Christmas 2010

We celebrated Christmas Eve this year with the Flannery's. I am so sad I didn't take any pictures! We had such a great time eating yummy food, exchanging gifts and watching the kiddos open their presents. We came home and opened our traditional Christmas Eve PJ's... even the baby got some this year! Christmas morning we woke up and made our traditional German pancakes and opened presents. This year Christmas was pretty low key at our house and it was really nice. Jerry got a scope for his gun and a few other little things and I got a pump and a diaper bag. All in all it was a fantastic Christmas... the last one that will be just me and Jerry in our little family before we add a new one to the mix. In the afternoon we headed over to my Dad's house and got to talk to my cute little brother who is on his mission. It was so fun to hear his voice and hear that he is doing so well. We exchanged gifts and ate some delicious food and just relaxed the rest of the day. What a great Christmas 2010!

{Me and my pregnant belly on Christmas Eve}

{Jerry in his Christmas PJ's and the baby's PJ's} {My awesome diaper bag Jerry got me for Christmas}

{Fear the Beard... 'nuff said}

{German Shorthaired Pointer and Coyote stuffed animal toys for the babes}

{HOORAY! haha.}

{Christmas Day talking to Elder Fox}

{Linds and JI}

{Sophia and her dress ups from Grandma Kris}

{Dad and Boz handing out gifts}

{Gramps and Hayley}

{a new watch for Jerry}

{Savanna and her new baby doll}

Merry Christmas 2010!

My bags are packed...

I'm ready to go.
I found this tiny little suitcase set at Target on Black Friday and thought it would make the perfect hospital bag! I also found a great list of "what to pack in your hospital bag" and went to town packing away. At least I am prepared (I told you I was OCD). Tuesday cannot come fast enough!

Work Shower

{Connie, Cyndee, Me, Jen and Liz}

Some of the girls from work took me out to Paradise Cafe (my favorite) for a little shower with the work crew. It was so nice of them to put it together and get such cute stuff for the little guy. They probably know more than anyone what I have been through with this pregnancy... they are like my second family! Thanks girls for all your support over the last nine months and for the awesome shower!

Showered with Love

My cute High School friends threw a shower for us a few weeks ago, and it could not have been more fun! I love these girls and I am so glad that we have been able to stay in touch over the years. Some are married, some have kids, some are single... it is fun to have a mix of everything so when we get together we have lots to talk about! We also have an awesome tradition for all our friends when they have their first baby. We all contribute a patch of fabric to make a cute patchwork quilt. I have to say, I think the one that they made for my little guy is probably the cutest to date... but I may be a little bias! It was such a great time and we got lots of awesome stuff! Thanks girls for a great party! I love you all!

{opening gifts} {softest minky blanket ever} {Missy, Jenna and Erin}

{Brynn, Katy, Cass and Melissa}

{Me and Sara T}

{Jenna showing me who contributed which fabric for the quilt}

{the darling quilt that I am in love with}

{My BFF Lauren and I... love this girl}

PS... don't mind how HUGE I am in these photos. haha. I feel like I have exploded in the last couple of months. Oh well... only a few days to go!

Baby Shower

My big sister Lindsay threw me the cutest baby shower a few weeks ago, and it was so much fun! She made a darling diaper cake with a cute little dog topper (she knows us so well!). She also had a cute little "wishing tree" for the guests to write a wish for baby gaga. I still have it up in the nursery and it looks so cute! It was so fun to see my aunts and cousins and a few friends too! Thanks Lindsay for a great shower! We are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Pregnancy Journal: Week 35

Week 35 (December 6-12)Monday: The pain is still there in my downstairs area. Not too bad, just a dull ache. I noticed this morning that I didn't have quite as bad rib pain as normal. I really think the baby could be dropping! IT IS SO EXCITING! Maybe this means I am getting close! WOO HOO!
Tuesday: I cannot believe I was ever excited for this baby to drop. Pain when I lay down. Pain when I sit. Pain when I stand. Pain. I took a nice long bath tonight to relieve some of the pressure and it helped a little. Boy oh boy. I had no idea about this part of pregnancy.
Wednesday: The waddle is full fledged now. I am pretty sure it is because I feel like I have a bowling ball between my legs. It could also be that my joints are all so loose to the point that they pop nearly every time I stand. I literally feel like he could come out at any moment. Let's hope that means that I am dilating or something. I got my hair did today and I feel like a new woman! haha. It really does make a big difference when you look in the mirror and don't completely cringe.
Thursday: Baby doesn't seem to be moving as much today as normal. He is moving... it just feels a little different. I don't think it is anything to worry about, I just feel different body parts in different parts of my tummy. I think his little butt is facing out now instead of toward my back. I have no idea though. Kidney pain is pretty intense today... to the point where I started crying at work. I am such a BOOB! Still getting lots of braxton hicks. I am really hoping this means my body is getting ready to work some magic... sooner rather than later.
Friday: It is so fun to feel my baby move and try and imagine what he looks like. I cannot wait to see his little face. I had a totally bizarre dream last night that I was trying to breast feed and my milk kept coming out purple! It was freaking me out! Everyone was trying to convince me that it was normal and I was just looking at them like they were crazy! haha.
Saturday: I had a totally rough night last night. I woke up every hour and a half to take a pee, then I woke up with a severe charlie horse in my calf! I was screaming at Jerry to help me and he just looked totally freaked out! haha.. it's kinda funny now... but it definitely wasn't funny at the time. I have to work today and I feel like poop. I am having some mad braxton hicks and the pain down there is starting to become a little unbearable. How do people walk around like this for weeks at a time? Yowza. Good thing I have a doctors appointment on Monday or else I think I might cry. In fact... I have already cried a couple times today. What is up with these recent bouts of crying fits? I think I am just emotionally and physically drained. BOO. Let's pray for a good nights sleep and some good answers from the doc on Monday. We had so many fun plans for tonight, and we couldn't do any of them because my kidney hurt so bad. I took a lortab, ate a cup of noodles and zonked out on the couch. Jerry even rubbed my swollen feet for me and baked us some cookies. What a good husband I have!
Sunday: Didn't go to church today. I just don't feel up to anything! How am I going to get ready for this baby to come? I feel like we still have so much to do! Hopefully I get a second wind and start feeling the urge to get things done. Can't wait for tomorrow. Hope the doc gives me some good news.... or else I might just lose it.

Pregnancy Journal: Week 33-34

Week 33 (November 22-28)This week has been OK. Not a whole lot to complain about. That heartburn medication is helping A LOT. The kidney pain is still there, but the bad days don't seem quite as bad because I don't have the nausea on top of it all. There was a really bad snow storm this week and I was so paranoid to drive in it because of my accident last week. They canceled our childbirth class this week because of the storm, and I am a little sad about it. We had Thanksgiving this year with Jerry's family, and it was so much fun! I ate WAY too much and pretty much felt stuffed for two days after. It was worth it though. I will have probably gained five pounds at my next appointment! Meh. I did a little Black Friday shopping and it was a workout that is for sure! I don't think I will be doing that prego ever again. haha. Saturday morning we met with the cutest lady who does daycare in bountiful. We absolutely loved her and I think we will be using her after my maternity leave is over. We also went to the BYU vs. Utah game on Saturday and I looked like a balloon. I had three coats on, leggings, jeans and a huge blanket wrapped around me. At least I was warm-ish. Don't think I will be doing that prego again either. Way. Too. Cold. Overall not a bad week. Just feeling a little tired and ready to meet this little guy! I am on the home stretch!

Week 34 (November 29-December 5)Monday: Had my doctors appointment today. My blood pressure was a little higher than usual, but still normal. Hopefully it doesn't go any higher. I only gained 1 pound since my last appointment... shocker! I am still measuring a week ahead of schedule, and the babes heart rate is still going strong! I was hoping to get some more information today as to when I could expect this baby to be coming into the world... but my Dr. really wants to wait until my next appointment when he can check me "down there" and get a better idea of how I am progressing. I told him my kidney still hurts and he said we would discuss that at our next appointment as well. But for now it is looking like I will probably be delivering a couple of weeks early if my kidney problem doesn't get any better before then. Let's hope that I start progressing soon so that I can have this little guy soon!
Tuesday: We had our last childbirth class tonight and it was all about the actual labor and delivery part. I think it has finally sunk in a little with Jerry what we really have to go through to get him here. It is pretty intense... but I feel a lot better with more information about all of my options and all of the different risks. I am definitely not going to try and be a hero during our delivery. My birth plan is... drugs. Lots of em. Anything to take the pain away. haha.
Wednesday: Still feeling pretty good besides the kidney pain. Not much to complain about! WOO HOO! I met with our pediatrician tonight and I really liked him! One more thing done off my checklist! YAY!
Thursday: SO tired today. Like... drained. I am starting to have to get up more and more during the night to go to the bathroom. Leaves me feeling a little tired in the morning. Tonight I went to our ward relief society Christmas dinner and it was great! I needed some spiritual uplifting. It was also nice to get lots of advice from the ladies in the ward.
Friday: Lauren came over tonight and we ate some delish cafe rio and chatted a lot about life and just stuff. She helped me put the bumper pads on the crib and I showed her all the cute little baby things we had received from all our showers. She is such a great friend and I can't wait for her to be a mom... she will be the best at it! I am starting to notice that I am beginning to swell in my feet and legs more lately. I showed Lauren my poor feet and the look on her face was priceless!
Saturday: Today my cute friends from High School threw me a shower and it was so much fun! We ate delicious food, played some fun games and opened some of the most darling gifts ever! I now feel pretty much prepared for the baby to get here. We only have a few things left to get and we are READY! Time is flying by and I can't wait to meet the little one. Tonight we went to Chili's with Jerry's brother and his wife and it was so yummy! I could eat tubs of their chips and queso. Mmmm. We went back to my in-law's house to watch a movie but my kidney seriously acted up really bad and we had to go home early. I am ready for this pain to be over with ! Hopefully soon!
Sunday: Today I have some mad pain in my whoo-ha area. (sorry about the TMI). It feels like I have been riding a bike or a horse all day. I also noticed my belly is starting to take on a different look. Could the baby be dropping?

Pregnancy Journal: Week 32

Week 32 (November 15-21)
Monday: Had a Dr. appointment today. Went over all the usual stuff, still measuring a week ahead. Everything else seems OK. Told him about my morning sickness and my kidney pain. He prescribed me something for heartburn that will hopefully help with the acid reflux that is keeping me up at night... hopefully it will help with the morning sickness too. Now... about that kidney pain. He seemed a little concerned that I was still having pain. He wants me to go into the hospital tomorrow for an abdominal ultrasound to see if I have kidney stones or gal stones. I feel a little nervous to find out what is wrong with me... hopefully it is nothing and just pregnancy related. We will see tomorrow I guess. Called my sister today and just started to cry... hormones? maybe. Nerves? Definitely. She said she would go to the hospital with me in the morning. What a good big sis.
Tuesday: Day. From. Hell.
No eating or drinking before the ultrasound today. Hungry. Thirsty. Tired. As I am on the freeway driving to the hospital.... SLAM!! SLAM!! I got rear ended. Twice. Awesome. Sat on the freeway for a good hour and a half filling out paperwork and working out insurance stuff with the cops. Baby was having a freak out after it happened, and I figured it was just from being jostled around a bit. But then.... no movement. Kinda scary. I told the cop I was on my way to the hospital and he let me go before the other two cars, since it wasn't my fault anyway. I was glad that Lindsay was meeting me at the hospital because she was able to hold my appointment spot for me. When I got to the hospital we went right in for the ultrasound. I couldn't see the screen, but Lindsay said that there was a distinct difference in my right kidney than my left. I asked the ultrasound technician if she saw any stones in my kidney or gall bladder and she said no. She had me go the restroom and empty my bladder and come back in to monitor my bladder for a while and see if any fluid was emptying from my right kidney to my bladder. Lindsay said that a few times she saw stuff come in from the left side, but not from the right. (She should be a doctor don't you think??). While we were having the ultrasound done I was complaining that my stomach was feeling really tight and kind of hurting. The tech looked concerned and asked if she could call my OB before I left the hospital. She called him and told me to go straight up to labor and delivery for a non stress test. Awesome.
Luckily, I had pre registered with the hospital the day before for L&D so I didn't have to fill out any paperwork. We got put into a room and I had to put on a very flattering gown and slippers. I was still having the pains in my stomach and when they hooked me up to the monitors the nurse exclaimed "Oh you are having a contraction!". I had no idea that was what it was.... but now I know what a contraction feels like. They were also monitoring the babies heart rate and it was kinda low with lots of variables (where it goes up and down). They were concerned about that, and told me they would continue to monitor it, but if it didn't get much better they would be considering a C-Section. I continued to have contractions every five minutes or so for the next forty minutes. They gradually got less and less intense and spread out farther and farther apart. The wouldn't let me eat or drink anything (well, they gave me cherry flavored ice chips) and I kept telling them I was thirsty! Once the babies heart rate steadied out a bit they let me drink some water and it seemed to be the magic cure! Baby was doing fine and mommy felt much much better. They think all of this hubbub was a combination of adrenaline from the crash, stress and dehydration. Everything with the baby was fine and I felt so much better after knowing that! What a stressful day! They monitored me for another hour or so and I was released to go home.



I went to lunch with Lindsay to thank her for being by my side through all of this. I ate about two bites and had to run into the bathroom to puke it up! It just hasn't been my day.
Didn't go to childbirth class tonight, way too tired from this hellish day... but still kinda sad we missed it!
Went home and was on the phone for hours with insurance companies trying to work out who was going to fix my car. That is a whole different story and a big old pain in the rear. What a day.
Wednesday: Good news first, the heartburn medication works! Woke up this morning and felt much much better than normal. SWEET! Bad news next, my kidney hurts like a mofo today. All that jamming around with the ultrasound technician did not do good things for me. The Dr. called me back today with the results from the radiologist. I have what they call hydronephrosis... it is where your kidney is not draining into your bladder.

They think the baby is putting pressure on my ureter and blocking my kidney from doing it's job. My kidney is getting more and more inflamed due to build up of fluid and that is what is making me hurt. My first question: Will this affect the baby? No. As long as the kidney doesn't become infected, the baby should be completely fine. Second Question: What do we do now? Nothing. Third Question: BUT IT HURTS? Isn't there anything we can do? Since I am so close to the end they don't want to do any surgery or put in a stint. They are hoping that everything will go back to normal after the baby comes and I won't have to worry about it. Keep treating it for the pain (which includes lortab.... which I HATE to take, so I don't and I just deal with the pain). The Dr. could sense my frustration and my emotions (it probably wasn't hard because I was practically crying while I was talking to him). He assured me that I had no longer than six weeks to deal with and that we would discuss all our options at my next appointment. "Hang in there" were his words. And that is exactly what I am trying to do. Hang. In. There.Saturday: This week has gone by pretty well, considering. I only threw up on Monday and haven't since then! WOOT WOOT! We are making progress! I have continued to have the "braxton hicks" contractions and now I know what they feel like. Today I went to my sisters house for a cute shower, and it was so so fun to get advice from all my cousins and aunts about babies! Although my Aunt Diana freaked me out a little when she told me my cousin weighed a whopping 12 pounds!! She is my hero. 12 POUNDS????? Let's hope for a slightly smaller baby than that. I love my big sister, Lindsay and she puts together one heck of a party! So fun! It started to snow as I was driving home and I had a total panic attack. I am so paranoid of driving now! Especially with this little one inside me. I practiced my breathing techniques from birthing class and I think it helped get me home. HEE HEE WHOOOOO.

Defa/Judd Family Shower

My sweet mother in law and sisters in law threw me a shower at Joy Luck Chinese restaurant last week. It was so fun to see everyone, and we got lots of good stuff! Everyone was so generous and we appreciate all the nice things we were given! Baby gaga is one lucky baby to have such a sweet family! I can't wait for everyone to meet him!

Pregnancy Journal: Week 30-31

Week 30 (November 1-7)
Monday: Only 9 weeks and six days to go! I cannot wait! I try to imagine what this little guy looks like and I just want to see him and say hello! Not to mention get him out of me so that my body can start feeling normal again. I have started to feel his little hiccups too! It is such a strange feeling! He seems to get them every day around the same time. What a funny little boy!

Tuesday: We had our first childbirth class tonight and it was so funny! I don't know why I thought all the things they were teaching us were so hilarious but I left with a sore stomach from laughing so much. We practiced some breathing techniques and Jerry was so cute about it! I think he will make a great coach when the time comes! I am still having pain on my right side where my kidneys were. Hopefully I don't have any more stones. My doctor said it is probably just inflamed... I hope that is the case. I have been taking warm baths at night to help relieve the pain, and it does seem to help a bit.

Wednesday: Tonight I had a shower with my sorority sisters and it was really fun! I think I am the first of them to be pregnant so it is fun to be able to talk to them about pregnancy and all the fun things that come with it! Hopefully one of them will get prego soon so that I can share with them even more what really happens! haha.

Thursday: Painted the closet doors in the nursery tonight. It took a while, but I think it will look really good when it is all put together! Today I noticed some lovely friends on my sides... stretch marks. I noticed them a couple months ago, but they seem to be getting worse and worse! They are getting darker and uglier. So fun!

Friday: SICK! Again. WHY!!!??? I just want a whole week to go by and not be sick. Pray for my wish to come true. :) I am sure my heartburn is not helping a ton with my sickness. I get terrible heartburn at night. I practically sleep sitting up these days! Speaking of sleep... I don't get a whole lot of it with numerous nighttime potty breaks. midnight, 2 am, 4 am, 6 am, etc. etc. etc.

Saturday: Woke up early this morning and finished painting the trim and the door in the nursery. It feels good to FINALLY be done with painting. Now we can get on with the rest of the decorating process... the fun part! We went to the Utah vs. TCU game today and as I was waddling my fat butt up to the stadium an old man stopped me and told me I was a true Ute and that my husband should be proud of me. haha. It was pretty dang funny!

Sunday: Woke up this morning at 3 am sick as a dog. I don't know what is going on, but I know it is not fun. I usually only take half a zofran for my nausea, but today I took a whole. It gave me the biggest headache ever! We went to my step sisters babies blessing and I wasn't feeling good the whole time. I thought if I got a little food in me I would feel better, but that didn't seem to help either. I am just so tired.... tired of feeling sick. It is taking such an emotional toll on me and my body. I am pretty much ready for this baby to be out. I know he needs more time to cook inside me, but I am still ready. I went home after the blessing and slept pretty much all day. I am so exhausted. I just need a break.... from everything. Can I just crawl in bed and never come back out? PLEASE?

Week 31: (September 8-14)
Monday: Today marks three years from the date that Jerry and I got engaged! Look how much has happened in that short period of time! I am so in love with Jerry and we are both in love with this little baby already! I can only imagine how much we are going to love him once he is finally here! Only 8 weeks and 6 days to go little one, can't wait to see you!

Tuesday: We had our second childbirth class tonight and it was pretty informative. I think we are learning quite a bit. We watched a video of a woman at home dealing with her labor pains before she went to the hospital and her coach was amazing! I told Jerry just to copy everything he did and we would be a-OK. I am really glad we are doing these classes. It may seem kinda cheesy and lame, but I just want to be as prepared as possible.

Wednesday: So sick today. Jerry had a big test for school today so he didn't go to work before school and he was home to witness what I actually go through when I am sick. It was extra bad this morning... my vomit even came out of my nose. Don't ask me how that happened, but it was not pleasant. Feeling pretty lousy all day today. 8 weeks 4 days. Counting down the days.

Thursday: No work today. Tried to sleep in a little, but the morning sickness wouldn't let me. At least I only threw up once! I went to Ikea with my big sis Lindsay and we picked up the dresser for the nursery! I can't wait to see it all put together in the room! Hopefully it looks OK. We went to lunch at Paradise with most of the fox clan with my Grandpa to celebrate Veterans Day. I love that place. I could eat there every day! After lunch Lindsay and I went up to my house and unloaded the dresser. Then she did an amazing thing for me.... she set up the crib! I was itching to get that done for quite a while now and Jerry has been really busy with school, so she took on the challenge and it looks great! I pretty much sat back and watched as she threw the thing together! Thanks Linds... it looks amazing! Baby Gaga is going to LOVE it! Tonight I made some closet dividers for the nursery. I cannot wait to get this nursery done and put together! Can you tell?

Friday: No work today, because I work Saturday. I was able to sleep in until around 8 this morning, and it felt so good. The best part? No morning sickness. THANK HEAVENS. I got to lounge around the house a bit and then got ready for the day. I realized today that I will definitely not take my post-pregnancy body for granted after this baby comes. Showers, putting on socks, blow drying my hair, etc. So many things that were so easy before are becoming more and more difficult as my body expands. Can't wait to be able to bend over without feeling like I am going to die! Today my cute mother in law threw me another shower for her side of the family. She is so generous and giving... I am one lucky girl to have her as my mom in law! We are getting completely spoiled at all of these showers and I am so thankful to everyone for all the generous gifts. After the shower I went home and Jerry and I put the dresser together! It only took us 2 hours to get it done, but we did it! It looks so good, and I finally have somewhere to put all the little baby things that we have! Hooray! I haven't had much of an appetite lately, so for dinner I had a yogurt, some crackers and water. I wonder if that is normal?

Saturday: Not feeling super hot today. Not vomiting, but feeling really nauseous. I feel like I just need to go back to bed and stay there for a long long time. The cute girls I work with are threw me a little shower today at Paradise Bakery (I love that place!) after work. It was so fun, and I can't wait for them to meet the babe. They probably know more about my pregnancy than anyone else, because they see me every day all day! They are my support system and I am so grateful for them! I still wasn't feeling too great after I went home and as soon as I walked in the door I ran to the bathroom and threw up everything I had eaten. Awesome. I had some aches and pains and a slight fever. Could I have another bug?? Please tell me not. I had a minor (okay major) emotional breakdown tonight where I just cried and cried. Jerry just stayed by my side and told me everything was OK. I think I am just emotionally and physically spent. I love this baby so much, but I don't know how much longer my body and mind can handle going through this sickness nearly every day. Let's pray the doctor has some answers for me on Monday.

Flannery Family Baby Shower

I had my first shower last week, and it was amazing! It was a combined shower with Jerry's cousin Jacki who is due a couple weeks before me and Jerry's cousin Jeremy's wife Nicole who is due the beginning of December. It was a whole lot of Flannery family and it was tons of fun! Everyone was super generous and we got a lot of really nice stuff! I can't wait to be able to use all the cute little boy baby things! Thanks to everyone who came and made it awesome!

{the three pregnant ladies}

{all the Flannery girls. Love these ladies.}

Pregnancy Journal: Weeks 23-29

Week 23: (September 12-19)
Monday- Wednesday: Feeling pretty good this week so far. No really big complaints to speak of.
Thursday: No work today, went to lunch with Grandpa and Lindsay. Afterwards I went and did a little shopping and got lots of new maternity stuff. A couple pair of jeans, a few shirts and some comfy flat shoes. I even got the little baby gaga a few things. I can't wait to see him in them! He is going to be such a stud! I went to my BFF Lauren's house after shopping and she was able to feel the baby move a little! It is exciting that people can finally feel him from the outside now! GNO tonight as well with the high school friends. It was so fun to see everyone and catch up. I am excited for my little man to have lots of little friends to play with at our little GNO's. He is going to be a ladies man, cuz he will be the only boy to be born into our group of friends so far!
Week 24: (September 20-26)
Monday: I had another Doctors appointment today and everything went just great! Heard the babies heartbeat again. Still measuring a week ahead of schedule... so I am hoping that they will change my due date and I will be able to have this baby a little sooner than expected! My feet are starting to swell pretty bad at the end of the day, and I asked the doctor if there is much I can do about it... no such luck. Stay off my feet, he said... yeah right! I am drinking tons of water and he told me I definitely don't need to be drinking any more water than I already am. At my next appointment I will be in my third trimester! WOO HOO! Can't wait!
Tuesday-Thursday: Things are going great lately. No sickness... not even feeling nauseous at all! The only ailment I have currently is feeling HUGE. It is getting harder and harder to get dressed in the morning, take a shower, do my hair... pretty much any everyday thing is a big old pain when you are HUGE. I can officially not see anything from my waste down when I look down. Not even my toes. I went to lunch Thursday with the Flannery girls at a local Mexican place and I ate my entire chimichanga! I don't think I have ever done that before in my life! I guess baby was just extra hungry? That is the excuse I will use. I also went to dinner tonight with my cute friend Karin. It was so fun to catch up with her and we were at the restaurant until closing time!
Friday: SICK SICK SICK. AGAIN. SICK. Seriously. Can I catch a break here?
Saturday: Utah football game tonight. It was a total blow out game and we left a few minutes early (mostly because of my complaining of my soar bum that couldn't take the bleacher seat for one more second!). It was a fun game, but I was really tired and hot and ready to go home afterwards.
Sunday: Sick again today. No bueno. My sister had a little party for my niece's two year birthday! My does time fly! It is crazy how big they get in such a short amount of time! Can't wait for her to have a little buddy to play with soon!
Week 25: (September 27-October3)Monday: Today I feel a little off. Not sick today (thank goodness) but just a little dizzy and weird feeling. Hopefully everything is okay.
Tuesday: Tonight I had another GNO with my sorority girls. It was so fun to see everyone and catch up. It is hard for me to see them all so cute and skinny and I am huge and pregnant. I have never been more motivated in my life to lose some of this weight after the baby comes! Sheesh.
Wednesday: Mosquito's are loving me lately. I guess all this extra blood in my system is extra attractive to them? Whatever the reason... it is pretty dang annoying. And painful. My bites don't go away for days!
Thursday: No work today since I work on Saturday. Went to lunch again with Gramps and Lindsay today. Baby was moving A LOT at lunch and Lindsay was able to feel baby gaga give her a few swift kicks! It was so fun for her to feel him! He is getting bigger and bigger and his movements are definitely getting stronger and stronger!
Friday: Picked up a ton of paint swatches today for the nursery. Hopefully we can agree on a color and get going on the painting!
Saturday: Ordered the crib online today! Can't wait to get it and set it up! I am getting super excited to finish up the nursery. Hopefully it all comes together how I see it in my head.
Sunday: Watched conference today and my hormones were in full motion! I was crying and laughing and touched by the spirit all at the same time. What a day!
Week 26: (October 4-10)
Monday: What is this restless feeling I get in my legs every night before I go to bed? I feel like I need to take a walk before I go to bed just so my legs are just as tired as I am.
Tuesday: Tonight I painted four blocks of sample paints on the walls. Fingers crossed we can pick out a color that we both like.
Friday: Feeling pretty good this week. Not a lot of complaints. I am starting to get a dull ache in my lower back near my kidney on my right side and I am hoping that I am not getting another kidney stone (I have had them three times before and I really don't want to get them again now). I can tell I have gained a lot of weight in my face because I have this "cute" double chin now. Oh the joys of pregnancy.
Saturday: We removed the chair rail in the nursery and it is already looking much better!
Week 27: (October 11-17)Monday: The ache in my kidney is getting worse and worse. I am holding out going to the doctor until I am writhing in pain. It is getting close... but I am keeping hope that I don't have stones. Pray that I don't.
Tuesday: Put together some shelves for the nursery tonight and I don't think the baby liked me bending over and lifting stuff because he was kicking me for it later. Not very nice, baby, not very nice.
Wednesday: We patched the holes from removing the chair rail tonight. Hopefully our armature patching skills cover everything pretty well.
Thursday: Pain. Pain. Pain. Not good. Going to doctor tomorrow.
Friday: It's official. I have kidney stones. The crappy thing about kidney stones is there really isn't a whole lot that you can do about them. You just have to wait for them to pass. I will be drinking lots and lots and lots of fluids this weekend to try and get these suckers out of me. I am pretty well miserable at this point. Kidney stones are the worst thing I have ever been through in my 25 years, and being pregnant definitely doesn't help. Luckily I can take some lortab and it won't hurt the baby so I will be able to get on top of this pain soon. Not fun. Not fun at all.
Saturday: I am taking it easy this weekend and trying to get over these damn stones. Jerry primed the walls in the nursery, and it is starting to look pretty good! Passed one stone this evening. Let's hope the rest come out soon.
Sunday: Passed another stone this afternoon. It is crazy how the relief is pretty much immediate. Hopefully that is all I had. Otherwise.... I might just die.
Week 28: (October 18-24)
Monday: Threw up this morning. Awesome. Luckily I did it BEFORE I had to drink my nasty glucose test drink. Then I felt nauseous after I drank the drink. BLAH. Today at my doctors appointment I had the whole kit and caboodle done. Urine test to see if there was still blood in my urine from the kidney stones to indicate if I still had any stones passing. Flu shot. Glucose Test. Blood Drawn. Lots and lots of fun. Luckily the doctor told me there was no more blood in my urine, which meant no more stones. YAY. But my kidney is inflamed and it still hurts like hell. I have been sleeping on my right side and he told me that I need to be sleeping on my left side to relieve some of the pressure off of my right kidney. It is going to be hard for me to switch sides, but I will do whatever I have to do to get rid of this pain.
Tuesday: Threw up a few times this morning. Seriously? Is my morning sickness back? It may just be that I didn't sleep AT ALL last night. I pretty much tossed and turned all night. I was trying to make a conscious effort to sleep on my left side. It doesn't help that they gave me my flu shot in my left arm and it was really sore where they poked me. All day today I kinda felt like I had the flu too! I had some chills and body aches. My kidney still hurts and I am just miserable today. Good news is Jerry and his brother in law were able to pick up the crib today! I can't wait to put it together!
Wednesday: SICK AGAIN. Not just in the morning though. Today it followed me throughout the day. I wanted to just go home and get into bed. But I made it through the day. These ten hour work days just aren't cutting it for me. I am exhausted by the end of the day and I really just want to go home and go to bed. Am I a downer today? Yes. Am I depressed? Yes. Am I ready to be done with this? Yes. I cannot wait to feel normal again. I know I should be happy and grateful and chipper and upbeat. But today is just one of those days. And I am not. And I will not be... at least not today. And I am ok with that.
Thursday: Threw up again this morning. Ate a piece of pumpkin pie after and felt a little better. Nothing is better than pumpkin pie. Especially for breakfast.
Friday: Feeling a lot better today. Worked today, then went to my friend Missy's house for dinner and a craft. I was really tired by the time I got home. But at least when I got home Jerry had painted the nursery! It is starting to look pretty good. It still needs a second coat of paint, and we need to touch up the trim and closet doors. But it is coming along! I can't wait for it to be done!
Saturday: Didn't get ANYTHING done today. NOTHING. Just stayed in bed all day. Not feeling well... again. I even missed the Utah game. That was the first one I have missed in three years. It is a sad day.
Sunday: Feeling a little better. Church is at 1, and sometimes I get so caught up getting ready for church that I forget to eat lunch before I go. Halfway through church I feel like I might faint and I may or may not have to snag a snack from the nursery to get me through the rest of the day.
Week 29: (October 25-28)
Monday: Sick this morning, but it thankfully wore off throughout the day. I had my first baby shower tonight and I feel so blessed to be a part of the Flannery family. They are so generous and the baby got lots and lots of really cute stuff!
Tuesday: Woke up at 2:30 this morning throwing up. Couldn't go back to sleep so I sat up on the couch until about 4:30 until I could make myself go back to bed. I have the chills and body aches... it feels a lot like the flu. But I had a flu shot. WTF? Sick all day long. Jerry got home from work to find me over the toilet and he made me call my doctor. They said that I probably had a touch of the flu and to try and drink lots of fluids. Too bad I can't keep anything down. I am so tired. Tired of being sick. My body is just tired. I don't know if I can do this much longer. But I know baby gaga needs me to be strong... so I am trying to be. I really am trying to be. Jerry gave me a blessing tonight and we both just cried afterwards. We are so blessed to be able to bring a little spirit into this world. We just want him to be a happy and healthy baby. If it means me being sick. So be it.
Wednesday: I thought I could make it into work today and I would eventually start feeling better. After throwing up twice within an hour of being at work I decided that it probably wasn't doing anyone any good for me to be there. I left work around 11, called my doctor and went home. I took a nice long bath since every muscle in my back and my stomach were aching from all the strain of throwing up. It seemed to help a bit. The doctor called me in a prescription for Zofran. It seemed to help a little. I stayed on the couch, rested my aching muscles and ate some chicken noodle soup and jello. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.
Thursday: Slept a lot better last night than I have in a LONG time. I woke up still feeling a little nauseous, but no throwing up. I hurried and took some zofran before it got any worse and it really seemed to help. Why did I wait so long to get this miracle drug?

Mom Questions: Registry/ Purchasing

Hello all you moms out there.... Just a quick question I thought I would post into blog world to get a little advice.

What are your top five baby items that you cannot live without?

I am going to be registering for baby showers etc. soon and starting to gather some necessities on my own. I want to know what baby items you love and what you couldn't live without!

And another quick question on the same topic...

Where are the best places to register for baby? Any bad/ good experiences with specific stores?

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it!

PS... I promise this blog won't turn into a baby blog... YET! I am working on lots of other fun posts coming soon! So stay tuned!

Belly Update 19-22 weeks

The belly is growing and growing and growing....
And so is my face and my butt.

Baby Gaga is alive and well and growing big and strong!

These pictures were mostly taken at work in our nasty bathroom. haha. But at least you get the idea.

{19 weeks}

{21 weeks}

{22 weeks}

{20 weeks}

Pregnancy Journal Week 21-22

Week 21 (August 30-September 5)
I am over the half way mark! WOO HOO! Not much to report this week (this is a good thing!!). I am feeling really great this week! The only major new thing to report is that I have had to start getting up a couple of times in the night to go to the bathroom, but other than that I am feeling good. We went to the Utah football game this week and when we got home I noticed that my feet were totally swollen. I had some major cankle action going on and it wasn't pretty. They stayed swollen for a good two days. I made sure I drank a ton of water and it seemed to help them go down a little. We were able to take a short vacation to Island Park with Jerry's family and it was really nice to be able to be in the cool weather and relax a little. I felt a ton of baby movement while we were gone, and I think it is because I was so relaxed. All in all a really good week.

Week 22 (September 6-12)
As my belly is expanding I am getting some pretty bad rib pains. I feel like my rib cage is trying to expand and all my organs are being pushed up inside my rib cage. It is pretty unbearable. Hopefully I can find some stretches or something that will help.

Still feeling pretty good... still just a little tired. I am starting to waddle a little when I walk and it is a tad embarrassing. The bump is growing, and I can tell the baby is growing too, cuz I can feel his movements a lot stronger and up higher in my belly. I think this little one is going to be an athlete with the kicks and punches he gives me!

Thursday: Tonight I went to my step sister Courtnee's house to see her brand new baby. I had to keep myself from crying while I was holding sweet little Avery. It made it feel real that I am going to have a little one of these things soon! She was darling and TINY. It kinda made me feel totally unprepared to take care of something that little.

Tonight as we were laying in bed I could feel baby gaga moving A TON. I grabbed Jerry's hand and put it on my belly. I looked at him and his eyes got wide. I asked him "Did you feel that?" and he just smiled and nodded. Then he looked at me again and said "I felt that too!!". I am so glad that Jerry can finally feel him moving. It was a special moment.

Saturday: GO UTES! It was too bloody hot at the game today. I was dripping with sweat and I had to get up and walk around in the shade for a while and even get a snow cone. Jerry kept telling me that I was proving to him that I was as "true fan" since I was still cheering on the Utes in the heat! I am pretty much a walking heater, and add 89 degree weather to the mix and you get a sweaty pregnant lady- not a pretty sight to see. Can't wait for the weather to cool down (I think that is the first time in my life I have ever said that!)

Pregnancy Journal: Week 19-20

Week 19 (August 15-21):
Sunday, Monday: Feeling pretty good today. Not much sickness to report. I didn't feel the baby move too much today or yesterday. I poked him a little and I felt him give me a little poke back so that made me feel a little better. He is an active little bugger so when I don't feel him too much it kinda gives me a freak out. All in all a couple of pretty good days.

Tuesday: Today I went to lunch with my little brother Garrett and Jerry. This will be the last meal I share with my little brother for at least two years. Kinda weird to think about. I started to cry at lunch when I was telling Garrett how proud I was of him. And when he told me he was sad he wasn't going to be here when the baby came I kinda had a melt down. He is such a good guy and I am so proud of him. I would be lucky to have a son as cool as my little brother.

After lunch Jerry and I went to our "big" ultrasound appointment. Everything looked really good (relief)!! The ultrasound technician was super nice and she explained to us what all the shadows were and all the organs etc. Everything looked normal which made me really happy. When she was trying to get a good look at the very tippy top of his head the babe would shake his little head like he was saying "leave me alone!". It was too funny and too cute. We were also able to catch a glimpse of him opening and closing his mouth, moving his little legs and give his mama a good punch in the gut (little stinker). It is amazing what you can see this early in pregnancy. He looks like a normal little human now! She did say that he was measuring at 20 weeks and 1 day, when in fact I was supposed to be 19 weeks and 2 days. So the due date got bumped up to January 3rd. We will see if it sticks!

Wednesday: Hard to get out of bed this morning. In the morning my stomach muscles are really tight. I wonder if that is normal? After I pee they seem to loosen up a bit. I am just so sleepy all day today. Hopefully that gets better too. I need me some ENERGY!

Thursday: I feel pretty lousy this morning and I am a sweating machine! I had to change my shirt at work because I had rings around my pits. Not a good look. Fortunately, I had an extra work shirt in my trunk that I was able to throw on. Unfortunately, it BARELY fit me at all. So I went online and ordered a few essentials for work. Hopefully they fit me better than this tight shirt that is about bursting at the seems! Yowza.

Friday: I woke up this morning and thought to myself... I have only thrown up one time this whole week.... and it is FRIDAY! TGIF. How awesome is that? Well.... the enthusiasm didn't last long. I got to work early and was doing my thing. All of a sudden I upchucked right into my garbage can at work. I had to carry my garbage can downstairs as I was hurling into it. Not an easy task. It was more embarrassing than anything, but I got over it. I threw up a few more times at work and decided I needed a break... I took an early lunch (9:45am) and went to my mother in laws house where she spoiled me and made me feel a lot better! There is a chick at work that I am pretty sure thinks I am faking this whole thing and I want to beyotch slap her a good one. Seriously... people that aren't sick during pregnancy just don't understand and it really sucks to feel like you are being doubted by the people around you. Not cool. Not cool at all.

On the brighter side of things.... at least I can feel him moving A LOT today. I think Jerry might be able to feel a few of these jabs the little guy is giving me! Fingers crossed.

Week 20: (August 22-28)

Sunday: I am so tired today. Like.... SO SO tired. I woke up and ate some cereal and went back to sleep. I didn't go to church and I slept for a good four hours straight. Jerry went to his parents house and I just lounged around at home. It felt nice to just lay around, but I don't know why I am so tired!?! Oh, that's right... I am growing a human inside me. That must be it.

Monday: Had another Dr. appointment today and it was great! The doctor reviewed with me what the ultrasound technician had found and everything looks perfectly normal! He listened to the heartbeat and it was faster than I remember! He said it was about 160... just right! It was fun to hear him moving around in there. He even kicked right where the sonogram was and it made a loud THUMP. It was pretty cute. The doctor also said to keep my due date as January 9th and they can adjust it later if they need to. Tonight I was laying on the couch and I could feel him moving A LOT so I lifted up my shirt and saw my entire belly shake when he kicked me. It happened three times in a row and I called for Jerry to come look. By the time he got there he had completely stopped moving. Jerry thinks I am just making all of this up.

Tuesday: Another good day. No barfing.... yet. Just feeling extra hot today. Not like HAWT hot, but like sweaty and fingers swelling up hot. Ew. I need a fan fixed to my shoulder that always blows cold air on me. Wouldn't that be nice? We got our baby bedding in the mail today. It is nice to feel like I am sorta being productive in the nursery department. This is a good start to a lot of work ahead. I can't wait!

Wednesday: Today is Jerry's first day of school and I will be the first to admit that his work schedule totally sucks. He doesn't get home from work/school until about 10 pm. That is a LONG day if you ask me. He will be packing a lunch and a dinner while he is in school. That's not very fun. I will be kinda lonely this semester. I guess it will just give me extra time to get the nursery ready and get our house in order for the baby to arrive.

Thursday: Feeling lousy today. Dang. I was having such a good run! Almost five whole days without being sick!! I guess I can be happy about that accomplishment. I think I will get myself a smoochie smoothy to make myself feel better... it always helps. My wedding ring didn't fit this morning when I tried to put it on. Sad day.

Friday: I had a busy morning. I was running late and I was trying to hurry and get to the post office to send a package off to my little missionary brother. I hurried to work and was busy from the get go. After a little while things had slowed down and I thought to myself... Have I felt the baby move today? I had been so busy, I hadn't even noticed. I thought I would go to bathroom, because sometimes after my bladder is emptied I get a little extra movement from the little one. When I went to the bathroom I about had a heart attack. Blood. Not much, but enough to freak me out. I immediately called my doctor and told them what was going on. They asked me if I had felt baby move, and I said I didn't think I had. They told me to lay down for an hour and see if I could get any movement. They were looking for about five movements within an hour. I was so scared. A rush of memories came flooding back into my mind and my imagination was running wild with scary thoughts of what could be happening to my precious cargo. I went ahead and took the doctors advice and tried to keep calm and lay down to feel some fetal kicks. Nothing. For an hour. Nothing. I thought maybe I felt him move once, but I wasn't sure if it was just me moving or if it was him. Terrified. I called the doctor back and they scheduled me to come in and get checked out. I called Jerry. He was nervous too, I could hear it in his voice. But he was calm. He said he would be there. I went to my sister in law, Ashlee's, to wait for Jerry. It was so nice to just be able to sit and talk and get my mind off of things for a few minutes. I was a complete wreck, and she was so nice to pamper me a little. Finally Jerry got there and we headed up to the doctor. They took my blood pressure, normal. Weight, normal. My emotions... not so normal. They took me right in to have an ultrasound. While we were waiting for the doctor to come in I thought I was going to throw up. I was so nervous and I looked over at Jerry saying a silent prayer. The doctor came in and asked a few questions and said he wasn't too worried, but let's check everything out. Immediately we saw a heartbeat... relief!!! But baby still wasn't moving. He jiggled my stomach around a little and still no movement. I asked why he wasn't moving and he said he is probably just in a sleep cycle. They checked the amniotic fluid, the placenta and the heart rate. Everything looked normal. I asked why would I be bleeding? He didn't really have a good answer for me. He said for some people it is completely normal to have some bleeding in pregnancy. He also said that sometimes if the cervix gets agitated or overstimulated it can cause some bleeding. He told me to keep an eye on the bleeding and if it got worse to call him. He made me feel completely comfortable and told me to call him with any questions. They continued to monitor me and baby for a while and everything looked fine. When we left the office I just started to bawl. Not cry, bawl. Jerry just held me and I cried. I was so relieved that everything was okay. I took the rest of the day off from work and I went home and took a nice long nap. I woke up and felt baby move. Jerry went and got us some food for dinner and we just relaxed on the couch the rest of the night. I was emotionally drained, but so thankful that everything was alright. My prayer that night was full of gratitude to my Heavenly Father and pleading that everything would go smoothly from here on out. Talk about a stressful day. Just glad things are ok.

Sunday: Feeling TONS-O-MOVEMENT today. WOO HOO!! I sat in church and he was doing flips in my stomach! It was so awesome. The movement continued throughout the day and my worrying subsided a bit. The bleeding has stopped and I think baby gaga is going to be just fine.

PREGNANCY SURVEY WEEK 20:
How far along? 20 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain/loss: According to my Doctors office scale 10 pounds. According to my scale at home 9 pounds. (Hey... it's a pound, ok?)
Maternity clothes? Exclusively. Nothing else feels comfortable at the moment. I even had to break down and buy new underwear.
Sleep: Getting harder and harder to come by. Can never get comfortable and I am HOT HOT HOT at night.
Best moment this week: Getting good news after our first pregnancy scare, and getting the baby bedding in the mail!
Movement: The little guy is moving ALL THE TIME now. Even at night while I am sleeping I will wake up to a little nudge or poke.
Food cravings: Milk (we went through a whole gallon in two days!). Doritos (don't ask). Ben and Jerry's Everything but the... ice cream (Heavenly).
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: None.
Belly Button in or out? In. But very stretched out.
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and licking the bowl after making a brownie mix or raw cookie dough. A nice cold Dr. Pepper for lunch everyday.
What I am looking forward to: When Jerry is able to feel the baby moving.
Weekly Wisdom: The baby is now covered in a waxy substance so it doesn't wrinkle and shrivle up in my tummy. Kinda cool. I need some of that stuff for when I take a nice long bath.

The Belly

Recently I have noticed a drastic change in my waistline.

I know I am pregnant, and some people will absolutely hate me for saying this, but I have had a hard time dealing with the fact that I have no control over my body and my weight at this point in my life. Maybe I am a control freak, but I cry a little inside every time I step on the scale and see those numbers go up. I always wondered why some people didn't take tons of pictures of their cute pregnant belly, but now I can totally see why. It is hard to look at yourself the same and think... wow I have a cute pregnant belly! I am excited to know that my baby is growing and healthy... and that is what I have to tell myself every time I step on the scale.
Here is a picture of me the day I found out my ego was prego. {4 weeks}
I didn't take any other belly pictures until about four months because I thought I looked so crappy because I was so sick and nauseous all the time. So here I am at {16 weeks} as I brushed my teeth getting ready for the day. I think this is the week I "popped" as people say... {17 weeks}
and here I am at {18 weeks}
I can't imagine getting even bigger than this but I know it is going to happen. So I am going to take a positive attitude and embrace this experience! Bring on the big belly! I am (think I am) ready for it!!