28 Weeks- 12 to GO!

My balance is starting to go and I'm feeling a little "front heavy." I actually fell forward going down some stairs when I was getting on the train to go to work the other day. Luckily I caught myself and landed on my knees, but it was a sight to see. Of course I am still sporting the 3-4 inch heels!

I have two more weeks of work remaining which I am excited and sort of sad about. It is a great place to work and I think I will miss it, but I don't think I will miss the hour and 20 minute commute. My last day of work is next Fri. and after work we are loading up the car and heading to Indiana for Christmas. Usually we just drive through the night and do the whole trip at once, but sitting in one spot for 12 hours is probably not a good idea pregnant, so we are going to split the trip up. We found a hotel at the halfway point that takes dogs so we are going to stop there with Amos and then finish the trip first thing in the morning. We get to stay in Indiana until New Years!! Andy is doing some work in Muncie while we are there so I get to stay a little longer. Then we are driving straight to Massachussetts from IN where Andy is directing a game and I will just go along with him. Praying that we have good weather along the way.

Childbirth Class Update...

Andy and I completed 3 of the 4 "Prepared Childbirth" classes at the hospital. The last class was the night before Thanksgiving and we had friends in town so we didn't make it, but we should be able to make it up. Everyone else in the class was due way ahead of me, but I am glad I took it early, I want to be as prepared as possible. Andy was really awesome and came with me and did great helping me with the breathing exercises. I don't know what I was expecting, but there really isn't much to this Lamaze stuff.....breathe in, ok, breathe out...slowly. Thats it!?? I thought it was some special thing or technique. I did learn how to time contractions, which was different then what I thought so that helps. Andy was really sick for one of the classes and instead of going and pissing a bunch of pregnant women off he stayed home...haha. Lucky for him it was the class where they showed an actual birth...I mean big screen, in your face- baby coming out type stuff! It was probably better he was not there. Another one of the husbands almost had to be taken to the ER after it! He was diabetic and all the sudden his wife stands up and says, uh, my husband isn't doing so good and the guy was completely white! They called the ER and came down to check him out, but he was fine, embarressed I'm sure.
The best part of the classes was touring the hospital. I got to see where I will be delivering, where they take the babies and the postpartum rooms- very spa like- my type of place! They have a massage room which they offer you a free massage before you head home from the hospital! How nice is that? I feel much more comfortable now seeing it and knowing sort of how it will be. It also seems like they are very open to natural childbirth, which was encouraging. They offer birthing balls and some L&D rooms have large tubs for laboring.
I got a free coupon to take any other class at the hospital so I am going to take the breastfeeding class probably in January, which I think will be very helpful!

I passed!

I had to take the one hour glucose test on Tuesday to see if I have gestational diabetes and I just got my results back and everything is fine!! It is a standard thing they give everyone at about 28 weeks, but I sorta thought I might have it. They just tell you to eat normally and then drink this orange sugary drink one hour prior to your appointment and then they take your blood. Sweets are my weakness and for a while my mom was borderline diabetic so I was really hoping I didn't have it! If you fail they make you take a test where you have to carbo load for 2 days straight and then drink this giant sugary drink and fast for like 12 hours or something so thankfully I don't have to go through that.

26 Weeks

25 Weeks and 2 days

Gettin' BIG! Wow- and I still have 15 weeks to go! It's ok, I only have to be big for a few more months- I keep telling myself that. I have not done an update in a while because I was having trouble uploading photos to the computer...but thanks to my wonderful husband he figured it out. I didn't get all dolled up today so I had Andy focus on the most important part- the Belly- and Amos wanted to make a cameo as well ( I am seeing how bad he needs a haircut!).

I went to the doctor about a week ago and Baby Greathouse/Blueberry/Naner man was weighing 1 pound eight ounces- but he is getting bigger everyday! He is kicking, twisting and turning all the time.

Last weekend, on the 8th I got to go home to Indiana for my baby shower! It was so nice and hosted by both Andy and I's families. They really went all out and everything looked beautiful and the food was awesome. I had such a fun time and it was a HUGE success. I can't believe how generous everyone was. We got allot of stuff that we need and TONS of clothes! This little guy is going to be stepping out in style. Here are a few pics from the shower, but unfortunately I didn't get to take many myself.

22 Weeks

A normal clothing shot and being silly showing off my awesome maternity pants :) Those things rock! I am in full up maternity clothing here. I feel allot bigger then these pictures portray, but I guess maybe that's a good thing? The past few weeks the weight has rolled on happily. I have seriously gained about 15 pounds, a little less and that is pretty hard for me to fathom. Oh well, I am going to enjoy it anyway. I am feeling pretty good, but my back is starting to hurt and it is difficult to bend down. Sleep has been a challenge. I am waking up allot and having a hard time getting back to sleep and getting comfortable. I have 18 weeks to go though, so I know it's only going to get worse.

I have to send a shout out to Renee and Linda Greathouse!! Friday I recieved a package in the mail from them with an adorable little maternity shirt! It is purple and so cute...maybe I will try and do my next photo in it!

Childbirth Classes!

Yay! Andy and I are all registered for our "Prepared Childbirth" classes, starting in Nov. I am really looking forward to it. After the classes you get to go on a tour of the hospital and see the maternity ward and everything so I am really happy about that since I've never been there. I guess the maternity ward is all new and all private rooms, so it's supposed to be really nice. Time to start practicing those breathing excercises!

My new sweet baby - baby g!

Found this website where you put in your pictures and it shows you what your baby will look like. First of all, this baby has pretty much blond hair and grey eyes not sure how that could happen. Also, he sorta looks like an elf with this get up, but other then that he's pretty cute :)

What do you think about my little new baby baby g?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

20 Weeks and IT"S A BOY!!!!

Some pictures from our ultrasound today! Our suspicions were right! It is a boy! It took some time to figure it out but sure enough there it was plain as day- a little penis...haha. He was moving and wiggling so much that it was hard for the ultrasound tech to get her measurements she needed. He is perfect and is weighing in at a solid 12 ounces so far.
I did have to have my cervix measured to make sure it was not getting shorter. As I said, the shape of my uterus can make it less roomy for baby. If it shows changes it could be a sign that I could go into premature labor, but they said it looked fine. I have to go back in 4 weeks to have it done again making it my 4th ultrasound! Fine with me :)

Andy and I are basking in delight today and just enjoying it! We went straight to the store and looked at boy stuff.

Here are a few of the ultrasounds we got. I was a little freaked out by the close up of his face, but they assured me that it was his face scrunched up and no that was not a widows peak at the top of his head but his scull forming. I thought it was hair, but the tech said , oh no you don't want hair yet! The round thing on the side of his profile I thought was his ear, but she said that is his brain. Most the time I had no clue what I was looking at but these were pretty clear. Of course the one with the little arrow is a between the legs shot, I don't think it gets any clearer then that :)

C-Section Rates

I live in the #2 state for C-Sections performed in the US. Great. After a little reasearch, I found out that Indiana is #31...hmm. On the website for my local newpaper you can find the rates for every hospital in the state. The hospital I will be giving birth at has at rate of 38 percent ( the nj state average is 30 percent). That means that out of the 3400 births about 1300 were born by C-section. This is great information to know. I am particularly interested because I am at a higher risk of having a c-section already according to my doctor. I have not discussed this much, but I have a uterine septum. That mean my uterus is more heart shaped or "Y" shaped then the normal sort of triangular shape. Sometimes, this can cause premature birth because the baby needs more room and many times it causes BREECH babies. My doctor is not overly concerned and assured me that this may not even be an issue at all. My true desire like many women is to have a natural birth and I have expressed that I do NOT want a C-section to my doctor. I am not getting hung up on this one thing, but I do want to educate myself and make sure that I am not coerced or naively persuaded that I need to have one. Of course if something was wrong I would be fine with it. I am learning more and more about how C-section is abused in hospitals today and woman are being cheated out of a more natural experience. That being said I HATE drugs. I am the type who hates to take tylenol. So the thought of a drugged up numbing birth sounds aweful to me. I can't say that I absolutely won't get an epidural because I have no idea what that type of pain will be like, but I want to at least have the choice. I don't want people forcing me to have drugs or have them pushed on me. I know that all in all HOW I give birth is not the most important thing but that the baby and I are ok. I know that the Lord will prepare me and it is in His hand. I am so thankful for that.

19 Weeks

I am so happy to be 19 weeks! 19 is my favorite number! I know many people have commented how my belly is not that big but I MUST be looking pregnant! Someone on the subway actually offered me a seat this morning. This is RARE. I see people do this for pregnant women all the time and couldn't believe it was me who was the pregnant one. So cool.

This week baby is the size of an heirloom tomato. I guess now the baby can hear and react to noises outside the womb. Which brings me some worry. I am supposed to go to a concert this week in the city (Beck) and I know it is going to be LOUD. I don't want to be overly paranoid but I am not sure if this is a good thing? Baby has already been to a Bon Jovi (not my choice) concert- I don't want to damage it's hearing. Either that or it will come out rockin'!

Well, it's back to the doctor tomorrow. I think I have been to the doctor more in the past 5 months then I have in my entire life. Not sure what they are going to do, probably just weigh in and listen to the heartbeat- my favorite part.

Weirdest Dinner Ever.

I had an enitre can of green beans with hot sauce ( I put Frank's red hot on everything!- no heartburn yet...does that mean my baby won't have hair?) and bacon bits?? I ate a personal size pizza at about 3 o'clock so I was not super hungry and I am determined to eat more veggies- so green beans it was- haha! I am still deciding what else I am going to eat but it will most likely end in ice cream. Normally I cook dinner almost everynight, but tonight is one of those fend for yourself nights and Andy is still not home yet. That's it for now.

18 Weeks

This was taken yesterday before work...so I think I still have that sleepy puffy look going on ;) And Yes, my pants are undone. When I was home a few weeks ago my mom taught my this cool trick! You just take a piece of elastic ( yes, my mom just happens to keep rolls of elastic in the house) and safety pin it to each side of your pants where you would normally button them. Walla! Homeade maternity pants! It works really good and I can still wear my favorite jeans for a little longer. Thanks mom :) I have been eating eating everything in sight lately and am definately starting to gain weight. Lately I have been really craving juice. Maybe it's because I can't have wine, because other then that I pretty much only drank water before I was pregnant. I have been trying to buy healthy kinds without tons of sugar- my new fav.- Juicy Juice Healthy Harvest in Mango Orange! It is so good and it says it has veggies in it too which I have def. been slacking on.

Andy started his busy season at work this last weekend :( He is directing a series of 8 college soccer games, so he will be traveling every weekend until Thanksgiving. I had him home all summer so it stinks to have him gone again but thankfully they are short trips. Usually I take him to the airport Sat. morning and pick him up LATE Sun. night, so he pretty much just flies in does the game and turns around and comes home, I don't know how he does it. It sort of worries me all his traveling that what if I go into labor while he is gone, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Last week Andy and I went to the Cubs vs. Mets game at Shea stadium. Andy LOVES LOVES the Cubs and I am still trying to grasp the concept. Lord help me if this kid wants to play baseball. It is the last season in the Shea Stadium and they are tearing it down so it was kind of cool to go. Cubs lost. It doesn't matter though they are still going to the play offs.

Baby? Maybe?

I think I am feeling the baby moving around in there. I can't be certain, but it's like a little poke or a tap. I read that you can start feeling them move around this time, so maybe I am just being imaginative, but none the less, it's pretty cool. I can't wait to really feel it so that Andy can feel it from the outside.

Baby Bedding

This is the bedding I want to get if it is a BOY! I love it! I am more into primary colors then pastels-especially for boys, but I thought it will go in our room well for now. Plus if we ever do get this little one a nursery one of those colors would be awesome on the walls. If I were going to do a theme it would be an "aquarium" type theme. The best part about this set is it's cheap! I found it at evil Walmart.

16 Weeks Belly

Here it is...not the best picture but you get the idea. At the doctor today I am up a total of 4 pounds so far. I still am wearing my normal clothing but things just aren't looking as good. So I will probably have to start wearing maternity in the next few weeks. Everything else went great at my check up today. We got to hear the heartbeat again which is always amazing and reassuring. 4 more weeks until we find out if it's a boy or girl! Aaaghh!

First Purchase

So I finally broke down and bought something for the baby. I thought 4 months was a pretty good time to wait. Well, Old Navy was having a baby sale and here are some cute things I found that work for boy or girl.

15 WEEKS!!!!

Baby G is the size of an apple today! We've come a long way from blueberry. I can't wait to feel the baby moving, hopefully in a few more weeks.

I have been feeling, ok. I thought after the 1st trimester you were supposed to feel better? My tiredness seems to have increased. Major. I think I really have been overdoing it though. I have been moving furniture around, ok, scooting it and I organzied all our closets this weekend. I have been trying to picture where all this baby stuff is going to go so I am trying to make as much free space as possible in our apartment. We will make it work. Also, I have been doing this pregnancy work out video- circa 1990's Denise Austin (thanks Lisa)- and it wears me out. I can pretty much do one big thing a day and that's it. The only other thing I have been having is RLP. Round Ligament Pain, yes, pain. I get these sharp shooting pains in the lower sides of my abdomen and looked it up and that is definantely it. Fortunately it is only a brief thing and goes away right away, but it stops me in my tracks. Mostly it just happens when I turn over in bed, or sneeze, or get up too quickly. I guess this is par for the course though and I've had it pretty easy so far.

Cute stuff I love!

Cute diaper bag I found on Etsy. I love the shape of it and the button closure.

These baby carriers from Hotslings seem so practical and natural. I could see myself using it allot. Perfect for taking the dog out or going to get the mail.

I think monkies are THE cutest! This handmade blanket from Etsy has little sock monkies all over it :)

I am going to nurse and thought these nursing covers from Babytime were great!

Belly Pic- 14 Weeks!

I am 14 weeks today and had Andy take my picture. The jeans are getting snug! Definately pouching out a little bit but I have only gained like one pound so far :) Aaah....if only it could stay this way.

Update

I am long overdue for a blog update so here goes:

Last week Andy and I were in Indiana for a wedding and to visit friends and family. It was a great week! A very busy week but great non the less! I was in one of my best friends wedding who I have known since I was 10. I was so happy to be part of that day with her! We also spent a few days up in northern Michigan at a lake cottage with my parents, my Aunt Trina, Uncle Mike and cousin Riley and my brother and my 2 nephews. We got some great beach time and it was nice to relax. We also celebrated Andy's parents 40th Anniversary! It was a really special time of lunch and good stories.

I must mention however, some very sad news. Yesterday my mom's brother suddenly past away. It is a shock to us all. I unfortunately did not know him at all ( long story) and I blame largely myself for that. I know that is very difficult for my mom and her siblings as well as my grandmother, so again I ask for your prayers. My mom was supposed to go visit him next month for the first time in MANY years.

Just so you all are not worried, all went well at my 12 week appointment. The test for downs came out fine. They said I had a one in 900 something chance before the test and after it went up to one in 10 thousand, which is the best you can get I guess. Andy came with me to the ultrasound and got to see the baby for the first time. It was truely amazing. I could not believe how much you could actually see at just 3 months. I really don't see how you could question when life begins after seeing that. The baby is growing and developing perfectly and the heartbeat was a good 160 bpm. Not sure if that means boy or girl yet? We have our appointment to find out the sex of the baby on October 14th!! I cannot wait!!! I will be 20 weeks then, boy it is going fast! I am officially out of the first trimester! Thank you Lord! It was I must say the easiest first trimester, not that I have anything to compare it to, but I felt pretty great the entire time. No sickness, weight gain, ok maybe a little moodiness but really it was a blessing. At this rate I might just have 10 babies! Ok just kidding! I know the hardest part is yet to come and I am looking forward to it.

Here is a picture of little "blueberry" on the ultrasound. This is a nickname that stuck! The first time I told Andy how big the baby was it was about the size of a blueberry- so from that day forward Andy refers to our baby as "blueberry" so I decided to just go with it. I don't have a scanner so I had to do the best I could and take a picture of it.

We have a lime!

I am 12 weeks today and this is how big baby is! Wow! That's all I can say. I hope to get a belly pic up later today if I can get a good one! Tommorrow I go in for my 12 week appointment and they are doing the NT Scan, which test for your risk of Down's. I am not nervous about that, but I am very anxious to see the baby on the ultrasound and see that everything is ok, so please say a prayer for me.

Current Cravings:

Our Apartment

Since most of you have not been to our place and some only saw our apartment in Brooklyn, I thought you all might want to take a peek at where we are. It really is not as small as it comes out to look in the pictures and to us it is huge. It is actaully twice the size of our apartment in Brooklyn, which was a mere 400 sf. It's pretty basic but it's all we could ever need or want.

Living room/Dining room. The second picture is looking into the kitchen and you can see the stairs which is the entrance to our apartment. You have to walk in and go downstairs, but actually it is ground level.

Bedroom and looking a bedroom from door. ( Note: I did not pic this wall color out! It was there when we moved in)

Bathroom

The reason we chose this apartment! The deck and the view of the river from the deck. We love being outside and this was worth the hour and 15 minute commute to work for us. At our old place in the city the only place to go outside was to climb up the fire escape to the roof, which never felt safe. I am SO thankful for this apartment you have no idea! It has a washer/dryer, dishwasher and CLOSETS! All were lacking in the city. Here is a pic. of our place in Park Slope, Brooklyn. This is supposed to be a very nice area, I promise! We had the third floor.

First Gift

I actually received these a few weeks ago, but they were too cute I had to share. Andy's brother Jim and my wonderful sister-in-law Lisa sent them to us when they heard of our news along with some music and some great artwork from the kiddies. Notice how there is an "A" and a "G" on the blanket? Our annitials, pretty neat :)

Feelin' Good....

It is six in the morning and I am up on a day I don't have to go to work writing in my blog. Perhaps this gives some insight into how pregnancy has been going. As I write this Andy and Amos sleep peacefully next to me before the morning light creeps in and another day begins. Sleeping has become a little restless. I am going to bed super early but find my self waking up constantly. You may be thinking it is too early for me to be uncomfortable sleeping, but as a devoted stomach sleeper it already is causing some discomfort, so I have resorted to trying to sleep on my side. This has caused much tossing and turning of the night. Apparently the best sleep position for circulation, and I think this goes for everyone, is on your left side with a pillow between your legs. Yeah, tried it, not loving it. I end up getting really hot or it ends up some odd place on the bed. I guess I just better get used to it though- lack of sleep that is.

In spite of all that overall I am feeling wonderful! I cannot tell you how much I am loving being pregnant! At 10 weeks and 4 days I have not had any morning sickness to date! So I am counting my blessings :) Besides being tired and hungry all the time that is about the only sypmtoms I am feeling- well for the most part. The hunger part is mostly my fault though. I am constantly thinking about food and what am I going to eat next? On the days that I work I pack a lunch to take with me and I never seem to have enough to get me through 8 hours. By the time I get home I feel sick and want to eat anything I can. My typical lunch before I got pregnant consisted of: turkey sandwich, yougurt, and usually pretzels. Well, the lunch meat is out, can't eat that when your pregnant and my yogurt had aspartame in it, another no-no. As a result I have been eating PB & J and a yogurt w/ out the aspartame. This is NOT enough to hold me over people! Any ideas on what I can take to work? No tuna, no sushi, no FETA!!?(one of my faves) I really don't care what I can or can't eat, it is worth it all for a healthy baby. When Andy and I went camping last weekend he got me some spakling cider so I could feel like I was drinking something fun while he was enjoying his real drink. Isn't that sweet? It was really good, I might just have to keep some of that around.

SURPRISE!!

As most of you have heard I am pregnant!! Yep, were having a baby! Andy and I are both thrilled and ecstatic at this amazing blessing that has been dropped in our hands and look forward to the adventure that lies ahead. As this was not a planned pregnancy I know that the Lord had it planned for us and I am so thankful! He knows the desire of our hearts!

How we found out:
Andy and I were on a lovely vacation in the Smokey Mountains June 21-28th. The whole time I was there I had this feeling I might be pregnant. I kept warning Andy saying I thought I was and that I should take a test but he reassured me that "no, no, no- just don't worry about it" Easy for him to say. So, the day after we returned home from our trip I woke up early before Andy and ran out to the store to get a pg. test. Well, when I got back Andy was up, so I snuck off and took it and sure enough my feeling was right. Ok, Ok, so how am I going to say this?? I walked out to Andy and said, yep, I'm pretty sure I am pregnant. Andy simply shook his head and said- ( insert cricket sounds here)-NOTHING. We were both scared and in shock, however I could not be happier and Andy could tell that. After it all sank in a little Andy was fully on board. He has been so great and went to my first doctor's appointment with me. Although he informed me that he almost passed out when the doctor was talking about my uterus- uh oh...

So that is pretty much the story. We found out on June 29th, 2008 and I am due on March 3, 2009. About 2 weeks before my 25th birthday!

Here are some pictures from our vacation in TN... I was pregnant but didn't know it.