Today's appointment

8:30am/Dr. Elder - Today's appointment went great!! They were a little behind with patients, so we didn't get called in the back until 30 minutes after our appointment time. But, I guess that's to be expected in that type of office. My pressure was awesome, and Chase's heartbeat was right on target! The nurse did measure me and I was measuring at 25 and i'm 23w4d, but she said that was normal. The doctor was really impressed with how well everything was looking, and we don't have to go back for 3-4 weeks! :)

We go back to the high risk OB office in two weeks.

Results from Thursday

So last Thursday I had blood drawn to recheck my thyroid. Back in October the number was 3.8. As of Thursday my numbers were 3.333. It is coming down, but in pregnancy they like it 2 and under. So, they decided to up the dosage of the Levoxyl starting tomorrow morning.

Cute!!

We were in Walmart on Valentine's Day and I saw this adorable bear! It was SO soft and cuddly, and I instantly thought about getting it for Chase. Well, before I could show it to Z, I got sidetracked and forgot all about it. A week later we went back to Walmart and I mentioned to Z about the bear I had seen the week before and I had hoped they still had them. When we got into the store Z went to get some papers filled out at the pharmacy and Ty and I started grocery shopping. When Z caught up to us he had something hidden behind his back....it was the bear I had seen!!! He had actually picked up 2, one for Chase and for Ty.......and the best part; they were marked down 75%!!!! We got them both for the price of one the week before. :)

Here is a pic of the cutie.......

Chase's coming home outfit!

We did some serious shopping on Saturday (thank you tax refund!!) and Kmart had some really cute baby clothes marked down. We were looking at some of the outfits and Tyler picked up an outfit and said "Look at this one, mommy! I think Chase would look cute in it!" I asked him if he thought we should get it so Chase could wear it when he came home from the hospital and he got super excited and said "Yeah!!" It's so cute....it's a onsie with cute doggies on it and it came with shorts;




I also scored a SUPER deal on maternity pants. Z went off looking at some clothes for himself and said to look at the maternity clothes and pick out a pair of jeans since they had them marked down. So, I was looking through the rack and found a pair for $12, which wasn't a bad deal, but I hate the thought of buying maternity clothes, since I will only wear them for a short time.....I feel like it's a waste of money, but at the same time, if I just go up a size it may fit my belly but then my legs look huge and my butt looks even bigger! Anyhoo, I put the jeans in the cart and started to walk away when something told me to look on one of the racks on the wall..........there were more clothes hanging there, but they weren't as marked down as what I had picked up; or so I thought. I saw a pair of jeans in my size according to the hanger, but I couldn't find the tag with a price on it to double check to make sure the size was right. So I checked the tag inside the jeans and there was a sticker on that tag with the price......$2!!!!!!!!! I immediately took them off the rack and looked them over really well and there was nothing at all wrong with them! I put them in the cart and as I was putting the pair I had picked up first back on the rack Z came up and said "Why are you putting them back, you need them!" I told him I didn't want that pair and showed him what I had in the cart. (which looked identical to the pair that was $12) I showed him the tag inside and he said "Is that the only pair they have with that price?!?!" LOL I looked through all the racks as did Z and we didn't find any other pair marked for that price, but I was just happy to have that pair!! It's funny, because when we lived in MD and I was pregnant with Tyler we were shopping in Kmart for maternity pants and I found a pair of jeans for $5....and I thought that was good price!! I'm now kicking my self in the butt for not keeping those pants, or maternity tops I had. I did have to break down and buy the next size up panties this weekend.....ugh, I definitely wasn't ready for that.

Oh! Also at Kmart, they had their booster seats B1G1 free. Tyler has been using his carseat converted to a booster seat. It was fine, but it was so big and bulky!! Plus, it was in between Z and I when were in his truck, so we both ended up squished. Also, Chase will need to use the carseat when he is ready to go from rear facing to front facing so ty would need a booster seat anyway. So we now have a booster seat for the truck and the car, and when we eventually get another minivan (which will hopefully be real soon!!) we'll just take the one out of the truck and put it in the van............

23 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby is now 11 inches from head to toe or about 20cm crown to rump and hovering around the one pound (500g) mark. Your baby's lungs have begun to develop surfactant, a substance that will help his or her lungs to expand after birth. The fingernails are now completely formed.

Wow, I can't believe as of next Sunday I will be 6 months along!!! This pregnancy is just flying by! I am totally cherishing every single moment of it, that's for sure!

Well, as far as symptoms, nothing new to report. I still have:

- super stuffy nose. I've also notice i've been getting (TMI ALERT!!) nose bleeds alot more, but I think having the wood stove going has caused my nose to dry up some and causing it to bleed, along with being pregnant.
- lower back pain, mainly after walking for an extended amount of time.

Other than that, I feel really great! Chase is really doing lots of thumping more and more, but still no real kicks yet except for the one I felt last week. I love the thumps, though. I've noticed he's responding to music when i'm sitting at the computer and have the music player on. Plus, he responds to Tyler and Zane's voice, which is SO super cute!!! Saturday morning we were in the truck on our way to do some shopping and I had mentioned to Zane that I hadn't felt Chase move too much yet that morning. Zane said "Chase....can you move for daddy this morning?" After a few seconds he said again "Move for daddy, Chase...." and sure enough, I got a good thump right at my belly button!! I told Zane and he said "That's my boy!" and he thumped again! Then, later that afternoon after being on the go for over 6 hours, I was sitting and relaxing and Ty came up and kissed my belly and said "Love you, Chase!" then he kissed it again and started to walk away and I felt several good thumps in a row!! I told Tyler and the smile on his face was just huge!! I have to say, I just LOVE being pregnant. I love every single minute of it!

This Thursday we go back to the regular OB for a regular check-up.

Today's appointment

7:30am We had a follow up ultrasound at the high risk OB office to get a measurement of Chase's heart today, as it just wasn't big enough at the last appointment. Well, they still couldn't get a good measurement! The little stinker was laying a weird way and they couldn't get a measurement. They said everything looks fine though, and that he is growing perfectly!! The doctor came in and said my pressure was perfect this morning and I gave him my readings from the past few weeks and he said everything was going great!! He said he was very proud of how well I was doing and how well the baby was growing......he also said Chase is growing right on target with the dates; he's not too small or too big, he's perfect! To have the doctor tell me that made me feel so much more at ease. I do worry about him being too small or growing too big because of the diabetes, so hearing the doctor say all is good really makes a huge difference. I just love the doctor we saw today!!! I do have to get my eyes checked, as I had mentioned my eyesight has gotten really blurry.......hopefully i'll get them checked soon.

We don't have to go back there for another 3 weeks, and next Thursday we see the regular OB.

Preggo pic

Ok, so I decided to be brave and take a preggo pic. I think they turned out semi-ok. I wish I would have put on a different shirt, as that is Z's and it's huge on me! But, it was cold and I love how warm that shirt keeps me.....anyhoo, here is a pic:




And before I took another pic, Ty came up and kissed my belly like he always does so I asked him if I could get a picture of that to show Chase when he is born.......

22 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY
Your baby now weighs almost one pound. He or she measures 19cm from crown to rump, or 10 1/2 inches from head to toe. Your baby now has eyelids and eyebrows and has developed fat, which helps to keeps it warm. In boys, the testes descend. Tiny ears can hear sounds from outside.

So far symptoms still seem to be about the same........

- Super stuffy nose. It's stuffy during the day but seems much worse at night time.
- Heartburn.
- Lower back pain
- Super exhaustion!! Although, i'm really thinking it's because of the one pressure med they increased. I can barely walk 10-15 feet without having to catch my breath.

It's of course all worth it, when I feel Chase thumping and rolling around inside. He's been super active the past two-three days!!

We go to the high risk OB office this Thursday for an ultrasound so they can get a measurement of Chase's heart, as they couldn't get a good look at it last month because it was still so tiny. We can't wait to see our little guy!!!!!

Thump, thump, thump!

Chase has been SO active the past two days!! I've been feeling thumps and nudges like crazy, and today I honestly think I felt an actual kick!! It was only one, but it sure did feel stronger than any nudge or thump I have felt.

Keep growing strong, Chase!!!!

New baby items!!

Friday night we went and had our taxes done, and right around the corner from the accountant is Target.....since I had a Target gc, I decided to use it to get a few things for Chase and Tyler!! I had looked in the Target sale paper earlier Friday and saw a super cute onsie that I just had to get.....I think it goes great with the bib that Z bought a few weeks ago:



Z didn't think it was all that funny......LOL!!!!

They also had an 8 pack of onsies on sale that I thought were really cute:



I love the blue with the anchor on it! I think with the onsies we bought, plus the one's upstairs from when Ty was a baby, we should be set with clothes for awhile. With Chase being born early summer I have a feeling he'll either be wearing onsies or just his diaper....especially if he's anything like Tyler was! LOL I think we'll still get him a coming home outfit, but that will be it for awhile. After going through Ty's old baby stuff we found tons of socks that people gave us, so if his feet get a little chilly (and they just may with as cold as we like to keep the house...LOL) we'll already have some socks for his feet. I had forgotten about all the hand-me-downs people had given us when Tyler was born....most of it never got worn, either!!!

21 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Weighing in at 14oz and measuring 17.5cm crown to rump, your baby is now busy putting fat onto those bones. Most likely, you have felt your baby's in-utero gymnastics. With lots of amniotic fluid providing room to move, your baby will be very active until the final month of pregnancy, when sheer size limits back-flips.

Time seems to be going by so darn fast! It's hard to believe that in 4 months we may be holding our little one, especially if they end up inducing early like they had said. We are SO not ready!! LOL

As far as symptoms, it's still basically the same. I'm having some issues with my pressure, as now it seems to be going too low I think. When I saw the OB last week they said they didn't want my pressure to go much lower than 140/80 and I had told her about how run down and down right exhausted I get throughout the day, even when i'm just walking from room to room, and she said I should check my pressure when I feel that bad to see if that could be the problem. Well, since seeing her I have been checking my pressure when I feel utterly exhausted and to me the readings seemed a little low......one reading was 119/67! And since the OB told me they really didn't want to see my readings go too far below 140/80, i got a little worried and called the high risk OB's office. (mainly because they are the one's who told me to increase one of my pressure meds a few weeks ago) Well, that office told me 119/67 isn't really that low but I could change up how I take my pills to see if that helps. I explained to her what the other OB had told me and how exhausted I had been feeling and she said it could be just the increase of the meds making me feel so off, which I honestly don't think it's that but I guess i'll have to take their word for it. And since they are the high risk doctors i'll go by what they say about my pressure readings and just assume the readings I am getting are ok. I go back to see them on the 19th so they can get a measurement of Nibbles heart since he'll be bigger this time.

Chase has really started moving around alot more!! It's still only in spurts though, but he's moving more and more! He'll move for a good 30-45 minutes, then nothing for several hours. I love feeling those flutters and movements! I still have the lower back pain going on, which can make doing things around the house tough. All in all things seems to be going really great! We went shopping last Friday and got some super cute things for the baby....i'll get the pics uploaded shortly. :)

Ugh

For the past week or so my lower back has been killing me, especially when i've been on my feet for any amount of time. It's mainly on the right side, so I assume it must be the way Chase is positioned. I've even noitced it hurts when i'm sitting and have to raise my voice for anything....so much fun!!!

I so wish I had a speaker in my womb so I could have a chat with Chase....."hey baby, can you please adjust just a little for mommy?!?"

Today's appointment

8:45am/Dr. Egner - First off, I have to say that I LOVE early appointments!! We were seen super quick, and I was no where near as bloated as I get throughout the day so my weight was good! LOL While we were walking to the elevator, Tyler asked me if we were going to the office where his nurse is and I said yes...he was so happy!! He likes all of the nurses, but there is one who is his favorite, and she just LOVES Ty! Anyhoo, we got checked in and were waiting to be called back when the door opened and there was Ty's nurse, Ms. Sarah. She had a chocolate milk in her hand and asked Tyler is he liked chocolate milk and he said "Oh yes!" She gave him the milk and he said "thank you, Ms. Sarah! Do you have a straw?" LOL She took us all back and while I did my regular pee check, she took Ty to get a straw for his milk. After she checked my weight we went into the room so she could check my pressure and so we could hear Nibbles heartbeat. My pressure was GREAT!!! 140/80! And she found Nibbles heartbeat right away, and that was also great....145-155 bpm. I just love that sound. :) Well, she left and we were waiting for the OB to come in and Z told me that Ms. Sarah stopped in the cafeteria on her way up to the office this morning (their office is attached to UT Hospital) and bought Ty a chocolate milk because she knew we were coming in today......how sweet is that?!?!? We had to see a different OB, Dr. Egner, and she was SO awesome!!! We both really liked her! She was impressed with my weightgain, which is slow, and she was really impressed with my pressure reading. We talked some and she asked if we had any questions, and I did say I was a little worried that the baby is so mellow and she said as long as I feel some fluttering here and there at 20 weeks that everything was just fine, and that the flutters should be turning into real good kicks within the next few weeks. I told her because of my lack of symptoms it made me worry a little when I don't feel him and she said his heartbeat was perfect and the little movements I feel now are just right. She did push on my stomach to feel my uterus and she said the felt perfect and right where it should be, which also helped put my mind at ease. All in all it was a great appointment! When we were checking out, Ty had a blast talking with the ladies in the office and they all just get the biggest kick out of him!! The lady that checks us out said she just loves to hear him talk and loves his voice! We are so blessed to have such a great group of doctors and nurses to take care of us......I just love it!!!

We go back to the high risk office on the 19th where they will do another ultrasound to get the measurments of Nibbles heart, then we go back to the regular OB on the 26th.

20 weeks

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

This week, your baby weighs ten ounces and is 16cm crown to rump, or a total length of about 9 3/4 inches. A white, waxy-looking substance called vernix now protects your baby's skin. If you are carrying a girl, she has six million eggs in her ovaries - six times the number she will have at birth. Her uterus is formed and she's beginning to develop a vagina.

Wow, I can't believe I am half way through this pregnancy!!!! It's actually scary to think the time is going by so quickly. I am savoring every minute of it, that's for sure!!

Symptoms are still the same. My big thing is still the bloating, but also the stuffy nose with a little bit of a nosebleed daily. Chase is still a mellow little guy. I do wish he was a little more active so I knew everything was ok. I do get some good flutters from time to time, but they are still only flutters. I'm sure it won't be long and i'll feel the strong kicks and rolls. As far as energy it's still hit or miss. Most days I have hardly any energy at all! :( I did manage to get the playroom cleaned up last Friday, but that took me hours since I had to stop and rest so frequently. Saturday we did our shopping and by the time we got home I was completely wiped out! Yesterday was a busy day, as we got wood and pallets cut up. Zane was so sweet....he actually cleaned the kitchen floor and the shower floor for me! I was going to work on it but he said I didn't need to be doing things like that right now. The floors desperately needed it, but with my lack of energy they stayed dirty. :( I'm so grateful for him doing that yesterday.

Tomorrow we see the regular OB for a blood pressure follow up. (we actually had an appointment for the 5th but we had to change it to tomorrow.....plus, we get to meet a different OB)