Sunday, December 28, 2008

Week 31

We have daycare!! Hooray!! One-on-one with a certified elementary teacher, $25 a day and we don't pay for days Gabe isn't there. The weekdays Shawn has off, we can keep Gabe home. Oh it is a beautiful thing!!

Christmas was good. Maggie ate one of my presents. Shawn woke up and asked what smelled so good and I told him it was Maggie. I was confused though because she smelled like peppermint and we don't have candy canes this year, so I asked him if he put food under the tree. He said no and then got mad. He went out in the living room and starting yelling some uncouth terms. I came out and a Burt's Bees gift set was shredded all over the living room floor and down the hallway. It seems that Maggie loves those all natural ingredients. The funny thing was, that present had been sitting under the tree for days and she never showed any interest in it until Christmas morning....

Gabe is getting bigger and I have to wear my maternity belt all of the time. I am really sore otherwise. I went to the physical therapist and she said that I don't have to go anymore since I have most of my pain under control now. Though, she did give me a free month at the Therapy pool so that I don't have to go back and see her. I'm excited about that. It really helps.

We started painting the nursery this week. The blue for the bottom of the walls is awesome. It is a really brilliant blue. It is going to be great!! I'll post pictures when we get it all done. It may take about a week and a half to two weeks, so be patient!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Week 30

Hello! This was a rough week! On Sunday the 14th, we had a huge winter storm come through. 48 mile an hour winds, -50 wind chill, blizzard conditions and warnings of life-threatening conditions from the National Weather Service and the Deptartment of Transportation. Needless to say, our District Manager decided we had to open up the store anyway. Oh yeah, that was fun. A four foot snow drift made friends with my car and now my defroster doesn't work. I have 1/4" of ice inside all of the windows. Shawn has spent the week attempting to unfreeze the defroster with a space heater inside the car during the day when he's home. The district manager believes that our lives are worth little compared to the $25 we pulled in that day. Yes, she actually told me that we needed to get over our fears of winter weather and come in no matter what the conditions are outside because it is a business and we just don't matter as much as that.

I went to the doctor this week. That went well. We talked about what I want in the delivery room and all of that jazz. Apparently I am slightly anemic, so I am taking extra iron as prescribed by my doctor. Gabriel is getting huge and I am having the toughest time bending over and getting up and down. It is quite interesting. We had an interview with a daycare provider today and are hoping to hear back from her soon. She was really great and it would be one-on-one with Gabriel. She has a little boy that she is homeschooling for preschool and is a certified elementary teacher. Her husband works for the school district. Oh the day is getting near!!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Week 29

Well, last week was alright. Grandma and Grandpa Weber came over to visit. Their trip was cut short by weather, so the butterball soup was never made. Shawn and I have been trying to find a time to make it in our busy schedule, but it has been to no avail so far. We ordered a crib while they were here and are waiting for it to be delivered. I heard several times about the disappointment of Gabriel being a boy and not a girl, but other than that the visit went well.

I started my physical therapy this week. On Tuesday I went in for my first appointment and my therapist showed me several excercises to help strengthen my round ligaments and back to relieve the stress on my back and joints. She also gave me a support band that is just amazing. I had been holding my tummy up when I would go up and down the stairs at work, but now I don't have to! When I take it off every evening it feels as though I have gained about 20 extra pounds to haul around. I went to the therapy pool on Friday and spent about half an hour doing excercises and hanging on a noodle to stretch my back out and get Gabe off of my hips. Now I will be going to the pool a few times a week on my own time and then on the day after Christmas, I will go in for another appointment with the therapist to see how things are going.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Week 28

This week has been pretty good. I threw up last Saturday while driving in the middle of town. That was an interesting experience. Thankfully I had a bag in my car to use while I was driving. I couldn't pull over because I was in the middle of town and in the middle of traffic. It was rather rough. I was so excited too, that I was finally going to be able to go to a doctors appointment and tell them that I hadn't thrown up at all since my last visit. Hahaha, so much for that!

I've been rather achy and sore. The doctor referred me to the physical therapists. I have my first appointment on Tuesday. I am also going to get one of those pregnancy support bands to see if that helps with the pressure on my sciatic nerve and the strain on my round ligaments.

Shawn went to Daddy Care Basics at the hospital where he learned that it is his job to protect me from decisions being made without my permission, crazy family members and bad nurses. They talked about making the house safe and what they hope for their children. He also put up the sheet rock in the nursery and shampooed the carpets. He has been really busy getting the house ready for Gabriel. He's working really hard in his spare time to make everything baby safe. He is so awesome!!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Week 27

This week was Thanksgiving of course, so we went to a friend's house and had dinner. Actually, in the morning we went to breakfast at one of the big truckstops here in town after we went and picked up a paper. We had breakfast and looked over the ads for Black Friday so that we could figure out what we were going to do for gifts. We then came home and relaxed for a bit and finished up making some food for dinner. Unfortunately dinner didn't go quite as planned and we didn't go over to our friend's house around 3-4 pm as we had planned but rather went around 6 pm which was about the time the turkey was actually put into the oven. Needless to say, we didn't eat until about 10 pm. It was good, but I was tired and we went home about 11 pm.

I got up at 3 am so I could get to Kohl's for the BF sale. This was a totally pointless endeavor as I ended up not purchasing anything there because I was refused service. Yes, the salesgirl actually refused to check me out. I won't be shopping there ever again after that incident. Then I went to Walmart where they didn't actually have everything that was in their ad, but I was still able to get a few things I was looking for. I headed over to Lowe's to see how Shawn was and found the store rather dead which I thought was interesting. I picked up some Christmas storage and a few extra gifts and then headed over to Kmart. I was able to get the rest of our gifts there and it was actually rather pleasant and not too crowded. I finished by going to Michaels and getting some Christmas decorations. Then I worked from 11-4. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I got home that I fell asleep rather early and woke up about 12 hours later still sleepy.

Gabe has been moving around like crazy this week and I am having lots of aches and pains lately. He is stretching the crap out of my muscles and it makes it hard to move around. Our next doctors appointment is this coming Wednesday and then we will start going every two weeks. It's getting closer!!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Week 26

This week has been a terror at work. I love the kids I work with, but I swear they were on sugar highs all week. They were rude and obnoxious and would not be quiet for anything!! It was rough, but it's done now thankfully. Next week is Thanksgiving break so I don't expect them to be great, but maybe after it's all done and we come back they will be better.

I went to a Mommy Care Basics class at Altru Hospital on Thursday. It was about an hour and a half. It was conducted by a physical therapist there at the rehabilitation center who showed us different ways to deal with all of the fun physical ailments that come with pregnancy and talked about how to deal with all of the fun stuff we'll have to deal with after birth. Then we went downstairs to the gym where we practiced excercizes that will relieve various pains. I talked to her about the sharp pains I've been getting in the past couple of weeks where my legs meet my pelvis. She told me that I should try going to the therapy pool two or three times a week for about a half an hour each to relieve the strain on my abdomen from growing Gabe. She said it might have something to do with how low he is sitting. So, for now, I will be literally rolling out of bed like an old lady and hopefully getting to the warm pool a couple of times a week. We'll see how it goes!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Week 25

Let's see here, I started a new job at Lane Bryant this week. On the one hand, I get a great discount on all kinds of great stuff. On the other, I am pregnant and can't buy clothes. So here I am with access to great stuff at great prices but can't buy any of it. I guess I'm just going to have to deal with the fact that Gabe is making me be financially responsible!! :) He is definitely getting bigger and my tummy is finally starting to show a little bit. I still look like I'm only a few months along, but at least there is something to see now. I started crocheting his layette this week and am excited for it to be finished! It will probably take me awhile since I'm working on it here and there, but it will be great when it's finished. It's going to be a little sweater, cap and booties and if I get time a little afghan. I'll post pictures when I'm finished, though like I said, it will be awhile.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Week 24 Continued

I forgot all about the great show we went to on Sunday last week! We went and saw the Trans Siberian Orchestra!! It was awesome! A little long, especially in the hard stadium seats of the Alerus Center, but still soooo great! I'm sure little Gabe was wondering why the world was vibrating. The light show was great and the music was fabulous! There was a Christmas program and then another separate music set. It was about 2 and 1/2 hours without an intermission. I was mad that Shawn had spent $42 a ticket before we went but after we got there he informed me that $5 of each ticket was an additional donation for the local Humane Society on top of what was being donated from the purchase of the tickets. That made me feel a little better and after the show I definitely felt like we had gotten our money's worth. I highly recommend going to a show if you get a chance!!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Week 24

Wow! What a week! On Monday, we had another ultrasound. What an experience! I drank 27 oz. of water, 5 less than I did for the last one. Before I even left the school I could barely walk (I didn't feel like that until after the last one...). Shawn picked me up and I was seriously uncomfortable by the time we got to the clinic (about 8 blocks away...) By the time I down to the ultrasound wing I felt like I was dying. The tech told me to lay down to try and make it better. It didn't, it just made it worse. The tech left to check our last photos and I spent about 10 minutes trying not to cry and in my crazy state realized that I am going to be really, really bad at labor. I mean, I can't even handle having to pee! When the tech came back I apologized for being whiny and he turned on the machine. He tried to look at Gabe but couldn't see anything because apparently my bladder was too full (a great irony since they tell you that if your bladder isn't full they will reschedule your appointment). So, the tech, my saint, let me pee. Oh goodness if that wasn't just a fantastic relief! Then he got to looking at Gabe and told us that Gabe is really low. That explains why I'm still not really showing and why I am only feeling him move at the very bottom of my tummy and nowhere else.

In other news this week, our candidate won!! Hooray for Obama!! I'm so excited to see what will happen, but apprehensive at the same time that he won't live up to expectations. There is so much riding on his presidency for so many reasons that I hope he is able to handle the pressure. We'll see! Gabe will be born into one of the great historical moments of our country and I am so thankful that not only I, but my children will be alive during this great moment in history!!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Week 23

Gabriel has been moving around like crazy. Shawn finally got to feel him for the first time yesterday morning! Boy, did I get a big kiss. I think Shawn may finally be coming out of his state of shock and denial that this is actually going to happen. He's been so afraid for me and that the pregnancy wouldn't be finished that he's been afraid to let himself get excited. The water heater broke a couple of days ago so I went without a warm shower for awhile. That was an interesting experience. Shawn and one of his SCA friends fixed it yesterday morning and for that I am so very, very grateful!! I finished my last week of homework for my literature class and now only have my final to take. Thank goodness for that! One less stressor in my life! I am working at a place called Party City through the first week of November and have begun gathering fabric and notions for making the nursery bedding. We are going to start purchasing wood and drywall to build the shelving unit and redo the wall in the nursery so I can start the mural. We have our next appointment and ultrasound a week from Monday.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Weeks 20, 21 and 22

Week 20

We went to our first major ultrasound on October 6th. After lots of fighting and rolling around Gabriel finally stuck his little butt up in the air so we could see all of his stuff. It was a long and painful process that included two sonographers, me rolling around from one side to the other and back and ended with me almost peeing my pants on the elevator ride up to the fourth floor where I immediately begged for a cup and a bathroom. Needless to say, we are going in for another on November 3rd. Now we know that there will be a little Shawn wandering around trying to disarm people while wearing tiny armor.


Week 21

Gabe started kicking his way around every once in awhile this week. I woke up in the middle of the night on Thursday to pee and when I stood up he gave me such a jab that I about passed out and had to hold myself up on the wall. When I climbed back into bed he did it again and I just laid there frozen. I swear, Shawn sent him in with a sword...

Week 22

I've started this week by coming down with some sort of bug. I'm not sure if it's just a head cold or if it is something more. There is some more serious stuff going around the school and I really hope that this isn't that. My belly is growing and getting more uncomfortable to move around. I stood up out of my chair the other day and tipped forward. Thankfully the cat tower was there so I could catch myself. My tummy isn't huge, but apparently I'm front heavy anyway!!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Weeks 17, 18, and 19

So, it's been awhile. It has been crazy the past few weeks. I went to an art festival in Detriot, hung out in Madison, quit my new second job, started sleeping funny, got a little sick again, and have started looking for a new-new second job.

Lets see here...Week 17 was spent being really stressed, working and working and working and painting and painting and painting. I barely got any sleep, was really, really anxious and was insanely busy trying to get ready for the show. We left on Sept. 18th for Madison with Shawn's friend Aaron. It was a long drive in a Nissan Qwest, possibly a worse ride than my crappy Neon. It had no shocks and tipped really easy. But, it held us and all of our crap and we made our merry way to the Wisconsin capital. We slept at Shawn's cousin Jo's and the four of us left in the morning for Detriot (after I had a minor meltdown the night before due to a homework scare). (Note: There are tons of adult shops in Indiana, as advertised on the many billboards througout the state.) When we got to Detroit we checked in at the art fair and headed to the hotel to get settled before we had a night on the town and checked out other people setting up at the fair. However, these plans quickly went down the drain as we lost the car keys and spent the night looking through everything, breaking into the Nissan, not finding the keys, calling the lobby, looking around the room some more, trying to figure out what we should order to eat (I was dying...) and then, around 11 pm, finding the keys in the one pocket of Jo's backpack that hadn't been checked. We drove around until we found this little Indian restaurant that was nice enough to make us some delicious dinner to go. We went back to the hotel and indulged ourselves in curried delights.

Week 18: We spent the weekend at the art fair where I got lots of positive feedback and two galleries requested my work. We had some lovely Thai food at this great little restaurant and on Sunday we left right away for Madison after the show. We got back about 2 a.m. We slept a bit and then wandered around Madison. I have to say the city was awesome. I was expecting another Grand Forks or Fargo and it was like being in a little metropolitan hub. We had ice cream made at the university by one of the lakes. It was fun and then we went back to Jo's and watched movies. On Tuesday we left about 5 a.m. so that I could make it to a training for work in GF by 4 p.m. I went to training, came home and rested. I worked the rest of the week, quitting my second job on Friday. They hadn't paid me on the 19th when they were supposed to, nor did they pay me on Monday when they were supposed to and so I quit. (Note: They still haven't paid me....)

Week 19: I've been a bit sick this week but have managed to work and get caught up on my homework. I haven't been able to sleep for the past few nights as comfort is something the baby is finally keeping me from. I have some pillows I slept with last night that alleviated some of the issues, but then I had some crazy dreams that kept me awake. We have our next ultrasound on Monday and I'm excited to find out if it's a boy or a girl.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Week 16

The baby is getting much bigger and I feel it all of the time. It's strange feeling this extra thing inside myself that moves. It's a bit surreal. I'm really exhausted, but after next weekend I'll have one less thing to worry about. We leave on Thursday for Madison and will head to Detroit on Friday for the show. It's tough working on the homework issue and trying to get the painting stuff done. I really should have been painting tonight, but I'm really tired and really need a little break. I'm excited to go to our next appointment on the 6th. I will be 20 weeks, half way there and we will finally find out the sex. Our last appointment on the 9th was short but we got to listen to the heartbeat which was 140 bpm. I also had the blood test for down syndrome and it must have come back as negative because we didn't hear from the doctor. We've had some people tell us it's a girl because of the heartrate and others tell us it's a boy. It's pretty funny. The kids at my school were upset because I couldn't go with them on their field trip today because they were going to the water treatment plant which is apparently rather disgusting. It was cute though. They complained to their other teachers that I couldn't go with them, "because of the BABY!!" Apparently this was very upsetting..... And really cute to me.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Weeks 13, 14, and 15

So, it's been awhile. I started school a couple of weeks ago. The meds the doctor put me on are working for the most part. I have about a day a week that I don't feel so good, but I think it is mostly my body trying to make up for the lack of rest. I started a second job on Monday. I'm working in a photo studio. I'm a little worried about myself but we really need the money, especially if we are going to fix the nursery so it is livable for baby. We are going to stop at Ikea outside of Chicago to get a crib on our way back from Detroit in a couple of weeks. I'm excited. I love Ikea. We have our next appointment on the 9th. I'm excited to make sure everything is going well. I was feeling the baby move a bit a few days ago. It felt like butterflies in my tummy, but I haven't felt it for a couple of days. I'm sure it's because the baby is so small though. I'll feel better after we see the doctor though. Well, that is all for now. I'll repost after our next visit!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Week 12

So, this has been a very interesting week. I started throwing up on Sunday, went off the Zofran on Monday so that on Tuesday it might work again. I spent Monday throwing up significantly more than I did on Sunday. When I went back on the Zofran on Tuesday I continued to throw up. I called the Doctor and she told me to come in. When I got there, I had lost 12lbs in a week and my blood pressure was high and rising. Needless to say, I was admitted to the hospital.

I spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and part of Thursday on an IV that was pushing water into my system as I was rehydrated. I wasn't allowed to eat until Wednesday and then I was put on a liquid diet. Thursday they let me try some solid food which didn't go as well as I had hoped it would. The doctor decided to have me stay over until today (Friday) to get my meds and diet worked out. So here I am, working on being able to function and trying to avoid the hospital again so that I don't have to be tube fed.

I got to see the baby again though and it actually looks like a little person and is swimming around in there like crazy!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Week 11

This last week has been interesting. I had a couple of really bad days when I ran out of my meds. Shawn was sweet and went and refilled my prescription for me. That helped immensely. I'm really hungry all of the time. We have a new little 4.0 cubic foot fridge. Our regular one died and we can't afford a new one yet so we are making due. It's actually working pretty well since we don't use our fridge a whole lot anyway. It is mostly used for things like milk and sauces. This little fridge has a little freezer too, which is nice. I cut my hair about a week and a half ago. It is really, really short and really, really easy to take care of. Shawn isn't too sure about it, but I'm very happy with it. We're excited about our first ob/gyn appointment on Tuesday. I also work next week at South Middle School. I'll only be doing half days so it will be a nice easement back into work. Well, I guess this has been a bit rambling. I'll let you know how the appointment goes!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Weeks 9 and 10

We went to our first ultrasound last Monday. It was interesting seeing the baby. It was at 9 weeks exactly according to its size (22mm). We heard its' heartbeat with the doppler. It was 172 beats per minute. Apparently this is very good. I've been dealing with the ebb and flow of my morning sickness. The effectiveness of the Zofran seems to be wearing off. I've felt a little better over the past 2 days and I hope that this isn't just a small respite from what I've been going through. I really hope that this is the beginning of the end of my horrid morning sickness. I'm near the beginning of week 10. The baby will actually have little fingers and toes and its first hair this week. It will also be able to swallow and is finally producing red blood cells.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

week 8 part two

We were supposed to go have our first ultrasound today, but the center called this morning and told us that the sonographer couldn't make it in today. So we've been rescheduled for Monday at 1pm. It was a bit depressing, but waiting a couple of days more won't be the end of the world. My meds have stopped me from throwing up, which is really, really nice. However, they haven't made me quite as functioning as I had hoped they would. I'm still really tired all of the time and nauseous. I mean, I can get out of the house now, but I can't push myself too much or I feel very awful. Shawn is helping me make some jewelry for the art and wine walk this weekend. I hope it goes well, 5 hours is a long time to try and be friendly and pretend not to be sick....We'll see how it goes.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Week 8

I called the Dr. today and he prescribed Zofran for me. Thank god for insurance. That stuff is unbelievably expensive. I was on a pregnancy board today and there was a thread talking about hyperemesis gravidarum a topic I've been interested in since I can't seem to really keep anything down. Apparently throwing up more than 4 times a day is considered a bit much and so is losing 10 lbs in 3 weeks. So I called the Dr. and he sent me to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription that seems to be a bit strong. He didn't sound all that concerned when I talked to him on the phone, but there are women on my pregnancy boards that have been to the hospital and had IV's who are on half the dosage I've been prescribed. So now I wonder if I really do have HG. Goodness knows I am basically non-functioning at the moment. I've also taken to Popsicles to try and get some fluids in me without throwing up. It's rough, but the baby is almost an inch long now and is starting to develop tiny hands and feet!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Week 7

Yesterday I went and picked up applications around town. I want to find a job to work until the school year starts again and to supplement our income during the school year. However, it seems that the 2 hours I spent getting lunch and picking those applications up, along with taking Maggie to the park (where I sat on a bench) was a little too much for this little one I'm growing. I haven't been able to keep anything that I have eaten in the last 24 hours down for digestion. I have been bed ridden again all day. Yesterday I was under the impression that I had begun to understand all that is morning sickness and how to control it enough to look for a job. It seems though, that I was entirely wrong and am just a wimp. Who knew something the size of a pea (ok, after this week, a blueberry) could lay me out for so very, very long!

In the mean time, we are making plans for the nursery conversion. We don't plan on making any of the major changes until December. Shawn gets an extra discount at work then so we can pick up necessities (like fire alarms and what not) then. It looks like we are going to do either marker board paneling or a chalkboard wainscoating on the bottom half of the walls and a mural on top. Shawn is going to keep his eyes out for a clearance window that will fit the nursery window. The current window in there is a bit scary and we should replace it.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

6 weeks - Part 2

Morning Sickness is officially in full force. Around the time of my last blog, I was a little nauseous throughout the day, but nothing too terribly bad. The past couple of days however, I have been so nauseous that I've hardly been able to move. Today, I started throwing up. 5 times so far actually. Summer school has ended, so I am currently without a job and it is rather difficult to find one when I am basically bed ridden with Morning Sickness. It is awful! I keep hearing that it will go away eventually, but eventually is NOT soon enough!! Even trying to sleep is difficult because I keep waking up nauseous, which makes it even more rough because I am tired all of the time anyway.

Last week we went to the Pregnancy Center to get our pregnancy confirmed (which it was). We have an appointment for July 17th, to have our first ultrasound. We are really excited about that. We can't wait to hear the heartbeat!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

6 weeks



Last Saturday (June 21st), I tested positive for our first pregnancy. I've been very tired every day and have been finding it difficult to get the gumption to do everything I need to get done. Shawn and I really want to share our news with our families and friends but are in the period that miscarriage is most likely to occur and so are waiting to share our excitement with them. So we will wait another 6 weeks to tell everyone. We have our first doctor's appointment on August 5th which seems a bit late to me. Apparently the ob/gyn's here at Altru don't take appointments until 12 weeks. In the mean time, I hope I'm doing everything right because from everything I've read, this is the most important time for fetal development. I don't want to do anything wrong and am frustrated that I don't have a doctor guiding me through these important weeks. With my weight I'm worried about having or developing gestational diabetes. I emailed a local pregnancy center today and hope that they will respond soon to my questions. Other than basic fears though, I am really excited at the prospect of having our first child!