Ready or Not, Here Comes 2010!!

This is a picture we took right after we took the home pregnancy test. I can't decide if Ben looks happy or really freaked out. Here's a little picture timeline of the last 17 weeks. We didn't take a picture every week because there wasn't much change in the belly, but the last few weeks, we've noticed a lot more.

Weeks 14 and 20

Weeks 22 and 24

Weeks 29 and 30



Week 31

You can see how the top of my abdomen has really filled in, making it harder to breathe. We're in the home stretch now and Avery will be here very soon. Happy New Year to everyone!!

Santa Baby

So...I'm supposed to be studying for my final tomorrow, but I am the world's worst procrastinator! So, I thought I would be productive and blog. I went to the doctor this morning for the gestational diabetes screening. I had to drink a nasty little drink in five minutes and then wait an hour to get blood drawn. I met with my doctor, Dr. Jean, and she told me my weight gain was very good-- 8 lbs. in 4 weeks!-- and we listened to the heartbeat. It took like five minutes to find it, which was a little scary, but finally she found it about three inches above my belly button. She told me that now I'll be coming in every 2 weeks, and meeting the other doctors at Lexington Clinic. They do that because if I go into labor in the middle of the night, I get the doctor that's on call for that night. There are 6 doctors there that deliver babies, so it's time to start meeting them. We also talked about doing kick counts for twenty minutes per day to see how active the baby is.

When it was time to have my blood drawn at 11:07 (exactly one hour after the drink), the lab technician was in the middle of something, so another nurse took me back. I hate needles, but I'm trying to be a big girl about it all. I was doing okay until she admitted to me that she hadn't taken blood in YEARS. Then she asked if I had bad veins or if they rolled. I always look away from the needle and hope for the best, but I kept hearing her say "Oh shoot" "Come on" "Dang it" and I was thinking, "Really, can't you keep the comments to yourself? This is not helping!" After she moved the needle around for a while, she got two tubes filled, and I was done.

Ben and I have been thinking about pediatricians lately. The one I used until I was 21 is still at Lexington Clinic, so I kind of assumed that I would take Avery to her, but I've also been asking around lately to new parents. There are so many decisions to be made, and I'm getting kind of tired of making them.

I'm 30 weeks pregnant, and have 10 more to go until Avery will be here! We haven't done much with the nursery yet, just trying to make it though the holidays without too much stress (haha)!! The goal is to paint next week, and the furniture should be arriving mid January. Mom is busy working on curtains, a bed skirt, and fixing up the bassinet that she used with all of us girls.

I wish I was headed to Florida this weekend, but instead I'll be getting to see Miss Kaitlin. She is waiting in customs right now in San Diego. I talked to mom this morning and she said she got to see her from afar as the ship pulled into port this morning, but it takes hours for all the students to get off and go through immigration. I know they are excited and I wish I was there!!

We're about halfway through the holiday parties and shopping. What a relief. I think I'll be feeling much better after the holidays and after I get this final done with tomorrow. Good news--I got an A on my final paper and an A on my presentation last week!! Yippee! I was so worried.

We're trying to make plans for Christmas with two families in two different states, but we're pretty much hitting a brick wall when it comes to traveling between St. Louis and Kentucky in two days. We thought about trying to fly, but really, it takes just as long. I'm a little worried about traveling on Christmas eve and Christmas day with NOTHING open and me not feeling too well. I'm sure it will all work out...

It's an exciting time of year. The baby showers are being planned and the belly is getting bigger. I can't wait!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

First, I'm so sorry for the delay in posts. My life has been a little crazy lately and blogging has had to take the back seat on my list of priorities. But...things are going VERY well-- just a little crazy! I'll attempt to get you caught up on everything that has been going on.

Since my last post, I've gone back to the doctor for a check up, taken a trip to Kansas City to see Ben's family, gone to the CEC conference in Louisville, had Thanksgiving at home, written my final paper for my grad. school class, picked out a paint color for the nursery, continued to clean out the closets at the condo, found a substitute for my long-term sub. job at school, had my first baby shower, discovered the land of consignment for babies, and grown a lot in the middle. :)

Kaitlin is back in the US of A! She's currently in Hawaii and enjoying a little vacation before her finals. She's done with classes and will take finals on the ship between Hawaii and San Diego. Sara, Kelley and Mom are going out to meet her on Dec. 13th, and will be back in KY on the 17th! Yay!!

The baby is moving a lot now all day every day. I love it!! Everyone keeps asking if I'm ready for her to get here already, but I'd have to say my answer is no. I really like being pregnant--
I can say that because I'm FINALLY over the morning sickness. It makes me smile every time I feel her moving around. The book says this is the "fun" part, because I'm not so big that I'm really uncomfortable yet, over most of the sickness, and noticeably pregnant. I think they're right.

At my last doctor's visit, we discussed the delivery, and possibilities about inducing at 39 weeks and c-sections. We also talked about us taking birthing classes at the hospital beforehand and about a birthing plan. The doctor said she expected me to gain about 30 lbs total, which I was surprised about. I had only gained 10 lbs. so far in the first 25 weeks, so that meant 20 lbs. in the last 14 weeks. Well, I must have taken that to heart, because in the last 3 weeks, I've gained 5 lbs. Only 15 more to go!!

We had our ninth annual Turkeyfest at the river with all my high school friends. It was a good time, but definitely a different experience being sober. It was nice getting to see old friends and hearing their reactions about Avery. I thought it was so funny that they were the first people to go right in for the belly rub with no hesitations. When Aaron asked, "Are you getting tired of people rubbing your belly?" I just laughed and said, "Actually, you guys are the first." I feel like that's appropriate given how long we've all known each other. It's so nice to have all of their support and blessings, even though they may not be in the same place in their lives.

Kansas City was a nice break from everything. Ben and I flew out there on a Wednesday night and we spent time with Ben's mom, our nephew Ryan, Ron, Misti, and our nephew Nathan. On Friday, Rachel, Matt, Sammie, and Owen all showed up, so we got to have a 3rd birthday party for Nathan which included a homemade "Cars" cake in the shape of Tow-mater. Afterwards, they threw me a small surprise baby shower, and then we had Thanksgiving on Saturday before I had to leave for the airport. It was a great time and wonderful to see our nieces and nephews.

For Thanksgiving day, Kelley, Sara, and Gracie all came into town and we went over to Annie and Alan's house for a big meal. Later that night, we went and saw The Blind Side, which was a great movie.

I've got 8 more days until my grad. class is over!! WOOHOO!! It will be such a relief. I have been so worried and stressed about this class. I have to get at least a B or I have to retake it, and so far this year, I have gotten straight C's on everything I've turned in. urg! So, I had my final paper coming up, due last week. I turned in 4 rough drafts!! I knew I had to get an A on it in order to get a B in the class. So, I got my score back yesterday, and I got a 91.5%. I am so relieved. Now, I have a presentation that I have to get an A on Tuesday, then a final next Tuesday that I also have to get an A on. I've already taken off next Monday to go to the doctor for some routine tests and to take a full day to just study. Wish me luck!

I've signed up next semester for my practicum, which I'm supposed to observe another teacher for 4 hours per week. There is no way I could do it while teaching, so why not try while I have a little baby?? This may be the worst idea I've ever had, but I'm hoping it will all work out.

It's hard to believe that next Christmas I'll have a little girl that will be 10 months old. I got to play with a 8 month little girl last night and she was so much fun. I have such a good feeling about how wonderful this little baby is going to be. Now, if I can just get everyone around me to stop telling me how my life is about to end, that would be great!

The comments I have gotten related to the baby are more and more surprising EVERY day. I'm like "Really??? What makes you think it's okay to say that to someone?" Why don't these people think?? My favorite all time comment so far was, "I knew you were having a little girl, because you've gained weight everywhere and not just in your belly." Thanks?? How do you even respond to things like that?

Enough for now. I promise I will try to do better! Keep reading!

An Emotional Week

So...I was really excited to find out the sex of the baby so that I could start buying stuff. That lasted for maybe a week, until I realized quite how expensive babies are! Between health insurance for a family, child care, nursery furniture, and diapers...that's my entire year's salary!!! How overwhelming!! We have officially registered now at Babies R Us, and are extremely grateful for all of the generosity we have already received from family and friends.

We got the nursery furniture ordered. We went with the iron crib in antique white, an armoire with gold bumblebees painted on the doors and matching knobs, and then a white changing table with dresser on the bottom with gold dragonfly knobs. It's on a slow boat from China, and Kaitlin is expected to beat it back.

Mom picked out a soft green for the paint on the walls, and has been working on designing a monogram to be painted above the crib. So...we've been at work trying to decide on a name. We have Avery Elizabeth picked out, but are not sure about the spelling. The options are Avery, Averey, and Averie. We are leaning towards either Avery or Averey.

The material came in for the curtains and bed skirt, so Mom's getting to work on that, and we've picked out bedding and a pink glider. The room is being cleared out currently, as we have found a place to store a bed and dresser until we move to our next home. We cleaned out the closet today and took a trip to Goodwill, and removed the pictures from the walls. We are about ready to paint.

I haven't taken medicine in 3 weeks!! Woohoo! I've only thrown up like twice since Fall Break. I've been feeling better for the most part, but need to make some adjustments to fill my best. I've been slacking off on working out, eating right, and getting enough sleep in the past couple of weeks. I feel guilty about it because it's not just me anymore.

We've been thinking hard and talking about child care a lot lately. I went and visited Georgetown Child Development Center on Friday and really liked it. There were only two babies in the infant room, so I was thrilled. The people were super nice and the kids were super happy. It was a good start to a dreaded process.

Grad. school is AWFUL!!! It's getting to the point where I'm either going to have to take like a year off and regain my motivation or transfer schools. This professor has ruined my image of UK, and I'm so jealous of my friends who are finishing their programs in 1 year. I'm completely over doing research, and I'm just now getting into the classes that are the processors of writing my thesis. Yuck!

Avery moves all the time now. She is such a busy bee. Ben says it feels like she is dancing. I love it! I woke up one morning and could feel what I think was her head above my belly button. Then about two hours later, it was down near my bladder. The worst is when she pushes on my organs, but I can usually get her to move pretty quickly. I love feeling her move, and Ben is getting to feel it a lot now also. It's so cute to watch his face when he feels her.

My birthday week was wonderful. Mom made dinner on Sunday. She spent all day making my favorites: chicken tetrazini, corn pudding, monkey bread, and chocolate/ mint cake. Kami and Whitney came down and enjoyed it with us. Then, on Tuesday, Ben made me breakfast in bed and then surprised me at school with lunch and flowers. My friends at school surprised me with a delicious pumpkin, chocolate chip cheesecake and gifts. Then, Erica, Sara P., Amelia, Elizabeth, and LB surprised me at my favorite Mexican restaurant on Wednesday. Then, Arden, Michelle and Lisa took me to lunch and to get a pedicure on Saturday. What a wonderful week with friends and family!!! Thank you so much!!

Kaitlin tried to call on Tuesday for my birthday. I missed her call, because I was talking to my mom, and an Ohio number beeped in. I didn't click over because I didn't know who it was and just let it go to voicemail. Then when I got off the phone and checked my message, I realized what I had missed. I tried calling the number back, but it was out of service. I have picked up my phone SOO many times in the past couple of months and wanted to call Kaitlin but realized that I couldn't. Email just isn't the same. So...Kelley called next, and she got to experience my CRAZY pregnancy emotional meltdown from missing Kaitlin's call. Sorry about that...and while I was talking to her, Kaitlin beeped back in. I clicked over this time, but could barely talk because I was crying non-stop. I didn't want to be like that for her, because I'm sure she misses us so much more, not getting to see or talk to anyone. I just couldn't help it...and then in a quick 7 minutes, her calling card ran out. It was great to just hear her voice and know that she is doing okay.

So, needless to say, it's been an emotional week full of surprises. Thanks to everyone who helped make this birthday a great one! Keep praying for baby and I and our health. Thanks for all the support. :)

Love at First Sight!

Here she is! Her little fist in blocking her face a little bit, but It's still cute!

THINK PINK!!

Yay!! It's a girl! We are soooo excited, and my family has a sense of relief. They wouldn't know what to do with a boy after all. :) We had the ultrasound last Thursday and everything went very well. It took about thirty minutes to find out the sex, but finally she moved enough to tell. We were starting to think boy, because the heartbeat was around 126 this time, which is in the "boy range." It was a moment of true joy when the technician said, "and here are her little girl parts."

We got to see her from head to toe...everything. The technician pointed out all the different parts of her brain, her lips, nose (we even looked up it), eyes, chin, neck, spinal cord, every vertebrae, the four chambers of her heart, all of her toes, legs, belly button, kidneys, stomach, umbilical cord, and of course the girl parts.

The best part of the whole day was watching her as she yawned. It truly brought the skeleton on screen to life. She was sooo cute! Seeing that movement made her seem so much more "Real!" She was playing with her finger and her mouth the whole time, and moving quite a bit. I got the advice of drinking Mountain Dew before I went, so that may have played a part in how active she was. It was so much fun to see!

Lately, it's been quite the discussion if I am going to get the Swine Flu vaccine, and I'm leaning towards "no." My doctor does not recommend it, because there is no research in the long-term effects on the baby. I personally have never gotten a flu shot and don't plan on it, but Ben thinks otherwise. It's been a game of what research we can find about it. I just don't think it's a good idea to be injecting myself with a virus while pregnant. However, it's all over my school. One of my students has been out all week with it. It is scary, and I do not want it!! Also, one in three pregnant women in the U.S. who are hospitalized for Swine Flu die. That will be enough to freak anyone out about it. I think I'll just pray real hard every morning on my way to school that I stay healthy.

The nursery plans have begun...we're thinking raspberry and mint green for the colors. I'm not a big pink person, but the raspberry/ punch color is pretty. We found some great companies that Mom can buy from for bedding and furniture. I love the material Mom found that is a toile with little monkeys, giraffes, and elephants playing instruments. It sounds busy, but it's very elegant. We're going to use that for the curtains and bed skirt.

We took a trip to Babies-R-Us last weekend to look at some prices. Wow! It's very overwhelming. I think if I had $5,000 to spend, I still couldn't get all the things that I think "I need." They have come up with some pretty clever inventions for little babies. Did you know strollers cost up to $300?? and probably higher than that...like the ones Ellen gives away at her baby shower show. Crazy!!

Names are super difficult to pick out. This week we like Meredith Anne, Emmaline Ruth, and Avery Elizabeth. Anne, Ruth and Elizabeth are all family names in common for Ben and my family. I also like Madeline, but Ben has vetoed that one. :( If you have any suggestions, just send them our way!

I discovered a new sleeping position, with a pillow in between my legs, one under my belly, and one between my arm and head. It's been much better lately! The sickness isn't as bad everyday, but it's still there. This last pack of Zophran has lasted a good two months though, so it must be getting better.

I had one setback last night after eating pizza. We didn't know that the Deckeroni pizza at Old Chicago came with hot sauce on it, and it was a huge mistake. The baby DOES NOT like hot sauce. And I will never be able to eat that pizza ever again. Yuck. The cravings keep on coming, but nothing too weird. This week it was "my mom's homemade vegetable soup." Ben did a superb job making it "just like Mom does."

We are about 22 weeks baked. Time is slowing down now. The thinking has shifted from what do I do while I'm pregnant?...to what do I do with a baby? We have to start looking at daycares ASAP. The Lexington ones have LONG waiting lists. The good news is that it won't be until August. I talked to the people at Central Office this week, and I can take 12 weeks off, which should take me to the end of the year...so that's the plan.

Right now the due date stands at Feb. 28, but the baby is measuring about a week after that. If you've seen the St. Joe East commercial advertising their new baby center opening March 2010...that will totally be me. I'm okay with waiting until March to deliver in a brand spankin' new room with jucuzzi. I say that now....

That's all I have for now...Happy Halloween and keep reading!! :)

Back from San Fran!

Update: We got our screening results in the mail and everything came out perfectly normal. Yay! Thanks for all the prayers. Keep praying that everything looks good on the ultrasound on Thursday.

Also, I found a Gap Maternity in San Francisco. It was great. Ben is glad we don't have that in Lexington and that room was minimal in the suitcase. :) I did manage to get a cute pair of pants.

San Francisco was great, but we're glad to be home. We were only gone for a week, but it seemed much longer. I only got sick once the entire time we were there. That's very impressive considering all the crazy awful smells in the city.

AND...I got my first congratulations from a stranger...Yay. The bump is finally noticeable! I'm sure I'll be not so excited about getting bigger soon, but for now it's great. I gained 5 pounds in SF. I'm thinking I need to get back to a workout routine. :)

Back to school tomorrow.... Can't wait until Thursday. It feels like Christmas!!

The Ultrasound is Scheduled!

The most exciting news to share is that my ultrasound is scheduled for next Thursday at 3:00 to determine the sex, among other more important things. We can't wait!! We're in California currently, but I am counting down the days until this doctor's appointment. My mom is going to go with us to share in all the joy of seeing our precious little baby. Woohoo! Can't wait!

Lots has been going on since my last post. We got our blood work done to screen for birth defects, Down Syndrome, and Cystic Fibrosis. As far as we know, everything came back normal. They said to expect a call if there were any abnormal results, and there was no call. So, we are extremely grateful for that!

I am currently 19 weeks pregnant, and just about halfway done! The time is FLYING by!!! I am still getting the "You don't even look pregnant" comment from friends and family and haven't gotten the "So, when are you due?" comment from anyone. However, I'm in maternity clothes full time now. I had to make a return to Macys before we left for our trip, and discovered they have a maternity section on the second floor. They carry a brand called A Pea in a Pod that has cute clothes that are well-made and a little more of my style. Maternity clothes are SOOO expensive though!! They are twice the amount of regular clothes.

We feel the baby moving a lot now. Ben has felt a kick or two while I'm sleeping, but we're still waiting for the first time we get to experience that together. The baby likes to move a lot when I put the laptop on my stomach in bed. I don't know if it's the noise, the heat, or what...but it seems to work every time.

Work is going well, but boy did I need a break. Ben was out of town the week before this and I had sooo much stuff to do. Grad. school is awful. The material we're covering, studying, researching, isn't so bad....but the professor is a nightmare. I'm sure I've had a few with her in them.

My dreams have been CRAZY lately. I'm sure that's a pregnancy thing. I wake up a lot at night to go to the bathroom and adjust, because I'm starting the uncomfortable stage of not being comfortable EVER. It's only going to get worse...

I've been taking my nausea medicine about every 3 or 4 days, depending on what I've eaten and if I remember to take my vitamins. It's totally the opposite of what you would think...when I forget to take my vitamins, it makes me sick. I guess it's because the baby didn't get all the nutrients it needed for the day?? I'm not sure.

So, we're on Fall Break in California. We spent the first two nights in Napa Valley, then came on to Bodega Bay (the beach!) We've had wonderful weather so far and we're headed on to San Francisco today. It's been a perfect little trip at the perfect time for us. There have been several temptations along the way...wine tasting, hot tubs, hot stone massages, and tons of seafood. How come vacation reminds me of all the things I'm missing out on in life right now?? :)

On Thursday, the 15th, the Hartley design team will begin planning the baby's nursery. I can't wait for the reveal. It's going to be great!! Stay tuned for details!

Pickles and Ice Cream

First of all, thank you to everyone for continuously checking on me and for being so genuinely interested in how the baby is doing. Sorry about the delay in new posts, I promise I am going to try to do better. As you know, grad school has started back and things have gotten busy again. Not to mention, I go to bed at 8:30 most nights. That cuts into my time in the evenings to get stuff done. The books recommend 10 hours of sleep per night. I usually get about 9, so I'm doing very well in that department. It's going to be a real shock when the baby arrives and I start getting about 4 hours of sleep per night.

I was so thankful to make it out of my first trimester and to get over that hurdle of initial morning sickness, nausea, etc. However, much to my misfortune, I'm now thinking I may just be one of those lucky people that get to get sicker as time goes on in the pregnancy. This week I was sick Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and then again Wednesday night. My throat was hurting Wednesday night from throwing up so much. I also began to worry about my teeth, and the acid, but I'm kind of over that now.

I made it to Dallas and back on Labor Day weekend. My flight was super easy out of Lexington and it was a fun weekend with my sisters and mom. Kelley's new house is awesome and it was like extreme design team took over, and we did 6 rooms in 3 days. It was fun, and I mostly watched and avoided the paint fumes as much as possible. Other than some plumbing problems, the weekend went smoothly. We also got to go baby shopping!!

Kelley took me to a very cute maternity boutique called Pickles and Ice Cream, hence the name of the post. It wasn't anything like my first experience of maternity clothes shopping at Motherhood Maternity in Lexington. I had gotten to the point where my pants started getting a little tight, so I ran over to Hamburg to find a Bella Band, which everyone had been telling me about. The lady convinced me to try on some maternity clothes, which also led to trying on the belly. It was kind of fun to see what I would like like with a perfect little round belly, doubtful that I will be so lucky.

The clothes and Motherhood weren't too bad, but it's going to be an adjustment from shopping exclusively at Banana Republic for the past 5 years. However, Pickles and Ice Cream was a very positive and uplifting experience for buying maternity clothes. They are cuter than my normal everyday clothes!! I could only afford like 4 outfits, so I plan on wearing the same thing A LOT. lol.

I wore my first maternity jeans today! I could have squeezed uncomfortably into my normal jeans, but the elastic band was so appealing this morning! It was a good choice because we took mom out for her birthday dinner tonight, and there was plenty of room for dessert! :)

I was sad that Kaitlin couldn't join us, but she is on her way to Ghana for her birthday. She's been to Spain and Morocco so far on her trip around the world. She's doing well and making lots of friends so far. She posted some pictures on facebook and freaked mom out a little. Mom quickly sent her an email to ask what she had been doing. In one pic she had a glass of Sangria in her hand. In one picture she was posing with a gun, and in another she had somebody's short skirt on. Mom wanted to know what was going on. No worries.

Thank you so much to LB and Misti for thinking of us. I got a nice package in the mail of cute little baby outfits, a blanket, and some books. LB brought over a HUGE tub of maternity clothes, and items for the baby. We are so lucky to have such generous people in our lives. It also gets me sooo excited about the little one.

I've had several moments in the last couple of weeks that have reminded me of how lucky we are. Two friends had miscarriages in the same week. I thank God every day for our blessing and I ask all of you to please continue to pray for our baby and my health during the pregnancy. It's truly a miracle!

I go back to the doctor this Thursday and our screenings are optional that day. It looks like we're going to go ahead with them, somewhat reluctantly. It's a very hard decision, but we'll be okay either way. We also get to schedule our ultrasound to find out the sex! I am 17 weeks pregnant tomorrow, and we can find out the sex at 20 weeks, so it will be here before we know it. We are soooo excited!!!! I can't wait to start buying things for the baby.

Everybody, including Ben thinks it's going to be a girl. I'm leaning towards boy for some reason. Let me know if you have a vote in either direction. Once we find out, I'm sure that deciding on a name will become easier. It's way harder than I thought. I heard a boys name that I like this week. It's Kasen. LB came up with the girls name of Hart. In Dallas, we came up with Frances Ruth. Those are both family names. I had an aunt Frannie, and Ruth is from my grandmother and Ben's mom and grandmother were named Ruth also. Kaitlin is Kaitlin Ruth as well. I also like Field for a little boy. That was my middle name and my mom's maiden name. There are many many more names that we like as well. Like I said, after we know the sex, we'll get more serious about it. Ideally, we'll have two names picked out when she is born, and we'll be able to look at her and know which one works.

I'm continuing to grow every day. Ben says I'm for sure showing, but you still can't really tell when I wear my normal clothes. However, my boobs are out of control!! My bridesmaid dress for Amelia's wedding next weekend keeps getting smaller and smaller. Mom put in a lacing system to make it expandable, but I'm still having bust issues. I'm going to have to go on a search for a minimizing strapless bra, or perhaps try out the duck tape trick, which just sounds extremely painful.

My cravings still aren't anything crazy. I've been eating lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, and salty foods taste really good. I'm not so big on sweet foods, like I was before I was pregnant. A diet Sunkist is still doing the trick in the mornings paired with the miracle drug, Zophran.

We are currently planning our Fall Break trip to San Francisco. We are going to stay in Napa Valley for two nights, go to Bodega Bay for two nights and then stay in San Fran for three nights. I'm so excited. We're going all out and doing it up right, thinking this will be our last romantic vacation for the next 18 years. :) Or until they go to camp. We leave on Oct 3!!

That's all for now. It's bedtime. Go UK tomorrow. Beat Louisville!!! Thanks again for all of your prayers!! Love you!

Week 14

Things are going well! I had another doctors appointment on Thursday and got to hear the heartbeat again. It was 155. Average is between 120-170. I've heard the higher, the more likely it's a girl. My next appointment is in 4 weeks, and I'll have the screenings for Cystic Fibrosis, Down Syndrome, and birth defects. We were debating on having the screenings done, but we're leaning towards going ahead with them. The main negative in having them done is the chance of a false positive and unnecessary stress added in the chance of that happening.

My pants are definitely getting tighter. I just feel extremely bloated right now, even though I've actually lost weight! I NEVER in my life thought that I would ever have a problem with trying to maintain or gain weight. It's kind of nice not having to worry about overeating for once in my life.

Kaitlin left this weekend on her trip around the world. She is on a cruise boat for a Semester At Sea. She says the water is choppy and the boat is really rocking. She started classes today (Sunday) and she will be in Spain in 6 days. Please pray for her safety during this chance of a lifetime.

Things at school are going very well. I'm so thankful to have the year started out so great. Let's just hope that everything continues to go well. I start grad class on Tuesday night. I bought my book today--$104!!! CRAZY!

I am headed to Dallas this weekend for Labor Day with the family. We're helping Kelley settle in to her new house and get decorated. I'm sure we'll also be discussing the baby and possible name choices, which is a whole other issue.

I have a LONG list of names for boys and girls and can't decide on anything. I never thought it would be so hard to pick a name, not that I have to do it today. Every single name that I like I know somebody named that already. So, I came up with a name that I thought was very original--Caiden, for a boy. Then, Friday night I saw it on a list of Most Popular baby names. What?? I had never heard of it, and now all of a sudden it's on the list for most popular names? I grew up with about three Kristins in each class of mine, and would like to come up with a name that won't be extremely common.

Time for bed! 9:00 is about as late as I can stay up these days! Have a good week! :)

The First Trimester

I created this blog in an attempt to keep friends and family informed about how things are going with baby Garffie. I hope that I will be able to keep it updated frequently, and that you will enjoy hearing about any news about the baby and our family.

This past Saturday marked the end of the first trimester. What a relief! I'm so thankful that I never got too sick. I actually only threw up three times, but I have been nauseous every single day since the first of July. I tried not taking the miracle drug Zophran this past Saturday, and made it until about 4:30 and then gave in. Maybe I'm addicted? Or just like feeling like I can do something other than lay in bed and eat crackers. Without the miracle drug, it feels like I have a major hangover and don't want to do anything but lay around. I am not a very big medicine person, Ben could vouch for me on that one. I NEVER take medicine! I never thought that I would during pregnancy, but I have to in order to carry on a normal life.

So, this is the start of the third week back at school. Things are going well. We hired two new people this summer to be a part of our special needs team, and they have been incredible so far. It has definitely lightened my load of work having them around, and it's been such a relief to get out of school relatively early in the evening. God knew that I would need that help this year, so He definitely provided. The kids are being great, and I'm enjoying being back at work. Not to mention, everyone I work with is so helpful and considerate. I'm so thankful!

Ben and I have been out of town for six weekends in a row in July and August, and we are thankful to have spent the past two weekends at home with friends and family--just relaxing! It's been so nice! I have one more week of freedom until Graduate School starts again. I'm going to be taking one class this fall on Tuesday nights at UK. I got my syllabus on Saturday, and it looks manageable. I'll have a lot of reading to do, and a paper due every week, but it looks interesting. We'll see how I feel about it at the end. :)

Back to the baby...We had a rocky start. I was NOT feeling well at the beginning of July, and with the help of WebMD, I had convinced myself that there was something wrong. We didn't tell a sole about the baby, not even my mom. I didn't want to get people excited and then have disappointing news. Looking back, that was a mistake. I needed support in the beginning when things were so scary.

On July 9 I woke up with horrible abdominal pains. Ben had just left for work, and I got up to go to the bathroom. Ben came back in because he had forgotten something and noticed that I wasn't looking too good, and asked if I was okay. I remember telling him that I was going to get sick, and then the next thing I knew, I couldn't control anything. I fainted onto the floor head first, and luckily he broke my fall. I felt weird vibes pulsating throughout my body, and was feverish. We called the doctor and got an appointment for that day. We went in, and had blood work done and scheduled an ultrasound for a couple days later.

On July 13 we heard a heartbeat! It was lower than what they like and my hormones were low. Again, I was extremely nervous that something was wrong. We told my parents and sisters the next day, the 14th.

Two weeks later, we went back for a follow-up ultrasound, and it was 156!! We were so excited. We got pictures of baby Garffie, which we describe like a little teddy graham. He/ She has a head, belly, and little stubs for arms and legs. We also got to see the spinal cord on this visit. Since the last ultrasound he/she had grown from 1/2 inch to 3 1/2 inches. What a miracle!!

So, it's been four weeks since my last visit, and I've been thinking of lots of questions to ask the doctor at my appointment this week. I've banned myself from WebMD--it's too scary! Things have been going well. The abdominal pains have stopped. :) I haven't thrown up in two weeks! Yay! Ben is being a little angel, fixing dinner every night, packing my lunch every day, cleaning, and rubbing anywhere that hurts. He's the best!!

Everyone keeps asking if we would prefer a boy or girl. Ben of course says just healthy. My sisters and mom say "It better be a girl!" I think boys would be easier to raise, but would love to have a little girl also. I think it's a boy though--just got a feeling. We're so excited regardless.

We've begun looking at nursery furniture. I found a crib I like at JC Penny, but my mother is trying to talk me into a designer round crib or iron crib with rabbit finials. She has the best, and most expensive, taste. We will be redecorating our guest bedroom at the condo. I was really nervous about starting a family here instead of a house, but the sermon at church last Sunday really put my mind at peace about it. We have everything we need right here, and all of our needs will be met.

My cravings haven't been too weird...I just know exactly what I want like Chicken Pot Pie, chocolate cream pie, Diet Sunkist, french fries, and smoothies. As for aversions, I have been staying away from sushi, pizza, and salad.

I keep looking into the mirror thinking that I'm going to see a belly bump, but I haven't been so lucky. My pants are definitely getting tighter and a bridesmaid dress that I'll be wearing at the end of September already doesn't fit. :( No worries Amelia! :) I haven't bought any maternity clothes yet, because I'm not sure what to buy, but I'll get there one of these days, probably sooner than I think.

I can't think of anything else you could possibly want to know...but when I do I'll return. Keep reading!!

Kristin