Second Ultrasound

I just got back from my appointment and have to say that all was not good news. It's not anything REALLY worrisome, but being a first time mom I don't appreciate hearing anything bad. Anyway, the second ultrasound was scheduled because I was measuring big. It turns out that I have excess amniotic fluid. Now this can be a real worry, but it's considered excessive if you have between 20 and 25 (I don't know the measurment, haha) and I have just over 20. Dr. Cloward was really kind, but she had to tell me the risks as a responsible physician would. It was hard to listen to, but she told me the most common reason is that there is no real reason, at least with the small amount of excess fluid that I have. She made me feel better and told me that this could just be due to how the baby is positioned, but it was part of why I had been measuring big. Our baby is in the 60th percentile for her size and is about 4 days further along than we thought. They chose not to change my due date however as they felt the 19th is close enough and I might be coming early anyway. I will be having another ultrasound in 4 weeks to check up again and I am far enough long that my appointments have now changed to every 2 weeks. I pre-registered at the hospital in case I go into labor preterm, which is one of the possible side affects, and so now am ready to go whenever I happen to go.

I know this sounds like I'm just rambling, but in many ways I am. I'm trying to put down everything she said and random details are coming to me at different times. Oh yeah... I also am slightly anemic, but I wasn't surprised by this as I already was at times. I also need to start going in for non-stress tests at 32 weeks. The most positive thing she said was that I do not have gestational diabetes, which was GREAT to hear. Overall though, it sounds like the baby is healthy and I am healthy we just need to monitor me just in case.

A post

I haven't posted a picture in a while. I've taken pics, but I just got sick of posting them and I'm sure it wasn't interesting to see me every single week. ;) This is a different picture from what I posted earlier, but I just wanted to try and take one myself. As I said before though I still am trying to figure out a somewhat attractive pregnancy pose. I know, I know, I'm pregnant but I still feel HUGE and I have so long to go. I always told myself I wouldn't be the type to worry so much about gaining weight when pregnant, but I have discovered that it really is discouraging to watch the scale go up. At least I'm healthy. Anyway, my next appointment is on Thursday and I get to see our baby again. YAY!!!! I seriously can't wait!

**What are your opinions on prenatal classes? I haven't signed up for anything, but I'm wondering if I really should.

Micah's 6th Post (quotes of the day)

Long lives aren't natural. We forget that senior citizens are as much an invention as toasters or penicillin.

Today, nearly 40 percent of a senior's healthcare spending is on pharmaceutical medications.

Please stop teaching my children that everyone gets a trophy just for participating. What is this, the Nobel Prize? Not everybody gets a trophy.

What we don't have a right to is healthcare, housing, or handouts. We don't have those rights.

I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.

It is not clear that intelligence has any long-term survival value.

The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing? (A favorite quote of mine as it describes the issue that religion and science can not answer. It's a question I wonder if God knows the answer to.)

During the first period of a man's life the greatest danger is not to take the risk.

It is so hard to believe because it is so hard to obey. (Remind you of anyone?)

Food Storage

Micah and I have a goal to get started on our food storage and we have in little amounts headed in that direction. My sister is great with coupons and can find amazing deals. Lately I've been getting better with coupons, but honestly not really big into it. I just get shy or intimidated by it and then I don't want to bother with it. Well on Friday my sister called me and told me about a coupon that was on savvyshopper.com for pasta. It was great. I printed off all the coupons that I was eligible for and we went to Smith's that night. I will admit that I felt kind of like one of the crazy coupon people, but it totally paid off. I got 30 bags/boxes of pasta for free and now they are sitting in my food storage. I know it sounds like overkill to get so many, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity and pasta doesn't go bad and I was able to get a huge variety of pasta. I also just remind myself that I don't need to eat all of this pasta now. Now my food storage consists of canned fruit, pasta, canned veggies, soup, and 90 packs of jello which I also got basically for free other than paying for the tax. (I know the jello sounds excessive also, but we were at Macey's and they announced big boxes of free jello so we went for it.)

I definitely want to keep working on our food storage, because to be honest it still is really pathetic, but I'm glad that we are at least making some attempts to get better. I loved canning this past year and plan to do it again this year to continue to add to our storage. I also think I really need to put more effort into finding coupons to help me along. Does anyone have suggestions of how to further build our storage?

Micah's 5th (I think) Post

watched 127 hours... good flick. now generally speaking i can handle gory stuff... but the scene where he cuts his arm off... and specifically through the nerve... wow. i ACTUALLY felt queasy. but great flick.

i'm watching the miami/OKC game and dwayne wade just threw down perhaps the best in-game dunk i've ever seen. also, the OKC coach's name is scottie brooks. he was my childhood basketball hero. he was point guard for the rockets when i was young, and he was the only white guy that ever got minutes... so i idolized him. in elementary school when i'd play ball with all my black friends i was always referred to as scottie brooks. good times.

there was a reason i was posting... i wanted to share something... but i can't remember now.

oh yea... a quote i liked, that i found to be very accurate. "Just because you're religious doesn't mean you're a good person... it just means you go to church." it came from a source that i wouldn't generally quote, but it rang true. it was jon stewart in a discussion with bill o'reilly.

come on texans. draft raheem martin in the first. i want a defensive oriented draft... the only offensive drafting i'll support has to be the Oline. i want an angry run blocker... so in the second if they go oline (maybe center) i'm okay with that... but the third needs to be back to defense. especially with our change to the 34 defense. we gotta get personnel sorted out. anyway, the season's a long ways away.

also, i'm becoming a fan of survivor. i think i watched the first season years ago... then another one a few years back, but i've watched last year and now this year. so 2 in a row... i must be liking it.

battle:los angeles... i liked it. but nowadays i like any movies that have guns or military stuff. the whole time i saw their M16s and optics and was uber jealous that i don't have a cool battle rifle.

also watched the fox and the hound yesterday... made me and the wife want a dog more. we want one and we would own one by now, but it's prohibited by the landlords. but we really like where we live, so we'll do without the dog for now. (i guess we'll settle for our baby ;)

Less than 100 days

... and I've popped! I thought I already looked quite pregnant, especially looking back on my pictures, but on Sunday and then this morning at work (we had Monday off) many people commented that I hadn't looked really pregnant on Friday, but apparently I've popped out. I do think it has to do with the clothes I wore on both days, but all the mothers at my school also said it was bound to happen. I guess I don't notice the difference because I see it 24/7, but I'm okay with looking really pregnant rather than just a person with a large belly. Haha. On another note... I'm VERY excited that I have less than 100 days to go!! I know it's still a way away, but I've come far from 280! I also am secretly hoping that my due date gets moved again, but if it doesn't I guess I can be patient. ;)

Glucola

GROSS!!! I had to take my gestational diabetes test this morning and man was it horrid! I set myself up for a bad taste, but it was still really difficult to swallow even though I thought I had prepared myself. I was at least lucky that it was cold as I've heard it's even worse warm. The other horrible thing was waiting the hour after with just that awful taste in my mouth, but it's over and done with now. Hopefully there is no news as they said that means good news. On the bright side, Micah took me to Costa Vida after as we had a coupon and a gift card, so lunch was almost free and it got rid of the bad taste and memory of Glucola. Good thing I know this baby is worth it!!

Aquarium Part 2

Look at previous post... Micah's hand is against the glass in the lobster picture because we were trying to show just how huge this lobster was, but it really doesn't do it justice. You need to go see it yourself. Also, I decided to not post all of my pics.

Aquarium

Micah and I headed over to the Aquarium in Sandy yesterday and it was a lot of fun. I love doing things like that with Micah because he really is interested in animals and he points out things that I would never notice on my own. I took a lot of pictures, but I'm not patient enough to go through and label everything so it will just be pics. I hope that's okay. The only sad thing is that the penguins would not get into the water and the sea turtle was not there. I really wanted both of those things for Micah, but we'll go back another time. (Oh and the last picture is just me at 25 weeks and 5 days.)

Opinions?

So at my last doctor's appointment they started measuring my fundal height. Being just over 25 weeks I should have been between 23 and 27 centimeters. I was 27 centimeters so my baby is on the big side, but not anything to worry about. They are going to do a second ultrasound though just in case to check on the baby. I'm wondering if this could be because they already changed my due date once and so they just want to check on her or if they think something could be wrong. I'm kind of stuck because I'm excited to see our baby again, but what if there is something wrong? I know none of you can actually tell me exactly what will happen, but do you think I need to be worried that she is measuring big or should I feel more assured that she is still within the parameters? Has anyone else had their baby measure this much bigger? I'm kind of thinking that my due date may still be slightly off as we don't have an accurate date of my last menstrual cycle.. so I'm hoping that's it and everything is fine. It's kind of lame, but I just would like to hear some of your opinions. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

FINALLY...

So I am now 25 weeks and 2 days and have been waiting FOREVER for Micah to feel the baby. There were honestly times I was worried, which was totally stupid, but I was. Well on Sunday when I was exactly 25 weeks, Micah finally felt Lila and I mean he really felt her. I had my hand on my stomach and felt her very noticeably twice when I told Micah to put his hand on me. I was worried that she would stop moving, because that is honestly what she kept doing every other time, but this time we were both just patient and she REALLY moved for him. He felt her several times and it was the most I've ever felt her, too. It was a really great bonding experience. I'm so glad Micah was finally able to feel her. It was really important to me and now he can feel like she's even more real and he can be more involved in her development.

24 weeks 4 days