Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Look Mom, I'm Still a Week Ahead!!!

All went very well at our appointment yesterday. And Mr. Marshall is still measuring a week ahead of schedule! No concerns until he starts growing over two weeks ahead of schedule. I only have one more monthly appointment and then I'll be going in every two weeks! Kind of scary.

We picked up our baby furniture from JCPenney yesterday and we haven't pulled any of it out of the boxes. Hopefully none of it is damaged. There is no place to put the furniture until we move our guest bedroom furniture out. But, it sure is exciting to have it! I think Jordan might pee his pants by the time this is all said and done.

It sounds like Jordan's dad will be transferring to Denver the end of this week! We're so happy as we've been waiting for this step for weeks now! Thank you for all the CONTINUED support and prayers and please keep them coming. If he leaves the end of the week, I will probably meet up with my mother in-law on Monday. Jordan and I have our childbirth class on Saturday that we should go to since there is a limited amount in each class and we signed up for it months ago!

May you all have a happy hump day and rest of the week/weekend!

Monday, July 27, 2009

It's Not an Alien

Now that Jordan can feel the baby and my belly bounces around, he becomes more assured that there is an alien inside of me. This claw-like thing is going to tear out of my belly with five heads and attack us all. Yes, this is what I get to deal with. And the ultrasound pictures just can't convince him that Mr. Marshall IS a baby with only one head, ten fingers, and ten toes. The tongue is not that of a snake's. Maybe you can try and talk with him...

We went to Sioux Falls over the weekend where we got to see my brother and his family who are from Alaska. We had lots of fun and I'm so glad that I got to see our niece and nephew! They are getting so big! Hannah just turned 8 and Sam is 5 and ready to start school this year. I'm feeling a little old. It may be awhile before we get to see them again. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later. Plus, Jordan picked up his new, but used, motorcycle. He's quite excited about it.

Otherwise, I'm doing fine. I've been getting headaches for the last week and today I have a nice throbbing one. Plus, I've been seeing bright lights float past my eyes. I'm hoping that I don't have pre-eclampsia but knowing my luck, I'll probably get it. I have an OB appointment tomorrow so I'll bring it up with him. Until then, I'll just take it easy. I do have some other signs of preeclampsia but it is hard to distinguish because many of the signs/symptoms can also be just plain old pregnancy.

The stroller has been put together and we are picking up our furniture from JCPenney today! It will have to stored in the garage until we can move things around and wash the carpets though. Hopefully, we'll get that all done in September.

Here is the 24 week picture! I'm not looking any bigger but I'm feeling bigger! I don't think I'll be able to keep my inney belly button. And I think those capri pants make my butt look bigger, LOL!




Friday, July 24, 2009

Our Little Wiggle Worm

It's crazy to think that our little guy is quite the mover and shaker! At 23 weeks, you can already see my belly bouncing around all over the place. I love watching him muscle around inside of me. He's so active that I often wake up in the middle of the night to Mr. Marshall kicking me hard or kicking me in the bladder.

Jordan is coming home tonight from San Francisco! I miss him lots but the week has gone by quite fast. Tomorrow, we are heading to Sioux Falls to see my brother and his family that are from Alaska. It may be awhile before we get to see all of them again. It's just a short weekend trip but I'm excited!

And finally, we got our stroller/car seat combo today! I can't get it out of the box because it is too heavy and packed tightly in the box. Plus, our furniture has arrived at JCPenney and we just need to pick it up! Maybe we should start planning the baby room and move the guest furniture out one of these days. Plus, my friend sent me the first baby present. As for my own project, I'm making my first baby blanket. It's turning out pretty good so far but not even close to finished yet. Yes, my knitting skills that I learned while on bedrest is coming in handy.

All of this is starting to make things much more real. I can't believe our dream of having a family is so close! I won't be completely relieved until Mr. Marshall is actually in our arms. We are over half way there!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Registered at Target...Check!

Whew, it's been a busy week already. You'd think I would be sitting on my butt watching tv all day, but there just is no time!

For the past two days, I've had to visit the dentist. As some of you know, the dentist and I are not the best of friends. But, I'm finally able to get my permanent crown on the front tooth that has always been a problem since I had a dentist screw it up almost 20 years ago. Yes, I'm still dealing with it and I can see the finish line! I've had a bone graft and a prosthetic placed. They just had to get an impression to get my permanent crown yesterday. But last night, my temporary crown came loose. If it wasn't for my front tooth turning sideways, I probably wouldn't have cared too much. Sexy, huh?

As for the itching, I finally broke down after two weeks of intolerable itching and lack of sleep and started taking zyrtec. Yes, Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap helped but it just wasn't enough. For any of you who have had PUPPP or chiggers or poison ivy in the past, you can relate. The zyrtec has made a world of a difference!!! I gave all my effort of trying to deal with it a natural way, but it just wasn't enough. And then the thought of dealing with it for 4 months...yikes!

So the big news is that we finally registered for baby stuff! Yay! However, I admit it was quite overwhelming. Honestly, how do you pick out a baby bottle when there are about 30 different kinds taking up a whole isle of a store?! And we've figured out there are only a few necessities in the beginning. I am registered at Target. If you are online, you can just type in the name of the mother or father and the state is South Dakota. That will get you to our registry. And for the many of you who are already moms, please tell me if there is something I should absolutely have that isn't on the list. Oh, and I did not put any clothing on there as I figured you can choose whatever is cute and as long as it's not pink. :o)

We did buy a whole set of baby furniture for the room. It's pretty plain but it is a very nice set from JC Penney. We got a dresser, a smaller dresser that we can put a changing pad on top of, and a crib that converts to a toddler/full sized bed. However, the baby room has not even been started yet. All the guest furniture remains for now. Due to all the events going on, it's been difficult to find time to get that done. Plus, Jordan is working on our rental property. But we do have a few more months. Oh, and we bought the stroller/car seat combo. That is a must from the day Mr. Marshall gets out of the hospital.

Jordan is in San Francisco for work related training. So I'm on my own this week. He gets back Saturday afternoon and then we're heading to Sioux Falls to see my brother and his family who live in Alaska.

The picture is just shy of 23 weeks. There isn't much of a change though. One more week down!

P.S. How do you like the snippet of the cat's tail in the picture?




Monday, July 13, 2009

Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap

At 22 weeks, I'm just one big itchy mess. If it weren't for that, I'd be enjoying the pregnancy a lot more! Other than that, everything else is going really well.

So what do you do about the itch? A LOT of research online. And what did I come up with? "Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap". Though it has a nice manly outdoorsy scent, it really does help with the itching. I suds up with the soap and let it sit for about a minute before rinsing it off. This is now my routine at least twice a day. So the next time you decide to go hiking through the land of poison ivy, be sure to pick up some Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap. I got mine at a local natural food and health store, but you can also find it at GNC or online. And the nice grizzly scent is not so bad when you feel the relief from the itching.

Despite the itchiness, I love feeling the baby move around and kick. It is just so precious! In fact, I'm letting the baby listen to a little music right now. I'm not sure if Mr. Marshall is liking it though since he is kicking me nonstop. He's currently listening to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. Maybe the song isn't manly enough for him.

The 22 week picture shows that I'm a little bigger but no real big change...or at I don't think so. But at this point, I can't really tell anymore. I just see a big belly and no feet.


Monday, July 6, 2009

Call Me the 1% or Less

21 weeks! Woohoo! We are getting excited and I will start feeling a little more relieved each week from now on since we are approaching a "viable" pregnancy (one that the baby can survive outside the womb)!

So my new less than 1% chance of getting something is that I now have PUPPP, or "Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy." It's a terribly itchy rash that forms on the belly. The cause: pregnancy. The cure: birth. It most commonly occurs in the last part of the third trimester, or around 34-36 weeks. I got it at 20 weeks. Great, huh? Another interesting fact about PUPPP is that they found in studies fetal male DNA on the surface of the women's skin. And women who are pregnant with little baby boys are more 3 times more likely to get it than if they had little girls. So yes, we have a little boy troublemaker on our hands already!

We found out today that my father in-law Larry will be transferring to Denver unofficially. We're waiting for the "official" acceptance from the receiving doctor. So, I will be down there for a week or so just to help my mother in-law Cindy out. Larry is doing better and he is trying to get out of bed. You can read all about his daily progress at the caringbridge website.

Other than all the hiccups of the pregnancy, I'm loving it! Feeling the baby move and kick is wonderful! I already know I will miss that when the baby arrives. I guess I can stop calling him "the baby." We have some names in mind but it's not set in stone yet. You'll just have to wait to find out his name for now. Until then, I'll call him Mr. Marshall.

Here is my 21 week picture. And have a wonderful week!


Thursday, July 2, 2009

Ultrasound Pictures!

Profile of Head


Left Foot


Here I Am!


A Little Smile :o)


Getting Grumpy


Now I Am Mad!


Yes, I Like This Position


Sleepy Time

Those Aren't Girl Parts.

I thought I said this but Jordan informed me I was just thinking it and never really said it out loud. That's right, IT'S A BOY!!! So if you are wondering, I was absolutely 100% convinced it was a girl from the beginning, but was I wrong or what?! Jordan didn't know...he always said it's a 50/50 chance. But just to spite me, he said boy. And boy was he right! Of course, the crotch shot only lasted about 5 seconds before our little boy was sick of that. He not only closed his legs, but also crossed them for the rest of the ultrasound, too! I have provided the ultrasound and 3D pics above for you to look at. And so far, everything looks great! In fact, the little guy is measuring about a week ahead of schedule and 1 pound already!

As for names, we think we have one picked out but it's not set in stone yet.

Today, I had my OB appointment and the doctor said he was very happy and satisfied with how everything looks. I do remain on the same medications and restrictions. I don't mind. Plus, it's nice that I'm able to be at the hospital every day for Larry, my father in-law.

Below are pictures at 20 weeks. Go little guy! P.S. Can you please stop kicking my bladder?



Wednesday, July 1, 2009

I Will Post More Soon!

I know, I'm behind on my blogging once again. I do have 20 week pictures to post and some ultrasound pictures! Everything looks really good and the baby is measuring almost 1 week ahead of schedule! And yes we know what we are having but I will wait to post that until I've told my family. I know, it's torture for you. As soon as the appropriate people know, I will tell everyone.