We had a great appointment and ultrasound with the specialist yesterday. The doctor measured all sorts of bones and parts. Alyssa looks great and shows no signs of any problems with her head or any other part of her. She's growing like crazy! Her weight has doubled in 3 weeks. She now weighs 1lb 2oz. We could see her face better this time because of her growth and the better quality ultrasound. She looks more like a baby and less like a halloween skeleton. :) After a few minutes of poking, prodding, me drinking cold water, and a short lecture from her parents, Alyssa finally showed her stuff so the doctor could confirm that she hasn't grown any new "appendages" between the legs that we should know about. :) We got some really cute pictures of her face that I'll post as soon as I get done with house-cleaning this morning.
We found out yesterday that the doctor is Tony Dungy's sister! We had our suspicions but weren't sure if it was appropriate to ask her, so we confirmed it with a little research when we got home. That will be a fun thing to tell Alyssa when she's a football fan. :)
Now for the other events of the week...Monday was an eventful day for us also. I had contractions and lots of pain all weekend last weekend. So, at Jeff's prodding, I called the doctor Monday morning, and instead of getting the "it's all normal, stop worrying" response that we were hoping for, I was told to come in immediately. After some tests and exams and an extremely tense few minutes when the doctor said my cervix felt too short (it turned out to be fine), the conclusion was that I was dehydrated, which was making me have harmless (though uncomfortable) contractions, and that Alyssa is perfectly happy to stay right where she belongs right now. I got a talk from the doctor about staying hydrated. I questioned how in the world I'm supposed to drink that much water when I'm already peeing so much (sometimes every 10 minutes!). His response was basically "get used to it". :) Ahh, the joys of pregnancy! I came home and drank a ton, and the contractions have stopped and I'm feeling much better now.
Tuesday, we had breastfeeding class. (Jeff has other terms for it that can't be posted here.) :) There was an extremely graphic video that caused me pain just watching it, but the evening was very informative and it was fun to see all the other pregnant moms and dads. We have childbirth classes in December.
Friday, October 28, 2005
She looks perfect
We had a great appointment and ultrasound with the specialist yesterday. The doctor measured all sorts of bones and parts. Alyssa looks great and shows no signs of any problems with her head or any other part of her. She's growing like crazy! Her weight has doubled in 3 weeks. She now weighs 1lb 2oz. We could see her face better this time because of her growth and the better quality ultrasound. She looks more like a baby and less like a halloween skeleton. :) After a few minutes of poking, prodding, me drinking cold water, and a short lecture from her parents, Alyssa finally showed her stuff so the doctor could confirm that she hasn't grown any new "appendages" between the legs that we should know about. :) We got some really cute pictures of her face that I'll post as soon as I get done with house-cleaning this morning.
We found out yesterday that the doctor is Tony Dungy's sister! We had our suspicions but weren't sure if it was appropriate to ask her, so we confirmed it with a little research when we got home. That will be a fun thing to tell Alyssa when she's a football fan. :)
Now for the other events of the week...Monday was an eventful day for us also. I had contractions and lots of pain all weekend last weekend. So, at Jeff's prodding, I called the doctor Monday morning, and instead of getting the "it's all normal, stop worrying" response that we were hoping for, I was told to come in immediately. After some tests and exams and an extremely tense few minutes when the doctor said my cervix felt too short (it turned out to be fine), the conclusion was that I was dehydrated, which was making me have harmless (though uncomfortable) contractions, and that Alyssa is perfectly happy to stay right where she belongs right now. I got a talk from the doctor about staying hydrated. I questioned how in the world I'm supposed to drink that much water when I'm already peeing so much (sometimes every 10 minutes!). His response was basically "get used to it". :) Ahh, the joys of pregnancy! I came home and drank a ton, and the contractions have stopped and I'm feeling much better now.
Tuesday, we had breastfeeding class. (Jeff has other terms for it that can't be posted here.) :) There was an extremely graphic video that caused me pain just watching it, but the evening was very informative and it was fun to see all the other pregnant moms and dads. We have childbirth classes in December.
We found out yesterday that the doctor is Tony Dungy's sister! We had our suspicions but weren't sure if it was appropriate to ask her, so we confirmed it with a little research when we got home. That will be a fun thing to tell Alyssa when she's a football fan. :)
Now for the other events of the week...Monday was an eventful day for us also. I had contractions and lots of pain all weekend last weekend. So, at Jeff's prodding, I called the doctor Monday morning, and instead of getting the "it's all normal, stop worrying" response that we were hoping for, I was told to come in immediately. After some tests and exams and an extremely tense few minutes when the doctor said my cervix felt too short (it turned out to be fine), the conclusion was that I was dehydrated, which was making me have harmless (though uncomfortable) contractions, and that Alyssa is perfectly happy to stay right where she belongs right now. I got a talk from the doctor about staying hydrated. I questioned how in the world I'm supposed to drink that much water when I'm already peeing so much (sometimes every 10 minutes!). His response was basically "get used to it". :) Ahh, the joys of pregnancy! I came home and drank a ton, and the contractions have stopped and I'm feeling much better now.
Tuesday, we had breastfeeding class. (Jeff has other terms for it that can't be posted here.) :) There was an extremely graphic video that caused me pain just watching it, but the evening was very informative and it was fun to see all the other pregnant moms and dads. We have childbirth classes in December.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Best birthday ever!
Jeff and I went to Meijer this morning, and we looked at all the toys and thought about which ones Alyssa might want to play with someday. It will be fun if she plays with My Little Ponies like I did when I was little! We also pointed out some toys that we hope she never catches onto. :) We looked at all the cute girly bikes, and I said a quick prayer that she will choose the purple and green designs instead of the boring all-pink ones. :) Pink just isn't my favorite color. Pretty much everything for little baby girls is pink (probably to avoid that awkward supermarket comment, "What a cute little boy you have!"), but we will definitely make sure she has clothes in a variety of colors once she gets big enough. :)
This has been the best birthday time I have ever had. I honestly couldn't come up with any gifts to ask for last week. I have everything I could ever ask for! It's kind of funny how things change. Growing up, no one wants to get underwear for their birthday. But I think the birthday gift that excited me the most this year was a package of big (huge!) underwear. They make both Alyssa and me feel a whole lot more comfortable! :)
Tomorrow, we will take the traditional trip to the pumpkin patch with my dad and the gang. We'll let Alyssa out of the "You have to carry your own pumpkin" rule for this year at least. :)
This has been the best birthday time I have ever had. I honestly couldn't come up with any gifts to ask for last week. I have everything I could ever ask for! It's kind of funny how things change. Growing up, no one wants to get underwear for their birthday. But I think the birthday gift that excited me the most this year was a package of big (huge!) underwear. They make both Alyssa and me feel a whole lot more comfortable! :)
Tomorrow, we will take the traditional trip to the pumpkin patch with my dad and the gang. We'll let Alyssa out of the "You have to carry your own pumpkin" rule for this year at least. :)
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Alyssa Jane
Today, our little Alyssa Jane (yes, we finally decided!) is "half-baked"! 20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go! To celebrate the occasion, she has been extra-active today.
I got good news about my blood sugar. My glucose tolerance test was "very normal" (I think it was better than normal, because the nurse sounded really impressed!), so I don't have to go for the diabetic counseling. I'm still working on adjusting the times when I eat and trying to have just the right amount of carbohydrates. It doesn't make a big difference, but it does help a little with the faintness and headaches. Overall, the "morning sickness" is getting better. I don't have to take the Zofran to function anymore. I still get sick about once a day, but it's not nearly as bad as it was!
Assuming that the insurance company approves, we'll be having another ultrasound on the 27th, so we'll have more pictures to share soon!
I got good news about my blood sugar. My glucose tolerance test was "very normal" (I think it was better than normal, because the nurse sounded really impressed!), so I don't have to go for the diabetic counseling. I'm still working on adjusting the times when I eat and trying to have just the right amount of carbohydrates. It doesn't make a big difference, but it does help a little with the faintness and headaches. Overall, the "morning sickness" is getting better. I don't have to take the Zofran to function anymore. I still get sick about once a day, but it's not nearly as bad as it was!
Assuming that the insurance company approves, we'll be having another ultrasound on the 27th, so we'll have more pictures to share soon!
Saturday, October 8, 2005
Thursday, October 6, 2005
It's a GIRL!
It's a girl!!! There's no doubt...she was not modest at all! :) We're so excited, and the grandmothers are beside themselves! I tried to build the suspense and not tell John and Janis right away, but I'm not such a good secret-keeper...as I was showing them pictures, I said "...and here she's lying on her back with her arm up..." Oops! :) Janis then announced to the entire restaurant, "IT'S A GIRL!!! WE JUST FOUND OUT IT'S A GIRL!!!" :)
Jeff is thrilled to have the little girl he was really hoping for, although he says he hopes she likes Indiana Jones and Star Wars. :) I'm SO HAPPY too, although sometime before she is old enough to know the difference, I'm going to have to dress her (just once) in some blue puppy dog overalls. :) This does complicate the name selection process a little since we still have a few girl names we are thinking about, but we don't mind! The only complaint we have heard is from a certain uncle, who shall remain nameless. I believe his words were "Oh, crap, it's a girl!" :) I understand, because I remember that when my first brother was born (I was six years old), I threatened to throw him in the trash can because he was a boy. :) He will love his little niece when she is born!
Everything looked GREAT on the ultrasound. She weighs around 9oz (the 69th percentile), and she's about 6-8 inches long. Her heart rate was 146. She was quite active the whole time. The tech had just finished telling me that she was in a breech position when she immediately did a complete flip to face the right way. :) She was hanging out on my left side as usual. (She is always there, and she hates it when I lay on my left side at night!)
Although my blood sugar is normal, my body doesn't seem to be tolerating the normal fluctuations when I eat, so I have to have a glucose tolerance test done Monday, and soon I will visit a diabetic center and start a diabetic diet where I eat six meals a day to hopefully keep my blood sugar more constant and help me not feel so sick when I'm hungry and right after I eat.
Assuming that we can get our insurance to cover it, I will also probably have a couple of high-resolution ultrasounds (one now and one later on) since the baby has an uncle who has hydrocephalus. It's VERY unlikely that the baby could develop it, especially since this ultrasound and my bloodwork were totally normal, but if the insurance will pay for it, we sure won't turn down any chance to see more pictures of our baby girl! :)
Jeff is thrilled to have the little girl he was really hoping for, although he says he hopes she likes Indiana Jones and Star Wars. :) I'm SO HAPPY too, although sometime before she is old enough to know the difference, I'm going to have to dress her (just once) in some blue puppy dog overalls. :) This does complicate the name selection process a little since we still have a few girl names we are thinking about, but we don't mind! The only complaint we have heard is from a certain uncle, who shall remain nameless. I believe his words were "Oh, crap, it's a girl!" :) I understand, because I remember that when my first brother was born (I was six years old), I threatened to throw him in the trash can because he was a boy. :) He will love his little niece when she is born!
Everything looked GREAT on the ultrasound. She weighs around 9oz (the 69th percentile), and she's about 6-8 inches long. Her heart rate was 146. She was quite active the whole time. The tech had just finished telling me that she was in a breech position when she immediately did a complete flip to face the right way. :) She was hanging out on my left side as usual. (She is always there, and she hates it when I lay on my left side at night!)
Although my blood sugar is normal, my body doesn't seem to be tolerating the normal fluctuations when I eat, so I have to have a glucose tolerance test done Monday, and soon I will visit a diabetic center and start a diabetic diet where I eat six meals a day to hopefully keep my blood sugar more constant and help me not feel so sick when I'm hungry and right after I eat.
Assuming that we can get our insurance to cover it, I will also probably have a couple of high-resolution ultrasounds (one now and one later on) since the baby has an uncle who has hydrocephalus. It's VERY unlikely that the baby could develop it, especially since this ultrasound and my bloodwork were totally normal, but if the insurance will pay for it, we sure won't turn down any chance to see more pictures of our baby girl! :)
Saturday, October 1, 2005
Fish in my belly
We're past 18 weeks now, and baby is moving around like crazy in there! Everyone says it is supposed to feel like butterflies, but I think it feels more like 3 or 4 big fish flopping around in my belly! :) I love to feel the baby move (although it's a little less exciting at 4:00 in the morning when I am trying to sleep). :) I hope that Jeff will be able to feel the movements soon.
We had an easy decision on a boy's name, but we're still playing with two or three choices for a girl's name. We should know in 5 days which one we will need!
We had an easy decision on a boy's name, but we're still playing with two or three choices for a girl's name. We should know in 5 days which one we will need!
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