Baby H: Week 27

I'm a bit confused as to what weeks are in what trimester as I've read the start of the third trimester being anywhere from week 27 to 29. I'll stick to what the pregnancy apps on my phone say which is that this is my last week in second trimester. Holy cow! 

This week was filled with exciting moments, where to start! Within one day we completed all the big purchases for the nursery including a new dresser and love seat and our travel system was waiting on the front porch when we pulled up. The furniture is from Ikea which meant plenty of assembly required and the stroller/car seat is the Britax B-Agile/B-Safe travel system in Sandstone from Amazon because they had the best deal. I'll be sure to do a whole post just about the nursery once it's finished which is hopefully sooner rather than later. Our little family of two and a half also attended the wedding of one of my close friends and boy was this momma beat by the end of the night. Dancing in heals when you weigh more than you ever have definitely takes it's toll. Throw in not getting home until really late and I literally felt hungover the next day thanks to exhaustion and a tired body. 

With all the extra trips to the doctors office a few months ago for my early glucose test and such it feels like forever since we've been in to be seen even though it's only been 3 weeks. My next appointment isn't scheduled for another ten days but I'm already getting excited about seeing little man's sweet face on our growth ultrasound. Fingers crossed he isn't measuring quite as big as the last time but even if he is I'll be happy just to have him healthy. I've been dealing with my fair share of back aches recently and even found myself up at 3am searching for prenatal yoga on Pinterest the other night just because I was so uncomfortable. Here's hoping it doesn't get too much worse than this in the weeks to come but I have a feeling I'm fooling myself thinking it won't. In other news it's been hot hot hot here and I don't think I'm doing the best about making sure I stay hydrated which is definitely something I need to work on. I find myself not wanting to drink just plain water constantly which means I reach for iced coffee, teas, lemonade, Sonic limeades probably more often than I should. But I'm chugging water as I type trying to be better. I'm officially in all things maternity when it comes to shorts and pants but can still wear most of my non-maternity tops and dresses which makes getting dressed easier for sure. My allergies have been kicking my butt recently and it's definitely a pain not being able to take some of the meds that used to give me relief. 

I remember being so excited when I hit 13 weeks because it meant I was far enough along to spill the beans and now I'm to the point of only having 13 weeks left! I find myself thinking in real terms about actually having our little boy here with us, outside of my belly, and it usually blows my mind. We've always talked about having kids and the beginning of my pregnancy was filled with thoughts about bringing a little one into the world. But for so long it all seemed hypothetical. "Someday we'll have to get up in the middle of night", "I'll have a car seat in the back of my car soon", "I can't wait to see J hold our little boy". But it seems like the closer we get to my due date the more real it's all becoming. I'm thankful that pregnancy is 40 weeks because it's giving me time to mentally prepare for our little boy and making me that much more excited for the day he arrives. 

More and more often J and I find ourselves referring to our little boy by his first name and it just makes my heart swell each time I hear it. Calling him by his name, feeling his strong kicks and rolls throughout the day, officially having baby gear accumulating in the house. Gosh I can't wait to meet him because I just love him so much already. Under 100 days and less than 3 months until our world is changed forever! 

Our Ollie & His Scare with GDV

Two Monday's ago, June 16th, this big guy gave us quite the scare.

We were having a BBQ at our house to celebrate the end of year one of medical school. Our roommate and his friends along with my closest girlfriends and their significant others we're enjoying the evening, playing yard games, munching on delicious food, celebrating and laughing and pretending the year didn't suck as much as it sometimes felt like. A few of the guests had brought their furry friends along with them and the little pack of dogs could be found chewing on sticks and playing chase in the yard having a bit of a party themselves. And then things just weren't right for our O-dog.

8:30pm he slowly walked over to J and I, seeming a bit off but we brushed it aside.

8:35pm wandered to the other side of the yard and acted like he was going to be sick, but couldn't. hung his head, wretch, drool but nothing would come up. from across the yard we could tell something was wrong, we just knew it.

8:45pm looked in his mouth thinking maybe something is stuck in his throat, tried to get him to walk around. more wretching, more drooling, still no progress. attempted to give him hydrogen peroxide to force him to puke but it was like he couldn't even swallow it. felt his belly and it was solid as a rock.

8:50pm made the decision this wasn't normal and got him in the car. I drove him to the emergency vet while J stayed at home with all our guests. of course I would hit every stop light on the way there making it the longest drive ever.

9:00pm as we're checking in at the desk explaining what was going on there was more wretching and no vomit. a nurse watched it unfold and immediately took him in the back to get him checked out.

9:02pm same nurse came out asking for consent for abdominal x-rays because they thought it was GDV, gastric dilatation volvulus, aka twisted stomach. I immediately okayed it, filled out some paperwork and was placed in an exam room to wait for news.

9:10pm different nurse came in with his x-ray results and pulled them up on the screen. it was GDV and life threatening. he asked if they could put a needle in his side to release the gas in his stomach and make him feel better. I sent him out of the room to start the procedure asap before we talked any more.

9:13pm the nurse came back in and we discussed what would happen next. surgery was the only option to make it better. surgery to flip his stomach back to normal and attach it to his chest wall to prevent it from happening again. a quick phone call to J to make sure we were on the same page and I was quickly signing consent forms, being asked questions about performing CPR should he need it, handing over a credit card.

9:30pm I was taken to the back to be with him, laying on the floor, hooked up to all sorts of machines, wearing an infant-sized blood pressure cuff with half his belly already shaved from the first procedure. I sat on the floor with him, rubbed his ears, touched his soft shaved skin, told him he was the best boy in the whole world and how much we loved him. meanwhile the nurse was shaving the rest of his belly and the surgeons were on their way in.

9:45pm I gave him one last kiss and headed home to wait for the phone call that surgery was over. I hated leaving but knew there was nothing else for me to do there and that J would need me at home.

11:30pm my phone finally rings from the surgeon. everything went fantastic. he was waking up like he should, there were no complications to worry about, he was able to keep his spleen and there was no part of his stomach that died while it was twisted. "you must have gotten him here fast" he said. boy did we try.

He spent the next two days at the vet making sure there were no lasting complications or concerns and we were thankfully able to visit him and call for updates whenever we wanted. Early Wednesday morning we were finally able to bring him home equipped with pain meds, a cone and instructions on how to take care of him. He was on a boiled chicken and rice diet for the first few days which I happily cooked for him. I would have made a 5 course meal for him if that's what it meant to have him home again. We stayed home with him around the clock so he didn't have to wear his cone, we kept him calm and on pain meds the best we could just thanking our lucky stars our sweet boy was where he was supposed to be.

As of today he is doing a thousand times better. He's going to have the dozens of staples taken out of his incision and check in with the doctor later this morning but we know he has a clean bill of health already. He's back to his normal silly self and we couldn't be more thankful. Every tail wag is a sign that he's happy. Every meal he eats and the burps that follow mean things are moving like they should in there. Every panting smile with his tongue sticking out directed towards us still makes me tear up if I think about how close we were to losing him. Every chance I get I drag my big belly onto the floor for a big hug, a good scratch and more kisses than I could count.

Yes, Ollie is our dog, our 85lb 4 year-old golden retriever. But even more important than all of that is that he is our family. We love him with the same love we have for each other, for the rest of our family. He brings us so much joy, so much laughter, so much happiness every single day. And after a scare like this, the thought of actually losing him, we have a new perspective. We are so thankful, so grateful and feel so blessed we get more time to show him how much he means to us.

We love you Ollie boy, don't ever think any differently.

Baby H: Week 26

Another one bites the dust, another week that is. Why is it that summer break weeks seem to be so much shorter than weeks during the rest of the year, seriously! This week baby boy attended two BBQs in our backyard with lots and lots of friends and pork from the smoker. He "helped" the girl's team win in yard pong by helping me not "throw like a girl" (I think the boys were just bitter we beat them!) He attended his first concert with my mom and I. He was the only man allowed at some bachelorette party festivities downtown on Saturday night. He wiggled and squirmed like crazy during my first prenatal massage. And I absolutely love having his company every day. 

I've been feeling really great and it's such a blessing. Extra dry skin and lips have been a bit annoying lately but I'm trying to keep myself hydrated as much as possible and always have chapstick near by. My belly is definitely growing by the minute it seems and unfortunately that means so is my weight. As long as my doctor doesn't say anything about it I'm trying not to think into it too much but being up 18lbs already and still having a whole trimester to go, I sometimes can't help but want to quit eating all together. The one plus side to it all is that I have yet to see any stretch marks of any sorts yet and I am so thankful for that. My belly button is officially in creepy-land and moves in and out if I take big breaths or laugh really hard. I'm terrified of the outie I don't think I'll be able to avoid like I hoped. I've also started getting what I think is a bit of acid reflux. I've never had it or heart burn before but have noticed if I lay down too soon after eating that I get a strange burning/gagging feeling in the back of my throat that's just plain uncomfortable. It might be time to buy some Tums.

I've been loving the weather lately and the fact that it means maxis are the perfect outfit choice now. I think I was a bit naive about how my body would be changing thinking I could get away with wearing a lot of what was in my closet already but thankfully maxis and long tanks seem to be my saving grace. On a normal day-to-day basis I haven't had too many struggles finding an outfit that's casual to hang out in but it's definitely getting more tricky when I need to be dressed up. We have a wedding to go to this coming weekend and I have no idea what I'll wear since most of my dresses that still fit aren't formal enough for an event like this. Fingers crossed my closet spits out a dress I forgot I owned otherwise J might not be too pleased with a shopping trip in the near future. 

In other random news, I've been craving cereal and iced tea like whoa this week. A whole pitcher of tea and a box of Captain Crunch within a few days seemed like the best idea ever. We finally have new carpet upstairs now which means nursery progress is on the forefront and I can't wait! One of the most exciting parts from this week was getting started with baby shower planning with my mom. We officially have a date for the end of July, invites should be going in the mail by the end of the week and I'm just about done with all the finishing touches on our registry. Can't wait to celebrate this little man who just swiftly kicked me straight in the ribs. 

Numbers v3

THREE: number of dollars I spent on this orange and blue dress from Goodwill, originally from Target and with the original tags on still. 

FIFTY: number of compliments I got on it a few weekend ago at our first wedding celebration of the year. thankful it still fits the bump.

FIVE: the number of wedding festivities still left for this summer. one bachelorette party and four wedding celebrations. I love this time of year.

ONE HUNDRED: wooden beads that need painting for our little man's massive abacus that J built for the wall above his crib.

FOUR: the number of baby related classes J and I are officially registered for this summer; birth, baby care, breastfeeding and daddy bootcamp!

ONE HUNDRED & THREE: the number of days until my due-date. time is flying!

THIRTY-FIVE: the number of written exams during my first year of medical school. not including all lab practicals and quizzes and practice tests.

SIX: the number of weeks of summer break I'll be enjoying starting this past monday.

THREE: the number of times, including last night, that I've seen James Taylor live in concert. thanks to my momma for taking me with her last night because it was a fantastic show at one of the best venues there is. 

FIFTEEN HUNDRED: steps to get from our parking spot to our seats at red rocks (not to mention all uphill). this prego was leaving lots of people in the dust even if I was huffing and puffing.

UNLIMITED: the amount of time or dollars we'd spend on our first born, fur baby. he gave us quite the scare monday night and we are so thankful to have him home post-surgery, silly hair cut and all. 

Numbers v1 v2

Baby H: Week 25

This week absolutely flew by! I seriously don't know where the days went. Now that might have to do with the fact that it was my last week of medical school for the semester (hallelujah!!!) so I was cramming basically every day but hey, another week in the books is all that matters.

I had my 24 week appointment on Friday and everything is checking out great still. Baby boy's heart rate was between 138-140 and my belly measurements were right on track. I was a bit disappointed that I'll have to do another 1 hour glucose test at the typical time point at my next appointment but knowing I wasn't even close last time makes this one significantly less stressful. Now to eat the pan brownies I made the night extra quick so I can be better about sugar leading up to that appointment like I did last time and we should be in the clear. The good news is that along with the glucose test we get an extra growth ultrasound next appointment to see if little man is still measuring ahead. I can't wait to see his sweet face again. Fingers crossed for my pelvis' sake that he's closer to normal size now otherwise I'll be in for a treat in September.

With the summer in full swing, it's all about baby things now. J and I registered for classes at the hospital and it definitely makes it real that yep, he is coming! We went with a New Parents Bundle that included childbirth, baby care, breastfeeding and even a daddy bootcamp. We might not be ready yet but I can bet these classes will do loads of good. In other good news, the carpet is going in next Saturday (!!!) which means there will be tons of nursery progress happening around these parts. And now that schools over too I can finally start on all my projects. I also just sent an initial invite list to my mom for my shower in July and am feeling extra blessed that so many people want to celebrate our babe.

Little man is a total wiggle worm in there and it makes me love him so much more each time I feel him in there. Occasionally my belly will be totally lopsided with a definite hard lump which I can only imagine is his rear end! If I give it a little push he ends up jabbing me somewhere else and eventually changes positions which totally blows my mind. He's definitely a little human in there and I just can't wait to meet him. Along the same lines, J laid his head on my belly one night in bed and started singing one of his favs, "Don't Stop Believing" and was promptly hit right in the ear numerous times. So, so neat! I can't wait to see the two of them together this fall. Only 15 more weeks until we're a family of four, Ollie included.

And for your viewing pleasure, outtakes from yesterday's "photo shoot". O-dog trying to take center stage and my silly husband's take on a belly shot. Can't wait to bring another boy into my heard of goofballs. 

Summer To-Do List

I am thrilled that I get 6 weeks off for summer break this year between semesters and hope to make the best of it. This summer is the "last one" in more ways than one, my last official summer break before medicine and a real job take over and our last summer before we become parents. There's a lot of things we need to get done with my extra time off and I sure hope to fill the in between moments with adventures and fun.

Summer 2014 To-Do

[+] Get out on a lake at least a few times (not to be confused with getting IN the lake, doctor's orders), potentially for the 4th of July but not necessarily.

[+] Read something that isn't a textbook. I'm thinking the newest Jodi Picolut novel, maybe Bread & Wine and even thinking about throwing in some baby books like Baby Wise and/or Moms On Call.

 [+] Go to evening and afternoon Rockies games. Baseball screams summer and I love going downtown for them.

[+] Have the upstairs carpet installed which means moving lots of furniture but it'll be worth it.

[+] Finish the little man's nursery which includes making a boy-version of this quilt and a solar system mobile, buying the rest of his furniture and plenty of other projects.

[+] Make and drink this lemonade as a substitute for the margaritas I won't be enjoying (bitterness included free of charge).

[+] Have a sweet shower for our little man and celebrate his soon arrival with anyone and everyone that loves him.

[+] Enjoy more than one fire in the evenings on our patio. We barely got to use it last summer even after all the work we did in the backyard and I love s'mores so this is a must.

[+] Register for baby classes, possibly take said baby classes (if not before school starts then after) and take a hospital tour.

[+] Celebrate milestone events with our friends, especially their showers, bachelorette parties and weddings most of all. Bring on the wedding cake!

[+] Maybe get away with my hubs even for just a quick weekend while it's just the two of us still. I can only imagine how different our lives will soon be and would love for some one-on-one time with my favorite man.

What am I forgetting? Bring it on summer, I'm ready for you! (well after my test on Monday, of course)

Baby H: Week 24

Yep, this outfit is really making an appearance. Sorry I'm not sorry. Our Sunday (which is the day we take pictures each week) consisted of morning movie watching, laundry, filling my brain with everything I could about viruses, and projects in the basement. The weather was crappy and even involved a tornado warning which meant the only reason I left the house at all was to grab Taco Bell for dinner. I'll take what I can get.

Maybe it's because the weather is starting to heat up and school is almost over (which means SUMMER!!!) but I'm having a hard time accepting the idea of not getting to indulge on Bud Lite Limes and margs in the coming months. I used to rarely drink before so it's not like this is a huge change for me but I did enjoy in an adult-beverage here and there and so this is the hardest thing I've had to give up. Coffee? I still drink it, just not as much. Sushi? Wasn't ever a huge fan so it's not missed. Lunch meat? Hit or miss whether I care or not. But I do miss booze. To the point this week where I found myself paroozing Pinterest for holiday cocktails for Thanksgiving and Christmas already. Oops!

We have our 24 weeks appointment on Tuesday and it should hopefully be pretty uneventful. Symptom wise I'm feeling great at this point. I've been diligently taking my iron supplement and hope that the effects of that start to kick in soon. Occasionally it's taken me a little while to get comfortable in bed but thankfully I've had no recent bouts of insomnia and usually don't wake up in the middle of the night even to use the restroom which is great. My ribs, especially the left side, are notoriously painful if I sit for too long but otherwise aches and pains have been minimal the last few days. I'm still craving tasty, icy things to drink so my bubba is usually filled with lemon water, iced tea, etc etc throughout the day. J and I went through the drive-thru at Sonic recently and I had to order one of the new Nerds slushes because it sounded fantastic. The first few sips were definitely tasty but this drink was just too much for me. Too much sugar for this sweet-tooth is saying something!

I've been feeling much better about getting dressed lately since I feel like I have a real baby bump to show off now. Plus the handful of items I've purchased recently have made a world of difference. Maternity shorts are pretty much the best thing ever as are extra long tanks that let me wear most of my regular shirts still without them being crop-tops. I tried on basically all the dresses I own the other day to find one for a wedding and happily, I could have chosen any one of them still, although they definitely fit differently these days. I assume I'll have to buy a few extra things to get me completely through the fall but am happy to avoid it for now. It's been quite the journey watching my body change like it has over the last five months, all for this little man of ours.

With only one more week of classes it's been really hard to get my mind focused on school so there's been lots of progress happening in the nursery. I've almost completed my collection of prints and such for the gallery wall, washed the fabric I'll be using to make a changing pad cover and a crib sheet with and we officially know what furniture we'll be buying once the carpet is installed. J also hung up shelves for books and curtain rods and has started on a DIY project of his own, a massive abacus to hang above the crib in hopes that this little man loves number just like his daddy. Now if only the semester could be done already and the carpet could be in. This momma is starting to be on full-nesting mode!

And I tell you what, it's crazy what a difference 10 weeks makes! Can't wait to add in week 34. I've said it before and I'll say it again, time sure is flying.

Thankful v9

Lately I've been thankful...

[+] for bright blooms on the front step & a new, fancy door to let in the breeze

 [+] for husband sized clothes to borrow when waistbands & tight clothes are too much

[+] for a happy pup who will always go on rides with me even if he doesn't get out of the car

[+] for the little boy dancing in my belly that makes the aches & pains just disappear

[+] for mini versions of clothes I can't seem to pass up & loving collared shirts more than ruffles

[+] for ten more days & one more exam until the end of my first year 

[+] for summer time, green grass, upcoming backyard BBQs & s'mores by the fire

[+] for husband's sleeping next to you after a whole lot of travel & lonely nights this month

[+] for motivation to get moving & enjoying it again even with all the side-eyes at my belly

[+]  for thunder & lightening shows as I fall asleep with rain to water our lawn 

[+] for a sweet pup who follows me everywhere & is becoming such a 'real dog'

[+] for summer weddings, adventures, projects & free time soon to come

[+] for the journey through life with fantastic friends & our future sons

Happy Friday friends!

It's Been A Year

We just passed the one-year mark since moving into our house and back to our home state. And oh boy, what a year it's been. Filled with celebrations, occasional downfalls, all four seasons and lots of change.

We've celebrated big events, hosted holidays and created traditions. We've had drop in guests, noise filled evenings and made lots of memories with those we care about. This house has turned into our home, such a different feeling than that from our San Diego house, that always had an air of "for now" to it. We take such pride in this house and it feels so much more permanent, so much better, just right, like home. This is where we're supposed to be, I just know it.

In the last year I've watched J settle into a work routine here and couldn't be more proud of him. He works so hard to provide for our family and it makes me beam just thinking about all his success. I have almost survived my first year of medical school and find myself thinking with fondness and sometimes dismay about all the places around the house I've cooped up studying late into the night.

I've cried tears of happiness and sadness in this house. Fought with my husband and fallen even more in love in this house. Cursed the heat because of our lack of AC and wrapped myself in blankets by the fire in this house. We celebrated one year of marriage and found out about our baby in this house.

When we first fell in love with this place I had ideas in my head about what this first year had in store. I never would have imagined it would turn out so good. Here's to year one and all that's in store for the next year!

And if you want to see what a difference actually watering your lawn makes, 

here's what it looked like last year compared to now.

Baby H: Week 23

Another week in the books and closer to little man's big debut! Assuming I don't end up going past my due date, we're officially less than 4 months till he's in our arms.

The blood tests from my glucose screening have still been lingering around this week in both good and bad ways. Bad when I got a call from the lab about a missing test result that had my medical school brain doing circles all weekend. Thankfully it was a mistake and wasn't an issue in the first place but that's definitely the down side of being knowledgeable in this area. Sometimes it's less scary to be ignorant, I swear. But on the bright side, the blood draw was able to determine that I'm anemic and I've started on an extra iron supplement along with my prenatal vitamins every day. The nurse said to be diligent about taking it every day because "it takes 4-6 weeks for you to stop feeling fatigued". And to think I only attributed my exhaustion to medical school, score! I'm also pretty confident anemia was causing my dizziness from a few weeks ago which I would love to avoid again.

Baby boy joined me again at the pool twice this week and I can already tell I'm going to be spending a lot of time there in the coming months. I've always loved the pool (being on swim team and working as a lifeguard) and can bet that my prego body will throughly enjoy the weightlessness and escape from the heat. I'm thankful that my skin has yet to have any adverse reactions or over-sensitivity to the sun so for now, bring on the tan! (With sunscreen of course!) Little man's also been asking me for lots of ice water, strawberry shortcake ice-cream bars (which are apparently hard to find around here), savory bagels and gummy candies. I've also noticed over the last few weeks that the idea of having hot coffee or other warm liquids has my stomach turning which means ice in everything, even glasses of milk!

My body must be doing a lot of stretching this week because my skin feels tight, my low back is always sore and sometimes I feel like my ribs are expanding by the minute. I also get a weird sensation in my diaphragm when I breath in as deeply as I can and sometimes when I cough. I can only attribute it to compression of everything inside that I imagine will only get worse as time goes by. I'm up about another pound making that a total of 16 from my pre-baby weight, a little quicker than I would have liked but I'd do anything for this boy. His pokes and sudden movements are still so sweet and are all over my belly now. He's still not very consistent, sometimes jabbing the same location over and over again but sometimes giving me one good push and then settling down. I find myself imagining what he's doing in there. Moving his arms and legs around rapidly? Just changing positions?

Finally, I'm excited to announce that J and I are about 98% decided on a name for our little mister. His first name is set, just working on the middle name a little. But we're keeping it a secret until his birthday, sorry! I've heard of way to many names being ruined by other people's opinions or stories... "oh that's my brother's dog's name", "I had a horrible boyfriend with that name", "that's our top choice too" so to avoid it all, we're not telling a soul. But, again, it makes it that much more special connecting with our boy with his name in mind.