20 weeks

YAY for 20 weeks.....half way there! We had our 20 week check up this week. After some initial concerns and a followup ultrasound, we were told everything looks good! Boo Boo is about 13 ounces, all of his vital organs look good and he is a mover and a shaker. Both ultrasonagraphers had a time getting good pictures and views because he was moving so much! I already knew this since I feel him everyday...but Giles has not been able to really feel the baby move yet...so he has no idea how active his son is! Since we have finally moved past the nausea, fatigue and sciatica....I have now been blessed with acne. This is a little foreign to me since I have always been blessed with clear skin. After consulting with my OB, I have started using Proactiv (like my teenage nieces and nephew!). I have been using it for just a few days but am noticing some improvement.

Overall, all is going well! We look forward to being able to start working on the nursery soon. We have been holding off on this until out master bathroom renovations are done. Giles and his dad have spent alot of time this week working on this and hopefully they will be done within the next 2 weeks. Then we can begin the fun parts of getting the nursery ready!! We are very excited about seeing our little boy but know there is alot to get done before then! I will begin my final semester of graduate school the last week of August and am diligently scheduling my time to have this completed before the baby gets here! It will be a stressful 8-10 weeks but we know it will all be worth it once I am done and can relax at home with our new family! Until next time!!

Week 16

A little catching up to do.....We had a 4D ulrasound last Thursday and were able to see that we are having a baby boy! Everything looked great, we could see that all vital organs were present and looked great! He is a very active baby and was moving during the entire ultrasound. Hopefully I will be able to feel him move a little more regularly soon. I have been able to feel very light, intermittent movements, but nothing regular, and nothing that Giles can feel! We had our 16 week check up at the OB this week and she confirmed that everything looked great!! I am finally feeling better, no nausea, less fatigue and no more sciatica!! Thank Goodness! We were able to register this past weekend and had so much fun (at least I, Kim, did!) I can admit it was a little overwhelming, but I feel we are finally "getting into the pregnancy."

We have narrowed down names....although we have decided not to share our final choice until he gets here (we have to have something for ourselves!!) Otherwise we are staying busy. Giles and I have both had summer classes this summer. Giles leaves next week for a conference in Baltimore and will be gone most of the week. I found out that a project of mine has been accepted for presentation at a national nurses' conference in November in Jacksonville, FL. I am very excited because Giles is going to go with me, so we will be able to have a "last trip" together before the baby comes. However, I am a little nervous about traveling that far away from home when I will be 35 weeks pregnant! We will definately have a bag packed and the carseat in the car just in case baby boy decides to come early! We are doing great and enjoying our days off together. We are getting close to being done with our master bath remodel (I will post before and after pictures) and can then start working on the nursery! We will keep everyone posted on our happenings (I WILL get better about updating this post)!!

Progression

I realize it has been May since I have posted anything. Since it is now almost July, there is some catching up to do. Since the last post, we have celebrated our 1 year anniversary, traveled to Ireland, and have experienced the wonderment that accompanies pregnancy (can you sense the sarcasim?). We had an amazing anniversary trip to western Ireland for 7 days. We took over 500 pictures and saw some of the most amazing sites and wonders of nature! As far as this pregnancy goes....lets just say mother nature is putting me through pregnancy bootcamp. I began having severe nausea around week 7. My doctor put me on some nausea medication which made life more bareable. I woke up yesterday morning with sciatica (caused by an inflammation in the tissues surrounding my R sciatic nerve which runs from my lower back down the meg). The compression of this nerve is causing pain, difficulty walking, pain with sitting, laying or standing. I guess I should feel "lucky" since my doctor informed me that some women wake up with such severe sciatica that they can't walk or move their leg. Look at the bright side, right? I am hopeful that this too shall pass and things will get better. So, for now....we continue to take things one day at a time, since everyday brings something new! We should know in August what we are having!! Any bets?!?

Our First OB appt

We had our first OB appointment today.  We were able to see our little "blob" and able to see the heart beat.  It was about 160 beats per minute and the doctor says everything looks good!  She gave me a prescription for some nausea medicine (yay!) and reassured me I could take dramamine when we travel.  We are very excited to see how things progress and watch our little one grow!  Our next appointment is not until the middle of June....hopefully by then we will be able to see a little more, although I am not sure that I will get another ultrasound then!  We will keep everyone posted!

Pregnancy

What I have learned in my short time of being pregnant.......

*"Morning Sickness" is a crock.  I have been nauseous everyday mostly all day!

*This nausea is not a "if I see or smell food I am going to vomit."  Rather, if I don't eat every 45 min or so, I feel sick.  So, I eat all day to try to avoid feeling awful.

*Fatigue is a new way of being.  By 3 in the afternoon I am making laps around my office to stay awake.

*When people find out I am pregnant, they feel the need to give me every bit of advice they have related to children.......why this can be frustrating.......1. I am the youngest of 12 children and have 22 nieces and nephews, I have been changing diapers from a very young age and am very aware that children can be challenging, 2. I was a pediatric emergency nurse for 5 years, I have seen the sweetest of children and the biggest brats that reside within the greater Nashville area, I am VERY aware of potential dangers that children can get in to, 3. Not everyone should have children as evidenced by their remarks about their own children and their lives since having children.  

*I greatly appreciate my friends and family that share how wonderful having children can be and how much richer their lives are since having children!

*Crying and mood swings are a new "normal"

*Finally, having a patient and loving husband has made the not so glamorous times of being pregnant more tolerable.  

Despite not feeling so wonderful, I am truly ecstatic to meet this little human that is a part of me and Giles!  We go Wednesday, 5-13, to our first OB visit and we are so excited to see what has formed so far and to see and hear Boo Boo's heartbeat.  (Yes, the baby's nickname is Boo Boo, compliments of grandma.....it has stuck so far.  Although Giles is quick to point out that the nickname is NOT because he/she was a mistake!)  Hopefully my Dr. will give me something to help with the nausea (fingers crossed for Zofran)!

Baby, Baby Baby!

That's right....we are having a baby.  I had enrolled in a study at Vanderbilt for pregnant women so we received a free early ultrasound.  We are officially having a yolk sac! The ultrasound tech said there is good blood flow to the "baby" but that we are still a day or so away from being able to see a heart beat!  I go to my first OB appt May 13th where we will receive another ultrasound and be able to see a heart beat!  As of now, it looks like the due date will be right at Christmas!!  We are VERY excited!!

Anniversary

On May 18 Giles and I will celebrate our one year anniversary.  We are taking a trip to Ireland, which we are very excited about.  Having grown up in Tennessee (with a minimal amount of time in Florida) I have always wanted to see the world and what else is out there!  As the first year comes around, I am amazed at all the wonderful blessings that have come into our lives.  Giles and I both have good careers (that are nearly recession proof), will both graduate with our masters degrees soon, a great home, a precious dog, and great family and friends.  It seems like only a month ago that we were preparing for the wedding and praying daily for no rain!  Life is great and a trip to Ireland to celebrate is icing on the cake!  Just pray for us as we drive on the opposite side of their unpaved, historic roads in a manual transmission economy vehicle!  I will definitely post pictures when we return!

We have arrived!

I (Kim) have finally decided to join the world of blogging!  As we prepare to celebrate our one year anniversary, I can not help but to feel blessed at all the gifts God has brought to my life.  I am finally at a place in my life where I am at peace and happy with all I have.  Even on the worst days, life is better when you have someone by your side that loves and supports you know matter what. As we look forward to our future and all the exciting things to come, what a better way to keep family and friends up to date than to put it on the internet!