Great Expectations

My Baby Shower at Work

2008-03-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

My shower my coworkers gave me was tonight. It was so much fun and I got some really great things. I think I have the best coworkers in the whole world.

I got:
Lots of cute clothes, towels, washclothes, robes, burpcloths, diapers, wipes, etc.
A movement sensor monitor (apnea monitor).
A cute backpack embroidered with his name.
A wipe warmer.
Bottles and breastmilk storage system.
A kit with thermometers, bulb syringe, nail clippers, etc.A doorway jumper.
Target and Baby Depot gift cards.
Shopping cart seat cover.

Here are some pictures:

And today's 33 week belly pic:

32 weeks

2008-02-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

I just hit 32 weeks a couple days ago. I can't believe how fast the time is going now. Its hard to imagine that I will have Lincoln in my arms in just 6 weeks and a couple days. I had my 32 week appointment yesterday; all was good. I'll start going every 2 weeks now instead of once a month. I'll probably do that twice and then at 36 weeks I'll start going weekly until he's here. I still have so many things I want to do around the house before Lincoln arrives. I just want everything to be perfect and not have to worry about doing anything but taking care of him. I really wish that "nesting" phase that I hear so much about would kick in. Lately all I've had the energy to do is eat and sleep.

Just catching up ...

2008-02-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't written in a little while so I thought I'd fill everyone in on what's been going on lately. I went back to repeat my 4D ultrasound last Friday. I still wasn't able to get any pictures. I had worked all night and I was exhausted, I drove home to pick up Tim and eat breakfast before my appointment at 9:30. I told myself I was going to get in bed for just a minute to warm up before I took a shower to get ready and I woke up at 9:20. I threw my scrubs back on and headed out the door. On the way I decided to call the office and let them know I'd be a few minutes late. They didn't even have any idea I was coming in. Apparently either I wasn't written in on the schedule or they didn't look at it that morning since it was a Friday and the office is usually closed. When I got their the ultrasound tech spent about 7 or 8 minutes booting up the machine. As soon as she put the wand on my belly she said that we wouldn't be getting any pictures because he was still in the same position as last time. I was really upset because I was exhausted, aggrivated that they didn't know I was coming, and then I felt like she really didn't even try to get any pictures. I can understand she can only do so much, but it would have been nice for her to offer to try again some time or atleast try to get me some pics of his hands and feet or whatever was viewable. She just said it would have to be a suprise and sent me on my way. I was way too tired and upset to argue.

In better news ... I just hit the 30 week mark a couple of days ago. I can't believe how time is flying all of a sudden. It seems like just yesterday it was Christmas and I was only 23 or 24 weeks. I have only 8 weeks and 2 days left until my scheduled c-section. Its amazing how soon that seems. On one hand I can't wait and I hope the times continues to fly, but on the other hand I know I'm gonna really miss being pregnant. I love feeling him moving around, and talking to him, and making plans for the future. But, I will be glad to have a break from work for a while. Its getting really hard to be on my feet for 12+ hours a night, 3 nights a week. Not to mention I haven't slept well in almost 6 months. I know that won't be changing anytime soon though.

Here is a picture of my belly at 29 weeks and 4 days. Please excuse the stretchmarks ...

4D Ultrasound: A total bust!

2008-01-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

We went in this morning for our 4D ultrasound and 28 week appoinment. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time now. As soon as the tech put the ultrasound wand on my belly she said, "we probably aren't going to be getting any good pictures today". Apparently Lincoln didn't want his picture taken. He is positioned with his head down, his face towards my back, and one leg and one arm infront of his face. I don't see how that could possibly be comfortable, but it does explain why I feel like I'm getting kicked at the top and bottom of my belly at the same time. She tried to get a few pictures, but they were terrible, not even worth posting. I rescheduled to go back next Friday morning at 9:30 for another try. Hopefully I can talk him into being more co-operative between now and then. My appointment went well however. They didn't tell me what my BP was, but it must have been fine because no one mentioned it. I actually lost 6 lbs this month. The nurse said that it was because I've been on the diabetic diet. I thought it was strange though that I lost half of what I've gained this entire pregnancy. So now I'm at a grand total of 6 lbs gained. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not complaining. Dr. Williams reviewed my blood sugars and said that whatever I was doing it was working. So I was pleased with that. I reminded him that I had scheduled my c-section for April 11th at 6:30 am. I thought he'd give me a hard time about it, but he said he'd be there. Hopefully next time I write I'll have some great 4D photos to share. Keep your fingers crossed!

Snow Day and Gestational Diabetes

2008-01-19T17:24:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to Tim busting through the door to tell me that it was "pouring down snow". It hasn't snowed here since 2002, so its definitely not something that happens everyday. It brought back alot of memories of living in Birmingham when I was a kid and getting so excited at every chance of flurry. I don't think my dogs have ever seen snow, and they definitely were not impressed. They acted as if it was acid on their paws. They have spent most of the day inside the garage because they absolutely refuse to go out. Tim and I got all dressed and headed out to play in the snow. We took a few pictures and played around a little, but it wasn't as fun as I remember it being when I was a kid. I was also really afraid of slipping and falling on the deck so it took some of the fun out of it, but it was still an exciting day. I can't wait until Lincoln is old enough to enjoy the snow.

On another note, I met with the Dietician at the Center for Diabetes yesterday. We talked about Gestational Diabetes, what it is, what it can do to the baby, how its treated, meal plans, etc. They taught me some new ways to take my blood sugar that I wasn't aware of. I've tried a few times, but I absolutely cannot stick myself on the finger for some reason. The nurse taught me how to do it on my arm and even the heel of my hand. For some reason even being a nurse I never thought about doing it on the heel of the hand. Its much less painful in my opinion. I just hate the tips of my fingers being sore. So I will be checking my blood sugar approximately 4 times a day, and adhering to a carb controlled diet. I have to eat 6 times a day, which is going to be difficult with my work schedule, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to have a happy healthy boy.

My meal plan consists of:

Breakfast: 15-30 carbs
Snack: 15-30 carbs
Lunch: 30-45 carbs
Snack: 15-30 carbs
Dinner: 30-45 carbs
Snack: 15-30 carbs

Hopefully following this guideline I will be able to control my blood sugar without medications or insulin. I have an appointment to go back on the 28th and show them my blood sugar log and my food diary for the week. One thing that broke my heart is that I am not really allowed to have any kind of fruit juice at any time on this diet. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal at all, but I have been craving grapefruit juice like it is going out of style!

24 Week Appointment and Gestational Diabetes

2008-01-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

Today was our 24 week appointment with Dr. Williams. I had to do the 1 hour Gestational Diabetes test. They have you drink a glass of a syrupy liquid that tastes like Kool-aid with about 3 times the sugar and then you have to wait an hour and have your finger pricked to test your blood sugar to rule out Gestational Diabetes. As soon as I saw the blood sugar result on the machine I knew it was bad news ... it was 164. So now I'm going to have to do the next step in the process which I'm already dreading; I will have to do the 3 hour test sometime this week. If the results of that test come back abnormal as well I will officially be a "gestational diabetic" and will have a carb controlled diet and possibly oral medications to control my blood sugar. If its still not under control with those measures I may even have to be put on insulin. I really hope and doubt that it will get to that point though. On the other hand everything else was great. I've only gained 1 pound from my last visit 4 weeks ago, which makes 12 pounds total. My B/P was great and the baby's heartbeat sounded great, so I'm excited about all that. We were also able to schedule our 4D ultrasound today, it will be done at my next visit on January 30th. I've been looking forward to it for a long time, its amazing how much detail you can see compared to the normal ultrasound images. I just hope that the tech takes her time and does a good job, she tends to always make me feel like she's rushing or has somewhere else to be. Tim said that if I'm not satisfied with it he'll pay for me to go to a private ultrasound and have it redone.

Happy New Year and Viability!

2008-01-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my friends and family! I hope everyone has a great 2008. Today is a very important day for Lincoln, he is now 24 weeks gestation. This is a huge milestone in fetal development. As of today if anything happened and Lincoln was born early, there is a possibilty that he could survive. Of course the odds are not great at this point, but its reassuring to know that every action would be taken to save his life if he were born. Our next milestone is 28 weeks, where the odds of survival greatly increase.

The Nursery and More Movement

2007-12-31T12:31:00.000-08:00

The past couple of days I have really been feeling the baby move around. Its an undeniable sensation now. I was lying in bed today and I had my hand on my stomach and right when I felt him kick from the inside I also felt the thump on my hand. I have to say that is the weirdest thing I have ever felt. It made me bust out laughing. It happened 5 or 6 times within a few minutes. I called Tim into the room and he was able to feel it too. This pregnancy is really starting to get fun. I spent so much time at the beginning filled with worry and doubt that now its such a relief to just enjoy it.

I'm almost embarassed to say that they nursery is almost complete. It didn't take nearly as much time as I thought it would. Tim really got down to business the last couple of weeks and got most of the work done. There are only a few minor details left to add, but the majority of the work is done. I think this is going to be my new favorite room in the house.

Updates

2007-12-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't written anything in my pregnancy journal in over a month so I figured it was time to get up to date on everything. This past month has been interesting. About 3 weeks ago I had a bad fall at work. I slipped in some water in the hallway. I had to go to the ER to make sure that me and the baby were both ok. I really didn't think I had done any damage, but I found out that my placenta partially tore away from the wall of my uterus. Its called an abruption, full abruptions can cause fetal death, but thankfully mine was only about 3 centimeters. I spent the night in L&D and got a couple ultrasounds done, but so far there doesn't seem to be any further complications because of the fall or the abruption. We also had our 20 week ultrasound a little over a week ago. Everything looked great. No abnormalities or anomalies were detected, which is great news. We also got a 2nd confirmation that we are definitely having a little boy.

I've also started feeling some small movement this week. Its a very strange sensation, but I love it. It lets me know that Lincoln is happy and healthy inside his incubator. I can't wait until the movement gets stronger.

Baby Bedding

2007-11-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've been really disappointed with the selection of boy baby bedding so far. I'm not much into the animal themes, transportation or sports themes. I finally found several online this morning that I really like. They are all very contemporary which I love. The one that is pictured is what I think I will probably go with. Its called Moda and is by a company called Banana Fish. Who knew bedding was soo expensive though? Tim and I are going to go shopping today to look around and price some furniture. I've seen a few things online at Target that I really like but I want a whole set that will match ... crib, dresser, changing table, etc. I don't want to have to try to match and buy each piece individually because its not a set.

Its a Boy!!

2007-11-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

I found out a couple days ago that we will be having a little boy. An ultrasound tech came up to the floor at work to scan a patient, when she was done I asked if she'd mind taking a look to see if she could tell what we were having. It didn't take her long to discover that it is a boy. She seemed very sure. Usually this early (14w6d) it can be hard to tell, but if its a boy its typically more obvious than if it had been a girl. I am shocked to say the least. I have always thought that I would have a girl. I guess its because my mom had all girls, and that is just what I've been around my whole life. When she told me I just laughed because I knew that because I felt so strongly it was a girl it would end up being a boy.

Name Change and U/S Date

2007-10-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

Tim and I have decided if we have a boy we are going to name him Lincoln James instead of Donovan James. Its a name we ran across recently and both really liked. I have my 16 week appointment on November 7th. I asked Dr Williams if we could get an ultrasound to see what we are having on that day and he said that we can try. 16 weeks is still a little early for that, normally its done between 18 and 20 weeks, but I know several people that were able to tell as early as 15 weeks what they were having, so I'm feeling optimistic about it. I just want to know so I can start planning the nursery and buying some things.

Today's Appointment

2007-10-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

We went in for our 12 week appointment today. I've gained a total of 5 pounds in the first trimester. Not terrible. Dr. Williams wasn't able to hear the baby's heartbeat on the hand held dopper so we had an ultrasound done. I really wasn't suprised at all that he couldn't hear it because I've been trying to hear it at work and I've never been able to either. The part that did suprise me was the the ultrasound tech wasn't able to hear it on the ultrasound either. It took her a good 5 minutes to find it at all. She said she could see it, and that everything looked fine, she was just having a hard time hearing it. She finally told us that it was 162 beats per minute. Sounds good to me. She said that the problem was that everytime she got the baby pinned down and tried to listen, it would move. I couldn't see very well from my angle, but Tim said that he could see it moving and waving its arms and legs.

12 Weeks

2007-10-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Today I'm 12 weeks pregnant. This is a very important milestone that I have been looking forward to. Mainly because I get to stop taking my progesterone today. That means no more twice daily suppositories. Yay! Today is also often looked at as the beginning of the 2nd trimester. Some books and people say 13 weeks is actually more accurate, but I say as long as I make it there I don't care when it is. I have an appointment tomorrow morning at 9:30 am, so I'll be updating again soon.

My Jumping Bean

2007-10-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight when I was at work I had the chance to look at my baby on the ultrasound machine for a few minutes. While I was looking at it I must have done something that startled her because she jumped really fast, hit the top of my uterus and then floated back down to where she was. Of course I couldn't feel it, but it was so cool to actually see it moving. It made my day :)

Pumpkin Carvings

2007-09-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

I got home from work this morning and found a carved pumpkin on my kitchen counter. Tim said he made it as a tribute to my morning sickness. I thought it was hilarious! On another note, I asked one of the doctors I work with to ultrasound me a couple nights ago at work so I could see my Sweetpea. We were able to see the baby and the heartbeat. The machine had such bad resolution that we couldn't tell a whole lot about it, but its always fun to peek.

The Nursery: Thoughts and Ideas

2007-09-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

We haven't started working on the nursery yet. We really need to get started soon, because we are going to have an incredible amount of work to do. We plan on moving Tim's office into what is now my office and moving all my stuff into our bedroom. We will then make Tim's old office the nursery. My current office has a sliding glass door leading out onto the deck and we figured that probably isn't the smartest thing to have in a baby's room. We really should have considered things like that when we moved in, but we really weren't thinking about kids at that time.

I have absolutely no idea what our nursery will look like if we have a boy. I haven't seen anything online that I was particularly attracted to for a boy's nursery. I have found some really cute stuff for a girl though. My current favorite bedding is called Tiger Lily by Kidsline. I actually ran across it before I knew I was pregnant when I was looking at bedding online with my best friend Vanessa, who is also pregnant.

2nd Appointment - 8 weeks 1 day

2007-09-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Its been two weeks since our last prenatal appointment. Today we had our ultrasound first before speaking with my doctor. I was absolutely amazed at how much our Sweetpea has grown in the last two weeks. You could see the little arms and legs moving on the screen. It was really amazing. Today the heart rate was 178. Unfortunately I probably won't get to see the baby on the ultrasound again until our appointment around 20 weeks when we will find out what the sex is. Well, actually I probably will because I like to take a peek when I'm at work on occasion. Shhhh!

We have decided on names. I really love our girl name and I'm ok with our boy name, but I'm not quite as excited about the boy name. If its a girl she will be Amelia Claire McQueen and if its a boy his name will be Donovan James McQueen. Subject to change without warning, of course.

1st Baby Gifts

2007-09-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Today was my neice, Ashlynn's birthday party. She just turned 3. We had a great time planning for her party. I don't get to see my neice and nephew as often as I would like because they live about 2 hours away in Birmingham. I had fun buying gifts for her and helping to plan her party.
My mom bought me a couple baby outfits while she and my grandmother were out birthday shopping for Ashlynn. She bought me one girl outfit and one boy outfit. I was excited to get our first baby gifts, it really made things seem very real and exciting.

1st Ultrasound Appointment

2007-08-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

I went to my first prenatal appointment today. I'm only 6 weeks pregnant so it didn't really consist of much, but I was really excited for the ultrasound. I was scared to death that my doctor was going to tell me that it must have been a mistake and that I'm really not pregnant. I don't think I really let myself believe it was true until I saw it with my own eyes.

When we did the ultrasound the tech said, "there's that little baby!". I actually had to make an effort not to bust out crying right then and there. I had really stressed myself out with worry and I was so relieved. Sometimes I think being a Labor and Delivery nurse is a huge disadvantage; I know enough about early pregnancy just to scare myself and freak out about all the possibilities.

Despite all my worry, the baby looked great. The heart rate was 120 beats per minute, which is exactly what it should be at this point and the baby's measurements were on target for the estimated due date of April 22, 2008. Tim was very excited to see the baby on the ultrasound, he kept saying "thats so cool". It was a really great moment for both of us.

It's Really True!!

2007-08-14T15:00:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning and took a pregnany test and I could definitely see a faint 2nd line. I've actually been seeing this line for a few days now, but I chose to ignore it. Today is the first day that I actually decided to investigate further.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a 2nd line but when I went to have bloodwork done it came back negative, and I was heartbroken. So when I started seeing the line again I thought surely I was seeing things or it was a false positive.

I debated waiting a few more days to see if the line got darker, but I ultimately decided to go in to the doctor's office and have a test done there. They did a urine and a blood test, the urine test came back with another faint positive line and the nurse said that she could definitely see it was there but I was probably just really early. I didn't get the blood test results until later in the afternoon when I was back at home, but it was positive as well.

I couldn't wait to tell Tim. He was in Montgomery for a work meeting and I absolutely couldn't wait until he got home to tell him. I sent him a text message when I got in the car that said "hey daddy". Apparently he didn't get it because he didn't call for a couple of hours and when he did he didn't say anything. So I told him then over the telephone, not exactly the way I dreamed it would go, but I was too excited to wait. He was very excited as well, and stopped by the store on the way home and bought some Sparkling Cider to celebrate.