28 week ultrasound

Here are some photos from Owens 28 week ultrasound. Unfortunately we were not able to get any great pictures because FORTUNATELY he is so big! He is 2.9 pounds and approximately 16 inches long! He is already in the head down position, and very low so it was really difficult to see his face. It makes me laugh that he is already head down and ready because that is exactly how his father would be, always early and very prepared for an event! :) If you click on the pictures they will get bigger (unless you receive this via email or google reader, you will have to go to the actual blog site to make the photos larger). Don't feel bad though if you can not tell what you are looking at, the pictures are difficult to figure out!

Here is his cute face! He kept opening and closing his mouth the whole time. He always kept touching his face with his little hands. I was also able to see his stomach and bladder which were full of fluid which is good- it means he is properly drinking!
His spine. His back is all along my stomach and the cause of this weird belly button I am getting!
Legs. Don't worry. I can not tell this is his legs either. But on the live shots his legs were very active and all over the place. They are currently pointing up and playing around/in my ribs!
Proof that he is still a boy! It took the technician a LONG time to get this shot so I figured I would post it. Because he is so cramped in there right now it was very difficult to get a good look at his "parts". No doubt he is still a boy though! :)

And this is just a fun pic of me trying to rock Maggie in our new rocker. She wanted nothing to do with it AT ALL!

John in the dog house

I cant remember why John put himself in the dogs crate last week, with the dogs. But it seems post worthy!
It truly is so much easier when he just puts himself in there! :o)

28 week belly

As promised, here is my 28 week belly shot!

28 weeks along

I am truly not sure about these food references anymore. My information says that baby is now the size of a cantaloupe.I am assuming this means weight wise because baby is 2.5ish pounds. Here is what my information has to say about baby...

"Eyebrows and eyelashes are now present, and the hair on the head is growing. The eyelids open, and the eyes are completely formed. The body is getting plumper and rounder (weighs about 2.5pounds and 15 3/4 inches long) and is composed of around 2 to 3% body fat. Muscle tone is gradually improving. The lungs are capable of breathing air but if the baby is born now, it would struggle to properly breathe. Be sure to talk to your baby a lot because Welcome to the third trimester ~ the period of leg cramps, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, itchy skin, aches and pains, swelling, heartburn, indigestion and . . . your baby's arrival! Your uterus is around 3 inches above your navel; average weight gain is between 17 and 24 pounds at this point. If you haven't had a glucose tolerance test yet to test for gestational diabetes, your care provider may order one this week.s/he can recognize your voice now!"

Well I have not done the recommended weight gain yet, but I am working on it. I am hovering right around my pre-pregnancy weight right now. My doctor said weight gain does not count until I get over that pre-pregnancy weight, so hopefully soon!!!

Today I have an appointment with my OB. She is testing me for gestational diabetes like mentioned above. This means I get to drink a really sugary drink and then get blood taken. If I "fail" this test then I will be sent in for a 3 hour test which i guess looks a little deeper.Hopefully things will be just fine though (especially right before the holidays!)

Today I am also getting my Rhogam shot. Here is some information on this shot:

Most people are Rh positive. This factor does not effect your health except during pregnancy.
A woman is at risk when she has a negative Rh factor (which I do, as I have the blood type Onegative) and her partner has a positive Rh factor (which John does). This combination can produce a child who is Rh positive. While the mother's and baby's blood systems are separate there are times when the blood from the baby can enter into the mother's system. This can cause the mother to create antibodies against the Rh factor, thus treating an Rh positive baby like an intruder in her body. If this happens the mother is said to be sensitized.
A sensitized mother's body will make antibodies. These antibodies will then attack an Rh positive baby's blood, causing it to breaking down the red blood cells of the baby and anemia will develop. In severe cases this hemolytic disease can cause illness, brain damage and even death. Hemolytic disease can be prevented for many women, if they are not already sensitized. Rh immunoglobulin (RhIg) is a blood product given via injection to help the Rh negative mother by suppressing her ability to react to the Rh positive red cells. Reactions to the medication are generally minor, including soreness at the injection sight and sometimes a slight fever.
Since a small number of unsensitized women may have problems with the end of pregnancy, many practitioners recommend that she be given an injection of RhIg (also known as Rhogam) at 28 weeks gestation, to prevent the few cases of sensitization that occur at the end of pregnancy. Each dose of RhIg lasts about 12 weeks. The mother will also be given RhIg within 72 hours of birth if the child is Rh positive. The baby's blood type can be determined easily after birth by cord blood samples.

Goodness there sure is a lot to worry about during pregnancy!!!

This past week was pretty rough. I definitely had the flu and I am not too proud to admit that there were many times that I was curled up in a ball crying my eyes out. I am also REALLY HORMONAL (watch out everyone!) Finally by Saturday evening I started feeling significantly better.

I did learn that I unfortunately can no longer eat Mexican food!! I had lunch with a friend last week and came home completely miserably ill. Then I tried Mexican again this Thursday and same story. NOT GOOD!!!! Such a shame because I LOVE Mexican!!!

My current craving: chicken nuggets from chick-fil-a. OH MY GOODNESS THEY ARE SO GOOD!!! I just love love love their nuggets. I can not get enough! i guess if I am going to LOVE some kind of fast food, at least it is chick-fil-a. Right Sam? (my closest friends own their very own chick-fil-a!)

John said I am nesting. I spent all day yesterday (and I literally mean ALL DAY!) cleaning/organizing, preparing for the holidays, etc. I finished unpacking our last 5 boxes that we had just been putting off doing. I hung all of my clothes in my closet and organized things. I did a LOT of laundry, I helped John organize his school work, etc. John kept asking me to stop and to just rest, but I just could not! I felt this strong desire to get so much done! I think I am starting to feel the urgency of the fact that the baby is coming. He will be here within 12 weeks! HOLY COW!!!!! 12 weeks ago John was at survival school and that does not seem like all that long ago!

On Friday we are leaving for our Holiday trip back east. We will spend some time in PA, then to VA, then a quick trip to NC to finally choose where we will live when we move, then back to PA for a couple of days, and then back to AR. WOW! TONS going on! I am a bit nervous about the trip because I am getting more and more uncomfortable, but I am so excited to see family and friends that it will be worth it.

This year we really want to focus on spending good quality time with family/friends as opposed to present giving. After all we are preparing for a baby and a new house! Ahh!

Well I will post a belly photo soon. Let me assure you I am getting big. Seriously big. Sometimes I can not believe my stomach! At this point it is going to start growing about 1/2 inch per week. YIKES!!!!!! I think this week I am going to have to get a couple of shirts for our trip. Normally around the house I just wear a sweatshirt all the time, but I need to be a bit more dressy for church/holiday parties/etc. I refuse to purchase any maternity tops because I will use them for a max of 12 more weeks, so I am going to just find some longer sweaters at JcPenneys or something.

Thank you everyone for all of your prayers!!!!

Purchases

We have made a couple of baby purchases in the last couple of weeks!

We got in the Crib and it is beautiful! We are not setting it up here in Little Rock (he will just sleep in a pack and play or bassinet) but we did open the box to inspect it and it is perfect!

This is the crib, but not the bedding, this is just a stock picture. Here is the bedding we are going to have:

Quite appropriate don't you think! We do not want to go overboard with the airplane theme, but the bedding is quite cute!

Another purchase we made is Owens coming home outfit. This is kind of a fun/symbolic outfit. We made the purchase last week and it just came in. I am so excited!!!

Ok seriously, how cute is this outfit?!? And I must say, it is even cuter in person! I am so in love with it!

Third Trimester BLAH!

Well for the last week or so I have been feeling exceptional blah. Yesterday I finally went to the doc and I have a terrible UTI that is close to being a kidney issue. I had no idea. But this can definitely be reason my body was so down. I also had a temperature of 101.2. She said I may also have a flu like thing going on. She said I need pleanty of fluids or else she will have to admit me into the hospital to get IV's. I DO NOT WANT THAT at all so I am trying to drink tons of liquids. I feel all flu like right now.. I am pretty sure I am catching a flu. BLAH!!!The flu is no fun, pregnancy flu is even worse!!!

I am officially 27 weeks along- which means I am in my 3rd and final trimseter!!!

Apparantly baby is the size of this eggplant.

"You're in the home stretch two trimesters down, one more to go. Your baby is growing steadily as he prepares for delivery day. He will gain weight rapidly over the next weeks and, as the size of your bump increases, you may feel more breathless and tired. Your baby's acting more like a newborn now, too. He opens and closes his eyes, sleeps and wakes at regular intervals, and may suck a finger or thumb. He may also be hiccuping a lot this week, which explains that odd rhythmic sensation you've probably been feeling. Baby's lungs and immune system are maturing this week as baby prepares for his grand entrance. If he were born today he would have an 85 percent chance of surviving as his lungs are capable of breathing air (with medical assistance, of course). Other exciting developments:Baby's done a lot of growing over the past few months. His length has more than doubled in the past 15 weeks! And that's not the only thing growing—baby's brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace. His brain waves are now firing away just like those of a newborn baby. If baby is a he, his testes will have completely descended at this point. Your baby now weighs in at approximately 14½ inches and just over 2 pounds, or about the size of that roast you made last time your in-laws were in town. (OK, the baby is the size of that roast you meant to cook before you decided that ordering Chinese was a much better idea.)"

Prayers for Us

Here are ways that you can be praying specifically for us during the next few months.

1. With Amy not working at this time, pray that we are able to make smart decisions financially.

2. that we can figure out exactly what we want to do regarding housing in North Carolina.We are getting to the last few weeks where we need to be making decisions quickly- and smartly!

3. For traveling mercy upon us as we are going from Arkansas to PA (18 hours), PA to VA (6 hours), VA to NC (4.5 hours), NC to PA (8,5 hours) and then from PA back to Arkansas (18 hours) all within a 2 week time period! YIKES!!!!

4. We need to get our doggie, Piper, into obedience classes or else she is going to need a new home. She is still such a puppy and I am incredibly worried abou how she will react once the baby comes!!!

5. For a church home here in North Little Rock. We have visited a couple of churches, but I am not sure we have found the exact place for us.

6. this may sound silly but for me it is an honest prayer request. Twice in the last two days I have been touched by complete strangers!!!! Both ]just started rubbing on my belly bump without me inviting them to. They didnt even ask!!!! I automatically turn BRIGHT red and I am just absolutely horrified that it happened. Please pray for us that I either 1. get over it, or 2. people stop the violation!!! haha.

7. and our number 1 prayer is for Owen (still not certain on the middle name). For his health both now and once he is born!!

100 days until Due DATE!

I can't believe I forgot to mention, today I am 100 days away from my due date! I can not believe that I should have a baby within the next 100 days! To celebrate, I went to Kohl's today and did some shopping for Owen. I have taken out all of the birth-3 month things we have for him and started putting it away in his new dresser, mostly to assess exactly what we have for him. Today I got all of these onsies for 1/2 off!

Here is his drawer of little shirts! I just love seeing his things put away!

And below is the storage side of Owens closet with his stroller, car seat, boppy, and boxes of clothing/etc.

We definitely need more clothes, or else I will be doing laundry each day for him. Somehow most of the things I have for him right now are from 3-6 or 6-9 month sizes. I am pretty sure though between our families clothes will not be an issue! And boys clothing is really cute! I am not even drawn to little girl stuff anymore!

Our 25th Week

25 Week Belly

We have had quite an exciting 25th week! First of all, here is a photo of me last Monday, at 25weeks. NO DOUBT I am pregnant these days!

On Tuesday evening I went to the grocery store. I had a huge list because I was getting all of our Turkey Day food! I walked through the store on the phone with my best friend Erin, only to get to the check out and realized I completely forgot my wallet at home. Thankfully we do not live far from Kroger so I called John and he came with my wallet. So I checked out, got to the car, and then realized I could not find my keys. So I made my way back into the store and thankfully the nice lady who had been in line behind me had picked them up for me.

So then I get home, John helps me unload all of my purchases, and we sat down to eat an ice cream bar. I got up (im not sure what to do) and I fell over. Just fell. I may have sort of tripped on Piper, but mostly I think I just fell. It was not my day! Here is a picture taken 5 days later of my knee which I fell down on, really hard. This pic does not show how bruised the knee really is. You can only see the MOST bruised part, but the whole thing is STILL purple!

THANKSGIVING!!

We were lucky enough to get to spend our 2nd Thanksgiving in a row with our great friends the Hobarts. They were with us last year in Enid, they were in Corpus with us, now in Little Rock, and they are going to Pope in the spring as well. They are the only couple that we have been with this whole time. I am so thankful to have them as our friends and even more thankful that we do not have to say goodbye to them for a very long time. Here are some photos from Turkey Day! I did not take many, so when Sarah sends me some others I will post those as well.

The H's and the S's (somehow I do not look pregnant at all in this photo, but I promise I still am!)

The beautiful table

Our yummy spread of food. Just looking at it again makes me want to dive in again!
Noticeably missing from these photos is Caleb Hobart! He is Sarah and Keiths 3 month old beautiful boy. I have no idea how I did not get a picture of him on here! Whenever I hold Caleb (which I love to do any chance I get) our little Owen literally kicks his butt. I hope this is not a sign of things to come!

Black Friday!

For the first time ever (i think at least) I went Black Friday shopping! John woke me up at 5am on Black Friday so we could go to Babies R Us for a great deal. MomMom and PopPop Salotti offered to purchase us the glider of our choice for rocking the baby (i get teary just thinking about rocking this beautiful baby boy to sleep, or reading him one of the amazing books that my sister Michelle purchased for him!). We have sat in a couple of different gliders, but had not made a decision on what we wanted. I honestly have a hard time comfortably fitting into many gliders because I have a short body, so a lot of times my feet do not reach the ground! However, several weeks ago we sat in a Shermag glider at Babies R Us and both John and I liked this glider. Well I found out that the Shermag glider in Oak/Khaki would be 1/2 off on Friday at Babies R Us as a door buster deal! HOORAY! I was a little nervous that they would be sold out of it (as it said online) but we went right in and got it with no problem at all! Thank you so much MomMom and PopPop! When you come to visit you can also rock Owen to sleep! :)

We also got a great deal on diapers and wipes during the door buster deals. We got all of this:
which should have cost $69.36 for $30.00! Gosh, we truly LOVE a good bargain! Please note the stuffed bunny on top of the box of diapers. We had to hid that bunny from Piper because she is TERRIFIED of it! She barks, runs and hides from it! For being a huge dog, she sure is timid! But look how adorable she is! We just made her this bandanna with some cute holiday fabric! She is very photogenic!

We hope that everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and a great Black Friday! Did anyone else get great deals on items?

25 Weeks Pregnant

Apparantly Owen is the size of this cauliflower. I am not sure exactly how they establish this, but again, these fruits/veggies are REALLY SCARY!

I get emails each week from BabyCentre.com (Thanks for that tip Sarah Fiacco!) and it includes a little blurb about what is going on with both baby and momma. Here is a great photo that shows exactly what is going on inside of me right now...

"Your baby is responsive to touch now. You can have fun with him by trying to tickle his foot when he kicks you or by lying on your back and rolling from side to side, to see how he reacts. His eyelids open around now and his heart is beating so strongly, it may be heard with a stethoscope. The baby now weighs nearly 1.5 pounds/ 660 grams and is approximately 13.5 inches"

WOW! Owen is getting quite large!

On Saturday I felt his foot. Not just like feeling the normal kicks that are keeping me up all night, but I actually felt the formation of his foot on my belly. I could feel a heel and then toes. SO COOL!!!

I had a bit of a not so pregnancy related scare on Saturday night/sunday morning. John was getting out of bed to give Maggie some water. It was a total case of "wrong place at the wrong time". Somehow as he was shifting to get himself up, my arm was in the wrong place, and he ended up punching my arm REALLY REALLY HARD! It immediately started throbbing and it got very very swollen! John ran to get me ice and helped me get it wrapped up. This was at 11pm on Saturday night. By 7am sunday morning I was in so much pain we decided to go to the ER just to make sure it was not broken. I could not move my fingers or my arm very easily.

When I went to the Triage room to get my vitals taken, the nurse and I were cracking up because I said "I think my husband broke my arm". She said she was NOT going to write that on my chart because it would open a whole can of worms! haha. Then I got a nose bleed and John decided this did not look good for his case (he possibly broke his wifes arm, and she has a bloody nose! haha) --> disclaimer, no, i am not in an abusive relationship! It was just an unfortunate series of events! :)

So my arm is NOT broken, it is just bruised and puffy. THANKFULLY! I am not sure how I would deal with a broken arm right now! So for now I am just typing with my left hand, icing my arm, and trying to stay comfortable!

Meal Plan Monday- November 24th

There are so many great resources/blogs out there! One of my favorites is OrgJunkie (click on that name in order to go to the site). This is a great resource for Organizing your life. This includes meal planning!

John and I have meal planned in the past, and it has worked out GREAT! We spend so much less at the grocery store, and it prevents us from eating out unnecessarily (which everyone knows how much I LOVE to eat out!).

We got away from meal planning for a while because I have been so sick with this pregnancy. I have been able to eat such little bits and I have not felt like cooking. So John has been on his own for a while with making meals for himself. Thankfully he does not mind!

Now that we are in Little Rock, and I am feeling better than I was, and we are trying to save money, I have decided to meal plan again!



Monday- 11/24/2008- Fried Ravioli with marinara.
This is one of my FAVORITE meals! When we lived in Oklahoma we found this amazing brand of Fried Ravioli stuffed with cheese. When we moved to Texas we could not find this yummy go-to-meal. However, our first Sunday here in Little Rock we found them again! HOORAY! I am so happy!

Tuesday- 11/25/2008- Grilled Chicken, veggie rice, corn

Wednesday- 11/26/2008- we will be preparing for Thanksgiving so we will do something easy, perhaps grilled cheese!

Thursday- 11/27/2008- THANKSGIVING DINNER!!!!
We will be celebrating with our friends the Hobarts! John and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Thanksgiving. The last 2 years we have had Turkey day at our house so I am excited this year to just be making some items and walking them the 200 steps over to the Hobarts home.
We will be making:
Johns mashed potatoes
Aunt Kathy's sweet potato casserole (wouldn't be Thanksgiving without this!)
Green Bean Casserole (i made this last year and it was so good!)
Aunt Terry's cheese ball
Chocolate Peanut Butter Tandy Cake
Chocolate Pie
Iced Tea

-if you are wondering why we need a Tandy Cake AND a Chocolate Pie, please ask my husband. I do not get it either! :)

Friday- 11/28/2008- Thanksgiving leftovers, of course!

Saturday- 11/29/2008- A free day- in case we decide to go out to dinner one night this week. We will just move around the meal plan to adjust.

Sunday- 11/30/2008- Hamburger Helper Beef Lasagna.

I have been CRAVING beef lately! (you all know how RARE this is!) Yesterday I even went to Moe's Southwest Grill (similar to Qdoba) and got beef nachos for John and I. This is rare. I NEVER EVER EVER order beef out anywhere! EVER! It has literally been YEARS since I have ordered anything with beef. I occasionally will eat beef, but only if I cook it myself because then I know it will be completely done. Well yesterday baby Salotti decided I needed some beef, so I got the beef nachos, and MAN WERE THEY GOOD! I do not recommend Moe's Southwest Grill normally because it is WAY overpriced, and not as good as Qdoba or Chipotle (by any means) but their nachos rocked!

I hope you all enjoy reading about what we will be eating this week. I can not wait for all of the great Turkey day food! Oh and John informed me that after Thanksgiving we will be going to purchase a discount Turkey because he wants to make his own this year as well. So next week perhaps the menu will include Turkey sandwiches (my mouth is watering imagining a turkey sandwich topped with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a little bit of stuffing!), Turkey soup, etc!

My husband

While uploading pictures just now to my computer (so that I could post the photo of the dresser and such) I found about 10 pictures of "Edgar" that John must have taken! Edgar was just stored by the military for us while we are here in Little Rock. I am not sure if John took the photos 1. have proof that he was intact and good looking prior to him being stored- incase there are any issues, or 2. he is sad to not have Edgar with us, and wanted me to make a blog entry just about Edgar. It is probably the first, but I will pretend it is the 2nd.

Edgar, John (not amy, not at all, you still kind of freek me out) misses you very much!

Blogger help

Ok blogging friends, I need your help!

When you guys are writing a post, and want to add a picture, does it automatically go to the top of the post and then you have to drag it where you want it? Or is there a way to just make it insert exactly where you want it to go?

24 week belly picture, and dresser picture

Here is a photo of me at 24 1/2 weeks along!

(Aunt Kathy, did I ever tell you that John got his diploma framed exactly like you had mine done? We absolutely love our diplomas!!)

And here is a picture of Owens (yes, i think I have settled on that name, but dont hold me to it!) dresser! Thank you so much Mawsy! We ordered the crib as well. It has not yet come in, and when it does, we are not planning on setting it up (Owen will just use a pack and play until we get to north carolina) but we are so excited to have started putting things together for the baby!

24 Weeks

Baby is now the size of an ear of corn! YIKES! I definitely feel him a ton. He moves and kicks all through the day and night. But i am not sure i feel a huge ear of corn worth of baby inside of me! (though, ask me at 3am and I may have a different feeling!)

"Your baby's face is basically complete now. The fetus's eyes are close together on the front of his face and they are still shut. Your baby's ears have moved into their final position on the sides of his head. Where they are now is where they will be when your baby is born! Hair will continue to grow on his scalp and his eyelashes are well developed. Most of your baby's features look the same as they will at birth. Because your growing baby is getting plumper, he no longer has room in your tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults. the unborn child is covered with a fine, downy hair called lanugo. Its tender skin is protected by a waxy substance called vernix. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed. The child practices breathing by inhaling (up to a liter/day) amniotic fluid into developing lungs. "

I had my first doctors appointment here in Little Rock yesterday. I really like my new doctor. She is really soft spoken, but very nice! Also the hospital I will be delivering at is quite impressive. It is basically a metroplex of buildings and parking garages and such. It is quite nice! I plan on calling in a few weeks to get a tour of the Labor and Delivery Unit to take a tour.

My appointment went well. I am still under my prepregnancy weight, but it is coming back on. My uterus is measuring at a good spot. Mine is right under my ribs because it is growing up instead of out at this point, but that is nothing to worry about. (most women at this week have a uterus that is only a couple of inches above their belly button, but since my belly has not grown out too much it is growing up).

My belly definitely IS starting to grow out. It looks like i have a little basketball under my shirt. Ok maybe 1/2 a basketball. At Kinko's yesterday a really nice lady very hesitantly asked me if I was expecting. She said she could tell because I just have a little bump, and i am pretty small everywhere else. I was so excited she asked! She had a ton of questions as she is thinking about getting pregnant soon. I love talking about pregnancy with random people! I was so excited someone finally asked me! I always ask John if I look pregnant each day, or if I look like I have had too much chick-fil-a! He always says pregnant, but he isn't allowed to say I just look like i have a gut!

A couple of weeks ago i noticed my belly moving around constantly! I can see our little baby boy moving around from the outside! It is so weird and so cool all at the same time! He is really really really active!

We still have not settled on a name for our little corn cob. John alternates calling him Owen and Connor. We truly have no idea!

Happy V Day to baby!!!

Today is our Viabiblity day! That means that if the baby were to come today, he would have a 36% chance of survival! Of course he would have tons of issues, but V day really is a big day for baby Salotti!!! This percentage goes up every day and next week, at 25 weeks, he would have a 50% chance of survival! This is getting exciting!!!

John and Thing 2

We call Maggie Thing 1 and Piper Thing 2.

Here is John with Thing 2.

If Thing 2 does not stop growing, we are going to have to get a bigger house! (she is 65lbs right now!)

Happy Halloween

For Halloween I dressed up as Juno, from the movie Juno (2007 movie about a highschooler who was pregnant). The Sunny D is a prop from the movie- I do not normally carry around large bottles.

Below the photo of me is a photo of the movie poster for comparison. I think I did pretty good!!! John dressed up as doctor- more specifically the doctor who is going to deliver the baby. I think we did quite well!!

Political Picture- sorry if you do not agree!

21 weeks, 3 days

We went to the fetal specialist today and baby (still unnamed) is just fine. He has a little calcification in his heart still, but the doctor said that doesn't really mean anything. He measured just fine and is so adorable! Oh, and he weighs a POUND!!! Here is the only picture we got from the ultrasound, and unfortunately the baby looks like an elephant. But as my mother-in-law pointed out, he is the cutest elephant ever!!! (it is just the umbilical cord in front of his face, and a shadow on his head that makes it look like he has a giant ear!)

Here is a picture of my baby bump today! I wish I could say I was pushing it out, but that is all belly!!!

21 Weeks

I am officially more than 1/2 way done with my pregnancy! Woo-Hoo! (that is unless i go a couple of weeks overdue, but lets all pretend that will not happen!)

This week the measurements for the baby start including the legs, whereas before it was just a head to rump measurement. Can you guys believe that there is a 10.5 inch baby inside of me? AHH!

Here is what information is given about 21 weeks:

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

John and I really need to either find our camera charger or decide to spend the $40 on getting a new one. But let me assure all of you, I officially have a baby stomach! There is now no doubt that I am pregnant. The other day I was at CVS and a random old lady came up to me and placed both of her hands on my stomach and wanted to discuss my pregnancy. YIKES!!!! Why do random people feel like it is ok to just touch a strangers belly? I just stood there, not speaking, in absolute shock! Of course afterwards I thought of all kinds of witty things I could have said/done (like placed both of my hands on HER belly and ask her questions), but the shock was too overwhelming.

Tomorrow we have another appointment with the fetal specialist to have another high tech ultrasound done. The doctor wanted me to come back to DEFINITELY rule out Downs Syndrome once I got a little further along. We are not nervous or freaked out about it at all though, we just consider this another chance (and possibly our last) to see the baby while inside.

Baby sure likes to move around, a LOT!!!!!! John was able to feel him move on Saturday and again last night. I actually saw my belly move up while Johns hand was on it last night so I know for sure it was baby kicking. SO COOL! Today he has been moving around like CRAZY!!!! Maybe he likes the two toaster strudels I had for breakfast! :)

I am starting to physically feel better. I am throwing up MUCH MUCH less (it has actually been a couple of days!), gaining a few pounds back, and able to move around more. My belly is really stretching out which is causing discomfort, and I have some pretty bad back pain, but it is so much better than the constant throwing up! Oh, and I am an emotional wreck, but that is to be expected when almost 6 months pregnant, right?

We are moving to Little Rock next week-wish us luck!!!

On a completely different subject, I just found out that my boss' daughter committed suicide last week. Please keep their family in your thought and prayers!

20 Weeks Along

Does it scare anyone else that the fruit used to describe the size of Baby Salotti this week is a cantaloupe?? YIKES!!!!!



Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

----------------------
I am doing a bit better this week! I have not thrown up in a few days and I have started eating more. John got home last weekend after being gone for 3 1/2 week to Washington State for training. It was a long 3 weeks to have him away and he definitely missed a lot going on with me and baby (including a stay in the hospital!)I am so glad to have him home.

Now we are preparing for a move to Little Rock in just 2 weeks! It really snuck up on me. We are moving minimal things ourselves to Little Rock- just what we "need" for the 6 months we are there. The rest of our stuff will be packed up by the military and stored until we get to North Carolina. So this week we are just trying to decide exactly what we want to take and what we can live without.

This is quite an exciting move though because we will have the baby in Little Rock. I think once we arrive things will start to feel real!!I reconnected with an old friend from Elementary/Middle school a couple of weeks ago and she and her husband live in Little Rock. She has been a great resource for me on choosing a doctor/hospital in the area.

My belly has definitely popped out!!! As soon as I find my camera charger I will take a photo to post. :)

Help with naming our baby

We could sure use help naming our little baby boy!!!

http://www.babynames.com/namelist/9661388

Please click on the link above to vote!

Halloween Pregnancy Humor

I have spent the last few days throwing up everything I put into me, plus some I think! So I just decided to look for some fun pregnancy things to cheer me up. Here are GREAT pregnancy Halloween costumes!! We have plans to go to a Halloween party so perhaps I should start thinking about my creative costume! :)

A nice/much needed little slap in the face

Yesterday was a really really difficult day for me. I went to lunch with a girlfriend and soon after I got incredibly sick. I threw up several times in Target, in my driveway, and filled a trashcan with my stomach acid. To top it off I also started having Braxton Hicks contractions- which are not supposed to hurt, but mine really really did. I am sure that they started because of the trauma of all of the vomiting, but it was still really scary.

I am starting to get really down about this whole sickness/pregnancy. I have tried to hold a happy face about it all for the past 19 weeks, but I am afraid I may have reached my breaking point. I am just so nervous about how in the world I am going to make it another 21 weeks, while moving to Little Rock. I feel defeated because I can not do normal things that I want to be able to do. I can not heat, go shopping at Target which everyone knows is my favorite thing in the world, and I can hardly walk up/down my stairs. I also hate the fact that I can not work right now. I never thought I would have to go on disability while pregnant.

Here comes the slap in the face.

This morning I came across a very touching blog - http://sgirl79.blogspot.com
{Warning, if you click on this link it does show some graphic photos}
At 12 weeks the family of this child learned that he had many issues and that if he did make it full term, he would more than likely die shortly after birth. He was born last week and did pass away after being alive for only 16 minutes.

When I read something like this it really puts things into perspective for me. While I am not having the easiest pregnancy at all, it could be worse. It could be MUCH worse.Thankfully throughout this whole time even though I have been sick and miserable, my son seems to be JUST FINE!

Thank you God for providing me with a little perspective! :)

19 weeks

Tomorrow I will be 19 weeks along! Hooray! Moving right along!

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

18 Weeks- Some bad, lots good!

This week was a very difficult week for me. As most of you know, John has been gone a little over two weeks for training (he comes back in 1 week! I can't wait).

Last weekend I started throwing up so bad that I physically could not stop. I also started experiencing a great deal of pain in my right side. Finally on Tuesday (at my sisters nudging) I called my doctor who asked to see me right away. She tested me and found keytones in my urine which is a definite cause for concern in a pregnant lady. She was also concerned because I have lost another 2lbs (about 16 at this point total, and i should have gained about 10 at this point). So my doctor asked me to go straight to the ER to get fluids and do some testing. At this point she was afraid that my kidneys were shutting down and that I was possibly having an appendix issue.

I called a fellow military wife who came to the ER to sit with me for the 6 or so hours I was there. They did tests/an ultrasound/etc. and basically sent me on my way. It was a really frustrating experience because i felt like the ER was not listening to my concerns and since they did not know what to do with me, they sent me away.

The next morning i made an appointment with my doctor again, and my military wife friend took me. They sent me in automatically for another ultrasound (my 12th) to check on the little guy again. He is just fine. He measures right at the date he should be at, and seems really healthy.

The ultrasound also showed that my placenta has MOVED!!!! So as of now, and this should not change for any reason, I am out of the woods with the placenta previa diagnosis! PRAISE THE LORD! This means I can be less concerned about a difficult delivery.

Here are two photos from the 12th Ultrasound of Baby Salotti. He is quite cute.
After the ultrasound I went back to my doctor to discuss all that was going on. She ended up bringing in another doctor to discuss what was going on with me. It was decided that they were going to admit me into the hospital to stay overnight so I could get fluids, etc.

After blood/urine tests it was determined that I have hyperemesis (severe vomiting that is not necessarily related to normal morning sickness), a bladder/kidney infection (which was causing all of the pain), and I am severely anemic.

I am very thankful for my friend who not only took care of me and stayed with me during the 2 hospital days/ she also took care of my dogs for me. THANK YOU THANK YOU!

So now I am doing better. I still am quite sick to my stomach all the time. I am trying to eat as much as I can because my doctor is really concerned about my weight loss. I am really afraid that if I do not start seriously gaining weight, it is going to harm the baby.

I am just so thankful that baby is ok. He is my main concern. And he seems to be doing just fine! He is quite a trooper.

I am still not sure on a name for the little guy. I was pretty stuck on Owen for a while, but now I am just not sure. I think he may not have a name until he comes out and we can make a true informed decision! :)

Thank you everyone for all of your prayers!

Baby Bedding

Two very important people to me have offered to get us baby bedding that I have absolutely fallen in LOVE with!

This is the most adorable little airplane bedding that I have found and I am so excited to have it for our baby boy!!
\

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! :)

5 Months Pregnant!

As of tomorrow I am 18 weeks pregnant! Which means 5 months along! :)

Here is a little picture I found on my friends blog to explain the weeks/months/trimesters. I always get confused!

Here is information on this exciting week!
Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

-----------------------------------------------

I actually started feeling the baby a couple of weeks ago! It started out as little flutters and I was not quite certain if it was the baby or not. However they continued to get stronger and stronger. On our trip cross country I realized this was definitely the baby! Now I feel him a few times each day- mostly when I am laying still for a while. Also if I lay on my stomach I feel him- probably because he is being squished! :)

I spent a good deal of the last few days really sick. I keep waiting for that magic "your first trimester is over now you should start feeling better" to kick in! As always, prayers are appreciated. I have some good days and some bad days. Things are definitely getting better though!