! When she is stopped to be burped, you better cover your ears! Other than that, she is such a good girl and we count ourselves very lucky! Even though it has only been three short months since her birth, J & I look back at Ally's first pictures with awe- was she really ever that little?!?! Time really is flying by...

Would you be able to put that sweet angel down? I don't think so!


Love the leggings and that cute face!

2 Months!!

Umm, how the h-e-l-l is it July already??!! I wish I had more time to write, but pics will have to do :o)

1 Month Old!

Holy crap time is flying by...

Still Here

I'm still here, everyone is good- just very tired and adjusting to our new life! My DH was home for a week, and then my mom has been here for this week, but I'm on my own starting Monday and I am scared out of my mind! Wish us luck!

Waiting No Longer!

Alexandria was born Wednesday night at 10:11pm! She weighed 7lbs 13oz, is 20.5in long and has a full head of hair- which is the big shocker since J and I had blond wisps at birth! We are all doing well, exhausted, but well...

5/5/10

40 Week Belly!!!

Hard to believe the shirt and pj bottoms still fit (barely!), but here we are at 40 weeks! Do you think Baby has dropped any compared to the 38 week pic??

Due Date, Shmoo Date!

It's Baby's "due date." Today is the estimated day Baby would be born if we were taken out of a textbook scenario :o)

We had our 40w appointment today and Baby's heartbeat sounded great. We're measuring on track and the midwife did a cervical check. I, however, asked not to be told where we are at since it doesn't mean jack- there is no way to predict when Baby will make her grand entrance, only she knows when she's ready! If for some reason Baby still hasn't arrived by our appointment next Wednesday then we'll talk about intervening, but there is no rush since Baby appears to be just fine.

39 Week Update

How far along? 39w 1d

Total weight gain? apx 27lbs

Maternity clothes? Oh yea!

Stretch marks? Added a few more to the belly this week. Oh well, they will fade... eventually!

Sleep? Oddly, I've been sleeping better lately. Deeper sleep at least.

Food cravings? Still nothing.

Belly button? Almost all the way out.

Gender? Girl.

Labor signs? Nothing so far.

Best moment this week? Continuing to feel Baby move around. She has the hiccups about twice a day. So funny!

What I miss most? Being able to lie on my back ;o)

What I look forward to? An easy labor- hey, a girl can dream!!

Milestones? Getting closer to meeting Baby!

39 weeks

38 Week Belly

Still feeling really well. The only pregnancy hiccup I may have to deal with is gingivitis, I have a dentist appoint on Monday because my gums are bothering me, but if that's all I have to contend with I'll take it!

Baby sounded good at our 38w appointment yesterday and the belly was even measuring a little ahead. Oh! And I actually lost a pound from last week- must have been ditching all that Easter candy we had in the house!

Here's the belly in all its glory at 38w2d :o)

37 Week Update

How far along? 37w 1d

Total weight gain? apx 25lbs

Maternity clothes? Absolutely, even had to go buy more t-shirts since Mother Nature turned up the heat on us last week (umm, Mother Nature why is it 90 the first week of April?!?).

Stretch marks? A few, not too bad so far.

Sleep? Not great. I'm usually up every hour or so to pee.

Food cravings? None really, but man did I eat a LOT of Easter candy this week!

Belly button? Slowly making its way out.

Gender? Girl. Unless Baby plans on surprising us!

Labor signs? None so far.

Best moment this week? Just continuing to feel Baby move around :o)

What I miss most? Being able to sleep on my back or get into a really comfy position at night.

What I look forward to? Meeting Baby.

Milestones? We're basically full-term and I'm just so grateful we've made it to this point.

On a sad note, we found out this week that a couple from our birthing class had their baby boy March 23 but that he passed away April 1. The pregnancy went great, no complications and baby was full term, but he was in respiratory distress at birth. He was diagnosed with lactic acidosis (his body couldn't breakdown glucose, a fatal genetic glitch), and spent his short life in the NICU before his little heart gave out... My heart breaks for this family, I just don't even know how I would make it through what they are enduring...

36 Weeks

How is it possible that we will be having a baby in apx 4 weeks??!! Time is flying by and it's getting a little scary! Everyone keeps asking me if we're ready to which I respond "as ready as we'll ever be!" I have become okay with the fact that we'll never be fully ready, life is gonna change and it's gonna change fast! If we forgot something or don't have enough of something, then oh well- it's not the end of the world. We've also accomplished quite a bit in the last two weeks: crib built, car seat bases in, glider delivered, changing station set up, swing assembled, more baby laundry, hospital bag is started, etc. Being able to continually check things off of our "To Do" list helps with my zen calm. I still might completely freak out in two weeks time, but I reserve that right as the crazy pregnant lady!

We had our 36w appointment on Wednesday and Baby continues to be doing great. Her heartbeat's still around 160bpm and she was head down. I think she's still changing positions though, but more side-to-side than anything else. We start seeing the CNM every week from here on out!

Here's the belly @ 36w - It's no wonder people keep asking me if I'm due soon!

35/35

35 weeks and 35 days to go, approximately of course! This 8th month has gone by way too quickly, I can't believe I'll be entering my 9th month. Even harder to believe that we will have a little baby in our arms soon!

34 Week Belly

34w

And for your viewing pleasure - a bird's eye view of the 34w belly :o)

34 Weeks! Eeeek!

34 weeks pregnant, wow! I really can't believe we have gotten this far (though I'm still worried something tragic will happen to take it all away). The baby ticker says 42 days to go, and I admit I'm starting to freak out a little. I don't feel prepared- for labor & delivery, for the first few days, weeks, months and beyond. I know there is no way to be 100% prepared, but eeek!

I'm definitely getting bigger. My weight gain has been pretty good, but I've gained 3lbs in the last two weeks alone. That's not a good trend! I have been craving lots of sweet lately, so lots of baking has been done which obviously doesn't help the weight gain! Getting up and around is a bit trickier too. I also had to invest in some slip-on shoes since tying my sneaks has become a joke :o) Baby is getting bigger too, that's for sure. Her movements can get pretty uncomfortable sometimes, but I still watch my belly in awe!

Sleep is getting more difficult. I'm waking up a lot, mostly to pee, which is mystifying since I can go for long stretches of time during the day without hitting the bathroom, but wake up every 1.5 hours at night?? I also think maybe Baby is waking me up, then I realize my hip aches or something and I have to reposition myself, then fall asleep again, etc, etc, etc.

Food is getting tricky too. Either I'm eating something that doesn't agree with me or my stomach is very squished or it's the lack of sleep, but something is causing my tummy to not feel so well... It's been a game of trial and error with certain foods, though I think I figured out that fruit juices are just too acidic for me right now, and I feel sick a few hours afterwards. That's my hypothesis for today anyway.

Overall, I've been very lucky this pregnancy and have really loved being pregnant. I may be jinxing myself, but I don't care, it's true and I think I'll even miss it a bit when it's over, but I am so excited to welcome our beautiful little baby to this (very big, very scary, but wonderful) world!

32 Weeks!

I had my 32 week check-up last Friday, and Baby's heart rate was really high since she was dancing around so much. The mid-wife wanted to make sure that everything was normal, so I had to sit for a N0n-Stress Test for a longer observation. I was really nervous that something was wrong. Her heart rate would go into the high 180s, then when she calmed down it went back to her "normal" of 160ish, then she started boomeranging around again and it went back up then back down once she was done. All I kept thinking was "please let everything be okay," it would be just my luck to go in for a routine appointment and end up in L&D or something. Conclusion: one excited baby, probably due to the juice I drank about an hour earlier. Thankfully we were given the "all good" and sent on our way. Phew...

32 week belly!

Hiccups!

While I was lying in bed yesterday morning I noticed that my belly was moving in a rhythmic thump, thump- it was so cool! There has been only one other time where I *think* I felt baby hiccups, but this was for sure and I just laid in bed till they stopped :o) In fact, I waste so much of my day just watching my belly move! As much as I want to meet our little one, I will be sad when this special time is over...

What a Difference a Year Makes

March 1, 2009

I still think about Baby P often, and about how we would have a one-year-old now. I still miss Baby P too, and I'm sure I always will. No matter how many healthy children we have that will never change. A piece of my heart is gone forever.

Today, I am thankful for all we have now and the beautiful baby on the way. I am thankful that on this March 1st the happy in my life outweighs the sad, and I really can't ask for more than that...

30 Week Belly

Holy moly- I'm going to be HUGE by 40 weeks!

My First Award!

Thank you MJ for the nomination!

Here's what I have to do:

* Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog

* Copy the award and paste it to your blog

* Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself

And finally:

* Nominate 3 bloggers that you love and link to their blog

Hmmm... seven interesting things about me:

1) I resisted becoming a teacher. It wasn't until 4 months after college graduation that I realized it was something I did want- now it's hard to imagine not being a teacher.

2) I have two brothers named Michael- my biological brother and my stepbrother.

3) I never thought I'd be a military spouse.

4) I love women's history- suffragists, women of WWII, 50's housewives, feminist movement, etc.

5) I try my best to be kind to the environment and am very concerned with human impact on the environment.

6) I love to bake, but hate the clean up so don't do it very often!

7) Growing up I didn't want to be a stay-at-home-wife/mom, but now I am so thankful that I can be for a few years.

My nominations:

Shanny @ I Did, I Do, I Will

Hope @ Hoping in Houston

SS @ Still No Explanation

28 Week Belly

The pj bottoms finally had to go under the belly :o)

Hello 3rd Trimester!

I am 28 weeks pg today- how did that happen? I really have a baby growing in my belly? That funky movement isn't gas? It still seems totally impossible. I'm into the 3rd trimester- I wonder when it will start to feel real... I still have times where I forget that I'm pg!

Had a routine check-up today, and Baby still sounds good with a heart rate at 159bpm, love that she is consistent on that front! Only gained 2lbs in the last 4 weeks, which I'm also loving :o) I'm sure I'll pack on the pounds soon enough, but given my life-long struggle with weight I really thought I'd be a (even bigger) heifer by now!

26w Belly

25 Week Update

How far along? 25w 1d

Total weight gain? apx 15lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup, pretty much exclusively

Stretch marks? None on my belly... yet

Sleep? Better, but I really need to get into a better bedtime routine

Food cravings? None really

Belly button? Still in, but making its way out

Gender? Girl!

Labor signs? None, thank goodness!!

Best moment this week? Feeling Baby move around and starting to "see" her movements on the outside of my belly

What I miss most? Nothing really, though it is getting harder to do basic things like tie my shoes quickly

What I look forward to? J being able to feel Baby's movements (she seems to stop moving whenever he puts his hands on my belly!)

Milestones? Pretty excited to make it to 25 weeks and can't believe our 3rd Tri is around the corner!

On a Happier Note

Updated belly pics...

Happy Holidays! 22w3d @ my Mom's

24w!

Does the Worrying Ever Stop?

I think probably not...

Even though I started this pregnancy pretty calm and cool, realizing that the success of this pregnancy is pretty much out of my control (except for the obvious dangerous behaviors), but the further we go along, the more and more scared I am becoming that something is going to go terribly wrong. Which seems kind of opposite of how most pregnant women probably feel given how much the odds improve over time.

Before I could feel any movement, I was constantly anticipating it- willing it happen to feel reassured that she was okay. Then around the middle of week 19, the night before our big u/s actually, I started to feel her. Not big movements, but distinct. The movement was very inconsistent, feeling her some days more than others, but always getting stronger. I could rationalize that she was still so small and that this was normal. Then around 22 weeks she had a few days where I didn't feel her much at all, and then finally some good strong movement for days. I rationalized this by thinking she had been going through a growth spurt, plus the fact that I have an anterior placenta.

Since that lull, I have started to see movement on the outside of my belly and have consistently felt her move around when I'm laying in bed at night or in the morning- but not last night, or this morning. Yesterday I only felt some slight movement, very little at night, and I was so tired last night I pretty much passed out. Then I woke up this morning and nothing. I won't lie- I freaked out!!! I laid in bed a few minutes waiting, but worked myself into such a worry that I jumped up to eat something, thinking that our blood sugar must be kind of low. So I downed a bagel, a cookie, some water, and sat down to write. I have felt 2 slight movements in the time I have been writing, so I just poured myself a small glass of coke. Yup, I am attempting to hype up my baby with caffeine to make myself feel better, even given that we just had an u/s on Tuesday where she looked great.

Where does all this crazy come from? Well, there is the obvious- already losing a pregnancy, but that's not all of it. Though, a large portion of worry does come from reading the pregnancy loss boards I used to frequent after the m/c. Since the board didn't have a distinction between early and late loss, there were so many heartbreaking stories of moms who lost their babies long after the statistics said they would. Another part of it comes from knowing too much, coming from a Health Sciences background doesn't help. Trust me, for some things in life ignorance really is bliss. There is so much that can go wrong in pregnancy. In fact, I am still in constant amazement that people even get pregnant "by accident" or that out of the hundreds of babies born every day the large majority of them are healthy. The last portion of crazy is my propensity for almost always seeing the glass as half empty. I usually don't think of myself as a worrier, just a realist but maybe there really isn't that much difference between the two.

For now, the coke has done its job and I have felt a few strong movements, which means J won't have to commit me to the mental ward- at least, not today...

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing everyone a fantastic 2010!!!

23 Week Update

How far along? 23w1d

Total weight gain? apx 15lbs, not really sure

Maternity clothes? yes, except for things like pjs

Stretch marks? around my bo.obs, which is weird since they don't seem any bigger!

Sleep? same: not great, but could be worse

Food cravings? not really

Belly button? mostly still in, but making its way out

Gender? girl, unless some parts have descended over the last month :o)

Labor signs? none, thankfully!!

Best moment this week? feeling Baby's movement getting stronger

What I miss most? nothing really

What I look forward to? another u/s on Tuesday!

Milestones? 5 months down, 4 more to go!