Hello all,

Thanks for checking in on us.  We had our 2nd ultrasound today.  What fun!  The good news is that Baby is looking great, and according to the tech "has lots of hair" (must be my genes, huh?!  LOL).  Baby was busy holding his/her foot, then putting his/her arm and hand up to the face.  It was amazing to see how much Baby S has grown in the last 12 weeks! 

The other news (neither good nor bad I guess) is that the Placenta is still "half Previa" according to the tech - halfway covering the cervix, or Baby's exit into the real world.  Keep in mind, this is improvement from complete Previa at 20 weeks.  Sooooo....we will wait to hear more from Dr. Lacoste next week (next appt 4/5/06), and schedule a 3rd ultrasound for 3-4 weeks from now (YEAH!).  If the placenta hasn't moved by then, what I remember Dr. L saying is that she'll order one more u/s around 38 weeks and then we'll plan a C-section if need be. 

I'm kinda bummed out by this news - I was expecting to go in to the appointment today to be told that the Placenta had shifted and everything looks great.  A C-section is not what I had in mind for my first Baby.  I know that lots of women have C-sections and I know that's not necessarily the case at this point.  What I also know, and more importantly so, is that the delivery of this precious child is solely in God's hands.  It is (and has never been) up to me.  All we can do is continue to pray that Baby arrives safely into this world.  I believe He has big plans for him or her.  Jesus loves you, Baby!!!! 

Other than that, a few other changes happening - heartburn is back in full force.  It does not matter what I eat, I usually feel pretty yucky shortly afterward.  No vomiting, thankfully, just that lovely nauseated feeling.  Ewww!

It's also getting a bit harder to sleep at night; I wake several times a night, sweat a lot (I am forever HOT!) and don't usually feel rested when I wake.  Oh well, comes with the territory, again.  That part doesn't bother me so much.

The nursery is coming along beautifully!  Grandma Stein was hard at work last week working on the walls, and has been hard at work this week, re-doing the hardwood floors with a special kit that Grandpa Stein bought from Lowe's.  He thought this would be much safer than trusting Grandma with a big ol' power sander!  It's much less of a mess too, and it looks just beautiful!  We will soon be putting molding down, and hanging new closet doors and window treatments.  I would say that in about 2-3 weeks, this nursery will be complete - and just waiting for a new tenant with teeny clothes!

I bought a couple of maternity dresses this week - for 2 Baby showers, Easter, and possibly a bridal shower or two, I figured I needed to have something springy to wear!  They're cute, and hopefully they don't look too much like mumus (sp?).  LOL.  Ah well, again, comes with the territory.  It is ALL worth it!

I love you, Baby.  Stay safe and healthy - know that you are loved and longed for, and we look forward to the day when we can see you! 

Just a quick update -

We have our 2nd ultrasound scheduled for Thursday, March 30th at 2:00 PM.  Finally got all the right doctor's and insurance approvals - whew!  Not too much of a pain, just several phone calls and waits on "hold".  We are really looking forward to seeing how much Little One has grown, and keeping a few more pictures! 

We are pretty much organized on back-to-work child care for the fall through the end of the year.  In combination, my mom, mother-in-law and sister-in-law (Steph) are going to help us out following my 12-weeks' leave from work.  I am so excited that Baby will get to spend quality time with the people I love & trust more than anything in the world - thank you to my family for being so wonderful and supportive to all of us! 

Upon my return to work full-time, Tim and I will re-evaluate my work schedule for January 2007 and beyond - the thought right now is to change to part time.  My job is relatively flexible, and I'm pretty sure I can work this out with my boss and administration.  I am confident that God will not only provide, but also open the right doors at the right time.  He knows all and definitely knows what is best for our family. 

I'm not feeling too incredible today - don't know if it's a combination of being tired from several weekends' worth of busy activities, my being 31 weeks pregnant, sickness (not likely), or whatever else...basically I'm feeling very tired (like I could lay down on my desk and sleep for an hour or more), warm (not temperature warm, just PREGNANT warm!) and my tummy feels full/ yucky.  Hopefully I will feel better after sleeping tonight - I did not sleep too well (wild & crazy dreams) last night. 

Hope this finds you all well.  Lots of love to you!

Beth

Blah..technology is not always a great thing, when you hit the wrong button and a reaaalllly long update disappears.  Let me try this again...

Things are moving along nicely in the world of baby.  My parents have been lovingly working on the nursery during the past week.  They painted 3 coats of a really light green color (called "Pooh Corner" - Behr Disney paint) and my Mom is working on ragging a darker hue over it  (called "Tinker Bell").  It looks wonderful!  I am really looking forward to everything coming all together for the finished product!

My lung space is slowly dwindling, as is the visibility of my ankle bones.  Comes along with the territory, so I'm not complaining (too much!)  I love how the human body works though - it will tell you exactly when you need to slow down and rest.  It really is an amazing thing...

Baby continues to thrive - moving & shaking and being perfectly content.  I love to feel his/her movements beneath my shirt, or to simply watch!  Still not keeping me up at night - either I continue to tune the movements out, or Baby likes to sleep at night too! 

I had a doc appt yesterday.  Everything appears to be on target - I'm measuring 29 cm, which is a little on the small side for 30 wks, but nothing to be too concerned about - just means that this isn't (hopefully) going to be a huge baby!  We do still have 10 + weeks though...anything is possible!  Dr. Lacoste also ordered me a second ultrasound to check the measurements & the position of my placenta.  I plan to schedule it today - I'll keep you posted.  I also passed my glucose screening - another YEAH!!

For the first time in my life...the scale LIED to me!  2 weeks ago at my appt, I weighed 177 lbs.  Yesterday I weighed 169 lbs.  There is NO WAY I lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks!  Dr. Lacoste's conclusion was that the weight check 2 weeks ago was incorrect (meaning I did NOT gain 11 lbs in a month!  YEAH!).  So, I really have no idea just how much weight I've gained with this pregnancy, and I'm perfectly content with that.  There are much more important things in life!

I firmed up my knowledge of Maternity Leave and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) with my HR department yesterday.  I plan to work up until the last possible minute and then spend as much time as I can with Baby after delivery.  I have the ability to take up to 12 weeks off (including my own vacation & personal time off and FMLA), roughly 4-5 of those weeks will be unpaid.  I'm all about it though, and really looking forward to it!!!!!!  I cannot think of a better way to spend time off - than with my newborn child!

My first Baby Shower is coming up on April 8th - I'm really looking forward to seeing family & friends that I haven't seen in a while!  It will be so good to catch up. 

Okay...time to feed this hungry child & mom!  Thanks for checking in ~

So I'm 29 weeks pregnant.  Nothing too unusual report, just a few funny happenings!

My belly button is officially on its way to an outtie.  I have a feeling before this is all said and done, it will "pop" all the way out.  Ha, ha, it looks pretty funny.  I'm not too upset by this, surprisingly.  I thought I'd be much more affected.  Maybe it's because I'm not surprised by much these days in the pregnancy aspect - anything is possible!  My hope is that it eventually pops back to the "innie" it used to be. 

Yesterday (3/16/06) was the first day that a stranger approached me and asked if she could feel my belly.  If you don't already know, I work with individuals with mental illness.  I was about to start a group in the community at a place called the Drop In Center, and for some reason yesterday was the day everyone noticed (again..I think sometimes the consumers forget) that I'm pregnant.  This one consumer was just tickled to death that I'm expecting, so she joyfully giggled, put her hands up and proceeded to ask (at the same time she was walking over to me) if she could feel my belly.  I returned the laugh, and politely declined her offer - twice.  Now I've had lots of my girlfriends ask to feel my belly, and I've never had a problem with it.  There is something "maternal" or "miraculous" that draws hands to a pregnant belly.  However, I draw the line with strangers!

I have begun to feel and watch Baby move in more visible shapes beneath my skin.  It's quite an amazing thing, actually.  Sometimes, especially within the last week, I have been able to rub my belly with my hand and actually identify that I was feeling a body part - whether it was a leg, foot, arm hand, butt, or head, I do not know...but it was the feeling of a human being for sure!  Tim felt this for the first time yesterday too, he was speechless - I don't know if it was because of fright or amazement! 

We start working on the nursery tomorrow!  We bought paint & tools last night and are set to begin with the help of my parents.  I've already been told by several people that I won't be working on the nursery - just my husband and parents.  No fair!  (But then again, I don't much like painting anyway).

And finally, I guess no news is good news - in the gestational diabetes world anyway.  I have not heard from my doctor's office (I was supposed to hear by Monday 3/13 at the latest), therefore, I assume all is well with my GD bloodwork.  I do see Dr. Lacoste on 3/22 though - so we shall see.

Enjoy your weekend, and as always, Thanks for continuing the journey with us!