Week 25 & 26

Sorry for the delay. School is in full swing, which means I am one tired mama. We have some good news to share, but first, let's catch up a bit!! :) 

   

Baby's First Week of Kindergarten! :)

 

How far along? 25 & 26 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Still trying to milk the bella band on a few items but I think I need to throw that puppy out. This belly is FULL maternity wardrobe. The first week of school is proving difficult already with finding clothes to wear. Come on Fall... this hot weather is just too much!
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: I've been sleeping okay still. I am bit uncomfortable still and experienced some lower back pain but I think its from moving more and going back to work and being on my feet more often.
Miss Anything? Now that school has started back I would be looking forward to a glass of wine to wind down, so I am definitely missing that. But chasing 23+ kinder babies has made this pregnant mama VERY tired, so the wine is not needed to calm down and get to bed early.
Movement: Wowza! I think being on my feet more has made this girl turn on the acrobats! I have been able to feel every movement, she is rarely sitting still. Now that the belly is expanding RAPIDLY there is less space between my skin and her, so I have seen her move across my belly. It's quite weird to see your skin move like a wave! I guess that means she's comfortable.
Food cravings: Lots and lots of water! This makes sleeping through the night quite impossible. Or if it happens and I make it until dawn, I am waddling to the bathroom.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Raw meat is still a bit weird with me. Chicken has been my nemesis it is usually my go to but not so much lately.
Gender:  Sweet girl :)
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Back pain and some discomfort. The tummy is getting WAY tighter and I can feel the stretching. The school day looks a little bit different now. I find myself trying to plan out restroom breaks for myself where I can sneak away from the students. After the first day of school my feet were screaming and my legs physically ached from standing so much. I am hoping my body can readjust to this after the next week or two. Other than that I feel like I am just slowing down a bit.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Exhausted but happy! Tom might beg to differ. This week has been hard for me and probably on Tom getting back into the school routine. I am hoping I am not taking out my school stress on him, or letting it effect the pregnancy. I am trying to take it easy and still enjoy the last few months carrying this little bundle.

Best moment this week: Week 25: PACKAGES! Oh man, oh man! We received our first delivery for baby! Seeing those boxes on the porch sent my brain whirling back to the days before our wedding. Everyday a new box... such an exciting time, well this is even better!! My aunt and grandma have already spoiled this girl. We got our stroller with carseat converter and our quick snap in stroller base for quick access and some other fun goodies. I would be lying if I said setting up the stroller was a piece of cake.. because it wasn't! And afterwards Tom may have had a minor freak out about seeing a stroller in the living room. 

WEEK 26: NO MORE VSDs!!!!!!!!!!  Our girl's heart has been healed! :) More to come...
Looking forward to: A 3 day weekend! :) I have thought a 3 day weekend after the first week of school has been silly in the past but after a mere 2 days of school I am counting down the minutes until Friday! And to make it better, this weekend is the husband's birthday! We have some fun things planned. And a lot of loving on this sweet baby! :) 

A healthy heart means one happy Daddy! :)

 Update:

After our 22 week appointment our specialist referred us to a cardiologists to make sure there were no other complications with our girl's heart. There were a lot of nerves going into the appointment but also some piece of mind knowing that we would walk away knowing the details of what to expect if the VSDs did not heal before her delivery. Craziest thing... at the cardiologist's office we had a very extensive sonogram and while they were looking at her heart, they had me laying on a heating pad... A HEATING PAD!!!! In the 105 degree heat of Texas. Come on.... sorry that was random. Anyways the doctor was next door watching the sonographer work and when she came in she initially said she could not see the VSDs. WHAT the WHAT!?! I was ecstatic! And might have cried a bit. The cardiologist wanted to confirm but during her views she said she could barely see them but did see the tears in two views. She reassured us what our specialist had said and that because the tears were in a thicker part of the muscle they should heal and were not too big of a concern. If they were higher in the muscle in more of the thin, membrane like place they would be more critical. The cardiologist told us she did not need to see us again but we would still see our specialist again. Overall this potentially, very scary appointment went very well. At the same time they checked for the VSDs, they were able to make sure all of the heart components were growing, hooking up correctly and functioning properly. What a reassurance and a blessing in disguise.

Last Friday, after a VERY, VERY long inservice week and a Meet the Teacher meeting we had our next appointment with Dr. Hickman, our specialist. In every past appointment, even the dreaded last summer, we have always been placed in a room on the right side and sometimes the same room and each piece of news has had a bit or a lot of heartbreak. But this appointment they walked us into a room on the left. I didn't want to jinx it, but I thought to myself... this is it! It's going to be all good. The sonographer did her thing measuring every inch of our girl. She is definitely growing! :) Again she was folded in half, foot in the face style. She is a little contortionist! Dr. Hickman came in after and told us she saw NO VSDs!!!! The tears had healed! WHAT?!?! It was such a breath of fresh air, the news we needed. All thanks be to God our ultimate healer! God has healed our girl! So thankful for this answered prayer. Oh yeah, we celebrated! Apple pie and ice cream celebrated :)

We are so thankful for your prayers and thoughts through our journey! As we celebrate this healing it is also bittersweet. Dr. Hickman has seen us since she diagnosed Baby H with multicystic kidneys last summer. We no longer need to visit her and will not be able to see this bouncing girl in 3D every month. In the midst of the hurt and struggle we have been able to monitor and watch her grow through the months. We are spoiled! After a moment of happy silence and a bit hug we said goodbye to a doctor, but most of all a friend.

Oh happy day! :) We are excited to announce our Girl is healthy and has a healthy, beating heart. Baby Girl, do you know how much we love you? How many people love and have been praying for you already? You are so loved!

One Sick Puppy & The Past 24 Hours

This summer my one goal, other than set up the nursery, was to break Kali of the kennel. She has been kennel trained since a puppy. With a baby on the way I did not want a huge kennel in the house when Baby Girl starts crawling... not to mention it was looking quite tacky in the breakfast area. Hence this summer's goal.

Kali has done so well, but we have to put the trashcan on the counter or else she demolishes the trash bag. I don't mean pulls out a few pieces, but somehow the trashcan stays in place and every piece of trash is in the next room by her bed. We wish there was a secret camera so we could watch this monstrosity. Well the other night it was worse than ever. We were over at my mom and dad's for dinner and we came home to a room full of trash, fruit peels & rines, and everything in between. Kali seemed to be okay except for a bruised ego and bum after a few swats. But the following day this is what our search engine looked like...

Yesterday she couldn't stop vomiting and there was nothing in her poor stomach. After a few hours of hurling, we were concerned about dehydration and at 1:30 in the morning after a call to the local emergency vet we were on our way. Man... Ill tell you what, I am in the wrong business! After a $120 walk in doctor's exam fee, a shot and fluids for our dehydrated puppy, at 3:30am our wallets were feeling a lot lighter. We left with a hunch back dog as well. They injected the fluids right below her neck and above her back and she had a huge bubble of fluids. (The picture doesn't do it justice, I promise).

As we pulled out a local police officer pulled into the gas station and came right behind us. When you're the only car on the road at 3:30am its inevitable... the lights came on. A sick dog, an emergency visit and now a ticket... Thankfully my police officer knew this policeman and after a 20 minute chat we were on our way. 

What a rough, ROUGH 24 hours for this family.

We have had a pretty lazy morning, afternoon ... well a lazy day! :) I reached for the non decaf coffee this morning. I know tsssk, tssk! That's what 4 hours of sleep will get you.

 This is what our day has looked like... Poor Girl! :(

 I took this opportunity to tackle and Pinterest DIY tutorial and redo a lampshade for Baby Girl's dresser. 

Reaction... I LOVE IT!

Looking back... I am thankful for 24 hour emergency vets, cloudy lazy days and a chance to relax before the craziness of the school year begins! And I'm definitely thankful to see Kali's tail wagging again.

Catching Up

 About to get on the plane for Pennsylvania :) 

 

Soaking up the Texas rays with our Sweet Girl! 

How far along? 24 Weeks! Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been trying to soak in my last few weeks, now days of Summer. The time is flying by. 0nly 3 more months left... I will be cherishing every movement from this sweet girl, moving around in my belly.

Maternity clothes? Still trying to wear some of my chubby clothes, pre crossfit, with the belly band but mostly maternity clothes. On our trip up north we visited H&M and their maternity section. Trying to prepare for the school year. No more wearing Tom's basketball shirts and oversized Tshirts.
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: I've been sleeping okay still but the past few days I have woke up with AWFUL back pain, down low. Tom didn't believe me until he felt the knots. Hopefully this will stop soon.
Miss Anything? Wine. I promise I'm not a lush, but I did enjoy a glass of red wine to relax every now and then. The summer is making me miss it more. Margaritas.
Movement: Oh my goodness! This girl has been going crazy! I can constantly feel her throughout the day and Tom has been able to feel her strong kicks and punches. And he can see them, my stomach will jolt and bulge late in the evenings when she craziest.
Food cravings: Crunchy and spicy! I have been loving chips and salsa and anything else with a crunch. Mexican food has been calling my name. Tacos please.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Raw meat. Stink... my gag reflex is still at an all time high.
Gender:  Baby GIRL!!!
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Some pains. Lower back. I have been feeling my stomach tighten throughout the day. Braxton hicks maybe? Already?
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So happy! This week has been great! Lots of exciting things took place in Little Girl's room. We got a few pieces of her bedding from my inlaws. It is so fun to walk in and see some color in her crib and think about a little baby laying in there. I cannot wait!

Best moment this week: Hearing her daddy sing to her. I have been telling Tom to talk to her more often and tonight when he was getting ready for work he was being silly and sang a song to her. I wish I could remember the lyrics he made up. So funny! :)
Looking forward to: Soaking up these last few days before the school year starts. I have a few more things I would like to finish in the nursery, another trip to register and a few craft/ sewing projects with my mom. 

We had our Cardiology appointment on Monday. I will post about it tomorrow... it's late and I'm pooped. Thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers for our Baby Girl! :)