27 Weeks and Picture Time Again

It feels like it was only yesterday that I was posting a preggie pic, but apparently it's been four weeks. In fact, I only have 3 days left of my 2nd trimester, so we're rounding 3rd base and on our way to the home stretch. These pictures are all starting to look the same to me. It's funny that one day I will feel huge and the next not so much.

I don't have much to report. I've finished up my summer travels (got them over early in the month of May), so now Geoff and I are planning on relaxing and just piddling around until Claire comes. He actually asked me to give him a honey-do list, which I wasn't going to do because I didn't want him to feel like there were 10,000 tiny things that needed doing before the end of August.

I'm excited to have some showers coming up and can't wait to pull everything together so we're really ready for when she gets here. I'm also thinking about starting some sewing projects soon - I figure I can use my afternoons off in August to work on some little things for my little girl. We'll see what my energy level is like at that point.

Well, that's it. There's the 27 week photo for those who've asked for one.

Post #175

I thought I would write a quick post before I head out of town yet again this month - this time for the big Ingram family reunion in Jackson, MS. I don't have a lot to report other than to say things are going pretty well. Claire continues to astound me with her rapid growth and constant movement. She's gotten to that point where folks can hear her heartbeat simply by putting their ear on my stomach.
I had a doctor's appointment a week ago and everything went well. My blood glucose test went fine - so no chances of gestational diabetes. She was measuring "textbook perfect" as my doctor likes to say. The doctor went over all my meds with Geoff and I and has decided I will continue everything to 36 weeks (two weeks longer than we had initially discussed). Then he was blunt and said that basically if I went into labor before 38 weeks I could hemmorhage and die (yes, he said it just like that) because of the medication still being in my system. So, Claire, don't come early! He said there were things they could do to prevent it and it was unlikely, but that he had to warn me. Lovely, huh? Geoff's decided he really likes the doc, though, which is good.
Oh - after that sugary beverage they give you for the glucose test, Claire's heartrate was 177. Note to all her grandparents out there - you will not want to give this grandchild sugar while she's in your care. It really takes effect!
One of these days I'll post some pictures of our garden. We are seeing the beginnings of squash, bell peppers and tomatoes, and there are flowers on our canteloupe and cucumber plants. I don't think we've lost a single plant and are going to have lots of yummy things to eat this summer.
This weekend trip will mark the end of travelling for me I think. It just seems to really wear me out! I've been asked why I'm not sewing up a storm for Claire and I think that's probably quickly approaching on the horizon. I want to get past my showers and then I will probably be embroidering some of her bibs and things and maybe smocking or making other items for her. My return to part-time work at the start of August should help increase my time to sew. Oh - and I'm planning on making my own hospital gown for her delivery, so be sure to note what it looks like (if I allow any pictures of me at the hospital to be put on this blog)!
Well, that's all for now. Gotta go get ready to see my family of 50+!

Beach Vacation

I thought I'd post a few pics from our trip to Panama City this past weekend. This was the best Mother's Day present yet and we both had a really good time. Of course, we were so busy having a good time that 1, we didn't get many pictures, and 2, I didn't notice I had sprained my ankle until we were on the way home.
So first off, in PCB there were quite a few of these man-of-war jellies on the beach. There was a group of older ladies walking who stopped to chat with us and asked Geoff to point these things out to them. There were plenty to point out, which kept me out of the water during the morning there in PCB. So we walked on the beach for awhile.

On our way to the beach from the hotel, we had seen a sign for a lunch cruise to Shell Island, which is part of St. Andrews State Park, and it was reasonably priced and available, so we decided to give it a go.

This is not the most flattering picture of me, but I'll post it anyway. This boat ride was really probably the most amazing part of our trip. Those who know me well know I've always struggled with motion sickness, so the fact that I even got on a boat in the ocean was a bit of a stretch. But I did great for most of the ride. We went to check out a big group of dolphins and the boat kept getting turned and turned and tossed by the waves and before you know it, it seemed like we were on a bad ride at an amusement park. Only those last about 90 seconds and this was more like 20 minutes! Even Claire seemed to be bracing herself as we rocked from side to side. I finally just had to sit down on the floor and brace myself. You can tell from the picture of the other "ship" out on the water that we were tilting and creating waves.

The ride back was smooth sailing - Geoff even found time for a nap.

We came back to the hotel, got cleaned up and went out to a nice dinner and called it a night.

The next day we went out to St. Joseph State Park Peninsula - about an hour drive from PCB, but Geoff had fond memories of camping there, and after going, I can see why.

We spent a lot of time in the actual ocean - yes, even me!

And we tried out some neat restaurants - including a place that had a real toucan that Claire apparently did not like (everytime it screeched, she kicked me - hard). Putt-putt was one of the best parts of the trip and by the time we got back to the hotel I had wrenched my ankle something fierce. So we came back home and went to the doctor and now I'm following up on my vacation by walking around in a lovely boot on crutches for the next 2 weeks. Yippee!

Registries/Gift Ideas

Just FYI for anyone wondering, I spent about an hour going through my registries tonight updating everything. Here's the deal -
The real (or complete) registry is the one at Target. I put everything I could think of on that registry and then some. I found it to be much easier to register with Target both in-store and online, and they had almost everything that I needed.
The one thing that is ESSENTIAL on my Babies R Us registry is my travel system, which Geoff and I painstakingly have hunted for over the last year or so, and we are really excited about the one we chose. There was no comparable system available through target, so I had to create the Babies R Us registry. I found a few cute things there, but you can definitely tell that's a much shorter list.
As far as diapers and wipes go, I've heard Huggies are best for boys, but since I don't have to worry about that, I feel comfortable saying buy anything and buy multiple sizes. We have a 112 pack of size 1 diapers so far I believe. As far as wipes, same thing as diapers. I haven't started collecting these things, so anything that works will do.
Also, if it's not on my registry and it's a major thing you think I've omitted, I probably already have it. I have an indoor swing, a crib, a changing table, a rocker, a mattress, a breast pump, a boppy, a bumbo seat, a high chair, etc. I have people already committed to giving me a video camera (HOORAY!), and an outdoor swing (YEAH!). I couldn't find a way to register for baby books, but I would love some of the classics like the Boynton books and Goodnight moon. Actually, I've found Walmart has a good selection of these hard baby books, and wouldn't turn down some soft baby books as well.
If anyone is wondering if I would be happy with hand-me-downs, note that most of what I have purchased thus far is consignment, so I'd be thrilled to receive anything that might be helpful.
I will be doing one last update of both registries somewhere around Memorial Day in order to make sure that I've cleared items that are no longer available and registered for clothing that's in stock/in season at the time of my first shower. Happy gifting! :)

Hodge Podge Post

So here are some random tidbits I've been wanting to post over the past few days:

Sweetest of Stories
So my dear friend Christina is due with baby #2 about 9 weeks ahead of me (a girl friend for Claire). Her firstborn son is 19 months. Friday night we're hanging out together and Christina and I are sitting facing each other just about a foot apart. Her son puts his hand on her tummy, saying "baby" and then puts his other hand on my tummy, saying "baby." So sweet!

Hearing is Believing
So I've had this sound amplifier for several weeks now and about once a week I see if I can find Claire's heartbeat. Mostly I've only been able to hear her for a few thumps and then she moves. It's neat to hear the whooshing of the nutrients moving around in the placenta and neat to hear the thumps and bumps of her moving around, but I haven't gotten to just lay there hearing her heart just go and go. Well, last night I realized it had been awhile since I'd tried it, so I put on the headphones. Lo and behold, we are there. Her little heart just went steady as a train engine and I just listened for awhile before I went to sleep. At the doctor's office, they only let you hear it for about 5 seconds, so this was a nice change. And yes, of course her daddy got to sit and listen to her for awhile too.

Much Too Much
So this was an off weekend in my mind, one in which we were neither travelling nor having overnight guests. And I thought that meant it would be a nice relaxing one - HA! It doesn't take long to be reminded that your body is already doing a full-time job when you're pregnant. After a quick trip to Birmingham Friday night (yes, there and back), helping hosting a wedding shower on Saturday afternoon, and having friends come over to grill out last night, I am beat. I did make it to Sunday school and then spent the day sleeping (and eating - my hunger has really started up).

Closing on a Bummy Note (but Hooray for Connectivity)
So today we went to take the dogs to their favorite water hole to swim, but on our way there we noticed that it was about the start really pouring. We turned around and drove home - ahead of the rain mind you - so that when we got here, we put the dogs straight out into the backyard to run around. Suddenly the bottom fell out of the sky and we all ran inside. We were hanging aorund inside for awhile and I kept going - didn't I have a drink - where did my drink go? Well, after the rain cleared, we wanted to put the dogs back out and there was my drink... and there was my PHONE! It was FRIED, seriously full of water. Now, I'm on a family plan with my folks and I think I have to coordinate with them to get it all replaced and such, and all I can think is that I need to call my mom. I use a calling card (because we don't have long distance on our home phone) and start to dial when I realize - I don't have anyone's phone numbers - they're all stored in my phone. So I ran to the computer praying that someone in my family would be on facebook or gmail, and I found... MY SISTER! YEAH! I was able to get the numbers I needed from her and we're working on figuring out what to do about the phone that must be replaced before I head out of town Tuesday afternoon. What a mess!

23 Weeks and Picture Time Again!

I realized the other day that it was time to post another preggie pic, so I had Geoff take another last night. Apparently my little putty tat wanted to be in the picture. I know all the old wives tales about cats and babies, so save your breath, people. My cat is not going to smother my child on my watch!

I feel like I haven't really blogged much lately (which probably means I haven't really written anything of consequence), so here's a little update...

After my last doctor's appointment, we confirmed that I will have to continue the heparin injections throughout the entire pregnancy (which from a medical standpoint means until 35 weeks). I am bummed about this, but grateful to have the medical experts who are able to check everything out so that this pregnancy can be successful from start to finish. Claire and her living quarters are exactly right where they are supposed to be at this point, so she's trying to grow at the pace to be ready around her due date, August 25th. My ribs are starting to stretch some and I've had some soreness as everything expands, but am overall doing great. My only real complaint has been heartburn, so anyone wanting to make suggestions on this would be fine. Tums make me throw up - we're not sure if this is in reaction to some of my other medicine or what, but I cannot use them - and the only approved pill I can take is Pepcid AC, which seemed to work great until last night. I am trying to use it very sparingly, but my heartburn can get so bad I cry. I keep expecting Claire to sort of pitch forward away from my body and free up a little room for my digestive system, but so far, no luck there...

We have started the ultra busy portion of our summer. Tonight we're going to a surprise retirement party for one of our former Beeson professors (and my best friend's aunt). Tomorrow we're having some close friends come to dinner. And then it's seriously off to the races. I've got business meetings in Birmingham next week, we go to the beach for Mother's Day weekend, I have a doctor's appointment the next week, and the week after that we're going to the family reunion in Jackson. The last week of May is a reprieve from activity, but then I have my high school 10-year reunion and a baby shower. So life is speeding up, which should make these last 16 and a half weeks fly by.

For those who've wondered, I am still waiting to have a professional preggie pic made with Geoff. I keep going, well, we're going to look more pregnant in another couple of weeks, but I don't want to stretch it to the point that I'm all swollen in the face and everwhere else. So if anyone has any advice on when to do this, I'm open. I was thinking of having the photo made between our beach trip and Mamaw's party, when I've hopefully got that sun-kissed look, but we'll see how the belly's looking at that point, since it's the most important part of a preggie pic.

In other news, we had a lovely weekend last weekend with my sister and her family visting for the Auburn City Fest, but I didn't get any pictures. Jason did, so hopefully they will post those somewhere and/or send me some and I'll see if I can post a bit about it too. Gini was sure she'd worn Geoff and I out completely, but we had such a good time, and seriously, carrying around another 6 or 8 pounds wears me out already. (By the way, I'm sticking to my guns and not getting on a scale, so I'm not sure what I've gained. Last doctor's check two weeks ago I had gained 6 lbs, bringing my total up to -4, but I think I may have made up at least another pound a week since then).

Well, I've got to run get started on the mayhem that is life. Enjoy the pic!