I can't believe the day is finally here. Tommorrow at noon, our son is scheduled to arrive into this crazy world at Baylor-Grapevine Hospital in Grapevine, Texas. We'll be there through Saturday when I'm told we'll be released to come home. (Visitors are welcome at the hospital on Thursday and Friday.)
Holy cow... has it been a long ride or what? I knew I was pregnant from the start (as in 2 or 3 days from the start of my missed cycle), so the last 40 weeks (or so) seem to be dragging on forever - especially the last 4 or so.
I can't wait to see what this little guy looks like. Wait... he probably won't be so little. From what I understand of the Ales side of our family, he's right on target for being a little toddler. At last measurement, the doctor predicts he'll weigh anywhere from 10-11 pounds. The sonogram technicians are flipping sides between 9 pounds and 11 pounds (two different sonogram techs). I'm told Steve was a big baby at 11 pounds 3 ounces - so it looks like our son is following in his father's (big) footprints. The only thing I know for sure is that his hands seem to be most comfortable in my hip bones and his feet in my arm pits. It.is.not.comfortable. His size is a huge contributor as to why my doctor has recommended I have a c-section. The other reasons are due to my own "female" issues, of which I'll spare you the details.
The nursery is set up and ready to be used by the baby. The linens have been washed in perfume free baby friendly wash detergent and fabric softener. All of his clothes (save a load or two) are clean, folded, and put away. His car seat has been installed and waiting for him for a few months - you can't be too prepared you know!
My mother, the saint she is, is scheduled to fly in this afternoon to help us out for a bit. I'm looking forward to having her here. There is no one in this world who knows what it takes to get me moving and onto the path of recovery.
The freezers are stocked with food - Steve says too much food. I've been working dilligently to make sure that I had enough meals stockpiled so that when the bean arrived I wouldn't feel stressed about getting dinner onto the table. Mission accomplished - that's for sure!
Names? You want to know his name? Well, we've been flipping around 3 different names for months now. I think Steve and I both have our favorites. The only common denominator is what his middle name will be... Russell - it's an Ales tradition you know. Steve loves to give people a hard time (his mother mostly) when they ask what our sons name will be. One thing I can guarantee is that his name is NOT going to be Oscar, Winter, Fall, Pale, Ginger, or Cosmo Ezekial. We'll know his name for sure when he arrives. We'll be sure to share his name once he get's here tommorrow.
This hasn't been an easy pregnancy for me, as you may likely know (though not as difficult as others have had to go through - I know I am blessed). Among other things, with my anemia, I've had to have loads of transfusions. This has been an interesting experience for me as the treatment center I go to for the transfusions is also where cancer patients go for their chemo treatments. How grateful I am that I've not had to have chemo treatments and that I have my health and that overall, my body is holding up quite well.
I can't believe that tommorrow is it! Our next post will include photos of our son! Holy cow... it's already here!
Showing posts with label Bean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bean. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Dear Baby...
Dear Baby,
Hi, it's your mom. We met for the first time about 9 months ago, but you probably don't remember. That's okay; it's etched into my mind forever. I’ve thought about writing you a letter for a really long time and with some inspiration from a blogger, I’m doing it. Nevermind that it's the day before your birth - seeing as how you've decided that staying in my belly and starting the multiple "middle of the night wake Mommy up's" should start before you ever come out - is the way to start out your life.
First, I want to say what a wild ride you've put your dad and I through these past months. It seems like I've seen more doctors this year than I have in the entirety of my life. I tell you this, not to make you feel bad, but to show you how much we've been worrying and caring for your arrival into this crazy world. Your dad has been stressing out about your arrival and getting giddy about it from the start. I mean, most dads care, but so much of what I've read says that guys just don't "feel" the pregnancy until the baby is actually out! Not your dad, he's a good one. You're going to love him so much; it actually scares me a bit. Unfortunately, his soft spot for you is already so big; I can see it may cause issues between the two of us in the future. We've vowed not to fight in front of you, though, so hopefully you won't even know! A word of warning: playing the two of us against each other may seem like the best way to get something you want (and it may work a time or two), but I'm a quick learner and I guarantee you won't be wanting to do that after too long. It's for your own happiness, I promise!
I cannot believe you are inside of me right now (despite the fact that your hands are in my hip bones and your feet are lodged in my arm pits... on all sides). I am so scared that I won't take good enough care of you. I know other moms do it with flying colors, but I really don't know how cut out I am for this! When you can count to 10, you'll know how many diapers we had to change in a day. Yep, it's a lot. Add this to the feeding, burping, learning, teaching, reading, comforting, not comforting, putting down, picking up...I'm going to try my best, but I can guarantee there will be times when you will want more from me. There's a lot of patience involved in the whole “having a baby thing" and I'm going to be honest, it's not my strongest personality trait. In fact, I'd say it's probably at the bottom of the list. I'm told you will teach me this throughout my time as your mom, I really hope so. I need a lesson.
I want you to know that I am going to mess a lot of stuff up with you during your lifetime. I will try to know what's best and steer you in the right direction, but I make a lot of mistakes. I hope you will love me anyway. I promise to try my best to make home a place where you want to be. When I was getting into my "independent years," I wanted to be as far away from home as possible and I don't want you guys to feel like that. I have thought long and hard about what will make home a place you always want to be. This will be a very large goal for me during your lifetime, we'll see what happens. I also want to have the kind of relationship with you where you know you can always count on me to be there...no matter what. In truth, I haven't even seen your face and I already know there isn't a thing on this planet I wouldn't do for you (within reason, clearly I'm not going to help you score drugs or something like that). If you are ever in a bind, I hope you'll respect, love and trust me and your dad enough to let us know. It will be a great moment in parenthood for us when you guys call us to get you out of a situation that you're not comfortable in. Just know, we always will. That's what parents do.
A word of warning: If you plan on playing practical jokes, do it to your dad, not your mom (again, I'm a quick learner...I'm just sayin').
If I had to guess, I'd say you're about a 36 hours away from meeting us. I am not prepared. I have done everything I can think of to make myself feel like I'm ready, but I'm not. I'm going to need a lot of help from a lot of people. At first, I'm going to be depending on your dad and my mom.
Your maternal grandparents, Oma and Papa, love you so much already. I think we'll be visiting them quite a bit because they're so close. I have a pretty awesome family so you'll be sure to have TONS of attention from this group. I talk to your Oma almost every day to make sure things are “right” and that I’m getting everything taken care of that I should I know she is so excited she is to hold you! Who can blame her? I think sometimes I might have to fight her to get you back. Though you’re not the first, she's been looking forward to being a grandma for a lot of years(you're the 10th grandchild by the way!). I pray my brothers and sister will be great uncles/aunt to you. Hopefully, when you can't reach out to your dad and I, you will feel comfortable going to them. You'll probably have thousands of memories of your cousin Addison and friend Johnny Sarlo. You guys are pretty close in age and I can imagine you'll be great friends growing up. You’ll also get to meet and be loved by my biological mom, Sheri, and her awesome family. She is so over the moon excited about you joining our family! There are so many people are going to love you unconditionally, like me and dad will. You can always count on them. They're your family. I have so many great memories of my childhood with my family, I promise to try to make the same experience come to fruition for you.
Your paternal grandparents (who don’t have names yet – you’ll get to pick them), and that side of the family, are also totally in love with you already. Almost everyone lives in Northern California, so they won’t be around much in the beginning. But, we’ll work hard to make sure you get to visit them at least once a year - hopefully much more than that. You’re the first grandbaby for your Dad’s parents. They’re all pretty excited about it too. I know that when we go to visit, it will be a struggle for me to have any time with you. That’s okay though. You’ll be going home with me and your Dad so we’ll be able to make up for it. I really believe that you’ll be comfortable around them and going to them for help. I’m sure you’ll be very familiar with your Uncle Thomas because he lives so close to us (but be careful – he’s almost guaranteed to get you into some kind of fun trouble!). Your Aunt Kimberlee does too, but she’s really busy with life right now.
On a final note, I want to tell you what a blessing you are to me. I am going to do my best to take in all the small moments with you so I can share the details with you later. I look forward to all the firsts (steps, words, teeth, days of school, school plays) and I can't wait to encourage your talents. I will take an excessive amount of photos of you throughout your years; I hope you'll love me in spite of this! I can't wait to meet your teachers, go on field trips, meet your future friends, see you dressed in your scout uniforms, meet your future spouses and be grandma to your babies. You have changed my life forever. I will not be the same person I was before you came into my life. Of this, I am positive. I'm ready for the changes. I'm ready for the laughs and I'm ready for the tears. I promise that, no matter what, I will try to be the best mom in the entire world. I won't be, but I will get up every day trying my hardest. You are my proudest accomplishment. I still can't believe your dad and I made you. No two people on the entire planet could have come together to create you, just us. Let's be a happy family. I want this more than I have ever wanted anything in my existence.
I love you in places I've never loved before...in places I didn't know existed.
Love, Mom
Hi, it's your mom. We met for the first time about 9 months ago, but you probably don't remember. That's okay; it's etched into my mind forever. I’ve thought about writing you a letter for a really long time and with some inspiration from a blogger, I’m doing it. Nevermind that it's the day before your birth - seeing as how you've decided that staying in my belly and starting the multiple "middle of the night wake Mommy up's" should start before you ever come out - is the way to start out your life.
First, I want to say what a wild ride you've put your dad and I through these past months. It seems like I've seen more doctors this year than I have in the entirety of my life. I tell you this, not to make you feel bad, but to show you how much we've been worrying and caring for your arrival into this crazy world. Your dad has been stressing out about your arrival and getting giddy about it from the start. I mean, most dads care, but so much of what I've read says that guys just don't "feel" the pregnancy until the baby is actually out! Not your dad, he's a good one. You're going to love him so much; it actually scares me a bit. Unfortunately, his soft spot for you is already so big; I can see it may cause issues between the two of us in the future. We've vowed not to fight in front of you, though, so hopefully you won't even know! A word of warning: playing the two of us against each other may seem like the best way to get something you want (and it may work a time or two), but I'm a quick learner and I guarantee you won't be wanting to do that after too long. It's for your own happiness, I promise!
I cannot believe you are inside of me right now (despite the fact that your hands are in my hip bones and your feet are lodged in my arm pits... on all sides). I am so scared that I won't take good enough care of you. I know other moms do it with flying colors, but I really don't know how cut out I am for this! When you can count to 10, you'll know how many diapers we had to change in a day. Yep, it's a lot. Add this to the feeding, burping, learning, teaching, reading, comforting, not comforting, putting down, picking up...I'm going to try my best, but I can guarantee there will be times when you will want more from me. There's a lot of patience involved in the whole “having a baby thing" and I'm going to be honest, it's not my strongest personality trait. In fact, I'd say it's probably at the bottom of the list. I'm told you will teach me this throughout my time as your mom, I really hope so. I need a lesson.
I want you to know that I am going to mess a lot of stuff up with you during your lifetime. I will try to know what's best and steer you in the right direction, but I make a lot of mistakes. I hope you will love me anyway. I promise to try my best to make home a place where you want to be. When I was getting into my "independent years," I wanted to be as far away from home as possible and I don't want you guys to feel like that. I have thought long and hard about what will make home a place you always want to be. This will be a very large goal for me during your lifetime, we'll see what happens. I also want to have the kind of relationship with you where you know you can always count on me to be there...no matter what. In truth, I haven't even seen your face and I already know there isn't a thing on this planet I wouldn't do for you (within reason, clearly I'm not going to help you score drugs or something like that). If you are ever in a bind, I hope you'll respect, love and trust me and your dad enough to let us know. It will be a great moment in parenthood for us when you guys call us to get you out of a situation that you're not comfortable in. Just know, we always will. That's what parents do.
A word of warning: If you plan on playing practical jokes, do it to your dad, not your mom (again, I'm a quick learner...I'm just sayin').
If I had to guess, I'd say you're about a 36 hours away from meeting us. I am not prepared. I have done everything I can think of to make myself feel like I'm ready, but I'm not. I'm going to need a lot of help from a lot of people. At first, I'm going to be depending on your dad and my mom.
Your maternal grandparents, Oma and Papa, love you so much already. I think we'll be visiting them quite a bit because they're so close. I have a pretty awesome family so you'll be sure to have TONS of attention from this group. I talk to your Oma almost every day to make sure things are “right” and that I’m getting everything taken care of that I should I know she is so excited she is to hold you! Who can blame her? I think sometimes I might have to fight her to get you back. Though you’re not the first, she's been looking forward to being a grandma for a lot of years(you're the 10th grandchild by the way!). I pray my brothers and sister will be great uncles/aunt to you. Hopefully, when you can't reach out to your dad and I, you will feel comfortable going to them. You'll probably have thousands of memories of your cousin Addison and friend Johnny Sarlo. You guys are pretty close in age and I can imagine you'll be great friends growing up. You’ll also get to meet and be loved by my biological mom, Sheri, and her awesome family. She is so over the moon excited about you joining our family! There are so many people are going to love you unconditionally, like me and dad will. You can always count on them. They're your family. I have so many great memories of my childhood with my family, I promise to try to make the same experience come to fruition for you.
Your paternal grandparents (who don’t have names yet – you’ll get to pick them), and that side of the family, are also totally in love with you already. Almost everyone lives in Northern California, so they won’t be around much in the beginning. But, we’ll work hard to make sure you get to visit them at least once a year - hopefully much more than that. You’re the first grandbaby for your Dad’s parents. They’re all pretty excited about it too. I know that when we go to visit, it will be a struggle for me to have any time with you. That’s okay though. You’ll be going home with me and your Dad so we’ll be able to make up for it. I really believe that you’ll be comfortable around them and going to them for help. I’m sure you’ll be very familiar with your Uncle Thomas because he lives so close to us (but be careful – he’s almost guaranteed to get you into some kind of fun trouble!). Your Aunt Kimberlee does too, but she’s really busy with life right now.
On a final note, I want to tell you what a blessing you are to me. I am going to do my best to take in all the small moments with you so I can share the details with you later. I look forward to all the firsts (steps, words, teeth, days of school, school plays) and I can't wait to encourage your talents. I will take an excessive amount of photos of you throughout your years; I hope you'll love me in spite of this! I can't wait to meet your teachers, go on field trips, meet your future friends, see you dressed in your scout uniforms, meet your future spouses and be grandma to your babies. You have changed my life forever. I will not be the same person I was before you came into my life. Of this, I am positive. I'm ready for the changes. I'm ready for the laughs and I'm ready for the tears. I promise that, no matter what, I will try to be the best mom in the entire world. I won't be, but I will get up every day trying my hardest. You are my proudest accomplishment. I still can't believe your dad and I made you. No two people on the entire planet could have come together to create you, just us. Let's be a happy family. I want this more than I have ever wanted anything in my existence.
I love you in places I've never loved before...in places I didn't know existed.
Love, Mom
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Whoops... I forgot to share.....
Dude, I'm a slacker! Sorry!
I'm off of House Arrest, and the Bean is still growing within. Growing is the key word. He's HUGE! At the last measurement, he weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. I think the doctor might be off when he said that our baby would weigh 10 pounds if he came 2 weeks early. Seriously. I think that he'll be closer to 11!
Fortunately, I'm not putting on weight, he's just growing. He's so out of space, and I'm so out of Tylenol. He's quite active despite me not drinking caffeine.
I haven't had any strange craving lately. I do so want to eat ice cream, but it makes me sick. Oh so very sick. I still love celery with peanut butter. Almonds. Cheese and crackers. There's nothing strange - at least in my mind.
We're just ready for him to join us! The nursery is ready. The sheets are clean. His clothes have been laundered. His carseat has been installed (and my niece Addison even tested it out and the matching stroller). The bottles have been washed, and a can of formula purchased (just in case I can't BF). My wonderful friend, Cara, had a lovely baby shower for us and my coworkers surprised me with a fabulous shower too. We have been blessed with quite a few wonderful gifts that will definitely be quite handy!
I think thats about it. I'm on the weekly appointment tour now. I've decided to try and pin my OB down on a delivery date at this weeks appointment. That will definitely give me something to look forward to, and something to focus on. Fortunately with having a c-section we can pick a date to have him arrive - and hope that it's going to be the date that it happens. Though, should my water break I wouldn't knock him coming sooner!
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
House Arrest... day 1.5
Well I just got back from the perinatologist. The baby is fine! That is, if you consider that he weighs 6lbs 8oz and has 8 weeks left to grow fine. Holy Hannah... they weren't kidding when they said I'd have a 10lb baby if they took him 2 weeks early. YOWZERS!!
I'm fine too. The specialists think the pain is mostly due to the endometriosis I've had for years. Endometriosis isn't just on your ovaries and female organs. It can develop other places too. Like on my intestines. And.. since every organ in my body has been moved to make room for the baby, everything is a new spot and is being stretched... there's lots of pain. yay.
There's nothing that can be done about the pain other than to take Tylenol... my new best friend. Seriously. I have a bottle of it upstairs, downstairs, in the car, and at my desk. No, I'm not overdosing and I am keeping VERY good track of when I take it. The specialist also said that drinking Diet Coke wouldn't be a cause and that I can resume drinking whatever my "normal" is. But... to be safe I'm keeping up with drinking water and very much limiting my soda intake.
I'm fine too. The specialists think the pain is mostly due to the endometriosis I've had for years. Endometriosis isn't just on your ovaries and female organs. It can develop other places too. Like on my intestines. And.. since every organ in my body has been moved to make room for the baby, everything is a new spot and is being stretched... there's lots of pain. yay.
There's nothing that can be done about the pain other than to take Tylenol... my new best friend. Seriously. I have a bottle of it upstairs, downstairs, in the car, and at my desk. No, I'm not overdosing and I am keeping VERY good track of when I take it. The specialist also said that drinking Diet Coke wouldn't be a cause and that I can resume drinking whatever my "normal" is. But... to be safe I'm keeping up with drinking water and very much limiting my soda intake.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Updates.... Shmupdates....
We're down to the "every two weeks" appointments now. Every.Two.Weeks.I.Get.Weighed.
Ugh! I gained more than I had expected, but with the flight to San Jose and water retention I suppose it wasn't bad.
I've been looking forward to having a small little baby. There are so many cute little newborn sized clothes. However, this week, we received a huge shock. I asked the doctor if he had any predictions as to how much the bean would way at his delivery/arrival. Care to guess?
If I deliver two weeks ahead of schedule.... the doctor believes that he'll weigh between 9 and 10 pounds. I guess I just "grow 'em" big. My coworkers like to tease me that he'll walk out of the hospital.
I guess I should be thrilled that the bean is so large. Over the last week or so I've had more strangers and friends "love" on my belly. Everyone says I'm all belly - that's better than the opposite, right?
Till next week....
Friday, October 03, 2008
74 Days...
Oh my stars.... 74 days until the bean arrives! Or, at least there's 74 days until the date the my OBGYN has said we'll have the c-section on. WOW... how time has flown right on by. There's still so much to do, but yet... we'd be completely okay if he came tommorrow! The only major thing we have to still purchase is the car seat - everything else we can make do with what we have on had.
My mom is going to come out (THANK YOU!) for the delivery and my father will be joining us a bit later for Christmas. Oh how excited I am to have the Bean here for Christmas! I'm thinking that Santa will need to come visit us this year for holiday photos - our dude won't be making any mall trips this year!
I had a check up today, and by the grace of God I only gained 1 pound. Holy miracle of miracles. However, I failed the one-hour glucose test and did the three-hour one today. That was pure hell. HELL I tell ya! All is well and the baby is right on target as far as his growth. He has been quite active as of late. His favorite times to get his groove on are late afternoon and eeeaaaarrrly morning - like 2 and 3am. I think he's trying to get us onto his feeding schedule already!
We're heading to Chico this weekend for Nickie's wedding and I am so looking forward to meeting a bunch more of Steve's family members! I'm more excited for Nickie to be marrying her beau, and I've been remembering the day I married Steve-o. What a great day it was! It's amazing to me how long we've been married, yet it's been such a short time!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Checking In and Getting Ready...
Gosh... who knew that getting ready for our baby would be so much? So much fun! So much work! So much... so much! :)
The nursery room has about a dozen or so boxes that I need to clear out so that Steve can get it painted. I want it all painted - he wants to only paint the bottom portion. We'll see who wins. My vote is me. New Baby = New paint! :)
Yes, we've started our baby registry. Eventually we'll have them set up at Babies-R-Us, Target and Wal-Mart. Right now there's one at Babies-R-Us and one at Target, but the latter hasn't been completed yet. Reality is that we live SOOOO close to Wal-mart that I think we'll likely do most of our regular baby shopping there (even though everywhere else has adorable boy clothes!).
The bean? Oh you mean you really wanted a bean update? :) He's growing like a weed. As a result my belly is growing like mad. I am going to be huge when this little guy arrives - no laughing at me when you see me! :) He loves to move around and surely will be an acrobat once he joins us. My team at work loves to watch my belly for his movement. We've found he really doesn't like meetings - especially ones with unpleasantness discussed!
The doctor is planning for a c-section. I think it's because Steve was a big baby. That and... with our due date being so close to Christmas he probably doesn't want his holiday disturbed with our new addition. I can understand where he's coming from and it will be interesting to see how our bean's arrival pans out.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
20 Weeks Down... 20 to Go
Yesterday marked our halfway point! In exactly 20 weeks from yesterday (or 5 months... however you want to look at it) we should have our new baby in our arms! Yikes! It seems like forever away and also RIGHT around the corner! Are we ready? Will we be ready? No... :)
The baby nursery and color scheme has been selected. We're going with a vintage airplane theme with light blue, dark blue, red and white colors. The nursery walls will soon be painted. The bottom 1/2 of the walls will be dark blue and the upper 1/2 will be light blue. A white chair rail will be between the two colors (which is already up and in that room anyway).
Why the theme? Well, I love all things vintage and well loved. It's rather difficult to have a vintage baby nursery when it's a boy... unless you go the vintage airplane route!! Additionally, my father's father (thus my grandfather) was an artist for the WWII airplanes. As a result we have some incredible pieces that my father has kept over the years (his brother has a few sets too). I've always been a huge fan of family and family tradition and especially in carrying on traditions. So, this seems like an appropriate way to add our son into many of our family traditions. Here is a photo of the nursery decor:
We aren't going with the cheesy lamps, wall hangings, mobile, etc... We are going with the crib set, the curtains, and the changing table cushion cover though. And I got it for SUCH a steal! All of the nursery furniture will be black (we already have some of it) and we've started to fill our registry due to the various requests from family out of the area.
I have a very visible 'baby bump' which cannot be entirely blamed on gas anymore - though the gas definitely attributes to it's size! Many of my clothes no longer fit, and I've started finding creative work wardrobe selections. There's only so much I can do though, you know?
Steve is full on excited and is getting geared up for his 'Baby Daddy' days. He thinks he'll be able to watch the baby all day long while I work, and then go to work himself at night. I'm waiting for reality to knock on the door for him. Theres no way he's going to be able to pull off both, and do them both well. If I go back to work, I would prefer to see our child in some kind of childcare, at least for half of the day, so that Steve can come home and get the quality sleep he will so desperately need. We'll see how it all ends up going down. :)
The baby nursery and color scheme has been selected. We're going with a vintage airplane theme with light blue, dark blue, red and white colors. The nursery walls will soon be painted. The bottom 1/2 of the walls will be dark blue and the upper 1/2 will be light blue. A white chair rail will be between the two colors (which is already up and in that room anyway).
Why the theme? Well, I love all things vintage and well loved. It's rather difficult to have a vintage baby nursery when it's a boy... unless you go the vintage airplane route!! Additionally, my father's father (thus my grandfather) was an artist for the WWII airplanes. As a result we have some incredible pieces that my father has kept over the years (his brother has a few sets too). I've always been a huge fan of family and family tradition and especially in carrying on traditions. So, this seems like an appropriate way to add our son into many of our family traditions. Here is a photo of the nursery decor:
We aren't going with the cheesy lamps, wall hangings, mobile, etc... We are going with the crib set, the curtains, and the changing table cushion cover though. And I got it for SUCH a steal! All of the nursery furniture will be black (we already have some of it) and we've started to fill our registry due to the various requests from family out of the area.
I have a very visible 'baby bump' which cannot be entirely blamed on gas anymore - though the gas definitely attributes to it's size! Many of my clothes no longer fit, and I've started finding creative work wardrobe selections. There's only so much I can do though, you know?
Steve is full on excited and is getting geared up for his 'Baby Daddy' days. He thinks he'll be able to watch the baby all day long while I work, and then go to work himself at night. I'm waiting for reality to knock on the door for him. Theres no way he's going to be able to pull off both, and do them both well. If I go back to work, I would prefer to see our child in some kind of childcare, at least for half of the day, so that Steve can come home and get the quality sleep he will so desperately need. We'll see how it all ends up going down. :)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Poll Results....
So many of you were on the same wavelength as me - we were thinking GIRL!
However, according to the sonogram technician.... it's a BOY! I interrogated him a few different ways to make sure he knew what he was talking about and that there couldn't possibly be any confusion. He is 100% POSITIVE that our bean is a boy.
I'm 100% positive that I'm waiting to decorate the nursery until my doctor tells me it's a boy. :)
So, to answer a few questions.... we have a few names we're thinking about. My family has oodles more they'd love to suggest. If our bean does turn out a girl, some of the names we've been thinking about are:
Isabella Lynette
Isabella Jane
Elizabeth Lynette
However, since all of the signs are pointing to BOY.... we're thinking about some of the following names (and some of the "suggestions" are):
James Russell
Frederic Russell
Eric Russell
Jordan Russell
Wutang Lee
Ollie Oxen
The nursery decor (if we continue on the path we're currently on) will be in light blue, sage green, a light tan with a vintage airplane theme. My grandfather, Raymond Francis Beste, painted artwork on planes during WWII. I've always loved the pieces my father has collected, and I hope to get high end scans of them so that we can have copies of them in our sons room.
That's about it for this installment.... I'm not disappointed. Instead of planning a trip to Paris, we're going to plan a trip to Belgium. The most important thing is that our baby is healthy - and healthy it definitely is. He's growing like mad, and my baby bump has made it's official appearance.
However, according to the sonogram technician.... it's a BOY! I interrogated him a few different ways to make sure he knew what he was talking about and that there couldn't possibly be any confusion. He is 100% POSITIVE that our bean is a boy.
I'm 100% positive that I'm waiting to decorate the nursery until my doctor tells me it's a boy. :)
So, to answer a few questions.... we have a few names we're thinking about. My family has oodles more they'd love to suggest. If our bean does turn out a girl, some of the names we've been thinking about are:
Isabella Lynette
Isabella Jane
Elizabeth Lynette
However, since all of the signs are pointing to BOY.... we're thinking about some of the following names (and some of the "suggestions" are):
James Russell
Frederic Russell
Eric Russell
Jordan Russell
Wutang Lee
Ollie Oxen
The nursery decor (if we continue on the path we're currently on) will be in light blue, sage green, a light tan with a vintage airplane theme. My grandfather, Raymond Francis Beste, painted artwork on planes during WWII. I've always loved the pieces my father has collected, and I hope to get high end scans of them so that we can have copies of them in our sons room.
That's about it for this installment.... I'm not disappointed. Instead of planning a trip to Paris, we're going to plan a trip to Belgium. The most important thing is that our baby is healthy - and healthy it definitely is. He's growing like mad, and my baby bump has made it's official appearance.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Heme Iron IV Transfusions
For anyone who knows me, it's no surprise that with this pregnancy, my anemia has taken on a whole new low level. My doctors have been increasingly worried with where my iron levels/stores are and even with trying different supplements, brands, and types, my iron levels continued to drop.
After meeting with the Hematologist, I had my first prenatal intravenous iron transfusion last Tuesday. Yuck. It is a 4-6 hour process. They started me on a saline drip, added a Benadryl drip, and then when that was done, added the heme-iron bag. My arms still hurt and ache. I haven't felt any changes yet, but the doctor said it would take about two weeks for my iron stores to bulk up. The bruises that I have are INCREDIBLE! When I called Bekki (my RN sister) to ask her about the arm pain and bruising, she told me it was completely normal. I'll go back on the 15th for another treatment. Sitting in the treatment room with the other patients was an incredibly humbling experience.
After meeting with the Hematologist, I had my first prenatal intravenous iron transfusion last Tuesday. Yuck. It is a 4-6 hour process. They started me on a saline drip, added a Benadryl drip, and then when that was done, added the heme-iron bag. My arms still hurt and ache. I haven't felt any changes yet, but the doctor said it would take about two weeks for my iron stores to bulk up. The bruises that I have are INCREDIBLE! When I called Bekki (my RN sister) to ask her about the arm pain and bruising, she told me it was completely normal. I'll go back on the 15th for another treatment. Sitting in the treatment room with the other patients was an incredibly humbling experience.
I walked into the treatment room thinking about all of the things I needed to get accomplished at home, and at work, and other things that I just had pressing on my mind. For those of you who don't know, most hematologists (blood doctors) are also oncologists (lots of blood borne cancers), so the majority of the other patients who are there for treatment are going through chemotherapy. While it's obvious that they are quite exhausted, tired, and sore, they are kind, uncomplaining, and peaceful. The things which were pressing on my mind in the beginning were suddenly so minor when placed in comparison to where each of these other sweet patients lives must surely be. When I left 4 hours later, I had a much greater appreciation for my life and my current health status.
While I really haven't noticed any problems being overwhelmingly tired (anemia side effect), the doctors all said that the transfusion should help with my energy level. My iron stores were really really low, so I probably won't notice it for 10 days, or right before my next transfusion. I honestly can't imagine having more energy. I work 10-12 hours a day, so it's not surprising that I'm tired when I get home. I'm pregnant - aren't all pregnant women tired? It will be very interesting to see how my body reacts!Friday, June 20, 2008
Ultrasound #3!
A few days ago, I had my 12 week appointment. This appointment was for some genetic chromosome testing (standard nowadays - it's nothing unusual so don't freak out), and to do an ultrasound to check for neck fluid and other items.
Everything was fine, or exactly as it should be for our baby bean.
You'll notice the bean jumping around. It had the hiccups something fierce! If you look closely you can see it's jaw moving towards the later of the hiccups - cute!
Everything was fine, or exactly as it should be for our baby bean.
You'll notice the bean jumping around. It had the hiccups something fierce! If you look closely you can see it's jaw moving towards the later of the hiccups - cute!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Ultrasound #2!
We were fortunate enough to get to have another ultrasound. So, here you go! Check out our bean's nubs for arms and it's little sprouts for legs!
I think our bean is already somewhat of a performer! Notice how it's quiet and calm and then all of a sudden is squiggling and moving about?
I think our bean is already somewhat of a performer! Notice how it's quiet and calm and then all of a sudden is squiggling and moving about?
And Baby Makes Three...
Yes, it is true. Steve and I are expecting our first child - aka our Baby Bean. Our bundle of joy will join our family sometime in December. Technically, the due date is December 27th, but my doctor has requested I have a c-section, so with any luck we'll have our Christmas gift in time for Christmas.
So far, things have been fairly smooth sailing. I haven't had a lot of morning sickness or nausea. I have been exhausted like never before. I think I've slept more in the last three months than I did in the last year!
We're both excited and nervous to begin this new chapter in our lives and marraige!
Stay tuned for our ultrasounds, baby photos, and changes we're making to the house as we prepare for our new child!
So far, things have been fairly smooth sailing. I haven't had a lot of morning sickness or nausea. I have been exhausted like never before. I think I've slept more in the last three months than I did in the last year!
We're both excited and nervous to begin this new chapter in our lives and marraige!
Stay tuned for our ultrasounds, baby photos, and changes we're making to the house as we prepare for our new child!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Our First Ultrasound!
Here's our very first ultrasound! Check out the heartbeat! Our bean is 6 weeks and 5 days old!
Steve's first comment was that the baby looked like a monster! Nice. He's also started calling me "BBC" or 'Baby Bean Carrier'. He later edited that to be BBC Mach I. I thought he was implying that I am as big as a space shuttle or some other space vehicle. He later explained that no, I'm carrying a baby, and when I carry our next one (NEXT?? Can we make it through this one first?!), I'll be called BBC Mach II.
I think we're going to have to talk about this one.
Steve's first comment was that the baby looked like a monster! Nice. He's also started calling me "BBC" or 'Baby Bean Carrier'. He later edited that to be BBC Mach I. I thought he was implying that I am as big as a space shuttle or some other space vehicle. He later explained that no, I'm carrying a baby, and when I carry our next one (NEXT?? Can we make it through this one first?!), I'll be called BBC Mach II.
I think we're going to have to talk about this one.
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