Merry Christmas!

I miss you Dad

Today has been a hard day. I was feeding Vree and listening to some Christmas music when the song "The Chrismas Song" by Nat King Cole came on. For some reason this made me think of my Dad. I guess the idea that my dad would never meet my baby girl had been pushed out of my head but all the sudden it came flooding in, all at once. My dad will never hold her, never coo at her, never say he is a proud Grandpa of a new baby girl. He will just be "mom's dad who died before I was born". She won't learn funny things from him like how to tie a noose (ok so I really don't want her to learn that but my dad taught Jordan for some weird reason!). She won't color with him or learn things about cars from him. She won't be excited to visit him and be spoiled by him. I am thankful for the grandparents she has.

He would have liked her alot. I know he would have loved her but he would have really liked her too. She kinda reminds me of him, she's always has a shi# eating grin on her face, like she has something really funny to say. And when she is looking and concentrating on something, she does this thing with her mouth that he used to do. He would have liked her. I miss him. Merry Christmas Dad.

Merry Christmas!

Hey all, I know it's been awhile since I lasted posted but I have been VERY busy with work. There have been few weeks when I haven't worked overtime. Things here are doing well. Avery has become a pro at eating food, she cleans off the spoon and really likes apples. She has also been working hard to sit up. She can do it for about 2 minutes without help but then she falls over. And ever since she learned she could sit up, she doesn't care much for laying on the floor and playing!

We finally got picture of her with Santa. We were very happy that she smiled for the pictures. I was afraid she was going to be afraid of him but she didn't seem phased.

I'm pretty sad we aren't going back to MN or SD for Christmas but we just couldn't work it out. I'm hoping that we can visit some time in January or February.

Hope your Christmas is fantastic!

Swaddle no more!

We decided on Monday that enough was enough! We started swaddling her from birth, the hospital teaches you. We never stopped, or actually, we didn't know HOW to stop. She slept so nice wrapped up tight...why would we risk ruining her 12 hours of sleep per night!? Even her pediatrician said "if it's not broken, don't fix it" and gave us the ok to swaddle her till she was good at rolling (she could suffocate herself is she rolled over swaddled).

Well, the last time my mom was here she babysat so we could go on a date. She could NOT swaddle Avy as tight as we can, heck, no one can! Also, it's impossible for her to fall asleep away from home, she would startle herself awake because she couldn't control the reflexes and wasn't used her her hands being free. And I was tired of fighting with her at night, getting her into the swaddle. So on Monday we decided to stop swaddling her, cold turkey. Night one was alittle rough. She was asleep when I put her down so that wasn't too bad. She did wake up a few times for a couple minutes crying. But at about 12:30am she started screaming bloody murder and did so for about 25 minutes! I knew she was ok, but it was so hard to not go and get her. She has done progressively better with each passing night. She still wakes up, cries for 1-3 minutes and falls back to sleep. All in all, it seems to be successful so far!

Baby firsts!

She went to her 4 month doctor appointment on Monday. She is a tank! Weighing in at 16lbs 8oz and is 26 inches long...so at least her weight and height are both in the 95th percentile. She got her second set of immunizations and cried just as hard as the first time:-( I, however, did not cry this time because I knew what to expect! But seriously, do they need to shove a 1 1/2 inch needle ALL the way into her leg?! Well during the appointment we were given the ok to give her food which was pretty exciting! We started off with cereal and she is ok with it one day and the next she wants nothing to do with it. We gave her some squash on Saturday and today and she seems to like it! I made my own sweet potatoes and squash, it's way cheaper than buying it and it's SO easy!

She also rolled over for the first time today! It was so exciting! The first video I took I produced an ear piercing screech because I was so excited, so I am NOT posting that one. I took video of the second one. She did cry but it was because she farted right as she rolled so I think it scared her...I laughed because she farted, not because she cried!!

Bits and Pieces

Halloween was pretty uneventful, I didn't even dress Avery up...it's too hot here and the only costumes that really fit were bunting bags. I just got her a cute little halloween outfit.



She is still very close to rolling over but hasn't done it yet. She throws her legs over and rocks back and forth and you can tell she really WANTS to roll! She even gets mad because she can't! She has rolled on softer surfaces like the couch and the bed but that's because there was a bit of an advantage with us sitting and creating a slant.

She has started giggling which just cracks me up! I love it:-) She sounds like she really wants to laugh really hard she just can't figure out how. She is also grasping at toys and pulling at things. She likes bringing everything to her mouth. She likes to play with her feet too, seems like she is finding her body parts.


We are trying to figure out a time to head to MN and SD for the holidays but all the tickets are so much! We might just decide to come back in January when tickets are less money and the airports are less congested! All the H1N1 cases are freaking me out so being in a full airport sounds like a giant petri dish of disease!

I am almost an aunt again:-) Mandi is due any day now and is very sick of being pregnant (I remember that well!). I'm very excited to meet my new nephew and to learn his name:-)

Lastly, I decided to get a tattoo! I was going to get Avery's name but decided that was too "obvious". I did some research and figured out that each month of the year has a birth flower along with a birthstone. July's birth flower is a water lily, which is pretty much a lotus flower, and since July's birthstone is a ruby I got a red lotus flower. That sucker hurt! I can't have many more kids! LOL!

Back to work

So today ends my first week back to work. It was an ok week, not great, not terrible, just ok. Monday was the hardest. Shawn took Avy to the sitter and I just about cried when he walked out the door. Someone else was going to care for my child ALL day. I didn't like it at all but I guess that's the reality of a two income family. Unless of course we want to foreclose and have our cars repossessed! ;-) Avy is only spending about 6 hours at the sitter's each day, which makes me feel alittle better. I just don't want her to be raised by someone else! And I'm hoping that most weeks she'll only be there for four days, thank goodness for a flexible schedule. There will of course be weeks when she will be there for more than 6 hours and for 5 days of the week but I'm hoping those days are far and few between. And next weeks she will only be there for 3 days because my mom is going to be here and will watch her on Monday and Thursday! YAY!

Avy seems to like the sitter, she is never upset when I pick her up and she eats well. She does however seem to be pretty tired. The lady watches one other little boy who is 2 and her own son who is 11 months. So the noise levels in that home are alittle higher than here! I think it's hard for her to nap, she'll get used to it though. She has been a little stinker when it comes to napping anyway, she will usually only nap 2-3 times per day for, at the most, 35 minutes. I long for the days when she napped for a solid 3 hours! Her napping, or lack of napping, has made for a crabby baby girl! I hope she goes back to napping somewhat longer but who knows!

A few new things!

I got bored and set up a little photo session, this is my fave of all of them!


The first new thing is, she's not only getting a front tooth but also a molar! And according to everything I've read, that's unusual. She has stopped being too uncomfortable and we aren't having to give her tylenol anymore.

I have been a single mom since Thursday. BOOO! It kinda sucks not being able to have a break. Shawn is at his parents' house in Minnesota, his Grandma passed away this week:-( I am really glad that she and Avy got to meet before she passed. I do feel bad that Lucille never got to meet her first grandson (Mandi's son).

Avy spent her first afternoon with the babysitter. It was just a practice run for when I go back to work but it was still hard! I left her there at 10:30am. I worked out for 45 minutes, went home and cleaned, got ready, got a pedicure and then picked her up at 2:30pm. It was a difficult 4 hours but I can only imagine it's going to get easier. When I picked her up she was happy so that made me happy. Her babysitter is a mommy of 2, a 10 month old and a 6 year old. She watches one other 2 year old and her 6 year old is in school. She is really nice so I hope she works out!

The last new thing is tonight I am working on not swaddling her anymore. Since she was born we have swaddled her every night. We actually had to buy one of those swaddling blankets with velcro because she broke out of the blankets. We have had to swaddle her so tight I feel like we almost hurt her! But it's the only way she will sleep. Shawn and I have discussed that we are tired of swaddling her so tonight I left one arm out. She has woken herself up a few times but she's not mad or fussy, she is just going back to sleep. I hope tonight goes well. I'll continue to leave one arm unswaddled for a week or so then leave both out. It's frustrating because I am trying to do research on how and when to stop swaddling but everything says something different! I just hope tonight is successful!

My next post will probably be after I go back to work, wish me luck!

And the teething begins...

I feel so bad for her! This Sunday she started chewing on her hands even after she had eaten. She also started to drool excessively and have difficulty sleeping. She was making alot of noise at night and would move all over her crib. She just seemed uncomfortable. I suggested to Shawn that she was teething and he said we should try and give her some tylenol with her night bottle. I'm not above drugging my child (thanks Jo!)! We tried it and it seems to be working alittle. I wasn't 100% sure she was teething until I looked in her mouth yesterday and saw some white dots on the bottom in front! She's getting too big too fast and I don't like it!!

Beautiful Things

Every day she never ceases to amaze me. She's only 8 weeks old yet she does the most incredible things. I love being able to see everything through her eyes for the first time. And how simple things make her so happy! You look at things differently. Everything about her is beautiful!


A swing and some toys make her smile, simple bliss :-)


Her hand grabbing my finger, I know it's a natural reaction but it makes me feel like she loves me.


Her eating, her little eyes drift closed. You can tell she's happy and content.


If I'm a fan, she has to be a fan! At least until she can form her own opinions:-)


Her smile is unquestionable the most beautiful thing EVER!


Her yawn is the second most beautiful!


Sleepy girl, so CUTE!


And who knew that crying could be beautiful? I know it's not the best noise in the world but I really don't want to forget any minute of her!

Where has chivalry...or just plain common decency gone?! And some other updates!

Chivalry, is it a thing of the past? I would like to think it's not, but at least in this town it just may be. And honestly, I'm not even talking about chivalry! I would simply like some common decency extended my way!

We have a travel system which is a car seat and a stroller together. It's quite a large and heavy stroller, and with the car seat and a baby it weighs almost 40lbs. It's also very long, although it is pretty easy to maneuver. However it is still difficult for me to open a door and push her through it without having the door close on the stroller at least two times and waking her up in the process. And all around me are people...people who could open the door for two freakin' seconds! It's pretty obvious that I am struggling with the door and with the stroller yet no one helps me.

*Steps off her soap box*

Now that I'm done ranting...

We are leaving for Minnesota on Thursday. We leave SUPER early on a Southwest flight which has a lay over in Denver and then we land in Minneapolis at about 1:00pm. This will be the first trip with Avy and her first flight, so this should be interesting. I am trying to have her scheduled so she eats when we take off and when we land, we'll see how that goes! Then we will drive to Lake Minnewaska where my cousin Bre will get married on Saturday (CONGRATS BRE!). I'm really excited to see family and to have everyone meet Avy! We will spend a week in a cabin on Lake Minnewaska, Shawn will only be there for three days. Then I'll either stay at my Mom's house or at Sam's house. Not sure exactly the plan yet but I'll have a whole week of relaxing to figure out a plan:-)

I'm not very excited about packing for this trip. Not only do I have to pack for myself but for Avy and Shawn too...yes, I pack for my helpless husband! There is just so much to pack! Avy and I are going to be in Minnesota for 11 days, that's alot of cloths!


Avy continues to sleep pretty well. She wakes up only 1-2 times per night. She is eating alittle less than before and is gaining weight alittle slower. She was gaining about twice what she really should but now is on track. I hope she continues to gain weight at a "normal" rate, we have a little porker on our hands!


I have had to give up some power over the cleanliness of my house. I am either too tired or busy caring for a baby to clean! It's kinda driving me nuts! The house is picked up for the most part and my lower level is always pretty presentable but the closets and dresser drawers are messy and my desk is out of control! Mail mail everywhere! But because I'd rather relax for a few hours at night rather than clean, I'll just deal with the mess. Unless someone want to come clean it for me:-)


I am starting to work out again. I got a membership to a gym that is a short walk from our house. I am really trying to get into a routine of working out after Avy goes to bed, maybe 3-4 times per week. I'd like to get rid of this baby weight before I go back to work so I don't have to buy a bunch of new work cloths. When I was breastfeeding the weight just fell off, that isn't happening anymore so now I actually have to eat right and work out!


That's it for updates for now!

Let's Dance!

So I have discovered that if I put on some dance music and put Avery under her play gym she loves to dance! I started off having her listen to the "Kid's Only" channel and the "Toddler Time" channel. Well those two channels got old pretty fast and I turned it to "Party Favorites" and "Retro Jamz". Lets just say the most inappropriate songs were her favorite! She loved "I know you want me" by Pitbull! She couldn't have been more happy! Enjoy the pictures!

Just pictures

The dates are in the bottom right of the photos so you can see how old she is in each one...although all these pictures are within 10 days or so of each other!

Sleeping and Eating

Little Avery has been a great baby! I know I shouldn't say that out loud because it will "jinx" it but she is a wonderful child! During the day she eats 3-4oz every 3-4 hours and at night she eats 4oz every 4-5 hours. She actually lets us sleep:-) I love it! I heard all these horror stories about babies who wake up every 2 hours at night and never let their parents sleep. I had a couple of friends who had colicky babies and who went nuts! I believe we are blessed!

But here in lies the problem...at some point she has to become a pain in the butt right? I thoroughly believe you reap what you sow and I was a big pain in my parents' butts so I figure at some point Avery has to be a pain in my butt...RIGHT!?

So anyway, we are enjoying our baby. She is a joy to have in our lives and we can't imagine our life without her.

I will post more pictures very soon, there are a TON on my camera:-)

My birth story

I thought I better type this out before I forget!

My birth story starts on Wednesday, 7/1/09 at about 4:30pm. I went to my doctor's office (Dr. Ivie) to start the induction process. (About two weeks prior, I told Dr. Ivie I didn't want to be pregnant anymore and that I was SO tired! She didn't argue because I had gestational diabetes and the baby was getting big.) The type of induction I chose is called a Foley catheter. Many people think that's a tube that is inserted into the bladder however this one is a little different. Foley catheters can also be used to "ripen" the cervix, to allow the induction of labor. The catheter is inserted behind the cervical wall and inflated with 60 cc's of water. The inflated balloon applies pressure to the cervix, like the baby's head would prior to labor, causing it to dilate. When the cervix has dilated sufficiently, the catheter simply drops out.

After the catheter was put in place at 4:30pm, I was sent home to begin labor. However there was no "begin to labor" at home...it began immediately after Dr Ivie put in the catheter. I began contracting before I got out of the doctor's office! I didn't think the pain was all that bad and drove home. My mom was with me at the doctor's office and came home with me for a short time. Shawn took her back to her hotel at about 6:00pm. On his way home he picked me up a cobb salad from Claim Jumper, YUM! I was pretty hungry, again, the contractions weren't that bad...yet!

Shawn and I ate some dinner and I spent much of the evening on an exercise ball. The ball took much of the pressure off my bottom and it helped me relax. We went to bed around 11:00pm and set our alarms for 3:30am because I was instructed to report to the hospital at 4:00am.

I woke up at about 12:30am and was contracting a bit harder. I left the lights off and let Shawn sleep and I sat on my exercise ball until about 1:30am. My contractions let up a little and my fatigue took over! I crawled back into bed and actually slept until my alarm went off. When I got up, I showered which felt amazing and the contractions began to get stronger again.

We got to the hospital at on Thursday morning, 7/2/09 at 4:30am. We had to park on the ER side of the hospital which is the exact opposite end of the building from the Woman's center! But I decided to walk the length of the building because I figured it couldn't hurt the labor process. We got to my room, got settled in, IV's inserted, pitocin started and the catheter was removed (it never fell out on it's own). The nurse checked me and I was 4cm dilated at about 5:00am. She checked me again at 6:30am and I was still 4cm dilated and she asked me if I wanted the epidural. It was going to take a while to get one because the anesthesiologist went home because there were no other laboring moms. I told her I was ok at the moment and then she informed me she was going to break my water at 7:00am, I changed my tune and said to order me up an epidral, STAT!

She broke my water at 7:00am and I got my epidural around 7:30am. For that 30 minutes I was in some serious pain! I can't imagine what it would have been like to go through the entire labor with no pain killers! Kudos to you brave ladies who have done it! After I got the epidural, I was feeling no pain. However, after about 30 minutes I developed a "window" of pain, which is basically a spot that the epidural missed, in the middle left side of my abdomen. The anesthesiologist gave me a small amount of a spinal block which completely numbed me from the waist down. I was feeling no pain and went to sleep for awhile.

I was checked again at about 9:30 or 10:00am and I was 7cm dilated! Man that went quick!. I told Shawn to go to the car and get the camera as I forgot it in my purse. He was pretty nonchalant about getting the camera, thinking we were going to have awhile before the baby would be born. Around 11:30am the nurse checked me again and I was 9cm dilated, again, holy cow that went fast! I told Shawn to get the camera right now! While Shawn was gone, the nurse checked me again and I was 10cm dilated and she told me to push! I was like "holy crap, I can't push yet because Shawn isn't here!" The nurse reassured me that she just wanted to see how I pushed to see what kind of progress I was going to make. I did and the nurse told me to stop because I was going to make very good and quick progress! She left and Shawn came back and I told him I pushed, he had a look of fear on his face!

A few minutes later the nurse and a few others came back and set up the room for having a baby. Around that time, the spinal block wore off and the window of pain came back. I was in a great amount of pain. The nurse asked me if I could push through the pain, to which I responded "do I have a choice?!". The anesthesiologist did try and give me a little more of the spinal block however it wasn't effective and I had to just live with the pain. The room was set up and I started pushing at about 12:15pm. I pushed for about 5 minutes and was told that I was crowning but Dr. Ivie was delivering another baby and another hospital! Fantastic! So I was told to stop pushing and I was just hanging out, crowned!

In the meantime, Shawn was white as a ghost. When I started pushing Shawn got up and crossed the room, passing by me in the process. He looked at what he "didn't want to see" and got light headed. The nurse told Shawn to sit down because there was one patient in the room and it wasn't going to be him! So poor Shawn coward in the corner of the room while I took care of the "heavy lifting"!

At about 12:35pm Dr. Ivie finally got to my room, gloved up and told me to start pushing! About time! Baby Avery made her appearance at 12:49pm, I was told I was a pro at pushing :-)

Shawn and I were home by 3:00pm on Friday, 7/3/09! We had enough of the hospital, the food sucked and so did the bed! We were both ready to be home to sleep...or at least lay in our own bed! LOL!

So that's it, my/Avery's birth story! It's a book and I'm sorry for the long read!

Pictures!

Even though they are already of facebook and most of you who read this are on facebook, I thought I better post some pictures! Her birth story will be coming but it takes too long to type out right now and I'm a tired new mom! But until then...

She's here!

Just a quick update, Avery Lia Elliott was born on 7/2/09 at 12:49pm and she weighs in at 8lbs 4oz and is 18 1/2 inches long. Pics to come:-)

Grrr....

Nothing yet, NOTHING!

Tired!

I'm just tired of being pregnant. I know she's growing and getting alittle fat on her which is good but come on, she's full term and I want her to be born NOW! I had another Dr's appointment yesterday and I'm 2cm dilated and she's pretty low but my Dr doesn't seem to think it's gonna happen soon...i.e. in the next couple of days. She asked if I wanted to schedule a date to induce but I hesitate to do that. I want to see how the next week goes, hopefully she will come on her own. I want the surprise of going into labor all on my own! We'll see!

Sweet Dreams are made of these....

Or NOT so sweet dreams! Why on earth do all the books say it's "normal" to have all these creepy freakin' dreams? They consist of me losing the baby, putting her on top of the TV at my Mom's house, and horrible child birth. The latest was me waking up in bed, realizing I was in labor (which didn't hurt at all!) pushing her out and she wasn't breathing. I picked up my cell phone to call 911 but it had been disabled for some reason and I couldn't call! I ran downstairs with her and tried to call from the home phone (not sure why I didn't pick up the phone NEXT to the bed!?) but my home phone was dead! Then my alarm woke me up. Wow, these dreams seriously HAVE to stop, they are freaking me out!

Decisions Decisions!

Our digital camera is getting kind of old...in digital camera years it's gotta be at least 10 years old! Basically the flash is shot, the battery lasts about an hour, the pictures are blurry and whenever I take a picture there are little dots all over in the image. So the consensus is we need/want a new one. What's the point in having a beautiful little girl if we can't take millions of picture of her?!

So the research begins. Who knew there were so many choices for a digital camera? I went to cnet.com to do a comparison which basically just confused me more! Why can't there be a website www.yourperfectcamera.com? It's not like we are looking for a fancy, uber expensive camera. We just want one that takes good pictures! We will continue looking but holy cow this is a job in and of itself! Decisions Decisions!

My lastest appointment

I had an ultrasound yesterday and here's the update! She weighs about 7lbs and is very low. According to my doctor, when she checked me she could feel Avery's little head! My doctor also said I am 1cm dilated and my cervix is "squishy". I don't think that's a technical term but means it's softening I think! She is now in the 70th percentile for weight so it's better than the 80th percentile she was in last month. I can chalk that up to eating better and my glucose levels being under control:-)

During the ultrasound you could see her little face, her cheeks are chubby and her lips are big and poofy! She's already cute:-) Even the tech made the comment that she had chubby cheeks.

I had my first non-stress test today. The stress tests consist of me sitting quietly for 20 minutes with two monitors on my belly, one checks for fetal movement and monitors her heart rate and the other monitors for contractions. Today, her movement and heart rate were perfect and I didn't have any contractions. I have to have one each week until I deliver. This is all a result of the diabetes.

Otherwise all is well. I'll post pictures from the ultrasound soon!

Quick Update

I had a doctor's appointment today, and outside of my Dr being one hour behind and me being there about 90 minutes longer than I wanted to be...it was uneventful. She said nothing is happening at all, which is ok considering I am at week 35. She also said Avery doesn't feel too big and that she's not concerned about size. She also said the day she becomes concerned is the day she puts me in the hospital to be induced! In addition, she feels VERY high, she's right under my ribs ALL the time!

Stay tuned for the results of the ultrasound (6/10).

Drum Roll Please....

Avery Lia Elliott! YAY!

When will the nameless child be born?

Well, I had an ultrasound on 5/11 which showed that our little girl is in the 81% for size, she weighed about 4lbs 13oz. So, she's big! I had a doctors appointment on 5/22 and according to her, the baby's growth could slow down since I have been eating less carbs and controlling the diabetes. However, there is still a chance she could continue to grow to large:-( In that case, the doctor would probably induce. I have another ultrasound on 6/10 and they are going to determine her size, to see if she's still growing too big. This whole "giving birth" thing is getting closer and closer and I'm a little freaked out!
On a lighter note, she has hair! You can see it in the ultrasound picture...I'm hoping my child dodges the Smidt bald baby genes! Looking at my father-in-law, she's gonna have a TON of hair! I do have had heartburn!
That's all the updates for today!

Too good to be true:-(

So I found out that everyone thinks that Leigha is pronounced "laya" like the princess from Star Wars when we really meant it to be "leah". Shawn doesn't want to explain and correct people all the time and also doesn't like any other spelling of the name. So we are scrapping the name and starting over:-( I'm done making suggestions, it's all Shawn now! She just may be Baby Girl Elliott forever!

WHAT?!

Does she have a name you ask?! After almost 8 months of debating, and dare I say arguing...she has a NAME! This morning, Shawn sent me an e-card for mother's day and it was from him, Morgan, Boozer, and LEIGHA! I have been pushing that name for the last two months and I'm so happy that he finally agreed:-) And I never thought of that spelling, it's really pretty. So now we just have to work on a middle name. I like Hayden which was just brought to my attention by my sister-in-law Mandi. Not only is it cute but it's also an Elliott family name, it was Shawn's grandpa's name. But I'm less concerned about her middle name as her first name...I can finally call her something! YAY!

Happy Mother's Day to all the fantastic moms out there!

Nesting?

I hope it kicks in soon again! I have felt so lazy lately! I have no desire to clean or do chores around the house. I'm guessing that's because I'm big and don't really want to bend down anymore:-( But I keep reading about all these women who nest like crazy and I kind of wish I had those urges because that would mean my house was clean! Don't get me wrong, my house is neat but I don't really feel like cleaning the bathrooms or vacuuming so I've been pawning those jobs off on Shawn, haha! But I figure it's only fair, I carry our child and he scrubs the toilets! It's not like I am super tired or anything I just feel lazy. I am actually feeling pretty good, I am just in the mood to relax. Lets hope it kicks in soon and I'm on my hands and knees scrubbing base boards and dusting every object in sight!

Oh, still no name.

It's not so bad I guess!

I think I'm getting the hang of this whole "diabetes" thing. Right after I found out that I had GD I went on-line and did some research about what, how much, and when to eat. I found a few menus to follow and figured out that you need to eat carbs with protein. I also found out that I need to eat a small breakfast with little or no milk or carbs. Unfortunately I also came to the realization that I can no longer eat the "fun foods". No more powdered donuts, tootsie rolls, chips, or chocolate. I guess I COULD eat those things in moderation if I wanted to but I'd rather use my servings of carbs on food that actually benefits my body!

Today I received a package in the mail with my glucose meter, lancets, test strips, and a book with all the information I would need to know. Tomorrow my dietitian is coming to the house to teach me even more. I think she is going to work on a menu and teach me how often and when I need to test my blood. I was playing around with my new glucose meter and found out it's not so hard too use and it really doesn't hurt to test my blood! I was so afraid the first time I stuck my finger, I think I sat there for one full minute just talking myself into lancing my finger but I did it and it really wasn't so bad!

Since I have been eating better food, smaller meals and more snacks I have been feeling better. I have been less tired and I haven't gained any weight since I started...which is just fine with my doctor and me! I have also been trying to get in 30 minutes of exercise each day whether that be walking, dancing or cleaning.

I am actually learning alot about what the body needs for fuel...I'm hoping I can stick with a diet like this when I'm no longer pregnant! Here's hoping:-)

Baby Shower!

I had my baby shower on April, 11th and it was a great time! I am so happy that so many people were able to make it. I received so many nice things and some gift cards that will go towards a stroller and other items from Target (I love Target!). We also played some very fun games! One involved transferring a pacifier from person to person with a straw in their mouth. Another one involved melted candy bars in diapers which was pretty funny! Even though every one knew they were candy bars it was still really gross!

I am looking forward to my baby shower here which will be thrown by some friends! Then hopefully we will have all the necessary things to bring a baby into the world...except for knowledge!

Gestational Diabetes

So on April 8th, I had an appointment which included my one hour glucose test. Basically, you are suppose to fast, drink a sugary syrup and one hour later you have your blood taken to see how you handle sugar in your system. Well my one hour test came back elevated (it was suppose to be no higher than 135 and mine was 160)which is not uncommon. I also was NOT told not to eat anything before my test so that morning I had a banana and some apple sauce for breakfast. Because my first test came back elevated, I had to go in for the three hour test. That is a process where you come in, having fasted for at least 8 hours, drink an even more sugary syrup and have your blood taken every hour for three hours. I look like a pin cushion...or a drug addict;-) I was encouraged by many that most women pass the three hour test with no problem. Anyway, I found out yesterday that the results after hour two and hour three were high. This means I do have gestational diabetes. I was pretty disappointed yesterday however after thinking things over, it's not that big of a deal. I am having trouble figuring out what, when and how much to eat but it will get easier. I actually probably should have been eating like this all along! It's only for 11 more weeks so I can survive. And according to my dear Mom, she had borderline gestational diabetes as well so maybe I was destine to get it! My only fear is having a gigantic baby (my dad and my uncle both weighed in at over 12lbs!). But I think as long as I keep my blood sugar under control baby girl and I will be fine.

Oh, and still no baby name:-(

Just some pictures!

I'm not as good at this whole blogging things as Jo so I don't know how to make a comment after each picture but you get the idea! The border I bought from Wal-mart ended up matching perfectly although you really can't see it in the pictures, I tried but my camera didn't seem to want to pick up the color very well. So it looks like her room is pretty much done, we just have to figure out what we are going to do with the wall above her crib...it needs alittle something! We have some ideas but no decisions yet. I also need to find an ottoman that matches my chair and a side table because the little plant stand that's there now just won't do! I want to try and find something that's similar color to her furniture and will be big enough to hold a couple bottles and a lamp. It's nice because the plug-in behind that chair is connected to a switch so I don't have to turn on the overhead light, I can just turn on a dim lamp and avoid blindness for her and me! I'm excited that all the work is done, now all we need is a baby...and a name;-)

Stretch marks...seriously?!

Ok, so last night when I was going through my nightly regime of plastering my belly with Burt's Bees Belly Butter I noticed some indentations in my belly, like I laid in one position for too long...but I don't lay on my belly. After some further investigation I realized the are stretch marks! OMG, I'm freaking out right now! I do have stretch marks from when I was younger and I grew really fast but those are white, easy to tan and easy to cover up with a 2 piece swimsuit. These new ones are right on my belly, red, and will be impossible to cover! Geez, the perils of being pregnant huh? It all is worth it for the end result but still, it SUCKS!

A work in progress!

Picture #1 is a few of my favorite outfits (Shawn picked out the sweatpea one!)
Picture #2 is the room thusfar

Ok, so it's been awhile since I've posted anything but honestly not alot has been going on. I had a doctor's appointment on 3/11 and everything looks good, she is growing appropriately and her heartbeat sounds wonderful!

Still no names but we are throwing a few around. I have proposed Ivie, Peyton, and Lia to which Shawn has responded "they're ok". He still isn't proposing any of his own names but I guess we have a few months to go! I am 25 weeks tomorrow and feeling pretty big right now, I just can't imagine getting too much bigger but Lord knows I will!

The work in progress is referring to her room. We finally sold all the stuff in there on craigslist (that is the best site EVER!). The room is clean, painted and the curtains are up but other than that it still needs work. I think I finally found border to go around the middle of the room but we'll see once it actually gets here. Seeing it on the internet and in person are two very different things! The color around the bottom of the room is called "Mom's Lipstick" and it's a mulberry purple color and not very easy to match. I just pulled the color out of the bedding with out really thinking about what color the border was going to be. Most border so far has been too lilac purple or too pink and clashes with the color of the wall but I am hoping the stuff I found will be perfect.

Shawn will be putting together her crib and dresser this weekend so more pictures to come! For now the only piece of furniture in there is my awesome new rocking chair we got from Perry's (a friend out here) mom. It was such a generous gift and I couldn't be happier with it! Other than that I have just been folding and refolding all her little cloths and trying to keep the house clean...it just seems like it's a disgusting mess ALL the time! I'm not sure if that's the "nesting" or just that my house really is gross, I'm gonna go with the "nesting" :-)

Go SDSU ladies!

Well because I'm an SDSU alum I feel the need to support the SDSU ladies basketball team, regardless of the fact that I haven't followed them until the last few games. They played Oakland today and won 79-69, yah! Not sure who they will play in the NCAA tourney yet but it will be interesting! Those ladies know how to play...GO JACKS!!!!

Random Updates

Not much has been happening with Baby Elliott, she's kicking alot. My lower stomach is tight, like I did too many sit ups, wonder if that's normal? No more appointments until March 11th, and that will just be a routine visit. I have one more "monthly" visit after that and then it's a visit every other week. Otherwise, everything is all good with her!

The in-laws are coming down tomorrow. Mandi and Ryan are here for the first time! We're going to the Nascar race on Sunday, I've been to a race one time before in 2006...it's more fun seeing them in person than on TV. I'm not a huge fan of Nascar but I've decided to jump on the Dale Jr bandwagon, I've gotta cheer for SOMEONE!

We got a new grill this week. Our old one just decided to stop working. We tried cleaning it, getting a new propane tank, trying the new propane tank on our neighbor's grill (it worked on theirs!). Nothing worked so we did research and got one from Lowe's, it's really nice! Shawn is a bit of a skeemer...he found out that in the "new resident" packet at the Post Office had a 10% coupon for Lowe's so he went and got one! We didn't even have to put the grill together, it came assembled! We cooked on it tonight for the first time, it cooks so even compared to our old one! But I guess our old one was 4 years old, cost about $80, and was pretty dirty.

We have our crib, dresser, and bedding set for the baby's room (thanks Mom!). I'm so excited to get the room and closet cleaned out and get the furniture put together! Here is the crib: http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=14ba562&RefPage=x6&cmOrigID=RN343-8294B&cmPosID=2&CmCatId=58824|eob

And here is the bedding: http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?ItemID=14e7a79&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ShowMenu=T&ShopBy=0&SearchString=tivoli+garden&RefPage=SearchDepartment.aspx&s4PageSize=15&CmCatId=searchresults&Search1Prod=True

And thanks to Art and Julie, we got all the matching accessories for the bed set! The room will come together pretty quickly after we clean the it out. Right now there is a bed, dresser, and desk in the room and we plan on selling it all on Craigslist. We didn't want to sell it until Art and Julie left after their stay this weekend, one last use before we sell it! I have also purchase a few things...mostly clothing, but it sure is fun!

Sam and my Mom are working on the baby shower which will be on April 11th and will take place at Sam's house. Sam is working on the invitations and such but I'm always looking for fun little things to include in the shower! And if anyone has any "can't live without" items that I should register for, feel free to share your ideas!

Shawn and I have both been pretty busy with work. Shawn went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant at the Palazzo casino with the bank executives. I think he is pretty well liked at work! The CIO of the company actually has a hand in organizing the a baby shower for Shawn! I can just imagine a baby shower for Shawn...a bunch of women oohing and aahing over baby gifts as Shawn is all shifty and uncomfortable. I sure hope someone takes pictures of that:-)

So there are some random updates about our life! I thought I better post something before people stopped checking back:-) I hope everyone in the north is keeping warm!

But the greatest of those is love...

19 and a half weeks now!

Flowers Shawn got me:-)

Shawn and me at The Lodge

Valentines day was interesting this year. I decided that we should do something different and go up to Mt. Charleston for dinner at the Mt. Charleston Lodge. They had a special where everyone had the same meal and the executive chef, Chef Simon, prepared some of the meal in a demonstration. I thought it sounded like fun! Also, you can't beat a romantic dinner in snow capped mountains!

The beauty of the mountains did not disappoint. The cabins, lodges and huge homes were amazing. The drive, winding through the trees and homes was everything we thought it would be and more. The climate definitely changes as you go up 4000 feet as well. When we were in town it was 51 degrees, when we got to the top of the mountain, it was 13! But it was alot of fun to experience some different weather.

The lodge looked alot like a "lodge" should, the decor was 1950's reminiscent. The staff was small town nice, which was appreciated! We had to make reservations and when we reported to be seated, we were seated at a table for four...hmmm. We asked if others would be sitting with us to which the answer was yes. Sitting with two strangers on Valentines day did not sound like my idea of fun. I asked the hostess if we could sit at the table for two by the fire place and she said that would be fine. We sat...and it was a child sized table! Poor Shawn spent the rest of the night with his legs straddling the table because his legs didn't fit underneith it! But we didn't want to complain again so we endured! Chef Simon did a nice job of showing us how to make different parts of the meal. However, from the time we got there until the time we left, it was almost three hours! We had not expected to be there for so long! Then, on the way home, we stopped to get dessert at one our favorite places. We put in our order, paid and sat down to wait...25 minutes later we still had no dessert. It wasn't that difficult, it was some pie and cheese cake! I asked the young lady we ordered from where our dessert was and low and behold it had been done for about 20 minutes! She appologized and give us the desserts. So in general we felt it was a night of waiting! But the food was decent and the company was great:-) As long as we got to spend the night together is all that mattered. We had a nice time talking and laughing. And as of today, we have been together for 11 years! Boy how time flies:-)