Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Garen and I had a great time in Baton Rouge over Christmas. We were able to see a lot of the family (although we did miss some folks) and sit and relax a bit. Christmas was a lot of fun. Garen got me a new Citizen watch and he got a new Bosch router...well, the instruction manual! The darn thing was too heavy to haul down there just to bring back, so I wrapped the instruction manual for him. Baby G (who we are getting closer to naming, but still doesn't have a name) had a very nice Christmas as well. He got his first football, a bunch of clothes, a baby monitor, and an adorable LSU outfit. He is already getting spoiled and he hasn't even been born yet. We got to meet our adorable new niece Riley, who is now about 3 months old. We also got to see our nephew Reece, who miraculously became a little person since the last time we saw him. He is over 2 now and is just a ball of energy.

We flew home on Wednesday, which despite all of the disrupted flights around the country, was on time. The airport in New Orleans wasn't even crowded. Landing in Nashville was another story though...that airport was packed! But we made it home. Nilla was anxiously waiting for us (well me...she doesn't care for Garen) and I got to hold my little fur-baby. Then it was off to bed so we could both work the next day. Garen and I both have a 4 day weekend again this weekend, so the house is getting a good cleaning and organizing.

As of today, I am 27 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I have a check-up this week and I think my appointment frequency is about to be bumped up to every 2 weeks. I'm a little nervous about being weighed again after the holidays. At this appointment they also do a diabetes screening, which means I have to drink this horribly sweet drink and then let them take my blood. I don't think I will know the results until my next appointment. So wish me good luck, I hope I don't have gestational diabetes. I've also got a dentist appointment this week. I swear I have a cavity. I'm not sure what they will do about it while I am pregnant, but I sure hope they will fix it.

Travel to Louisiana

Holiday shopping is done! Garen and I flew out Friday to spend Christmas in Louisiana with his family. The flight down was really good and we got out before the big holiday rush at the airport.

Garen, his dad, and his brother Otto went fishing today. They caught 7 or 8 fish, but they said it wasn't a great fishing day. He had a good time though. All of the girls and I went out for Sushi last night. The rest of the time we are here is full of planned visits with relatives and friends. Garen's friend Adrian is a photographer and he offered to take pregnancy photos while we are down here, but I don't think my belly is big enough yet for pregnancy photos. I still feel like I just plain look fat sometimes. It really depends on the day and the clothes. I'd rather wait until I have a HUGE, obvious belly before I take those types of photos.

As of today, I am 26 weeks and 0 days pregnant. By this point, the baby should be able to recognize the sound of my voice. He probably can't recognize anyone elses yet, but he will before he is born. I guess I talk enough (who me??) that he recognizes me. Any time now, he will be able to open his eyes. I don't know what he will be looking at...but apparently he can open his eyes. Yesterday I hit 100 days left of pregnancy! It's all down hill from here.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

My fruit changed!

There isn't too much to update about this week. Since last Sunday, Garen and I have cleaned the house and gone to work, and that is pretty much it! I didn't have any extra doctor's appointments (thank goodness) and we really didn't do anything this weekend. The last few weekends have been so busy though that it has been nice to have a break. We leave on Friday for Baton Rouge for the holidays, so I'm glad we've had a weekend to relax before then.

As of today, I am 25 weeks and 1 day pregnant. My fruit FINALLY changed! Baby G is the size of an eggplant and is about 9 inches long. I found a really neat website that has short little videos about babies growth and their progress each week. It is pretty neat to watch how fast they grow.

Back to the Doctor

Last Sunday I went to the Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans game in Nashville. A co-worker gave me tickets, and since Garen was out of town, I took my friend Shannon. The game was great, and Tennessee won, which made it even better. It was supposed to pour down rain during the game, but miraculously held off and all we had was a little mist. Our tickets were club level, which was really nice. The food is better, the seats are more roomy and comfortable, and they have massage students inside giving out free massages, it was great!

Monday night I woke up with an awful side pain. It continued the whole day at work and then again Tuesday night. I started thinking maybe this pain wasn't baby related (it felt like it was in my kidneys) so I called the doctor on Wednesday and they had me come it. Dr. Anderson thought it might be my gallbladder or kidneys, but it turned out not to be anything internal (thank goodness!)...which means it WAS baby related. I pulled the little itty-bitty muscle in between my lowest 2 ribs on my right side. Who knew such a little muscle could cause so much pain! Well, I didn't actually pull it, the baby growing is now causing my ribs to push out and just normal movement caused it to pull. Apparently it is continually being pulled all day long and then at night when I am sleeping and the muscle relaxes it causes the most pain. Cure - time and Tylenol, not the answer I was hoping for. But I can say that I definitely feel better now.

While I was at the doctor they weighed me again. I had just gone to the doctor the Tuesday of the week before, so it had only been 8 days since I was weighed...I gained 6 lbs!!! They put me on 2 scales just to be sure!!! Of course, at my last weigh in I'd only gained 1/2 a pound, but still. So now my grand total is 16 1/2 pounds! Here is what I look like now -

Garen came home on Friday and we went appliance shopping. I asked for a new washing machine for Christmas and the Sears Appliance Outlet in Nashville was having a sale. And on top of the sale, they were giving out $100 vouchers to the first 25 people in the store...so we left the house at 6am Saturday morning to get a voucher. There was a line outside, but we were one of the first 25 and were able to get the certificate, and I have a new washing machine now! We bought an LG front-load with a 4.0 cf capacity, it holds a LOT of clothes! We really needed a new washing machine before the baby comes.

As of today, I am 24 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I wish I had a new fruit to update the size comparison...maybe next week. Baby G is still nameless but discussions are on. I don't think we will make a decision for a while. Baby G is incredibly active and Garen can not only feel Baby G kick and spin, but we can watch my stomach jump and move when the baby moves. Nilla actually likes it and tries to lay on my tummy when the baby is most active. It is cute.

GO LSU!

This has been the busiest week at work! But during the week I had my 6 month check up. Baby G (who is still nameless) is healthy and has a strong heartbeat. My doctor talked to me about prenatal classes that the hospital offers (I need to sign up in Dec. for the Feb classes). Unfortunately the classes are 1 night a week for a month, so Garen will only be able to go to 2 of them with me. There are a couple of classes we can choose from - a Lamaze class, a newborn class, and a breastfeeding class. I will definitely take the latter two, but I'm not so sure about the Lamaze - I planning on taking drugs! I know it doesn't always work that way, but I'm going to be optimistic because I don't think I can take 3 classes in February!

Tonight is my office Christmas party, which I am partially in charge of. Unfortunately, today is ALSO the LSU vs. Tennessee SEC championship! Most of the people I work with are huge Tennessee fans, so we are trying to get a TV set up so we can watch the end of the game. Otherwise I think we will have a lot of late party-goers! One of the other ladies setting up with me today is a Tennessee fanatic! I decided to play a little joke on her tonight and when I was making name tags, I made her a special one with a giant LSU logo on it!

I set up the play yard that Mom bought us. Man was that thing complicated! It wouldn't be so bad if the directions had been followed (Garen!) because it has a very specific order to follow when putting it up. It actually took so long that it is still up in the dining room. Nilla decided to check it out and spent a few hours sleeping in it 1 night this week. Since then she has left it alone. Below are pictures of her exploring it.

As of today, I am 23 weeks and 0 days pregnant. My fruit didn't change!!! I think the website I've been visiting updated their fruit and moved the Papaya up a week.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Garen and I went to Iowa last week to spend Thanksgiving with my family. And since we spend enough time in Iowa this trip, I was able to get together with some of my girlfriends for a baby shower. Sunday we met in Cedar Rapids and the girls from Des Moines, Minneapolis, Iowa City, and Burlington had lunch together. It was so much fun and it was great to see everyone again! They gave Baby G such wonderful gifts and such a variety! He now has a Pack n' Play, a ton of books, some new clothes, pjs, receiving and regular blankets, pacifiers, a changing table pad, toys, a teething ring, spoons, wash cloths, links, a boppy cover, and a bunch of Cheerios stuff. The Cheerios stuff came from Krista, who works for General Mills, and it is so cute. It is a little yellow onesie, blanket, and bib that say "I Love My Cheerios" and a Cheerios dispenser and the "Cheerios Kid" stuffed toy. I had such a good time at lunch visiting with my friends, I just felt bad for the poor waiter who always showed up at the end of a story (generally about birth)!

Of course after lunch several of us decided to go over to the mall and go shopping. Audrey works for Gap and had several Friends and Family Day coupons that were about to expire. We couldn't have that!!! It is a good thing Mom and I don't live near each other because we ended up buying a lot of stuff! Baby clothes are just too cute. I also found a onesie I had been looking for. It is a Family Guy onesie with Stewie on it and he says, "I've come with a gift. I'll give you a hint: It's in my diaper, and it's not a toaster." Garen loves it! They had a really funny Bob Marley onesie too (that I did not get) that had his face on it and said "B is for Bob".

A lady Mom works with, Marie, her husband Carey, and their 8 mo. old daughter Elly spent Thanksgiving Day with us. Mom thought it would be fun to show Garen what a baby is really like. Unfortunately Elly is the most well-behaved child in the world and I had to explain to Garen that this is scenario "A" and while it is ideal, it isn't likely. Elly didn't cry once all day. The only thing remotely "bad" that she did was spit out all of her food, slap her hands in it and then roll her bottle through it.

The fabric store was having great sales while we were home too, so I put Mom to work sewing receiving blankets, fleece blankets, burp cloths, and spit up rags. I also brought home the window valance that matches the sheet set Garen and I bought last week. It is 2x too long for the window in the baby room - so I made a drawing of how I want to take it apart and re-lay part of it out for a new valance with matching curtains and tie-backs. Of course there is still a bit of excess fabric which Mom will use to make a matching changing table pad and a pillow. Mom and I finished most of it, but I left her with the window project.

As of today I am 22 weeks and 0 days pregnant. Baby G has grown to the size of a Papaya and is kicking away! Below is the picture of the crib set that I couldn't post last week. I think we have everything in the picture plus a few extras, except the wall-border and curtains.

And we have movement!

Well, before we get to the movement, let's back up a little bit to registering last Saturday. Garen and I headed off to Babies R Us, to walk around confused and alone as we attempted to figure out what we need versus what they tell you "you need", which is not an easy feat in a store with an entire wall dedicated to baby bottle nipples! After about an hour, Garen begged and pleaded to leave...so I took him to another baby store. (I'm a nice wife most of the time.) We went to USA Baby to look at crib bedding because they have oodles on display and books with detailed photos and fabric samples of the sets that aren't on display in the store. We wrote down a few we liked from those in the store and from the books, and we decided to take 1 last walk-through before we left. And then we saw it, the clearance section, full of discontinued crib bedding sets. So we went digging and found 2 off our list! They were both floor models at one time, so in addition to the 4-6 piece crib set, they both were packaged with most of the other items in the collection. We ended up buying a jungle set called Zanzibar with more extra pieces than we know what to do with. In addition to the sheet, bumper, quilt, and skirt, we also got the diaper stacker, hamper, valance, wall hangings, door knobs, height chart, lamp with shade, pillow set, basket liner, and a chair cover (for a little kid lounge chair, which we don't have or need!).

The valance for the set is way too big for the window in Baby G's room, so I am going to have Mom cut it down and make panels to go with it. With the extra fabric from the valance, she is going to make a changing pad cover too (Mom is going to be busy next week!).

Sunday night, I was laying on the couch and I felt these odd bubbles in my abdomen. After a few repeats I told Garen I was pretty sure I could officially feel the baby. The next day at work, Baby G did flip flops all morning and with the movement being a new feeling still, it was quite distracting. He kept this up all week. Then on Friday night, Garen and I went to bed. I was laying on the heating pad (my back has been getting worse) and Baby G was doing summersaults. I put my hand over him hoping to calm him down so I could fall asleep and I swear I felt my hand rise! But there is no way that could be the baby....I just started feeling him and according to the books, most women can't feel movement outside the body until closer to 30 weeks! But Baby G isn't in my mid-section that is growing...he has situated himself in-between my hips. So I pushed on my hand down a bit and he moved again! I woke Garen up and asked him to try and feel it (to make sure I wasn't imagining it). He begrudgingly gave me his hand and I put it on the baby and pushed down a bit. After a moment Baby G moved again and Garen jerked his hand back! He said "What was that?!" He said it felt weird and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. But the baby is finally moving and moving well.

As of today, I am 21 weeks and 1 day pregnant. The baby is the size of a banana (think length).

It's a Baby Boy!

Yesterday was the big ultrasound. Garen made it back in town for it with no problems. Before the u/s, I was instructed to drink 32 oz. of water and "hold it". You do this because a full bladder pushes the baby toward the surface of your belly, making it easier to see them with the u/s. Baby G was there, curled up into a tiny little ball. He had his knees pulled up to his chest, his arms folded up, and his head tucked down. He made it very difficult for the ultrasound tech to take most of the measurements, but she was persistent and got all of them. Unfortunately when she would take a picture of his leg, she had to take 2 - one of the upper leg, then move to the lower leg, then on to the other leg! So when we looked at his little body parts, they didn't look like anything (except a random bone)! His little heart was beating at 155 bpm, and this was the first time Garen was able to hear it. We were shown his kidneys, his bladder, his stomach, and all sorts or other little baby parts. But Baby G only wanted to show us the top of his head! The u/s tech then had me empty my bladder, thinking we were squishing the baby and maybe if he had more room to move, she could finish measuring him. It worked!

We finally got a face shot - straight on, which through an u/s is actually very disturbing! All I could make out were 2 dark areas where the eye sockets were and the bones of the mouth, so he looked like a skeleton. Finally she turned to do a profile and Garen and I both looked at each other like "What is wrong with our baby!" The tech pointed out his tiny mouth, his nose, his eye, and his hand - THANK GOD that was his hand! He kept putting his hand on his head in a fist and it looked like a strange growth on his forehead. When he finally moved his hand away we were able to see a little profile and we could make out Baby G yawning and then swallowing (drinking the amniotic fluid surrounding him).

Then on to the money shot. This was the first, and only, part that Baby G wanted to show us! Such a Grashot. The picture is looking up between his legs at his butt, and as soon as she had it in view, I yelled "That's a boy!" To which Garen responded, "WHERE???" The u/s tech even turned on vein-color thing (which is like a heat detector, and looks like it too, but lights up red and blue where major veins and arteries are) to verify where the cord was - definitely a boy! She took a lot of pictures of that part because it was the only part he readily wanted to show. Garen has been walking around since then with a goofy look on his face talking about how a boy "carries on the Grashot name". He is a proud papa!


So today Garen and I are off to Nashville to register and pick out baby bedding! I'm so excited! I feel like I've been waiting for forever to do this!

As for the rest of the week - there is actually one thing that happened that is reportable. Monday at work I got an awful bloody nose! I'd never gotten a bloody nose before, let alone one that wouldn't quit. I could get it to stop, but as soon as I would begin breathing through my nose again, it would start bleeding again! So I called my doctor and he told me to go to the ER. I was shocked! The ER for a nosebleed?! But Kathy from work took me and I spent the morning waiting to be seen in the ER. Of course, after 2 hours of waiting, my nose stopped bleeding by the time I saw the doctor. Nothing was wrong, just a super dry nose. I had read in the pregnancy book that I'd be more prone to them if pregnant in the winter or a dry area. Garen and I now have a humidifier in the bedroom, and I have to put Neosporen up my nose. FUN. It was quite an embarrassing morning.

As of today, I am 20 weeks and 0 days pregnant....OFFICIALLY 1/2 way through the pregnancy. Baby G is the size of a cantaloupe. I still haven't felt any movement yet. Below is the next belly-shot, and I've been told that I have "popped" although I still feel like it isn't noticable to strangers, so therefore is not yet the "pop", although I am starting to feel like I look pregnant and not just fat.

I gained how much???

I had a doctors appointment this week, which wasn't very eventful; just a regular "how 'ya feeling" kindof checkup. I did listen to the heartbeat again, but the baby kept moving around and it took 3-4 tries before we could listen long enough to get a reading! I'd hear "whaw whaw...." and I'd look at the doctor concerned wondering why it stopped! This happened several times before Baby G would hold still and let us listen. 152 bpm this time. I scheduled the "big" ultrasound, where amongst other things, we should be able to find out the sex! I say 'should' because we will only find out if Baby G cooperates. Next Friday Garen flies back into town and I scheduled my appointment so he will be able to attend too. I can't wait!

I also got weighed again this week, and I have finally gained weight. I thought I'd be more excited about it, because I have been stuck at 3 pounds for the past 18 weeks! But now that I am 10 pounds heavier (OMG) it doesn't sound like a good thing anymore. The doctor still said 10 pounds is a good place at this point in pregnancy, I guess I was just expecting to gain weight at the slow pace I've been gaining it at. This jump kindof through me for a loop.

As of today, I am 19 weeks, 1 day pregnant. The baby is the size of a mango. I know I know...I thought a sweat potato was bigger than a mango too. I guess it just depends which one you pick up in the produce department. The baby is hiccuping, and hair is starting to grow. I still haven't felt anything.

When will I feel the baby???

All of the baby books, my Mommy friends, and the girls online all say that around 16-17 weeks early movement can possibly be felt. So for the last 2 weeks I have been waiting for that first movement. Well, it might have been last Monday night! Or it might not have been, I have no idea! I woke up twice last Monday night by a sharp stinging feel on my lower left abdomen. It was strong enough to wake me up, and it was succession of 3 "stings". Then it happened again Tuesday evening, but nothing since then. I don't know if it was the baby or not, I have certainly never heard of a stinging sensation in anyone's descriptions of the first baby movements. I hear that it feels like gas, or butterflies, or little air bubbles...defiantly not stings! It didn't hurt, it was just odd. But as I am learning EVERYTHING is normal in pregnancy.

Test results came in yesterday from having my blood drawn. I am at a "normal risk" for downs syndrome and spinal bifida, which is good. They will check the baby for signs during the big ultrasound.

As of today I am 18 weeks and 0 days pregnant. The baby is the size of a sweet potato, and I should be feeling the baby's first movements around now. The baby is also able to hiccup and yawn now and is growing hair. Next Thursday is my next doctor's appointment and we will schedule the big ultrasound.

Week 17

Things have been really busy at work, and Garen is out of town on work, so there isn't a hole lot to write about this week. Physical therapy has slowed down to once a week, which is great because I feel like I have been missing a lot of work for doctors appointments and physical therapy.

As of today, I am 17 weeks, and 1 day pregnant. The baby is the size of a large onion. Every time I think of an onion, I here Shrek saying, "I'm like an onion; onion's have layers." I should be able to feel the baby move any day now, but so far - nothing. Hopefully it won't be much longer.

Week 16

This has been a relatively uneventful week, as far as the pregnancy is concerned. In the books I have, they all say the 2nd trimester is the best, and while I had serious doubts for a while, I think things have evened out and are going great. I don't have another doctors appointment until Nov. 1, which is when I will schedule the "big" ultrasound.

My appetite has definitely increased. I usually eat breakfast around 6:30am, by 8am I am starving and have to eat...then again at 10, and by noon, I am SO ready for lunch. People in the office keep teasing me that every time they see me, I have food in my mouth. But I was weighed on Friday (had to have blood drawn) and I have still only gained 3 lbs. Not that I am complaining about only having gained 3 lbs, but I'm ready to "pop" and have an obviously pregnant belly.


Garen came home for the weekend. I showed him the stroller I picked out last week and let him choose the color. Now we just have to wait for the 2008 strollers to come out! I'm looking at crib sets already and saving several I find into my favorites. Once we know if it is a boy or a girl I'll let Garen pick.

As of today, I am 16 weeks, 1 day pregnant. The baby is the size of a pomegranate. Below is an updated belly picture. You should be able to see a little bit of progress, but I still think it just looks like I've been drinking too much beer.

I Feel Good

Finally, I feel good. Physical Therapy really seems to be helping. And to be honest, I love it. I show up first thing in the morning, lay on a table on my side, and a very nice lady gives my lower back and hip area a very nice (yet intense) massage. She works out my knots as she manipulates my hips back to a "normal" position. After 30 minutes of this, she wraps me in a huge heating pad and I drift off to sleep for about 10 minutes. And the best part - insurance pays for it! It's completely legitimate. I have very simple exercises to do at home, and I have been pretty faithful at doing them. I really want to get better, and if these exercises mean I will have a painless (or at least not excruciating) pregnancy..WooHoo!

I'm late posting this week because I was off baby shopping all day Saturday, then watching the LSU Tigers beat the Florida Gators. Sunday I slept all day, I think the baby must be going through a growth spurt. Baby Shopping was fun. I picked out the stroller that I want, but the color choices are ehhh. I saw the 08' colors and I'm going to wait until they come out to get the stroller - MUCH cuter colors. I also caved a bought the cutest little girl dress! I couldn't NOT buy it. And even if it is a baby boy, my sister-in-law Heather is due about a month before me and she is having a little girl, so someone IS going to get to wear this fabulous little dress.

As of today I am 15 weeks, 2 day pregnant. The baby is the size of a naval orange (the sizes go length). I have gained all of 3 lbs, and I have gone up 2 solid pants sizes! I'm officially in maternity clothes, and even though no one else seems to be able to tell that I have a belly, I DO have a belly. In about a month I should know if we will be having a baby girl or a baby boy. At my last doctors appointment I almost begged him to do an ultrasound just to see....as you can tell I was unsuccessful. I did get to listen to the heartbeat again, which was strong at 155 bmp.

Physical Therapy

I went to my first physical therapy session this week to try to relieve the pain on my sciatic nerve. Boy was that interesting, I learned a lot, and by just following my list of restrictions (which are extensive) my back doesn't hurt nearly as much. So here is what I learned -

Why it happens: Apparently the hormones that are released when you are pregnant cause your ligaments to go all "loosy-goosy". That’s why pregnant woman have a lot of restrictions, because they are more susceptible to injury. Anyway, the ligaments that help hold your hips in place get loose too and they slip a bit, exposing the sciatic nerve. Oh yeah, and this loose ligament syndrome lasts the entire pregnancy, throughout breastfeeding, and won't clear up until 3 months AFTER that.

Point of my physical therapy: To strengthen the muscles around my hips to help hold them in place. Exercise before getting pregnant would not have prevented this, some woman are just more susceptible.

Things I am restricted from: Crossing my legs OR my ankles (which I do constantly and unconsciously). This puts more weight on 1 hip. When standing from a seated position, put my knees together, place my hand on them, and push myself up (this includes getting in/out of car). On couch, do NOT put legs underneath me. Only 2 sitting positions allowed on couch; traditional seated, or with my legs straight in front of me. I can lay on the couch w/ pillows between my legs. No "attitude" standing, or putting weight on one side or the other, must distribute weight evenly between both feet. Sleeping - I'm allowed 3 positions; either side w/ pillows between my legs, or on the left side, with a pillow behind my back, I can rotate back onto the pillow (this cannot be done on the right side).

Actually following the restrictions isn't as difficult as I thought, and the results have been immediate. The hardest part is sitting on the couch in a seated position. I have to continue physical therapy 2 times a week, for the next 3 weeks, then the doctor will re-evaluate me.

As of today, I am 14 weeks and 0 days pregnant. The baby is the size of a lemon, and is literally sitting on my last nerve!

Hello and Welcome!

I figured with Garen and I livinig so far away from our families and friends, that we would keep you updated on the status of my pregnancy though the wounderful world wide web. I plan to update this blog weekly throughout my pregnancy, and then use it to show baby pictures and update you on the status of our little one.

As of today, I am 13 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I have successfully made it through the first trimester. The baby is the size of a peach, and is definitely making mommy feel (if not look) fat. There is no longer such as thing as "sucking it in". None of my pants will zip, let alone button. I have been very fortunate though as a lady from work has given me all of her maternity clothes! The shirts all fit great, but she is about 5'3"...so the pants look ridiculously short on me. But the carpi's and shorts, thankfully, work for now. I'm trying to hold out just a little bit longer to buy maternity clothes.

Last weekend Garen and I bought a new car, which may not sound baby related, but I needed something more reliable to be driving a baby around in. We bought a 2007 VW Passat, or as my Uncle Breezy calls it, a "Hitler Hot rod". It is the Wolfsburg edition, which just means it has a bunch of extras without the huge price jump. It is silver with black leather interior and is so nice. I'll include a picture soon.