What a Long, Strange Week it's Been

22 Week Update from BabyCenter.com:

"At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily."

To say that this week has been slightly crazy would be an understatement!! We hosted a couple's baby shower on Saturday night that turned out really nice, then on Sunday I went to the movies with a girlfriend and Justin and I went to Babies R Us for the dreaded registering experience! It was pretty overwhelming at times, but I think we managed to do okay! We also went to the mall to pick out a few maternity shirts that are becoming more necessary every day. I can still fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, but they aren't near as comfortable as elastic banded pants and loose fitting tops! After that we went to a friends house for dinner and relaxing.

Monday was my first day at my new job and it went really well. Things are already starting to come back to me and soon it will feel like I never left! That night, Justin and I both ate some leftovers and hung out with a friend. I went to bed pretty early due to my constant back pain. There is one spot in my back that has been bothering me for about a year and a half. It is the same spot that tends to be a symptom of gall bladder problems, and I really hoped that when my gall bladder was removed last year that this pain would go away. Now I'm starting to wonder if it is a result of my favorite blue chair. It usually doesn't start hurting until the end of the night when I'm relaxing in my chair watching TV or reading. Usually when it starts hurting, I either go and read in bed or move to the couch. Monday night, I went on to bed.

I woke up at about 2:30am to go to the bathroom, but I was having a hard time getting back to sleep. My stomach was feeling very weird and I just did not feel very good at all. Around 3:30, I realized why I wasn't feeling well when I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. Immediately I began to be concerned - I NEVER throw up. When I am throwing up, something is seriously wrong with me and I know that I must be really sick. I knew it had nothing to do with the pregnancy because I had not been throwing up at all in the last 5 1/2 months. While I was still in the bathroom, I heard Justin get up and run to the other bathroom. Okay, that's weird, I was thinking.. He came in to check on me and I asked him if he was sick too. He said yes, but he thought maybe he was sick because he was worried about me. I wish I could say that was the end of our "sickness". Little did we know, it was just the beginning.

We took turns throughout the rest of the night running to different bathrooms, either with diarrhea or to throw up - or sometimes both. Next thing I know, it's 7:00 and I have to make the decision on what to do about work - I mean, it's my 2nd day back, I can't call in!!! So I decide to get in the shower, hoping that would make me feel a little better. That didn't quite go as planned since I couldn't stop myself from throwing up in the shower. GROSS!! By this time, Justin was feeling a little better and was ready to go to work. I, on the other hand, was feeling worse. I was so weak and tired, I had no energy, and I was still throwing up! I slowly got ready and made my way to work - thank goodness I have a great boss who sent me home right away, and was completely understanding that I was very, very sick. I stopped to get some Gatorade before I got home and began taking tiny sips of that, hoping it was going to stay down. No such luck. I had already put a call in to my doctor and was waiting on them to call me back with some advice. I was still going to the bathroom about every 30 minutes and was unable to keep even the smallest sip of anything down. At this point, I was beginning to get a little worried because I knew how dehydrated my body was getting, and I knew Austin was getting absolutely nothing from his mommy. Poor Justin didn't make it to work without pulling over to throw up and continued to throw up once he got there. He waited for another supervisor to relieve him and then he came on home to join me. Let me tell you, we were miserable and pitiful, but at least we were in it together! Finally my doctor called back some time after 1:00 and sent me straight to the ER. I called my in-laws to see if they could take me, because by this time, Justin's sickness was over and he was finally able to fall asleep.

We got to the ER at about 2:00 and were told we would be waiting an hour and a half to two hours. GREAT!! Luckily the bathroom was near, but seriously, who wants to throw up and do their business in a single male/female stall right outside the ER?!?! After about 30 minutes I was called into triage. Immediately when I got in there, I knew that I was about to pass out. I can always tell when it's coming on and I looked at my mother-in-law and told her. The patronizing nurse was telling me that I would be fine, just let her get the blood pressure cuff on. I'm thinking, Lady I am not fine and you will understand when I'm face down on your floor!!! I told her again, I AM GOING TO PASS OUT!!! By the time she got the blood pressure cuff on, while still feeling like I'm going to faint, I felt a vomiting episode coming on. I barely got the words out and she barely got a bag for me..next thing I know I'm throwing up in triage while my mother-in-law is holding me up so I don't hit the floor when I pass out. By this time, my blood pressure had been taken and it was 79 over something..never saw that bottom number. It didn't matter, it was low enough for her to call for a stretcher immediately, and they ended up pulling another patient out of a room to get me in one.

The only good thing that came out of this horrible triage experience was that we didn't have to wait in the ER for two hours!! I would have much rather gone through that than to sit in that waiting room, running back and forth to the bathroom. Once they got me on the stretcher and into a room, they started an IV and hooked me right up to some much needed fluids. They did lots of blood work, checked for a bacterial infection and an upper UTI (which is ironically what I thought I had until Justin joined me with the sickness). They also checked the baby, and his heartbeat was normal and everything appeared to be okay. They found I had blood in my colon, which kinda freaked me out. My potassium was very low, as well as my blood pressure. Once all of those things were under control, and after a few bags of fluids, I got to go home around 8:30 that night.

It took a few days for Justin and I both to get back to normal, but finally by Friday I think we were both as close to 100% as we were gonna get. I can't even begin to tell you how awful this 24 hour period was for both of us, but he would agree that it was much worse for me. In the nine years that Justin and I have been together, I have never seen him that sick. Whatever we had, we had it bad!! We were both relieved when it was finally over for good, and definitely relieved that nothing was wrong with Austin. I will be a happy camper if I never get that sick again!!

I'm going to switch gears here for just a moment. For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now, you all know about my friend Nikki. Amazing, optimistic Nikki, who never seems to let her particular "sickness" get her down. Here I am complaining about a 24 hour stomach bug, when she's fighting the battle of her life. I read this week on Nikki's blog about her treatment she's been getting from her new doctor in Indiana. I wish I could say that the update was good. Apparently, Nikki was pretty sick herself this week and also had to take a trip to the ER. They found that she was extremely anemic and her hemoglobin level was dangerously low. They admitted her and she had to get two bags of bloods before they released her to go home. After recovering from the ER experience, her and hubby Tom went to Indiana to see the doc, where he gave her some not so good news. Her numbers have continued to rise. This was not supposed to happen with this treatment! The numbers were supposed to be going down, down, down. How can they be going up?? So the doctor decided to stop the treatment and change to a pill form of chemo that she will take for 21 days before she is tested again. This treatment will keep her from making the frequent trips to Indiana. The doctor told her that this treatment is the last "conventional" therapy there is for her to try. If this doesn't work, she will begin seeking out any and every clinical trial there is out there. Nikki said she is focusing on the positives (as always) and has been doing lots of praying and meditation. She is now focusing on a healthier lifestyle and doing everything in her power to make this treatment work.

Isn't it amazing how strong she is?! How incredibly brave and positive she is? I don't know why this continues to amaze me - I saw it in person just a few months ago and it's not like this is someone that I didn't grow up with, someone I didn't know like the back of my hand. It just renders me speechless to talk about her journey and how she continues to stay so optimistic throughout this fight. I pray to be like her. I pray that she can continue to keep up the fight, no matter how hard it gets. Please join me in this prayer for her. I believe in the power of prayer, and so does Nikki. She can fight this and she can beat this, I know she can. Let this be a lesson for all of us - remember when your sick or having a tough day, remember Nikki and how many times she's been sick and how many tough days she's had to face. She's still fighting and so can we. It puts so much into perspective for me and she'll never know how much she has taught me. Please pray for her, it would mean the world to her. I love you Nikki and you're always in my prayers!!!

Baby Vinson Has a Name!

21 Week Update from BabyCenter.com:

"Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now."

It's really hard to imagine our baby boy being as long as a carrot!! In the ultrasound pics, his legs sure did look long, but at the same time it was a little hard to see because he is all scrunched up in there!

I feel like there is so much to do all of a sudden! We have really got to get our registry finished and more importantly, we have got to shop around at day cares! I have a list of some that I want to check out - moms please feel free to leave some suggestions because we could use some help in this category!! I'm starting my new job on Monday which seems to add just a little bit more stress to everything. I'm trying not to worry though, everything will get done!

Nothing much has changed in my pregnancy - my trips to the bathroom during the night seemed to ease up, but apparently I was just having a lucky week. I'm back to 3-4 trips again. It sure does make it hard to get a good nights sleep though! My boobs still hurt like crazy. I am really shocked that hasn't eased up at all, and it has been my biggest complaint these last five months. Oh yeah - I guess I should fill you in on the name we have picked out. It wasn't a hard decision for us, as we've had our names picked out for a long time!! Baby Vinson is now Austin Daniel!!

Ultrasound pics below! The last one is a 4-D of his face...it's still a little early to see too much but if you look hard, you can see his eyes, nose and mouth!

Normal...and Hormonal

16 Week Update from BabyCenter.com:

"Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop."

Today marks the beginning of Week 16 - only four more to go and we can find out what this baby is!!! I went to the doctor for my 16-week checkup on Wednesday, and as it was just a routine check, I don't have much to report. The doctor checked the heartbeat with the Doppler and measured my stomach for the first time. I was able to ask her some questions about a few problems I've been having recently, namely the headaches. Of course her answer was that they are normal and hormonal. Great...that means there is nothing that can be done about them. She asked what I was taking for the pain, which I thought was a weird question since I can only take Tylenol. So I told her that's what I was taking and that it didn't help at all. She said the next time I have one, try to drink a little bit of caffeine, as sometimes that will help. Another thing I thought that was weird, since they typically tell you to stay away from caffeine during pregnancy. Oh well, I'll try anything at this point. I haven't had a bad headache in a couple of weeks though, until I woke up at about 5am Friday morning for my normal every 2 hour bathroom break. The pain was getting worse as I tried to fall back asleep, but it had subsided some by the time I got up at 8am. I used the partial headache as an excuse to have a Starbucks white chocolate mocha, and either the headache wasn't that bad to begin with, or the coffee really helped!! Either way I felt better in a short time and was able to enjoy my Friday off. The doc did ask if I had felt any movement yet so I'm impatiently waiting to feel that first little flutter!!

My friend Nikki will be going to Indiana next week to get started on her clinical trial. Unfortunately, her numbers were back up after she came back from her honeymoon so now she is going to begin this treatment under the same doctor that treated Lance Armstrong. I'm hoping and praying that this clinical trial will prove to be as successful as the doctor hopes. Please keep her in your prayers.

15 Weeks and Counting

15 Week Update from BabyCenter.com:

"Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds."

Today marks my 15 week kickoff! I must say that I'm feeling much better lately and the best part is that I have gotten my appetite back completely! Last weekend was the 4th of July and for the first time in many years, Justin did NOT have to work!! It was really nice for him knowing that he didn't have to wake up early and miss out on the fun. Friday night after dinner, we drove through a neighborhood that I am very familiar with and knew that a new sector was being built, and spent a while walking through the new constructions. We fell in love with one of the floor plans and it seemed it was all we could talk about that night! We love the area, the neighborhood, the school system...there really isn't much that we DON'T like! Since the houses are still in construction and we don't plan on buying for a few more months, it could be perfect timing for us. It's something that we need to find out some details on before we can really make a decision, but it was an exciting start to our weekend!

Saturday morning we woke up pretty early and I went straight to the kitchen to start cooking. For those of you who know me really well, you know I'm not a cook at all. But let me just say that I was a little Martha Stewart that morning! I had so much fun cooking dessert and deviled eggs (gross!) for our 4th of July/Family birthday party gathering that afternoon. The dessert was so yummy and apparently the eggs were pretty good too. That night we went to some friends house for another cookout. I ate sooo much all day long and that was when I really realized that my appetite had shown up again! It felt so good to eat whatever I wanted again!

My only complaint these last two weeks would be the HORRIBLE headaches I have started to get. I am not one to call in to work and I always hate doing it, no matter how badly I feel. I woke up last Wednesday morning and could not even get out of bed because my head hurt so badly. I have experienced many headaches in my life, especially with TMJ and having 3 jaw surgeries, but honestly, I have never felt a headache this bad in my entire life. I called the doctor and of course the headaches are "normal" with all of my hormones going crazy right now. The only thing they were concerned about was my blood pressure. Later in the morning I drug myself out of bed and to a pharmacy to check my BP. It was normal so there was no need to worry. Luckily the headache was gone the next day but showed up again this past Monday. It was a bad day for a headache because, even though I was off work, one of my best friends was in town from Tennessee and we planned to do some baby shopping together (she is 6 months pregnant!!). I felt pretty bad throughout the day but tried to fight through it so as not to ruin our time together. I really thought it would be gone by Tuesday, and although it felt a little better, by Tuesday night I was almost in tears. I went to bed pretty early since I don't feel the pain when I'm asleep. I really don't think I can deal with this for another 5 months!!! I know I have no choice but it is going to make it really freakin' hard for me!

We go back to the doctor on Wednesday for our 16 week appointment. I'm sure it will be pretty uneventful and the only excitement will come from hearing our baby's heartbeat again! Then only 4 more weeks and we can find out what the sex is. I am so excited to finally know!!

First belly pic below - 15 weeks!!

One Week, One Day to Go!!

So tomorrow officially marks Week 13 - the final week of the first trimester!! I am sooo excited to have reached this milestone in my pregnancy! I know a lot of relief comes after the first trimester is under the belt, in more ways than one. I must say that I've been pretty fortunate these last three months though. I've only thrown up two times and the nausea hasn't been bad at all (knock on wood!!). My biggest complaint is FOOD! Things that I used to love are no longer good to me, and it would be great if I could say that things that were gross to me in the past are now good, but that has not been the case. I have a really hard time finding things to eat and I feel like I have wasted so much money buying things that I thought would be good and ended up tasting yucky. I'm really hoping this changes in the next few weeks!

This past weekend was my trip to Illinois and it was AMAZING!! It was a short trip and that is my only complaint! My flight left at 7am Friday morning and arrived in St. Louis at around 10:45. I picked up my rental car and drove the 25-30 minute drive to Illinois to my hotel. My flight from Atlanta to St. Louis was not a smooth ride and by the time I got off the plane I was feeling very sick. I really wanted to meet Nikki and her bridesmaids for mani/pedi's but my tummy was needing some R&R for a bit. So luckily my room was ready and I was able to get some rest before I had to get ready for the rehearsal. I rode with Nikki's cousins (whom I had actually met years and years ago when they came to Alabama to visit) to the rehearsal which was about a 3o minute drive from the hotel. My reunion with Nikki after all these years was something that I will never forget!! Even seeing her mom, brother and sister just brought me to tears!! It's amazing how people can change so much, physically, over the years, but they are still the exact same person you knew back then. That's exactly how I felt, mostly with Nikki's younger brother. I mean, talk about grown up!! I was amazed at how different he looked (mostly because he wasn't a little kid anymore), but also amazed at how the boy hadn't changed A BIT!!

Nikki's mom was exactly as I remembered her, and her sister was the same but all grown up as well. She is a new mommy so I had many questions for her!! Nikki just looked amazing and so happy. I was so glad to meet her husband, Tom. What an awesome guy - he loves Nikki so much and it shows in everything he does. After the rehearsal I rode with Nikki and Tom to the rehearsal dinner, which I was so happy to be a part of! It was a last minute thing that Nikki was able to work out and I'm so thankful that she did! It was really nice getting to meet and get to know her friends. You can really tell how much Nikki is loved so I know she is in good hands and company!

Saturday I rode on the bus that was rented for the wedding party! I was the only person on the bus that wasn't in the wedding so I felt very special! We rode to the ceremony site and tried to stay inside where it was cool as long as we could (you would think the weather would have been a little bit cooler up North, but apparently they were having unusually warm weather - just my luck!). I helped hand out programs before the ceremony and tried to keep myself together while the wedding was going on - trust me, with all these hormones and the fact that I was seeing my childhood best friend get married, it was tough to not be squalling my eyes out! I did cry, of course, but it was such a special ceremony that I was more in awe of the love that these two have for each other. They are a perfect couple and I'm so honored to have witnessed them get married.

After the ceremony, the wedding party hung around to take some pictures before hopping back on the bus to go to an old brewery for more pics. After that, it was on to Ethel's for a couple of Ethel's Buckets. What is Ethel's, you say?? I was asking the same question!! And what in the world is an "Ethel's Bucket"?! It is a wedding day tradition in Highland, Illinois that after the ceremony, the wedding party goes to Ethel's, a quaint, small-town bar, to indulge in a pre-reception "Ethel's Bucket". The bucket consists of many different types of alcohol, probably too many to name! It comes to the table with a bunch of straws, and the wedding party divides into tables and the tables race each other to see who can finish a bucket the fastest! It was a pretty easy contest since one table consisted of four groomsmen and no bridesmaids at all! The contest didn't last very long as everyone was slurping it down as fast as they could! It was a hysterical sight to witnesses and I only wish I could have participated!!

After the buckets-o-fun, the bus headed back to Collinsville where the reception was under way. The guests had been enjoying drinks and hors d'vours (sp?!) while the wedding party had their fun. The reception was so much fun and the food was awesome! It lasted until midnight and I can honestly say that everyone there was probably exhausted from the hours of dancing! It was a bittersweet ending to an amazing two days - saying goodbye to Nikki was really hard as I don't know when I'll be able to see her again!! We know we cannot go as long as we have in the past without seeing each other again, but sometimes life gets in the way of the things we long to do. Hopefully we'll be able to take a time-out in the near future to make some plans together again. All in all, it was an amazing weekend/reunion and one that I will never, ever forget. I'm so happy to have been a part of it all.

A quick baby update - like I said earlier, I am 12 weeks, 6 days along. My next appointment is in July, which will be a quick check-up. I got to hear the heartbeat again last week...what an amazing sound!! I wish I could hear it every day!!! We will be able to find out what it is in August and I'm soooo ready! It is really hard looking at crib bedding when you have no idea what gender you should be looking for!! I really love looking at the girl bedding (obviously!) but deep down, something tells me it's a boy. I don't know why I think that, it's just a feeling that I have. When I am picturing mommy-hood, a boy is always in the picture. I'm always thinking about "my son" and the baby I see in my head is always a boy. Who knows, I could be totally wrong and I'm okay with either one!! But right now I would put money on a boy!! Our baby is currently the size of a large plum!! I am so ready for it to grow some more - I want to feel it moving around!! I can't even imagine what that feels like, but I can imagine how wonderful it must be!

Well, I hope you are all having a great summer so far! I am missing getting to tan - the doctor says to stay as cool as possible, and we all know what the heat is like here in Alabama during the summers. I think if I tried to tan for 15 minutes I would be miserable!! So, I'm white as can be but I'm enjoying it all the same!!