29 weeks and a bit of excitement

This was an interesting week.  Everything started out well.  We had our monthly visit with the OB and were able to take a peek at baby girl.  She has a perfectly sized head that is measuring exactly the correct weeks and days!  This alleviates our fears of Zika-caused Microcephaly.  She has plenty of fluid, is still a girl, and was flopping all over the place during the whole process.  She was opening and closing her mouth, putting her hands all over her face, and even stuck her tongue out a few times- priceless!  The ultrasound tech even switched to 3D mode, and we were able to see her little face.  It was kinda creepy, but kinda awesome at the same time.  I took a picture of the picture:

I also took the 1-hour glucose test, which wasn't bad at all... until I received the results on Thursday... and I had to go take the 3-hour glucose test on Friday.  I felt pretty sick during the test, which is not a good sign. The only time I ever had gestational diabetes, I became violently ill during the 3-hour.  This time I was just tired and felt "yucky," so we will see in a day or two how the results came out.  

TMI- do not read if you are sensitive or don't want to know about this stuff.  

And then the excitement came.  I started leaking clear, smell-free fluid.  I thought it was just from the course of the day, but after I cleaned up and rested for a few minutes, there was even more.  I told Jason so he could calm me down, but he said we should call the doctor.  I called the doctor so she could calm me down, but she said the we should go to L and D.  Sigh.

So, Katie and I went to the hospital (Jason had to take Triston somewhere).  All I needed was for them to hand me the little nitrazine paper so I could hold it in the fluid to see if it was amniotic fluid or not.  As you can imagine, that is not what happened.  They made me register, ride in a freaking wheelchair up to L and D, weigh in, put on a gown, and pee in a cup.  Oh, and before I could go up, they had to put on a hospital band.  Once there, they hooked me up to all the monitors (for contractions and fetal heart rate).  Then, after going through an entire pregnancy history- which is very challenging when you have had (let me think...) 8 pregnancies and 5 babies which are not yours and you don't remember their birth weights or birthdays very well.  I am pretty sure the nurse thought I was insane!  

After all of that mess, the nurse finally did the nitrazine test.  Three times.  And it was negative each time.  So now they tell me the fluid is just what is happening now.  Fun times.

Today is Easter Sunday.  I have been thinking about how different this pregnancy is from a surrogate pregnancy.  With my first surrogate pregnancy, I was afraid I would feel some kind of attachment to the babies and my heart would break when they went home with their family.  It didn't.  

After three surrogate pregnancies, I was afraid I would not feel the connection to this baby that I had felt with mine.  I loved my surrogate babies and would have done anything for them, but I was not in love with them like I was with my first three.  A surrogate friend who had another baby of her own after surrogacy said that she fell in love with her baby the moment she was born. Today, as I was talking to this little girl in my belly, I realized that my fears of not loving her like I loved my other three are gone.  After the scare I had of her coming early, I realized how desperately in love with her I already am.  I can wait for her to get here.  I want to wait for her to get here.  I just want it to be June so I don't have to wait anymore.    

Week 28- Hello 3rd trimester!

It has been a long month.  All is well, and baby is growing like a little dandelion in there.  She is dancing and thumping, and having a grand old time.  Right now, her feet seem to be on the left side of my belly and her head on the right.  So I think.  Last week, it was just the opposite.  I am glad she is enjoying her time of flips and somersaults, as her space is about to dwindle rapidly.

Mommy status:  So much has happened since last I blogged.  Two weeks ago, I became very ill with some kind of cough and congestion that turned into an infection.  I spent an entire week going to work, coming home and sleeping.  Baby did not seem to notice that I was sick; in fact, I think she enjoyed my laying around the house so much because she wiggled and played more than she ever had before.  Luckily, I am well now (thanks for the antibiotics, doc!) and running at full pregnant lady speed- which, as you may guess, is about a snail's crawl.  My back hurts enough now that I have to wear the belly support band every day.  The stabbing abdominal pains of my round ligaments is a daily challenge, and I can't do grocery shopping or walking for any length of time before they start to hurt.  Once they get going, it is hard to stop.  Everything else is pretty normal, and anything else is too gross to share :)  We just came home from the Houston Livestock Show where Triston showed his pig, Bandit II.  I have zero stamina in me, and actually fell asleep in a camp chair in the middle of the noise, commotion, and stench of the pig section.  I can tell the third trimester has begun because of this crazy exhaustion, the constant need to drink and pee, and the fact that it takes three separate sets of movements to get in or out of the car.  Oh, and my husband is constantly teasing me about being so slow and waddly.

                                                      

             At the pig show                                                                                       27 weeks, 2 days

Nursery Status:  Since the last update, we have increased the offerings of our nursery to include many baby outfits (thank you Cindy for donating the beautiful baby girl clothes!), an amazing rug, a rocking chair (thank you Grandma and Grandpa Goodfellow), and a bedding set (which took my probably 12+ hours of searching the internet to find because I am insane and refused to spend $200 or more for baby bedding, and I did it- the whole set was ony $50.00!).

Nursery at 28 weeks- furniture in, decorations to go!

Mom enjoying the rocking chair

Baby status:  We go to the doctor on Tuesday.  So far, she has been measuring just perfect, and her heart rate and movements are all good.  At our last visit, I did mention again to my doctor about the possibility that I was exposed to the Zika virus.  We were only slightly worried, since I didn't seem to have any mosquito bites after our trip.  Then, after finding out it was transmittable person to person, and knowing that Jason did have mosquito bites, we became slightly more worried.  The upside to my worry is that we get to have an ultrasound at this 28 week visit.  I can't wait to see my girl again!  The downside to the 28 week visit is that I have to drink the vile orange drink and take the 1-hour glucose test.  Boo!  Hoping I don't have to do the 3-hour.  I have done it two or three times, and it is poopy.  Especially the time it turned into gestational diabetes.  Here's hoping for low sugar!
Braden loves to sit and feel the baby kick.  She loves to play with him, and is always very active when he sits down to push and play and chat with her.  Katie can't wait for her to get here; she has already picked out the one outfit we have bought for her- complete with a pink bow and hearts.  Triston, my patient child, is waiting calmly for her arrival.  He is the only one who made a that-is-so-disgusting face when I asked him if he wanted to see her delivery.  Katie wants desperately to be there, and Braden has not yet decided if he thinks it is a very good idea, or a very bad idea.  Regardless, this baby girl is coming to the three best siblings any kid could ask for.  

Name status:  At this point, I am telling people we are sticking with Jimmy.  This is what Braden called her before she was a "she," and it is funny.  I am fairly certain we have found our winner, and I am also fairly certain we are not sharing yet.  Mary Elizabeth and Brooklyn both seem to have been tabled in favor of this new name.  We shall see...

Daddy status:  I think Daddy is going nuts with my incessant planning.  With my three surrogate pregnancies, there was no planning.  With my first three, I was too poor to plan, so we just kinda bought stuff as we needed it.  I am far too caught up in planning everything for this one (as is evidenced by the baby bedding fiasco), but I am also enjoying it too much to stop.  Daddy has been able to feel baby playing now that she is strong.  He seems to have a soothing effect on her though, and every time he places a hand on my belly, she calms right down.  We are hoping this continues after birth.  He talks to her every morning and every night.  Sometimes he puts his mouth almost against my belly and talks to her.  Sometimes about me, sometimes about what they are going to do, and sometimes I just try not to listen so he can tell her secrets.  He is going to be so good with our little Ray of sunshine.

Mom's favorite picture to date.  Dad loving with his girl as she kicks him in the head.

I think that is all the updates for now.  I am so looking forward to meeting this child.  In June.  June 4.  Just throwing that out there.

Week 24- and an important milestone

I love week 24 of pregnancy.  Week 24 is the week that allows my daughter the hope of living if she is born.  Week 24 means that with all of our modern science and technology, my daughter will live if she is born.  With all my fears about her coming too soon, this eases my worries and gladdens my heart.
I have started to have stabbing pains in my abdomen, or maybe they are just coming more frequently. The worst was after going grocery shopping, when I came home and the pain was so bad on the left side I had to sit down for 40 minutes before it stopped.  Thank goodness for my Katie May who put all the groceries away for me!  My back has started hurting, but that is manageable.  Baby is playing and active, and that is all I need to be okay.
We are making progress on the nursery.   It now boasts a crib and a dresser ordered by mom and assembled by daddy and big brother B.  I stand in the room and I can see it all coming together.  Every time someone walks in there with me, they get my list of what is going where and what color it will be and yada yada.  I think maybe this is why nobody ever goes in there unless I ask them to!  I am enjoying decorating my first nursery.
I have cancelled my order for our last baby name, and we are searching for new names even as we have two on the drawing board.
Jason has felt baby moving now, and likes to wake up each morning pushing on my belly to try to wake his little darling up.
I have been calling her my "little Ray of sunshine" the last few days.  She needs a nickname since we are slow on finding an actual name.  When people ask, I just tell them we are sticking with "Jimmy."  When they get that puzzled look, I reply, "this is what her brother named her before we knew she was a girl."  Whatever people, we will name her when we are ready!  And, maybe, just maybe, we will share her name with you before she arrives.  I have found that the best way to NOT get input on baby names is to wait until baby is already here and named.  Really, what can you say when it's already a done deal?
And maybe this will help other moms-to-be, maybe not.  After trying baby registries at Target and Buy Buy Baby, I have found that Amazon baby registry not only has everything that we need, free shipping, and equal or lesser than prices, they also walk you through the whole process!  It makes it so much easier to go through the virtual store section by section :)

Here are some pics of the nursery thus far:

The crib that daddy built.

The little table mom found at the "antique" shop, with the flowers in the vase given as a baby gift from our friend Jeanette.

Daddy and big brother B assembling the dresser.  They are pumped!