25 Weeks!

Hey!

25 weeks down...15 to go! Time is flying by and it's hard to believe in a few short weeks Peanut will be here! Tony and I have started to make some preparations, as we have come to the realization that we won't be moving before the baby is born. We were both a little sad that we won't be in a house, but realize it is better for us just to keep saving right now. Especially since I will be on UNPAID maternity leave! Still no name resolution, but I'll keep you posted!

We go to the doctor on Thursday to get further tests for Peanut's kidneys. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and prayers. I'm trying to not think about it, but it's hard not to worry. Other than that Peanut seems to be doing great. He conitnues to be very active, and has started to be much more active at night. Between him kicking and having to go to the bathroom I haven't been getting much sleep, which has made work very interesting. I do a lot of driving for work and my brain seems to be more scattered than normal. I've missed a few exits and and forgot which client I was going to see a few times. Now I've started writing stuff on post it notes and putting them in my car! I hear it will only get worse from here!!

Tony and I went to our hospital tour on Sunday. It was very informative and answered a lot of questions. I really like the hospital. It has an entire building that is dedicated to maternity. It is beautiful and has hardwood floors and nice lighting. It is very quiet and welcoming. It is nice to be separated from the rest of the hospital (and weird smells!). Tony and I (well me anyway) will be trying water laboring if the room is available when I go into labor. I am going to try to do a natural childbirth, but we'll see how it goes. Tony has been very supportive and encouraging of my wishes.

We were also able to buy our crib, matress, and bedding this week. My granny is very excited about have a great grandson and decided to send us money for the crib (and put in a little extra too!). It makes it seem very real to have a crib set up in our second bedroom! We still have a lot of work to do on the nursery as it has been our "junk room" for quite some time now.

On a side note...congrats to my college roommate Lisa. She gave birth to her second son, Micah John, yesterday. Both mom and baby are doing well!



Picture time!

Tony taking a look at the directions before starting the crib assembly!

There were a lot of pieces!!

Finished product!!

"Peanut" testing it out!



Another finished shot (I need to get rid of the lamp!)

25 week belly :)

Another belly shot!

24 Weeks...and OBAMA DAY!

Hey!!

I hope everyone is doing well. Here are the updates for this week:

Obama Day: Tony and I went to Centennial Olympic Park to share in some Inauguration festivities. It was really cold (for Atlanta!) and windy, but it was definitely worth it. There were thousands of people there. There were deafening cheers and people crying and praying throughout the park. It was especially meaningful since it was the day after Dr. King day and Atlanta is Dr. King's hometown. It was a day of reflection for how far our country has come. However, it also made me think about how far we still have to go. Because, not only did I hear cries of joy, throughout the day I also heard some of the most hateful statements I have ever heard in my life. It is clear that racism is alive and well (especially in the South!). I hope we can all come together and support him as our President and he tries to lead our Nation in a new direction. I pray for him and his family, and for their safety. I posted some pictures from the park.

Peanut: He is becoming more and more active everyday. Tony and I were up until almost 2am last night because of all his movement! It still very odd to look down and see my stomach moving. It is also reassuring. He is gaining weight and strength and I'm pretty sure I have some internal bruising! I know he's only going to get bigger and stronger, so I'm bracing myself for the upcoming weeks! People are finally starting to notice I'm pregnant! I have officially gained 3 pounds!

I went to the doctor on Tuesday and got some troubling news. The doctor is sending me to get a Level 2 ultrasound because they are looking into a possible kidney abnormality. We're not sure what all of this means right now, and we're trying not to get too worked up or upset about it until we know more. I should have the next round or scans in a few days, and then we will know more. If the next scan doesn't go well there is a high likelihood that I will need to be monitored by a high risk doctor and a fetal renal specialist. It's very scary to think that something is wrong before I can even hold him, but we're trying to stay positive until we know more.

According to my reading Peanut is about 9 inches long (from his head to his butt) or a little over a foot long total, and weighs almost a pound and a half! He will be gaining a lot of weight over the next few weeks. He also has fully functional ears and can hear us talking now! We both talk to him so he can recognize our voices when he finally makes his entrance to the world!

I think that's all the updates for this week. I'll keep you posted when we know more about Peanut's kidneys. We're confident that everything will be okay.

Here are some pictures from Obama Day! Unfortunately my battery when dead before I could take a belly shot, so stay tuned for week 25!

The crowd at the park.

Celebrating after he took the Oath.


Getting sworn in!!!

Crowd shot...

Another crowd picture...

I was cold!!

Tony at the Park...

A picture of Peanut so we can put it in his baby book! This will have to serve as the belly shot for the week! I also have on 3 shirts, so I might be a little inaccurate :)

22 and 23 Weeks!

Hey!

Again, I must apologize for skipping a week. I worked late every night last week and by the time I got home I was lucky if I ate dinner before I went to bed! I did take some 22 week pictures though. I was very thankful for Tony last week for cooking dinner and doing all the dishes! We went to the doctor for a follow-up ultrasound. They wanted to look at his heart to make sure there were no abnomalites because they couldn't see it clearly in the 20 week ultrasound. Well...after 30 minutes of trying they finally saw all 4 chambers of his heart...woohoo. My doctor is amazed at how active Peanut is. He was not very cooperative and did not enjoy being poked very much! He is still in the breech position and facing backwards. Unfortunately, this means will not get any of the "cute" ultrasound pictures, and we won't get to see his face until he's born. Hopefully he'll shift from being breech in the upcoming weeks. He continues to be very active and is starting to get on a schedule. He is very quiet in the morning and starts moving around 10:30am. Once he starts moving it is rare that he stops for very long! He is also very active in the evening/night. We are hoping this continues after he is born, as I am not a morning person!!


We are still stuck on names, and seem to be at a stalemate! We'll see who gives in first! Tony really wants to name him Antonio (his middle name), and my top 3 are Malakai, Gabriel, and Pierson with the middle name being Antonio. So far neither of us are giving in on our choice! If you see or talk to Tony try to talk some sense into him and bring him over to my team :)


On to some pictures! I'd try to make up for missing last week by adding several pictures. My dogs have been feeling neglected so I put in a few pictures of them too! Also...Tony is back on the blog and added some entertaining pictures. He was getting jealous of my growing belly so he had to get some help from the closet. Enjoy!

Apollo being camera shy!!!

Rameses being a ham!

Doing what they do best...wrestling!!

Apollo is tuckered out!

Ready for Round 2!!

22 Weeks!

Tony is very proud of his growing belly (and chest)!!!!

23 Weeks!!!!