Poking a Preggie

Yesterday I celebrated the fact that we are now 25 weeks! I felt like 20 weeks was a milestone and 25 weeks feels like another one. Now I've got my eye on the third trimester which begins at 28 weeks (that's the general consensus anyway). Yesterday was also Jason's first go at giving me my 17P shot. Talk about a test of trust. Picture us in the bathroom trying to determine where my "crack line" is (the top of the crack). Then mapping out where that meets with the midway point between my crack and the side of my hip. Once the spot was agreed upon I leaned over the counter and he even remembered to tell me to relax my leg. Now the mirror in front of me is reflecting my husband with a large needle aimed at my hind quarters. He reared his hand back (flashback of Happy Gilmore taking a running start at his golf swing) and let me know it was on it's way... That was it? Give this man a gold star and a cookie.

So why is it that the camera makes us all look fatter than we really are but this needle looks smaller? It's bigger in person, take my word for it.

I had another appointment with the Perinatologist today. My cervix is still looking great so my prayers have once again been answered. I'm still waiting for the results of the FFN test but I feel confident that it will also be good news. I'm still contracting but for now they are pretty benign. I think my uterus is irritable because it knows it's different. The technical term is bicornuate but I prefer "heart shaped". It almost makes it sound like a good thing.

I am happy to say that the fun part of pregnancy is creeping up on us. The part where you get to register (which I did from home, the internet is a wonderful thing for me right now), start putting together a nursery, name your baby, buy baby things. I've ordered her bedding and a travel system. Hallelujah for free shipping. I've found the crib and bassinet we will be ordering and will probably do that in the next couple of weeks. I'd say "we" found these things but I've enjoyed researching and Jason has been more than happy to let me make those decisions. Glad we're on the same page honey.

January 19, 2010

The bare baby belly.

I also want to note that she officially has a name! It's been our longtime favorite but Jason wanted me to keep looking just in case. I went through every girl name in both our baby name books and anytime I would ask him about one it was met with lukewarm enthusiasm at best. So now we can actually call our Guppy by name (although I still lovingly refer to her as Guppy much of the time). Her name is...

♥ Jordan Mae ♥

"A baby is sunshine, is moonbeams and more...
brightening your world like never before."
~Unknown

7:50am and I Need a Nap

24 weeks as of yesterday! I need a new belly shot, I will work on that.

My mom is here for the week, hallelujah! Monday we had chocolate chip pancakes, turkey bacon and sausage for dinner. It was delicious. Last night she made us quesadillas full of pork, beef, beans, onions, bell peppers and cheese. Yum again. Today we are going to get some paint swatches for the nursery. My mom is the greatest. I owe her big time.

It's funny how pregnancy begins to prepare you for the sleepless nights of mommyhood. Between trips to the bathroom, random bouts of insomnia and the increasingly difficult task of rolling over (which I realize will only get more difficult over the next 16 weeks), all of these make for a fragmented night of rest. The result being me trying to put the milk in the pantry after pouring my bowl of cereal at 6:45am. If you know me then you know I never voluntarily get up at that hour but I was just laying there anyway and I couldn't ignore my stomach any longer. I digress, back to this lack of sleep thing. I know that right now I have the luxury of laying on the couch all day while my body does the work of taking care of our Guppy. You know, it's a strange reality when you think about your body as being someone's home. A pretty amazingly cool reality. I just try to be the best host possible. Someday I may reminisce on the simplicity of pregnancy, my memory clouded by time and mommy brain. I give anyone within arms reach full permission to slap me because I am rightfully jealous of my future self.

Guppy has also been doing quite a bit of bouncing around these days. I just couldn't wait for the time when I could feel her and I'm not even close to being tired of it. She still does her jazzercising (which she will be sad to find out we left in the 80's along with Ataris, stirrup pants and Corey Feldman paraphernalia). Now she's included what I can only picture to be some from of individual mosh pitting (which I sincerely hope we left in the 90's).

Yesterday Jason and I went to my Perinatologist's office for my 17P shot. Jason was given a lesson by the nurse on how to give it so we can do it at home. That sounds good to me since we had to wait an hour and a half for the ten minute lesson. I'm not complaining, I got to spend part of the afternoon with Jason and I feel fortunate that I'm able to get good health care. He seemed pretty confident as she showed him how to draw the medicine and she offered to let him try giving me the injection or just watch. He opted to watch for the first one. So here I am, pants pulled down past my "crack line" as the nurse so technically called it, leaning a bit over the bed and relaxing my right leg. She puts the needle in and then I hear Jason's reaction to the two inches of metal that just met my flesh... "Oh... you put the whole thing in..." :) He will be fine. T minus 6 days until he gets to try it out for himself.

Current cravings: Fruit Roll Ups, Clementines, Grape Tomatoes

"Babies are such a nice way to start people"
~Don Herold

Beauty in 3D

I had my appointment with the Perinatologist on Tuesday. My mom went with me and I spent almost two hours in the exam room. I prayed for a "good news day" and it was! My cervix is still long and closed which was a huge relief. They performed an FFN test and it was negative so more good news there. They did a detailed sonogram and looked at our little girl from head to toe and everything looks great! I had no idea we would get to see her in 3D so when it popped up on the huge flatscreen tv in front of us my mom gasped. I lost track of whatever the doctor was saying because for the first time I was seeing my daughters beautiful face! I've stared at it many times since and I am just amazed. Even the doctor made a comment on how cute she is. I love her so much and having a picture of her has made it even more real than before. Of course all the movement I'm feeling makes it hard to forget that I've got a happy little girl in there. Between her jazzercizing, her tap dancing and her karate chops, I am constantly being reminded that we are blessed beyond words.

Since I'm continuing to have contractions I am relieved to be under special care now. I have another appointment the Tuesday after next to recheck my cervix and will have another FFN test done. My doctor has arranged for me to have a Terbutaline pump and be monitored at home but I've decided to wait until my next appointment to see if that is necessary. I would love to avoid taking medication and only take my Terbutaline pills when I feel it's absolutely necessary. Of course my main objective is to have a healthy girl so I do not take any of these decisions lightly, which can sometimes be to the detriment of my sanity. I continue to pray for guidance in these decisions.

So I am here, on my couch, where I spend a lot of time these days. It may sound like an easy thing to do but it's actually a lot harder than I thought. Unfortunately I missed my cousins wedding in Lubbock last weekend. Thanks to my brother in law though, Jason and I were able to watch it via the internet. I hated to miss out but I knew it was best to stay home. She's worth it so I will continue to keep myself planted and make an irreversible impression of my tush in this couch cushion.

January 5, 2010 - 23 weeks
Meet our precious daughter! Look at that nose... and those lips! Looking forward to kissing that face in May.

Happy New Year!

Since I posted last we have celebrated Christmas and New Year's Eve. One of my presents from Jason was a set of the most adorable little onesies. Something about imagining him walking through Children's Place, shopping for his daughter, just made me want to cry (I may have a little, not telling). Lately we've been seeing quite a bit of our two year old niece and watching him with her always makes me smile because I know he is going to be an amazing dad. Between watching him push her around in our computer chair to keep her entertained, seeing him rock her before bed or listening to that voice that men only get when they are talking to a little one... Of course I knew this before we were married when I watched him read to my now 14 year old niece while my sister and I made the most hideous pancakes to ever grace a plate.

Last night, as the clock turned to midnight, I realized we are in our Guppy's birth year. Last year at that time I was stuffing grapes into my mouth, making wishes for 2009. I am so happy that as I sit here, feeling my girl kick and squirm, that this wish came true. I got a kiss from Jason and she did too. I have so much to be thankful for and look forward to 2010. Sleepless nights? Bring them on. Poopy diapers? No problem. Spit up in my hair? That's what moms are for.

The past few weeks haven't been without drama. We've now made three trips the the labor and delivery triage because of contractions. Evidently I have an irritable uterus and it has been getting cranky at all the growing going on. I'm continuing to take it easy and drinking water like a mad woman. My doctor's theory is that this is a phase and hopefully will just get better over time.

Fun little factoids:
~Our baby is about the length of a spaghetti squash (11 inches from head to toe)
~She is probably close to one pound
~She has eyebrows and eyelashes
~Her fingerprints have developed
~There is a good chance she is hearing as well

Watch us grow!


December 31, 2009

"A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside... when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone."
~Unknown

20 Weeks Today!

Just dropping in to mark the momentous occasion of being half way there!

Still brave enough to show my bare belly. Do I really look this big in person or does the camera add baby weight? Maybe the flash just highlights the curves. Wait, I don't think the flash went off...

I need to make a better habit of taking these pictures after I shower and not at the end of a day when I have pillow hair.

The Secret is Out!

Tonight we let our family in on our secret. Only my parents knew that we had already opened the envelope (didn't know if we were talking "he" or "she" though) so my family was definitely surprised! Here are a couple of pictures that set it up for you.

19 Weeks 4 Days, December 12, 2009


We are going to have a daughter!

So they say there is something called "pregnancy brain". Well, I've suffered from the Vernon family brain way before I became pregnant so being forgetful isn't exactly a new thing for me. My family reenters the house at least once before backing out of the driveway and that is on a good day. Today we celebrated my now 14 year old niece's birthday and my oldest sister's birthday. I made it there with almost everything, only forgetting the main present for my sister. Instead I gave her the honor of the reveal. I went to the bathroom and attached the pink bow to my belly and just before they began to open presents I asked her to unzip my sweater. I got a strange look but her trust prevailed and she opened it and gasped! She said, "Does anyone else know???" I said no and turned to the room so they could all see. Good times!

As I sit here now she is giving me some kicks and it's the most wonderful feeling. Jason felt them for the first time this week and my mom even got to feel one tonight. She's quite a bit of fun already.

"Sugar and spice
And everything nice
That’s what little girls
Are made of."

It's gas, it's a twitch, it's a baby!

It's official, I'm feeling this baby kick! Well, they feel more like little taps right now. Like "Hey momma, I'm here, swimming around where it's warm and cozy. What's up with you?" It started around Thanksgiving when I started getting what I thought were little muscle twitches. They were subtle and me formerly being unfamiliar with the feeling of a baby bouncing around in my uterus, I was not convinced it was our baby. But it happened a few times one night, then again the next evening and now they are unmistakeable. I've even been able to feel it on the outside a few times although our little one is already giving daddy a hard time by not cooperating anytime I grab his hand and stick it on my belly. That's right... baby's already got a favorite. (Only kidding, that will take years for him or her to figure out.)

We have also acquired a new glider rocker. Well, when I say new, I mean new to us. It's a craigslist find that we picked up last night. It's a little creaky but were going to see if we can fix that. The upholstery is super country, not exactly my taste, but the plan is to have it recovered. Before and after pics will be a must when that time comes. Hopefully the $75 purchase will prove to be a bargain!

Oh, and I have a secret... We opened the envelope the night we had our sonogram. It turns out that our willpower is nonexistent when all that separates us from one of the greatest surprises of our lives is some weak adhesive on a business sized envelope. So for those of you who have commended us on our strength, I pitifully admit that we broke after less than 12 hours of waiting. If you don't know the secret then you will soon.

Picture time!

Most recent belly pic.


Bravely baring my belly!


The sling I purchased a while back finally came in!


Our new Christmas tree looking quite pretty if I do say so myself.

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."
~Don Herrold