The saddest little dog there ever was....and a lesson

I didn't want to mention in the previous, happy post that our sweet little Ringo had an accident over the holiday. We aren't sure what happened because Nicholas and I were eating breakfast at the time and Ringo was outside with my parents' dogs, but the diagnosis was a torn foot pad and a broken meta-carpal bone in his front left paw. This happened on the 23rd. Needless to say, Ringo had a very bad Christmas. He ended up staying for two nights in the emergency hospital in Louisville where they put a firm splint on his leg (that resembles a cast) and sedated him. He stayed two nights because he is going to have to be crated for the next eight weeks to give his bone time to heal. (We didn't bring his crate because we NEVER use it. He hates it.) He's been a brave little pup.

When we got home tonight, Ringo was very upset to be in his crate. We're sure he was looking forward to some freedom after being cooped up in a small run for the past two days. Ringo howled and cried and whined and cried. Perhaps obviously, I cried. Actually, I bawled. Nicholas had to give me a pep talk. We are all going to make it through this...and be better for it. We'll let this be a lesson to us...that parenting is hard. I just wish that I could explain to him that we are doing this for his own good.

We eventually got everyone calmed down, and I read from "Little House in the Big Woods" to the baby and to Ringo. Ringo fell asleep, and now I am going to go do the same.

Christmas Catch-up

Over Christmas, we spent two and a half days with my parents and family, two and a half days with Nicholas's mom Jane, and one day with Nicholas's dad Bill and his wife Tamara. Here are some pictures:


Nicholas reading with Craig (Stephanie's son) and Xavier (my cousin Laura's son) on Tuesday last. He's going to be great at the dad thing!


My niece Madeline and nephew Christopher at Aunt Vicky's Christmas get-together (in the tradition of Grandma Mae) on Wednesday last. It was great to have everyone together!

Thursday, Christmas Eve, my family got together for brunch and presents at Mom and Dad's house. It was great!


Nicholas's grandma Jean and he on Christmas Eve. We ordered Chinese take-out and were really relaxed.

Christmas day, Jane had lots of family in to her condo, and everyone had fun! That was the day I couldn't deny that I was sick, though, and although Jane and I wanted to shop for a bassinet on Saturday, I ended up staying in bed all day Saturday with a cough, congestion, sore throat, and a humidifier! Thanks, Jane, for letting me recuperate! I hope you aren't sick!


Even though we weren't there to witness, here is a picture of Abby on Christmas morning. Mom and Stephanie painted her room to look like a barn since Abby is so into horses! What a sweetheart!

Sunday, before heading to Bill's (Nicholas's dad's) Jane and I went to Babies 'R Us and found the Pack 'N Play that gets the number one safety rating on Consumer Reports right now. (Nicholas and I got a membership for the sole purpose of scoping out all things baby!) This Pack 'N Play has a bassinet, so we are going to multi-purpose!

We had fun with Bill and Tamara on Sunday night, too! Dinner, a beautiful cookie party, snow, and presents!




Thanks everyone for the loads of presents! Stephanie gave us loads (like three huge boxes!) of Abby's clothes from 0-18 months and said there is more for when the baby gets older! Wow!!! She also helped me register because it is so hard to know which lotion and which clipper to ask for. Wilson and Beki got us a huge basket of blankets and onsies and diapers and wipes and more! Charlie got us a baby jogger stroller--he even put it all together!! Jane got us the Pack 'N Play. Nicholas and I ordered the baby's crib and mattress over the holiday, so the baby gear is certainly coming! I left some out, but I think most everything is in the picture!!

We're having a girl!!!

Nicholas and I told the ultrasound technician that we wanted to know the gender of the baby, and right away, we saw our little one spread eagle on the screen! Without a doubt, we're having a girl!! But even better, all her little organs and parts look like they are developing well. We saw the four chambers of the heart, her kidneys, her bladder, her eyes and lips, her little hands and little feet, each part of her brain, and they measured her femur and her head. The femur measurement put me at 21 weeks, 2 days yesterday, which was 6 days past where I was (20 weeks, 3 days), and the head measurement was right on 20 weeks, 3 days. They aren't changing my due date, but we might be having a big/tall little girl! Just like her momma for the former, just like her daddy for the latter!! Right now she weighs 13 ounces and has a heartbeat of 157 beats per minute. I had gained 4 pounds in the past three weeks, but my doctor was happy about it since my net gain since pre-pregnancy is 6 pounds...right in the norm of 5-8 pounds for 20 weeks. Nicholas and I are so thrilled as we have both been secretly hoping for a girl! We are in Indiana now, and we were greeted by boxes and boxes of Abby's clothes: 0-18 months...and there is more where that came from! I've posted the ultrasound below for all interested!

We are officially "those people"

Nicholas and I have been meaning to buy a car for a while now to replace my 1998 Subaru Forester. Today, we did. A van. Yes, we are "those people"--people whose child is not yet born, and yet they buy a van. Oh, well! My image is shot anyway! Here is the photo:



It is a 2010 Toyota Sienna, but we bought it used, so it was quite a deal. We were able to pay for it out right so that we don't have a payment to deal with. It has power everything, all kinds of safety features that my Subaru didn't have, it drives very smoothly, room for eight, but the third row folds down easily (I did it at the dealership), and perhaps what sold me was the fact that the middle seat in the second row rolls and locks forward so that you can reach around to it from the front seat. Nice for baby. Yes, yes, I know it is a van....but I kind of love it. I never thought that I would be one of "those people" who treat their dog like a baby, either, but what can I say? I surprise me!

Also note how big I am getting! I think that I have gained 3-4 pounds since my last doctor's visit (we'll see on Monday when we go for the ultrasound). I am feeling the baby kick regularly now, and today, for the first time, Nicholas was able to feel the baby kick. I was taking a bath, which feels awesome due to how light it makes my belly feel. The baby was really active, and kicked me three times in a row. I called Nicholas and he felt the baby kick twice. Pretty amazing!!!

No complaining this week. I've felt really good, really happy, and really excited! I can't believe we are half way through! (Is that very Pollyanna and annoying for me to write?) My mom and my nurse did both tell me that I should ask to have my iron levels checked, though. They think that my fatigue might be due to that. I would love to be able to take a pill and fix that!

We are headed to IN right after our appointment on Monday, but I will try to blog and post the movie of the ultrasound and any updates before we go.

So...when it comes to pregnancy, I am a baby!

You hear of women who love being pregnant, who say that they never felt so good in all their lives as when they were pregnant. In case you are wondering, I am NOT one of those women. With that said, as Stephanie reminds me and I try to remind myself everyday, I am keeping my eye on the prize. With every little baby movement (I feel them a couple of times a day. I haven't had caffeine since last Tuesday...), with every glance into the "baby room", with every notice of my blossoming belly, I do feel renewed excitement for our little one. However, to make this an honest recording of the pregnancy, I will list my grievances lately:

1. I am SO tired! I WISH I could nap everyday. I used to easily be able to get up at 5:15, walk the dogs two miles, make lunches, get ready for work, leave the house for work at 7, work from 7:30 to 4:30 (maybe do yoga at lunch), come home at 5, make dinner, walk the dogs two miles after dinner, relax or do housework for an hour, and go to bed by 9. Now the dogs are lucky to get two walks a day. Usually one is about a mile and a half and the other is the full two miles. I definitely nap on the weekends, and it takes me a full day to clean the house the way I like it. Actually, it has been common for me, about once a week, to come home from work and go to sleep at 5:30....and sleep through the night except for the usual wake-ups (see below).
   
2. Heartburn....need I say more. It sucks and it seems ever present.
   
3. Spider veins....and I am worried about varicose veins. I hate wearing pantyhose, but I will!
   
4. Waking up several times during the night....due to hunger, bathroom trips, and being uncomfortable.
   
5. Back aches. I am confused about how someone feels when she gains 30 lbs, when my back hurts now and I've only gained three. Hopefully the yoga will help.
   
6. Aching legs after standing for a while. I love to bake around this time of year, but I think I am going to have to sit down while stirring!
   
7. Lower abdominal pressure. I feel like the baby is getting noticeably bigger all the time, and pushing my abdomen down and out to accommodate. Perhaps this is true.
   
8. Clothes that don't fit. My pre-pregnancy clothes are too tight, and my maternity clothes (especially the pants) are too loose.
   

Okay, all you experienced moms, you can laugh now! I am a baby! And you are all thinking, just wait until the baby comes! You will not have time to worry about yourself. Well, that may be true, but for now, I have discovered that I am not as tough as I thought I was.

And speaking of dogs, and to let you know that the strands of popcorn and cranberries on our artificial Christmas tree are real, here is a picture (note the muddy paw prints leading up to the tree) of what I came home to today. Yes, Ringo ate the popcorn, but decidedly disliked the cranberries:



Heidi, here is a pic of where we moved the piano. Ringo was in the middle of a yawn; this was the eighth picture in a row trying to get a good stance from him.

Just a little "flick" and other developments!

On Monday when I spoke with Dr. Chwe, he asked if I had felt the baby move. I said that I wasn't sure if I had felt the baby move or if I was just feeling digestion. He suggested that if I was anxious to feel it, I could drink a little caffeine and then pay attention. Tuesday, I did that. And I felt the baby kick! It felt, to me, like a little flick from the inside. It happened once, and then again and again for about an hour. It was amazing!!!

Nicholas turned 30 on Saturday, and (brother) Wilson, his wife Beki, and their three kids Christopher, Madeline, and Wilson stopped to visit. Here are some pictures.





Also, I picked up the rest of the slipcovers for the dining room on Monday. Love them!



And, last, but not least, we put up our Christmas tree--the artificial one that I bought on Black Friday morning!

17 week, 3 day doctor's visit

Just a quick update. We had our 17 week 3 day doctor's visit yesterday. I am up three pounds from the last visit, which makes me 2 pounds up from my pre-pregnancy weight. Dr. Chwe was happy with that weight gain. My uterus is now just below my belly button. The baby's heartbeat was loud and clear at 157 beats per minute.

I had a list of questions for him--from finding a pediatrician, to signing up for birth classes, to blood cord banking, to spider veins (I am going to have to start wearing panty hose!! Yuck!), to writing a birth plan, to weight gain. Dr. Chwe is very reassuring and answered all my questions patiently even though I know he was busy. His staff is awesome, too, and the tech who found the heartbeat told me that if I ever needed to be reassured, I could drop in between visits and she would let me listen to the heartbeat.

Our next appointment--the one we have an ultrasound and hopefully find out the baby's gender--is December 21! Hooray! In time for Christmas!!