twenty weeks.

i'm half-way there! me and my baby are getting to be best friends. it's the most wonderful thing. i feed baby yummy food and it kicks me in the stomach. it's the best. i give my cantaloupe half my oxygen and it gives me acid reflux. i love it more than anything. we like to take walks and eat popsicles together. we also like to indo board together (don't worry, i focus really hard). this baby is going to have awesome balance and boarding skills. we like cuddle. we like it so much we do it all time actually. my sweet little thing still lets me jump and do really high ninja kicks, but won't let me bend over without grunting.

this picture was taken in the parking lot of the doctors office, right after we found out if we were having a little boy or girl! it was the most wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and special experience. i'm in love.

announcement is soon to follow...

may 16: first appointments!

;may 16, 2011:

first ultrasound. was. amazing. incredible. breathtaking. oh sigh... these words are so inadequate. after the tornado i suddenly wasn't sick anymore... at all. it worried me a little bit. is there really a baby in there? but i didn't have any other adverse signs or symptoms so i just said, "my flight or fight system is kicking in. i don't have time to be sick right now!" i just hoped everything was okay.

we went to our mother's class. it was cancelled twice due to tornado issues, but we finally made it! it was soo cheesy. and straight out of the movies. and the best. people have the funniest questions. i went straight from work so i was just really tired and wanted to go home and go to sleep. we talked about what's okay and what's not, they gave us a WIC and an insurance shpiel, and then they drew my blood. i was so brave. i'm not used to being on the other side of the needle! dan was one of the few husbands in the class. there were 3 out of probably 20 women. i was so happy to have his handsome self there with me. we loved to laugh about how funny people are. after the class we stopped by city cafe for some biscuits and gravy and hashbrowns. we are just so southern now, aren't we? it was... divine! as always.

our ultrasound and doctors appointment was on may 11th at 1:30 pm. my doctor's name is James Sid Smith. half the reason i picked him is because of his name. my dad is Syd James, he is James Sid... so he's got to be a good guy, right?!? and of course i did my research and he comes well recommended! he's young. and sweet. we really like him. so we got to our appointment and just marvelled at all the ladies around us in the waiting room: pregnant with children, pregnant with babies, pregnant without babies, daughter and mother, lady and man... i was yet again thankful to be there as husband and wife. my dad wasn't kidding about the blessings of doing things in the right place at the right time! we filled out a history form with the funniest questions and then waited. and waited. and waited as we browsed through baby magazines and i ripped out recipes that i'm just sure i couldn't live without.

then my name was called... we jumped up out of our seats and followed the lady back. we hurried straight down the hall to a dark room. "lay down on the table..." before i knew it there was jelly on my belly and i was staring at a large flat screen tv. the ultrasound machine made a soothing noise that was almost like calming music. so between that and the darkness i was feeling very serene. BESIDES the fact that i reallly wasn't sure if there was a baby in there or not. so she starts slider the little feeler device around my belly and the screen was just grey and fuzzy with no sense. then, in the most magical moment, we saw him! at the exact same moment dan and i gasped as it literally took our breaths away. he was moving. he was wiggling. he was waving his arms and kicking his legs. he was alive. he was inside me. he was real. he was a baby! (i say he because i kind of having a feeling it's a boy, but really i have no idea. and i don't like to refer to the baby as "it"... so for now, it's he.) tears immediately started streaming down my face. it was suddenly real. for the first time it felt real. there is a baby inside me, a real live person. and it is up to me to nurture him and love him and help him grow and be healthy. i know he is healthy and strong because he made it through a tornado and a week of snack packs, no prenatal vitamins, and working outside while i was in survival mode. i know he's strong. he has a strong spirit.

his heart beat was 175 beats per minute. perfect. his heart beat was regular and normal. my heart is literally sustaining another heart. there are two hearts beating in my body right now. i love his little heart. we could have stayed in there forever. just watching him in disbelief. she snapped a few pictures and took me i was 9 weeks and 2 days pregnant. she could tell by measuring him... he was 7 cm long. he is on my right side. i knew he was because every once in a while he would let me know he's there by sending a little sharp pain my way. i felt like i had such the motherly sense when i knew he really was on my right side. :) first maternal instinct! she printed out our pictures and we marvelled as we sat in the waiting room and waited some more.

the nurse then called me back and checked my blood pressure: 110/70. i'm healthy! so happy and thankful. weight: 127. we'll keep our eye on that. we met with our doctor and got to know him a little bit. the appointment went well! i am healthy. baby is healthy. everything is on track. so thankful. so blessed.

next appointment: june 8...

eighteen weeks

feeling great. feeling little tiny mini baby kicks. feeling love.

sweet nothings

"your elastic looks tight... like, you have bulges on both sides."

THANKS DAN.

better better

it's amazing what six days off work can do. six days to be a wife and a full-time baby-grower!my baby is the size of a sweet potato right now. that's soooo big! i haven't "felt" my little sweet potato yet, but i do oftentimes get random pains and vibrations and stuff that are probably the baby but i just can't distinguish yet. and if i do think i kind of feel something (which i actually am right now) and dan's not around i will ignore it because i want him to be there for the first kick. according to thebump...

"Baby's become amazingly mobile, passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing."

that sounds like fun. and tiring. i have spent the last week at home, loving every minute making dinners and playing games with my hubby. i even went to the gym twice! and worked out! woah. go me! i feel so hard core in there with my spandex. i love it because i have an excuse not to push myself and get too out of breath. i just enjoy my workout and walk on the incline. it's great. the UA rec center is the bombbb. swimming is the best workout anyways...

we went to the doctor yesterday. blood pressure was 120/70 (so happy about that). weight was 134.5 and the doctor said "you are gaining about a pound per week, which is healthy but we don't want you to gain any more weight than that..." THANKS. somebody needs to "lay off the ice cream..." but i knew i didn't really weigh that much. i went to the gym and i weighed 132.5. thank youuu dr smith. the baby's heart rate was 144 and still beating in there!! such sweet moments. that was the extent of the entire visit. oh, and the usual void in a cup to pass through the whole in the wall. if i had a UTI i think they would be the first to know about it.

our big ultrasound is june 25th. that means we get to see our baby. see the fingers and toes and see if we are having a little rambunctious, red-headed rachy or a bright-eyed baby danny. so thrilled about it either way. (although i am getting a girl vibe)

dan is the ever so studious. he has a whole MCAT study plan he created. he studies three chapters a day and takes practice tests every monday. i'm so proud of him. he is also taking two classes this semester! raquetball and weight lifting. he bamboozles everybody with his racquetball skills (typical) and weight lifting... not his favorite but he's doing great. vin diesel body here we come!

we are craigslist fiends and have almost gotten all the furniture for our new apartment.

futon - $80

loveseat & ottoman- free

tv stand - $40

coffee table & 2 side tables - $40

2 lamps - $10

we take joy in furnishing our apartment for what most people would pay for one sofa. &i'm currently in the process of making a bean bag chair. it's going to be the crowning joy of my life so far. so all we need now is a dresser and maybe a floor lamp. we'll need to buy some organizing shelf/drawer things when we get there, but we have most of the big stuff.

so, why was the loveseat and ottoman free you wonder? here's how the story goes. we found a "loveseat and ottoman - $50" that we liked. it was oversized and soft and comfy looking. the ottoman opens up and is a secret hiding place and the couch part turns into a little bed! how sweet and multi-functional. and it wasn't a hideous floral pattern! it's white and greyish tan pinstripe. so we emailed them and told them we'd like to come look at it. they replied and we decided for the coming monday. they emailed us back and said "i think my wife knows you..." turns out the lady was dan's statistics teacher from last semester (of the tornado) and she had known what happened and they wanted to give it to us for free.

"the universe does make sense" :]

life is stressful sometimes.

this past week has been hard. work is so overwhelming and stressful sometimes. for nine hours a day, eight nights in a row... i have to be everybody's everything. i have to meet the needs and wants of all patients at once, and more. i give. and give. and give. with a smile on my face, always being professional as can be. and rarely get anything in return. it gets old. there is only so much i can i do for you. the eighty-something year old, frail, sickly little man who was livid at me because he was cold and in pain. i am trying to do absolutely everything i can for you. but you won't let me. you do not want to take your pain medication. you will not let me get you another blanket. you will not me switch you to a warmer room. you are not satisfied. so what do you do with your angry little 106 pound body? you yell at me! "listen hear, you maid!" maid?! really?! that's a first. they are a little frazzling at times.

it's hard to always have to stay professional and polite. sometimes i just want to scream and talk back and run away and be completely dramatic and ridiculous. it would be the best thing in the world.

i guess it's a good job. i provide for all of our wants and needs, with some to spare. i learn about everything. pneumonia, drug overdoses, schizophrenia, snake bites, surgeries, strokes, and anything else you can think of. this week i've started iv's, put an nasogastric tube down, put in a catheter, and of course the never-ending shots, medications, and stethoscopes. it doesn't get much more nurse than that, does it?!

for the first time in my life i have had insomnia. it is the worst curse. worst curse! i am a girl who hardly functions on anything less than eight hours sleep. three two hour naps is not cutting it. unless cutting it means making me absolutely miserable... then it's cutting it. my sweet little onion loves to make me to go to the bathroom every three hours.

dan has been studying every day for the mmm-cat. he is wonderful and i love him no matter what. besides that, we are trying to furnish our whole apartment with only craigslist/thrift store finds. we figure if we're moving in a year anyway, why bother?! we will just sell it all anyways and start over again probably.

besides that, he is trying to politely convince our apartment managers that their insurance should cover this unfortunate event! ... (they do not agree)

the other day we were having one of our typical afternoon thunderstorms. it wasn't even raining, just thundering and a little windy. dan was studying and heard a big noise so he looked outside and this huge car length branch had broken off the tree in our front yard and landed on our car. {our new, post-tornado car} ... REALLY??!! wow. we are the best at wind damage. it was the only damage in site. the only tree or branch or anything down... of course. we both just laughed. large dents and scratches and wood impaled into the car. do we just have bad luck? Heavenly Father realllly wants to teach us a lesson....

DO NOT CARE ABOUT ANY MATERIAL POSSESSIONS!

at all. they are not important and do not matter. they just get in the way of what really does matter.

if you don't think i'm serious... even ask my 13 year old self...

just worry about each other. and eating ice cream and fruit together. and swimming. and you will be happy.