Happy Birthday Atticus!

So here's the story of our last couple days before meeting Atticus...... Last Thursday, I got a call from the doctor's office. Even though the doctor I saw on Tuesday wasn't concerned about my AFI values, when my doctor saw the results, he wanted me to come in for some follow up testing. So I talked to his nurse and arranged to come in Friday morning when the office opened to have some labs collected, then I was going to go to work afterwards. I was looking forward to sleeping in in the morning. Throughout the night, I was having some contractions, however it didn't seem any different than any other night during that week. I had a hard time falling back asleep after about 2:30. I got up in the morning and took a shower to get ready for work, then was going to rest on the couch until I had to leave for the doctor's office. I started having some contractions while I was in the shower, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary from what I had previously experienced. Ron came home from work, I talked to him for a little bit, then went to lay down on the couch to wait until I should leave to go to the doctor's office. By the time I should have been leaving, I was having what felt like pretty strong contractions that were about 10 minutes apart. This was about the time that I realized that I didn't think I'd be going to work at all....except maybe to go to Labor and Delivery. Ron had only been asleep for about an hour, so I didn't want to wake him up until I was sure what was going on. At about 9:00, my contractions were between 4-6 minutes apart... they all took my breath away. I was starting to get really scared. When I had one that dropped me to my knees, I went to tell Ron that I thought we might have to be going to the hospital soon. Poor guy had only been asleep about 2-2 1/2 hours by this time. I laid down on the bed with him to see if I could relax and feel any better. Surprisingly, by about 9:45, it felt like the contractions had stopped. So I got up and went and walked around the block a couple of times to see if they came back or not. I started having a couple more, not as painful or as frequent. When I came back in the house, they started back up pretty strong. By the time Ron woke up, after only about 4 or 5 hours of sleep, the contractions were again 4-6 minutes apart and felt pretty strong. I told him I think we need to go to the hospital. So we left.
By the time we got to the hospital, the contractions were about 3 minutes apart. We got to L&D and they put us in a room. When the nurse did an exam, she said I was dilated to 5cm and was 100% effaced. She said we wouldn't be going home that day....we'd be having a baby. Within 30 minutes she had gotten an anesthesiologist to start an epidural....it was wonderful! I was now barely able to notice that I was having contractions that were measuring twice as strong as the ones I was having that were previously taking my breath away. At about 3pm, I was measuring 7-8cm....everyone thought Atticus would be here by dinner time. Except for Dr. Jasper who said he thought we'd have a baby by 8, but definitely by midnight. Ron says he jinxed us with that comment!!!
At 10:30pm, the nurse came in and said we were going to start pushing with the next contractions. Finally after 3 hours of pushing (it is way past midnight) Atticus made his entrance! Atticus Fitzgerald Olsen
was born Saturday, November 17, 2007
at 1:31 am
He weighed 8 lbs 7 oz
and measured 20.5 inches long
Ron and I are totally in love with our son. He is absolutely amazing, or as Ron would say, he is AWESOME!!!!!

8 days left....Can you believe it?

Wow! I can't believe that it's just over a week until our due date! It has really gone fast. We had a doctor's appointment yesterday. Again, nothing exciting. Atticus was pretty quiet, but once again passed the NST with flying colors. Our AFI was elevated again, 22.9 yesterday. Unfortunately Dr. Durkee was on call and was at the hospital delivering a baby, so we couldn't see him. They were either rescheduling his patients to see him on Wednesday or we could wait to see a different doctor. I wanted to wait, so that I could ask about the AFI. The doctor we saw, wasn't concerned about the levels because he felt it was only slightly elevated. It put my mind at ease. I am sure that Dr. Durkee will see the results too, so if he is concerned, I am sure the office will call. Since we didn't see him, I also didn't have an internal exam....so I don't know if anything has progressed since 2 weeks ago. Our next appointment is next Tuesday....

Last night was my most uncomfortable night so far. I woke up every hour having contractions. Unfortunately they never got stronger or closer together. It was frustrating and I am pretty tired today. Ron is convinced that Atticus won't be born until Nov. 24th....I am convinced that I will go insane if I go past our due date!!! I am trying so hard to enjoy these last few days where I don't have to share Atticus with anyone else. It's hard when I am so uncomfortable most of the time. At the same time, I am so anxious to finally meet my little man. And I am so excited to watch Ron meet his son! Hurry up, Atticus....any day now!!!

What a long week!

We had our 38 week doctor's appointment last Thursday. Atticus was not very cooperative during the ultrasound...well, he was sleeping, so who can really blame him! The tech did the measurements for the AFI. Our index was 20.5 which both the tech and Dr. Durkee said is borderline high. However, Dr. Durkee said at this point he is NOT worried about it, if it were a half point higher, he would investigate it, but not yet. So I have been trying not to worry about it...if the doctor isn't worried, I shouldn't be either. The girl that did our AFI was just learning, and to me one of her lines looked crooked, which would make it longer, possibly giving a higher reading (the other reason that I have not been letting myself worry about it...). The tech wanted to do a biophysical profile on him, also....basically just make sure it looks like he is doing what he should be doing....so we had to wake him up so we could watch him breathe... That was interesting to me, because I didn't realize that he doesn't practice his breathing when he is sleeping, only when he is awake. We got him to wake up and were able to watch him breathe...that is pretty cool. However, the little stinker is still laying face up ("sunny side up"). That is definitely going to need to change before we go into labor!! After laying on my back for longer than usual for the ultrasound, it was time for the NST. I was so excited about sitting in the big comfy chair and relaxing....unfortunately, Atticus had his foot shoved into my rib and my back was aching, so I was pretty darn uncomfortable during most of it. Atticus was also still pretty sleepy in the beginning, so he didn't move alot when we first were hooked up to the monitors....unfortunately this meant that we had to be hooked up for longer. I only had a couple small contractions while I was being monitored, too...what a change from last week! In the end, we got all the measurements we needed and he passed the NST with flying colors! Our next appointment is Monday afternoon. I am anxious to see what our AFI is this week.

This past Thursday morning my Grandma Hughes died. She had a massive stroke the previous Friday and was not doing well. I am happy that she is no longer suffering, but am sad because she never got to meet her great-grandson. For the last few months, even when she has been very confused, she has always been able to tell me how excited she is about Atticus. She would tell me she was so excited because she had waited 10 years to meet him! I know it would have been a long time after he was born before she would have actually been able to meet him, because I wouldn't be able to take him to the nursing home, but I would have loved to tell her about him and hang up pictures that she could have looked at.

I am still working, full time. I plan to work until the day Atticus is born. I don't want to use my time off before he gets here, I would rather save it for after he's born. It is getting harder and harder everyday to keep working. After about 5 hours at work, I am very uncomfortable, I have a heating pad I keep on my back which helps with the aches and pains. There is not much else I can do though. By the end of the day, my feet hurt, the muscles in my lower abdomen are incredibly achey, and the skin on my tummy actually hurts! It feels so good to get home and relax on the couch! It's amazing what the human body can do! I have loved being pregnant, for the most part, but I am VERY ready to meet this little guy in person!

Progress

I went for my appointment last Thursday...another NST and AFI. This time Atticus decided that he would be a very quiet boy during the NST. The nurse actually used a "buzzer" to get the last necessary movement out of him for the final reading. The other thing that the nurse and the doctor both pointed out to me was that I was having a fair number of contractions! They weren't incredibly strong, but watching the monitor that was measuring them I was able to figure out that what I thought was Atticus stretching out and getting comfortable was actually contractions. When I saw the doctor, he checked and I was dilated to 2cm. I went home on Thursday and laid down on the couch to try to get the contractions to stop or slow down. I think everything was worse because I was very nervous that Ron was still in Florida. I went home after the appointment and laid down, to try to stop or slow the contractions...it didn't work. I was having contractions very irregularly, anywhere from 10-20 minutes apart, but they were only lasting about 30-40 seconds. They continued throughout the night and into morning. I didn't go to work so that I could stay off my feet...they did seem to slow down if I was not up and moving too much. They have continued through the weekend, are occurring much less often, but last a lot longer and are definitely stronger when I have them.

I went to work today, I figured if anything happens, I am already at the hospital... I was pretty miserable and uncomfortable. I tried to sit as much as possible, but even that became really uncomfortable. I just wish I could have laid down a few different times...that might have helped! I would love to stop working, but just don't want to give up the time I plan to take off after Atticus is born. Only 16 more days... I can do this! =) Our next doctor's appointment is tomorrow, we'll see what he has to say....

What a great end to the week!

It was a long, tiring week, but at least it ended on a couple of high notes!

Our appointment with the pediatrician went well. She was able to answer the few questions I asked and even some that I didn't ask, but should have. I think we will be very happy with her.

Thursday we had our 36 week doctor's appointment. Our doc was out with the flu, so we saw a different doc in the practice. I was really impressed that she seemed to have looked over my chart before coming in to meet me...she knew my weeks gestation, my age... I thought that was great! She said that she noticed that I didn't have a Non-Stress Test (NST) or an Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) scheduled for that day. She said that it is usually at 36 weeks that they begin these 2 tests on all AMA (advanced maternal age) Mom's. I said he had mentioned doing it at 37 weeks, but not for this appointment. She said that if Ron and I had time to stay she would like to do them. So we stayed.
First, the NST... They took us back to a testing room, and strapped 2 belts onto my belly. One was to monitor any contractions I may have, the other was to monitor the baby's heartrate. She had me sit in a big, ugly, white leather chair. It may have been ugly, but it was the most comfortable chair EVER!!!! Then she gave me a button to push (looks like a button you give a patient in the hospital when they are allowed morphine for pain...but no morphine here). I am supposed to push the button everytime I feel Atticus move. She said that since it is non-stress, all they do is monitor his heart when I am at rest to make sure that as he moves and is active that his heartrate increases. They want to see an increase 3 times...The test lasts a minimum of 20 minutes (with co-operative babies) or can go on and on trying different tricks to get baby to move. Well, Mr. Wiggle Worm Atticus was being exceptionally active and we had no problem getting 3 good heartrate increase tracings in 20 minutes! In fact, I think we could have been done in 12 or 13!! The whole time they are performing the test, you sit back and listen to baby's heartbeat and all his movements and kicks. It was pretty cool!
Next was the AFI. This was another ultrasound! It was a great surprise to get another look at our little man when we really weren't expecting it. She measured the areas of amniotic fluid and said that our index was 15.1. They want to see the numbers between 6 and 20, so both the ultrasound tech and the doctor said our numbers looked great! While she was doing her thing, the tech showed us some movements that he was making. She said that what we were seeing is him practicing his breathing. She said that is a great sign, that you don't see this when babies are in distress because they have to concentrate so hard on making their heart beat, they can't do both. So that was awesome news! While we were watching his face, he kept moving his hands up to his mouth while he was practicing swallowing...then he would stick his tongue out at us! It was really funny to watch! The only other thing that the ultrasound tech told us is that Atticus is face up right now. However, he does have 3 weeks and 4 days left to flip over the right way! All in all, we had a really great appointment! We go to the doctor again on this coming Thursday. Since Ron is out of town, Mom is going to try to go with me.

Today was my last baby shower. Mary and Mom threw this one for me at Mary and Dad's house. It was really, really nice! It was a Cubs themed party, so we had Cubs cake, plates and napkins. Here are just a couple of the wonderful gifts we got...they are Cubs themed so I thought it would be fun to share!
The diaper cake that Mom made:The toybox that Dad and Mary got for Atticus:
A shirt from Sarah, Eric, & Zoe (not Cubs, but I can't wait to show Ron):
Sarah took a picture of Mom, Mary, me and Carole, I'll post that after I get it from her. Another very special gift we received, is that Mary started scrapbooking this blog so that we would always have it. It is really beautiful and very special. A way that we will always have to remember the 9 months leading up to the moment Atticus is born. It was a beautiful day, and we are very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. We appreciate everything everyone has done for us and we love you all.

Ron leaves on Monday to go to Florida to be the best man in our friends Dave and Shellie's wedding. He will be gone until Friday night, so Mr. Atticus is on strict instructions that he needs to stay put a little while longer. I'm not too worried about it. It gives me a chance this week to get a lot of things done around the house!

A busy couple of weeks!

Wow! It's been kind of crazy lately, so I haven't posted in a while. Let's see....since my last post what has been going on???

At the end of September, my friends at work (Susan, Cathy and Theresa) had a baby shower for us. It was really, really nice. There were LOTS of people there and there was TONS of amazing food! It was fun. We played a couple games, which is a highlight at any shower!!! It was so much fun! The cake was really cute, it matched the invitations that they made. I also included a picture of the quilt Susan made for Atticus. It is really beautiful, something we will definitely treasure! As I said, we are truly blessed with such great friends and family! We are truly grateful.

On October 1st, Jonathon David (JD) Heick was born. Caren and JD are both doing well. Unfortunately I was sick with the flu for about 3 days after he was born and everything has been such a whirlwind since then, I still haven't gotten to meet him.
Congratulations Jon and Caren! I can't wait to meet him!

We had a doctor's appointment on 10/11. It wasn't very exciting, no ultrasounds or pictures, just some measurements and listening to his heartbeat with the doppler. I never tire of that, it is such an amazing sound! Our next appointment is this coming Thursday....after that we start going every week. When we start our weekly appointments, we are going to start having non-stress tests performed (I don't know anything about it except I sit in a comfy chair and listen to his heartbeat for about half an hour...I'll post more about it when I know some more) and they are also going to measure the amniotic fluid levels. I know this is done by ultrasound, so I am hopeful that we will get to see him each time and get pictures, but I am really not sure. Atticus is doing great...he has been especially active the last few days! I think he's having a party in there! I, on the other hand, am not having quite as much fun as he is! I am starting to have trouble getting comfortable at night, so am having problems sleeping. Oh well, I know it's just one of the joys of being 9 months pregnant! I try not to complain, he will be here so soon (he's due in 30 days) and I know that there is so much I will miss about being pregnant. So I am trying to enjoy these last few weeks as much as possible!

Wednesday afternoon, we are going to meet our pediatrician for a "getting to know you" appointment. I am looking forward to it. We chose Dr. Panzica to be his doctor. She is recommended by everyone I know who takes their kids to her. She is also someone Ron has known since he was in high school. His best friend in high school dated her daughter for years, which is how I also first met her when Ron and I were first dating. She always impressed me with the time she spent taking care of her patients and talking to their parents on the phone in the evenings. I am looking forward to getting to know her in this new capacity as Atticus' doctor.

Last, but DEFINITELY not least, yesterday was Rebecca and Michael's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful outside, they couldn't have asked for a more perfect day...especially in late October! It was in the low 80's and there was not a cloud in the sky. Gorgeous! Rebecca was a beautiful bride. All night I kept hearing from different people how happy they both look and how just look at them and tell that they are in love. It was really neat.Rebecca and Michael, we are happy for you and wish you many years of love and happiness. Congratulations, we love you!

More pictures

We had our 32 week growth ultrasound this past week. Atticus is definitely growing! He weighed approximately 4 lbs 13 oz!!! Considering that he should gain about 1/2 lb every week between now and when he is born, by his due date he could weigh almost 9 lbs!!! What a big boy! I am hoping that her measurements were off just slightly and he is a little smaller. Here are some new pictures of him.

I know I'm biased, but isn't he just the handsomest little guy you've ever seen???

Zoe is here!

I am so excited! My sister, Sarah, had her baby on Thursday! Just like the day she told me she was pregnant, I cried all day after my dad called and told me that she was in labor. I spent the rest of the morning bouncing off the walls on Thursday, until I could leave work to go meet my new niece or nephew...
So finally, at 2:03 pm, Zoe Deborah Walker was born....all 21 inches and 8 lbs 14 oz of her!!! She's a big healthy girl. And she is so beautiful! Mom and baby are both doing great! I can't wait for Zoe and Atticus to grow up together!
Congratulations Sarah and Eric!!!! We are SO happy and excited for you!

Atticus and I are both doing well. We went to the nurse practitioner class last week so they could practice using the doppler, taking fundal height measurements, and doing Leopold maneuvers (figuring out where/how baby is positioned). It went well, our fundal height measured ok and no one was too rough with the Leopold's maneuvers....Ron was worried about that, as was I because my muscles were already a little sore. But as I said, it went well....It was great to hear his little heartbeat so many times that day! I really love that sound! Now we are just anxiously awaiting our next doctor appointment and his 32 week growth ultrasound on Tuesday. I am hoping to get the first one or two coats of paint in the nursery this weekend.

10 weeks left?????

How can it be? It seems like it was just yesterday that I found out and was anxiously awaiting coming home from work to tell Ron! It's amazing how fast time flies! Well, I had my first shower this past Saturday. It was really nice. It was at Lucille's Tea Room in Rockford, Carole and my mom threw it for me.We got lots of wonderful gifts from our family and friends. All I can say is what wonderfully generous family and friends we have. We are truly blessed. This is also going to be the best dressed kid on the block! What cute clothes he has! On Sunday I was inspired to begin to prepare a room for our little man! I spent a few hours in the morning emptying things out of what I previously used as a craft/junk/don't know where else to put it room! I spent more time last night, too. It's coming along. I have a few more things to empty out of there, and am hopeful that by the end of this weekend I can have at least the first coat of paint on the walls! I am starting to feel the pressure...

I have also been blessed, however this time I am not incredibly grateful, with 3rd trimester morning sickness. It's actually all day nausea.... It's been strange for me because I never experienced this during my 1st trimester. I've decided that I really don't like it! Luckily I can still say that I haven't gotten sick at all during the entire pregnancy! Tomorrow is our next doctor's appointment. Hopefully we will make the appointment for our next ultrasound. We are supposed to have one to check growth and development around 30 weeks, which is today.... I am anxious to get that scheduled!

Only 76 days to go!

Wow! Time is sure flying by, I can't believe our due date is only 76 days away! We had a nice quiet Labor Day weekend, didn't do any thing exciting, but we made lots of decisions about things for our little man...

We picked a stroller....And a play yard....

And last but not least we decided on furniture.... This is the crib, we haven't completely decided on what other furniture yet, but it will be in Cherry (sorry, no pics of the Cherry, you will have to use your imagination)...
It's a convertible crib...will become a toddler bed, then a day bed, then a double bed. I need to get into his room to do some measuring before we decide what other pieces we want to go with this. But this is definitely a good start!

Saturday is my first baby shower. It's at Lucilles Tea House in Rockford. It should be fun. I'll post pictures after I get some!

Glucose Tolerence day

At our appointment yesterday it was time for my 1 hour glucose test to screen for gestational diabetes. I was feeling a little nauseous before we even left to go to our appointment, then I drank the orange drink...it wasn't as bad as I was imagining, but i am soooo not used to such sweet drinks! I felt sick twice while I was waiting the hour for them to draw my blood, but thankfully was able to control it.....I was not going to do this again! They will have the results today, but my doc is off until Tuesday so I won't hear anything until then. Not really worried about it, I just know I don't want to do the 3 hour test!!! Otherwise all was well at our appointment, heartbeat was 160...high for him, must have been from all the sugar, fundal measurements good. My next appointment is in 2 weeks...on Sarah's due date! Wow! I can't believe that is so close!!! I think we should be scheduling an ultrasound again soon, too.... I hope so, it's been so long since we've seen him!

I went to a store in town and looked at cribs and furniture. Ron and I are going to try to make a decision today as to which furniture we want. I know what my choice is, but I think his will be different. We'll see! I have a ton of boxes so that I can start packing up my craft room, so that it can become the spare room and we can get started on the nursery. I think we will paint it blue and yellow, I want something bright and fun. But we haven't figured that out completely yet, either. Only 82 days left to go...guess we'd better get busy, it will be here before we know it!

Every other week

We had our doctor's appointment last Thursday (sorry to take so long to update). Everything was great. Atticus' heartbeat was 143 and he actually was pretty quiet during that part of our visit, so we could really hear it well....not just him kicking the doppler! We start every-other week appointments now. Next Thursday at our appointment I am also doing my 1 hr glucose tolerance test. I am really not worried about the test, just worried about how I am going to drink the super sweet glucose drink! Yuck! I shudder just thinking about it.

Today one of the pathologists at work asked if I would help his wife out.... She teaches a class to nurse practitioner students at the U of I College of Medicine in Rockford. She needs a >26 week pregnant lady to help her with class.... I still have to talk to her about it, but it sounds like they will just be listening to my belly and poking and prodding to feel where his head and butt are located. It sounds like it could be fun, I'm looking forward to it. I'll find out more when I talk to her next week.

The waiting game

Not much new with us; just waiting and waiting and waiting! I went to my first prenatal water aerobics class tonight. It was a half hour long and I really enjoyed it. I was hoping that being in the water would be really comfortable and relieve some of the pressure I feel in my lower abdomen when standing (due to how low he sits) . While I didn't notice any difference when I first got in the water, it was amazing how heavy he felt when I got out of the pool!!! I almost turned around and walked right back into the pool! Ron and I have been busy researching bedroom furniture for the little guy....we have made some headway, but still have to make some decisions. I ordered the pillows that go with his crib bedding so that we could match colors when we paint his room....again, another project that we need to start....soon!!! Not much else has changed....He is still an active little bugger! His kicks are getting stronger and stronger all the time. They just make me smile :-) I am starting to feel them more than I did previously at night. Luckily, the kicks have yet to wake me up at night....unfortunately I know that is coming!

Our appointment

Just a routine appointment. We listened to his heart with the doppler. All we could hear was him kicking! I couldn't feel them, but that's what he was doing.... He finally stopped just long enough that we could hear his heartbeat, then he started right back again! He's quite the active little guy! Our doctor said that he got our ultrasound results back from Maternal-Fetal Medicine and everything looked great. I know that is what they told us at our visit, but it was good to hear it again. We don't see the doctor again for 4 weeks.

We are talking about the colors we want to use in the nursery. We have a crib set picked out, his room will be a baseball theme, probably painted in blue and gold. I need to order a piece of the bedroom set so that I can match the colors. Still looking for furniture, saw one set online that I liked, but I still need to go to the store to check it out. Hopefully I can do that this weekend or next week.

Our little man....

I am pleased to announce that after many discussions of spelling and number of middle names, Ron and I finally came to a decision as to exactly what our little man's name is going to be. His name will be...

Atticus Fitzgerald Olsen

Yes, there will probably be a shortened version. Already Ron is shortening his name to Atty (or Attie or some variation thereof....), again still undecided on the spelling. I personally am unsure when I would be writing it out in the shortened version, but others have asked, so we will try to figure it out. Our next doctor's appointment is on Thursday. Just a regular appointment, nothing special. Ron may not be able to make it, he just found out he has court. Hopefully the trial will be delayed and he will be able to be there.

Last week I was in Dallas from Monday until Sunday for training. It was a really busy week! Our plane ride down went well, I was unsure how Atticus would react to it. He was very quiet, just like his dad always does, I think he slept for the whole plane ride! While I was at the conference, they had 2 evening dinners/party's for us. The first had a really fun band that played a mix of music...all cover music. It ranged from country (again, we were in Texas) to popular to 80's. Just a lot of fun music. I thought that I would really feel Atticus kicking and reacting to the music, but he was very quiet that night. The second party had a band for the first 2 hours, they played LOTS of country music and people (no, not me!!) were line-dancing. After that they ended the party with 2 hours of DJ music. Atticus really seemed to love the DJ. A couple times, he was kicking me in time with the drumbeats of the music! It was really funny. Everynight, we would listen to some Baby Einstein (either Mozart, Beethovan, or Bach) to unwind. All in all it was a good week, but I was really glad to get home. I will tell you this though, if Atticus learns to talk with a strong southern twang, or likes country music, I am totally blaming it on this trip!!!

20 weeks today

Happy 4th of July! We made it! Today marks the halfway point of our pregnancy and we are both doing great! 140 days down, 140 more to go until we meet our little man!

The last week he has become so active! He was moving a lot before, but this past week, he has been crazy! Ron bought some headphones so he (the baby) can listen to music; the earpieces turn, so I can place them directly against my tummy and play music for him. I bought some Baby Einstein classical music CD's; Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach. He gets really active when listening to the music. I played a lullaby CD for him and he didn't react to that at all....maybe it really worked and put him to sleep???

It's a .........

We had our ultrasound yesterday and found out that we are having a boy! Ron and I are very excited! I was a little worried that he wouldn't co-operate and let us find out, but he was more than happy to show us his "boy parts" over and over! His heartbeat was a strong, healthy 144 beats per minute and it sounded wonderful. He weighs about 11 ounces, making him almost the size of a can of pop. He was very active, so we got to watch him moving all over the place! Both the ultrasound technician and the doctor said that all his measurements are good and that he looks great!

After she was done doing the level II ultrasound to get all the measurements she needed, the tech changed the machine and took 3D and 4D pictures of him. It was amazing the detail you could see in his handsome little face! We are right on track with his size and development (he was 18 weeks 6 days yesterday).

He has been a very active boy for about the last week and a half. I have really started to feel him moving and kicking. It is a strange feeling, hard to describe.... but it's very cool! For the first time last night, I was able to put Ron's hand where he was kicking and Ron was able to feel his kicks, too! Today I was watching my tummy while he was kicking and for the first time, I could see him kick! I can't believe that I am already 19 weeks pregnant....we are almost halfway to our due date!

Baby's heartbeat.....finally!

We had our doctor appointment last Thursday. The med student that was rotating with our doctor came in first. She used the doppler to find and record the heartbeat before the doctor came in. It took her FOREVER to find it...it was all I could do not to grab it out of her hand and start looking myself! Once she even checked my pulse to compare it to what she was hearing on the doppler to see if it was mine or Baby's!!! It was mine...I could have told her that. FINALLY she found it, although it didn't sound as clear as usual and both Ron and I still thought we were hearing mine. It was reading 160....the reading must have been baby's heartbeat, because although I was getting nervous and I am sure mine was increasing, I don't think it was quite that high!

The good news is that doctor wrote the order for my level 2 ultrasound to be done before I go to Dallas on the 9th of July. Soooo on Friday the maternal fetal department at the hospital called to schedule my appointment! Yippee! We go a week from tomorrow on Tuesday June 26th. This is the ultrasound where they will look in detail at all baby's organs to make sure everything looks great and they will also be able to tell us if we are having a boy or a girl....as long as Baby co-operates!! I can't believe that in just over a week we will know! We are really excited!

Saturday Mom and I took Rebecca shopping to look at wedding dresses. We had a lot of fun! At the second store we went to, she found it! So we came home with her dress! It was a very successful shopping day and Becky was ecstatic....very fun to see!

Sunday we lazed by the pool at Dad's house and tried to stay cool. Not an easy thing to do when it is 91 degeres outside!

Baby was very active yesterday afternoon....very busy kicking me....over and over and over and over! It was pretty cool! I love the reassurance that he or she is doing well!

Did I ever mention.....

I think I got kicked about 2 weeks ago???? Well I did, I think! I was watching tv, Ron was napping before he had to go to work, when all of a sudden I felt something like a pop bubble breaking under my hand. Just once, but I think it was Baby! Was pretty cool. Then last week, I was laying in bed reading, and I felt something funny under my hand...not really flutters...don't know how to describe it! But again, I think it was Baby! Nothing since then. It's still pretty early for me to be feeling anything.

Otherwise it has been pretty uneventful since I last posted. I have still been feeling great, no problems. Our friends Tiffany and Dave had their baby last weekend. His name is Noah Riley.
He is so cute and little! It's truly amazing! I look at the pictures they send and can't believe we will have one of those in just a few months! Time is sure flying; November will be here before I know it! We go to the doctor on Thursday for a normal visit. Hopefully we will get to schedule our "big" ultrasound that day! We can't wait to find out if Baby is a boy or a girl! Until then......

New Niece

The first of this years babies has arrived (yes, I am a little late posting this....). Emily Morgan Figas was born on Tuesday May 22nd. She was 6 lbs, 11 oz (I think). I don't know how long she was. Both mom and baby are doing great.

Congratulations Matt and Cristine!!

Busy Week!

On Tuesday, we went to the Maternal Fetal Department at RMH for our Nuchal Transleucency Ultrasound. Baby was very co-opeartive in the beginning and the ultrasound tech was able to get the measurements she needed right away. So then she started to show us other pics of Baby. She took a couple in 'normal' 2D and gave us those, one picture shows baby relaxing with his/her legs crossed at the ankles. Then she changed the sensor on the ultrasound machine and we got to see Baby in 3D and 4D! We didn't get any pictures in 4D, she said that is best for watching Baby move, but this is when Baby choose not to cooperate and didn't move. She was able to get lots of pictures of Baby in 3D, though! It was pretty amazing! At one point, baby looked right at us, opened his/her mouth and proceeded to stick his/her tongue out at us!!! We got to see and hear the heartbeat again, it was 157.

12 weeks 6 days

Friday was our routine OB appointment. Everything was great. No ultrasound, but he did use the doppler so we got to hear Baby's heartbeat, again, it was in the 150's.

Ron has been hard at work in his flower gardens moving and planting. We finally got the trellis I bought him last year put together and he moved it out there this week. It looks great. He moved some Clematis so that it climbs up the sides of it. His gardens are looking great. I'll take some pics on a nice sunny day next week and post them.

Happy Mother's Day!

It's been a busy couple of weeks, I'll try to recap the highlights...

At the beginning of May, Ron went back to night shift. His normal hours are now 5:30pm to 5:30am 7 days every 2 weeks. He is still working the same days and weekends he was before, just at night instead of during the day. It is a decision that he and I talked long and hard about and didn't take lightly. Needless to say, it has been a BIG adjustment for all of us (including the dogs).

Rebecca announced a couple of weeks ago that she and Michael (her boyfriend of a couple years) are going to be getting married in October! She has been fun to listen to with her wedding plans and ideas! I think it will be an "interesting" affair, however one I am very excited about and wouldn't miss for anything (except if Baby decides to come visit us early)!!!

Last weekend was my sister-in-law Cristine's baby shower. It was the 1st time that all 4 of us sisters have been together since we have all been pregnant. It was a lot of fun! Mary gave each of us girls a gift of a maternity top and matching sweater and we all posed for a picture (which we all got a framed copy of for Mother's Day). It will be the only time we will all be pregnant together, so it was a fun picture to take! For those of you who don't know, My sister-in-law Cristine is due May 27th (but the consensus is that she will probably deliver soon). She is having a girl (Emily Morgan). My sister Sarah is due September 13th, she chose not to find out the sex of her peanut and be surprised! My sister Caren is due on October 18th with her second child. She is planning to find out the sex if baby co-operates, but doesn't know it yet. And I am still due on November 21st.

(left to right, Sarah, me, Cristine, and Caren)

This weekend for Mother's day, I spent Saturday (yesterday) shopping with my mom. We looked at baby clothes and shopped for Maternity clothes as I will probably start needing them sooner rather than later! We had a great day! Last night Dad and Mary planned a Mother's Day Dinner Out for the whole clan; it was crazy! Everyone but Ron, Matt and Cristine, and Tina were there. Ron was working, Cris wasn't feeling well, so Matt stayed home with her "just in case", and Tina was at home recovering from foot surgery! We laughed and talked all evening and then realized how crazy it would be next year if everyone and all the kids are there! Instead of this years wild party of 12, (if my addition is correct) we will be a party of 20!!! WOW!!!! 4 of whom will be under the age of 1!!!! This morning Ron and I went to visit his mom for Mother's day. We had a nice visit. She gave us a big bag of things for Baby that she got at Kohls.... sleepers, onesies, sleep and plays, blankets, bibs!!! It was great. Tons of fun to look at everything! All in all, it was a great weekend.

We have an appointment on Tuesday for our Nuchal Transleucency ultrasound. We are looking forward to another chance to see our little turkey. Friday we have another doctors appointment.

Yay!!!!

We had our first dr appointment today! It was great!! They did an ultrasound and Ron and I met with the doctor and talked for a little bit. After that they drew some blood. The ultrasound was awesome! We saw the baby moving (looked like it was dancing a couple times)...have pics of the arms, the legs and lots of whole body shots! Lots of pictures of our little turkey! The ultrasound measured 9 weeks 2 days, I thought I was 9 weeks 3 days...so not too far off. It changed our due date to Nov. 21; the day before Thanksgiving. We will tell our families this weekend as we get the chance. That should be fun!

9 weeks 2 days

Still waiting!

Yesterday I was 8 weeks!!! I thought it was quite a milestone; made me happy! It also means only 9 days left until our first doctors appointment! Finally the countdown is in single digits! I am getting very anxious. I have been feeling good. Still some occasional nausea in the am, but nothing serious. Looking forward to having the doctor tell me this is all truly happening. It still feels very surreal!!
Over the weekend, baby went to his/her first Cubs game. We were in Milwaukee to see the Cubs vs. the Brewers. Cubbies won! He/she will be going to another game two weeks from today. That one is a "real" game....sitting in the bleachers in the afternoon sun.....AHHHH!
It snowed today! Yuk! Almost 2 inches, they are saying there is a possibility of more tonight. Double yuk!!!!

Only 2 weeks 6 days left....

....until we go to the doctor! It finally feels like it isn't quite as far away! Otherwise nothing else is new. We read almost everyday to see what is happening with baby....his heart is beating, he has flippers for arms, he has all 3 parts of his brain, and he is still only 3/8 of an inch long (15,000 times bigger than at conception)! I am starting to feel nauseous in the mornings, but still haven't been "sick". The back pain and cramping (growing pains) are getting better. I am getting more and more tired in the evenings, having trouble staying up past 8pm....which is fine since I am up at 4:15 most mornings to go to the gym! All in all, the 3 of us are doing great!!!

A lot of waititng...

Not much new today. Finally got to make my appt with the doctor. It is for Friday, April 20th at 3pm. It seems so far away! The plan is for a visit and an "early pregnancy ultrasound". Am really looking forward that, I think it will finally make everything seem more real!

Yesterday's hCG level (official)

I got my result back from the doctor's office today. It was 297. Unfortunately, the doctor wasn't in today, the level wasn't high enough for the RN to just schedule the appt and/or ultrasound. She said that he likes to see the results >2000 before the ultrasound. Don't know why they can't just schedule my first appt, though?!?!?! She will call me back tomorrow!

Checking hCG levels

I called the doctor yesterday to make my first appointment. They want to check my hCG levels before setting up the appt. I told the nurse that I had previously done a level last Thursday and that it was 11, however I forgot to tell her that it was only 9 days post ovulation. Today (about 14 days post O) I had my level (unofficialy) checked at work again and it is up to 279!!! Good News!!! I stopped to have the "official" level drawn on my way home from work, I will get that result tomorrow! By my calculations I am 4 weeks along today, with a due date of 11.20 (we'll see if that changes after I see the doctor). Still feeling great; some fleeting bouts of nausea and exhaustion, but otherwise nothing! I can still hardly believe this is real. We got our first baby present yesterday from Susan. Look at how cute the socks are!!!

We're having a baby!!!

We decided in February that we were going to try to have a baby. Even though we never thought it would happen right away, waiting until I could test was the hardest part. This past Thursday, I finally broke down and asked a coworker to run a quantitative HCG for me (I couldn't stand wondering any more). The result....10.8 (at our hospital <10 is considered negative)!!! I then ran a qualitative pregnancy test and low and behold, that was positive, too!! I was shell-shocked all day and couldn't wait to talk to Ron! Tried to call him all day, actually took a pic of the positive test with my cell phone and sent it to him, but his phone was dead, so he didn't get the picture!!! Was finally able to tell him when he came home from work! Neither of us thought it would happen this fast! We are so excited and can't wait to share our good news with our family and friends! We are finding that keeping it a secret is proving to be MUCH more difficult than either of us ever thought!!!