Makin' Our Way!

Well this past weekend was a very relaxing one to say the least! We went home to visit my parents and see one of my friends who just had a baby and it was definitely what we needed! We also ordered our crib, dresser and changing table for the baby's room and it seems that more and more each day it becomes more real! We are now 22 weeks which translates into 5 1/2 months and I am still amazed at how fast it is going! My one complaint (besides the sickness and all that junk) is that I haven't seen my doctor since Valentine's Day. I have another doctor but mine seems to always be out or whatever. This is a huge problem for me because I had gone ahead and scheduled my appointments so that I could ask off from work and then a week ahead of time they call and want me to reschedule!! ISn't that part of the reason that you schedule appointments in advance? It is so frustrating because this makes me think that we (as patients) are being put on the back burner for whatever reason! I mean is this how the delivery is going to go to? Sorry, Dr. Phillips isn't going to be able to deliver you today, but don't worry here is someone who you have NEVER met before and they will be looking at you and making sure all is ok with you and baby!! I just am having a hard time with that RIGHT NOW though we did know that that might be the case since we are going to a clinic and not the actual hospital! I guess this will be a lesson learned for next time around! But oh well I suppose that since all has been well up to this point there really isn't anything to worry about except just the general feeling of someone turning their back on you! Well that is mine complaint today; and oh yeah it is MONDAY which always gives us a reason to complain, but only 16 more schoool days until school is out so things are looking up! Will chat later-Diana

Truckin' along!

Well, we are officially past the halfway mark and let me tell you, this thing is going by so much faster than I could have imagined! This weekend I will be 5 1/2 months pregnant and it is weird to think that this little baby girl will be joining us soon enough! She has definitely made her presence more known lately since she has started kicking very frequently. Daddy got to feel her for the first time on Sunday evening and it was a very magical moment for both of us. As I was laying in bed on Sunday morning, the cat was on my stomach purring and she just started going crazy. I suppose that the vibrations from the cat's purring was either really soothing to her or she didn't like it at all because she started kicking like crazy as if to say, "Get this thing off of me!" Her kicking is probably the most phenomenal thing about pregnancy. I thought it was so hard to explain the "fluttering" and now it is a little easier for someone to put their hand on my stomach and at least feel her. I also like it because it is something that the hubby can partake in and not look at me like I'm crazy when I suddenly make a movement to get her out of my side. Well finally decided on a crib last night along with a changing table and dresser. I'm really excited that we didn't have to fuss over which crib we liked and for once the hubby was actually compliant with helping! But we are ordering that this weekend and will hopefully get it in soon enough so we can get motivated to put the little one's room together! But that is about all the excitement going on in our lives. I'll keep posting anything interesting! Diana

And the baby is a...

Well we found out that our "wee one" is a little BABY GIRL!!! We couldn't be more excited and everything went great. She weighs 14 oz. and her heart rate was 154 bpm. Everything measured normal so there isn't anything to worry about! She has little chubby feet and legs and seemed to be pretty comfy in my tummy!! Here are a couple of pictures of her and we can't wait to welcome her into our lives!! Diana

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya' tomorrow!"

Well in 24 hours we will be sitting in the doctor's office and will hopefully find out the sex of our "wee one." We are really getting excited as the time nears for the "wee one" to make its grand appearance. I reached the halfway mark on Saturday and it was funny to see the reactions of some of our friends when I told them that I was 5 months pregnant! But we also hit another milestone this weekend when I went and nearly converted my entire wardrobe over to maternity clothes. I never had any idea that elastic waisted pants could be such a blessing! And the sad part is that I am not NOTICEABLY pregnant but there is a bump and well, regular waisted stuff just sucked! We had a great weekend and got a chance to go out to Midland and see Derrick and Mandy's new apartment. They cooked out and then got a wild hair that we should go bowling, so we all went and had a blast! Of course the fun was curbed for me since everyone was enjoying themselves with a little liquid help, but it is always nice to sit around and laugh at other people's beligerence! Well I don't think there is much more to write about! We are hopefully getting rid of our yard guest this weekend since the bro-in-law is moving into a house! (We will keep our fingers crossed!) Well I will update this tomorrow and hopefully give news on the sex of the baby! Will chat later-Diana

In a week...

Well a week from today will hopefully be a big day for us; we are having our 20 week sonogram where we will hopefully find out the sex of the baby!! I haven't had anymore dreams about the sex of the baby but today my friend gave birth to a 9 lb. 5 oz. baby boy named Payton!! So we will see! I stepped on the scale this morning and looked down and hit a milestone in my pregnancy weight gain- 5 LBS!!! I know that someone out there probably hates me because at 19 weeks and 3 days they probably have gained 15 lbs., but 5 lbs. is huge for me since I threw everything up for the first 3 1/2 months! This past weekend I went to San Angelo to watch my sister play softball and she was surprised at the "pooch" she saw which she kept pointing to and wanting to touch! But overall, I am feeling great, still no "real" movements, just the fluttering. Oh yeah, last night I did have a dream that I was LARGE and we could feel the baby's arm and stuff which was pretty cool! (Weird pregnancy dreams are awesome!) But overall things are going great. We have yet to start on the baby's room, which for NO REASON at all because we aren't doing anything gender related, only that we are huge procrastinators. This weekend instead of actually doing something in the room I think we are going to go to town and get some flowers to plant outside since the weather is wonderful. (despite no rain in like 4 months!) But all in all things are great and I couldn't be happier at this point-I am not HUGE and I am liking doing stuff around the house (including cooking and cleaning), as long as I can get my nap or sleep til I decide to wake up on the weekends! But I will keep this one short since there isn't much going on! Well chat later-Diana

Back to the Grind

Well this weekend was such a great getaway for me and now it back to the grind of the work week. NASCAR was awesome like usual (except the races were a real disappointment) and the time I got to spend with my hubby is irreplaceable! I don't know why it takes us going out of town and spending too much money to get some quality time together, but it worked! Of course the experience wasn't as good as years past since I couldn't partake in the festivities, but it was a blast seeing everyone else act like idiots!! (And I at least felt good in the morning too!) So, we are back and getting things back to normal; doing laundry and getting the house back into working order! We go to the doctor two weeks from today to HOPEFULLY find out the sex of the baby so we are getting pretty stoked! Last night I did have a dream that we were getting the sonogram done and the lady said, "Yep, that's for sure a penis," so who knows? I have had dreams about both so I really don't know what it will be. I know that the sex isn't important to either me or hubby just as long as everything looks normal and the baby comes out normal. But I do have to say that if it isn't a girl, then I will no longer be a believer in superstition since we have had THREE things say that it will be a girl!! So we will see! Well this is a short post because I need to get to working on some school stuff but will chat later-Diana

NEED NASCAR DESPRERATELY!!!

Well I don't think that tomorrow afternoon can possibly get here any sooner!! I am stretched to my ends and am afraid that a break might be in the works for tomorrow if I don't get some R & R tonight. I don't know how close I will get to that much needed R & R tonight since I still have to make lesson plans for next week, write sub notes, pack and do some laundry, but we will see what happens! My husband and our "crew" got down to the track this afternoon and it makes me desperately want to be there with them! It is hard to be in a good mood after talking to him and him being there and me still being at work!! GUH! Yesterday was an interesting day by all means! I got home and checked email and messed around a little bit and then went out and played with the dogs. Well, in the process my dog and our "yard guest" got into it through the fence once again and I think that dogs fighting is the single most "ugly" sound in the world. Everytime I hear it, my stomach jumps up in my throat!! So they got into and then I went around on the "yard guest's" side and cleaned up over there and then fed him and they got into it again but this time our "yard guest's" paw went in between the posts and my dog BIT IT!! I couldn't believe what I was seeing because my dog (a Border Collie), is not of that manner at all but I guess he was jealous of me being over there. So needless to say, I have this 150 lb. dog bleeding and yelping and I felt HORRIBLE! Well since hubby has already gone to the race, I was there left alone trying to figure out what to do. Well I guess they replaced the shingles on our house not long ago and there were extras so the only thing I could think to do was nail shingles up to where they couldn't see each other! So I went and got our handy tool box and went to nailing up shingles!! It really just upsets me because this is something that we are doing out of the goodness of our heart and then my dog goes off and bites the other one!! But I checked this morning and the shingles remained and the "yard guest" was limping but they say there is no better remedy than a dog licking his own wounds. But last night I didn't hear as much barking and there sure wasn't that aggressive mess. So hopefully it will withstand but only time will tell! I think the thing that worries me the most is that we have a Scottish Terrier puppy and I don't want one of his paws getting bit by the "yard guest" trying to retaliate! But oh well! I guess if it isn't one thing to worry about, it's another!
Well those wondering, the pregnancy is going extremely well! The sickness has pretty much completely subsided except when hubby waits until 9:30 to choose what he wants for dinner! But I have donned two pair of my maternity pants this week since this has been the first time that other pants are becoming extremely uncomfy for me to wear! (Of course they are still big but much more comfy than the others!) We go to the doctor on the 22nd to have our 20 week ultrasound and HOPEFULLY find out what the baby's sex is!! (That is if it cooperates!) But all is all, we are getting pretty excited and I think that it really sinks in now that I have begun actually GAINING weight, eating more and well, getting chubbier!! So that is that and I will now get back to trying to keep my sanity for the next 30 minutes before the kids get up from nap!! Diana

And so Begins the Month of April

Well today is the first of the month and it is amazing to think that we only have 45 more days of school left! I don't know where the time has gone with these little ones, but one thing is for sure, I can definitely tell that they have grown up so much over the year! Not only are they taller, but they are also getting that edginess that young children get which shows just how unique each one of them is! It is funny watching this class (my first year teaching) because I can't help to think what MY kid will be like in 5 short years and try to pinpoint which of the kids in my class it will most likely be like. There are some attitudes that I can see my child possessing that some of the kids in my class have (not all are good by any means), but then there is so much talent and already a great deal of intellect and I can't wait to see what the future holds! Last night was a really rough night for me. I have this routine where I take some kids home from school and then go home and lay down for a bit, play with the dogs or check my email and then wait for my husband to get home. It is just what I do and I know that instead of just eagerly waiting for hubby to get home I could be doing something productive such as laundry or dishes or preparing something for school the next day, but I just want him to be there when I am there and I hate spending so much time without him. Now to set this up let me tell you about how our day begins: his alarm starts going off at 5 AM and is usually snoozed until around 6ish. On the off ocassion where he actually gets up at 5 or shortly thereafter, he is typically gone by 5:30ish. So his day starts very early so he can get out to the oil patch where he works. Well my day doesn't start until 6:45 and then I prepare to go to school. This morning, luckily hubby was still there when I woke up and waited until after I was out of the shower to leave. (Usually he leaves when I am still half asleep and I tend to have a hard time remembering if he even kissed me good-bye!) Well his workdays have been ending later and later which means him getting home around 8:30 or 9 PM and then us hanging out for a good hour before I am ready to turn into bed. So all in all, our total time spent with each other here lately has been about 2 hours! (And that is pushing it!) So last night when he got home (after thinking he was leaving at 5:15 and then not getting a call until 8:30 to tell me he was on his way), I was totally upset and it was all I could do to not break down the minute he walked in the door. But luckily for both of us, I have learned lessons from prior relationships and I have heeded the one that tells me to not throw a fit but to just put on a brave face until he figures out that something has really pissed me off! (After all, fighting accomplishes nothing in the long run but feels damn good in the heat of the moment!) So at 10 PM I decided to turn in and figured he wouldn't be far behind because surely he got my drift that I was a little upset. Well I was right and shortly thereafter he got in bed and asked what was wrong and I could no longer do the brave face. It was just something about laying in bed and being held in his arms that let me have my first emotional outbreak from pregnancy. (STill no yelling or screaming just big alligator tears!) And it was over something that I know that I can not change (he works in the oilfield and makes wonderful money) but it was just wanting him to hear me out on not only not spending enough time with him but also about my fears for the dogs. (Something so petty!!) But all in all, things are resolved and luckily today is his last day of work for the rest of the week and we are off to NASCAR for the weekend. I think it is just one of those moments when we both realized how put off we were by the little amount of time we have spent together lately and are thankful that we have a release this weekend. (Which at this point I think we would both pay any dollar amount to spend that time together!) But anyway that is my rambling for today so I will go ahead and wake up the little ones and finish out the day strong! Diana

Losing Track of Time

Well I really need to do a better job of keeping up with this thing! I can't believe how time is flying by; we only have 9 more weeks of school left!! Things with the pregnancy are going great; I haven't been sick (unless my hubby can't decide on what to eat until 9:30 at night) and I think I have felt the baby move?! I keep trying to tell myself that but everyone says that it is so similar to a "gassy" feeling that it's really hard to distinguish. But what I do know is that it only happens when I am laying flat and usually quiet so hopefully those have been the fluttering feet of the "wee one" and not just gas. Last night was the first night that I have really been uncomfortable while trying to sleep. Since week 16 I have been trying to not sleep on my back because of the delayed amount of blood flow to the baby. So I have really been trying to sleep on my sides and on my stomach (which thankfully I still can), but last night the "wee one" was having nothing of it. Everytime I would turn to one side "it" would jab into that side and then when I'd turn it would do the same to the other side. "It" would never just lay right in the middle even when I was laying on my stomach!! GUH!! I figure that is just a sign that either a) "it's" going to be a boxer or b) it will be stubborn like its dad!! (I am going with option B!) So on top of me not being able to sleep well because of the "wee one," we also have a visitor at the house who happens to weigh about 150 lbs. and lives outside. Well this visitor and our other dogs do not get along so well and luckily we have a partitioned part of the yardthat we can put him in, but all night it would worry me when our dogs started barking that "THIS IS OUR YARD" bark because only a fence seperates the three. And well I think we can all imagine what a 150 lb. dog can do to a wooden fence if it got pissed off enough! So hopefully by the time I get home today they will all have settled down and gotten used to each other's scents and I won't have to worry about them getting together and the visitor killing the actual owners of the backyard! So in spite of everything, it is a typical Monday but the weekend looks bright because we are going to NASCAR in Dallas! I know that I won't enjoy the whole NASCAR experience as much as usual because of me being pregnant, but we did just buy a new camcorder so I can at least capture the stupidity of all of the friends around me!! AND, we don't have to come back until Monday since none of us are working so we will get to at least have a good night's rest instead of arriving home at 3 AM and then getting back into the grind on only 4 hours of sleep! (I did it in November and I refuse to do it again now that I am pregnant!) But anyway that is about the extent of how much fun we are having around our house! Although hubby is pretty excited that I have started cooking again and not just moping around thinking I am going to die! We are also excited because you can SOMEWHAT tell that I am beginning to pooch but not really so we are hoping that that will take effect sometime soon! I will keep all posted! Diana

Back to Blogging

Well it has been over a week since I last blogged so I figure I better get back into it. Nothing exciting has really been happening. Everything seems to be moving along smoothly with the baby (especially now that the sickness has diminished) and Spring Break is on the horizon!!! This will be the first Spring Break in FIVE years where I will actually get to enjoy it instead of having to work! (The joys of being away for college!) We don't have any wonderful plans for the week except go to the doctor on Tuesday for a check up. This past weekend I went home for one of best friend's baby shower and everyone was like, "When are you going to start getting fat?!" I don't know what to tell people anymore except smile and say, "Hopefully soon, hopefully soon!" I don't think you will ever hear a sane woman tell someone that they hope they will get fat soon! But I am just tired of not looking but definitely feeling pregnant. But I have had to start using the rubber band on my pants (that's a sign of fattening up) and I can tell that I have a pudge! I haven't gotten on the scale lately because I have been so tired of feeling like I was gaining weight and the scale never reflecting it! I will be 3 1/2 months pregnant on Saturday and am actually beginning to somewhat enjoy it. We (me and Thad if he gets off work in time) are going down to San Angelo again this weekend to watch my sister play softball. It is such a good release for me to relive my college days and spend some quality time with the family. Thad cleaned the garage this weekend (YAY) and we are going to start moving around furniture on Sunday for the baby's room! That is when I think it is going to really hit me that we have a baby coming pretty soon is when we start getting everything together for the room! Well I guess that's enough rambling for right now! Have a wonderful week! Diana

Let the Good Times Roll

Well, I am on day three of not being sick!! (And my fingers have remained crossed!) It was a very nice weekend especially since I didn't have to spend it stooped over a toilet throwing up! Saturday I went down and watched my sister play softball at Angelo State (and got a little sun in the process) but she said, "Look I can see a little pudge!" So hopefully the sickness has decided to go ahead and move along and I will actually start putting on a few REAL pounds. I haven't seen any change in the scales, but I can tell in my upper portions and I have put on a little bit. I tried to go shopping for maternity clothes last week while I was in town, but it is just really hard to get in the mood of buying clothes to wear when you are fat when right now, you aren't! But luckily for my husband, we did go grocery shopping last night and I was feeling good enough to attempt cooking a decent meal instead of picking up take out. So, I managed to cook pork chops, rice-a-roni and corn and actually managed to keep down the whole meal!! YAY!!! But that is about all right now, nothing too exciting. We go to the doctor on the 20th but nothing wonderful supposed to happen then either! Well, chat later-Diana

Nuchal Translucency

Well yesterday I went to the doctor's appointment unfortunately by myself, but none the less optimistic. I waited for about 15 minutes before they could get me in and when they did they just started right in. The baby was very still when I first got in there and I was really worried because this was the first time I had seen it and it wasn't doing ANYTHING! I asked the lady why it wasn't moving and she said, "Just give it a second." So of course once the lady started rubbing the thing over my stomach area, the "wee one" decided to wake up and go absolutely CRAZY! It looked like the little thing was on a trampoline! The first thing it did was show its butt to the world and then flip over to the other side which unfortunately made it impossible to get the picture they were looking for.
Now aside from being really excited about finally seeing our baby, the real reason we were there was to get screened for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 & 21 and any cardiac malformations. I didn't realize BEFORE I went that in order to get the picture of the back of the baby's neck (the fold that they measure) the baby had to be in a perfect position (like laying in a hammonck). It is funny how the things that you read really don't tell you the WHOLE truth; I just thought that they were able to measure this by just seeing the baby, but all the sources I had read hadn't told me any different. The doctor did tell me that we could come back and they could do it again (the success rate of getting that PERFECT PICTURE is only 70%), but we decided that we will wait until the 20 week sonogram where they measure everything anyway. We figure that if the Lord wants us to have a child with one of those disabilities then it is obviously for good reason and we will learn at 20 weeks and then prepare from that point. On the very optimistic side, I got to thinking about all the things that tend to point to things like Down Syndrome and luckily we have no family history, my husband and I are young and in good health, so it honestly seems like the odds are in our favor. But of course like the doctor explained yesterday, a 1 in 5000 chance doesn't mean that you are totally out of the scope of things because you could always be that ONE. So in reality we are just going to pray our hearts out and know that our family and friends are doing the same and keep our fingers crossed for the best. But I am happy that i went in and got to actually SEE the "wee one." It never really sank in until yesterday that there really was a baby in there and that things were going well!! Well I guess that is about it for today. Have a great weekend! Diana

First Images of the "Wee One"

Well here are the first images of our "wee one." It was hilarious when we got in the sonogram room the baby was perfectly still in the correct position and then once that thing started moving over it, it went absolutely nuts! It seemed to tell the technician that she wasn't going to get the picture she wanted because it stuck its butt right in the way and then flipped over and never turned back around. So I am guessing that it will probably be stubborn like its dad!! :) But in two out of the three pictures it is showing its backside which must be its best side at the moment! Well, I will write tomorrow during nap time and let you know how the Nuchal Translucency screening went. Diana

Our First Big Step Towards Parenthood

Well this weekend we decided to take our first big step into parenthood by purchasing a FAMILY VEHICLE! We had known for a while that we were going to need to buy a larger car since my 2-door Grand Am didn't fit the mold of a "baby-mobile!" We purchased an '06 Tahoe that is niced equipped and it was fun to imagine a wee one in the backseat in the months to come! We also reached another milestone this weekend and that was passing the first trimester mark. I can't explain how nice it is to know that we have made it up to this point. Hopefully all the great things I hear about the second and third trimester will begin to happen soon; no puking would be great! We go on Thursday for the Nuchal Translucency test and we are praying and keeping our fingers crossed that all comes out well. We know regardless that this little bundle of joy will brighten our lives but we are just wanting to be educated parents if need be. Well I don't really have much else to say for now. Just patiently waiting until Thursday and hopefully we will finally get to see the wee one! It will be nice to see this thing growing inside of me instead of just knowing that it is there. (SEEING IS BELIEVING!) Well have a great day and week! Diana

Things That Get Ya' Thinkin'!

I think about the things that have happened in my life in the past year and I can't begin to describe how grateful I am for all of the blessings. This baby has been one of the biggest blessings but I received some news about a cousin who wasn't so lucky with her pregnancy. It really got me thinking about how things work. Us (me and Thad) have KNOWN each other for almost two years unlike my cousin and her husband who have KNOWN AND DATED each other for over FIVE YEARS and yet WE are the ones who have so far been "luckier"; how strange, right?! It just occurred to me that pregnancy and life in general are such great chances that we take to make ourselves vulnerable to the possibility of the things that COULD and sometimes DO go wrong. But who really wants to think about all the negative before considering having a baby?! I mean if you start thinking about all of those things, well it's liable to scare the crap out of you and turn you away from the whole idea of ever having children. I didn't realize all of the things that MUST BE RIGHT for a woman to become pregnant, nor the chances and risks it really takes to go through nine months of harboring a new life. It makes me feel guilty to some extent that we are the ones who got "lucky"(so far) and that they are dealing with such heartache. What do you say to a person who has just lost a baby and you are carrying one? I think that is the hardest predicament I am right now because though my cousin and I are not as close as either would probably hope, there is still that family connection and that desire to comfort a loved one when they are in pain.
So that is where I stand right now. We have decided to go ahead and do the Nuchal Translucency screening a week from today so hopefully all will go well. The way we looked at it was that it is better to have too many eggs in the basket than not enough. We know also that this is just a screening and that it isn't going to be a 100%, so no matter what it seems like a positive to us. We are just the type of people who would rather be too prepared for something than get slapped in the face. But that is where we are right now. It still is frustrating because I have yet to gain any real weight and there is no "BUMP" yet. I am just ready to start showing so that people can quit looking at me like, "Are you sure she is really pregnant?!" Well I am glad that I could get some of that stuff off my shoulders. Diana

New to blogging

I am new to this whole blogging thing but I keep reading that it is a great way to document things like pregnancy so that is why I am going to try it. I am a 23 year-0ld wife and teacher and soon to be mom! My husband and I have been married almost 7 months and pregnant for almost 3 of those! I am in my 11th week of my first pregnancy and let me tell you, it has been a crazy adventure. We found out on Christmas morning that I was pregnant. We had been trying for a couple of months and while he was off at work that morning I peed on a stick and it came back proof positive! We told our families thereafter and needless to say everyone was pretty pumped about welcoming the first grandbaby on both sides! Going home for the holidays was great because I was only a few weeks along so no symptoms has shown their ugly face. At about 6 weeks I started feeling nauseous but no real puking; well not soon after that the real fun stuff began. A few weeks ago I hated this whole pregnancy thing! I was sick constantly, couldn't stand the smell of food cooking and really just wasn't enjoying this "life changing experience!"
We went to the doctor when I was around 7 weeks along and did the fun nurse visit where they tell you all you have already read in those handy pregnancy books! (Of course the free stuff was welcomed!) We went back on Valentine's Day for our visit with THE DOCTOR and of course the physical exam! (My husband couldn't believe that a woman did this once a year every year!) We heard the little one's heartbeat (158 bpm) and it absolutely took our breath away! It was the most amazing thing that one can possibly imagine! We signed up to do Nuchal Translucency screening on the baby next week. I am really on the fence about this screening for the simple fact that a friend of mine told me yesterday that 70% of the results come back as false-positives for things such as Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 and 21. I don't know what to do?! If anyone has any advice, please send it my way! I am not worried about the actual procedure (an ultrasound and then bloodwork) or the results, but would it be worth the worry if it was a false-positive?! So many questions and so little answers! But that is about where we are at this stage! This blogging this is pretty great, it will be my naptime release!! Well chat later! Diana