14 weeks

BIG week for my little girl...As I mentioned in the post a few days ago, Alyssa had two firsts this past week! On Monday, Dave's 26th birthday, Alyssa laughed at him while he was giving her a bath. What a perfect birthday present for her Daddy :). I am glad she is doing some of her firsts in the evenings when Dave is home to see them too! The next morning we were having tummy time, which she isn't usually a big fan of. She lasts 10 minutes at the most before she wants on her back or to be picked up. Well I guess Tuesday morning she decided she would just roll over to get to her back by herself. It wasn't a gradual thing. I hadn't been seeing signs that she would roll over or anything. All of a sudden she just did it. And luckily she did it again later in the day so I could video it. She is really enjoying her jumperoo still, she actually looks like she is figuring out how to spin and turn the toys on it and its not just random smacking.
Dave's squadron christmas party was this weekend as was a Christmas party a neighbor had so we were able to get a picture with Santa. I know some kids hate Santa but Alyssa was indifferent. She just thought he was nice and comfy and just layed on him.
I got sick a few days ago, congested/headache and unfortunately Alyssa caught it. I tried not to kiss on her (which is hard not to kiss that sweet little face) but I guess since I'm with her all day she caught it. And she absolutely hates the nose sucker thing, poor girl. Other than that, things are the same. Working on the house when we can and watching our little one grow fast! I measured her for her 3 month baby book stats and she was 24 inches long. She had grown 6 inches in 3 months! I look at her as she sleeps now and she just looks so long. I folded and boxed up her preemie and 0-3 months clothes and I can't believe she fit into some of those clothes.
I doubt I'll post next week since we will be busy with Christmas and all but I will have a picture/video filled post the week after.

2 firsts!

2 new videos at youtube.com/dlalewis. Last night she laughed for the first time. I didn't catch the first/best laugh but i still got her laughing a little. And then this morning she rolled over for the first time. Again, didn't catch the first but I got it the second time!

Video

Go to www.youtube.com/dlalewis to see two new videos of Alyssa!

3 months! Where has the time gone??

Alyssa Paige is 3 months old today! She is so big and SO strong now. She can stand up really well with just holding one of her hands or by herself leaning on something. She can also balance herself while sitting for about 10 seconds as well. Although I think the stiffness of the corduroy overalls help with the sitting. There is a picture in the slideshow of her sitting and standing. We got a digital video camera as an early Christmas present from my mom so I will hopefully be posting video soon of her cooing and talking to us. I haven't figured out how to get them to download on the computer yet, maybe Dave can in the next few days. So look back in a few days for a possible video.
Unfortunately my baby girl is getting, or actually has, a big bald spot on the back of her head. She has all this long hair and then a bald spot. She is SO squirmy and grunty while she sleeps. She rubs her head back and forth and thats where the bald spot came from. All the squriming keeps me awake at night so maybe when we move into the new house and she has her own room I'll sleep a little better. I think I am going to try and give her gas drops before bed to see if the squirming is from gas, because she sure does pass some gas during all that grunting...but maybe thats just because she has lewis and dowling in her. I do not eat anything with tomatoes, broccoli, onions that could make her gassy though. Still not sleeping through the night by the way...that one week where she did sure was nice. Its been the most exhausting yet fun and exciting 3 months!
We are still working on the house when we can. Its really hard with Alyssa though to find the time. As soon as shes down for a nap and we get working, it seems like shes already awake. Hopefully we will get a lot done when my mom, Jimmy, and Brianne come to visit in a week or so. Our goal is to have the upstairs bathrooms tiled in the next week or two so we can start spending the night there and working past when she goes to sleep at night (although that would just take from my sleep).
I am so excited that it is Alyssa's first Christmas! Babies just make the holidays so much more fun!
I am deleting old slideshows from the blog because it is taking the page too long to load with them all on there. If you want to look back at old slideshows they are on http://picasaweb.google.com/lindsayb727. That is the site it takes you to when you click the slideshow to make it bigger.

weeks 11 & 12

My mom came down the weekend before Thanksgiving to help us paint our new house. We are repainting the entire house...ceilings, trim, walls. We were able to complete all three bedrooms upstairs and the upstairs hallway. Alyssa was taking two 2-3 hour naps a day which made it really easy to get work done. We put her in the office downstairs and used an air purifier to make sure she didn't get any of the fumes. She rarely will nap like that for me at home but she really seems to cooperate when I need her to. We ordered our cabinets for the kitchen and they will be in the end of December so unfortunately our house will not be finished when we move in this month. The kitchen is completely livable in, its just not what we want and very outdated. We are also putting new vanities/sinks in all 3 bathrooms. The rest of the house is just getting a fresh coat of paint (or 4 in some cases to cover up the dark/bright colors the old owners painted). I can't wait to set up Alyssa's nursery finally! She has been sleeping in her pack n' play in our room since she was born and now she will finally have her own room. We painted it yellow, 'Blonde Beauty' to be exact.
We went to see Dave's family in Missouri for Thanksgiving. Alyssa had only met dave's parents, not the rest of his family, so she got to meet everyone. Pretty much all of Dave's family thought she looked like me. We looked through Dave's baby pictures and she still looks like Dave when she smiles, but I guess she has my eyes and nose. It was also Alyssa's first airplane ride and she was perfect, didn't cry once. Dave even sweet talked the stewardess into letting us ride first class on one of the legs home! The trip went really well...until we got back home. Alyssa caught a virus in Missouri so my poor little girl was throwing up on Sunday and still has diarrhea. This was not just a lot of spit up, it was throw up. I've never seen a kid this tiny throw up. I felt so bad for my baby! I stayed up with her on the couch Sunday night and let her sleep on my chest. If she was going to throw up I wanted to be right there. I was too paranoid she would choke on it in her sleep. I slept on and off, ,which didn't help me get any better since I have mastitis again. I was in the ER on Sunday getting antibiotics and it allowed me to ask the doc about Alyssa. They said the only thing to worry about was dehydration. Shes still soaking her shirts in drool so i think shes doing okay.
As far as the sleeping through the night goes...She slept from 7-11 the first night, 9-5 the second, 11-6 for a few nights, and 11-830 one night. so she slept through the night for a week, and then hasn't for the last week. Between the traveling and her being sick she hasn't been sleeping too well, waking twice each night to eat. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon, i was really liking sleeping through the night again!
She is pretty much out of her 0-3 month clothes. Everything is getting too short on her. They aren't getting tight around her, just in the length. Who would have thought I would have a tall child?! I guess Dave has a big part in that. Its fun getting to go through all her 3-6 month clothes and get her in some new outfits. I don't even know how long she'll be in 3-6 months. She had a 3-6 month sleeper on last night that looked like it won't fit for long! Oh and the best part of all which I can't believe I almost forgot...I can get a bow to stay in her hair now! People ask me once in a while if shes a boy, someone told me because she has short hair. Well what do you expect, shes 2 months old, was she supposed to be born with a ponytail? Shes got a good amount of hair for 2 months so I am pretty happy a bow stays in it now!

week 10

week 10 was a great one, I've got two good pieces of news to share...
First, Alyssa had her ultrasound today around her skin tag to rule out a tethered cord. If she had a tethered cord it would mean her spinal cord was attached to her butt when it should be free floating. It would have required surgery to fix. Sometimes a skin tag at the base of the spine can indicate a tethered cord. But the pediatric radiologist said everything looks fine! The outcome was great but the visit, not so much. It took 45 minutes of me holding Alyssa down on her belly while she screamed to get all the images they needed. I felt horrible but I knew I would feel so much better once it was over and we got the good news I was hoping for. She wore herself out and is sleeping now. Which brings me to my second piece of news to share...Alyssa slept from 11pm-7am last night! A whole 8 hours of interrupted sleep (well besides those few times I checked on her to make sure she was okay). Now I am not expecting this to happen every night or even tonight but it sure was nice to have 1 full nights sleep in the past 10 weeks. Dave has given her a bottle once or twice in the middle of the night but I still end up getting up with them because she cries at first with the bottle and plus I pump when Dave gives her a bottle. He has been giving her a bottle every few days and she has definitely gotten the hang of it a little more. She sucked down her whole 4 ounce bottle last night and then we thought we'd offer her more just in case she was still hungry. She ate a little over 1 ounce more! Over 5 ounces, little piggy!
Oh and I guess I have a third piece of good news. On Tuesday Dave and I bought our second house! Its a 3 bedroom (plus a small office) 2 1/2 bath, 2 story home in Jacksonville, NC! We bought paint Tuesday night and are going to start working on it this weekend. Its going to be a little difficult since one of us is going to have to tend to Alyssa but we'll figure it out.
Alyssa is growing like a weed. She has already outgrown a lot of her 0-3 month clothes and she won't be 3 months for another 3 weeks still! Her pants are turning into capri pants and her sleeves are up to her elbows! The ultrasound tech looked at her today and said '2 months? she looks healthy'. Always good to hear even though 'healthy' meant chubby, which is okay too. I've been trying to hold off going into her 3-6 month drawer so we can get some use out of her bigger 0-3 month clothes. But the other day I had to put a 3-6 month sweater on her becuase her other ones just didn't fit. Sometimes I can't believe its already been 10 weeks, other times I can't believe its only been 10 weeks because she just fits so well into our lives. I didn't take quite as many pictures this last week because I've been trying to take video since shes cooing and all so much now. Maybe Dave and I will invest in a nice video camera where we can upload videos on here too...

week 9

Monday night we went to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. It was our first night out without Alyssa. It was also the first time I have ever left Alyssa (except with Dave when I go to the gym). My mom came down for the weekend and stayed in the hotel with us, which was right next to the ball, so I didn't have to be far from her. The ball was fun and it was nice to have some adult time and be all dressed up without spitup on my shoulder or pee on me. I only called my mom twice all evening which I thought was pretty good. I was trying not to be too paranoid and I did well. Alyssa took the bottle from my mom but she said it was a little rough at first. I am going to start having Dave give Alyssa a bottle at least once a week so maybe she'll get the hang of it a little better. We tried doing that tonight while I was at the gym but she wouldn't take it. She wasn't really fusing, she was just waiting until I got home. I really don't want to feel like I can't leave her in fear of her not taking the bottle so we are going to work on that.
Yesterday I took Alyssa to her 2 month baby wellness appointment. I can't believe shes already 2 months old! She weighed in at 10 lbs 13 oz (although she just took a big poop and was overdue on eating so I'm thinking that was on the light side of what she normally weighs) which put her in the 50th percentile. She has only been in the 25th until now. She was measured at 22 7/8 inches, which I do not think was accurate becuase she was barely 22 inches the week prior at the doctors. I think she is closer to 22 in. 22 7/8 inches puts her in the 75th percentile for height up from her previous 25th percentile. So i think shes actually a little shorter and chubbier than her measurements but needless to say, she is growing fast! She also had to get three shots and an oral vaccine. The oral vaccine was first and the nurse squirted the whole 1 ml into her mouth at once by accident and choked her. She had to sit her up and hit on her back so she could catch her breath. Well that made Alyssa mad which wasn't good before the shots. When the needles went in she cried but by the time the bandaids were on she had stopped. Overall it went much better than I expected since the little boy before her screamed for like 10 minutes. They said I could give her baby tylenol if she was fussy, but she seemed fine so I didn't want to give it to her if she didn't need it. And then the night came and she barely slept at all. She was up about every hour or so. She woke up crying but then stopped quickly and just wanted to be awake. I didn't get much sleep but luckily Dave got up with her from like 5-830 so I could sleep a little at least. We did take a nice nap together today though :).
Dave and I close on our house this upcoming Tuesday! It will be great to be out of this disgusting rental we are in and into our own place. We have to do fix up the kitchen and paint the whole house before we move in though so we still won't be moving in until the end of the year. I just like living in a place that we own, its so much better than renting.

week 8!

On Halloween day we went to the pumpkin patch to take pictures with some pumpkins. there weren't very many left, but enough to take some 1st halloween pictures with. Since she was dressed as a little pumpkin i saw it fitting. We didn't take her trick-or-treating but instead went to a friends house and played some games. Next year when shes old enough to walk around we'll take her.
Last night we had to take Alyssa to the doctor. The skin tag she has filled with blood so i was paranoid and took her right in. We are getting an ultrasound on it to rule out a tethered cord and then getting it taken off. The doctor said it was probably just rubbed on by her wiggling around so much and not to worry about it. But we did get her weight and height. She was 11 lbs 5 ounces (with jeans, shirt, and cloth diaper) and 22 inches! She will be weighed naked at her 2 month appointment next Wednesday but I'm assuming it will still be around 11 lbs. She is getting so solid!
She started sleeping from like 930-330 or 4 for about a week straight which i was so excited about. However that was short lived and the past few nights shes only been sleeping from like 10-130 or 2 and then eats every 3 hours after that. I'm not quite sure how to get her to sleep longer at night, suggestions are welcomed! maybe shes still just too little, I don't know. she is only 8 weeks. Sleeping through the night or not, shes the sweetest little thing ever! I have to leave her for the first time on Monday night with my mom while Dave and I go to the Marine Corps birthday ball. I don't want to leave her and I'm sure I'll call home 100 times but it will be nice to be out with Dave and some friends. I'll post a few pictures from our night out next week...along with a bunch more of alyssa of course!

weeks 6 & 7

sorry i didn't post last week but last Wednesday night we were in the car driving to Maryland, more on that later...
week 6 wasn't all too eventful. Alyssa is just continuing to grow everyday (about 10.5 lbs and 21 inches as of a few days ago!) She is kind of starting to get into a routine. When she falls asleep (between 1030-12) she will usually sleep about 4-5 hours, eat and go back to sleep for another 2-3, eat and go back to sleep for another 1-2. When we were in MD she slept from 12-6 one night (but this still has not happened again). I was so rested when i woke up i couldn't even go back to sleep when she did. I had my 6 week checkup last week and was cleared to start running again. I'm a little, or a lot, out of running shape after not being able to run for over 10 months. I worked out during my pregnancy still but running is just different. Yesterday I ran for 15 minutes straight plus some warm up/cool down walking. I'm trying not to push it too hard and work my way back into it. Its hard though not to just go full force once i got the green light from the doctor. I was also back down to my pre-pregnancy weight at my 6 week checkup. I know the scale is just a number and all but it sure does feel great seeing a low number again.
The 7th week of Alyssa's life was spent visiting family in Maryland. We drove up Wednesday night after Dave got off work. Alyssa slept the whole way only to wake for the bottle we gave her in the car. Being only her 3rd bottle ever, she had a little trouble but got the whole 4 ounces down. You'd think there would be a better bottle that mimics breastfeeding more. While in MD we pretty much just hung out and introduced Alyssa to everyone. On Saturday we took Alyssa to her first Navy football game. The weather was rainy though so we didn't stay. On Sunday Alyssa had her first party thrown for her by her Mimi (what she will call my mom). Family and friends came over to meet her and she was a perfect little angel and slept the whole time. I did discover that I can not eat spagetti sauce since it gives Alyssa bad gas. Friday night was a little rough for the poor girl, you could just tell her little belly was in pain. On the ride home tuesday she slept for maybe 1 hour out of the 8 (should had been 6 but we got lost). She was just wide awake and happy the whole time...until we got home. She was just so exhausted at that point she didn't know what to do with herself. She hasn't screamed like that since the 2nd night in the hospital. Even though she's not on too much of a schedule its still rough for her being completely thrown off of the small bit of routine she does have.
I just can't believe she is 1 1/2 months already. She has her 2 month appointment in 2 weeks so I'm excited to see her exact weight and height and where she falls in percentiles. We are loving everyday with her even though they are going by so quickly. She is certainly starting to get a little personality. She is full of smiles but along with that personality comes fussiness when she doesn't get what she wants. They say you can't spoil babies in the first few months of life. I'm not so sure I believe that, but she's just too darn cute not to spoil. Dave and I have discussed if we are just bias since she is ours or if she really is just the prettiest little thing ever. We're going to give her a big head when she's older because all we tell her is how cute and beautiful she is!

So big!-5 weeks

Alyssa is just getting so big. She is weighing in close to 10 pounds! thats 3 pounds in 5 weeks. A few of her pants are getting a little tight, but thats partly due to the cloth diapers. She is finally big enough to use her bumbo chair and looks so cute it! Shes still a little wobbly to the sides so we have to stay close but she actually likes it. She is just looking so grown up to me and shes feeling more solid and not like a little breakable newborn.
Dave went back to work on Tuesday leaving Alyssa and I to fend for ourselves. We have managed to do laundry, househunt, and have dinner ready so I'd say we are doing pretty well by ourselves. Speaking of househunting, we finally put an offer in on a house. It needs a little bit of work so we are going to fix up the kitchen and repaint. We haven't heard back yet though if they accepted our offer or not, lets hope they do! The house is close to base so it will be a short drive to work for Dave and I'll also be close to the commissary and gym (once I finally get cleared to work out at my 6 week checkup which i can't wait for!). Not being allowed to run during my pregnancy because of the problems in the beginning and now not being able to run until at least 6 weeks out has really got me anxious to start back up. I have almost lost all the weight and all my clothes fit but I could still use some situps to get back to where i want to be.
we are making our trip to Maryland the 23-27th of this month so let us know if anyone wants to come by and meet the little one, we love to show her off :)!

4 weeks

Alyssa will be 1 month tomorrow! that sounds so crazy to me. She really is starting to be a little person. Her little legs are getting stronger and shes starting to give a half smile, although they seem to be completely random.
The past week has been another crazy one. We have been house hunting non-stop. We still haven't made a final decision but we should be in the next few days. Alyssa has been house hunting with us this whole time and she has been wonderful. We were out from 10-5 today which means a lot of car seat time and she barely made a peep. While we were out she had a bottle for the first time! She ate 4 oz in about 10 minutes. Since you never really know how much they get while breastfeeding, this was a good indication. Although she didn't seem as full as normal after finishing the bottle so i think she may even eat a little more from me. And this is why she weighs around 9 lbs now (according to the home scale)! 2 lbs in 4 weeks, shes going to be a little chub!
A few nights ago we started using cloth diapers. They are still a tad big on her but they are working quite well actually. We are getting the hang of them and washing them is actually really easy. Since they are bigger than disposables, they are helping hold up some of her 0-3 month clothes which are still a little big. She just looks so cute in them and they look cute under dresses, no bloomers needed since the cloth diapers come in all colors.
Sleeping isn't going too badly. Shes been eating around 10, going to bed at 11, and then waking around 245ish and 615ish to eat and then sleeping til around 9. so i am getting maybe 6 hours total since i am up for close to an hour per feeding.
We were thinking she might be getting colic, which would be terrible. 3 nights in a row she has cried for no apparent reason between 6-11 on and off, but more on. I read up on it and one suggestion was for me to cut out all dairy since often times their digestive systems can't handle it the first few months. I tried it and last night was so much better. So i really hope cutting out dairy will be the answer. i sure will miss my daily milk and cereal, yogurt and granola, and cheese and crackers. i didnt realize how much dairy i ate. just another sacrifice i am completely willing to make for her!
Dave starts work next week and we are really going to miss him being around. I guess we will be able to get into our daily routine though (once we figure out what that routine consists of).
The past month has been a whirlwind but still so wonderful! I am excited about the upcoming holiday season with Alyssa and all of her firsts that are going to be happening!

week 3

week 3 has been a busy one to say the least. I feel like we have had Alyssa so much longer than 3 weeks but thats probably just because we have done SO much in these last few weeks. She has had quite a busy life so far.
Friday afternoon we packed up the moving truck (yes, we moved ourselves instead of having the military move us, everyone has told us we are crazy) and left Pensacola for Jacksonville, NC. We stayed the night in Augusta and then finished the drive Saturday. We then stayed in a hotel until Wednesday while Dave looked for us a place to rent. We needed a place that gave us a 3 month lease and allowed dogs, which was hard to find. We are renting for a short period while we look for the house we want to buy. We wanted to get to know the area and really find what we want before we buy. We found a place to rent and moved in wednesday. We are still unpacking. To make matters a little more difficult, I ended up getting mastitis, an infection of the breast tissue from breastfeeding. It does not effect breastfeeding though since the infection is not in the milk, actually breastfeeding helps it get better. I didn't feel too great Sunday but I figured it was just because I had a stressful week. I woke up at 3 am to feed Alyssa and noticed I had a red streak on my right side and had a fever, both warning signs the lactation consultant told me about. We went to the ER at 3 am because the quicker I got antibiotics in my system, the quicker I would feel better, and this is not a time I could afford to be down. I felt better pretty quickly since luckily I caught it at a very early stage.
Alyssa is still doing great. She is holding her head up pretty well now. We weighed her to get a rough estimate of her weight (i weighed myself, then weighed together) and she was at almost 8 1/2 pounds. She wasn't quite 7 1/2 at her 2 week checkup. So thats close to a pound in about 1o days. Shes still a little peanut though.
Dave checked in today and has to start working not this monday but next. He won't start flying until November though. For all of you in MD, we should be up that way later this month to show off Alyssa! I'll post when I know the exact dates. I think we are going to have a little get together so we don't have to cart Alyssa all over town to let everyone meet her.
and the unpacking continues...

2 weeks

Alyssa is 2 weeks old today. I feel like she has been a part of our lives forever in a way because she just fits in so well. We went to her 2 weeks baby wellness doctor's appointment yesterday. At 13 days old she weighed 7 lbs 6.4 ozs (25th percentile) and was 19 3/4 inches long (25th percentile). So she is a perfectly proportioned little peanut. They like babies to be back to their birth weight by 2 weeks and she was 6 ounces over her birth weight. She had gained 11 ounces since her 5 day checkup, so 11 ounces in just 8 days. I was worried she wasn't eating enough since theres really no way to tell how much breastfed babies are eating. She eats for a short period of time but both the doctor and lactation consultant said she is just getting so much in that short period. If you look at the one picture in the slideshow (its labeled that she just ate) you can just see the full look on her face. Feeding her is getting better, still a learning process, some days are better than others. We're getting there though.
Friday morning we are leaving FL and making our way to New River, NC. We will drive part way friday and the rest saturday. We are trying to be realistic since we know we will need to stop a lot more considering we will be traveling with a 2 week old. She loves her carseat though and the car so hopefully the drive won't be too bad.
Now that I know she is getting plenty of milk, i think i will be able to get more sleep. I have been fighting her for like an hour everytime she eats and shes on a 3 hr eating schedule so that left me about 1 1/2hour stretches to sleep once i changed her diaper and got back to sleep. Luckily Dave usually takes her once i'm finished feeding her and gets her back to sleep so i can sleep more. But now that I know she just truly is full after 10-15 mintues of eating, i won't have to fight her to eat more so the whole process should take under a 1/2 hour total. Any extra amount of sleep counts. I am not really even that tired still, i get a shower in everyday, and we have plenty of time to do things we want. Dave has been wonderful and has packed the whole house since a lot of my time is consumed with feedings and i'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than Alyssa. I might not make the 3 week post on time since i dont know where we will be this time next week...a hotel still maybe but hopefully we will have found a place by then.
She's getting bigger everyday and is starting to realize she can move around. She is getting pretty squirmy and stretches out a lot now. we just love having her around!

1 week old!

I can't believe that Alyssa is already a week old. When I was pregnant the weeks were going by so slowly and now that shes here its going by so quickly. She is a great baby overall. She sleeps for 2-3 hour stretches at night, and is usually awake just long enough to eat. She is also getting better about sleeping in her pack and play when she does sleep, and not needing to be held to sleep. Although during the day she still gets held most of the time when she sleeps, but thats just because we can't stand to see her laying there looking so cute :). The breastfeeding is going decent. She has an extremely hard sucking reflex, so you can imagine there is some pain involved at the moment. But we went to a lactation consultant who helped a lot and just told us it usually doesn't feel too good at first. But shes getting plenty full and pooping tons so that means she is getting all that she needs. So overall, its going well too I guess.
At her 5 day checkup everything went well. She hasn't lost much weight from her birth weight (not quite 5 ounces) which is good. She has no traces of jaundice (she never did to begin with though).
As far as my recovery, I am doing really well too. I got a few stitches after the delivery so I haven't been quite as up and about and comfortable as I would like but I'm starting to feel about back to normal. My pre-pregnancy clothes are fitting, though by fitting I mean I can get into my jeans and all but they don't quite have the same fit yet. My weight isn't distributed quite the same as it was yet. I weighed 119 lbs today, 8 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. Good to be back in the teens. I ended up gaining 24 lbs total.
Dave and I are absolutely LOVING being parents and we both just always want to hold her. We just can't get over how beautiful of a baby the two of us made :). We are not overwhelmed at all.
Besides being a little tired, everything is perfect. We have been out and about with her and just love staring at her. We have been laying low the past few days since the first few were so hectic with dave's winging and all.
I have to go pick up my sweet girl, I can't stand watching her in her swing next to me...I need to go love on her.

Alyssa is here!!!

Wednesday September 10th at 12:44 pm Alyssa Paige Lewis was born! She was 7 lbs 0.4 ounces and was 18 inches long...such a little peanut. She is absolutely perfect and sweet as can be.
At 5 am Wednesday morning Dave and I arrived at the hospital to be induced. I was still 3 cm and 90% effaced when we got there and they started the pitocin around 5:30 am. They raise it in increments of 2 until they get to 20. It was raised to about 13 by 1030, I was having contractions but nothing painful. I felt them but Dave and I were just hanging out playing cards, waiting for the action to start. Most of our morning was spent listening to the lady next door screaming and cursing non-stop. The nurses and doctors kept reassuring us that she wasn't normal. At 1030 they checked me again, still only about 4 cm so they still did not consider me in true labor yet. They decided to break my water and continue to up the pitocin. As soon as they broke my water, I started to feel the contractions but i was still reporting them a 3 or 4 out of 10 on the pain scale. I reported a 5 or so a little before noon. Then at noon, what I would consider pain actually started. I started to have to breathe through the contractions and stop talking during them. By 1215 I was hurting really badly and said I was going to give into the epidural, which I did not want. The reason I was going to give in was because I figured I was still only around 4 cm and was going to be in that level of pain for like 8 hours more (since they told me on average it would take 12-14 hours once I was in true labor). Then like 2 minutes later I told Dave I had to push, I figured I didn't really have to but to get the doctor to come check me anyway. She checked me and to all of our surprise I was 10 cm and Alyssa was already on her way out. I started pushing and the nurses were telling me which pushes were good and which weren't as productive. So after I got the advice I asked the doctor how many more contractions would it be possible to get her out. She said if I did it right, 2. I said okay, it gave me a goal, I did it and got her out at 12:44 pm after 22 minutes of pushing. They had already called anesthesia, didn't have time to call back and cancel, so he showed up after Alyssa born. So it was obviously a little late, which was great since I really wanted all natural. The nurses and doctor said that I made it look really easy and for a first time mom it was incredibly quick. They also told me for my next baby to get to the hospital asap once I have a painful contraction since it went so quickly and make sure I tell my next doctor how quick it was so we could plan and not have the next baby in the car on the way to the hospital. So I'd say I was only in true pain, what I was thinking labor would be like, starting at about 12 and she was born 44 minutes later...so it was not bad at all. I was scared since people say pitocin makes labor so much more painful and the epidural was inevitable, but I did it 100% drug free...no epidural, no iv pains, no local.
Alyssa came out so perfect and didn't really even have a cone head shape since it was so quick. She has tons of dark hair and we're thinking she looks more like Dave, but its hard to tell right now. We got home from the hospital at 1045 am friday and then left for Dave's winging around 1145. We were out all day and she was wonderful. I'll try to keep posting pictures, we already have a million of her!

Not tonight

No induction tonight. maybe tomorrow at 5 am...maybe

Nothing yet...

No induction this morning. The labor and delivery floor is still too full. My doctor said they are discharging a few women this afternoon so i can probably be induced tomorrow morning at 5 am, but that still isn't a definite. I asked if I could come back tonight after the women were discharged, she said probably not but she'd check and call me back later tonight. I am not going to sleep tonight anyway, just like I didn't last night, so I might as well get this show on the road while I am less sleep deprived. I am 3-4 cm dilated and 90% effaced. My doctor said, again, "I can't believe you haven't had this baby yet". Me neither! I'll update more as I know more...

40 weeks!

so my due date has come...and just about gone. Still no Alyssa.
Dave and I went out on our last pre-baby date. It was nice, just the two of us. When we were out and about today, I was asked numerous times when I'm due. It was pretty crazy answering "today actually!". Although its going to be kind of frustrating tomorrow having to answer "yesterday". We cleaned the house today so we could bring Alyssa home to a nice clean house. We are so completely ready for her!
If i don't post again by tomorrow night, that should mean we are in the hospital getting induced. Hope and Pray we get induced tomorrow after my appointment!

39 weeks

only 1 week left (well 6 days technically, every day counts :))! Luckily we did not get evacuated over the weekend like we thought we were going to. I was hoping to go into labor since they say the low pressure of the hurricane can break your water. My doctor actually said they were way busier over the weekend with women in labor than usual but unfortunately the low pressure didn't do anything for me. It actually didn't even rain much here, so the hurricane was very uneventful for us here, which is a good thing i guess.
At todays appointment I was checked again and I progressed a little bit. I am still 2, almost 3, cm dilated but I am now 75% effaced and she has dropped to a 0 station , which is pretty low. I can tell she has dropped lower because I am having some sharp pains from her compressing nerves. My doctor said she definitely thought I would have gone into labor by now so this week she did not make any predictions for the next week. I have an appointment again next Tuesday at 9 am. I will be 40 weeks and 1 day. She said right now from the huge number of patients in labor and delivery that they had to open up another floor of the hospital to house everyone its so busy. And since my induction is elective, versus it needing to be done because of a health risk to me or the baby, that she can only induce me if theres room. She also has to get the induction approved by the OB docs working upstairs that day. So she told us to bring our bags and stuff to the appointment next Tuesday and if theres room upstairs, she will induce me after my appointment. So If i don't post by next Tuesday evening, I am probably being induced...keep your fingers crossed! I am a little disappointed though since I didn't think I was going to have to go past my due date. Now I am just hoping for 40 weeks and 1 day, which i know is only 1 day past my official due date, but like i said earlier in the post...1 day really counts at this point, each day seems like an eternity waiting for her. But if the induction isn't approved or there isn't room it could be even later, and I have no clue how much later. No matter what, they won't let people go past 42 weeks because of health risks to the baby, but i cant wait that long, I might just go crazy.
I still weigh 133 lbs (+22) so I've been the same for a few weeks now. She however is supposedly gaining 0.5 lbs a week...so every day that goes by just means a bigger baby to push out, although probably healthier so its okay I guess.
Just pray for a healthy and "easy" (as can be considering) delivery for us...and soon!

38 weeks

alright, so still no baby unfortunately. I went back to the doctor's this afternoon and I am still at 2-3 cm dilated and 50% effaced, which i had expected but hoped wouldn't be the case. Like I said awhile ago, I just have a feeling she will be in there until we force her out. Even though I don't know why, poor little thing looks and feels so cramped in there. Dave's been giving her pep talks to coax her out, she hasn't listened so far. I am getting "contractions" and I say it that way because I know I am getting them, however they don't hurt so thats just not what I have in my mind as a contraction. I can feel my belly get really tight to the touch, but there is no pain associated with them...yet. The doctor says they are real, but just weak, contractions since thats the cause of dilation/effacement. She stripped my membranes again, but i doubt it will work since it didn't last week. I weigh 133 (+22 lbs) so hopefully I will be able to stay away from crossing over into the 140's. When she was checking me, the doctor said she could feel hair on Alyssa's head...crazy how she can tell that and just the fact that she was touching her head is crazy as well!
There is absolutely nothing new now, just waiting and more waiting. Everything is completely ready for her and Dave and I are both pretty bored so we want her here to keep us company. One nice thing though is getting some time alone with Dave before the baby is born. He finished his last flight last Tuesday and is officially finished with flight school! Most of his classmates are standing watch most days as their 'job' until they wing and move but luckily Dave doesn't have to since the baby is so close to being here. They are letting him stay home with me instead of making us deal with him being away when I go into labor. Luckily the senior marine was out of the office and he talked to a high up Navy guy who approved this.
Everyone keep your fingers crossed that Alyssa makes her appearance early, I am so tired of being huge and pregnant and we just want to meet our little girl!

37 weeks

FULL TERM!!! Alyssa is now considered full term and ready to go!
I have finished making about 15 cloth diapers (not the old school kind that most people think of when they hear cloth diapers). They have velcro, elastic, a waterproof layer built in, etc. So we have 27 total including the ones that were bought for us. I copied off of them to make mine. I just need to wash them all to get them ready, even though we aren't going to start using them until we move to NC. I can't really wash diapers and all while we are traveling and staying in hotels. So she will wear the disposables we have gotten at baby showers for the first few weeks. The diapers are really neat and even 1 size fits all (8-35 ish lbs). I'm excited to use them and so is Dave actually. I saw a little boy in church yesterday with one of these diapers on and they looked so cute (and MUCH cheaper than disposables).
Ok and for those of you who don't want to hear the real pregnancy details, stop reading now...I had my 37 week appointment today and my doctor asked if I wanted her to check me for dilation, effacement, etc. She said she likes to wait another week or so because she didn't want me to get my hopes up and then have no progress, especially since this is my first pregnancy. I told her I am not expecting any progress yet so i wouldn't have any disappointment and to go ahead and check me. Well both her and I were very surprised to find that I am 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and her head had dropped low into my pelvis in position and ready to go! Since I was 2 cm she stripped my membranes (which you can only do if you are already dilated) to see if that would kick start labor soon. She said she wouldn't be surprised if I went into labor in the next week. This information kind of made dave freak out, I guess its finally becoming real to him that we are having a baby, and soon. I think he just wants to have his last flight over with to make things a little less hectic. However I am still not getting my hopes up and am going to mentally prepare myself for going another 3 weeks of being pregnant. But I am going to make sure I am a little more prepared for her and the labor, like putting our bags for the hospital in the car and getting her carseat installation properly checked out by someone who is certified. Even if i do go to 40 weeks and am induced, inductions are more successful when the mom has already started dilating and progressing on her own first, so thats good. We are going to start nightly walks to see if that helps me progress more starting wednesday night since Dave has his very last flight tomorrow night and wants to make sure its finished before the baby arrives. Again, not getting our hopes up, I am still expecting Sept 8th, but now I just need to be ready just in case. My appointment is on Tuesday next week so I'm going to wait until tuesday to post next week so I can give more progression details. I can't believe we are going to be able to kiss her sweet little face so soon (less than 3 weeks!)!

36 weeks

Less than a month to go now! I had my 36 week appointment today and it was just the routine weight, blood pressure, baby heart beat, and my belly measurement. I weigh 132 (21 pounds total now), her heart beat was 150 beats per minute, and my belly measured right where its supposed to (about 36 cm) . They also checked to make sure she is head down with ultrasound real quick, and she is. I saw my new doctor, who is so much nicer and actually has a good bedside manner. We discussed induction more because of Dave's winging situation and shes still okay with inducing at 40 weeks, maybe a few days before. I will probably wait until 40 weeks though to make sure I give her the time she needs to mature in there (although she is full term next week!).
Not too many complaints this week. I am not sleeping as well but they say thats the anxiety and excitement of it all being so close, plus the uncomfort of being huge. Speaking of comfort...I got a 1 hour pregnancy massage today before my appointment, a birthday present from Dave, and it was wonderful. He probably gave it to me so he could have the day off from all the rubbing I request from him. For my birthday a few weeks ago Dave actually did a relaxation theme, which was really sweet. I got a bath robe (vera wang, the only thing designer I own and he got it on clearance which made me proud!), 1 hour massage, a body pillow, and a back/foot massager. Dave only has 5 flights left (including tonight's flight) before he is officially a pilot! So by the end of this week, maybe early next week if weather doesn't cooperate, he will be finished with flight school! We think his winging date is going to be Sept 12th, 4 days after my due date, so we should have a big week! Baby on Monday, winging on Friday, move shortly after.

35 weeks

I had my 34 week appointment last week and was sent up to labor & delivery since they thought I had signs of pre-ecclampsia, all besides the fact that I have super low blood pressure. Everything was fine but better safe than sorry and plus I got an ultrasound which I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. OK so for those of you who haven't had much experience reading ultrasounds, you might not be able to see her little face at first. But once you see it, it looks just like a picture taken of her from outside the womb. The ultrasound tech labeled some of her parts in the pictures.
The picture without any labeling is the clearest one, which is why the tech didn't write on it. You can even see her little eyelashes! The picture is kind of taken from the front but more from the left side (if that makes any sense). You can see her closed left eye (but not right) and eyelashes, her nose(pretty much the whole thing although it is squished), and her mouth (mostly just the upper lip since her mouth is wide open).
The picture labeled 'nostrils' is taken from up under her nose. The little lump sticking up with the two dots is looking up her nose and you can kind of see her mouth and chin as well.
write a comment and ask for some clarification if you need it. Her face is pretty squished looking since shes pretty low and shoved down into my pelvis. She even looks kind of chubby in there. Seeing those pictures just makes me want to see her in person even more!
I also hit a new 'high' at my appointment, but unfortunately it was on the scale. I have officially crossed over into the 130's for the first time. Even though crossing over into the 120's was a new high as well, it wasn't as much of a shock since I have weighed in the teens before, so 120's wasn't too far away. At 34 weeks 3 days, my total weight gain is 20 lbs. At another 1 lb a week or so I should end up right around 25-30 lbs gain total, which will hopefully keep me away from crossing over into the 140's, we'll see.
I am going to start having doctor appointments every week now and I just switched doctors since I really didn't like my other one. I packed our bags for the hospital over the weekend and Dave put her carseat in the car. They say to do it one month in advance and thats all I have left! I could tell from the ultrasound and her movements how squished she is getting in there. I can often see a butt sticking up on one side of my belly, making me lopsided, and then a pointy foot sticking out on the other side. And she sure does have a pointy little foot, she hurts me and makes me jump sometimes when she sticks her little foot out there. I'm not sure when my new doctor is going to start checking for progress, hopefully soon! But I have a feeling that she is going to stay in me until we force her out. She is going to be stubborn like her mom and dad so the induction will probably happen at or a little after 40 weeks (this is just a feeling though, absolutely no medical evidence to back it up). I'm still hoping to go into labor on my own though, but only time will tell.

34 weeks!

Just about 8 months pregnant now! We have stuck with the same name for a while now so we decided to let everyone know... Alyssa Paige Lewis will be here in 6 weeks! One of the reasons we didn't tell people until now is because people were way too opinionated about what we were naming our baby. If you like it, please don't hesitate to let me know. However, when we were just throwing around names people were like 'no, don't name her that, i don't like that'. It really shocked me people would say stuff like that to me. So if anyone doesn't like it, too bad, thats her name anyway :).
She is still doing great...active and constant hiccups. I think I am getting those Braxton Hicks contractions more which is good, means the end is near. Still no stretch marks (knock on wood) and the doctor said if i didn't have them by now, I shouldn't get them. I sure hope she is right. I am not as uncomfortable as I was last week, so I guess it just depends on the day. She is either hurting my back or my ribs, not sure which is better. Its been switching on and off between the two which is good though since each gets a break for a few days.
I had another baby shower on Saturday (Thanks Michelle!) which was great. There wasn't too much left on the registry, just all the little ticket items, but ones we really needed. We got them all and I don't think there is anything left we have to have before we bring her home! Thank you to everyone that came, I had a really good time! I still want to find a little bow though since the ultrasound tech said she had hair. I may try a little headband but i hate the ones that leave the marks on the baby's head. And the bow must be smaller than her actual head. But thats not an essential. So now we have everything besides her! I am getting impatient, I want her here so bad!

33 weeks

I'm ready! She's not quite ready I'm sure so thats the one and only reason I'm not. She needs to get a little bigger and stronger in there but other than that, I am ready to have her here. People ask me all the time if I'm tired of being pregnant yet. My answer was no until a few days ago. For the last few days in a row, the answer would be yes. My back hurts often and after a long day of being up and around too much, my ankles don't feel too great either. I do love feeling her squirm around in there but I'm sure I'll love having her out even more. I am also ready because we got her car seat in the mail last week and that was our last big thing we needed before her arrival. I am going to strap it into the car in a week or two since they say to do it early just in case.
I am also ready because I am starting to feel huge and don't like it. I'm getting kind of anxious to lose the baby weight already yet I find myself eating more and going to the gym less. I am just listening to my body and baby and giving them what they need for now, but am looking forward to 7 weeks from now when I can start losing some of it.
Time has been flying which is good. We had company this past weekend and more to come this week so that should help the time go by. Also, I think that we have a name picked out and Dave has been wanting to tell people now so I'll probably post it next week. I'm just not finished writing it and saying it in every way possible to make sure it works well!
I found a new little pregnancy ticker (the thing at the top of the page) which is really neat. It gives updates as to how big the average baby is at this stage. No wonder she hurts me sometimes when she kicks, she's getting big! I just want to see her and hold her, and we will soon!

32 weeks!

This past weekend we went to our childbirth preparation class. It was Saturday from 8 am-4pm. I was quite exhausted which is why I look kinda rough in the pictures, plus it was taken at like 11 pm. There was some good information in the class but it could have been held in a much shorter session. We opted for the one long session over the hour long ones once a week for 6 weeks so we could make sure Dave would be able to be there for the entire thing. One of the OB delivery doctors did come and we got to ask a bunch of questions which was helpful. I think I asked 75% of the questions for the entire class. They taught Dave how to give counterpressure to my back during labor and some massaging techniques. And for those of you who know me well know that I LOVE to be rubbed, so that part was good. I think Dave will be rubbing me the entire time I am in labor since nothing relaxes me more. I don't understand those people who don't like to be rubbed. I can't get enough and thats one day that I think I am allowed to request it ALL day long and I'm actually kind of excited for it!
Why do they make maternirty clothes assuming people are going to gain 60 pounds? As you may be able to tell from the pictures, I have semi-given into maternity clothes. I have 2 pairs of maternity capris from target since getting into my jeans at this point is probably completely hopeless. They don't have the big panel, they just sit under my belly but they are huge. I had to put safety pins in the back so they dont fall down. I bought a few tee shirts too but they are still too big and with the long shirt styles in now, some of my pre-pregnancy shirts are still working for me. But I am not happy about giving into those 2 pairs of pants, mostly just because they don't fit well and therefore I don't like how I look in them. Oh well, only 8 more weeks to worry about that!
The baby gets the hiccups probably 5 times a day and they last for like 15 minutes each time. They (but not her:)) drive me crazy. Its just like a rhythmic bouncing of my belly. They say hiccups don't bother babies so at least hopefully they aren't driving her crazy as well. She keeps getting more and more reactive. Dave continues to poke at my belly to wake her up and it surely works.
We ordered her car seat last week and a few cloth diapers as well. We're just about ready for her arrival!

31 weeks

I figured I would put up another bare belly picture since they really show it off the best. I also took 2 pictures with my shirt over my belly and it really does look so much bigger bare. I tried photoshopping them next to each other to show the difference but I'm not that good with computers. These days, my bare belly really looks different depending on the position the baby is in. It can be lopsided, packed down to the bottom, etc. You can see in the picture that she is a little lopsided to the right and just poked out to the front. A lot of people tell me it looks like a boy from the way I am carrying her, like I have a watermelon in there. Either way, its getting large!
I figured I would show off the bare belly while its still "pretty", meaning no stretch marks or anything yet. Although I do have that 'line nigra' (vertical line down my belly) or whatever its called but that supposedly goes away right after delivery so it doesn't bother me. I still have my belly button, which I can't believe. It still isn't even completely flat. Although she does kick it sometimes and makes it pop outwards a little, but once she moves it goes back in.
I am getting pretty anxious for her arrival. I have been smocking her little dresses in all of my free time (LOTS/too much free time). I am SO bored, but I know that will only last 9 more weeks so i guess i should try to enjoy it.
I went to the doctor again last week. Everythings still going well. I was put on an iron supplement since I was slightly anemic, which is pretty common during pregnancy. But she seems to be doing great, we all are!
(The slideshow of the dresser is still up but its located under all of the posts now, so just scroll down if you want to take a look)

30 weeks!

I can't believe I'm in the 30's! Nothing new this week, besides some more growth of course. I am just starting to get a little uncomfortable though. But i guess its not as much uncomfortable as it is different. For example, I kind of have to roll to the side to get out of bed as opposed to using my ab muscles to sit up then stand. I also realized today as I was attempting to run to my car in the pouring rain that I can't really run to my car anymore. First of all I was afraid of slipping, second I was worried I was shaking her around too much. But all of this just gets me excited since it means I'm hitting the home stretch!
She is still active as can be and is acting more and more like a little person in there. The other morning Dave's first alarm went off (at 430 am) so he got out of bed but forgot to turn off the 2nd alarm he had set, which happens to be the loudest alarm I've ever heard. I was semi awake and the baby was being still. The second alarm when off and it must have scared her because she jumped like she never had before. She rolled and tumbled for about 20 minutes afterwards until finally she calmed down so I could go back to sleep. It just made me think of her as such a little person. Although I felt really bad she got scared!
We are getting pretty close to a name for our little girl. I think we might have one but we aren't quite positive enough to announce it yet. If we stay on this name for a few weeks without question, we'll let people know what it is.

29 weeks

We had our ultrasound this afternoon and got triple confirmation that she is in fact a little girl! Two different ultrasound tech students performed an ultrasound for 30 minutes each and her little girl parts were very very obvious. Now I can take the tags off of all the little girl clothes and wash them. I'm excited, now I can smell like Dreft again tomorrow! I have also already started smocking her some little dresses for the winter.
She was pretty still during the ultrasounds, which was good (but rare) since the techs were taking an exam as they scanned me so I'm glad she behaved for them and they didn't have to chase her around. Since they were only students, the measurements they took were all over the place but we could see most of her little body parts at some point. Her face however was faced towards my back so the best we could get was a sort of profile picture. But her little heart looked great and so did the rest of her! We did find out one really good piece of information, she is not breech! I was afraid she would stay breech like she was at my 22 week ultrasound, but she flipped! That puts my mind at ease a little bit since her being breech would have probably resulted in a C-Section if she didn't flip. I had a feeling she had flipped though since there is a little body part constantly under my right rib, and I thought it might be a little foot. When the supervising ultrasound tech teacher scanned me she said that she had hair. I didn't think you could tell that from an ultrasound but we'll see in 11 weeks. I'm going to bring a little bow to the hospital with me when I deliver just in case she does!
I had my 28 week appointment last week. In the past few visits I was measuring about a week smaller than i should be but she must have had a growth spurt becuase I measured at 28 weeks this appointment, right on track. Her growth spurt isn't surprising becuase my belly has sure had a growth spurt lately. As of 28 weeks 2 days I had gained 14 lbs which I am happy with. I should be right on track to gain the recommended 25-35 lbs at delivery. As long as she is healthy, it doesn't matter to me anyway!

28 weeks!

The weeks are actually going by pretty quickly now. I am starting to have doctors appointments more often and we have all of our classes in the next month. With all of this going on, i feel like the time will fly. And we have another ultrasound scheduled for next monday! Its at an ultrasound tech training school and they allow you to bring in a videotape and record the entire ultrasound. After we get double confirmation she's a girl I am going to take the tags off of the new little girls clothes to wash them. I already started washing all of the unisex clothes today. My hands smell like baby from using the dreft...smells SO good!
I started washing the clothes because the dresser and changing table are complete! They look awesome! I also bought some baskets the other day for the changing table and I fixed them up a little (added the green trim and bows) so they match the nursery decor perfectly. If you click on the slide show, it will play enlarged in a different window.
The side picture this week really shows off my belly. I specifically wore that outfit for the weekly picture since it hugs the curves of my body/belly and its super comfortable as well. I'm waiting for her to kick my belly one day and my belly button to just pop out. Its still in but its starting to get pretty flat, so i dont know if it really qualifies as an innie anymore.
I've decided 40 weeks is too long to wait for something that is so highly anticipated and wanted. I've always loved babies and couldn't wait to have them. And now i don't have to wait much longer!

27 weeks

I am officially in my 3rd trimester now! only 13 weeks left! Nothing too new to update, just growing as usual. She gets stronger by the day, she gets some little body part up under my right rib a lot and i have to push her out of there so she doesn't hurt me. Its starting to feel like she is a real little baby in there instead of just a fetus. She responds to us now, which is really neat. If you poke/push at her she will kick back in the same spot, probably just to tell us to get off of her but we think its cute. Its fun though to know she can respond already. Since she is so active, if i don't feel her for an hour or so it worries me so i can just give my belly a little tap and she will respond with a kick back which is comforting. Dave tries pushing on her to wake her up all the time so she'll kick him. He always seems to try it in bed before we go to sleep, i tell him this is the time we want her to sleep.
I am starting to get anxious for her arrival. I met someone at the pool the other day who had her little girl 2 months early, so it kind of hit me that its possible she could be here really soon. Although i hope and im sure she will be in there for another 13 weeks, I am very organized and hate to procrastinate so I am feeling the urge to get everything ready for her. I put together the swing and am starting to buy the left over items on our registry. The building/sanding stage of the dresser is complete, Dave is outside staining it right now. It looks really good! Its a full sized dresser instead of a baby one so she can use it when she gets older as well. Dave may build a new dresser for each child as a little something special for them. He will be a pro at furniture building after we finish having kids. I'll post a picture of the finished product soon.

26 weeks

I am 6 full months now! I can't believe how fast the 2nd trimester has gone. I am just about out of it and into the 3rd already. I can tell since I am starting to feel the weight of my big belly on my back more and more. And I know, its only going to get bigger...a lot bigger. Just this past weekend, for the first time, 2 separate strangers asked me about being pregnant! Its exciting to know that I look pregnant now to the general public, enough so they feel comfortable to ask.
I have been feeling pretty well in general, all besides the fact that my GERD (acid reflux) has flared up. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later since acid reflux is common during pregnancy to begin with. Its a good night when i only have to sleep at about a 45 degree angle instead of completely sitting up at a 90 degree. oh well, she's well worth it :).
Dave assembled the remaining 3 drawers for the dresser today, although they are not in the actual frame of the dresser yet, the hard part is finished. We bought some stain today for it as well. It shouldn't take too much more time. Just sand and stain and fill with clothes!
Its starting to get pretty hot here so we've been spending a lot of time at the pool on base. Dave loves the big water slide, he waits in line to use it with all the other kids! Since we will probably be there most Saturdays from now on, my weekly pictures will be in a bathing suit for the most part (better to show the true belly anyway). I will have to be in one of two bathing suits every week since they are the only ones that fit now. I plan on buying a maternity tankini once i give into maternity clothes...

25 weeks

nothing much new to update this week. I feel like my belly gets bigger by the day and I know the growth is going to continue at a more rapid pace since I am almost in my 3rd trimester. Given the rapid growth of my belly, I have officially retired the top button of all pre-pregnancy jeans. I wore the last pair on friday night and she doesn't like being squished so I'm going to have to start wearing that belly band or use the little hair tie trick on the top button. Still no maternity pants though, I'm boycotting as long as possible.
We registered for the birthing class, breastfeeding class, and infant/child CPR class last week. Our summer is going to be full of classes and doctors appointments since after my next appt they move to every 2 weeks instead of 4. I'm excited since that means I'm coming up towards the end and meeting her but my doctor is about 45 minutes away so those frequent appts will get old really quick I feel.
Dave is at a standstill with the dresser since he has his first flight in a helicopter tomorrow, he's been using his spare time to study. Not too much left on it though when he finds the time.
Oh and you can see my new haircut in the pictures. I did not tell her to cut it that short but hair dressers always seem to go scissor happy. I guess that's what I get for paying $14 dollars for a haircut. I'm still getting used to it but Dave likes it. Who cares, its hair, it grows.

24 weeks

i had my 24 week appointment today and everything went well. Her heartbeat sounds good and I'm gaining the weight i should. After looking over my 22 week ultrasound the doctor said she is leaving my due date at September 8th. She said there is a 2 week window of what is 'average' size and shes in it, just slightly on the lower side. and i am measuring to match her size which is good. and hey, thats fine with me...hopefully that way she'll be a little easier to push out come September. Dave and I have always said that we want our girls to have my height and our boys to have his. So i guess shes right on track for that.
The picture this week shows off how nice and big my belly is getting. i still have my innie belly button and should for at least a few more weeks. i didn't realize that its normal for it to pop out in the 5th month. I'll enjoy my innie while it lasts. My belly is now constantly growing and I can feel it in my lower back and feet already. I'm going to be hurting come the end of August in the Florida heat/humidity.
She is still kicking non-stop and actually is as i write this which is right on time considering its about 6:30 here. She's awake and kicks on a schedule...6 am, 1030 am, 230 pm, 630 pm, 1030 pm and I'm sure sometime during the night but only the 6 am one wakes me up. I wish she would keep this nice schedule once she's born, but i know thats just wishful thinking.
Dave is making progress on her dresser. The frame is finished and it has 2 (Dave's working on #3 now) out of 5 drawers in place. Its almost ready for me to start putting all of her little clothes in although they'll probably only fill one drawer since her clothes are so tiny!
We will meet her in 16 weeks (no more than 17 since my doctor said she induces at 41 weeks)! Its crazy how soon that is, we can't wait!

23 weeks

I posted another copy of the ultrasound picture below (scroll down to the very bottom of the page) with some little labels to make it more clear what is what. i know ultrasounds are kind of hard to read so here is some help for some of you. it is a profile picture of just her face. I was starting to get frustrated when people told me they couldn't tell what everything is, her little face is just so clear and cute to me :).
The past week has been really busy, which is why i am updating the blog a few days later than usual. I went to MD for my cousins wedding and had to shove a 23 week belly and 2 other growing objects into a size 2 bridesmaid dress. As you will see from the pictures, it zipped...barely, but it did and everything went great. i could even breathe a little bit. However, the pictures from Saturday wont be up for a few more days. The pictures are on my mom's camera and i even printed them off and put them on a cd so i could update the blog when i got home. But i left them in my moms car in MD so as soon as I get them in the mail, I'll post them.
It was a big growth week for the baby and me as you will see. Maybe just me since i think all I did while I was home was eat. My belly is starting to take on more of a rounded shape verses a beer gut/bloated shape, which is good. I'm ready to look unmistakably pregnant rather than people thinking maybe she's pregnant or maybe she's just packed on a few pounds. I still haven't had a stranger say anything to me yet but I'm definitely looking pregnant to those who know me.
I also wanted to thank everyone who came to my baby shower on Monday. I got lots of great baby gear and tiny little clothes! Dave and I really appreciate everything!

It's a Girl!

we had our ultrasound this evening and they told us that it's a girl! Dave and I both had a feeling it was a girl so it just confirmed what we thought. Now I can look forward to dressing her all up in dresses and bows :). She also looked very healthy according to the tech and also quite active. She moved the entire time which was good so we could determine the sex but the ultrasound tech had to chase her around the whole time. The entire picture would not download but the portion with her cute little profile did. You can see the eye sockets, nose, mouth, and her little arm in the background. We also have a picture of the evidence (between the legs) but Dave doesn't want anyone seeing those parts of his little girl :).
They did however say she was measuring small. She was estimated at just under 1 pound and not quite sure how long. So I'm not sure if they are going to move my due date farther back, pretty much back to where it was before. Or maybe she is just a petite little girl, we're not sure since we won't see the doctor until the 19th. I'm going to have like 5 different due dates by the end of this pregnancy. So early to mid september is about all i know for sure.
We have talked about names but we aren't deciding for sure until she is born. I love talking about "her" not "it". We are so excited to know for sure that its our little girl in there growing and kicking around!

22 weeks

so the pictures this week...I look nice and pregnant from the front but for some reason i couldn't get a bigger belly picture from the side. so from the side i think i have more of a belly. its weird how some days i look more pregnant than others. water weight or something? i'm not sure.
Hopefully tomorrow night we will have big news, the sex of the baby! I just hope the baby isn't too modest and will keep its little legs wide open and kicking. It will be nice to be able to call the baby "he" or "she" instead of "it", "the little one", "the baby", etc. Its going to be a long day tomorrow since I have to wait until 6:15 pm for my appt. I feel like a little kid on Christmas. We are also just excited to see the baby again since the last ultrasound was at 10 weeks. I'll repost tomorrow night!

almost 21 weeks

I went to the doctor today and found out that i have pretty much skipped almost a week of pregnancy. My new doctor is going back to my due date of September 8th. It was originally the 8th but my previous doctor moved the date after an early on ultrasound said the baby's measurements were a few days smaller. The new doctor says the baby wasn't small enough to change the due date since they base those measurements off of averages which have a plus or minus 7 day window. So i thought i was almost 20 weeks pregnant and it turns out I am close to 21 weeks. We'll see how the baby measures at my ultrasound on the 5th!
I think I am going to keep taking pictures on Saturdays since i know Dave's always around to take it. So that makes this Saturday's picture 20 weeks 5 days instead of 20 weeks. Not too much different, just means we hopefully get to see the little one a few days sooner. And it makes me feel better that my pre-pregnancy clothes are still buttoning and fitting a week later than i thought they were. I think some of the jeans are going to stop buttoning pretty soon though.
Dave is currently making the baby's dresser. He already made a changing table which is now finished, except for the stain. Its exciting having something baby in the house. It even has one sample diaper and sample baby lotion on it (and that even smells like baby :)). Thats all for now, nothing too new and exciting. Over half way there now!

19 weeks

Here is Saturday's picture at 19 weeks! I am definitely starting to grow as is the baby. Its kicks are getting really strong as well. There is no mistaking them for anything else. Whenever i lay down slightly propped up, it kicks me non-stop. Dave was able to feel it kick for the first time today, at least the first non-mistakable kicks. Hes been trying for about 2 weeks (ever since i've felt it) but today the little one was going crazy with kicking so Dave was able to feel it multiple times as were some friends we were with!
I go to my 20 week appointment this Thursday but unfortunately since we just moved I couldn't get my ultrasound appointment that is supposed to accompany the 20 week appointment until May 5th. So that is the day we find out the sex, as long as the baby cooperates and keeps its little legs open.
I am feeling SO much better these days, no more nausea, headaches, exhaustion etc. Well Dave's nightly snoring still leaves me exhausted most days but luckily i can nap if needed. I get backaches and sore feet but luckily Dave gives a good rub :). With Dave and I being able to feel the kicking plus me feeling well again we are both getting really excited and the stress level has gone way down. Its finally feeling 'real'...we're going to be parents in only 21 weeks from now!