You know what's really creepy?? The old wive's tale about the wedding ring on a string over the tummy. Nick & I did it today just to see what would happen. I held the string at first. I let the slack out, made the ring stop moving with my other hand, then let it go to see what would happen. After a few seconds, it started moving in clear circles! Nick said I must be moving my hand, so he came and took it from me. Same result! That means I'm having a girl. We'll see.
The other test we did was the baking soda and urine test. My friend, Megan, told me to try it. It resulted in boy. So, who knows what we're having?!
Monday, April 29, 2013 - 14 weeks, 4 days
This weekend, I found my food. The food that I can eat at any time, and eat until I'm full. Shogun fried rice and chicken. My pregnancy food is expensive. Whoops. :) Sister & I went to see our favorite band, NEEDTOBREATHE, this past weekend in Dallas. She asked what sounded good for lunch on Saturday. I said, "Well, there's a Shogun at exit 93 in Greenville I've wanted to stop at recently, but I've never been there." Every time we've been through DFW since I've been pregnant, I see this billboard for Shogun at exit 93. I've memorized it, so that's why I knew exactly where it was. So we stopped. We may or may not have taken our own stash of yum yum sauce in case the restuarant was stingy like the Longview Shogun (who refused to give me yum yum sauce because I didn't order sushi). But, no need to fear, Greenville is nice and gives their customers what they ask for. Pure heaven on a plate. I ate about half of it then said, "This is so good! I don't want to quit eating, but I'm full." Sister suggested I take the leftovers with me for later. I did. I got the ill feeling of nausea later that evening at dinner and didn't eat much other than a sopapilla (sweet tooth!). So, we went to our concert and got back to the hotel around 12:30. I was famished, warmed up the leftovers, and devoured it! Needless to say, I've been perusing Pinterest since then in hopes of finding a good hibachi style recipe for chicken and fried rice. I found one on food.com and plan on trying it out tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes.
Speaking of concerts, this child is going to be quite the concert goer! So far, gummy bear has gone to concerts featuring: The Gaither Vocal Band, Kari Jobe/Chris Tomlin, Ben Rector, and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors/NEEDTOBREATHE. I have realized that "standing room only" concerts will have to be put on the back burner until after gummy bear makes his/her appearance. NTB was standing room only, and it was brutal. Thank the good Lord that Sister had priority access, and we were able to go in before the crowds. I was able to find us a good spot that I could lean somewhere or sit on the floor when standing got too much for me. We arrived there around 7:30 and didn't leave until almost midnight. Long time for a pregger woman to stand. But, it was an amazing concert, and I'm glad I went.
Sister & I talked about the baby a lot. I'm ready to know if we're having a boy or girl. It's hard to plan without knowing that. Nick & I have emersed ourselves in talks about childcare, carseats, cribs, names, and any other topic that can go with a kid. It's quite overwhelming, but that's why God gives you a full nine months to figure things out. Of course, we're down to about five and a half months now. Eek! When put like that, it's closer than it seems!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 - 14 weeks, 5 days
Gummy bear got his/her first present today! A sweet coworker of mine is moving with her family to the far away land of Arkansas. She has no clue if she'll be able to make it back for one of my showers, so she went ahead and gave me a present. It was her favorite books that she read to her children. :) Too sweet. She said she has all three memorized, and doesn't even have to look at the pages. I can't wait to get to read them to our little one. Thanks Renee! It means a lot to us.
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| This was sitting on my desk when I got to work this morning. |
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| Books for our baby! |
So the at home hibachi food wasn't nearly as good as the Shogun/Fugi food. :( The chicken was pretty close, but the rice was just wrong. Even with copius amounts of yum yum sauce, it just wasn't the same. Side Note: Thank you Kims of Fugi in Texarkana for selling yum yum sauce by the bottle now. That is all.
I'm still nauseous a lot. I'll feel like eating (which is definitely an upgrade from the past 9 weeks), but once I start eating, I immediately loose my appetite. I told Nick last night that I just want to eat again, not just because I have to.
My Sister, Mom, and Sister's friend, Sarah, are coming to spend the night tomorrow night then we're headed to Canton on Saturday. I sent a text to Nick that said, "Would it be wrong of me to ask my sister to bring some Fugi's with her tomorrow. I could eat it later, but I want it so bad." His response, "LOL." My response, "I'm not joking! I'm thinking she can bring me two take outs of the fried rice and chicken. I may gorge myself!" I'm still debating on whether or not I'm going to ask her. It would be heaven if she did.
A great side effect of being pregnant, my nails are glorious! Could I keep these once gummy bear arrives? Another side effect, my hair is growing like crazy! I think I'm going to let it grow out a little bit (around my shoulders) but keep the current shape (inverted bob), this way, I can throw it all back in a ponytail when I'm ready to pull my hair out as a new mother. I love my current cut, but I have to fix it every day. This would give me more possibilities. Then, once I'm not so exhausted, I can cut it off again.
UPDATE: Sister is bringing me Fugi's, happy dance!
Monday, May 6, 2013 - 15 weeks, 4 days
We have an appointment today. I asked the nurse at my doctor's office if I'd be getting an ultrasound, and she said probably not. When I told Casey & Kelley this last night, they said, "Just ask Dr. Slovak. She'll do it!" I really want to know if gummy bear is a boy or girl, so I can use the proper pronoun (I just keep saying "she/he" because I cannot call the baby an "it"). Funnily enough, Nick said that Bill said we could use his horse ultrasound in the barn if we wanted too. :) I'd have to take Casey with me to decipher what the gender is though. :) I'm excited to go today. If we don't get the ultrasound, we'll at least get to hear the heartbeat.
Nick & I were told this weekend of another friend that is pregnant! Yay! We know someone who will be in our little one's class at school. So very excited. :) (I can reveal that this is Kelley Fink. I didn't want to post anything on here until she let it out on facebook.)
We went to Canton this weekend, and I saw sooo many cute items for baby. If only I would have known boy/girl. I found a mounted, metal, duck head that would be oh-so-cute in a boy's nursery. I saw lots of really cute clothes if this is a girl. Someone hold my wallet once we know for sure. I may go a little bit crazy!
UPDATE: Dr. Slovak is 90% sure this is a BOY!!! I'm completely blown away, and very excited! Looks like we'll be welcoming little Brayden Dale in October. I just knew this was a little girl (and so did many others), but God had other plans. :) We're over the moon. He was quite the wiggle worm, but she was able to get a few good shots.
+Fourth+Sonogram1.jpg) |
| The third one is a good shot for deciphering him as a boy. |
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| The first one is good in this line-up. |
So far, I've lost 12 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy. I was quite concerned about this, but Dr. Slovak said it was completely normal. I've really started to feel like a human again, and I've even been eating three full meals a day for the past few days. She said I'll start to gain the weight back in no time.
We set up our next appointment on Monday, June 3rd. It will be an afternoon appointment followed by "the big ultrasound". We have to go to Open Imaging in MP for that one. Apparently, they measure the size of the baby, really give you a good look at your baby, and we should know 100% that this little one is a Brayden. :)
I wanted to give a small background on the name we chose. It's funny actually because we've had Brayden Dale chosen from day one. We both liked it, but neither of us could agree for sure on a girl's name. I guess that should have been some foreshadowing. We'd thrown around
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - 16 weeks
Praise the Lord! I talked with the nurse at Dr. Slovak's office and the blood work for the quad screen came back normal! I was shaking, and I could literally feel my heart beating. I'm very thankful that the nurse just straight up said, "Everything came back normal." Didn't beat around the bush or tell me all the details. I wanted to know the clear answer. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - 16 weeks, 5 days
I think I felt Brayden move this morning while laying in bed. It felt like little wings beating the inside of my stomach really fast, then it would stop, then it would start again. It didn't last long, so I'm not sure if it was him or not. Once I was up and moving, I didn't feel it again.
I've really gotten my appetite back the past couple of days. I still don't eat as much as I did before the pregnancy, but I've definitely been eating more than what I've normally consumed over the past 9-ish weeks. However, just when you think you're done with all that morning sickness junk ("morning" being used lightly), BAM!! You're having a nice dinner with friends at your house when you need to excuse yourself. At least I was still hungry after the incident, that hasn't happened before.
A coworker of mine brought us a book yesterday for Brayden. :) It's one that my Mom read to me, and Melanie read to Nick growing up, Love You Forever. I don't need to be reading that right now because I cry like a big baby. But it was very sweet. Thanks Sandy!
I talked to Mom tonight. I have a friend from high school that is having a garage sale this weekend. She has a little boy and is selling lots of the clothes he's outgrown. I told Mom she should call Tristen and go shopping. Tristen actually let her come over tonight to preshop. Mom called me later to tell me that she hit the mother-load. I can't wait to see all she got him. I know there will be some Carhart, Wrangler, and little cowboy boots coming Brayden's way. Let's hope that 90% turns into 100%!
Saturday, May 18, 2013 - 17 weeks, 2 days
So, I had a "pregnancy" moment today. I did/said something I would have never said before. But, I think the young worker at McDonald's may have gotten the drift after my little talk with her.
Let me tell the background on this story. Nick & four of his workers had to work today. I offered to go get lunch for all of them. I was already going to be in Mount Pleasant, so I figured I'd get Whataburger. I took all of their orders and went to town. After doing my rat killing, I went to Whataburger. I made my order, got all of my food, and headed to Pittsburg to deliver the food to the guys. I got to the job site, and they'd left the chicken bites meal out of the bag. I was upset, but Nick just suggested I run to McDonald's and get a chicken selects meal. So, that's what I did.
I'm in the drive through, and I ask, "Could I please get a chicken selects meal?" The lady replied, "We don't offer chicken selects anymore." I said, "Oh, then I guess get me the nugget meal." As I pulled forward, I thought, "I don't think this worker actually likes chicken nuggets." So, I decided to pull forward and tell the cashier I had changed my mind, cancel my order, and go somewhere else. I waited, got to the window, and the cashier said, "That will be $7.12." I said, "I just wanted to let you know that I didn't need that order any more. I'm sorry." The cashier proceeded to huff, slam her finger on a button to delete the meal, looked back at me and rolled her eyes. I couldn't handle that. Before I knew what I was saying, I told her, "No ma'am! I said I was sorry, and you do not roll your eyes at a customer. That was very rude. I could have just driven off, but I waited in line to tell you I no longer wanted that order. You do not treat someone that way. That was rude." She just stared at me. When she didn't respond, I pulled off. She better be glad I didn't go in to talk to her manager, but that just crawled all over me!
I've worked in the food industry before. Two and a half years to be exact. I understand that customers will get on your nerves. I understand that sometimes, you highly dislike your job. But you do NOT take your frustration out on customers. You wait until they leave, then roll your eyes. I'm not oblivious, I know servers and workers talk about customers after they leave, but the key word there is AFTER! You do not do that to someone's face. It seemed to me that that worker was probably not reprimanded at home when they talked back to their momma. My Mom would have grounded me if I were to have acted like that to her. I hope she got an etiquette lesson and doesn't do that to a customer again.
On a good note, Mom delivered all of the clothes she got from Tristen last night. I'm so excited for all of them! Brayden is going to be so cute in them! We loaded up!
Monday, May 20, 2013 - 17 weeks, 4 days
Oy with the poodles already. I had my worst case of sickness this evening. I don't want to complain, I want a healthy baby. But I'm concerned over not wanting to eat. And once I do eat, I get sick. This baby needs nutrition, and I don't know how to get it to him! I guess I'll start drinking homemade smoothies. Maybe I can handle those.
Monday, June 3, 2013 - 19 weeks, 4 days
Well, we are certainly welcoming Brayden Dale into the world! I'm supposed to call Dr. Slovak tomorrow to get the results of all the measuring and what not, but I believe everything looks perfect. His heart beat was 147 when she listened with the doppler and 150 at the actual sonogram. We got to see lots of pictures (he still looks like an alien, though), and the sono tech had to point a lot of the body parts out to us. But everything looks great! Update: I called and everything is perfect!
+Fifth+Sonogram.jpg) |
| For anyone new to the blog, click on the photo, and it will enlarge. |
I've really started to feel him move a lot over the past week. Friday night, Nick felt him move for the first time. He thought it was cool/weird. :) I've also realized that when Nick is near me and talks, Brayden responds. He'll start moving a lot. Nick thinks it's crazy that he's already responding to his voice. These moments will be some of my most precious memories of my life. Brayden also likes to "dance" during worship at church. Sunday morning, I could feel him wiggling around in there while we worshipped God. I love it!
So, now we're going to start working on his nursery. I've been holding off really buying/doing anything really concrete for the room, but I can go crazy now! I'm so excited. :)
Oh, and my parents had dinner with my aunts and uncle (Dad's sisters and brother-in-law) this past week in Texarkana. Mom was telling them that we were pretty sure it was a boy. Aunt Gena asked the name, and Mom told her. Aunt Gena said, "No way! Granny (my paternal grandmother) always wanted me or Renee to have a boy and name him Brayden!" I never knew this! I think it is so cool that we picked that name without knowing. It makes it even more precious.
Thursday, June 6, 2013 - 20 weeks
I have officially reached the half way point and today is mine & Nick's fourth anniversary! Yay! I went back and forth on taking any "baby bump" pictures, and I finally decided I'll do some. I've not done any before now because I really didn't look pregnant, just a little thicker around the middle. I actually look like I'm pregnant now, so I'm going to start taking some. I don't know if I'll do one every week or every month, but I'm going to try and get some. :)
Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 21 weeks, 3 days
Today, I should have been 40 weeks. Today was my due date with my first pregnancy. Wow. God, I'm so thankful you've given us this blessed and healthy pregnancy to help me with my emotions right now. Of course, being pregnant, I'm already hormonal, but knowing that I'm growing a healthy baby boy right now helps heal the ache of not having a little baby at this very moment.
I've been so excited to see a lot of our friends havnig babies recently (7 in the past week!), but it has also been hard. I'm enjoying getting to love on and see pictures of these little miracles. Nick has had to remind me that, in due time, our's will be here too.
Nick & I attended a beautiful wedding last night, and we decided a while back that we were going to make a short trip out of it. The wedding was only in Tyler which is about an hour from home, so we could have easily driven back home. But, knowing that the next day was our first due date, we decided to stay the night and just enjoy our time with each other instead.
Thank you Lord for whatever your plan is. I'm ecstatic to have Brayden on his way, and I'm looking forward to meeting our first one in heaven one day. Everything is for Your glory.
We did take a picture at the wedding we attended last night, so I wanted to include it for those who want to see the "baby bump." :)
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| I was 21 weeks and 2 days pregnant in this picture. |
Sunday, June 23, 2013 - 22 weeks, 3 days
We went to Nick's cousin's wedding yesterday. Here's this week's "baby bump."
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| I was 22 weeks and 2 days pregnant in this picture. |
We visited with Nick's Memaw while we were in Waco today. She is moving to an assisted living facility, so she had asked us if there was anything in the house we wanted. I was able to get some pictures and a few items for Brayden's nursery. I'm really excited to get to use these items.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013 - 22 weeks, 5 days
Brayden's Oma, Nick's mom, has started spoiling her new grandson already. She had pinned this onsie on Pinterest early last week that says "Happy Camper". We are planning on going camping for Thanksgiving this year. This is something that Melanie has always wanted to do. So, I commented on her pin of the onsie and said, "Brayden needs this for Thanksgiving!" She agreed and told me later that she bought it and a pair of little sweat pants to go with it. The pants came in yesterday, and the onsie came in today. She sent me a picture. It's so cute, and I can't wait for him to wear it. :)
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| Let's hope Brayden is, indeed, a "Happy Camper!" |
Had a good appointment today. Brayden's heartbeat was holding steady at 147-148 which is good. I've started putting on about a pound a week, and Dr. Slovak said that was exactly what she wanted from me. I've got my next appointment on August 5th, and I'll have to do the dreaded glucose test to test for gestational diabetes, and she'll also test for anemia. I'm not really looking forward to that appointment. After that, I'll have another ultrasound two weeks later.
I'm going to really start working on nursery things this weekend. Nick is having to make a day trip to Waco on Saturday, so I thought I'd finally start working on a few things. I can't wait!
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| I was 23 weeks and 2 days pregnant in this picture. |
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| Family picture. |
Friday, July 5, 2013 - 24 weeks, 1 day
I am not in full "nesting" mode, but I'm getting there. Wednesday night, Nick had a thing with some guys planned. I knew I'd have the night to myself. I didn't want to do too much, but just relax. However, there is one thing I've been needing to do for quite some time... clean my oven. I always remembered when I was cooking/baking something. Therefore, I couldn't clean it beacuse it was hot. Then, once it was cool enough, I didn't want to clean. Well, I actually remembered BEFORE I preheated the oven to make the brownies on Wednesday. I scrubbed, vaccummed, then really deep cleaned the oven. Once I finished, I felt like I had accomplished so much! :) Of course, the rest of the night was spent painting my nails and watching Les Miserables, but I felt accomplished.
We celebrated the Fourth with family. I didn't take a "baby bump" picture, but Sister took this cute picture of us. :)
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| I was 24 weeks in this picture. |
Monday, July 8, 2013 - 24 weeks, 4 days
Last night, I was worried as I lay in bed. Normally, Brayden's most active time (that I notice) is when I fully relax at night to go to sleep. He wasn't moving at all. Nick asked me, "Is he kicking you?" This has become a nightly ritual. Nick'll reach over and feel him moving around or sometimes he can even see Brayden's movements. I said, "No, and it has me worried." We talked to Brayden, I hummed a song, I drank cold water (this has caused him to jump around before), we even poked my belly to see if that would get him to move around. FINALLY, Brayden started moving around. I could feel myself relax again. I have to get up in the night every night to use the restroom, and when I laid back down last night, he was being a little wiggle worm. I just laid there and thanked God, and said, "Thank you, Brayden. You can kick me all night if you want."
A few weeks ago, I had told Nick about these little at-home devices called dopplers (like the ones at the doctor's office but not as high-tech) that can hear the baby's heartbeat that I've found on Amazon. I didn't see a reason to buy one, but last night, Nick said, "How much are those at-home dopplers again?" I looked it up and told him. He said, "Buy one tomorrow. It would make me feel a lot better." So, that's what I did today. I'm hoping it will come in quickly, and we'll be able to hear Brayden's little heartbeat and movements any time we want.
Thursday, July 11, 2013 - 25 weeks
Wowza! We're 15 weeks away from my due date!
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| I was 25 weeks in this picture. |
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 - 25 weeks, 6 days
I am in full nesting mode. And my nesting-style seems to be "if it's not nailed down, it's being thrown away/sold/donated." I took my first load of clothing and shoes to Goodwill today. I'm going to take some clothes to the consignment store here in town and see if I can make any money off of them. Then I'm going to take the next load of clothing (some of Nick's this time) to SAFE-T Shelter Store in MP. I may actually get the garage cleaned out before Brayden arrives because I'm in the mood to get rid of stuff. I made a long list yesterday of things I want to get done soon. The list includes but is not limited to:
- organize laundry room/pantry cabinets
- paint furniture for Brayden's room
- put full-size bed into guest bedroom
- clean-out and organize all closets
- put linen box into guest room closet (store quilts and sheets here)
- organize craft/wrapping corner in garage
- shampoo carpets
Speaking of which, I kinda bribed my family to come into town this week with an invitation from Nick to come have dinner. Nick wants to grill/smoke some food this weekend and mentioned inviting my parents and sister over for dinner. I sent them a facebook message inviting them and included, "Oh, and if y'all would want to come spend the day, I've got tons of stuff that I need to work on for Brayden's nursery." Nick said later that evening, "I didn't mean for them to come work for food!" I said, "I know, but my Dad, Mom & Sister are good and helping me get things done." :) I'm sure we'll mark some of these items off the list.
Tonight, I ended up having to stay late at work for something. Then I had to go grocery shopping. Once I finally made it home, I made a cake for some friends who just had a baby then made dinner. By the time I got done with the dishes, I was exhausted. I had such high hopes for getting stuff done around the house other than just laundry. Any ways. Nick & I sat down and watched about an hour of TV. Then, I got my second spurt of energy. Nick comes into the bedroom at 9:45, and I have all of the contents of my bookshelf lying across our bed or laying in the floor. Nick said, "What are you doing?" I said, "Getting rid of some old books." He just turned around and went back to the living room. :) I was able to fill up an entire box with old books. I'll be taking them somewhere soon to donate.
Monday, July 22, 2013 - 26 weeks, 4 days
This evening, I met with someone who will be painting our nursery and scraping the old popcorn ceilings. Nick & I are perfectly capable of painting, but there's just not enough time in the work week. When Nick gets a day off, the last thing he wants to do is spend the entire day painting. He'll be starting next week. Yay!
After he left, I decided to put together the play yard a friend of our's bought for us and Brayden (thank you Looby's!!). I had planned on keeping it in the box, but I really wanted to put it together last night. For one thing, I was about to fall asleep sitting on the couch. I've gotten to a point where I want to take a nap when I get home from work, but if I do, I can't fall asleep at night. So I try to stay busy until bed time. I had fun putting it together. The dogs are really confused as to what it is, but maybe it's best they be acclimated to these items gradually. :)
And nursery planning is in full swing! But that's a whole blog post in and of itself. I can't wait to share it!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013 - 26 weeks, 6 days
I'm at the end of the second trimester! WHOO HOO! 13 weeks and 1 day until my due date. Eek!
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