26 weeks!! (and one day)

26 weeks, 1 day

Weight Gain: +8.2 lbs per MD
B/P: 112/62
FHR: 141

Had an appointment today for a follow up ultrasound with my specialist. Everything is looking good. Nathan is measuring right on track according to the measurements they took today. He is 1 lb 15oz and in the 46th percentile. I have been feeling pretty good lately, compared to how I felt my first pregnancy. I have been fighting off allergies for the last couple of weeks, and I got sick this morning before my appointment, but I haven't had any more migraines (knock on wood), and I am able to function at least 75% of what is normal.

I moved Katie into her "Big Girl Bed" this week, so Nathan's crib is all set up with his bedding, mom bought him a few new outfits, and I cleaned out Katie's closet so he now has a "section" just for his stuff. I need to clear out a drawer for him and figure out what to do with his cloth diapers, but I am feeling much more prepared mentally now that Katie is out of the crib. Not sure why that is, Nathan is going to sleep in our room for the first few months anyway, but I feel more confident in myself at least! =)

The Name Game

We finally picked a name!!! Deciding on a boy's name has been soooo challenging for us. We had a girl's name already picked out because I just knew our little boy was going to be a girl (I WAS WRONG!), and we absolutely did not agree on boy's names. We seemed to like traditional names, for the most part, but for some reason one of us would have a reason to veto's the other's names. Some of the name casulties include Alexander, James, Mason, Dominic, John and Logan for Paul and Isaac, William, and Nicholas for me. It has taken over a month of brainstorming, but we finally agree on a name!!

Our son will be Nathan (after the Ross family) Edward (after Paul and his Dad) and we are soooo excited to meet him in a few months! I can't beleive our little boy is going to be here by Christmas!!

Couldn't resist

As it becomes more evident that an early induction is in my future, I thought this quote I found on Maybe if You Just Relax was an appropriate comical representation of some of my emotions:

"I always thought I would be one of those people who went two weeks past her due date. I obviously thought very highly of my uterus, and assumed that I was running a Ritz-Carlton type of operation down there. Nobody would think of removing my baybee from my four star uterus! It's like a world class vacation resort in there!

As it turns out, I was running more of a Motel 6 operation. And the general idea was to get her out in one piece without giving her a wicked case of bed bugs or Hep C. "

Kaitlyn's Baby Shower

Noemi and Denisse, two of my very best friends, hosted a shower for Kaitlyn and I on November 14, 2009. We had such a great time! So many friends and family were able to attend, including my Grandma and (great) Aunt Rikki from Oklahoma. I was so touched by the outpouring of love from everyone who came or sent well wishes. It is a beautiful thing to see how many people care about us and are just as excited as we are to meet Baby Katie! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful group of ladies in my life.

I took about 90 pictures from the shower, so I am not able to host them all on this website. But I will be placing the pictures on my webshots account and will provide a link to them here. I have included a few that I just had to share.

My mom-in-law, Me, Mom and Grandma

Noemi, Me and Denisse

Gift and Cake Table

I measured in at 12 pieces of toliet paper.

Tamara in the lower right had half a roll for me!

We received so many precious and SOFT things.

Kaitlyn's very own Strawberry Dress, made by my Grandma.

My mom was so excited to see all the gifts for Katie, too!

I can't thank everyone enough for all they have done for Kaitlyn, Paul, and myself. And to Denisse and Noemi for the hard work they put into hosting this wonderful event. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Random Update

Well, I am growing and getting bigger, as is Lil' Miss Katie. I really need to take a picture to update our progress, hopefully tomorrow or Saturday. We get to dress up on Saturday and go to a fancy dinner with Paul's company to celebrate the store selling $500,000 in one month - a feat that Paul has accomplished 3-4 times before, but it was a first in this particular stores 20+ year history. He brought in more than 20% of their sales that month!!! We are soo proud of Paul. He is such a good husband, father, and provider.

The nursery furniture started coming in on Tuesday. Paul supervised the delivery and assembly of the crib and dresser. My mom and dad gave Katie the most beautiful crib! I will post some pictures when I get home. Paul put some of the bedding in the crib and sent me updates at work so I wouldn't miss out on the fun. :) The room is coming together, but definitely looks smaller with the furniture in place. The only thing left is adding the bookcase (Paul is picking it up tonight) and a little decor! I am super duper excited. I love just going in her room and sitting in the glider.

I have been feeling so/so. During weeks 25 and 26 I got a migraine so bad that I threw up. That was definitely not pleasant, and I hope we can keep those at bay. I believe my allergies are acting up this week, too, as I have been sneezing, coughing and achy, but no fever (thankfully). I got my flu vaccine awhile ago and the H1N1 vaccine at work on Tuesday. Paul went in for a few fillings on Tuesday, also, and he ended up with an unexpected wisdom tooth removal. So it has been an eventful week at our house. We are both trying to stay healthy and strong.

Two of my best friends are hosting a shower for me on the 14th of November and I am so excited!!! I can't believe that we are inching closer and closer to January. Next Tuesday is "officially" the beginning of the third trimester!!

We finally decided...

upon a name!!!! Paul and I had brainstormed some names while Meghan was here over the 4th of July. We had narrowed our list down to two after we learned we were having a girl, and I told Paul to make the final decision from there. After a long, and careful weighing of "the pros and cons of each name," our daughter will be known as....





Marie is after my materal Grandma (my mom's mom).

19 week and 2 day checkup

I am kinda late in posting about our last appointment. I have been soooo busy with work. Today I am off for one day and back for two. Then one off and back for two again. I just haven't gotten a lot of sleep. :( Anywho, the appointment went really well.

**STATS**
Weight: -4 lbs pre-pregnancy
BP: 122/70
Fetal Heart Tones: 152
Fundal Height: umbilicus

Paul had to work, so this was the first appointment he missed. Denisse went with me and said that she was really excited to hear the baby's heartbeat on the monitor. My headaches were really bad the Tuesday and Wednesday before my appointment; I threw up at work Tues and stayed home sick on Wed. She told me to make sure I take the Imetrex as prescribed to try to keep them manageable. She also told me if I needed a note to work all days for 8 hour shifts, she would write one for me. I really, really like my 12 hour shifts, even if they are long, because I have more days off to rest, get the nursery ready and make my appointments. 8 hour days just go by too quickly and I am still exhausted when I get home.

Speaking of the nursery, I have not done one darn thing. LOL! I did put the bedding that I like on our Pottery Barn Kids registry, however, because there is a Labor Day sale. I really want to rush out and buy it, but I have been restraining myself. Mom bought the baby a whole bunch of cute clothes and the most adorable pink flip flops the other day. And last weekend, Paul took me to Eden's Baby to purchase some cloth diapers. They didn't have a whole lot in the store since they had a big sale for tax free weekend, but we found some we liked and registered with them for more. I know I have plenty of time left, but I feel like I should get busy putting everything together.

Dear Baby Girl,

You should know that you are one loved little girl. I can't think of any two men that love you more than your Daddy and my Papa.

Every morning when your Daddy gets up, he kisses you good morning and tells you how much he loves you. And every day before I leave to go to work, he kisses you again and tells you to be a good girl for mommy. He loves to rub on my belly and talk to you about the dreams he has for you and the fun we are all going to have. He even talks to you about the guns and ammo he has in mind to purchase to keep the boys away! I think he is a little ahead of himself.

And you should see your Grandpa. He tells everyone he meets about you. He calls to check on me during the day and tells me "to tell Baby Marie that he loves her and to be a good girl!" Before he had to out process for Afghanistan, he had your picture from your seven week ultrasound on his desk, and he would show all of his patients his "grand baby." He is the proudest Grandpa I have ever seen.

You are so loved already, and we can't wait to meet you when you are all done bakin' in my tummy. But stay in there longer cause you're not quite halfway through yet! :o) We love you!!

Love,
Mommy