Well, I'm still at work and will be going home in an hour or so. I've had lots of Braxton Hicks tonight as well... I recorded 12 in one hour and 11 in the next hour, then stopped keeping track so I could take a nap. Woke up with them a few times. At least they're not painful, just uncomfortable. I do have a bit of a backache now which hasn't been a problem before, (except for my lower left hip pain) and anyways this backache is a kind of all over thing. I'll go home and try to sleep until at least 1 or 2pm... Noel works today, so we'll see if I have to call him later. If my contractions are still hanging on when I get up, I'll call mom and hang out with her today. How exciting! Even if labor doesn't start, I have the satisfaction of knowing that they are getting my body ready for labor.

So I've had lots of Braxton Hicks lately... last Friday we almost went to the hospital because they were 3 to 5 minutes apart, but never stayed consistent. Eventually they went away. Then last night at work, I had on average 12 an hour, which I kept track of, but again, not consistent. I went to an appointment today where he checked me and I'm dilated almost a finger width and effaced to about a 1/2 inch. So all these contractions are doing some good! It's nice that they aren't too painful... just uncomfortable at this point. I'm on night shift now, so since it's nice and slow I'll have plenty of time to record contractions again tonight! Anyway, just wanted to give everyone a heads up. My due date is the 2nd of October, and the doc says he'll give me until the 11th or 12th and if no baby by then, he'll induce. I'm praying not to get induced... I want to do this all on my own. Okay, later everyone! Thanks for the support!

So I'm bigger now... having gained 15 pounds throughout the pregnancy. I've got an aching groin and hips, and a lovely waddle, but other than that not doing too bad. The last week or so I've been REALLY tired. Just mentally and physically wiped out. The physical therapy probably isn't helping that, but it's helping my pain (which really isn't a problem at all anymore) and soon I'll be done with the PT. McKenna isn't moving as much anymore since it's getting cramped in there. The one thing I can really feel is a little heel or knee poking me on the right mid part of my belly occasionally. We had the last ultrasound last week and she's head down facing to the right side of me, so hopefully she'll turn the right way when I go into labor. I want to avoid a posterior presentation (face up) and back pain. I've got a therapy ball that I've been using for exercises and have been taking it to work to sit on. It's gotten a few comments and raised eyebrows, but most everyone thinks it's neat! It certainly is comfy, anyway. I go back and forth between it and a regular chair.

So mom and dad are up in the area now, and have been hanging out at the house; dad doing internet and mom making some curtains for the babys room. We're also going to learn to sew some baby/kid clothes and we've been doing some beading too. Pretty cool. For my birthday on the 22nd Noel and I got full body massages, which was AWESOME and then went to dinner at a Basque restaurant (that culture is located in northern Spain/southern France) and the food was just exquisite. Dad and I had Lingostinos, which is are tiny lobster tails, mixed with pimento, garlic, and mushrooms... and somekind of whitish sauce. Mom and Noel had filet medallions with a bernaise sauce. They also brought out tons of other stuff, we had bread, salad, and two side dishes that just appeared, one being a few long sweet green peppers that were flash fried and sprinkled with salt. They were very good. Lot's of garlic in the food though, so beware is you ever decide to try it. The hostess said they had a good track record for their food causing full-term pregnant women to go into labor because of the spices. She really wasn't joking, either! So it's been fun. It'll be even better when I can see my daughters face here soon... I can't wait! :D

Okay, well I'm starting to offically feel pretty tired and achey. This last month I've had a ache in my groin that's really not TOO terrible yet but it still a bit irritating. My Physical Therapist gave me exercises to do with Noel that will help that, but they don't help. I've got my therapy ball that I bounce on and do some exercises on, but that's more or less for my sacroiliac joint dysfunction which I've picked up from carrying this load! haha... but actually the pain from that is pretty much gone except when I lay flat on my back on a hard surface. But other than that, everythings pretty rosy. I did start getting some brief sharp vertical pains running through my belly button but they were very short, and I'm thinking it might just be due to all this stretching that my belly is being subjected to! Luckily, no stretch marks though! And no hemrrhoids, swelling ankles, or back aches! Plus not a lot of weight gain, so I'm hoping to lose it pretty quickly once McKenna is born. I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks lately, but not enough to send me to the hospital. The last couple of days I've had roughly 4 an hour. And they are getting stronger. Some say that means I'll have an easy labor. Hmm, if that is so, then I'll be pretty happy! Okay, well I'm starting to repeat myself, so I'll move on.

Noel finally got the hutch part of his computer into the computer room. He had to do it via an outside window, and we now have a broken pane which will need fixing, but that shouldn't be too expensive. We also have a lot of empty boxes cleared out of the living room, so we can actually walk in that room now!

Well, I've got an ultrasound coming up this next thursday so I'm hoping to get some pics of that to send out to people... I'm realizing that many can't access my photos for some reason in their email accounts, so I'll try attaching here on my blog. Later!

Hello all! So what's new? Well, I'm just getting over a severe head cold. Didn't get much sleep the last couple days due to 1) a sore throat and 2) a drippy nose. I finally gave in and called the doc (due to Noel telling me in a not so nice way I was being stubborn!) Actually, it was kind of cute... but I hate bothering people for such a little thing. Anyway, I was told to take regular Sudafed and to come into the hospital if I spiked a fever. No fever... but today I'm feeling better... still congested and starting to cough, though. I hope it doesn't go to my chest because I have missed already half a week of work plus my friend Patty is planning a get-together on Saturday that I REALLY don't want to miss. I also wouldn't want to get her kids sick, so I'm crossing my fingers.

So babywise, nothing new. I'm in my 9th month... had a couple of infections that the doc cleared up for me, and I've noticed something else weird. I've never had a problem with drooling in my sleep, but this last month, I've been doing a lot of it in my sleep... it's pretty disgusting and I'm hoping it doesn't continue after the baby is born. I think I read somewhere that pregnant women produce more saliva, so that might be it.

Okay, other, more interesting, things... hmmm... oh, I've gained 13 pounds in this pregnancy. I talked to the nurse and asked if that wasn't a bit low and she said, "no, because you've still got a month to go and will put on a few more" So I'm eating as well as I can, (excluding the maple sugar that I picked up at Cracker Barrel)!! and hopefully, our daughter will want to pay us a visit here soon. But not until mom and dad get back into the state... Mom said she'd be back to Idaho by my birthday which is the 22nd, and last I knew they were in the Dakotas (that was last Tuesday) Noel and I have also got the nursery pretty much ready to go. The bassinett will go in our room, and we've got a crib, dresser/chaning table, rocking chair with ottoman, and all other other little things so necessary to raising a baby.

So that's the long-winded version. Sorry for the bad punctuation, but I've got a Physical therapy appointment to get to and then on to work for a couple hours... mainly I need to get my time in so I can get paid next week!

Well, two nights ago I was sitting on our sofa reading, and after about 15 minutes realized that I'd had quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions, so I started timing them. From start to start they were about 3 to 5 minutes apart lasting 45 to 60 seconds each. The doc had said to come in if I got more than 6 an hour for two hours, so when Noel got home (one hour later - and appx 25 contractions later) we went out for dinner, where I told him (after we ordered) that I was having contractions and we decided to just go to the hospital after we ate. (I knew if I was going into pre-term labor that I'd better get something on my stomach since I knew they wouldn't feed me at the hospital) So anyway, we got there and they hooked my up to the external fetal moniter and Noel and I watched my contractions. We noticed that they subsided considerably once we got to the hospital. I hope that's not a prelude of things to come! I mean, I hear so much about women that go into labor and get to the hospital and their contractions just peter out and then they go home and they start back up again. Anyway, they did give me a shot of terbutaline to stop the contractions I was still having (they did do an internal and found I wasn't dilated at all) which caused the shakes to come on. Wow, not something I'd like to have again. Anyway, we were there for 2 hours and then they let us go, so luckily no cause for concern. Well, that's the latest...

Well, Noel brought a flashlight to bed last night... trying to see the baby. When I asked if he could see anything, he said "no, just some big veins" It was interesting, anyway!

I chatted with my doctor about my birth plan... like no episiotomy. He basically told me if he thought I needed one, he'd give me one. I'm hoping to avoid it. I'd rather tear... from everything I've gotten my hands on, the healing time is quicker. And there ARE ways to avoid an episiotomy, although if you listened to my doctor you wouldn't think so. Hmph, well anyway. Other stuff on my birth plan I think will go okay. I don't want a C-section, but I've read up on them to get prepared, just in case. I'm hoping to go with no pain meds, and when I mentioned my birth plan to the nurse, she said it will probably end up (most if not all of it) going out the window when the time comes... her attitude was a little discouraging. Maybe I'll use a nurse midwife at a birthing center for the next baby. It's a little late now to switch, probably. That's it for now.

It seems I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions and didn't know it! I just thought it was the baby pushing her butt up hard into me, but I've recently discovered that that's just not it. It's a tightening all over my belly and my whole uterus gets really hard. I've been marking down the times each one comes and as of last count, (since 7am this morning - it's 2:40 right now) I've had 20 of them. They come sometimes as much as an hour apart and as close as 10 minutes together. It seems like a lot, but I think I read somewhere that you shouldn't be concerned unless you have more than 4 an hour. So far I've had 4 an hour at some points, but no more than that. They don't hurt at all, just make me feel a little uncomfortable. And they are all really irregular in length and time between contractions.

Anyway, on another note, I'm doing some physical therapy for my back/hip pains and have exercises to do. Noel helps with some of them. I've got another appointment PT next Monday and another baby appointment Tuesday. I think they'll do the Group B Strep test then, but I'm not sure... I know we've got another ultrasound appointment coming up, too. I've been thinking that I'm going to want as natural a birth as possible... it seems like if your water breaks and you don't start labor in 12 hours, then the docs want to induce because of risk of infection. So you get put on pitocin, which causes HARD, PAINFUL, FREQUENT contractions that most women can't handle, so then you get put on an epidural which tends to slow down labor, and then if you haven't delivered in 24 hours, it's C-section time. Ugh, I'm going to try like heck to go w/out any inductions. (At least not Pitocin - I've also heard it causes a delay with your milk coming in) I'll take prostoglandins if I qualify! I've written up a birth plan that I'm going to give to the nurses and doctor. It's all worded very nicely.
Okay, that's it for now...

Well, we had our childbirth education class this past Saturday. We did an all-day class, so it was long, but we brought snacks, blankets and pillows and got a bit of a lunch break.
The class was given in a birthing center, not a hospital, and we took a quick tour. The place was small, but decorated like a home. It had 5 birthing rooms that were done up like fancy hotel rooms, with one having a LARGE old-fashioned claw foot tub for hydrotherapy and giving birth in water. All the others also had large tubs with jets and plenty of room for visiting friends and family. They were nice, but the rooms over at the hospital where I'll give birth were nice, too. They were larger and were similar to a large hotel room with pictures on the wall, and nice cabinets and comfy chairs and one room had a cot for someone to sleep or nap on. Most of the rooms have jacuzzi tubs, but some just have showers... we have to remember to request a room with a jacuzzi tub upon admittance. I guess it's not first come first serve, but first "ask". hehe

So, back to the class... there were videos... one of 3 different birth scenarios. One with no pain med's, one with a narcotic given, and one with an epidural. They also had differing coaching methods. One couple had a doula, for instance. Which for those who don't know is like a trained birthing partner that helps you through the whole process. We saw a video on breastfeeding that was pretty good since I will go that route, if all works well. There was some lecture time and we practiced wrapping a baby snugly in a blanket as well as saw how to diaper a baby. We were taught a couple of different labor positions, which is why we brought our blankies and pillows, and were taught some breathing techniques... the guys got to learn how to count with us through a contraction when we get to the pushing phase and how to bring us out of a possible panic scenario if our contractions suddenly start to double. Noel did really well... we both did, I think, and we've got some exercises to practice, so I think we'll be a good team for when the time comes.

We also went through some massages and different ways for the coaches to hold us to relieve some tension. It was pretty informative all in all... I just wish there was a little more spent on the breathing technicques... we didn't go over panting or Lamaze or the Bradley method, just taking deep breathes to get through contractions, and using some visual imagery as a focal point during the active phase of labor.
I've decided I'm going to try to go natural the whole way. I understand that the pushing phase can be longer with an epidural, plus you have to be catheterized (yuck, don't want to go there) although that's probably going to be a minor deal when compared with the relief I'd get. If I do an epidural, I'd probably try to time it so that it would wear off right as I'm about the start pushing so I could feel everything and have a shorter pushing time. But who knows what will happen when the time comes...

I've drawn up a birth plan for what my ideal labor and delivery scenario would entail. Noel and I are flexible, and we understand that not everything will happen as we want, but I've been informed that it's a nice way to let everyone know beforehand some of the things that are important to you. For instance, I don't want an episiotomoy unless there's a chance of extensive tearing... I want to delay the use of an IV for as long as possible. I want Noel to be able to cut the cord... I want to be able to hold the baby after birth unless there's complications, and I want to go natural and not have pain med's pushed on me unless I ask for them or I'm just getting totally exhausted. That's the bare bones of it. Oh, and since I want to breastfeed, I don't want bottles or pacifiers give to the baby.

I worded it in a really nice way so it wouldn't come off sounding like a list of demands, because of course I don't want any disgruntled nurses thinking I'm telling them how to do their job. They are they for my safety and health and if for some reason most of my requests can't be met, then that's fine as long as everyone comes out safe and sound.

Well, time to adios. Gotta get to work.

Seems I'm writing less and less as time goes by, but recently there hasn't been too much new going on. I'm getting bigger... I've gained 12 pounds and the doc seems to think that's right on. I'm two months away from my delivery date and I'm 31 weeks now. It seems as though my belly has gotten a bit more translucent. There's a darkish circle that I can see around my belly button, too. I've also got the start of that line that travels vertically through the belly button.

Recently (as of 3 days ago) I started having extreme pain in my left lower back and hip area... I would step down on my left foot and that would trigger the pain. It was so bad Noel had to carry me to the car as we were coming out of a movie. I had to use a wheelchair when we wanted to go through Home Depot and afterwards I decided to rent a pair of crutches, because what happens if he's not around and I'm stranded in the middle of a parking lot because this nerve seizes up? Anyway, I mentioned it to the doc and they advised physical therapy. The nurse thinks it's the Sciatic nerve. I've heard about that nerve, too... but usually in the context of actually labor, where the baby is pressing on it and it's so painful that it distracts from the need to push. Usually, right away in the morning I'm fine, but after I've been walking a bit, it will get irritated and start hurting. So, I've got my crutches and I'm looking at 10 weeks of physical therpy - less if the therapy takes care of it.

So, the new house is still a mess... we're still unpacking and we got a new bed, so the old mattress and box springs are in the babies room... preventing me from doing anything further decorating wise. I'll be glad when that stuff it out of there. We've got a stove and dishwasher to sell, since we've upgraded, so I need to put that stuff in the newspaper classifieds.

Well, that's it for now. I'll try to post a bit more frequently... we've got a childbirth education class coming up this Saturday, so I'll try to remember to post and let everyone know how it went.

More hiccups as I write... they get a bit stronger every time. She's really moving a lot now, and seems to press up hard at times. It might be a head or maybe her back and butt, not sure. I had to gently move her back down the other day cause she was just killing me! Nothing that's caused shortness of breath yet, though... so that's good.

Noel and I are into our new house and are still unpacking. I took it upon myself to paint the nursery. I've always wanted a yellow room, and since Noel wouldn't let me do the master bedroom in that color, then the nursery is the room that got chosen. It's a pretty pale yellow, too... I'll get some lacy white curtains to go with it hopefully.
Speaking of curtains, we've ordered blinds for some of our windows and they will look really nice! We chose the valencia kind for the family room... they're like a typical vertical or horizontal slat style blind, except they've got a white mesh like material in front and back and the actual slat is fabric, not plastic. We did some cellular blinds for the other windows... should look good. They'll be here in about 2 weeks.

Noel and I have gotten some dates for the childbirth education classes and will be attending those in either August or early September. I'll let everyone know how those go. They should be fun... and educational, of course!
Well, gotta go. That's about it for now!

Hiccups! For the first time, I'm feeling them this morning. They're not as annoying as some people say they are... pretty cool, in fact. You know I made the mistake of looking at our credit card statement earlier this morning and got pretty depressed. We won't go into debt or anything, but I was still worried... and now feeling the hiccups, my mood has turned right around. Yay! I'm happy.

So it's the day after the 4th. I was up watching fireworks at our neighbors place, and didn't get to sleep till 12:30am, then up for work at 4:30am, so I'm tired but it's worth it. It was the first 4th that Noel and I got to celebrate together in 4 years. So pretty cool.
We're in the house and it's very nice. I've been trying to take it easy, but the day of the move was killer on my feet. Once the bed and sofa were gone, there wasn't much to sit on except the kitchen table chairs, and they were taken out from under me at one point by the movers. Ah well... so much for a break. But Noel had his friend Sky help out and mom was over towards the afternoon to help out, too, so that was wonderful. We're now unpacking and mom again helped out and stayed over a night in the new place to help me get the basics (kitchen) set up.
We planned to put some of our own money into the down payment, but the papers were drawn up without it included, so we decided to use that money that we had set aside to put into home improvements... new stove (flat-top), new dishwasher (the one in the home just didn't get stuff clean, period) and of course we need blinds for all of the rooms. We're going with some of the cellular kinds that Noel likes, even though they're a bit more expensive. We also need a new mattress, but that's one of our "needs". It seems like we've spent a lot, and I'm worried that we're eating into the reserve that we've built up for the baby, but I think we'll be fine. I've got a few more paychecks that we're putting right into savings, so we'll be okay.
Baby-wise, I'm getting bigger. I apologize to those who had requested pics and haven't gotten them yet. I can't find the ultrasound pics, (I'm hoping Noel still has them on his computer) but if not hopefully someone can email them back to me if you still have them saved. I'm also trying to get pictures of my advancing pregnancy to send out, but with the move it's been hectic, plus I'm not sure where the camera is! Too bad I can't post pics here...

Well, our little girl has become quite regularly active. So active that I'm sometimes only aware of her when I haven't felt her move in awhile. Then of course the worries set in, but she always starts kicking again. I'll be starting to get the nursery up and going here soon. I'll have Noel get the heavy stuff up there and then I've got my friend Patty coming over on Wednesday to help me unpack, so we might tackle that room. It will be nice to see the crib set up and the walls painted.

I'll write more later...

Well, we're signing on the dotted line on the 30th... it's coming up quick. I managed to get that day off from work, so at least I can help move! It should be interesting...we've got lots of stuff already packed and we have movers coming to help with the large stuff. The only thing I'm worried about is sleep deprivation during this whole thing. I'm on nights this weekend and have to be bright-eyed and awake by 8am wednesday because that's when we sign. Then we move the whole day. I work the next day (night shift) but at least by that time I'll have a bed set up in the new house to take a nap in. The baby is growing more and more each day, it seems like. She already seems to have her nap times figured out. Like right now she's really quiet. Haven't felt a kick in awhile. My belly button is finally sticking out now, and I've got that faint vertical line that runs down the middle of my tummy starting to show. My abdominal muscles look strange now when I use them... popping out in a ridge-like way. Freaked me out the first time, because I was half leaning back in the sofa and was lifting my upper body to get up. The muscles just kind of popped up in this weird way... at first I thought it was the baby, but my mother reassured me. Anyway, she's really active and I can feel her head usually, especially when she's moving a lot. I was pressing in on my lower tummy the other day (not hard, don't worry) and I felt something move inside. I realized that I had shifted something. At first, when I didn't feel her move for awhile I was having these dread thoughts that I had broken her neck or some other horrific thing like that, but when she started moving with gusto, I quickly put those thoughts aside. So, I've made some "discoveries" along the way, and it's all cool. My pregnancy is going so well, I'm just hoping to get through this next weekend and get moved in quickly.

Okay, it's been awhile since I've written. But Noel and I have found a new house and are closing the same day as we close on our current home which will be the 30th of June. Both ourselves and the new owner will be moving out/in the same day. It's going to be a bit strange. He's got to be out of his apartment since his lease is up and we can't move in any earlier since we have to wait till the close date. (We bought a new home) So it'll be interesting.

Regarding the baby, all I can say is she's growing. I now weigh 134, so I've gained about 12 pounds from where I started out. She's moving a lot now, and I'm feeling more rolls and swishes rather than just kicks. I can tell when she's literally turning around. It's really neat. If Noel's around I have him feel, too. He's pretty into it.
We had a doc appt last Monday and he said everything is going well. They measured my belly this time, (can't remember the actual measurement) and the next time I go in I'll do the glucose test. That should be fun :{ I've heard that it's pretty nasty. Well, that's it for now. I'll chat again when I have time. Most of it will be taken up getting things boxed up for the move, though.

Well it's time for an update. I've just entered my 23rd week, which is officially (according to the books) the beginning of the 6th month. I'm feeling and looking bigger every day and Noel and I need to get another pic of me and and my ever-burgeoning belly! haha I'll be needing to get some more maternity clothes, because the jeans I bought are getting a wee bit tight and my skirts are starting to wear thin!

On another note, we've sold our house! We were offered $1000. less than what we wanted, which was 105,900. so we decided to take it. The only thing is we have to be in new quarters by the 1st of next month, so that means we need to find a house fast if we have any hope of avoiding having to go into an apartment temporarily. I think we can do it though. Tonight Noel and I are going out with our realtor after work to see some houses and we both have off next week Monday and Tuesday so we can look at more houses then, as well. Mom and Dad are up in the area and mom and I have been doing some quilting. I was mainly doing the top stitching on some charity quilts she's making. She's also been helping me box up some books, movies, and pictures and stuff on our mantle and entertainment center. So we've made a little bit of progress. I really want to get the majority of the stuff moved before I get too much bigger, or I fear I'll be no help at all! But we're planning on getting movers, so everything should work out all right!

Our little girl is very active. I haven't experienced the infamous hiccups yet, but I fully expect to! This morning I laid with my belly to Noel's back and we just both felt her kick for awhile. She's all over the place, too! My uterus is up even with my belly button now, and it's funny trying to guess which are knees, feet or elbows. Pretty cool! Well, that's all for now. I'll try to keep up with this blog best I can, though it might be a bit more hit and miss while we're finding a new house!

Yes, I haven't written in a while... but there's really not a whole lot different going on baby-wise. There's lots of movement now, and it's nice feeling her presence all the time. We've come up with the name McKenna, which was actually suggested by a co-worker of Noels... and lo and behold we actually both like the name! We've got it on our hot list of names (which is woefully tiny) but hey, we're getting there. We've decided if we name her that it will be McKenna Marie Noel, which I think is beautiful and ties in another family name, since Marie is used quite a bit on Noel's side. I told him the next kid will have to have some HUNT/HYNICK/SMITH in it! haha

Well, other than baby stuff, the house hunting is going well... We've seen lots of places that we really like but they always come short some way... either price or space or location. Right now we're looking at Corey Barton Homes... we like the Montico or the Tatom floorplans. They are both two-story so there would be extra backyard space, plus both homes are in either 1900 some or 2000 some square feet. One other bonus is that the washer/dryer are UPSTAIRS where all of the bedrooms are! And the space in the utility room is great for folding clothes... and the master bedrooms are large with really big walk in closets. But, we do have a great realtor who is keeping her eye out for other houses that we might like. We've decided if we go for Corey Barton, we're willing to pay more for the nicer subdivision. It's a lot closer to groceries, freeway, etc... the other subdivision is miles from the freeway and Noel's carpool buddy, and he really wants to be closer to amenities... and I just have this feeling that the area is going to explode in a really nice way. The subdivision has the nicer homes that he buids, too... which we like. If you go to www.coreybartonhomes.com and click on "floorplans" you can see the Montico and the Tatom. We also saw the Valencia, which has a master bedroom the size of our garage times two! It was huge, but at $158,000. it was out of our price range. So we'll see what happens. One thing I'd like is to put a fireplace in the wall between the living/family rooms, so you can see it from both sides. I think that would be really cool and they do that in some of their other models.

Okay, in regards to our own home, we've listed at 107,900. and have had one family see it so far (it's only been a week and a half) and the realtor that showed it said the only thing they didn't like was that the backyard wasn't big enough. Which, unfortunately we can't do anything about. And I'm still in the process of moving fish tanks. All of the them are empty except the large 80 gallon in the guest bedroom, which isn't in anyones way. I'll be able to move the entertainment center out from in front of the fireplace once I get some of the empty tanks moved. Man, I'll have to cut back on fish once baby is born.

Okay, well that's it for now.

Hi all,

It's been a few days, but man have things been happening! Okay, so everyone knows I'm having a girl! And now when I watch my belly when she's kicking I can see my tummy move. I'm not seeing any hand or foot imprints, though.
Noel and I have listed our house with a realtor and plan to buy a bigger home. We've looked at everything from old to new. There's a lot of nice stuff out there and even though we qualified for more, we felt comfortable at $140,000. So that's what we were approved for, and there's some pretty nice stuff out there. I really want a living room AND family room, as well as a nice large master bath and walk-in closet. Noel wants storage (we might bring our Stor-mor shed with us) and a work shop. We've been looking at the possiblity of getting a 3-car garage and turning one bay into a shop, or else trying to find a home with a basement, but those are pretty scarce around here. We found one home (haven't looked at it yet) that's 21-30 years old and has 5 bedrooms, a living and family room and a basement. Noel really would like it, I think. And it's been updated on the outside and is beautiful! Someone put a lot of work into the landscaping. Only thing is the neighborhood is older and a bit borderline on "nice" and "starting to fall apart". I'm worried about resale value. Anyway, the other thing is the kitchen is a bit small. Anyway, we've seen a few so far and have a personalized website we go to and it emails us recently listed homes that fit our criteria. It was provided by National City Mortgage. I'll keep everyone updated on the house hunt. I really want to be in a home before I get too big, and if we do a new house with our own personalizations, we'll have to start soon. A builder we talked to said they could get us into a house by August... so we'd have to decide quickly.
Anyway, besides that, we're good! We're doing really well on saving up for the baby and should have a nice chunck left over to go towards down payment in addtion to what we get back out of our current house. We've listed at 107,900 and hope to get 105,900. That would be ideal, anyway. Other than that, we're pretty happy. Now that we'll have people coming to look at the house, I'll have to get it cleaned. Hmm... maybe I should have waited a bit on listing... Haha We at least need to get the entertainment center moved to somewhere besides right in front of the fireplace!
Okay, time to get back to work.

All right boy and girls... guess what??? It's a GIRL!! I've had fun thinking about her as a girl now. Noel and I have already thought of all the stuff she'll put us through... like periods, training bras, paying for a wedding... but then I think of the great relationship I have with my mom and I hope that I'll have the same with my daughter. It'll be awesome...
So, we got some pictures and I've already emailed a whole bunch of people... if you didn't get one, see my previous post and give me a holler. The pic showing that it's a girl isn't all that clear, but the doc DID show us one earlier that clealy shows the lines of the labia and everything else. And if that baby is wiggling that much now and I'm not feeling it, I can't imagine what it'll be like when she's moving constantly and I'm feeling it more. She's already given me some really tough kicks directly to my cervix and that really doesn't feel as good as the other ones! So, that's it basically. Noel and I are really excited... we've been calling family all day and now we can buy pink!! Noel's not too crazy about that, but guess what?? TOO BAD! haha :)
See you cookies later!

So we're back from the doctor and we know the sex of the baby. However, I can't tell you yet. And the reason why is because I need to tell my parents over the phone and I had to leave a message. So, I'm waiting for a call back and once I get that call I'll let you all know the sex.
So, what I can tell you is that the doctor kept saying the baby looks to be in excellent health. He examined everything. The spine looks nice and strong as well as the heart, and the brain and all of its lobes looks great. There's no sign of Downs or Spina Bifida, so we're very happy with that. It was incredible watching it, and the little bugger wouldn't stay still. The doc would hold still and you'd see baby doing the jig on the screen. Quite funny indeed and VERY exciting!! He/she weighs 10 ounces according to the doctor. Noel forgot to bring the camcorder with him so we don't have video, but we do have 3 photos, one of the head (with the child looking very alien-like), one of the head and spine, and one of the butt and legs (looking up from underneath) so you can see the sex. Okay, we're going to scan in the pictures, so if anyone wants pics please email me. I've forgotten exactly who I've sent out my blog link to, so I don't want to offend anyone by forgetting. You can send pic requests to the email address of Sakmet@wowmail.com (not my main email, so don't send ordinary messages there). Okay, well that's it for now! We'll be trying to come up with names now, so don't worry... we will get him/her a good one! :)

Good thing I got up early this morning! Turns out the ultrasound is scheduled today and a regular check up tomorrow?!! Sounds a bit strange, so I'll have to inquire when I get there. Well it's about 8:40am now and the appointment is at 9:30am... I've already ingested the 32 ounces of water they required. We'll see how my bladder's doing at game time. Some people I've talked to say, 'Oh, it's horrible', others say 'it's not so bad'... maybe it just depends on the size bladder you have and if you REALLY drank all 32 ounces... I've got to say I came a little short of the goal. I was feeling like I was going to puke and I really did not want to have to do it all over again. Noel's gotten the camcorder out to bring along because they don't have the option to record the ultrasound, just take pictures. He's been the proud papa to be of late. Okay, well that's it for now. I'll wait out the rest of this time and when we're done, I'll make sure to update if we find out wether the little one has the jewels or not! :)

Well, yesterday my friend Patty and I went shopping. She had a day off so we took advantage and hit some thrift shops, and can I just say what deals you can find? I found an old Readers Digest Piano book (music from like the 40's through the 70's) I think. I have a few others in the series, I guess you could say. Also I picked up a few shirts that I found that looked very nice! Everything was less than $9. And all of the baby clothes there! We went through some looking for stuff for Patty's boy Joey, and there were some really nice things there. We hit the Mongolian BBQ and a movie. Saw Big Fish. I thought it was a fun movie, if a little strange.

Anyway, on to baby stuff. Ever since feeling the baby kick, it seems like I'm feeling it all the time. I've gone through my wardrobe and have pulled out stuff that I haven't worn in a while that still fits (mainly dresses). I also have a nice one that I picked up in Quartzsite, Arizona when Noel and I went out for a day to visit his dad.

This last week I've had a couple of dizzy spells. One while I was coming off of the highway (don't worry, I didn't crash!) and the other while Patty and I were in a craft store yesterday. I had to sit down for awhile. No fainting yet, though. Other than that, everythings pretty A-okay. I'm a little sore in some areas that I'll have to ask the doc about, but that just might be from added pressure of the baby and possibly the widening of hips? But, the next appointment is this coming Tuesday so we'll do the ultrasound and I'll ask the doc about continuing to work nights...we'll see what he says. Noel and I are doing pretty well on saving up some money... mainly most of my paycheck every couple of weeks. That'll help us out greatly once we go to one paycheck. I'm thinking of trying to stay on and work part-time for awhile after the baby is born if I can get a fixed shift, but I'm still looking at that. Nothing definite yet.

Well, that's it for now.

All right, it's time for an update! Sorry I've been so long in getting it here! Okay, well the trip to Arizona went quite fantastically. My wonderful friends Carrie, Tish and Ashley put on a great baby shower for me and for that, THANK YOU! It was unforgettable... especially that "diaper cake" that Carrie made, hehe... Oh, and the fact that I came in first out of EVERYONE there in putting a diaper and a "onesie" on a baby doll!! Wow, that really boosted my self-confidence (as well as my ego) hehe,... okay, more seriously, really the shower was fantastic. Happily, I was starting to show and everyone got a chance to check out my little poof. As well as lay hands on, I might add! We did a few fun games which included a cup of ice with a little plastic baby inside the ice... whoever's baby floated free first was supposed to win, but since a couple were floating free almost immediately, we decided that whoever's ice melted first would win. Jacque Bogue won that round, I believe! Also, Carrie passed around all of these little jars of baby food with the labels taken off. Whoever guessed most of them correctly would win a prize. Tish won that one, (no suprise there, honey!) She's the one with the kid closest to having just been on baby food. Althougth Logan is quite happily chomping on adult food now! The last game we played was with the "diaper cake" Carrie picked it up and showed it to everyone in the room (a few of us had studied it quite closely already) and then took it out and had us guess what was on the "cake". Whoever guessed the most, won. And believe it or not, my very own numero uno mommy won it! Congrats, mom! The cake was made up of infant diapers rolled up and tied individually and then stacked into tiers. She then tied it all up with pretty cord and ribbon and had little charms on it such as a bottle, horse, pacifier... also little things like a spoon, nail clippers and nail file were placed down into the middle of the little diapers, there was also a teething ring on it and a couple of cute stuffed animals on the very top. It was adorable!

Oh, by the way, those of us that won got these beautiful mugs with various teas, candy, and a pen/cute writing pad inside. Allright, other than that, there was a lot of reminiscing (did I spell that right?) and chatting and just down to earth fun! I received lots of wonderful gifts which I still have yet to send out thank you's... (mom, I might need help with some addresses)

Okay, other than that the trip was a success... my dad took the time to get the pool cleaned and I really meant to take a swim (pool temp was 70 degrees) but I never got the chance. I'm actually having dreams about that pool now and dad cleaning it and me swimming in it, so maybe I should have taken a dip. Ah well... My mother and Tish and I did a lot of fun shopping at Babies R Us and one of the gifts I recv'd was a crib from mom. I won't go into all of the gifts because there's too many to name, but the crib is important you see, because it actually was complicated enough that my husband had to READ THE DIRECTIONS to put it together! Of course, your's truly probably could have handled it stone cold, but we won't go there. :P That's not the point, anyway. Mom got pictures of him gazing at the instructions!!!! They will go in our soon to be hall of fame. Okay, now that I've shared that... if my husband did a blog he could probably tell you all about the lovely time he had going to Prescott for lunch and to do some shooting with my brother and father during the baby shower, but since he doesn't, I guess he won't.

New news regarding baby! In church with my parents that weekend, I felt the baby move (for sure) for the first time! I told Noel right away and after the service we "spread the word" no pun? intended?
Anyway, I was really excited, and later when we were in the airport ready to hop on our plane, I felt two much more decisive kicks and told Noel who had to feel for himself. I felt another kick and he said he felt it too! I totally believe that because later at home with my own hands I felt the little kicks, too! Imagine feeling kicks for the first time at 16 weeks! Most say it wouldn't happen until 20 and that dad wouldn't be able to feel anything until much later! And since then, I've been feeling softer little bumps and kicks now that I know what I'm feeling for. Baby is definitely making his/her presence known!

Well, I'll soon run out of energy if I keep this up. Love you all!! I'll write more soon!
Sarita

Hello, how are you today? I'm fine as well, thank you. OH, I see you're looking at me strangely. My apologies, how rude of me... Let me introduce you to my ZIT! It IS a little bit hard to miss since it's RIGHT ON THE END OF MY NOSE!!! Now that you're acquainted, lets get down to baby business... hmm... I guess I don't have much to say today. I'm starting to show a little bit. (I think) It might be baby; then again, it might be my last meal. Gosh, how frustrating! Okay, two more days and I'm in Arizona. For those of you coming to the shower, please try not to stare if I haven't gotten rid of this explosion on my nose by then. For someone who's never had acne problems before, I'm a bit disturbed. I go from zero to bullseye in one day. Well, have no fear, Clearasil is here! That's what's been recommended to me by the thoughtful people I work with, anyway. Okay, enough for now... gotta go have a sit-down with my little friend here!

Well, I had an appointment today to test for spina bifida and Downs...the doc says the results will be back in about a week. I've scheduled an ultrasound for the 11th of May, and that will be the first time we see the baby. Pretty cool stuff!

Noel and I did some budgeting and figured out that we could afford for me to stay at home on his income. One thing we didn't figure though, was putting me onto his insurance. But it looks like it'll still work. I'm thinking of taking a year off after the babies born. I might be able to get some sort of extended leave w/out pay, but I'll have to chat w/my benefits people. I've been running different "work at home" scenarios through my head, as well, so that I could bring in a little extra to help out Noel. Anyone have any good suggestions? I've thought about teaching piano to beginners, but I'll have to do some research and brush up on theory.

Well, that's all for tonight. My tummy is all twisted up and I'm just watching the clock waiting to 10pm to come so I can go home and go to bed.
Later!

It's been a couple of days, but not much new news. I did go out to Target with Noel and used a gift card from mom and dad to get some maternity jeans. I was looking for the kind my friend Tish had, but they were sold out. So I ended up with 3 pairs of the kind that have stretchy elastic in the back. Two size 8's and a size 10 for when I start getting a little bigger. They're not bad, really. I might keep on wearing them after the baby is born and I loose my pregnancy weight. The only thing weird though, is they button and zip on the wrong side. Like guys jeans. I'm not sure what's up with that, but I AM sure I was in the right department!

Oo, on another note, I read a bood called "The Red Hat Club" by Haywood Smith and I think I've found a new favorite author. Mom, you would really like it. It was for our bookclub, and I think it's one of the best books I've read in awhile... it'll be interesting to see what the others in the group thought. The book starts out with the poem, "Warning" I can't remember the author, but probably most of you know it... the one that starts, "When I am old I shall wear purple, with a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me"
Anyway, kudos to Talisha for recommending it in the first place...

Other than that, not much going on. I've got an appointment set up for this coming wednesday with the doc to do that blood test, so we'll see what comes of that. I'll keep everyone posted.

Oh! I've been offered the services of a mid-wife if I want to have the baby at home. One of Noel's paint ball buddies (his wife) is the mid-wife and the offer came from her evidently. It's tempting in a way, but I've decided that if theres any complications, I'm better off in a hospital. So what's a few thousand in hospital bills, right? Haha

Goodmorning! It's a cloudy, rainy day up here in Nampa and can I just say that I LOVE weather like this? There was thunder and lightening last night and I just stood watching it out my back door for a good 20 minutes. Idaho gets some pretty cool lightening. Most of it was streaking across the sky and not touching down.

So, to get to the point! I've never been much of a person for thinking about or writing down my dreams, but now that I'm pregnant, (and since this web log is dedicated to all things pregnant!) I've been having more weird pregnancy dreams, so I thought I'd share one particularly disturbing one I had last night.

As you all can probably tell from previous posts, I'm a bit obsessed with my husband actually being able to FEEL my pregnancy. Well, last night I was laying in bed (and this might have been part of the dream, I don't remember) feeling my lower abdomen and thinking, "wow, I can definitely feel it, I'll have to tell Noel when he wakes up! So where I'm sure the dream starts is when I start pressing it from all sides, and when I press from the bottom, it starts to move away from my fingertips and roll up under my skin towards my chest! About the size of a small canteloupe, I start rolling it until it lays just between my breasts, and finally my shock wears off slightly and I push it back down to where it belongs! At that point, I can't help testing it, and sure enough it starts rolling again and I think to myself, "I must have some pretty stretchy ligaments!" Anyway, the rest of the dream involves me calling my friend Patty, who has two young children, and she comes rushing over with all of her pregnancy books on pregnancy problems and we sit down like two students cramming for mid-terms trying to find out what the heck the problem could be! One theory is that the baby's umbilical cord never formed and he's floating around free in a sac of amniotic fluid! After that the dream gets a bit fuzzy, and we never do find out what the problem was. Needless to say, I was QUITE relieved to wake up and find it all a dream.

Now that that's out of the way, can I tell you I just tried to eat some cornbread with butter and it tasted like urine? I'm sure that got your attention. It certainly got mine! **Sigh**, what else lay in store?

I've discovered rubber bands!! WOO HOO!!! I was having a candid discussion with one of the dispatchers here at work about the "in-between" stage I'm in... walking around in unbuttoned jeans, but not ready for maternity stuff... you know. Anyway, he's says, 'just use rubber bands to hold your jeans up', and I said, "WHAT?" I thought he was kidding! Nope, he hands me the rubberband, and while I'm sitting there still trying to make sense of what he's saying, he puts in on for me! (Don't worry, he's cool and I'm sure he wasn't getting his jollies off or anything!) Just stuck the band through the buttonhole, and then looped it around the button! Pretty cool! It's nice and stretchy keeps the top together pretty well. I felt moved to share.

Good morning!

It's almost 10am and I've been outside already this morning! :D haha Yup, all the way to the convenience store because I was too lazy to go to Fred Meyer. I needed milk, baby! Anyway, came back and admired my daffodils and hyacinth in the front yard. My iris haven't come in yet. If I get up the motivation, I'll turn over the ground in our garden and add some fertilizer. Somehow, I think that will wait until a less breezy and cold day, though.

So I mentioned that we had an event last night. Our friends Patty and Joe invited us. It wasn't BirthRite, as we were all kind of thinking. It was a program called Lifeline, which is a Christian Ministry. It's basically a pregnancy crisis center where women and teen can go to get help regarding abstinance, adoption, supplies (which are donated by volunteers) and counseling regarding abortion. They have a few outreach programs going on right now in our schools regarding abstinance. Basically saying that that's the way to go. I don't know if they also emphasize safe sex where they KNOW kids are already doing it and will continue to do it. I believe they try to concentrate on helping kids make a choice and set up boundaries regarding how they conduct themselves in given situations where sex could happen. It sounds like a really good program. There was a woman speaker, I'd say about in her late 50's, that stood up and gave a testimony about an abortion she had at age 37 and how it affected her life. She moved most of the audience to tears... including yours truly, who tried to be discreet about it! Anyway, the program was excellent. They had some singing and an auction. They had a retired auctioneer come in to do it and his voice got to be a bit hypnotic! They auctioned off a painting done by one of the members of a little girl with a flower. They did a trip for 6 to McCall to stay in one of those mansions on the lake, and last but not least was a beautiful quilt, done in a diamond style. If I knew the pattern, I'd name it, but I don't. The quilting on top was incredible. That went for almost $1000. With all the work put into it the truer cost was much greater, but it was for a good cause. They fed us dinner there... we had turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, and a truly lovely cheesecake that I never finished. (that was about the time the lady was giving her testimonial on her abortion) and coffee, which I'm afraid to say I indulged in, but I can say, on that same note that caffiene-wise, I'm doing very well. Maybe only a cup of tea (or coffee) twice a week.

So, that was a success and on to other things - I managed to hack down the rest of the rosebushes yesterday as well. Noel had started the job but was really being too kind. I hacked those suckers down to waist level or a little lower and called it good. And if our neighbor still has problems, then I guess she'll let us know! :)

As for baby stuff, nothing too much new. I gag when I brush my teeth, which has never happened in my life before, so I partially dread even going there... and to make matters worse, I'm seeing a bit of swelling in my gums, which I'm hoping and praying is not that pregnancy gingivitis they talk about. I've started attacking with my teeth with a new vengence and flossing like theres no tomorrow and if I'm dry-heaving into the sink by the end of it, well then, I'll manage. At least I won't have to worry about how I look when I smile at someone! Other than that, I'm still basically in my same jeans. I can pass my hand over my lower stomach and feel a definite protrusion (and almost see it when I stand sideways) but Noel swears he can't feel anything yet. He blames it on his calluses.
I'm just hoping to have a little something to show off for this baby shower... I know showers are usually done later in the pregnancy, but since I won't be able to come back down until after the baby is born, we decided to do it in April. I hope no-one doesn't mind that I'm not as fat as Santa. I swear we're not making it up! :D

Hola, everyone! Today we had our 4th? baby appointment... I am 13 weeks and 5 days. The doctor said I should start trying to eat more. I haven't gained anything since my last appointment. We decided to go for the test that checks for Spina Bifida and Downs... the doc said it's only around $70. and they believe it's covered by insurance. They just take some blood, so no biggie. That will happen in two weeks. I guess the test checks for neural tube defects. Everyone cross your fingers for us.

Noel and I have been invited to a convention tonight at our local civic center. It's being hosted by a pro-life group, and while I've never delved into the abortion issues, not caring to get hard core for one side or the other, the cause they are supporting is pretty neat. It's a group called Birth Rite, which is an organization made up of families that volunteer to take a pregnant woman into their homes for the duration of the pregnancy and for 3 months beyond the birth. It's extended mainly to women who are in desparate need and have no other place to go. The organization is trying to get word out about it's cause because from what I've been told by a friend of mine, pamphlets used to be handed out at clinics where abortions are done, letting women know of their alternatives - naming Birth Rite as an option. Evidently this isn't done anymore, and the reason is mainly political. As little as I know right now, I'll probably know much more after tonights talk. I'm looking forward to it... I'll have more to share later on this topic.

On another note, I think I mentioned that we've been looking into getting a new home. We've looked online and have driven around to see houses. Nothing has really grabbed us yet, but I think now is as good a time as any to do it if we're going to... we're looking at trying to do something about our landscaping, too for when we try to sell our house.

Speaking of landscaping, last night when we were coming home from looking at a house nearby, our neighbor came strolling over from next door. (I say strolling, but with her elbows and feet stuck way out from her sides, she reminded me of a duck coming over for a little social!--she's very cool.) Anyway, she leads us over to the side of our house where my husband has some roses planted, and tells us in as nice a way as possible that we really need to think of chopping these monstors back. (I trimmed them a week ago, but they're still as tall as me) She explained that they should be trimmed back between waist and knee level unless we want rose bushes as tall as the roof line! I had no clue they would get that tall, and I mentioned that they are already leafing out, but she said something like "while the forsythia blooms, it's okay to prune" Anyone ever hear of that!? Evidently the yellow-blooming bushes around our neighborhood are forsythia. Hmmm... anyway, Noel's doing some pruning today, so I'm almost scared to see what we'll have in our front yard when I get home! Okay, nuf for now.

Yesterday, the sonogram machine arrived! Very quickly! I was nicely suprised and I tried it that night. Found the heartbeat with a bit of work, but it was there! Next morning Noel came home and I had him try to find it. Not only did he locate a nice strong beat (better than I did!) but for a couple of seconds I could swear I heard TWO heart beats... I'm thinking it might be a fluke though... maybe an echo? I think I would be bigger by now if I had twins. I'm at thirteen weeks now. I'll keep playing with it and see what develops... it's very cool being able to use it whenever the urge strikes! I'll probably keep it until I start feeling junior moving around. Also a couple of gifts arrived to my home from my friend Jacque... made it feel like Christmas morning! Well, I was very good and just took a long walk and now I'll be very bad and sit and play computer games for awhile... chat w/you later!

Well, I went to a book club meeting last night that I joined a while back. There's 5 of us... one of the girls brought her baby, and I just drooled! Well, not literally. But almost! :) It was nice getting away to talk with other estrogen-producing bodies for awile. Husbands are awesome, but they can't produce a genuine "girl talk" session.

On another note, Noel and I have decided to start looking for a bigger house. We went around the city yesterday morning, just driving around and picking up flyers. Seems like the nicest stuff with a bit of land is all over $200,000 and we're looking at around $120,000 on what we can afford. It's very frustrating, but I suppose sooner or later we'll contact a realtor. At least so we can get access to the MLS listings, although you CAN find some listings online. Noel even mentioned the possibility of using our 401K accounts so we can get more house. When we eventually sell, we could stick it into an IRA... we've got to work out the details, and I think Noel would only want to do that if it would reduce our mortgage payments dramatically... and if that happened, it would be easier for me to stay at home! But just so you don't think we're being flippant about it, we are considering contacting some sort of financial advisor before doing anything drastic like that. My ex-realtor father would be a good source, too.

Anyway, lots to think of lately... baby-wise everything is going fine, except for my upset stomach. At least it's not nausea! Thank God! Oh, and I found out that you can rent sonogram machines so I can listen to the babies heart beat! I might try that out... from what I've heard, they're around $30. a month.

All right, we're registered! Yay, I feel like we've hit a major turning point! Okay, so it's at Babies R Us... Target was too far away, and Noel wanted Walmart, which I just flat-out refused. We had fun! Went around scanning everything in sight. Noel was really into the safety aisle for awhile, until I managed to drag him away to look at strollers and stuff. They have an amazing variety there! The crib sets are unbelievable... so many kinds. I think we went with the cheapest one that turns into a day bed. We liked the Winnie the Pooh stuff, so that will probably be our main theme. I almost lost Noel in the chair department. He sat in a really nice rocking chair/ottoman set that looked as though it was made of some sort of imitation suede. I didn't even sit in it... just looked at his face and decided it would be JUST fine! As long as the daddy's happy with the chair, right? More comfy rocking/singing/feeding time for him and baby! And by the way, have I ever mentioned what a scoundrel I married!!? I love a lot of yellow stuff that they sell, which I'd make him scan, but then he'd go scan other colors of the same item! He's not fond of yellow, but for those of you reading this that might be buying something for me at Babies R Us for the baby shower... get the yellow item if it's listed! Ignore the rest! I think he thinks we're having a boy... he was avoiding yellow and pink as though it were the plague! Don't get me wrong, I like blue, but I want a little variety in life! I'm sure the baby will, too!
I'm not sure if we'll know the sex of the baby at the next appointment (March 30th), but I'm thinking it might be too early. That's okay, it's the spice of life, right? Okay, that's it for now. Love you all!

Well, I'm back on nights and having stomach problems. (Not related to nights) First time in my life I've had indigestion. (I'm assuming that's it, anyway) I get really hungry, then can't eat too much. That's the way it will go for awhile, though.

I just purchased a gift for Noel online. I'm thinking I may not have allowed enough time for it to get here... his birthday is only about 10 days away. I'll cross my fingers and make it up to him if it doesn't arrive on time. I should have bought him a years worth of housekeeping, but I don't think he'd appreciate it as much as I would! Our kitchen is in shambles. I have off Monday and Tuesday and so does he, so we'll make it a joint effort and take care of it. I would rather be the sole person responsible for laundry than have to do kitchen clean-up! But I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way.

People at work have started commenting on my pregnancy - things like, "I hear congrats are in order" and "how far along are you?" I'm starting to get the downward glances as people check out the size of my waistline. Nope, nothing yet. Although when I press down on my lower belly I like to think that I feel a bit of a swelling. I'm starting to have problems with getting some of my jeans buttoned up. If I can get away with it, I wear big sweatshirts and leave the top of my jeans undone. I don't think anyone's caught me yet, but when and if they do, my attitude will be pretty philosophical. I want to be comfy, and that's that!

So regarding names, Noel and I have been paying extra attention to the credits when they go by on the shows we watch. He saw "Amanda" and actually liked it! I think the only other girl name he really likes is Emily. I like Amanda better, but it still doesn't grab me... however, if Noel and I have some really sticky problems coming up with names we both like, I may have to compromise. Watching the TV credits helps, though. It's easy looking for names when you're also doing something you like! We plan to register at Target for the baby shower coming up in AZ, and I think we'll do that Monday or Tuesday as well. That's all for now, I think. I've got my next appointment coming up end of March and I think at that time we'll test for Down's Syndrome and Spina Bifida on the baby because of the seizure meds I'm on. The only one I'm semi-worried about is the Spina Bifida. We'll be thinking positively!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe how hungry I can get! I stuffed myself with a yummy, huge, New York Burrito at 5:30pm, and by 8:30pm I'm ready to eat an elephant! I ate an orange instead... I'm saving my leftovers for later in the evening. I'm working nights, so I'll probably try to eat around 1 or 2 in the morning. Good thing I keep food here at work! Anything that's not nailed down would be fair game!

Well,

I've had the last 5 days off from work which has been exceptionally nice! I've relaxed like you wouldn't believe, gone for my 20 minute walks a day (or tried to), and have kept myself full of good nutritious food when possible. I'm still not showing, which is driving me batty! I'm not sure how my mother did it - not showing until her 6th month! That would make me crazy. Ah well. I had a book club meeting on Thursday, where the hostess and myself were the only one's who made it. We stayed up till 11pm talking about kids and husbands and all sorts of different things related to family. Besides that, I finally started taking down some fish tanks in the guest bedroom. I've got two ten gallons on a stand that are 90 percent of the way taken down. The rest depends on how the wrench feels about helping me out today. If that goes bust, then there's always the husband. He's definitely good for that! :) And honey, if you're reading this, YES you're good for other things, too! xoxo This Monday I start my night rotation, so I'm trying to get used to staying up a bit later in the evening instead of conking out at 8pm. My body's been wanting to sleep for 10-11hours at night, which I know can't be good. At least, I get pretty bad headaches when I go that route. Ah well... other than that, I'm in hog heaven!

Well, two days ago on March 2nd, Noel and I went to the doctor ( I actually met Dr. Kaiser for the first time) and we got to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time! I was so excited that I started crying, then laughing. I think Noel was pretty excited, as well. He's calling the baby "the cadet"... That's fine with me as long as we've got something more permanent picked out in the next few months. And no, we haven't been doing much with names quite yet. We're still agreeing to disagree in that department. That's okay. Today and the next 4 days I'm off, and planning to do some work in the guest bedroom. Today was my lounging around the house day. I did take my 15 minute walk around the block that the doc recommended. I've got to admit, a little excersice can really go a long way. Okay, enough for now. I'm thinking about tackling a fish tank and getting it torn down and into the shed.

This morning at work we lost a transmission line from western Oregon to about 50 miles inside the Idaho border… about 3000 people. I certainly didn’t have time to think about morning sickness! I’m actually feeling pretty decent today, though… if we have a few more outages today that should keep me busy enough to make the day fly by. I have to work the next two days, but at least I can sleep in. I expect Noel Monday afternoon or evening… should be interesting to see how his trip went. Nothing too new babywise, except that last night I had an incredibly vivid dream about feeding my future child. I haven’t had such realistic dreams since I was a kid!

Well, this morning I had a tough time with nausea… I was okay until I got to work and then starting feeling pretty green around the gills. My back has been killing me since yesterday, too. Not sure what I’ve done to it. The guys here at work are so supportive. (For those of you that don’t know, I work in a dispatch office where most of my co-workers are older men over the age of 50) I was offered saltines that seemed to really help. I’m trying to eat smaller meals, as I think that will work better.

Other than that, it’s started out to be a decent morning. My boss was out this morning doing some work of his own, but it was nice when he left. I’m not crazy about having him “lurking” as I call it. Anyway, on another note - Noel is in Las Vegas for a paintball tournament. He’ll probably come home all bruised up, but that’s the name of the game, I guess. He called me last night and has a great view of the Pyramids from the hotel he’s staying in. (One of the lesser known hotels – almost off the strip.) The room usually goes for $400. a night, but some friend of theirs got a deal for only $200. Between the 7 or 8 of them, they’re splitting the cost, so it shouldn’t be so bad. Okay, so I’m getting away from the point of this blog – baby stuff.

Noel and I had a shed built on the side of our house. Cost us upwards of a grand, but it’ll be worth it. I’ll be able to start moving lots of the stuff we have stored in the guest room into it here soon. I’ve got an 80 gallon tank to break down – fish to sell, as well. Also in there is a bird cage that needs to be sold. The dresser I’ll keep in there, and the bed? Who knows! I suppose if we wrap it up good we can break down the frame and then the mattress and parts will go in the shed. Once that’s done, I’ll be able to start getting the room ready for baby. The walls I think I’ll “sponge” a yellow color, and maybe try to get adventurous with sunset colors like orange and red, as well. It should be fun. Maybe I can even get the dad-to-be involved, as well! That's it for now! 8^)

This is my first entry into my brand new baby blog. I figured since everyone wanted to be kept updated, I would just put my entries online and give everyone the URL, and voila!

Okay, so I’m entering my 8th week of pregnancy and have a due date of October 2nd. It already feels as though time is just dragging by. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it seems as though things should be moving more quickly. I want to start showing already and that’s not going to happen for at least another month, most likely!

So I’ve experienced the queasiness in the morning, but no severe nausea or anything like that. I’ve got the normal achy breasts and problems with bloating/cramping feelings… hopefully that will diminish, although I suspect it will probably get worse. I’ve got my next baby appointment coming up on the 2nd of March, so everyone be thinking of me! Noel and I are really excited, and I’m hoping for a boy, but if it’s a girl – as everyone seems to think! – we’ll love her just the same. As long as they get daddies red hair, I’ll be happy!