Sleeping beside Waverly

Last night I babysat my nephew Tanner for a couple hours. At 3 weeks old, he is already changing so much. He is a good baby, but does not tolerate a wet diaper! His facial expressions are priceless. Here are photos of him curled up next to my baby bump, already favoring his cousin Waverly! He's a sweetie!

Ultrasound Photos

These are obviously pictures taken from when I had ultrasounds. The actual printed pictures are clearer. I had to take pictures of the pictures to put them on the website. Hopefully, you can view them okay though.

The first picture is of the first ultrasound on 7/29/2009. This was done at the first OB appointment to confirm pregnancy. At that time, I was 9 weeks 5 days along. There's our little baby! She was wiggling around so much, it looked like she was having a temper tantrum! This was also the first time we got to hear the baby's heartbeat. The heart rate was 178 bpm.

The second picture is from the second ultrasound on 10/12/2009. This is the ultrasound they do during the 5th month of pregnancy, just to make sure everything is going well. It's also very exciting because its likely that you can learn the sex of the baby that day. Which, of course, we did. We were so happy to know that its a baby girl! At the time of the ultrasound, I was 20 weeks and 3 days along.

Can't wait for the next one!

Mysterious Pregnancy Rash...

Given that growing and stretching skin is always a side effect of pregnancy, its normal to be itchy sometimes. Last Friday night, I noticed some more than usual itching. By Saturday, I had a rash all over the baby bump!

Yesterday afternoon, I went to see my regular doctor about my persistent rash. Cindy said it was mostly likely just one of those mysterious pregnancy rashes. This comes as a great relief to me because I had read that rashes can be a symptom of Toxoplasmosis and was concerned.

So, it was off to the house with me and some Benadryl! Hopefully, the Benadryl will clear it up. If not, I'll go see the dermatologist. But for now, I'm just trying to stay awake!

Shopping!

So much has been going on lately that I forgot to post about shopping! I had not purchased an outfit for our little Waverly yet. Hard to believe, huh? I wanted the first outfit I bought her to be special.

I've looked and looked at baby girl clothes for a while now. There are so many cute things out there! One of my favorites that I saw was a little black onesie for Halloween, with a little mummy and its reads "I love my mummy". Though adorable, it is so hard to guess what size she will be next Halloween. For that matter, its hard to guess what size she will be at anytime! We also have to take into account the seasons, and try to buy the right size for the right season. It's harder than you think!

I had a "mom" shopping moment when I first saw the outfit in the first picture. I just picked it right up and put it in the cart, saying, "Yep, that's for Waverly." It's just so adorable! Especially the little socks that look like shoes.

I also just love the second outfit, all in pink of course. The picture is a little fuzzy, but its a set of blanket, onsie, sleeper and bib, all with a Giraffe. It clearly states "Daddy's Princess", which Waverly no doubt will be!

Hide & Seek

Well, it's time already for another doctor's visit. My appointment was Friday morning. My usual nurse was off, so the new little girl there was taking care of things. She had some trouble getting my blood pressure, but we got there in the end. I lost one pound since the last visit, but the doctor said that was okay.

Dr. Bain listened for Waverly's heartbeat and Waverly was wiggling around so much it was hard to find. We joked that she was playing hide and seek. We finally got a good listen to the heartbeat, but she ran away again before the doctor told us what the heart rate was this time. I think she was so active because I was treated to a large Starbucks that morning - Thanks Phyllis, it was yummy!

Dr. Bain told us that all was well with the ultrasound. Waverly's measurements were correct for the timing and everything looked good. I asked how certain, just to check, that the baby is a girl and Dr. Bain said that they were pretty certain. She said that there's only been one oops in several years, where they thought it was a girl and found out at birth that it was boy. Everyone is in agreement here though, its still a girl!

My next doctor's appointment is Nov. 19th. I have to do another sugar test that day as well, which means more disgusting orange drink!

That's all for now, but more to post later!

Prissy

We sadly said goodbye to our beloved puppy, Prissy, on 10/23/2009. She has not been feeling well for awhile now. Dean took her to the vet for me Friday morning. She had kidney failure and was anemic. They did everything they could, including an IV, but she wouldn't respond. She wasn't in pain, just very weak. The best thing was to have her put to sleep. Though we will miss her terribly, I know that she is better and no longer suffering. She had a good life. Thanks to all for your love and support.

Prissy

For those who haven't met her, Prissy is my 11-year-old toy Pomeranian. I have had her since she was 7 months old, and she is my best friend. Appropriately named, she prances around and is pampered to no end. She has more clothes than I do, and loves picking out her own clothes and getting dressed up!

I have been trying to introduce our pets to the upcoming changes they will experience when Waverly arrives. My mother-in-law bought a baby doll for me, which I have coated in baby lotion to help introduce the smells of a baby into our home. Almost every night, I try to sit and hold the doll and let the animals smell her. Axel, our German Shepherd, has done very well with this, only smelling the doll and moving on to his toys for play-time.

Prissy, however, is very jealous of the doll. Mostly because it means that Mommy is holding something other than her! She will nudge and push a little at a time until she is half-way on my lap. Of course, I move her away at that point, but she just works her way back over. It is very sweet of her; she has always been mommy's little girl! I'm sure with patience and time Prissy will accept the doll, laying the groundwork for a peaceful homecoming for Waverly.

Please keep Prissy in your thoughts and prayers. She is not doing very well. Her health is getting worse and she has a vet appointment tomorrow afternoon. My main concerns are her teeth, which need to be cleaned and pulled, and her hips, which have been stiff and causing her to fall. She has lost some weight, too. We are hoping that the vet will help her feel better, so its good that we are going tomorrow.

Wiggling...

This little girl is rambunctious! She is moving around a lot this morning. Usually, I feel her more at night time but not so today. She is right up under my ribs, so its a little uncomfortable. She must be having a good 'ol time wiggling around in there; she's been at it for over an hour! :)

Battle Scars

Well, the first wound has arrived - a stretch mark! Of course, it's really light and barely showing up, but worrisome just the same. I ran out and bought cocoa butter and have been coating myself in hopes of preventing any more. If nothing else, at least I smell yummy. Thanks to Denise for suggesting Palmer's!

Otherwise, things are going well. Sleeping is getting to be uncomfortable, so a couple nights a week I end up on the couch. I've always been one to lay on my belly, but that can't happen anymore! :) So, its lots of pillows and disruptive nights. All worth it!

Over the weekend...

This weekend went by too fast! On Friday night, I went to see my nephew, Tanner, who is just a few days old! He is so adorable and has so many expressions! Whenever I hold him, Waverly moves around, just like she's saying hi to her cousin. It is too sweet...

Saturday was a fun day - My mom's birthday was this past week so some of the family got together at Chili's. Mom and Gary had come to my house for a bit, so I suggested that we go out to eat. When mom got there and saw everybody, she was really surprised. Thanks to Phyllis for the great idea and happy birthday to Mom. :)

Thankfully, Sunday was not so busy after work. I took a nap and then Dean brought home supper. That woke Waverly up and she was ready to move around some more! It is a very odd feeling, but so wonderful.

Moving Around...

Last night, Waverly was moving so much! Until now, I wasn't positive that what I was feeling was actually her. Now I know for sure! She must have been rolling around because the movement almost had a scattering effect, first on the left, then the middle, then all the way on the right.

I was so excited to finally know for sure I was feeling her! She has been teasing Mommy for a couple weeks now with slight movements and different positions, but now she's dancing around. I called for Daddy and he was really happy, but he still can't feel her yet through my belly. I don't think it'll be too much longer and he will be able to.

Waverly must be a little night owl. She moved so much during the night, she's sleeping her party off this morning! Of course, that makes me pretty tired, but all worth it. :)

Ultrasound

Well, we had a doctor's appointment this week (Monday, 10/12/2009) for an ultrasound! Dean and I, along with Aunt Phyllis, waited and watched as the nurse selected the image to go on screen. And there was the baby! We could see the baby's profile, the little nose and chin!



The nurse was hard at work, measuring and printing pictures. She even measured the baby's tiny heart ventricles! We let the nurse know that we wanted to know the sex of the baby if she could tell (those ultrasounds sure are hard to read!). The baby was sitting Indian style, so we couldn't tell anything! After several try's to make her move, a trip to the potty for a pee-break did the trick. Upon my return, the baby had moved its legs, giving us a good peek!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

The nurse told us with certainty, "It's a girl!" We tried to control our excitement, but it was hard! So, we are expecting our little Waverly Ann to join us in February! I can't wait!