I'm gonna have a Mini-Me!!!

April 28, 2009 - WEEK 16 (almost 17) - Ultrasound appointment

I can't believe we're gonna have a GIRL!!! We have been talking so much about it being a boy, that we are both still trying to wrap our heads around the fact that its a Girl and not a Boy.
The craziest thing is that now its not just a fetus (alien) inside me, now its more like a person...a little girl. And that fact has both Bobby & I floored. Now we are calling it "Her" and "She" and discussing girlie names. It's definitely making it more real for both of us.

We had an appointment with the nurse Tuesday...on our 2 year Anniversary. The morning started off a little rocky when I got a voice mail from the doctor's office. The message said that the doctor was out of the office, but that I could still have my appointment with the nurse. I immediately panicked as I called and left a message on the nurse line asking for a call back. I waited by my phone all morning for the call back. Finally at about 11:30am the nurse called me and made me feel better. She said that even without the Doctor, the nurse would still do the ultrasound and we would still be able to find out the sex of the baby.

Bobby & I both worked 1/2 day and met for lunch at Santa Rita near the doctor's office. After lunch we went to a nearby jewelry store where we picked out a new charm for my pandora bracelet. I chose a 2-tone one with 2 diamonds to signify our 2 year anniversary. :-)
After that we were off to the doctor's office. We waited eagerly in the waiting room for 30 minutes before the nurse called us in. The long anticipated ultrasound was finally underway. The nurse looked and looked around but did not seem sure enough of herself to declare a gender. She finally said she thought it was a girl. (I could see the color drain from Bobby's face out of the corner of my eye.) I was still skeptical because she didn't seem absolutely positive. The nurse went out and came back with our favorite nurse and she started looking around. She was much quicker and more decisive. She said that we were definitely having a girl....and they had all girls that day so far.
The nurse also informed me that I was at 16 weeks, 5 days...and the baby measured at 17 weeks, 5 days.....1 week ahead. She said that was a good thing because that means the baby is healthy.

Before the nurse could finish wiping the goop off my belly, Bobby was already on his Blackberry composing a message about the news. As we walked out of the office (in a haze) Bobby asked me who all he should send the message to. I could not even think straight so I told him he was going to have to give me a few minutes. I was feeling like I was in a dream...so many things in my life had just changed, and a new direction of my life had been set in motion with the words "It's A Girl!"
Bobby & I called our family and sent messages to our friends. After a flurry of congratulatory replies, we began the process of letting it all soak in...
We were both freaking out for our own reasons.
Bobby's first question was "What am I going to do with a girl?"
Bobby's 1st concern: "You and your girlfriends are going to spoil her rotten!"
My freak out: "Oh No! Now I'm gonna have to be the 'role model'.....great." (my tattoos were the 1st thing that came to mind.)

We talked and freaked out all the way to the movie theater. We watched Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D....just because nothing else really jumped out at us. I did find humor in the fact that we chose a "kids" movie...since we're going to have plenty of time to watch "kid" movies in the future. The movie wasn't great, but it did manage to get us out of our spinning heads for a little while.

After the movie we went to Eddie V's downtown for our anniversary dinner. Since the menu at EVs mostly has fish on it, I had a lot of questions for the waiter. I could tell he was getting a little annoyed so I explained that I am pregnant and can't eat some things. He immediately understood and his annoyance seemed to lessen. Bobby told him that we just found out the sex of the baby so our stomachs were a little twisted....thus not sure how hungry we were. The waiter congratulated us and asked about the baby's gender. Bobby told him we are having a girl. (The first time he said those words out loud, other than on the phone to his Mom.) The waiter smiled and called her a princess. (I was thinking to myself, "oh no, don't say that word to Bobby yet!") But surprisingly Bobby didn't cringe at the princess reference and just smiled. Sharing our news turned out to be a good move...at the end of our meal the waiter brought us an awesome huge chocolate dessert with "Congratulations" written in chocolate....on the house. :-)

Bobby and I ended the overwhelming day watching our Wedding Day DVD and reminiscing about the events. I think we both dreamed of pink things and sweet smiles that night.
~~~

*New* Truck

Bobby has been driving the same SUV for about 10 years...and it was used when he bought it, so it's time to retire the poor thing.

So Bobby did get a "new truck" this weekend. At least it's "new" to him.
It was my Grandpa's truck...at a very young age I gave my Grandpa the name "Appa" that stuck with him. Appa passed away in 2005.
A few months after my Appa's passing, my Grandma (Amma) gave the truck to my sister. Her and her husband were in need of a second vehicle and the timing worked out great for them.
Recently my sister decided they were tired of paying insurance on a vehicle that they no longer use. So my Dad had planned to come get the truck and take it back to my Grandma for her to sell.

Lately Bobby's SUV has been having some transmission problems, and he found out that it would cost about $3K to fix. Besides the transmission problems, there are other things wrong with it...such as the A/C. (an A/C that doesn't work in Texas is never a good thing.) The estimated value online was lower than the cost to fix the transmission, so Bobby was weighing the options. We aren't really wanting to add an additional car payment right now with all the home improvements we've been doing along with prepping for a a new member of the family. However....with 4 dogs, we really NEED a "dog car".

So my Appa's truck was the solution. Bobby went over to take a look at the pickup on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised. He had never really paid attention to the pickup before, so when he went to look at it as a possible vehicle for himself, he got excited. He cleaned up the old battery that was covered in acid and put in the battery from his car...just to make sure a new battery would make the truck run. It did, so he took the truck home and we later went back with the battery to pick up the SUV. He washed off the top layer of dirt and gunk so he could see what the truck looked like (and what color it was). It still needs a major cleaning both inside & out.
Bobby couldn't wait to go "show it off". So last night he went over to help a friend haul away some trash from his house after moving to a new house. He was actually pretty giddy about putting his new pickup to use.
I can't help but find this terribly cute and endearing. :-)
~~~

5-6-7-8...Step Bump, Step Bump Bump!

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HA! I love it! ........"No, I'm just drunk."
~~~

Baby Furniture....Decision '09

So Bobby and I have officially looked at every brand and style of baby furniture on the planet. We have searched all the baby stores in Austin, as well as every possible website on the internet that has any baby furniture associated to it.
We have reached our limit and are completely maxed out on baby furniture options.
The good news is, we have finally picked it!!!!!

Here are some pictures:












Furniture is ordered and delivery is expected in 4-7 days. WOW - that is FAST!!!

OK, NOW I'M REALLY EXCITED!!!!!
~~~

Pregnant Easter

We spent Easter Sunday with my Mom's family at her house in Lampasas. It was great to see my Grandpa and Aunts and Uncle. This was the first time they had seen me since finding out I am pregnant so they all wanted to see my belly bump and ask a million questions.

We discussed how the next time we celebrate holidays together there will be a baby in the mix. Everyone is very excited about that and can't wait for Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny to start making appearances in our family again. It's been awhile.

My sister & her husband gave us and the baby an Easter present...our baby's 1st Dr. Seuss book. (There will many, many more to come because Bobby loves Dr. Seuss.)
Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go - a Dr. Seuss introduction book meant to be read to baby in utero.
So cute! I can't wait until Bobby reads it to the baby. :-)

Last night Bobby and I were sitting on the couch relaxing after a busy weekend and we started talking about how next Easter our lives are going to be so different. No more just jumping in the car to go grab a bite to eat, or to browse Home Depot just because. Everything is going to have to be planned out and time allowed just to pack the car. Wow! We are such goers and doers right now. But I guess, at least we understand that a major adjustment to our free lifestyle is in our very near future....

~~~

Week 12 Updates

March 25, 2009 - WEEK 12
The main thing I've been dealing with for the last 6 weeks is the constant ups and downs of morning sickness. My doctor gave me a prescription for Zofran to control the nausea and vomiting, and I took it daily for a few weeks. I only took it when I felt the nausea because I was trying hard to get off and stay off of it....it causes constipation. So then the nurse recommended a "softener" (Colace) to help alleviate that. So between those 2 things and my prenatal vitamins and the occasional Tylenol or Claritin, I felt like I was taking way too many pills. I eventually quit taking the Zofran and Colace all together. And magically the constipation went away. However, the nausea and morning sickness still has not gone away. It's just less aggressive and more manageable at this point.
What I've learned....
- keep eating all day - snack on whatever doesn't sound disgusting.
- lay off the TexMex - My favorite food made me sick too many times. Hopefully I can get this back soon???
- No Chocolate - WHAT?!?!? Not because I can't eat it....but because I don't want to eat it. Has an alien taken over my body? Of course I should want chocolate.... all day, every day.

The other thing that is always on my mind is hiding my expanding belly. This is something I only have to deal with at work because I am keeping my condition on the DL until after the 1st trimester....only 1 week to go.
It gets harder everyday to find something in my closet that will hide and not draw attention to my belly. All of my clothes are getting tight, but I am not really at the point to need maternity clothes. So I'm just hanging in that limbo stage for now.


March 30, 2009 - WEEK 12 (almost 13) - NT Screening Test
We had our 2nd appointment today. It wasn't with the doctor, but rather the sonographer. It was a long sonogram so we got to see the little punkin for a while...he/she kicked and moved all around in there. It was crazy to see how much the baby has grown in just a month since the last ultrasound.
We could see and hear the heart beating, and the brain was clear to see. In fact, the brain and the shape of the head and eyes really made it look like a little alien. We watched in amazement as the sonographer moved the little punkin all around and took lots of measurements. She said that the baby is looking really good and all the measurements were within excellent ranges. She even recorded the entire ultrasound on video for us to take home, along with our pictures.

FYI..... Nuchal Translucency (NT) screening test — basically a specialized ultrasound — lets you know if you're at an increased risk for having a baby with a chromosomal problem such as Down syndrome. Unlike amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), however, the nuchal translucency test cannot give you a definitive answer as to whether your baby has a genetic abnormality, but rather it gives the statistical likelihood of one. With that information in hand, you and your practitioner can then decide if further (more invasive, but conclusive) testing, such as amnio or CVS, is necessary. http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/ask-heidi/nuchal-translucency-screening-test.aspx

Weekend in N'awlins

March 15, 2009 - WEEK 10
We spent a wild-n-crazy weekend in New Orleans....or as wild-n-crazy as a pregnant wife and a sick husband can be.
Bobby was there for an IT conference Monday-Friday. I arrived about noon on Friday and joined him at his hotel. As soon as I walked into the hotel room I knew something was wrong. He had been napping and he looked like crap. He told me that he had felt the sickness coming on the day before but he thought he could fight it off, but not so much. I didn't let him relax long because it was lunchtime and I was a hungry pregnant chick. So he rallied and we walked down the street to have lunch.

During our weekend in New Orleans we managed to get in lots of touristy things...
~ Walked around the Garden District
~ Rode the Trolley cars in and out of downtown
~ Visited with a fortune teller
~ A late night Vampire tour around the French Quarter
~ Attended a really long & insane St.Patty's day parade
~ People watched on Bourbon Street
~ Bought our baby their first N.O. t-shirt
~ ATE A TON OF FRIED FOOD
Seriously, I think I had something friend for every single meal....I felt disgusted by the end of that weekend. We could not wait to get home and eat something healthy.
As soon as we got into town we went straight home to check on the dogs and give them love. Then we called up some friends to see if they wanted to meet us for an early dinner. We were so happy to eat steak and salad...really anything NOT fried!!!


BTW...Even with no kissing, touching, sharing food or drinks that weekend, I did catch whatever Bobby had during that trip. By Tuesday of the following week I was SICK on top of being nauseatingly pregnant. Thanks Bobby!
Thankfully, my doctor gave me a Z-Pak and it cleared up within a couple of days.

~~~