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One week update

Well, it's been 8 days since Chase was born. I can't believe it has been that long! Wow! It seems like I was just in the hospital yesterday.

We're managing to start getting everything figured out. I'm having to learn the routine for certain things. Like when we change a diaper or I feed him it works best if you have all the things you need on hand and don't have to keep getting up to get this or that. It's no good to find yourself without a burp rag! Yuck! But now that I have those things worked out every is going great.

For the first week Chase slept in a bouncy sling chair sitting at the end of our bed (don't worry we have a foot board) and then last night was the first night he slept in his crib. And last night was the best night we have had so far. I really like it with him not in our room. I don't want that to sound mean but he just makes noises the whole time he is asleep and I'm aware of just about every one of them. Plus I think he sleeps better in there too....although I only have 5 other nights to compare it to.

It was really fun having all our family here. They all just love Chase so much and some of them (Amy and Leah) actually fight over who gets to hold him. :) Everyone was cleared out by Sunday and Preston went back to work yesterday. I have handled being left alone a lot better than I thought I would. I think it is because I know that my mom is coming back this weekend to stay for several days while Preston is on a business trip and Preston's parents are coming shortly after that. These few days with just Preston and I have been a really great thing for us I think...but it will be nice to have a few more hands around again for a few weeks.

Chase is really doing well. He is a very calm baby. Of course I say this at a time in his life where he is really sleeping most of the day away. He did have a lot of awake time yesterday afternoon and evening which was really fun. He just sits back and looks around and takes it all in. Plus I think all that awake time made him sleep really well last night.

We've gotten out and about with him a lot more than I thought we would. We went to church on Sunday, to the VBS play on Monday, ran some errands over the weekend, went out to eat, and have taken a few walks in the neighborhood. I get stir crazy if I stay around here too long!

Oh, here's a link to find Chase's picture on the Mercy Hospital website. Scroll down to the July 12th babies. It's a pretty good picture. He looks like he is smiling. And there is proof that he has dimples like his daddy! Click here...

Right now I'm laying in the middle of our bed with the lap top in my lap, a dog asleep on one side of me and a baby asleep on the other. It would probably make a pretty cute picture. :) Speaking of pictures, here is one of Chase today. (Forgive me if I don't include a belly picture...it's not so exciting any more...in fact, it's pretty much the opposite of exciting. :)

We're Home!

Meet Chase Michael Watterson!

There are more pictures here...

Well, we're back home! :) It's been an awesome 2 days. Chase is such a miracle. I just can't explain how it feels to look at him and think that he is ours. He grew from the size of a dot that you could hardly even see to a whopping 8 pounds, 14 ounces in only 9 short months...WOW! Every little part of him is so intricate...from his little eyelashes to his tiny toes. I just don't see how anyone could look at him and not think that God made him through and through. He is so great. :)

We got home today, July 14th at around noon. It's been a good first day at home. So far Chase has been very calm and even tempered. Now I know that's doesn't mean much for the days, weeks, years to come...but I'm keeping my fingers crossed! He mostly eats and sleeps right now. Though, he has had a few hours of good awake time. He is eating great and has since the first time I fed him. He really likes to be swaddled up really tight...like a cute little burrito. :) He also loves his pacifier. It works like a charm. When he's awake he mostly just looks around. His eyes will follow to where noise is and also to where the light is...like out the window or something. Lucy seems to like him and hasn't caused any problems at all so far. I'm very anxious to see how tonight goes...we've let him stay in the hospital nursery both nights so far. We'll see!

Here's our birth story if you're interested:
Like I've told several people...it wasn't anywhere even remotely near as bad as I thought it would be. I think I just had an unrealistic view of it in my head. As mentioned before, my contractions started at 3:00 a.m. and then we headed to the hospital around 5:45 or so. By the time we got up to a room it was after 6:00. From probably 5:00 - 6:00 my contractions got much more intense and much closer together. I was already dilated to between a 6 and 7 by the time I was in my room so I asked for the epidural immediately. At 6:30 they said that the anesthesiologist would be in in about 30 minutes. I said that was fine...I knew I could make it...but then he didn't show up after an hour. I started getting mad. Finally another anesthesiologist came up and gave it to me. Even knowing the size of the needle...I didn't care. It was sooooo worth it. Actually it didn't really hurt that much...the worst part of that was the scrub they use to clean your back off. Anyway, it was in and working in no time. My mood changed completely...Preston and I took some video, called several people, chatted about Chase, etc. Seriously...you go from feeling all this pain to none at all. I highly recommend it (not just b/c of the pain factor, but because Preston and I really got to enjoy it and have it be a positive experience). I was there only 3 hours and the nurse came in and said, "So are you ready to start pushing?" I was like, "What! Already?"...I felt like we had just gotten there...I thought I would have more time to mentally prepare. But Chase was ready to come...or so we thought. I ended up pushing for over 2 hours. But you know what...it really did go by sooo fast. I couldn't believe it was that long. Unfortunately halfway through the pushing my epidural wore off....and since I hadn't been building up to those intense contractions, I couldn't get in control of my breathing and I felt like I was starting to hyperventilate. Preston helped me through it though and the anesthesiologist came back and helped me get comfortable again. About the time I was really doing good again something else happened. I didn't know what was going on but someone came and threw oxygen on me and all the nurses and doctors got all frantic and moved around really fast. In no time they had on all their delivery gear and I heard the doctor on the phone saying she needed someone in our room stat. I don't remember who she asked for but I figured if they ever use the word "stat"...it means emergency! I asked Preston what was going on and he said that Chase's heart rate had dropped in half. So then the doctor was standing there forceps in hand, telling me to push. She was seriously standing back pulling him with all her might! Chase was born only a few minutes later. Turns out he had the cord around his neck. But once he was out she slapped around on him and cleared out his throat and he was just fine. Chase was then laid down on my belly so we could look at him and I immediately forgot any pain I had just gone through. It was the absolutely coolest thing ever...seeing him for the first time! :)

WE'RE ON OUR WAY!

The day is finally here....we're on our way! I can't wait to hold him! I'll post his picture as soon as I can...probably once we get back home. :)

For a picture of what I look like now, check out the previous blog entry. It was taken only a few hours ago.

While I was sitting around waiting earlier, I got on the computer and wrote this...if you're interested:

Well...I think I'm in labor! It's 3:55 a.m. on Tuesday, July 12th. If I am in labor, I'll post this...if I'm not, you'll never see it. :) I'm excited and terrified all at the same time. I've, of course, never been in labor before but all the painful contractions better not be for nothing. They are about 7 or 8 minutes apart right now. I woke Preston up a little while ago and now I'm in the process of timing contractions waiting for them to be 5 minutes apart. I got bored so I decided to pick up the lap top. I know some of you are probably thinking I'm a nerd...but hey, you're interested enough to read it. Plus it gives me something to do while I sit here in the wee hours of the morning watching "The Fresh Prince" reruns. (Wow...just had another contraction...pretty intense...but then when it's over I completely feel normal.) So several hours ago Preston and I settled down for our "slumber party" in the living room. We watched a movie and I noticed that I was having contractions every 10 or 12 minutes...but then I went to sleep and stopped keeping track. At about 2:15 I woke up abruptly to a really painful contraction. I realized really quickly that every contraction that I had had before now was a Braxton Hicks. So of course I was wide awake waiting to see if it would happen again. It did...and then after a couple more I woke Preston up. I said, "I think we're going to have a baby today." He woke right up and said "Really!?...Yay!" So that's what's going on now. I'm sitting here on the couch with the computer and Preston is now in and out of sleep on his air mattress. Lucy is sleeping cluelessly right beside me. More later....

The Due Date

Today is that magical day that Preston and I and our families have been looking to for the past 9 months. July 11th. I recall sitting in the doctor's office scared out of my mind (I'm having a baby?....it's going to come out of where?) many months ago and having her tell me that the due date would be the 11th of July. It seems like so long ago. But that day has finally arrived. So what am I doing on this "glorious" day? Not much...I'm sure not having a baby, I can tell you that. It hasn't been a bad day though. I'm just one of the lucky ones that get to go past the due date. (I should be more optimistic...the day is not over...it could still be today.) Today I decided to go to the gym...yes, the gym. I worked out on the ellipsis machine (a low-impact cardio machine) in hopes of working that baby out...it was actually more comfortable than walking so I may do it again tomorrow. Then I swam in the pool for about an hour. It was fun until swimming lessons started and then it got REALLY loud! Then I drove around to a few stores and found some raspberry leaf tea to drink (suppose to help start labor) and came home and rubbed my feet and ankles (also suppose to help start labor). One of my friends just told me to try eating grapes...I've never heard that one before but hey, why not? Now I'm at home waiting for my hubby to get here. I'll probably make him go on yet another walk with me (also suppose to help start labor). He's such a trooper!

Here's what I look like today at exactly 40 weeks. Pretty stinkin' large! :)

The day it could have been...

Well, it's 8:15 p.m. on Saturday the 9th. Chase would probably be here right now if we would have gone ahead with the induction. But he's still tucked in safely right here between me and the key board. But you know what...that's OK. I have a lot of peace about waiting a little longer. I think it was the right thing to do. The night before last (Thursday night) was the best night's sleep I've had in months...and it was followed by a really good day. I had lunch, went to the puppy park, and went swimming with friends. And then Preston and I went to dinner and then to the movies with more friends. I was happy and content all day which made me believe even more that everything was as it should be.

Oh, and about swimming...so I think my bathing suit shrunk. Oh wait...no...I just keep growing exponentially. Seriously, I wore it on the 3rd and it covered up my belly much better then than it did yesterday at the pool. Haha. I'm down to 4 shirts that still fit and 2 tank tops....so if you see me wearing the same thing all the time...that's why.

Today has been a good day also. Preston and I have done a lot around the house and just hung out together. We've rented a movie for tonight so we'll continue with the slumber party in the living room as we have been for the past several nights. Preston has actually ditched the couch and gotten out the air mattress. :) That's probably where we'll sleep until Chase is here.

Come on Chase...we're ready to see you...

Another Update

So Preston and I decided to cancel our induction on Saturday. It's been a pretty emotional and, quite frankly, depressing day for me. I was very torn about it after we talked it over last night. I had come to a place where I could actually see the end in sight and knew that I would be holding my son really soon but now I'm back to feeling like it will just never happen. I felt a little better after crying like a baby to my mom though. But even through all the hormonal emotions I don't regret the decision...I think we did the right thing. Thanks to all of our parents and siblings for being so understanding at the last minute even after you had made plans and even bought plane tickets to be here in the next couple of days. We're just going to wait it out and let Chase decide when he wants to come (that is unless he's over a week overdue at which our doctor strongly suggests that we induce at that point). So we'll see how it goes. Another reason for my foul mood today was that I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep. I had pretty strong contractions from then until about 10:00. They were about 15 to 20 minutes apart that entire time....then they just went away. As you know I've had Braxton Hicks contractions like forever but I really thought that this might be it. Imagine my disappointment. The rest of the day has been just the usual contraction every hour or so. Tomorrow is a new day though. Maybe I'll go mall walking again and treat myself to a cookie...or two. :)

Quick Update

Went to the doctor today. Once again there was absolutely no change...well except for the fact that I gained another 2 pounds. I thought weight gain was suppose to slow, stop, or drop at the very end. Apparently not for me. I'll say that one of the pounds was the normal "one pound a week" and the other is from being a little swollen (or at least that's what I'm going to tell myself even though I've been eating like a stinkin' hog lately. :) Everything looks good with the baby. Still head down. I feel like he's dropped a little more though I can't tell by looking in the mirror...just by the way I feel. I slept on the couch last night and it seemed to be better. I might do that again tonight. Preston was a sweetie and slept on the other couch to keep me company. :) I've enjoyed having the week off. I've walked a lot...in the mall, with Lucy in the neighborhood, and with Preston at the park last night. I've also managed to get some of my home business done and caught up on reading. So that's good. Our families will be getting here Friday and Saturday for the big event! Three more days...I can handle it. :)

39 Weeks - Happy 4th of July!

The count-down continues! Five days or less! I'm still shooting for less, though I think I just need to come to grips with the fact that it's probably going to be on Saturday. I kind of think having a 4th of July baby might be cool....but I'm not going to hold my breath. This is the last belly picture that I will post on a Monday like I have been doing throughout the whole pregnancy...next time it will be from right before we go to the hospital!

I actually feel pretty good today. Saturday night was really bad. I know every time I say I've had a bad night I think it's the worst I've ever had but I'll say it again...it was the worst I've ever had. But last night was much better. I only woke up in pain from Chase's feet up on my rib cage once. Not bad. My feet are a little swollen these days...this picture was taken last night...it's not so bad today.

Mom and Leah came to visit from Thursday to Friday. We had a good time. We did some shopping for Chase and ate a lot and laughed at Leah's swollen jaw (from wisdom teeth being removed). They didn't get to stay very long b/c they were hosting the Willis family reunion in Emory. Obviously Preston and I didn't get to go. We did have a big party at some friend's house yesterday to celebrate Independence Day. They live on a few acres outside of the city limits so we got to shoot our own fire works. There was a pool, softball, ping pong, lots of food, etc. Tonight we are going to watch the UCO fireworks. Should be fun.

Today I've already taken Lucy for a walk and I think I might go mall walk a little (it's too hot outside) while Preston is playing golf this afternoon. Maybe I'll find a great 4th of July sale and buy myself something fun to wear later this summer...or even better, maybe I'll walk this baby out! :)

Here's a picture that mom took in our back yard. Thought it was pretty funny. :)

Doctor Appointment Yesterday - Nothing Exciting

So there was no progress to report from the doctor's appointment yesterday. It was kind of disappointing. My doctor walked into the room yesterday and said, "Sara, why haven't you had this baby yet?" I just wanted to cry! I don't know! I wish I never would have known that there was any progress at all...that way I would still just be looking to the 11th! I had gained another pound in the last week making the total 26 pounds. That's about all the new news I have to report.

Yesterday I had a going away party at work. It was bitter sweet. On one hand I'm excited about being a stay-at-home mom and freelance web designer but on the other hand I really love this job. I've started wondering if I've done the right thing. Maybe I'm just emotional about not seeing my friends here all the time. I'm sure it will all work out for the best. Today is my last day...the new girl has taken over my office and my computer so I'm actually sitting at a lady's desk that is not here today...and I have nothing to do b/c she is doing all the work. Boredom probably isn't helping my mood much.

But mom and Leah are coming to visit today! That will be fun! Mom says she wants to see her daughter 9 months pregnant even though she'll be back really soon when Chase finally decides to come into this world. We haven't seen each other in a month or so. As you can see from the pictures below, I've grown a lot in the last month! Leah just got her wisdom teeth out on Monday. I'll resist putting her picture that they emailed me on the blog since she might kill me...it's REALLY funny though! She looks like a chipmunk!

38 Weeks

My due date is two weeks from today!....but please, please can't I have him before then!?! I'm soooo ready. I can't wait to see him! (Not to mention I'm pretty stinkin' uncomfortable a lot of the time.) I have a new ache to complain about. My rib cage is really sore...I'm guessing it's the pressure of the baby pushing up on it and probably actually spreading it out a little. Sound painful? Well, it is...at least while I'm laying down on my side which is the way I used to sleep the best. Oh well, I'll get over it. Not long 'til it's over. Did I mention that I'm scheduled to be induced on the 9th? I wasn't sure that I wanted to do that but my doctor suggested it and at this point I feel like, if I haven't had him by then, I won't regret it. So actually it's not 2 weeks from today it's 1 week and 5 days from today! My doctor didn't seem to think that I would make it all the way to the 9th but I'm not so sure. I've reached a point where I can't imagine it happening...I feel like it will never happen and I'll be pregnant forever. On a better note, Preston and I have had the opportunity to spend lots of time together the last week or so...it's been really nice and I think we will always look back on it and be glad we had this time. We've taken LOTS of walks together (hoping to walk the baby out but it hasn't worked yet), gone to dinner, cooked dinner in, rented movies, etc. We also went to the second half of our birthing class on Saturday. It was good. Very informative and we watched the dreaded "birth video." It wasn't so bad. Preston was actually more concerned with the size of the epidural needle than anything! I chose not to go look at it.

Here's a picture of Chase's daddy playing softball. :)

So Wednesday Was Weird

So at our young marrieds class at church on Wednesday night we were doing announcements and one couple announced that they are having a baby. After some excitement from the crowd another girl behind me said "so are we." Wow! After even more excitement from the crowd, another couple said "well, we weren't going to tell yet but how could be not...So are we!" Double Wow...or should I say triple Wow! It was a big night. Congrats to the Owens, Powers, and Fosters! I will gladly let any one of them take my place in the pregnant club...I've had my fill...now if this baby would just decide to come out that would be great.

Oh, and not to mention, that this was the exact same day that the Cains had their baby. Congrats to the Cains also!

Another Doctor Appointment

So we went to the doctor again today and now I'm 4 cm and still 70% effaced. Man...why the heck haven't I had this baby yet? I asked her if she thought I would go another 3 weeks to my due date and she said probably not. That's promising! Only now I'll be even more on edge thinking that every little thing means I'm in labor! Oh well. I gained 1 pound in the last week putting me at 25 pounds total.

Time seems to have slowed down. My whole pregnancy has gone really fast up until the last couple of weeks....seriously....is it really only June 22nd?

I went to the gym and swam on Monday with Preston. It felt great! I felt so light. :) I'm sooooo done with the classes...I thought I might go on Tuesday but when the time came around I decided that the couch sounded much better!

My bags are packed...the car seat is in the car...I'm ready to get this show on the road!

Full Term Today!

Well...here I sit at 37 weeks. Anxiously awaiting the big day. I wish I didn't know that the pre-labor process has already begun. The doctor said it could be any day...or still in a few more weeks. With that knowledge I feel like a time bomb about to go off...with every little ache or pain or Braxton Hicks contraction I'm on alert. But I'm sure I'm not the first woman to feel that way. I'm just soooo ready. The sleeping has gotten bad again, I'm much more tired during the day, and he's dropped a little so walking and stuff aren't as easy as it used to be....not to mention it makes me have to use the restroom like every second! Wow...I just did a lot of complaining in the last few sentences! haha :) The good thing is though, that I don't feel sick or anything. I feel pretty good pretty much all the time that I'm not trying to sleep. I even have plans to go to the gym and swim tonight (I may be about done with my classes...we'll see how I feel tomorrow).

Lucy (our dog) has been more "needy" lately. It's kind of weird...like she "knows." She follows me around more than usual and wants me to hold her all the time. I'm really hoping that this transition doesn't leave her hating me. I've heard that you should ignore your dog for a few weeks before the baby comes home and then give them attention and treats with the baby is around. The dog will then associate the baby with good things. Ignoring her will just KILL me! I should start that soon though...I'm going to at least give it a try.

Preston and I had a great weekend. We had our Sunday school class over on Friday night and 30+ people showed up! Wow! It was fun. Saturday we just hung out together after Preston's golf tourn. that morning.

Oh, and we bought Chase's going home outfit! Very cute! Can't wait to see him in it....hopefully sooner than later!

Friend Update

1) The Hejl's are having a boy! Woo-Hoo! Cooper and Chase are totally going to be roommates at ACU. ;) (That's right Preston...ACU.)

2) The Luster's just announced that they are having a baby! Congratulations guys! Produce a girl and the Hejl and Watterson boys will fight over her!

Doctor Appointment

WARNING: This may be more than you want to know. If so, stop reading and read someone else's blog.

We have progress! Three centimeters dilated and 70% effaced! I understand that this may mean absolutely nothing as far as delivering early goes but it was pretty exciting to hear that things are starting to move along. He is in a head down position and she guessed that he is around 5 1/2 to 6 pounds right now. She said that it could be any time or it could still be a few weeks off. Good thing my bags are packed...just in case. I know, I know, don't get your hopes up Sara. I have gained 4 pounds in the last 3 weeks putting me at 24 pounds total.

36 Weeks

4 weeks and counting!

I'm huge. Preston is skinny. It's not fair. :) j/k
Seriously, I'm doing really well. I feel good and have even been sleeping OK aside from the fact that I got up 5 times last night to use the restroom. That's right...5.

So over the last week Preston and I have been educated in such fun things as breast feeding, baby care, and birthing. Preston learned how to change a diaper...we learned how to bathe an infant that still has a belly button stump...we learned breathing techniques...and we both even got massages from each other! One class was on Tuesday evening, one on Wednesday evening, and the first half of our birthing class was Saturday (we go to the second half next Saturday). The Saturday class was supposed to be from 9-4 but we got out at 1:00. Not too bad. I would recommend the Saturday classes over the 6 week-night classes any day....keeping in mind that I have never done the week night ones. It has all been informative and we're glad we're doing it.

I think I'm starting to have a little of the "nesting instinct". I run around our house picking things up, cleaning, doing stuff to Chase's room, making lists of what needs to be done before baby, etc. But I haven't really had the "burst of energy" that you hear about...I just feel like a busy body for a while and then I crash.

Last night Preston and I played around with our new video camera! It's really cool. This kid is going to have a well documented life...with his high tech parents and all. (Note to grandparents: this camera will make it easy for us to burn DVDs and send them to you!)

I'm really ready. I'm ready to hold him and see what he looks like and see what kind of baby he is going to be. :) Oh, and I'm also ready for him to stop taking up more and more space in my belly....

Only One Month Away...

So mom just called to remind me that my due date is exactly one month away from today! Ahhhhh! Crazy!

35 Weeks

Well, we had another fun weekend! We had a full house from Thursday to Saturday. Preston's mom, dad, and sister were here as well as my mom and sister. It was really fun. On Friday night we cooked in and got to use our new table and then played games for a few hours (No, I didn't win). But the most fun thing we did was go to my baby shower on Saturday. It was really a great shower! I have AWESOME friends! Chase got lots of fun things including a stroller and car seat....(now they'll let us take him home from the hospital!) Here are some pictures (1. the Friends game 2. hostesses 3. the pregnant ladies 4. Edmond C of C gals 5. moms and sisters):

Believe it or not I have actually slept a little better the past few nights so that's good. I'm hoping that trend will continue. Don't get me wrong...I'm not sleeping "good"...just better than I was. I still feel great during the day. By bedtime I'm pretty much exhausted and worn out though. I was able to take a nice long nap yesterday (Sunday) so I could recuperate from the exciting weekend.

Oh, and we bought a video camera so we can record every second of this kid's life and burn it to a DVD for our parents! :)

I had a great weekend but there was a little part of me that was sad that I couldn't be in Austin with the Hejls and the Ocheskys. They got together for a couple of days of cruising around and skiing on the lake. :( Sadness. But don't worry they called me twice over the weekend to rub it in! You guys need to come to OKC next!!!

Update

So I walked into work today and one of my coworkers said "Well, you've got the walk." I knew exactly what she was talking about. Especially the last few days I can tell I'm pushing my shoulders back (mostly to keep from falling forward) and sticking my belly out and....well...waddling. Great. On a more fun note we got a few more things done on the baby room (pictured). Curtains and flags.

We also got a new dining room table! Very exciting. We've lived here 2 1/2 years and our dining room has been empty the entire time. Not any more! It's square and it's one of the new taller ones. The chairs aren't quite as tall as bar stools but almost. We love it! Now we need a center piece. The spending cycle never ends....

D-day = 39 days

34 Weeks

Preston and I had a great Memorial Day weekend in Emory. We went to my sister, Leah's, graduation on Friday and then just hung out the rest of the weekend. Preston and dad helped Amy (my other sister) move. She also recently graduated and got a new job. Congrats to both of them! We went to a local theater to hear blue grass music, went to the movies, went to church at the Point Church of Christ's new building, etc. It was fun. Wendi (Preston's sister) and her fiance' Wade called us both over the weekend and asked us to be in their wedding. We are both very honored and super excited that we both get to share in their special day!

Preston and I realized while we were there that we would have a baby next time we visited. Kind of weird. And when we left and said our good byes I realized that the next time I see my dad or Amy at all we would be parents. Crazy! Preston and I are done traveling until Chase is here. It's probably not a good idea any more just in case he decides to come early. I also read that you should pack your bags when you have 6 weeks left incase of an early delivery. Maybe I'll at least get that started soon...it's 6 weeks from yesterday you know!

Mom and Leah and maybe my grandmother are coming this weekend for my baby shower. Preston's whole family is coming too. It will be really fun.

I've had some REALLY bad nights sleep. I feel great during the day but I almost dread the night time. Last night was actually OK compared to the previous week. Hopefully tonight will be the same. Other than that everything has been really great and normal. I'm feeling really huge but, take a look at this picture...that's because I am!

A few people have asked me if I'm still working out. Yes I am. I still go to step, circuit, and kick boxing. I have modified my workout gradually throughout my pregnancy. I use the lowest step possible now and sometimes just kick at the air in kick boxing instead of kicking the actual bag. I just do my own thing while the rest of the class does something that is particularly bouncy like jump rope or jumping jacks. I also skipped out on one of my classes last week and went to the pool at the gym instead. That was really nice and I may do that more over the next 6 weeks. Plus Preston will go to the pool with me...although last week I had to prove to him that I would not, in fact, sink straight to the bottom. I reminded him that "My belly is not made of lead you know!"

Doctor Appointment

So the doctor appointment yesterday went well. I told her about the "incident" on Friday and she didn't seem overly concerned. She said that eating a lot of salty food (aka Mexican food) but not drinking a lot of water with it can cause contractions to start. She said she would have recommended the same thing that the doctor on-call did (water, shower, change positions, etc.). Keep that in mind, all of you other pregnant ones! I had only gained 1 pound this week putting me right at 20 pounds total. Chase's heart rate was at 146...perfectly normal.

33 Weeks

We got the crib! Yay! Finally. Preston and I had a very good and productive weekend both on Chase's room as well as the rest of the house. We did lots of much needed yard work and cleaning and assembling of furniture. OK so Preston did most of the furniture stuff...but I helped! I'm worn out but it feels good to have things coming together like they are. I know a lot of the people who look at this blog have already seen the room but there are some pictures below for the rest of you. There are still a few things to be done: mattress, curtains, stuff for the wall, etc. We also got the high chair put together and it is sitting patiently in the kitchen waiting to be used. It has a while until this kid can actually sit up and use it. :)

I helped hostess a shower for a friend from church at my house on Sunday. Below is a picture of all of the girls in my Sunday school class that are due in July. And there are even 2 more who are due later in the fall! Wow...that's a lot of babies!

So I'm starting to out grow a lot of my maternity shirts. It's kind of frustrating. I had a hard time finding a shirt to wear this morning that my belly wouldn't hang out of. And even the one I ended up wearing I had to keep pulling down all day. They all fit fine up top but I need a little more length. So I took that to mean that I needed to go shopping. I bought three shirts (all on sale) at Old Navy. I haven't told Preston yet...he'll have to read the blog to learn of this news!

On a more serious note...let me tell you what happened on Friday. Preston and I went to dinner with the Curtis' and then when back to their house to get caught up on a couple of our TV shows that we are all obsessed with (Lost and 24...and by the way 24's season finale is tonight! woo-hoo!). So on our way to their house I noticed that I was having more Braxton Hicks contractions than usual. Keep in mind that I have them all the time...probably 10 or so a day since about 20 weeks. I didn't think much of it until we got to their house and I decided to start timing them. At this point I still hadn't told anyone about it. I soon realized that I was having them every 5 minutes on the minute. After an hour I thought maybe I should change positions and see if that made a difference. I laid down on the floor and for the next hour I had them every 10 minutes. When Preston and I got in the car to go home I told him about it and we decided to call the doctor. I was a little anxious by now. Preston was so great though...he kept reminding me that there was no need to panic and that would probably only make things worse. I only got to talk to the doctor on-call and he said to go home and take a warm shower and drink plenty of fluids and lie down and if it didn't go away I should go up to the hospital. It was surprising to me that he was so calm about it....but I'm sure they get calls like that all the time...and plus I'm far enough along that there is no real emergency. I did what he said and sure enough, the contractions went away and I fell asleep for the night and have been normal ever since. Kinda weird though. It made me realize that I'm not quite ready yet...I need another month to prepare myself! I just kept thinking "but I don't have a car seat yet...or a going home outfit...and I'm not even packed...and, oh my gosh, I'm going to have to take care of a whole other person!"

32 Weeks (+ 2 days)

Well, I'm a little late on my weekly update. But I have a good excuse...Preston and I have been in New York City! It was soooo fun. I love that city. We got to see all the touristy things, eat lots of good food, and shop a little too. We saw a Broadway show, went to Central Park, went to the top of the Empire State Building, walked around Greenwich Village, hung out in Time Square, saw the Statue of Liberty, etc. We even took a double-decker bus tour of the city....which was great because I didn't have to walk around so much. I actually did really well most of the time as far as all the walking goes. It wasn't nearly as big a deal as I thought it would be. I'm never glad to be back from vacation...still not. (Pictures: One is of me and Chase in Central Park...the other is of us in Rockefeller Center. To see more pics of our trip click on the top banner and then pictures.)

Today was really cool when some of the ladies at work had a luncheon for me with a few baby presents. Chase got some clothes, decor stuff, a high chair, etc. It was really awesome of my work friends to do that for me. :)

How I'm feeling: Really good during the day...pretty lousy at night. Sleeping is getting more and more uncomfortable. As I lay there my body gets stiff and it is actually painful in my joints to roll over or get out of bed. Other than that, everything is great.

Baby Room Update: Officially painted! YAY! (Tape is still up...but you get the idea.)

31 Weeks

Well, I had a great time in Emory this past weekend. I had a shower, it was mother's day, and it was Founder's day. (If you're not from a small town you may not know what a founder's day is or what it entails...but there was much eating and festivities and lots of small town folks having a good time.) I celebrated mother's day with my mom, my sisters and my great aunt (who is our "adopted grandmother") and I even got a few of my first mother's day cards myself. It was pretty fun. Preston was off taking a cross-Texas road trip to see his family in Abilene where Wendi & Wade (his sister and almost brother-in-law) graduated and then he went to a friend's wedding reception in Houston. Lots of driving for the daddy-to-be.

The shower was absolutely wonderful. I had so much fun. It was outside at Amber and Sherry Zirges' house (you'll find a link to their business on the links page of the main website). It was a gorgeous day. Chase got lots of fun things including: clothes, diapers, a toy box, toys, bath stuff, hangers, etc. The food was great and I'm sure I ate WAY too much. Shocker. It was really fun to see some of my high school buddies and their moms as well as family and church friends. Here are a few pictures and there are more on the picture page (click the top banner of this page to go back to the main site). This week's belly picture was taken with Dana Little (20 weeks)! :)

How I'm feeling: Still really good! There are a few new symptoms that I could live without but other than that I'm doing great. For example I was in Emory from Thursday to Sunday and the first 2 nights were just fine...the third night I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and my back was absolutely killing me...it was just in knots. So I finally just got up and then it didn't hurt the rest of the day. Nights in general are getting worse little by little. I get up to go to the bathroom anywhere from 1 to 3 times a night....I also wake up uncomfortable several times and have to change positions...but there are only 2 positions that are good....one side or the other. I can't wait to be able to sleep on my back again! Also, after sitting for long periods of time my body gets soooo stiff...especially my hip joints. Now this whole paragraph makes it sound like I'm miserable...but really, I'm not. This stuff is just every once in a while...not all the time! :)

Still no crib. I'm about to call those jerks who have had my money for over 2 months now and let them know how irritated I am!

Preston and I have a vacation coming up soon! I'm getting really excited! Our last hoop-la before baby.

D-day: 2 months from Wednesday...

Doctor Appointment

The Doctor's appointment went well. We heard the heartbeat which was 150 bpm. and then talked a little about what I can expect at delivery, etc. She wanted to know if I was planning on having an epidural. I said yes and then asked her if she was going to try and talk me out of it. She said "heck no...there's no prize for the woman who labors through without it." Good enough for me! Oh and I've gained 19 pounds so far. I'm not staying on the 1 pound a week thing very well....but I guess I started a little behind since there was a month that I didn't gain any...or at least that's what I'll keep telling myself. :)

67 days to go (give or take)!

30 Weeks

30 weeks? Can that possibly be right? Wow!

Things are going really well. I'm feeling great. We worked on painting a little more this weekend. I know I said that I would be done by now but...well...it took a heck of a lot longer than I ever thought it would to put stripes on the wall. It really looks great though. We'll be glad we did it if we ever get done....but believe me, we won't do stripes again. I only got two walls of stripes done, and actually it's only the top third of 2 walls. (In the picture below...the wall with the dark blue lines is just tape...the other one is how it will look.)

I don't have much else to report just now. I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday (which is also our 3 year anniversary!) so I'll write more later. I'm about to go watch Preston play volleyball...it's the end of season tournament. Wish him luck!

Registering and Painting

Registering for Baby = Not as Fun as Registering for Wedding

Registering for Baby = More Fun than Painting

No seriously, registering was fun. But let me warn all you parents-to-be who haven't registered yet...you walk in (and we even started small...Target) and the first thing you feel is completely dumb. I mean...I've never had a baby...I don't know what we need. And if I don't know, then Preston sure as heck doesn't know. I even printed off a list from online (half of which I didn't even know what the items were). I mean, what the heck is a splat mat or a hand holder or a pilucho? Last night we were at Babies R Us and we walked down the soap/shampoo/bath aisle and realized that there isn't just baby oil (by the way, I don't really know what that is used for either besides tanning) there is baby oil lotion, baby oil spray, baby oil cream, etc. We didn't register for any...but still... We had a great time registering for big items like a stroller, car seat, play yard, high chair. Preston really liked the "Jeep" brand items...for obvious reasons...he drives one. All high chairs are ugly. We registered for the wooden one because it looked the least stupid...and that's what I had once upon a time.

The room is coming along. I got the top portion painted today. It looks really good if I might say so myself. :) Hopefully by Monday the job of painting will be over! Yay! (Oh, and a few people had asked me how many coats I thought it would take to cover the red...I only rolled it once and then did a few touch ups with a brush...not bad considering it took 3 coats of red and it really needed one more.)

29 Weeks

I can't believe how close to the due date that I'm getting! Wow! It's been a great first week in the 3rd trimester. I still feel really good and don't have much to complain about. Knock on wood. I had an awesome weekend in Dallas with a few of my ACU girl friends. We hung out, went to the movies, shopped, got pedicures, ate, etc. Actually our whole weekend was planned around eating...which is exactly what you would expect from 5 girls...shocker! All that eating may be partly to blame for why I look so absolutely huge in this picture. :) I also went to a shower for my cousin on Saturday. It was fun to see her and lots of other family members. One thing is for sure when you get around family...they are not afraid to put their hands all over your belly! I don't mind though...I kinda like the attention. I realize that once Chase is born I will cease to exist. I got a picture with another one of my cousins who is due around the same time as me...that was fun. But it wasn't on my camera, which is why it is not on here. In other news, my friend Dana just found out that she is having a girl! Congrats Dana! Oh, and also I just found out that I'm having a shower in Emory in a few weeks! Fun! I guess Preston and I need to go register finally! Poor Preston. He has been really busy with school lately. As a matter of fact, he never went to sleep last night because he was working on a paper. He's taking the summer off though so he can be around more for the baby and for me. :)

Third Trimester!

I totally forgot that yesterday marked the first day of my third trimester! And I thought there was nothing to report! That's a big deal. I guess I'm gearing up for the final lap. Time to start feeling really huge! :)

28 Weeks - How about some pictures

I don't really have anything to report this week besides the work we have done on Chase's room. Preston hung the rail in the room (kind of a chair rail...only higher). He did such a good job! It looks totally seamless and he made the corners fit perfectly! Then I painted them white to match the rest of the trim in the room. We also painted the ceiling...it was light gray before and now it's white.

I bought a cute little end table at Target and I'm working on painting it. I got the legs painted green.

Lucy still has no idea about the changes to come! :)

Today's Doctor Appointment

So we went to the doctor today. I have to admit that the glucose testing wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined it. I wasn't suppose to eat anything sweet for 2 hours before the appointment which wasn't too hard since it was at 3:00. When I got there I had to drink the super sweet drink that they use to test your blood sugar. It wasn't nearly as much as I thought it would be and it didn't taste nearly as bad as I thought it would. Don't get me wrong...it wasn't good...just not terrible. I chose the lemon/lime flavor over orange and had it all down in about 1 minute. Then I began the one hour wait.

During that time Preston and I met with the doctor which was pretty much the same as usual. We heard the heart beat and she measured my belly which was all right on track for 27 weeks. I have now gained a total of 15 pounds.

After meeting with her we sat in the waiting room for another 25 minutes or so until it was time to have blood drawn for the testing. I hate having that done. Not really because it hurts but more because I'm a big fat baby. Preston held my hand though and it was over before I knew it.

27 Weeks

I can't believe it's already been another week. Crazy. Time is going way too fast. My due date is exactly 3 months from today. Can you believe that?! Wow!

So I'm a little (or a lot) jealous of our friends Sara and Luke who are on a cruise ship headed somewhere tropical as I type this. Am I bitter? No...well maybe. I'll be over it once they are back and then I can continue to look forward to our New York trip that we are taking next month! I can't wait. I've never been there.

This weekend we worked on Chase's room a little. We didn't get as much done as I had hoped but some progress is better than none. The big ordeal was moving my computer from Chase's room to the guest bedroom/office. There was no cable outlet in that room so we were kind of at a stand still until the cable was moved. Since I work at home so much it's not acceptable for my computer not to be online for even a few days. Preston ran into a few obstacles while doing that but managed to get it all up and running perfectly. Way to go "P". Then on Sunday I painted all the trim, the doors, and the shelves (pictured). All of these things were already white so it doesn't look like I did much in the picture, but before everything was dingy and scratched up and now it looks like new. The next step will be to paint the ceiling I guess. Maybe next weekend...

I'm to the point where I'm starting to feel "big". If I'm not careful I tend to waddle instead of walk. :) But I guess that's all part of it. My belly button is still "in"...mostly. I'm actually really surprised that it hasn't completely popped out yet. I think it's only a matter of time. Still no skin discoloration. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Check out this picture...talk about a huge waist band! haha. I still can't believe this is my body.

Where the heck is the Crib?

So I scrolled down my blog and apparently we ordered the Crib around March 11th. It's now April 8th so I checked online to track the order and they still haven't shipped the stinkin' thing. Are you kidding me?

26 Weeks

Not just a whole lot to report this week. I'm feeling good, Preston's feeling good, and as far as I know Chase is feeling good. Chase has recently, however, decided that it is fun to kick mommy in the ribs. That's the only thing that does not feel good. Last night Preston and I were watching him move and kick around. He seems to be right under the skin now so it's easy to see him moving. I could tell that a foot or some body part was right at the top of my belly so I pushed Preston's hand on it and he could feel what was actually the baby...not just a thump. Then Chase moved it away. So weird!

Oh, and also we got our changing table in the mail and finally bought the target glider (we had to order the matching ottoman online and it's not in yet). Here's a picture of Preston sitting on it with the changing table behind him. (I decided to have him sit in it for the picture because I recently realized that there are no pictures of him on this blog...they're all of me!...plus he's the one who put it together.)

Doctor, Easter, Family, Camping

Well, I hit the 25 week mark today. Wow, time is flying! I can hardly believe it! April is almost here. I'm getting dangerously close to the time when I will have to start thinking about this boy making his way out of my body. ahhhhh. But we're not thinking about that now...

I had a great time with mom and Amy over the past several days. Mom came up on Wednesday and we did some shopping and eating and went to the doctor. We had to wait a very long time for my appointment. I don't know why they were so behind. But the baby and I both got a clean bill of health. We heard the heart beat and mom even cried. :) Apparently I have been having some Braxton Hicks (that means early, random contractions for those of you who don't know) but she said it was normal and I'll probably continue to have them...I just need to let her know if I have more than 4 in an hour. I wasn't really sure what they were when they were happening but I guess I could have made an educated guess. They don't hurt but are more just annoying...when it happens my belly gets really tight a very hard to the touch. It doesn't happen very often so it's no big deal. I had gained 4 1/2 lbs since my appointment 4 weeks ago. That puts me at about 10 lbs total.

On Thursday mom and I drove to Little Rock and visited Amy. She's doing really well and is looking forward to graduating in May. She already has a job lined up so she's really excited about the paycheck too! The three of us shopped a lot for Chase, ate out too much, went to the movies, etc. It was super fun. Amy had bought Chase an adorable pearl snap shirt and a few toys. Mom bought him some clothes and a lullaby CD and I picked out a diaper bag that she bought me for an Easter present. I bought Chase an outfit and a hat. He's going to be a cute and stylish kid! My diaper bag is a navy blue back pack. Except for the words "BabyBag" written on it really small, you would probably just think it was a normal back pack. It's the kind with only one strap that you can carry over one shoulder or diagonally across the front so that it's hanging on your back. Pretty cute.

On Saturday mom and Amy headed to Emory and Preston (along with the Pickers) came and picked me up in Little Rock and the four of us had big plans for camping. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) it was raining very hard most of Saturday and some throughout that night and Sunday. So instead of sleeping in a tent and doing the whole camp fire bit we got a cute little cabin on the lake and watched March Madness and played cards. The good news is that there were beds so I didn't have to be worried about being the uncomfortable whiny pregnant lady in the tent. :) The bad new is...I didn't get to have any smores. We had a fun time.

So did we do anything special for Easter? Not really. No eggs, no basket, no bunny. Next year we'll get into Easter full swing since we'll have a kid to entertain. But we're going to teach him that the bunny, the eggs, the chocolate, and the candy are just secondary to what Easter is all about. I hope you all do the same with your kids. But are we going to "tell a fib" to our son and tell him that the Easter Bunny is real (and Santa and the tooth fairy)? You better believe it.

24 Weeks

So I've got some big news! But it's not about me...Luke and Sara are having a baby!!!! Yay! I'm so happy for them. They are due on October 30th! Our kids will only be about 4 months apart! (See their first picture...)

Also big news: Leah is coming to School at OC!!! Yay! I'm very excited to have her here. We haven't lived in the same town since I was in High School! Plus I'll have a baby sitter!

Enough about them...now back to me! Just kidding. I'm still feeling great these days. Preston and I had a great weekend. We took Lucy to Lake Hefner and went for a walk on the walking trails. Lucy likes to meet and greet all the other dogs we see. Preston and I have become baby watchers. We notice all the other parents with their kids and strollers. We said that later this summer we'll have to go out there again with our baby...if it's not too hot. Have you ever noticed that parents have soooo much gear with them?...especially if they are using their stroller. It's like they have to pack up like they are moving just to go anywhere. Can't wait for that.

These days there is never a day that goes by that I don't get in bed at night and Chase is kicking me. He kicks many times throughout the day but always at night when I'm going to bed. It's really not so bad though. I'll lie on my back and Preston and I will just watch in wonder as my belly jumps around. It's very fascinating!

So I go to the doctor this week. Mom is coming with me which will be really fun. We'll get to listen to the heart beat and such. I'm sure we'll also do some shopping while she is here! Then we are going to see my sister in Little Rock. It should be a fun week!

According to BabyCenter.com my uterus is the size of a soccer ball. I just don't see how it's possible! I mean...a soccer ball is pretty stinkin' big! And there are other organs in there!

Paint for Chase's Room

So I picked out some swatches for Chase's Room (pictured). I think it's going to be really cute! The red and orange are just accent colors and won't be on the wall any where. All of the colors are either in the bedding or are a lighter version of the bedding. I can't wait to make Preston start painting! (I think because of my delicate condition I shouldn't have to help...I mean, right? :)

Chase Michael Watterson

Well here it is! Our son's name! Chase Michael Watterson! We're really excited about it! Preston is the one who originally came up with the name Chase. I believe we were looking through some baby name books and it really caught his eye. This was several weeks ago and we've had it high on our prospect list ever since. We decided on Michael because my dad's name is Mike (and it sounded good with Chase!) My parents wanted to name each one of their children Michael but we all turned out to be girls so that didn't work out too well for them!

Preston and I had a great weekend around here running errands, doing house stuff, and hanging out with friends. We managed to continue the process of clearing out the nursery. We're getting there. Did I mention that the bedding came in the mail! It's really cute. Now I guess the next step is to go pick out paint swatches and get this room painted. I'll let you know what we decide. We also bought a glider from Target on Saturday. But when we went to put it together it was all scratched up. We took it back but they were out so we didn't get to replace it. So then I was mad at Target so we went to look at Babies R Us. But theirs are so much more expensive and didn't have the exact color I wanted so I'm sure we'll suck it up and just go get the one from Target when more come in. Oh but don't even worry about asking if they will hold one for you when they come in...they don't do that...and they don't have any idea when a new one will come in. I usually like Target...but not that day.

I'm feeling great this week. My back hasn't been as achy as it had been the last couple of weeks so that's good. I'm finding that it's getting hard to do some things that require bending at the waist and leaning forward. Last night I was working on a puzzle on the coffee table in the living room and couldn't find a good position to work in. Sitting on the ground wasn't so great...and sitting on the couch leaning over to the table wasn't good at all. But I managed for a while until I got bored with it. (By the way, it's not like I'm nerdy and do puzzles often...I just felt like it this one time...I'm cool...seriously.)

Chase is kicking me right now. I can look down and just see my belly moving around. Wow! It's cool to call him by his name!

Here's a 23 week picture. It's weird for me to look at. I don't feel like I have that much extra weight sticking out the front there. I feel the same most of the time...

Crib!

Well, we ordered the crib! It's really cute. We went out on a limb and ordered it online. Hope it gets here OK and that we like it when it does. I'm sure it will be fine. (Preston, however, is a little more anxious about ordering something that we have never actually seen.) I think it's going to be exactly what we were wanting!

Preston and I went to B & N last night and flipped through some more name books. After coming up with nothing new to add to our list we decided it was time to start narrowing them down. We are down to 2 prospects! We really like them both and may end up using the other one if we have another boy some day. I just can't wait to have a name to type on here instead of always saying "the baby!"

Last night as Preston and I were walking into the gym to workout I noticed that I looked bigger than usual in my tank. I said that I think I'm finally to the stage where there should be no question whether or not I'm pg. Then I walked into my class and a friend was there that we used to go to church with (I usually see her at the gym on Thursdays now). She looked at me kind of funny and said, "you're pregnant!" I confirmed that what she was seeing was in fact a pregnant belly and she said that she had never even noticed before...not even the last time she saw me...which was 2 weeks ago. They always say you get to a point where you "pop." I think I'm there.

Nothing else to report I guess. I'm starving...but that's nothing new. :)

22 Weeks

Well, I've just been sitting here in my office working away and thought I'd give a 22 week update. Lucy and I went for a walk a little while ago and I was thinking...man, this dog's life is about to change too....and she's totally clueless...no idea. :) Lucy likes to sit in my lap and sleep while I work at the computer. I hope I'm still a good dog mom after the baby gets here. Even though I know Lucy won't get as much "lap time." I plan to still take her on walks...I'll just take a stroller and a baby along too. :)

I've been feeling really well. Nothing to complain about. Though, I'm sure I did over eat in Houston this past weekend. Not to worry Dr. Waymen, I'm sure I'm not still behind on the pounds this time. We had a great time visiting the Wattersons. It was very refreshing. Ikea was a bust though. We didn't really find anything that we just loved and even if we would have we couldn't have gotten it because they don't ship. Oh well. I did get a nice little pillow for my back to use while I'm sitting at the computer. On a more exciting note we did order the baby bedding yesterday! The colors are going to be blue and green mostly with a little bit of orange (pictured). We also found a crib online that we think is really cool. We haven't ordered it yet.

The belly is still slowly expanding. Here's the 22 Week picture. Kind of looks the same as last week's. The baby is kicking right now as I type this. It's weird because my belly will get really hard as the baby moves to the front right there under my belly button and I'll kind of poke at it and the baby will kick around (I can feel it the best when he does this) and eventually he'll move back and my belly will be more soft again. So weird!

No other new stuff to report. Still no skin discoloration (including the "dark line"), no stretch marks, no spider veins, and I'm proud to say that I still have an "innie"....but I'm not out of the woods yet...

The Good and the Bad

Good:
Last night was the first time that someone that didn't already know I was pregnant asked me when my baby was due! I was like "Oh, my gosh! Someone noticed!" It was at the gym. I usually wear snug tank tops, and was wondering when people would finally realize that I'm with-child, not getting chubby around the midsection. It's weird with people at the gym. I mean, you see them 3 times a week but most of them you never talk to...there's the occasional "hey" with a smile but not much more. I'm sure, like I'm going to go up to them and say "hey, I'm not getting fat, I'm pregnant...just thought you should know." What the Lady said was actually kind of funny..."I thought you might be pregnant because when you turned to the side I thought to myself, 'she's ususally really skinny'." I was too happy that someone noticed to be offended. :)

Bad:
Growing Pains....I'm really feeling it today. All my hip and low back joints are killing me. I finally gave in and took a Tylenol. I told a lady here at work how I am feeling and she said that it's normal and it just means that my hips are spreading. Great.

21 Weeks

I'm just sitting here at work...I got everything done so I'm killing a little time. Baby Boy Watterson has been doing acrobats in my belly for the last hour! Well, I'm still feeling good! Although I have noticed that if I'm inactive for a while (ie sleeping, watching TV, etc) the muscles in my body, especially around the abdomen, get really stiff. It's like I'm all the sudden getting really old! But then I get up and walk around and it's back to normal. My joints also ache a little more than usual. This is all normal I guess. I read that your joints start relaxing to get ready for birth. According to BabyCenter.com the baby should be "about three-quarters of a pound and approximately 10 1/2 inches long. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed now." It also said that I should feel the baby moving all the time now and that I may eventually realize his sleeping schedule. I've noticed that he's usually awake and kicking about the time I'm ready to go to bed....oh goodie. :) I'm sure this is an early indication that I will never sleep again after he's born!

Here are a few belly pictures. I'm still not looking very pg in maternity shirts (and honestly, I don't really need to wear them yet unless I need something long to cover the beautiful elastic band of maternity pants) but some of my friends told me at church on Sunday that they could actually tell I was showing...I was like "finally!" I still have 3 pairs of regular pants that I can wear...two of them I have to leave unbuttoned...so it won't be long until I have to wear only maternity bottoms. I bought a few new things at Ross on Sunday. Khaki capris, a black and white skirt, and a cute top. I borrowed a lot of stuff from friends but I still needed a few things to wear to work since I can't wear jeans.

This weekend Preston and I are going to Houston to visit the Watterson's. We're really looking forward to it. Thank goodness we're flying! Although, because of airline miles we're not flying together there. Preston is flying straight to Houston and I have a stupid layover in Tennessee. How does that work? He's the one who booked it and gave himself the sweet deal. Whatever. We're also going to look at cribs and other furniture at Ikea. Fun! I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

I just noticed how much more food I keep around here in the office these days. I have never been a snacky person...but apparently I am now. Check this out:

Clearing Out the Nursery

We've had a wonderful Saturday. Its 4:15 and I'm still in my p.j.'s! We slept in and then started to work clearing out the baby room. We have a long way to go but we managed to make a lot of progress. Here's the plan. The Office is going to become the baby room and the guest bedroom is going to become the guest bedroom/office. The biggest challenge was that both closets in our extra rooms were completely full. We moved most of the stuff from the baby room closet to the other closet or our closet, and most of the stuff in the guest bedroom closet to the garage sale pile, the laundry room storage shelves, or the kitchen storage. Needless to say, all of those places needed a complete re-haul to make room. (And in case you were wondering, yes, Preston is obsessed with having a garage sale....maybe you can stop by when we have it later this spring....I plan on playing the pregnancy card to get out of doing too much work for it...we'll see.) We shifted things around the guest bedroom to make room for one of my desks (I had two in an L shape)...the other will be stored but it's still in the baby room now. The chest of drawers got demoted to the closet and now the bed is all the way against the wall. There is much more to do but at least we got the closet and the book shelf cleaned out. It was a productive day.

Preston Felt the Baby Move!

Preston finally felt a little kick a few nights ago...it was very light but I could tell by the reaction on his face that he definitely felt it! He was all smiles. :) (And maybe even a little weirded out. ;)

It's a BOY!

Preston and I found out today that we're having a boy! We couldn't be more excited! It's been a really really fun day.

This morning my alarm went off and I hit the snooze button...but I didn't fall back to sleep. I was too excited. I laid there and thought about the prospect of a boy and of a girl. I wondered how I would react and how Preston would react. You never realize what a big moment this is. I mean we've had lots of friends find out what their baby is and of course we cared but we didn't know the urgency of "I have to know now!" until it was our turn in the hot seat.

I went to work and then met Preston to drive to the doctor's office at 10ish. We talked about how excited and nervous we were. I told Preston that there are very few things that just really make me excited (and if you know me, you know that's true...I'm pretty mellow)...but this was one of them. I asked Preston if he had a preference and he said no. We made last minute bets...he felt like it was a girl and lately I've felt like it was a boy. Obviously I'm better at this game. :)

When we got to the office we had to wait a little longer than I cared to. I drank a Dr. Pepper before I went so that the baby would be awake and so I would have a full bladder and thus better ultrasound pictures. I have been cutting way back on caffeine so with the combination of the DP and the anxiety, I was bouncing off the walls and kinda impatient. I may have gotten on Preston's nerves a little. When we finally got called back we went into the dim ultrasound room where I laid on the table and the nurse sat on one side of me with the computer and Preston on the other side. There was a monitor mounted on the wall just in front of us. After squirting the cold goo on my belly the nurse started rubbing the little monitor thingie around. It was so cool! The baby has grown so much since the last time we had one of these done...and that was only a short 12 weeks ago. Last time he was less than an inch long and today he was 9 1/2 inches long. We got to see the heart beating and his body squirming around. His hands were up around his face. She measured his head, torso, etc. and then asked if we wanted to know the sex. We, of course, said yes and she said very calmly that it was a boy. Preston and I were both very happy and just couldn't believe it....we finally knew. It was crazy that the nurse knew in that short time. I didn't even think she had stopped to take a look at that "area" yet. haha. But sure enough...there "it" was. She let us stay in the room for a little while longer so we could see the baby from all angles. He was really kicking his little legs at one point...it was kind of weird that I couldn't feel all of the kicks...but some I did. I sat there and thought "I could just watch this all day." But then, of course, she had to move on to the next person and we had to leave. Next we met with the doctor. She said that everything was fine...all the measurements, heart rate, and prenatal testing results looked good. However, I did get in a little trouble from the nurse for not gaining any weight in the last three weeks. But my doctor didn't seem too worried about it and assured me that gaining 6 lbs in 20 weeks is still considered in the range of normal.

After leaving the doctor's office I immediately took full advantage of the fact that I "need" to gain a few by eating my weight in pasta and bread sticks at Olive Garden. Preston has been sick with a stomach bug so he only ate like half a bowl of soup and half a bread stick. I'm sure our waiter thought there was something wrong with this picture. We started calling family right away. Everyone was overjoyed! We then went to Old Navy and bought a shorts set and a shirt for our son. The rest of the afternoon was filled with talking with friends and telling them the big news. It's been fun.

I came home and told Lucy that the baby is a boy, but for some odd reason I don't think she got it. :) Tonight we are going to go to Barnes and Noble to look at name books! We're starting from scratch...no ideas whatsoever. (For those of you that are planning to have children in the next few years, we are keeping Ava on reserve...so don't use it!)

It's been a good day. I'm ready to start working on the baby room!

TOMORROW

We find out tomorrow if it's a boy or a girl! I can hardly wait! I feel like we've been waiting FOREVER. 10:30 a.m....and then we're going to Old Navy...baby section!

20 Weeks

Well we had a super fun time in Abilene over the weekend. Sing Song was actually better than usual...or at least more entertaining. It's always fun to see friends. I miss the ACU crew a lot. It was also fun to tell people who didn't already know, that we're having a baby. Preston's family hadn't seen my belly since I have begun to show a little. They were excited. Melanie (Preston's mom) found an article about how much you should expect to spend the first year you have a baby and brought it to us. OH MY GOODNESS! Their grand total was $5,000! This assumes that you buy everything (no shower gifts). $600 on diapers. (Of course if the alternative is cloth diapers, then it is worth every penny in my opinion.) While we were at Sing Song it was very loud and the baby was moving all over the place. Pretty cool.

How I'm feeling this week: Pretty good. I've been very sleepy in the mornings which kind of makes me in a bad mood. But then I get over it by like 10:00. Stinks for the people who have to work with me at HHBC in the mornings. :)

Well, here is the belly at 20 weeks yesterday.

I FELT THE BABY MOVE!

So last night I was in bed lying on my back (I know, I know, don't lay on your back...bla bla) reading a book and I felt a few little flutters! It was easier to feel them when I put my hand flat on my belly and press down a little. I think I actually felt a little kick. I yelled at Preston to come try to feel it too but he couldn't. I'm not too sure that I actually felt anything with my hand, but that it was all just on the inside. I may have been feeling little bitty movements for a while now but I just didn't know what it was. Then this morning as I lay in bed again I felt even more movements. Again I tried to get Preston to feel it but when he walked up he was talking to me and the baby stopped moving. Maybe the baby heard his voice and stopped to listen....he/she has fully functional ears now you know. :) It's so weird....there's a whole other person inside of me...

We've decided which room is the Baby's Room

So we're going to make the office into the baby's room. It seems to be the best choice. Here it is before making any changes...well, actually I have already started moving some books off of the book shelf into another room....but that's all. This is a 360 view using my photography talent...or lack thereof.

13 Weeks - 19 Weeks

These last 6 weeks or so have been by far the best. I have a renewed energy. I no longer feel the need to take a nap every day. I haven't felt bad much at all. I feel just as good, if not better, than my pre-pregnancy self. I never quit going to the gym but it seems like the last few weeks I have really done great at the gym and felt great doing it. I'm trying to stay in shape. I've been in the habit since High School of working out anywhere from 2 to 4 times a week. Why stop now? Preston and I joined a gym here in Edmond about a year and a half ago and I love it. I still do almost everything that I did before I was pregnant. Just a note for those of you who have an old fashioned idea of what's OK and what's not: Not only is it OK that I work out a lot but it is actually recommended! Here are the exact words from my doctor: "You can do whatever exercising you have been doing for as long as it feels good." A lady at work saw me running outside from one office to another on a cold day and said "Don't you be running!" I just laughed and thought to myself "Man, you would die if you saw me in kick-boxing!" Actually all three classes that I go to at the gym are taught by the same lady that is about my age. She just went on maternity leave. She taught all three classes until one week before her baby was due. Anyway, all that to say, here's my exercising schedule for now: Monday: Step class, Tues: Circuit class (cardio and strength training), Thurs: Kick-boxing, and when we're in town on Saturdays Preston and I go and I usually just do a cardio machine and lift weights. Preston would also like for me to note that he is way too manly to go to my girly classes...he runs, swims, and lifts weights while I'm in class. :)

These last several weeks have also been fun because I'm finally starting to show! Strangers still wouldn't look at me and think I'm pregnant, but for the people that know me they are able to look at me and tell a difference. It also makes a huge difference by what I'm wearing. If I wear maternity clothes I just look like I'm wearing stuff that is way too big. But if I wear something kind of tight I look pg....or at least chubby bellied. The first things that I outgrew were my dress pants and shirts that just come to my belly button. I'm still not wearing much maternity but I wear some of my longer shirts and low-rise pants. By the way, low-rise pants are the way to go at this stage. They're great. Some of my pants that aren't so low I just leave unbuttoned or maybe rubber band them together. Just because you can get something buttoned standing up doesn't mean you'll be able to breathe once you're sitting down! I don't think it will be long until I'm wearing only maternity pants, though, especially to work.

I think in the last couple of weeks I've done the most growing. My doctor may be surprised to see me step on the scale. At my last appointment, 2 weeks ago, I had gained 4 pounds since my appointment 3 weeks before that, making a total of 6 pounds. I'm a little nervous to see the damage next week. I can also tell I'm growing b/c of the pulled muscle feelings I have in my lower abdomen. I read up on it and it's perfectly normal. Ligaments are just stretching, but they will soon strengthen to hold the extra weight. I also find that if I eat too much I feel VERY full and uncomfortable. I guess there is just nowhere for the food to go but out, so I always look bigger after a big meal. This last week I have been more hungry than usual. When I'm working at home in the afternoons I find that all I can think about is food until I go get a snack....at least until an hour later when I start thinking about it again. I just don't keep unhealthy snacks in the house because I know I would eat it!

Oh, and several people have asked me if I have any weird cravings. No, not really. I haven't craved anything much. I used to drink coffee every morning and eat cookies after lunch and dinner. But neither of those sound very good these days. I guess that's not so bad considering I'm better off without both of those!

Here are a few pictures. I'll try to have an updated belly picture on here every week from now until July. Sorry if you feel uncomfortable seeing me in a sports bra. Get over it.

The First Trimester

My first trimester was pretty good compared to a lot of my friends and family that I have talked to. I only had about 3 weeks of feeling just pretty bad. And lucky for me I have still not thrown up (except when I was in Colorado and had altitude sickness.) Unfortunately, the very middle week during those yucky three weeks was the worst and that was when we went to Washington DC with the Wattersons. It's really a shame since I was looking so forward to that trip. I'd say that I felt good about 20% of the time we were there. I think some of the problem was being away from home and routine. Once I got home things started looking up. First Trimester was filled with changes in my body. I don't understand why pregnancy would even affect most of those things. Like for instance, there was a month or so that I just had way too much spit in my mouth...I mean, gross. But sure enough I read about it in my pregnancy book and it's just something that happens to some moms. Mom...that's a weird word that I'll have to get used to. Anywho, here's a few other changes that happened: I had to have food in my stomach at all times or I would feel sick, I had to visit the ladies room like a million times a day, my face broke out like I was in Jr. High again, I felt bloated, and I felt very tired. Most of these things have since gone away or at least eased up. There were many times when we were on our way out to dinner and I would just have to have something to eat before we left. This made no sense to Preston, but he soon learned not to voice his opinion about it...I was going to eat, like it or not. :)

Our baby's first picture was taken at the 8 week appointment! It was really cool to see and we can't wait to see how different it is next week when I have another ultrasound -->

Christmas was really fun and the baby even had a stocking. We went skiing but like I mentioned before I had altitude sickness (which apparently is intensified when you are pg). I skiied half a day the first day and that's about it. It kind of seems to me like the new year was a turning point for me. All those weird things started to go away and I even had more energy. Finally at the end of my 1st trimester I had gained a whole pound....but since then the pounds have come MUCH faster...

Finding Out and Spilling the Beans

Preston and I found out that we were going to have a baby back in November. It's easy for me to remember the exact day because it was the 3 year anniversary to the day we got engaged....November 1st. Oddly enough we were in San Francisco, CA. Preston had a business trip there and I was just going along for the ride. It was really a fun trip. For the week before I suspected that I was pregnant and so then on the second day of our trip (which happend to be the right time to take an early response test) I took a test. Sure enough there was a faint blue line. Preston didn't fully believe it (since it was faint I guess) until the second test that I took after we were home. I never doubted. I think I "knew" before I ever had the proof. That was a Saturday so Preston didn't have to go to his conference so the two of us and our embryo had a fun day sight seeing. We even bought an itty bitty San Francisco T-shirt.

We decided to wait a while to tell friends and family. We wanted some time to not only make sure everything was alright at the doctor's apt but also to adjust to the idea and have some time for ourselves to talk about it and have "our little secret". We might not have waited as long as we did if things didn't fall the way they did with family. We told Preston's family over our Thanksgiving trip to Washington DC and then told my family a week later when we went to Emory. I think the hardest time waiting was in that week. By then we were just ready for everyone to know. We told both families by giving them a gift box full of goodies...grandparenting books, picture frames for Aunts and Uncles, grandparent name ideas, etc. That was all really fun to see how excited and SHOCKED everyone was at the idea of a grandbaby and neice or nephew. (By the way this is the first grandchild on both sides.)

Welcome

Thanks for stopping by! I'm going to use this blog to track my pregnancy and keep all my friends and family posted on what's going on with baby Watterson.

Also, I'm now at 19 weeks and that's just almost half way. I'll have to get you all caught up to date!