Week 19 and Charging Right Along

Baby Marshall continues to grow and I'm feeling the stretching every day. Can you believe we're are almost half way done with the pregnancy?! In fact, only 9 more days until we get the big ultrasound. I'm so excited! We can't wait to see the baby again! And maybe, just maybe we'll get to find out if Baby Marshall is a miss or a mister.

It is crazy how fast the last two weeks have gone. It already has been 2 weeks since the accident and my father in-law Larry remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit. I think, how could the days of sitting in the ICU waiting room have possibly gone by so fast when at the time, it seemed so slow? There have been many ups and downs. I try not to stress myself and the baby out but some days have proven difficult. But I've managed to go home and relax or take naps most of the time. Plus, everyone reminds me (or makes me) to take a break so I've gotten more rest than anyone. I won't go too much more into Larry's condition since that's why we have the caringbridge website up. Here is the link, again.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/larrymarshall

Belly butter is my new friend and a little of an enemy at the same time. It's fun to massage it on my belly and to make my skin nice and soft. Though a lot of research states it does not help with stretch marks, it doesn't hurt, right? But it is kind of greasy and all my shirts stick to it, which annoys me a little. However, I would much rather deal with the greased pig belly (as Jordan calls it, lol) than to not be pregnant at all. And my other friend that has been around for some time would be a mirror. I'm one of those freaks that can spend several minutes just staring at my belly. Does/did anyone else do this???

The gut isn't getting a whole lot bigger but it is rounding out quite a bit. It's nice we take pictures every week to see the difference since you can't see the difference staring into a mirror every day...or 5 times a day.

Prayers for Larry

On Monday, June 9th, my father in-law Larry was in a severe work accident. It left him with life-threatening injuries. The accident left him with a bruised heart and lungs, several broken ribs, the sternum tore away from his ribs on both sides, and he has a liver injury that is a grade 5 (the worst on a 1-5 scale). Also, his right forearm is broken in several places and he'll need surgery to repair it. Due to all his injuries, he also went into acute kidney failure. Larry remains in the intensive care unit here in Rapid City, and he is still in critical condition. The Marshall family has received so much help and prayers from around the world. Keep them coming.

Please visit his caringbridge website to stay updated and to understand what happened. www.caringbridge.org/visit/larrymarshall

Sorry that I haven't kept up with my own blog. We spent almost every waking minute at the hospital and I've been helping keep the caringbridge website up to date, too. Plus, almost all of Jordan's family came into town last week/weekend. I hope you all understand. To all my devoted followers, thank you so much for continuing to check in.

I'm happy to be off bedrest. All is going well on the baby front. Nothing new to report other than I'm getting bigger and I feel the baby moving more often, even if it is just a handful or more times a day. It's nice that I can move around and go to the hospital to visit Larry. And for those of you who keep asking...yes, I'm taking it easy and taking care of both myself and the baby. I have plenty of people who make sure of that.

Oh yeah, and we have a new addition to the family! We have another Corgi dog! Jordan's brother and his wife are in the military and are getting relocated to England. It is too expensive to bring their dogs over. So we got little Nala. She is a sweetheart. Our other dog Copper is still pouting a bit but they are starting to play more and more. We're still waiting for the "big fight" to see which will be the dominant one. Our cat doesn't seem to mind having another dog either since they even play once in awhile. Jordan always said that I could get another dog if we couldn't have children. Somehow, I managed to get another Corgi and I am pregnant. :o) :o) :o)

Here is the 18 weeks (technically 18 weeks, 1 day) picture. Enjoy!

Maternity Clothes Shopping is Hard

17 weeks today, yippie! One more week down and one week closer to getting towards our goal of having a little one tucked in our arms.

Yesterday, I finally got the chance to go maternity shopping since I only have few shorts/pants left to wear, most that shouldn't be seen in public. And it is very hard to find anything that really fits me well. But, I found a pair of capris that need to be hemmed a bit as most capris are too long but also look like high-water pants. Oh, and I bought a pair of sweatpant capris that should fit very soon. I found those in the kids plus section...lol.

My brother and his wife, Andy and Hege, are coming to visit today! I'm so excited. They are also expecting and are a month ahead of us. They live in Norway so this might be the last visit for quite some time. It's a short trip but I'm just happy that they were able to come visit since I'm not able to travel. They will return to Minnesota tomorrow where most of our family and their friends live.

Oh, and I have to tell this story since it is so funny. We celebrated our niece's 1st birthday yesterday evening. Well, her big brother was helping open presents. All the clothes went flying out of the way as he dug to the bottom. As he was opening the last set of clothes, the top of the dress was thrown over his shoulder and the little bottoms went straight to his face and he wiped his nose on them. That was classic :o)

Here is my picture at 17 weeks. I'm continuing to feel the oddest twinges here and there. Plus, I've been able to feel the baby kick for almost 2 weeks but it is becoming much more often and pronounced. Go baby!

Another Two Thumbs Up!

Jordan and I went to my OB appointment today and very good news! No, we didn't find out the sex of the baby and I bet most of you think that's what the news was about. I didn't have an ultrasound (boooo). That'll have to wait another month when I get a 3D ultrasound done on July 1st. The good news is...I'm Off Bedrest! Ok, so it's mostly good news for myself, but still good news. I still have restrictions of no bending, lifting, or carrying anything. But I can walk and do some light cleaning. The hardest thing for me will be not to overdo it.

Also, we found out that I'm already measuring big. This means that the baby is growing at a faster rate than expected, which is probably due to me being on bedrest. It is a much better scenario than if the baby was measuring smaller than expected, that's for sure. You all just wait and see...I'm gonna end up having a 10 lb baby or something like that. Of course, because things can't be normal and average for us!

That's all the news I have. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! There is rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for us.

Pictures

Here are a few pictures we took this morning of my growing belly in real clothes! And hey, the crazy hair look is in, right?

Boring is Good

Boring is good, or no news is good news! At least that's what I always told patients and their families who were sick in the intensive care unit. I now truly know what these statements mean. It's one step farther and one day closer to having our little bundle of joy in our arms.

Jordan had to leave town again. His grandpa (grandpa Marshall) died Friday evening and the funeral is today in Huron, SD. I had to stay home because a 4 1/2 hour trip is too long for me in the car and I'm still on bedrest. I feel terrible that I can't be there supporting Jordan and his family during this time. Hopefully, everyone understands. I am still with them in mind and spirit and apologize for my absence. May grandpa Marshall be in a better place and not suffering anymore.

I am officially 16 weeks today and have an OB appointment on Thursday. So we'll see how everything looks. The gut is getting bigger by the day, or at least that's how I feel. And the neatest thing is that I'm starting to feel the baby kick! It's only occasionally right now, mostly at night when I'm laying on the couch or in bed. But I love it and can't wait until Jordan can feel the baby kick!

There have been many of you who have asked. Yes, we will find out the sex of the baby before birth. In fact, we should be finding out within a month or so! No baby names have been picked out though. And I am very curious about who voted for what. So far, the girls are winning!

Here is the newest picture of my belly. It is starting to round out a bit, which means that Jordan is winning in our bet so far. Enjoy!