24 weeks

Our appointment on Friday went well! Nothing real exciting, or even to report really. I've gained a total of 8 lbs. (officially 134 lbs.) and my tummy measured right on for 24 weeks (24 inches from the top to the bottom)! We got to hear the heartbeat again, but only for a second. Ellie was so busy, as soon as the Dr. would find her heartbeat, Ellie would move and we'd have to find her again! Finally we gave up :o). Still very exciting for us though! I got kicked in the ribs for the first time last Tuesday (February 5th)!! It doesn't hurt yet, but it's definitely uncomfortable. My back hurts constantly these days so I got the "okay" for my Dr. to call upon a chiropractor for some help! I also got the "okay" to visit a massage therapist if that doesn't seem to do the trick! ;o) I think a massage sounds quite nice right about now! Other than than nothing new. Thank you for reading and hope you are all doing well!!

28 week check up/Glucose Test: March 4, 2008

What's Your Prediction?

I was given a website that predicts your labor and delivery! I figured it would be fun to test it out! All I had to do was answer a few questions and submit it and this is what it gave me...

Madame Zaritska's reading

Madame Zaritska, our resident clairvoyant, wants to help you prepare for the arrival of your child. Here she does her best to predict certain aspects of your labor and birth experience.

What she senses for you:
The day you deliver, outside will be blustery. Your baby will arrive in the evening.

After a labor lasting approximately 6 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and will be 20-1/2 inches long. This child will have green eyes and a lot of hair.

So... I suppose we'll see here in about 4 months whether or not Madame Zaritska is accurate in her reading! HAHAHAHAHA! I do have to say, though, that the prediction I made a couple months ago was quite similar! Just for the record, I'll fill you all in on mine. 6lbs. 8oz. 20 1/2 inches long and lots of dark hair. I don't even want to guess how long labor will be...I like the Madame's prediction, so I'll take her word! As for the weather, I don't care if it's crappy outside while I'm delivering...as long as it clears up by the time we go home! Anyway, you read it here first! :o)

22 weeks

Well, nothing new to report really.
I've finally "popped" though and it's noticeable to most everyone else! I had a minor meltdown late last week and it resulted in a trip to Tri Cities for some actual maternity jeans! I'd finally reached the point where my regular jeans just weren't cutting it anymore. I can still wear them , it's just that even unbuttoned and unzipped they're terribly uncomfortable and bending over is impossible! So I now live in one of my two pairs of "mama jeans"! I love them!
As I said before, we have Ellie's room all set up and ready for her arrival! Her bedding came on Wednesday of last week (January 16th) and the second I saw the UPS man I went running down the walk way to greet him! As soon as I got the box inside, I ripped it open and started crying! The set is more beautiful than it even looked in the picture! I took it all out of the bag and immediately put it on the bed! I took a few pictures, emailed them to Mom, took the bedding off, washed and dried it all then put it back on the bed!!! And now it really sits waiting...and as ready as it can get!
So I suppose that's all until our next appointment.
We're just over half way, so now the countdown REALLY begins!

Busy Girl

Our appointment yesterday went great! We had our ultrasound at 10:00 a.m. and then the 20 week check up immediately following. Everything looked wonderful with the baby! She's still a girl ;o) and we were able to locate 10 fingers, 10 toes and a chin that SCREAMS, "I look like Mommy!" Her heart rate was 150 bpm and she looked to be as happy as can be! I don't think it could have been any more perfect! My check up afterward followed suit...Dr. Eberhardt listened to Ellie's heart beat and said it sounded lovely, my blood pressure was normal (blah, blah, blah...) and I've finally gained all my weight back that I'd lost in the first 3 months! I was a little concerned because I've noticed recently that I haven't had much of an appetite and what little one I do have, isn't healthy. She said that there's no need to worry, everything looks great and for me just to do my best and that I'll catch up in no time.

I also want to share that Miss Ellie is quite a busy little lady already! I feel her move most of the day, every single day! It isn't just little flutters or spasms anymore either, she has full-on mastered the art of Tae Kwon Do in there, I'm pretty sure of it! Right around Christmas (maybe a little before) I'd started getting Cory to try and feel her moving but every time he'd try either she'd stop or he just couldn't feel her. I knew, though, that a lot of the kicks I usually felt were strong enough for someone other than me to feel, so I didn't give up! On New Year's Day at a little after 10:00 a.m., as Cory and I were laying in bed talking, I noticed Ellie becoming more active so I told him to feel. He sat there for a second and almost immediately started getting frustrated. I told him to be patient, so he sat quietly for another few seconds and finally it all paid off!!! She kicked so hard that it made me jump (I'd never felt one that hard before) and Cory jump too! He giggled about it for most of the day and everyone he talked to he told, "Hey, guess what...? I got to feel my baby kick today!" It was great! He got to feel her thumping around again the following night! Being able to actually feel her as seemed to have made it more real to him than even seeing her on the ultrasound! On New Year's Day we ended up in Tri Cities looking for cribs! We (meaning Cory) also decided on a bedding set for Ellie just a few days later!
As of today we have purchased the crib and dresser set, bedding, and 2 Ugly Dolls (that's what they're called, they're kind of so ugly they're cute) and gotten the room set up! Cory chose the crib / dresser, I narrowed a list of bedding and let him have the final say, and the Ugly Dolls were all him too! I wanted to get her one doll but he liked the one I had plus another one...so 2 it was! He said, "I like those! I hope Ellie does too, when she's older I want to tell her, 'go get your Ugly and come sit with Daddy!' and then she'll do it!" He kinda stole my heart :o)! Seeing him get so excited is really an emotional event for me. For a while there I was wondering if it was even going to sink in for him before she got here. No worries though! He thinks it's great and can't wait for her to be here! LIFE IS GOOD!
24 week check up: February 8, 2008.

And Her Name Is...

On Sunday evening, on the way home from Christmas shopping in Tri Cities, Cory decided on a name! I'd thrown a few out there and was just kind of waiting for him to pick one he liked or come up with something else on his own. He decided that he likes Ellie Jean and is quite excited about calling her "Ellie-font" (like Elephant) as a nickname! He calls her that a lot actually! He also sings "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson to her but replaces "Billie Jean" with "Ellie Jean"! ;o) It's pretty funny! Even though it's not the best song to sing to a child, he thinks it's pretty cool that he can sing it to her with her name in it and that growing up, she'll think of "Daddy" every time she hears that song! I think it's pretty sweet! I suppose Ellie's name is subject to change if we stumble upon something we like better, but I seriously doubt that'll happen as we've been through every name in the books. So Ellie Jean our Jelly Bean it is!!!

Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to share our Christmas Card with you all! I'm very proud of it! I also want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! For those of you traveling, have a safe trip!



Lots of Love!

IT'S A GIRL!

Yesterday Cory and I went to the Tri-Cities for an ultrasound to find out the gender of the baby! It really wasn't an eventful experience, definitely not worth the money, but it is neat to know (FINALLY) that we are having a GIRL! Now we can start planning, cleaning out the spare bedroom, painting and setting up her room! As of now we have no names picked out. I've had a list of names, of course, since we found out I was pregnant. Agreeing on ONE is a little more difficult that I though it was going to be though. My top 5 names are: Ava, Amelia, Ellie, Piper and Stella. The only one standing at this time is Ellie. :O) Cory came up with Madilyn one night at work, about 2 months ago, but after saying it a few times in my head I decided Madilyn McLaughlin didn't sound right together. So we figured we'd give it a rest for the time being and start thinking about the names once we knew for sure if it was a boy or girl. Now that we know, choosing a name for her is at the top of our list of things to do!! Everything else is going well. I haven't thrown up for a solid week now! So I hope the "morning" sickness (or what I like to call "all day" sickness) is completely gone! Even if it isn't over, I'll take it as long as I get a healthy and happy baby!
*Our next appointment is January 8, 2008 at 10 a.m. (another "BIG" ultrasound then our 20 week checkup)!