Early Christmas present for Mommy!

Last night Bobby decided to make his presence know...I finally felt him kick! This time I am 100% sure! So it was just a day short of 23 weeks. Its lower than I expected, right below my belly button actually. I don't know what made the difference yesterday but he was so BUSY last night, I felt it over and over throughout the evening. I had ate some Christmas goodies...maybe it was just the sugar in them? This morning I was anxious to feel him again so I drank a glass of orange juice right away...and like clockwork there he was again! Now I am starting to wonder how much of the time he sleeps and how much he is awake? Anyone know the ratio? He is actually kicking me like crazy as we speak. I LOVE IT!! Its the best feeling in the world. Well that's all for now...gotta go start getting ready for the Christmas craziness that is set to begin this evening. Everyone be safe on the roads...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I dreaming of a WHITE Christmas!!!

Well Christmas is almost here...I can hardly believe it! Every year I get so excited...I am who you might call a Christmas fanatic. You could lump in right in there with Clark Grizwalt. I expect all the major elements of the holiday! I have three times as many decorations for Christmas than I do any other holiday and I spend hours, some times days decorating the house and the tree. I want my husband to create magic with the lights outside (as you may recall my husband scaling our roof to get them up this year). I shop and wrap for not only myself and Robby...but also for other family members that don't enjoy the process as much as I do...uh hmm...my father-in-law. Oh and I start listening to Christmas music entirely too early just to make sure that I feel like I get the sufficient amount of time with it before its gone (technically I have been listening to it non-stop since oh...halloween. But hey who's counting? Well besides my husband anyway.

Yes, Robby puts up with all my silly-ness pretty well but there is really only one thing that HE wants to make it a special Christmas. SNOW! He L.O.V.E.S it. And it looks like we just might get his wish this year after all! Yesterday I heard on the radio some weatherman say "Oh I bet Tulsa doesn't get snow...Wichita yes...Tulsa no. And I was soo bummed. We always get jipped down south here. But then this morning while I was in the shower I heard Robby yell YES! and I said WHAT HAPPENED? He said they are saying on the news we are supposed to get 3-6 inches of snow! Yah yah yah! We got so excited! The anticipation for it is almost more than for Christmas itself! We will definitely enjoy it. I just wish I could go sledding this year...but I think this will be the one year Bobby and I sit out. We will just make the hot coco for everyone instead though! :)


This might just be the best Christmas ever. So much to be thankful for this year...so much to look forward too...and hope for in the next year. I am totally feeling the warmth of the season. Merry Christmas everyone!!

Run Run Rudolph!

So is anyone else feeling the rush this year? It seems like the season is just moving so fast. I feel like I have been running around non-stop and I am feeling overwhelmed with everything I still need to get accomplished in the next couple of weeks. The problem is I have NO ENERGY to get it all done! Now granted I am suffering from a wonderful snotty nose cold, that makes my body ache like I just ran a marathon...but still, this is MY FAVORITE time of year...and I want to be able to enjoy doing the Christmas shopping, instead of feeling like breaking out in tears of exhaustion after I get back in my car from the mall. Same with wrapping presents...usually top of my list of favorite things to do, normally I can't wait to get out all the wrapping paper and ribbon as soon as I got home and get things out of the bags. This year the gifts have been sitting in a pile for a couple of days after I have bought them until I can gather enough energy to start the project. And even then I have to take breaks from my back aching from leaning over to much. Oh well, most of the fun in Christmas for me is the "preparing" so I guess I should just sit back and enjoy that the process is stretched out for me...even if its because I am a slow moving, back aching, runny nosed pregnant woman. Oh I can just see Robby drooling now...I am just so irresistible these days. hahhahahahah

In Bobby news...things are pretty quiet. I think I might have felt him kick a couple of times...but being the inexperienced mother I am, there is no telling if it was legitimately him or not. But I am waiting patiently for more communication from him. :) I am growing quite a bit. My belly sticks out pretty obviously. I have received the comment on more than one occasion that "I am big for being 5 months". I can't decide if that is exciting or depressing. I enjoy showing...it makes me feel more confident that people don't just think I am lazy for no reason if they can actually see that there is an obvious reason behind it. And I have always thought a growing baby belly is the most adorable thing. Its just that since "I" am the one growing I have realized for the first time that what isn't so cute about it is that EVERY thing else on your body grows too. And if people think I am big now...I can't imagine what I am going to look like in four more months. I'll take it though...as long as Bobby continues to grow! Go Bobby!

So this second picture is really a not so glamorous picture of me but I wanted an example of how much my belly has grown. I don't think I realized how truly thin I was (everyone always considers themselves fat in their own personal image) but now, I am in a whole new level!

I'd like to compare belly's with the next Santa I run across...

Yep I am definitely growing! I feel like my belly just looked HUGE in this dress. Oh well! I am proud to be carrying around my Bobby in there! Next time I will have to put all the pictures of my belly along to way in a row to compare.

And per Nicole's request...some pictures of Christmas time at the Reed's!

I LOVE the holidays...

I LOVE the holidays...but I'll tell you what...I can already tell this year is going to be harder than usual because I get so tired I can barely keep up! I feel like I didn't even get to sit down the entire four days I was off! That's ok...it was a great weekend and I wouldn't change any of it! I'll start from the beginning of my holiday weekend...I got some great news from my OB on Weds afternoon that my amniocentesis came back completely normal. I not quite ready to go into detail about why this was so important...but let's just say I had been losing sleep waiting to hear those results...hoping and praying to hear good news...and I DID! I could hardly believe it. The nurse double checked again and yes, again she said the words to me. "Your results came back completely normal...the doctor read the report with a smile on her face and told me to GO CALL HER BACK AND TELL HER THE GOOD NEWS!"

W. O. W.

Talk about the best day of my life! I called my husband and then shot out of my chair at work to do a lap around the office giving hugs and spreading my wonderful news! We continued the celebration that night by going out to eat and smiling ear to ear the whole time. What a way to start a long weekend! :)

Then came Turkeyday! Boy did we ever have alot to give thanks for! I had gotten up early to make one of my favorite staples for thanksgiving...my late grandma's mashed potatoes. (I seriously think I could survive on potatoes alone these days.) And then we had to Robby's grandma's to celebrate the day. Thank goodness it was a pretty low key day because I was already worn out from all the excitement the day before.

Friday morning....AKA BLACK FRIDAY! Well I chickened out on going to do the early EARLY bird shopping even though it crossed my mind a million times, right up until I went to bed Thursday night. My girlfriend was all ready to go at 3 AM if I was up for it...but I just didn't think I could hang with her. I decided to go for the less craziness at about 8AM. There were still a few stores that had lines wrapping around the place but thank goodness I never had to get in any of those lines. I went with my mother-in-law and she had a list of huge items and was on a mission. Lets just say four tie-downs and seven hours later we were back to the house unloading and finishing up with online shopping. WHAT A DAY!

And there was no resting in the picture for the poor pregnant lady from there either...oh no, I had to get right back up and be out the door by 8AM again the next morning with Robby on the way to Norman for the Bedlam game. The weather was nice and we played good so it was a wonderful day. We stopped for dinner in OKC at Bricktown so by the time we got home it was dark and another day was gone.

Sunday...day of rest right? Ahem...I wish...it was my first day at home in a while and I had A LOT to catch up on. I put clean flannel sheets on the bed (ready for a our cold weather!), did all the laundry, gave the girls a bath, went and got groceries, cleaned the house, wrapped Christmas presents, worked on my performance review for work, and we finished the Christmas lights outside (in the COLD and rain I might add) but it was totally worth it because the house looks a million times better.

I'm still here! Barely...

Hello all! I'm back! Well for the moment at least. I finally got a moment to breath and catch up on my blogging and I'm going to make a significant effort to keep it up! Does it feel like anyone else is just barely surviving, behind on everything they do, can't keep up with everything that is asked of them? I hope I am not alone! Ahh...the holidays are just beginning.

Here are some updates on what's been going on in my crazy world.
-I hosted my side of the family's Thanksgiving this last Saturday...it was probably one of my favorite family get together's I have had in years. My family has just been my on call support system lately and so it just felt good to get to see them in person, give some hugs, have some laughs, and say some thank you's. I really NEEDED some family time! Plus the FOOD...ohhh the food. Thanksgiving dinner is sooo my favorite meal! On top of it all...I can't think of anything that made my heart more happy than having my nieces and nephew running around my house. It was a beautiful day outside so the girls were out gathering sticks, and my nephew was occupied by my husband (who also can be considered a kid when my nephew is around)...they are always playing catch, shooting baskets, or even playing board games. Yes I have seen it all...Robby is and always was definitely meant to have a son.

-We attempted putting up our Christmas lights on the outside of the house...and got about half way done. My neighbor that we usually borrow the ladder from was gone so regardless of my anxiety my husband just crawled around on the roof to get all them all hung!

-We did as much as we could with the supplies that we already had from last year...but of course a few of the strands of lights have gone out...and since Hobby Lobby is closed on Sunday's we had to save the rest of the job for this coming weekend. Here is the work in progress...

-I went inside and pulled out all the indoor Christmas decorations directly afterward...but the outside work had pretty much worn me out so I barely have my tree up... but not quite decorated. Thank goodness its a prelit tree so it looks good from the outside at least. I have a mountain of decorations in crates all over the living room waiting to be put out. They sat there unmoved last night though...so I really need to get motivated soon and get the rest of the decorating done before someone stops by and witnesses my mess. :)

-

-One of the biggest things I did this weekend was going to see NEW MOON with Stacy!! OMG!! Loved it so much! Can't wait to go back and see it again. I am sure plenty of you are equally as obsessed as I am...so let me hear your thoughts? Did you LOVE it?!?!

-

Now I know this is a long entry...but its overdue...so that's how I am justifying it. :) Anyway on to baby Bobby news. He is doing great! Every time I go in for a ultrasound the tech's always tell me without me even asking...how busy he is in there! Last time I got to see his hand move up and he put it in his mouth...I wonder if he was sucking his thumb? hmmm. I am waiting patiently to feel him move...and maybe JUST MAYBE I felt it this morning. But being the inexperienced mother I am I have no idea whether it was or not for sure. It was all on the right side of my belly button and over and over again...BUT I am not sure it wasn't just liquid moving through. You know how sometimes liquid gurgles through your stomach...well maybe it was just that...but on the other hand I heard people say it feels like bubbles or gas...well that was pretty similar...SOOO MAYBE IT WAS BOBBY! Either way I can't wait to feel him!

Sleeping arrangements...

Here I am a day shy of 16 weeks...and the sleeping is officially getting uncomfortable. I can't really lay on my stomach anymore...and this is very bad news because it was my old standard position. If I tilt a little with my leg out that helps so I am not completely flattening out my stomach but its still just not quite the same. The most dramatic trouble I am having though is that my book says that I shouldn't be sleeping on my back anymore. That my uterus is slightly mobile and it settling back there on my spine can cut off circulation not only to me but to the baby. Ok got it...not doing that anymore.

...Until last night....

For the first time I realized how much I end up sleeping on my back. Never noticed it before! But yes, it happens several times a night. UGH! What to do...what to do. More than once last night I woke up already laying in that position causing complete panic in my brain as to how long I had been laying like that without knowing. I think its officially time for a body pillow. Or actually maybe just one of our King sized pillows will do the trick...maybe as long as I am tilted a little it will be enough to do the trick. Hopefully! Because the reality of it is...I have a LONG way to go...and its going to get a LOT worse before it gets better.

Drumroll please....

So I must start out again by apologizing for my lack of communication. As I finished off the longest month of work in my life last week AND THEN we finished off the week by getting the BEST news of our lives!

Wednesday: My 2nd prenatal appt...yah! I had been looking forward to this. Everything went fine...I met with my actual OB doctor for the first time instead of just the nurse practitioner. I liked her, she gave me the vibe of very smart, very comfortable in her position...been doing it for 30 plus years (yes I asked). :-) Just very comforting. All the normal little things they do went fine...my blood pressure, my weight...everything right on schedule. She said his heartbeat was 140...at that very second the old wise tale popped in my mind WHAT did it say if the heartbeat was below it would be a boy or a girl? hmmm. Then she asked if I wanted to do the down syndrome test...and Robby and I looked at each other and thought...well why not. She says ok well it has to be done between 16-19 weeks...or your test will come back abnormal. Was your last period a normal one? I answer with a yes, but that it was 12 or so days late...to which she says ohhhh...hmm...well in that case I think we'd better do an ultrasound to verify that you are just 15 weeks....and not further along because that will skew the test results. YAH! Sooo excited! I get an ultrasound! Seems like everyone else I know gets an ultrasound every time they go to their doctor, and here I was probably only going to get the one at 20 weeks.

So they call and schedule the ultrasound for the next morning (Thursday) at noon. Robby and I are SOO excited! We get in there and it is EVERYTHING I hoped it would be. We could see the little baby bouncing around and moving its little legs up and down, we could see its face, its feet, its everything! I exactly 15 weeks like we had suspected, and it weighed a whopping 4 oz. How CUTE!! LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!! And the tech says....well I think I can already tell what it is...do you want to know??! Before I can even say anything Robby practically screams YES! we want to know. I look over at him...and then I look back at the tech and agree with Robby...yes we would like to know.

And the drum roll please
.
..
...
....
...........ITS a BOY!!!!!!!! Little Bobby Reed!!!

I can't describe the excitement that went on in that room. Robby jumped out of his chair with his arm shooting straight up in the charge position and yelled YES!!!!!!!! I KNEW IT!! I started laughing so hard that tears were coming down. I was SO excited...seeing him sooo happy meant the WORLD to me. This was it...the moment we had been waiting for. Who knew we would find out this early!?! We were thrilled. We got our sonogram pics and headed back to work beaming...and bursting at the seams to spread the news. I can honestly say it was the best moment of my life!!

Daddy, momma and baby...pumpkins that is...

First off I need to cover something...I am so sorry I have been MIA! I know I have been slacking on posting, emailing, and just reading everyone else's blog entries. I can honestly say I am in the midst of the most frustrating (slam your head in your desk) month of work I have endured since I started this career back in 2005. Suddenly without warning the perfect storm was created on my desk making it difficult to even make it through the day let alone survive endless amounts of meetings on how to handle all the changes that need to be implemented over the next couple of months. What a time to have a heavy work load huh? No wonder I can even stay awake through a TV show that starts at 8:30 anymore...I already drained before I even get home from work. In summary...life has been busy!
So with that covered...we can move on. It was a great weekend...I felt pretty good and since the game was away this week I wasn't drained from traveling. I got a lot done around the house, got my mind off work, and spoiled my myself with lots of good food and rest. Like I mentioned up above I have been going to bed so early it's actually not even been a problem getting up early. Maybe I will handle that part of having kids better than I thought...who would have ever thought the trick was as easy as go to bed as early as you do on week nights? haha.
On a cute holiday note...I dragged Robby to take me to get pumpkins yesterday. And cheerfully came out of the store to show him the prized choices I made. Even the former grump about the pumpkins couldn't resist smiling about this.

Daddy, Momma and Baby pumpkins

Note: You might notice Momma pumpkin is almost as big as Daddy pumpkin these days. :-)

Flu season....

So....is anyone else freaking out about this flu going around? I mean I find myself slathering hand sanitizer ten plus times a day. Which normally wouldn't be so bad except for my sense of smell is so amplified that the already strong aroma of the sanitizer nearly knocks my knees out from under me. Better safe than sorry...I am already miserable a random times of the day, I definitely don't want to add actual flu symptoms to the list. My sister said there were like 207 kids home sick last week from my niece's school. Oh my goodness...I would say it has officially effected our area. Thank goodness my company is providing flu shots tomorrow...although of course that doesn't include the H1N1 shot...but its better than nothing. Hope you guys are taking precautions as well...

Weekend updates...

Is anyone else just in the BEST mood about fall coming? This weekend was filled with comfy sweats and house-shoes (that's right no flip flops), chili simmering, and snuggling on the couch for football. Now till Christmas is my F.A.V.O.R.I.T.E time of year. I get a rush of warm fussy feelings just thinking about holidays coming...and now that I am baking something special inside of me, its only going to make enjoying the season that much better! I can NOT wait! I can indulge in every peanut butter ball, turkey and stuffing serving, rolls, mashed potatoes, I want it ALL!!

Yes, the cravings are in full force still. Robby died laughing at me the other night for commenting on how good the salad looked on tv...the funny thing was we were watching King of the Hill...a cartoon that was having salad!!! That gives a little idea how easily my cravings come on. I did fulfill and lingering craving this weekend. We went to the fair and I finally got my fried pickles! I can hardly even talk about them now without wanting them again! They were amazing!!...everything I remembered and more. I also had a deliciously fattening baked potato that could have stopped hearts with the amount of butter that was on it. Ahhh I love fair food. I was so stuffed I didn't even have room for the funnel cake. Oh well, next time. All this wonderful food talk and I wonder why my pants felt even tighter this morning than they did when I wore them last week? hmm.

In actual pregnancy news...I had a rough weekend sickness wise. I was nauseated Friday night, all afternoon Saturday and threw up before church yesterday morning. I couldn't believe I was having so much trouble...I mean I am half way through my 11th week and kinda thought I might be out of the woods with all this morning sickness. I guess I jinked it. Also, my back has really been hurting...I had Robby trying to rub out the spot and he thinks it's just a knot...but I have been in enough pain that I had to take Tylenol every night this weekend for it. Speaking of Robby...his lot in life has been increasingly difficult lately...I complain often, he is having to pick up alot more of my slack in household duties, and there is no telling when he has to duck and hide from my next explosion. He handles it well though...most of the time just trying to keep from laughing. Cause lets just be honest here...most of my madness is for ridiculous reasons. ;-) He rubs my feet, rubs my back, and helps with the cleaning...I can't really ask for more. Its just his share of this baby building process....right? haha

11 weeks along

Sorry I feel like I have been out of pocket...its been a BUSY week! I don't have much to report...I did kind of throw up on Tuesday...but it was so little that I really don't even think I should fully count it. I think I could have avoided it but my body just kept saying it would just feel so much better, and it did! Other updates, I feel like I have gained more control of my crazy hunger with more consistent snacks. I had a couple of nights where I had an hour or two randomly in the night where I couldn't sleep. And my lower back has been aching today. But otherwise pregnancy is just moving right along. I have moments here and there but for the most part I have been feeling better daily...so I am thinking maybe I am almost out of the woods! I took another belly progress picture. Keep in mind this probably has nothing to do with "baby" and more to do with my current diet but here's the lastest.

11 weeks and counting...

Heartbeat!!

I just got back from my first official "doctor" appt...it was WONDERFUL! Its not like there was a whole lot to come from this visit because we still have a long way till the fun stuff...BUT today WAS fun because we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I obviously didn't have any idea what to expect on how we would hear the heartbeat...so I half way expected a full out ultrasound where I might get to see the baby too. But no, it was just a little tiny roller on a cord hooked to a speaker. I swear she didn't even get it fully against my stomach before we started hearing the very clear "panting" is how I describe it. It sounds like Coco panting when she gets hot. But it was a wonderful consistent FAST heartbeat. She said "sounds very strong healthy heartbeat to me". I didn't full out cry...I admit a few tears escaped the corner of my eye...but it wasn't full out emotional, it was more SHOCK and excitement and trying to soak in what I was hearing. Robby sat right next to me with the HUGEST smile planted across his face. She said the rate was 173, which I immediately started asking if the old wise tale was true that if its over 140 its a girl and under 140 its a boy...but she threw that right out the door and said no, its a myth...all babies heartbeats are super fast in the beginning like this...and slow down as the pregnancy so we can't tell anything from this. WHEW! I didn't want to be jumping to conclusions about it. I honestly want to be completely suprised when we go in to find out what it is at 20 weeks...so this was a relief.

She also measured me and I am right at the mark I thought I was at...at about 10 weeks...well 11 weeks tomorrow. YAH! Overall it was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to go back! Only 4 more weeks!

10 weeks today!!

YAH! Time finally feels like its starting to pick up...this week has flown by and here I am at my 10 week mark. Nine or ten more weeks and we can find out the sex of the baby! Hope these next ones more faster than these have.

One nerve-wracking tasks I can check off the list...I finally told my work yesterday that I am pregnant. This was incredibly intimidating and it had crossed my mind every time I saw my boss walking by but actually getting the guts up to s-a-y the words out loud terrified me. But, honestly it got to be so annoying to feel like I was hiding something that I decided to just get it off my chest. (One of my supervisor's responses when I told her how hard it had been to keep quiet about it was...so you don't have a good "poker face"? hahah). Anyway what is funny about our work right now is that we currently have two girls out on maturity leave...and one that just came back...in other words don't drink the water on our floor. And babies are contagious! So obviously I am sure my boss was OH GAH here we go again on the inside...but thankfully they were doing thing they could to show excitement for me on the outside. Then I was finally able to tell the girls I work with...the fun part! This is the people I could actually complain too when I don't feel good...the ones that will go with me to get snacks when baby reed is yanking on my umbilical cord...and just overall part of my support system during the working hours. Everyone was very kind, excited and full of questions...I had a good time finally getting to talk about it...and was completely exhausted by the end of the day from all the excitement. I think I was in bed shortly after 8:15. Oh well...I'd better get the sleep while I can.

I'm back...

Here I am posting twice in one day...but I just couldn't resist sharing how the appt went. Like I have said before it wasn't a big deal because I was just going in to do Family History with a nurse...but as I got there and all everyone wanted to do was talk baby...I found myself getting SO EXCITED and proud. It was so much fun! She gave me lots of documentation to look at, explained to me how the insurance works, I answered a million questions...and last but not least I had to give more blood! Again, it went fine though...so maybe I will be able to get over this phobia soon. :-) Anyway my first appt with the "doctor" is a week from today so I am just so pumped for that...she said they would measure and listen for the heartbeat and all sorts of fun stuff. I can NOT wait!!

I hate to bring you down...but on a sad note (which proved to me the pregnancy emotions are still in high gear) when we were leaving the doctors office we went by the backside of the hospital. I saw three or four men in scrubs crouched down around something and I couldn't see what it was...until we got close...and I realized it was a sick little boy in a wheelchair hooked up to a big machine and they were out letting him see the sun. I burst out bawling! I find myself ULTRA sensitive to stuff about children anymore. Please say a prayer for that little boy...whoever it was. (Nicole I don't know how you deal with this stuff!!!)

Thoughtful...

My sweet sweet friend Nicole surprised me with the BEST gift ever the other night...I have so always dreamed of having one of these...but I can't believe my day is here now.

This was Robby's kind of gift too...add the "Sooner's" into anything and he is SOLD!

Thank you again Nicole, you never cease to amaze me with your gifts...you are always sooo thoughtful and right on the mark...I LOVE it!!

Finally...

Great news!...I finally heard back from the doctor last night...at like 5:35 pm! I was anxiously awaiting the call all day...and even called and left an extra message on their machine around 2 o'clock but never heard back. I had received several inquiries from people asking the results all day (so sweet that people care and can remember what's going on with MY doctor appointments) and I was getting so frustrated because I wanted to hear the news too (not that it was super exciting news or anything but still it was SOMETHING!). Anyway all my blood work came back great! YES, I am pregnant...in case any of you had any doubts. :-) My thyroid levels had gone down significantly, so I am now in the normal range (so no need to worry about that at all anymore). My hormone levels measured between 7-12 weeks so she is assuming I am sitting right at the 9 week mark like I thought. And the greatest (relief) news was that my levels were normal enough to indicate that I am just carrying ONE baby. YAH! Happy news all around. Now I can just look forward to my Family History appointment tomorrow with my actual OB office. I am sure I will have to give more blood (grrr) but if it gives me more news to wait for then I am all for it. News is all I have to live for at this point...its my only tie to my baby. I can't see it, or feel it yet...so I just want to hear about it. :-)

In other news...I had the Race for the Cure 5K on Saturday. Now, that was a different experience! I have done several 5K's this summer all with goals of improving my times each race. hahaha...now the goal was just finishing the race. I haven't been out to jog or even hardly to walk in probably 2 1/2 weeks. I am not sure what everyone else's weather has been like but last Friday was the 14th day in a row that it rained here. I was started to think I lived in Seattle! We did get a pleasant weekend with the recently unheard of sun but of course yesterday our next 5 day setting of rain began...and here we are back in dark dreary weather around the clock all over again. Anyway point of this is...I haven't been able to get out in the evenings and exercise...so the race was very jolting. I only ran maybe the first 15 minutes of it...and then walked the entire rest of the way...even hoping THAT part would be over soon. My body just doesn't feel the same! And that did a number on my pride...I was in some of the best shape of my life earlier this year...and now I am reduced to this. Again, welcome pregnancy! I had some of my coworkers in their 60's beat me! Come on...that's depressing! And to make it all worse...I haven't told anyone at my work I am pregnant yet...so they probably just think I am quite the slacker! haha Oh well...I really can't worry about that...I honestly felt like I had to do what was best for my body...and the goal was not to get too overheated...and so when I felt like it was getting hard and I was getting sweaty...I backed off...and I am ok with that.

I am glad I got out and was active...and the race really was fun but I paid the price for it later that day...my lower back really ached, I was sore and exhausted. Not only did I race home afterward for FOOD but then I settled in for a nice long nap. I didn't make it home in time to go to the game with Robby...so I had the house all to myself and it was dead quiet and peaceful. I love nap time...so do my girls...so we were just three peas in a pod :-)

No word...

Unfortunately I didn't hear back from the doctor's office today so I guess I will have to wait till Monday to hear back. :-(

Otherwise I just wanted to take a few more moments to complain about my insane hunger! It never quits. The conversation that happened the other night between my husband and I will give you a perfect example. We had just eaten at the new Billy Sim's Bar-Q restaurant and we are driving home.
Me: I am so glad you took me there...I made a whole 'nother sandwich with my left over chopped brisket and my piece of texas toast...and its something about their bar-q sauce...
Robby (interrupting): ya know umm...usually when we go out to eat...we don't...um...talk about the food the whole way home too...
Me: Heh...maybe your right. :-)

Other angle of this hunger is that it is very particular...its like once I set my mind on something THAT is exactly what I HAVE TO have or otherwise it just doesn't hit the spot. Last night we had plans with some friends to meet for dinner in Claremore (since they don't live there (and we live close by there) and they were going to happen to be in town that night they suggested we eat in town to make it easier for us). Well this is almost never a good plan because there isn't very many good places to eat in Claremore...I would much rather drive over to Owasso or even into Tulsa to eat something GOOD instead but since it was a week night it seemed like a good plan. That is until Stacy mentioned to me that she was meeting her parents at Olive Garden in Owasso to eat that night. W H A T? Olive Garden...that hadn't even crossed my mind! Oh no, I think I need to go there too! But how rude would that be to call an hour in advance and say... oh I know this is crazy but the baby REALLY wants Olive Garden now, so umm can we switch our dinner plans to a different restaurant and city please? Well, Robby denied my option immediately anyway so I stuck with the original plan...but it did not do him any good because I did not satisfy that craving...and now its 24 hours later...and what am I thinking is for dinner tonight? hmm one guess? Olive Garden. :-)

And next on the craving list...we are waiting patiently for the fair to get to town so that I can have my fried pickles with ranch already!

Anyway you guys have a great weekend...I hope mine will be filled with lots of yummy snacks, naps, and dog snuggling...maybe we can squeeze hubby in too. We'll see. Coco is kind of a mommy-hog. :-)

BOOMER!

Doctor appointment!

Ok well not exactly THE doctor appt that we have been looking forward too...but I still received some news that brings excitement and some that brings relief. When I called my OB again the other day questioning whether I should be medicating for my thyroid, they suggested that I get an appt with my primary care physician and get my blood levels checked again to bring the results more up to date. This was all well and good except I HATE giving blood now (last time I volunteered at the blood drive my vein rolled and I don't know what else happened but I shrieked in pain and tears flooded my eyes, since then I have been a chicken). Anyway I went and gave the blood without any problems today (thank goodness) and she said since she was already going to a full work up...would I like her to do the pregnancy looks too? Such as how far along you are (based on your H.C.G level or something) and that she can even sometimes tell if you are carrying twins or not. HA! I thought that was crazy...she can tell that without even looking at a sonogram?! Well I was all for it, #1) I can't wait to hear ANYthing about my baby from a doctor's perspective like how far along I am etc. #2) I am sure its just paranoia but I am terrified of twins being a realistic concept because my girlfriend that lives two houses down just came up with twins completely unexpectedly on her first pregnancy. Yep, identical twin boys!



So as you can see this DOES happen...it truly is such a miracle, blessing, and true gift from god for sure but to be quite honest I am not sure I would be as brave about it as she has been. Anyway back on topic...the doctor said she would probably have results tomorrow or at the latest Monday! How GREAT! This will give me a new found confidence...and I might even be brave enough to confide in someone at work of my status! (That's right I haven't told a soul yet at work...and its been killing me to at least have someone to talk to and complain to when I am not feeling good. Thank goodness for my instant email buddies, you know who you are :-)

The second thing the doctor told me that gave me the relief was...she thought my thyroid levels weren't going to be an issue at all. She said after speaking with the specialist I saw last year they decided that my levels weren't to be worry-some because it was most likely caused by my birth control! Wow...all this worrying for nothing! Well not completely, I DO have cysts on my thyroid that I have to continue monitoring...but as far as baby, she is almost sure that everything is going to be ok even without medication. Whew!
Oh and one last thought...I still planning on "jogging" the 5K for Race for the Cure this weekend even though I haven't been out running in probably 2 1/2 weeks (thank you non-stop rain) so wish me luck that I can make it through without having to stop for a nap or something. HA!
Anyway I will be sure and post what the doctor has to say about my blood work (hopefully tomorrow!)

Not much new...

Sorry not much new to report. I am feeling pretty good today (thanks to my Fig Newton's, yep I said Fig Newtons, haha nobody eats those anymore but I heard someone talk about them the other day and I just had to have them from that point on...and yes they are as good as I remembered). I had a rough weekend though...starting Friday afternoon. I started feeling really nauseated and after work I just made some dinner and went straight to lay down...at you know a good ole' time of 6:45. I had to get up several times that evening to do things (move laundry etc)...but I was worthless most of the night...and didn't get the grocery shopping done like I had planned. And I felt like I remained at that pace the rest of the weekend. Always too tired, too nauseated and behind on everything I needed to get accomplished. Welcome pregnancy!

I didn't feel much better when I woke up on Saturday morning but it was GAMEDAY so its not like I had a lot of choice. If you know my husband at all...you know that NOTHING matters on Saturday's except holy OU football. It was the opening home game of the season (and we have season tickets and do not miss games but except for EXTREME situations) so I was excited to go but the weather...oh the rain...it did not stop for one solitary minute the entire time we were there. We had poncho's but it didn't matter...after hours of mists, drops and puddles there was not one article of clothing on me that wasn't soaking wet. I have never been so happy to get to my change of dry clothes in the car...I immediately was knocked out in the car and slept the whole way home (exhausted due to having to stand the entire game because the bleachers were sopping wet). So the game was an adventure to say the least but one thing is for sure, boy did baby Reed sure enjoy the concession stand food! haha

Odds & Ends

I feel like I have alot to cover...nothing particularly important...but just thoughts and things I would like to mention. I'll start with the Doctor stuff first. So I called the doctor #1) to hear back about what they thought of my thyroid issues and #2) to tell them that I thought I was alot further along than they realized before I was coming in to get checked out. Well for the thyroid part, they just asked that I schedule back with my primary care doc and see where my levels are sitting at more currently. So I scheduled that for next Thursday. And here's where it got frustrating. I told them that according to my counting I am 8 1/2 weeks not 7 1/2 weeks like they said and she repeated to me again as if I was an idiot who can't count that if my first day of my last period was indeed July 16th then i am 7 1/2 weeks. People tell me if I am crazy...I have counted it a million times and I swear I am going to be 9 weeks tomorrow???

Anyway moving on...moving backward actually, news from the weekend. Our good friends Dane & Lesli came down to spend the weekend with us...and brought their 6 yr old daughter Paige and their 3 old son Easton. Wow! It was quite a glimpse into what I have to look forward too. Oh and terrified me! Lesli deserves a medal for god sakes! She is on duty non-stop grabbing stuff out of hands, cleaning messes, sitting him down in his seat, trying to keep him quiet, console his crying, getting him to try and eat. Just a 24 hour job! I can't imagine! On the other hand Paige was so responsible, and sweet, and quiet, this showed me that these stages are only temporary...and soon Easton will be out of this stage too. Time marches on so quickly...I can remember the night Paige was born...and now she is just a grown up little girl wearing a backpack and going to school!

The weekend was a long one...and normally I am ALL for the long weekends... but after having company all weekend long with two children ON TOP of being pregnant...I was EXHAUSTED. On Monday after they left I honestly thought I was going to end up in tears because I couldn't get anything accomplished, when there was so much to do...and all my body wanted to do was SLEEP. Later that day I realized I had forgotten to take my prenatal vitamin and took it about 3 pm...almost instantly I felt better! I am telling you all those vitamins juice me up and give me energy! So for that reason I am glad I take it in the mornings before work, even if it is harder to remember to take than at night.

I am really looking forward to this weekend to catch up on rest...but we are heading to Norman on Saturday for the game, so I am sure there probably won't be much rest to be had. Oh well, I am actually looking forward to the fall season and football this year (even after our lose this weekend (tear)). So lets just hope we can turn it around this weekend. BOOMER!

Miscounted

Last night while looking at my little calendar card thingy I realized that I think I have been miscounting my weeks. I think I am in the middle of my eight week. (not seventh!) Which of course, is not that big of change...but its exciting! I have more chapters in my prego books I can be reading already! The part about it that bothers me is that when I originally called the doctor they said that they didn't need to see me till 8 or 9 weeks. Well my first appointment isn't till the 23rd and that one is just family history and just with a nurse. And the first "doctor" appointment I have isn't even till the 30th. Well I am going to be one day short of 12 weeks by then! I need to call the doctor's office back today about my thyroid questions anyway so I think I going to question whether I should be coming in sooner??

On another note, I just got a call from one of my old girlfriends that was asking how I am doing and she mentioned something that we could find out the sex of the baby WAY earlier than I ever expected? I mean I was guessing we wouldn't know that till like half way through the pregnancy...and she thought it was something like 12 weeks or something? That can't be right, is it? Anyone remember?

I almost forgot...its Thursday again so I think I am officially in my 7th week now. Yah! The faster the time passes before I get to go to the doctor and hear the heartbeat, the better. I am so looking forward to that! I am scheduled for the "Family History" visit on the 23rd...but my first actual visit with the doctor isn't till the 30th. So I have still got a couple weeks to go. I wonder how soon I will show? Unfortunately probably not for a couple more months. I never understood why pregnant women were in such a hurry to show...but now I completely get it. Well at least I think do, I want to show so that I will be able to see that I am pregnant. Same goes for feeling the baby move the first time...I can not WAIT for that! I just put so much thought into the baby that being able to see or feel it will be a great moment.
In other news, I have feeling pretty good the last couple of days! Which has been GREAT! I even slept really well last night. Don't ask me why I don't sleep really well every night based on how tired I am but I don't. A lot of times I am restless in the night and it bothers me A LOT to miss any sleep, because sleep is one of my most very favorite things. I have always been a sleepaholic. So I hope the baby realizes how I am giving him/her the ultimate sacrifice of my precious sleep. :-)
Kayli and Coco are not helping the situation though, they aren't doing anything different its just they slept right next to me (MUST BE touching me so they don't accidentally miss me moving without them knowing or something) and they are so hot that they are overheating me. Not to mention the fact that I have to get up several times a night to pee and one of two things happen: either they are completely unhappy to get moved and I have to make some giant maneuver to get out of the bed and covers without throwing them out of the bed, OR they are TOO eager to wake up and want to be taking outside to play around (which wakes me up further to dink around with them). Either way this could get A LOT worse as I get bigger, hotter, less graceful getting out of bed, and less patience for taking out rotten little girls that want to play in the middle of the night (or pretend to need to go pee JUST to receive a treat). But on the other hand HOW can I resist this faces?

Body changes

Well there really aren't any changes yet...but I am excited for them to start! I went ahead and took some pictures of my "before" body last week...hopefully these will serve me a good reminder come next May to kick it back into high gear a lose my baby weight. In this last year I have really gotten into running, and I am continuing to jog so far...and I plan to continue as long as I can. They say it really helps with delivery if you are in good shape, and it might help against stretch marks. Plus the biggest benefit, it will help the weight fall off afterward. So at this point my hopes are with staying active with exercise and hopefully I can breastfeed, and maybe between the two I can get my body back together again. We'll see....

This next picture really cracks me up. Its not exactly the best picture of a side view...but if you look at the shadow on the wall it looks like what my belly will eventually look like large!

How I'm Feeling...

I immediately became completely in tune with my body after the very second I found out, wondering if every moment if this felt different or that etc but overall I was feeling really good till about the first day of my sixth week (Thursday August 27th). I woke up feeling fine and got dressed and headed to work but shortly after getting there I had switched my lamp on at my desk and my left eye simultaneously turned blurry. I knew what this meant and panic rushed through me. I had a migraine coming on...and I wasn't going to be able to take ANY medicine for it! I tried to finish some things up quickly because I ended up leaving work and heading home by about 9:30 that morning. The girls were completely thrilled to see me home and we immediately all just cuddled up into bed...and remained there most of the day. My headache didn't turn out to be that bad this time THANK GOD but I still was exhausted and nauseated so the day of rest was well needed. I felt terrible the next days too...just nauseated a lot and very tired but no headaches at least and thank goodness no throwing up thus far. I am trying to take it easy...after I get home from work I go and lay down and sometimes full out nap for a couple minutes. Yesterday (Tuesday Sept 1st) was the best day I have had a while though! I wasn't nauseated all day, I had more energy than usual , I cooked dinner and even went jogging. I hope days like that come around more often!

Aside from the sickness though the most major change I have noticed in my body is my HUNGER. Its like uncontrollable! Of course I have been so famished before that I make myself sick...but this is different...never in my life I have felt like "if I don't get something in my mouth this very instant I am pulling into the next drive thru and ordering the first thing I see"...there is no waiting till I get home sometimes. When I need it, I need it right then! And I just need to eat so much more often then I ever did before! And for the first time its not just me thinking about wanting food, its my body demanding food! I never dreamed it would feel that way so early in a pregnancy...but after reading more about it...this is the most influential time. I am trying to grow a new person and my body is working triple time.

Confirmed...

I am sure that most women that are newly pregnant can relate to this (or remember) but by Thursday of that same week (August 20th (which would have been the first day of my 5th week)) I was convinced that I had dreamed the whole thing up. I still didn't feel pregnant...and by then the digital test results had disappeared from the test screen. I would go back and look at the picture I took of the positive test to comfort myself, but even then I convinced myself that the first test could have just been a fluke! So Thursday night we took a second test...this time we just stared at it waiting for the results to show up. JACKPOT it said pregnant again...and the results showed up fast! There was no three minute wait. What a relief! Who would have thought that it would matter so much to me already? I mean just three days earlier I was completely content being an un-pregnant woman...and yet suddenly after knowing I was, even for a split second...there was no turning back. My thoughts immediately changed to: do ANYthing to make sure you remain pregnant and that you are a growing a healthy baby. And since then that is EXACTLY where my frame of mind has stayed...every time I get ready to put something in my mouth, every time I get ready to go jog, even every time I go to the bathroom (for the millionth time each day) I am reminded its all for baby...and what's best to grow a healthy baby.

Let's get started...

Hello! Welcome to the Baby Reed blog! My sole purpose of this journal is to document this entire miraculous event from the beginning and be able to look back on everything we have been through thus far. So I think I'd better start at the beginning. Robby and I have been toying with the idea of having a baby for quite a while now. But last month we decided to get serious and just see how long takes...well let's just say God must think we are ready because here comes baby #1 on the way. I took my first test on August 18th (a Tuesday night) right after I got home from work. That's right, we didn't even wait till the first bathroom break in the morning like we were supposed to. No, we just pretty much jumped right in fully expecting it not #1 not be positive #2 even if we were pg we weren't expecting it to show up on the test yet (knowing that sometimes it takes days even weeks for your hormones to show high enough levels to be picked up on a test). Robby and I were completely giddy (he'll kill me for saying this) waiting for the three minutes to be up before we walked back in to see, we were standing in the closet next to the bathroom just bouncing off the walls of nerves and excitement. I was climbing all over him while he was counting to 180 seconds...we walk back in and agree to both look down at it at the same exact time and well it was VERY CLEAR that it was positive.

I thought I was just like looking in a mirror because both our expressions were exact the same...our mouths both dropped as we both looked up at each other at the exact same moment with HUGE eyes. OMG this is it! This is the moment I have day-dreamed about for years...the moment where we both jump around screaming and crying. Nope, as with almost all things, it's never the way you imagine it, we were so shocked and THRILLED, we hugged and smiled non-stop...but there was no screaming or crying. Robby exceeded my expectations though...he was more excited than any other time I had ever seen him! He had a smile planted across his face that was unshakable. His emotions and actions MELTED me! I don't know if there is a better feeling then seeing your husband so thrilled about making a baby with you (granted I am sure his excitement had a lot to do with thinking “my little athlete” but hey I will take it…excited is excited!) At that very moment life just couldn't be more perfect...we made a baby together...we had taken the giant step...it wasn't just some other couple that we knew this time...it was us...we were starting our own family...our new chapter...and now thinking about this, talking about this....now the tears are coming (its these dang hormones!! haha)