2 things that will never happen again...

1) I needed something to brighten up my spot on the bed.  Silver toenail polish to the rescue! The 12 year old, Beiber-loving girl inside of me is very happy.

Yes, I realize my skin is the same color as my white pillow cases.  I'm think bedrest is about to move to a float in the pool.  That's okay, right Dr. P?

2) I got this text from Matt this morning (he is at OU for a football clinic):

Big time.  

26 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 26 weeks

Size of baby: English hothouse cucumber

Gender: BOY!!!

Maternity Clothes: Yup.  I've even started wearing some of Matt's shirts for PJ's

Weight gain: 12 lbs!!

Movement: Baby boy is so good and moves as soon as I wake up in the morning, as if to say "Morning, Mama!"

Sleep: Awful this week.  Back to sleeping in 3 hour chunks.  

Symptoms: backache and leg cramps

Cravings: anything sweet
What I miss: Driving a car, seeing the sun and taking Cooper on walks

Best moment this week: Brooks kissing my belly and saying "bye bye" to baby :)

Best husband moment/quote: Matt went out of town for work last weekend and he would call to FaceTime with Monkey, lol
Belly-button watch: still an innie...barely...Matt gets a kick out of checking it everyday to see if it's "popped"
Notes: passed my glucose test!  Childbirth class starts next week, eek!!  

Draw Something

Have y'all heard of this amazing, highly addictive app?  My wonderful SIL, Stephanie, introduced me and DS helps my days in bed go by super fast! (Okay, maybe not super fast, but faster than staring at the ceiling goes by.)

Basically it's Pictionary on your iPhone or iPad.  I've found it easier to play on the iPad since you have a larger screen to work with.  I have several games going so I typically have pictures to draw every time I check my computer.  Some of the words they give you are hard (rza...seriously?!?) and some are just hilarious.  I've saved a few to my computer that were too good not to share.

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

That was "zipper" for anyone wondering

I don't even remember what this is

Are you playing Draw Something?  Add me...Amanda0312!! 

100 days!

100 days to baby boy (who still remains nameless)!  I don't even want to entertain the idea of him getting here any earlier, thus I haven't made much progress on baby prep.  I'm hoping that the more I put off the longer her will remain baking safe in my belly. :)

So still on my To Do List (which has now turned into Matt's To Do List) is the following:

• Nursery furniture
• Bedding
• Call Aetna
• Register at MHKH and Methodist
• Complete pre-registration at MHKH in person
• Schedule childbirth classes
• Register for breastfeeding classes and hospital tour
• Outfit for baby shower
• Hostess gifts
• Start baby registry
• Schedule newborn photos
• Outfits for newborn photos
• Call HR about bedrest and maternity leave
• Work on pregnancy scrapbook (ongoing) 
• Nursing bras/tanks/dresses
• Finalize will
• Clean out bathroom cabinets
• Clean out bookshelf
• Sell old books
• Re-arrange kitchen cabinets
• Paint nursery
• Assemble nursery furniture
• Decide on a baby name!!!
• Wall decals/curtains/rug for nursery
• Glider for nursery
• Select pediatrician
• Wash baby clothes
• Hospital bag
• Complete registry "must-haves"
• Birth announcements
• Put bassinet and changing station back on pack-n-play
• Take Cooper to groomer

I'm sure I'll add more than I complete in the coming weeks.  Matt will have to get in go-mode before spring football starts, but I'm trying not to be too pushy from my spot on the bed.  :)

25 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 25 weeks

Size of baby: rutabaga

Gender: BOY!!!

Maternity Clothes: besides my weekly doctor appointment (when I actually get dressed) I'm usually in PJ's everyday

Weight gain: 10 lbs

Movement: I'm starting to notice a pattern to his movements, although they are still really low.  I can tell the difference between his kicks/punches and regular movements. 

Sleep: Better!  Matt has made me a "pillow fort" every night and I'm sleeping through the night! Whoo hoo! 

Symptoms: backache, leg cramps, occasional heartburn

Cravings: anything sweet
What I miss: being able to go from laying down to sitting up easily 

Best moment this week: my crazy pregnancy dreams! 

Best husband moment/quote: Matt laying with my belly each night and talking to Monkey.  It's like their little daddy/son time. 
Belly-button watch: still an innie...barely...Matt gets a kick out of checking it everyday to see if it's "popped"
Notes: loving my new medicine...and Zulily!! 

Spring Break 2012

Plan A: Babymoon to the Bahamas (aka our honeymoon spot). This was our original plan this year, even after we knew we were pregnant.  It was the first time in years Matt didn't have to coach soccer, we could celebrate my bday and our anniversary and a babymoon all in one!  Matt scratched this idea about Christmas-time, saying he didn't feel comfortable taking his pregnant wife out of the country.  Boo.

Plan B: Babymoon to Las Vegas.  Once we decided we would stay state-side we debated between Vegas and NYC, finally choosing Vegas because we figured it would be too cold in NYC in March.  We literally were booking our tickets on the night of Feb 13 and "something" told us we should wait to see how our doctor appointment went the next day.  February 14 we found out about my incompetent cervix and got the cerclage on the 15th.  So our spring break plans changed again, thankfully we didn't book our tickets!

Plan C: Babymoon at home.  This seemed to work out well for us, even if it wasn't the spring break we had planned.  It was SO NICE having Matt home with me all week- I felt so spoiled!!  He took such good care of me and Cooper, and honestly, it was so nice to have some company during the day!  We managed to:

• Watch all 6 Star Wars movies
• Catch up on Season 7 of HIMYM
• Watch Harry Potter 1-3
• Celebrate my bday, twice
• Celebrate our anniversary (at an actual restaurant!!!)
• Go to the doctor, twice
• Have some visitors
• Spend more time together in one week than we have in all of 2012 combined

I was seriously so sad to watch him leave for work this morning. :(  When his alarm went off and he mumbled something about taking the day off I smiled and got my hopes up a little, but then he came to his senses and went to work.  Poor thing.  If only he could be on bed rest with me...

Mama and Monkey Update

Monkey's good...Mama's good...overall good appointment yesterday!  Whoo hoo!!!

• Dr. P was in L&D when we got there so we got to spend some time in the waiting room before our appointment.  One of the female teachers from Matt's school walked in and sat down next to me.  I thought he was going to melt into a puddle of embarrassment right there, it was HI-larious! Apparently sitting in an OBGYN waiting room tops Matt's list of awkward experiences.
• Blood pressure was good- 116 over 70
• I've finally reached double-digit weight gain...10 pounds!  Dr P was very happy and said to aim for a pound a week for the next 15 weeks.  My leftover Ohh La La cupcakes from by birthday are certainly helping me with that.  :)
• We started by talking about bed rest and contractions.  I told her I was still having pretty consistent contractions, specifically right before I'm supposed to take my devil drug Terbutaline.  She said this means I need to up my dose to every 4 hours instead of every 6 hours.  NOT what I wanted to hear!! I think I made a combo of enough whining noises/sad faces when she said that she started to feel bad for me, lol.  She then brought up that there are alternatives to Terbutaline that don't have awful side effects, but possibly not as effective as devil drug Terbutaline.  We decided to try this new regimen for a week and re-visit to see how I'm doing.
• So now the plan is Procardia every 6 hours plus a Progesterone injection once a week so slow the contractions.  Procardia is actually a blood pressure drug and she's concerned because a side effect is lower blood pressure, and my BP usually runs a little low.  Hence the appointment next week to check on me.  Good thing I'm 1) not driving a car while on bed rest so if I pass out I don't run into a tree, and 2) a PRO at injections and not scared of needles.  
• She also clarified my bed rest- I can get up and do a few things as long as my contractions stay controlled and I'm feeling okay on the Procardia.  She even let us go out to eat last night for our anniversary!  We celebrated at Taste of Texas, yum! (our cheesecake helped add another pound last night)
• Oh, I'm officially a High Risk Pregnancy.  My insurance is sure to love that. 
• We briefly talked about the possibility of making it to full-term/having a preemie and my main concerns right now are contractions, my water breaking early, blood pressure or my cerclage ripping out (OUCH!!!) She suggested a steroid shot now and again at 32 weeks to help Monkey's lungs mature, just in case.  No- I did not ask her to elaborate on the "just in case" comment, we all know what that means.   
• I asked her about the pain I was having below my right rib, so she ordered an ultrasound so we could check for gallstones or kidney problems.  We weren't schedule for an U/S but I sure wasn't going to complain about getting another view of Monkey!  
• Ultrasound looked great!  Monkey is 1.7 pounds and VERY much a stubborn little boy, just like his daddy.  No gallstones and kidneys looked great, so the pain is likely from my sciatic nerve and likely to get worse.  :(
• Monkey is still head-down and my cervix is still really short.  Thank God we got the cerclage in place when we did!
• Matt was pretty mad at me after the appointment because 1) we were there 2 hours, and 2) he said I asked more questions about me than I did about the baby.  Selfish on my part...probably.  Precious on his part...absolutely.  

So, we will go back this afternoon for another steroid shot and next week for a check on the new medicine.  Praying this works and I don't have to go back on the devil drug Terbutaline and our insurance covers the injection ($50/mL out of pocket).

Birthday fun!

Monday was my 28th birthday, whoo hoo!  We had to get a little creative with the birthday celebrations this year since I'm confined to the bed.  Thankfully I have a wonderful family who took care of everything and came to our house, cooked, cleaned and celebrated with me at home.  THANK YOU!!

Monday my family came over for Chick-fil-A and cupcakes for dinner.  YUM!  Mom got extra cupcakes too, so I've had lots of sweet snacks this week.  :)

Wednesday the McDaniel's came over and made my favorite...breakfast!  French toast makes me melt as much as this little one.

 Look who's walking!!

Thanks for all the birthday love!  

1,461 days ago...

Or 4 years ago, we got married!

Is it possible that this actually happened 4 years ago and just yesterday?!? The pictures definitely look like younger, skinnier versions of us, yet I feel like I'm still a newlywed and we're figuring out this marriage thing day-by-day.  We will be celebrating today by visiting with Dr. P and continuing to bake our boy.  

3 years, 2 years, 1 year.  

Matty,

Always and forever. 

24 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 weeks

Size of baby: ear of corn

Gender: BOY!!!

Maternity Clothes: mainly t-shirts and leggings during the day, I wore a non-maternity dress today.  The above shirt and jeans are maternity. 

Weight gain: 10 lbs

Movement: Yes! Mainly in my lower left abdomen, guessing that's where his feet are.  His movements are more than just little kicks and jabs now.  Matt gets a kick out of poking him and feeling him kick back.  :)

Sleep: This week hasn't been great.  I have been waking up around 3am, staying awake and falling back asleep around 7am.  Ugh! 

Symptoms: acid reflux has made it's unwanted debut.  Still having leg cramps and  a killer backache.  

Cravings: anything sweet
What I miss: Diet Coke, sleeping on my stomach, being comfortable in any position

Best moment this week: Matt is home for spring break so I've had company while on bed rest

Best husband moment/quote: Matt's 2nd grocery store experience went much better than the first, lol.  Can I count his quote "Whoa, you've really popped!" as my least favorite part this week??
Belly-button watch: still an innie
Notes: Hoping for a good appointment tomorrow!

23 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 23 weeks

Size of baby: large mango

Gender: BOY!!!

Maternity Clothes: since I'm now on full-time bed rest my pj's fit pretty good ;)

Weight gain: 7-9 lbs

Movement: still feeling him really low in my belly all day.  His movements have started to be noticeably stronger.  

Sleep: I have good and bad nights.  I sleep best after Matt has gone to work laying sideways across the bed, lol! 

Symptoms: oh my Lord this backache is going to be the end of me! And leg cramps, a sharp pain below my right rib (random), and is it possible that my leg hair has stopped growing?!?

Cravings: Vanilla milkshakes from McDonalds- I blame my daddy
What I miss: Diet Coke, sleeping on my stomach, being comfortable in any position

Best moment this week: the highlight of my days has been watching Ellen in the afternoons

Best husband moment/quote: Matt went to the grocery store for the 1st time on Sunday.  I broke down the list by aisle for him and he called no less than 10 times while he was there with questions.  He came home and had a major temper tantrum, lol!
Belly-button watch: still an innie, for now.  Wondering why I ever pierced my belly-button when I was 16, ugh! 
Notes: I hate Terbutaline

And because Coopie wanted in the pics too: