Yesterday I went to my doctor visit. The doctor said everything is going good so far. It was a very short visit. I just had to do the usual pee in a cup, weigh, blood pressure, measure my uterus, and listen to the baby's heart. Everything was good. For some reason I was afraid that my blood pressure would be high because I've been feeling my pulse a lot stronger at times, and I would feel like my heart was beating so hard I could see it in my chest. It was fine though. I guess that's probably normal with the extra blood in my body. (I read I'm suppose to gain 2 pounds of extra blood. wow!)Speaking of pounds my weight has increased quite a bit since my last visit. It almost scared me. My prepregnancy weight was 108, then in my first trimester due to morning sickness I lost a few pounds and dropped to 104. Yesterday I weighed in at a wopping 117! I know that sounds small to some, but it's big for me because I'm a short little boned person. My doctor told me that was okay since I was under, but that I shouldn't gain 7 pounds every month or I'll be in trouble. I don't really know what to do about that. It scares me because I don't want to gain too much, but I gained that weight so easily, I didn't even feel like I was over eating and I've been working out consistantly. So I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and hope my body naturally does what is right. I'm in the middle of my 6th month which is absolutely crazy for me to think about because that means in a few weeks I'll be in my 3rd (and last!) trimester. This pregnancy has flown by! I hear a lot of women say they felt like their pregnancy lasted so long, but mine feels like just yesterday I was taking the home pregnancy test. I am getting anxious for my baby girl to be here, but not because I'm sick of being pregnant or anything. I just can't wait to hold her and for Nick and I to begin our new life as a family with a little girl! I have been working the two jobs as planned; and I love it! I'm substitute teaching at Karns Middle (I'm actually here at the school right now teaching 8th grade math). The kids are awesome! This is a great community to teach in because most of these kids are so well behaved and respectful. I can tell they have good parents and teachers that care about them. So that makes my job very easy. And they love that I'm pregnant, I get all kinds of interesting questions and stories from them about it. I'm also serving tables, but just on Saturday nights (the money night!). Actually so far I enjoy serving tables, but the money is not that good. I'm hoping business will pick up soon. And today is my 23rd birthday! I'm growing up a lot this year. It blows my mind to look back to when I was 18 and starting college and to see where I am now. I never would've thought that by the time I graduated I would also be married and pregnant. I think I like life fast though. It keeps me guessing and excited. For my birthday I'm hopefully getting my nursery furniture from my parents. I know that's not "for me" but that's what I want. Nick's parents celebrated my bday on Sunday. They took Nick and I out to eat, gave me a sweet card and money (which they didn't have to do, but I appreciate it a lot), and Ruth gave me a book I've really been wanting Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam. I'm so excited about this book. I've heard great things from parents that have used this book and how their baby slept through the night so soon because of the methods suggested in it. I'm already on the 6th chapter, and I'll probably read it again and take notes because it's really good stuff. And as another bday present (not really but I like to think it is) my cousin, Allison is finding out the gender of her baby today at the doctor. So I can't wait to hear the results! I'm hoping she will text soon so I will know. I'm really excited for her and so glad we're pregnant at the same time. So that's all so far. Just moving along happily in the pregnancy and dreaming about what it will be like in the end.
2008-01-04 (22 weeks)
Finally feels REAL to me This pregnancy is finally feeling more real to me! At first I just felt sick and tired, but not pregnant. Then when the sickness went away I still didn't feel very pregnant because I wasn't showing and wasn't feeling the baby move very often. But now it's like everything has changed. My belly has grown so much in the past month. It is a little scary, growing like this so fast, but it's just in my tummy. So I'm not too worried about the weight gain. My stumach feels hard as a rock. Sometimes that gets a little uncomfortable, and my muscles cramp up because they are being stretched out more and more each day. But all in all it's not really a bad thing. I have officially had to transition to maternity clothes for good. I packed away all of my regular winter clothes and have stocked up on cute maternity clothes. It's really fun to get a new wardrobe, but sometimes I do miss the form fitting shirts or low cut jeans that don't come up so high on my belly. But I'm getting more and more comfortable with the maternity clothes every day. The baby is also kicking a whole lot more! She is so active, and it's really exciting. She loves to start kicking and playing around whenever I lay down and just after I eat. She practically kicks all night long. I know that may not seem like such a good thing, but I really enjoy it. I just lay in bed with my hands on my belly and feel her kick and play. Nick has also felt it many times. He's amazed! He always asks me what it feels like inside and I honestly can't quite explain it to him. But right now I am just so excited about the baby. I see why they call this trimester "the honey moon phase". Because I feel like I'm just falling more and more in love with my baby every day. Nick talks to her and kisses my belly, and I sing to her when I know she's awake and kicking. It's so fun to begin the bonding process. I also think we have decided on a name..... I think. We like Alyssa Nickole Blevins. And ofcoarse we may change it, but that's pretty much what we have decided on. We spelled the middle name so that it would incorporate both my middle name (Nicole) and Nick's name. I think it's really cute and she'll probably really like it when she gets older to have that little piece of us both in her name. I'm just beginning to get so excited! I have a doctor's appointment coming up on January 14th, so I will come back and keep everyone posted! Shower planning is not far away either. I'm also getting ready to sign up for birthing classes and I'm sure I will write all about the interesting things I learn there as well. So for now I'm going to go to bed and wait for Alyssa to start kicking the night away!
2007-12-26 (20 weeks)
A preggo Christmas! Well Christmas is over now, but it was wonderful. I love spending time with mine and Nick's families. We were with my family on Christmas Eve to eat and open gifts, then with his family on Christmas day for more eating a gift opening. It's so exciting for me to think about next Christmas when we'll have our little baby girl. I don't want to spoil her, but it's so fun to think of all the cool things we can get for her at Christmas. I plan way too far ahead because I'm already thinking about making photo Christmas cards with her and dressing her up in the cutest Christmas dress ever. It's fun to think about. I have been feeling her move and kick more than ever! Nick has felt her too. After I eat and late at night right before I go to bed she starts kicking like crazy for about 20 minutes. I don't know what she is doing in there, but it must be fun. It makes me think she'll really like these little slippers that we got her, they have rattles on the end. So she can kick and play with the toys on her feet. My mom made Christmas trees (one for a boy and one for a girl) and my cousin and I chose the bags before we knew which tree was in each bag. Then opened them and I got the girl tree and she got the boy. She finds out very soon what she's having so hopefully we both got the right trees. I put the cute little girl tree up by our big tree and put a little gift under it for her (little pink bunny slippers). It has been such fun to celebrate Christmas pregnant. Most people got us cute little things we can use when the baby comes. I got an adorable diaper bag that I can't wait to carry. As soon as we choose a name we're getting it put on the bag because I think that's so cute. Speaking of names some names that we like are Alyssa, Baily, Ansley, and Marissa. Middle names we like are Grace, Nickole, and Marie. So we're playing around with those trying to figure out which one we like best. Hopefully we'll choose before she's born so we can put her name up in the nursery and put it on her diaper bag. I'm getting more excited as each day passes. I just can't wait for her to be here! I'm not feeling uncomfortable or anything. Infact I'm feeling great and very energetic. I've been serving tables trying to contibute to our new house savings account, and when school starts back I'm planning on substitute teaching. There is also a job opening at a private school for a music teacher that is only part time and I'm going to look in to that as well. I would love to go ahead and start teaching music. So those are the plans for the new year along with continuing to work out and eat healthy, and to clean out the spare bedroom to make room for the baby! I hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas and I can't wait to see you all soon!
2007-12-17 (19 weeks)
IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you tell that I'm so so excited? I went to the doctor today at 10am for my 5 month check up and the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. I had a little group of people come with me, Nick (my hubby), my mom, and my mother-in-law. I was so nervous for some reason going in. I drank a mountain dew (which I haven't been drinking caffeine but I didn't want the baby to be asleep with it's legs together and us not be able to see). So that may also be why I felt nervous because of the caffeine overload. Once she started the ultrasound and I heard the heartbeat I felt a lot better and immediately calmed down. She started showing us the baby's profile and it's brain and heart and EVERYTHING except what the sex was. She was saving it for last. Then she said "well it looks like the legs are close together, but I can tell it's a girl". We were looking from the front and all you could see was a little girl part (no boy parts to be seen). When she told me that I started crying. I was so happy to know. Then she turned on the 3d and let us watch her move around inside. She moved her hand up to her face and tried to suck her thumb. It was so precious. So now I want to get the 3d ultrasound so bad. I'll ask for that for my birthday because it's $140. After all of that she checked on other things like the placenta and my cervix and she had potential bad news. She said the placenta was sitting low to the cervix, which if it stayed that way shouldn't be too much trouble just that I would bleed a lot at delivery. But if the placenta covers the cervix I will have to have a c-section. I would rather not have a c-section, but at least I will know a head of time. They are going to do another ultrasound in 8 weeks to see how it looks. I'm just so excited though. I can't even explain. I have already went to babys-r-us and picked out a cute girl nursery set. It has lady bugs on it. It's so cute. I may use my graduation money to buy baby furniture, but I'm going to wait and see what I get at showers first before I buy anything. So that's the big news of the day.
Can you tell that I'm so so excited? I went to the doctor today at 10am for my 5 month check up and the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. I had a little group of people come with me, Nick (my hubby), my mom, and my mother-in-law. I was so nervous for some reason going in. I drank a mountain dew (which I haven't been drinking caffeine but I didn't want the baby to be asleep with it's legs together and us not be able to see). So that may also be why I felt nervous because of the caffeine overload. Once she started the ultrasound and I heard the heartbeat I felt a lot better and immediately calmed down. She started showing us the baby's profile and it's brain and heart and EVERYTHING except what the sex was. She was saving it for last. Then she said "well it looks like the legs are close together, but I can tell it's a girl". We were looking from the front and all you could see was a little girl part (no boy parts to be seen). When she told me that I started crying. I was so happy to know. Then she turned on the 3d and let us watch her move around inside. She moved her hand up to her face and tried to suck her thumb. It was so precious. So now I want to get the 3d ultrasound so bad. I'll ask for that for my birthday because it's $140. After all of that she checked on other things like the placenta and my cervix and she had potential bad news. She said the placenta was sitting low to the cervix, which if it stayed that way shouldn't be too much trouble just that I would bleed a lot at delivery. But if the placenta covers the cervix I will have to have a c-section. I would rather not have a c-section, but at least I will know a head of time. They are going to do another ultrasound in 8 weeks to see how it looks. I'm just so excited though. I can't even explain. I have already went to babys-r-us and picked out a cute girl nursery set. It has lady bugs on it. It's so cute. I may use my graduation money to buy baby furniture, but I'm going to wait and see what I get at showers first before I buy anything. So that's the big news of the day. 