Archive for November, 2009

30th November
2009
written by katherine

Wow, what an amazing and eventful (stressful) 5 days! Ultrasound on Wednesday afternoon was for the most part really, really great. We found out that we are having a little GIRL! I’m very excited, and of course a little terrified, so much to teach her! We also saw every working organ and moving part, including little hands and fingers. Everything looked really good, except her nose. Sounds strange, I know, but the technician could not see a prominent nose bone, and apparently this is not good. We waited a while for the perinatologist, Dr. Scott to come in and take a look. The baby was VERY active the entire time; I don’t think that she likes it when I’m on my back. So since she was kicking up a storm I had Bob see if he could maybe feel all the crazy movement and he DID! I figured it would be a lot longer before he would be able to feel her from the outside. So that was really very cool, I’m glad that he got to feel her kick. When Dr. Scott came in she went over all the different parts from head to toe with us and showed us once again with great explanation all of the organs that she was looking at, the spine, her legs, feet, etc. but then she went to the concerning part, the lack of a nasal bone. She said that this is something they have just recently started screening for because very often it is an indicator of potential Downs Syndrome since Downs babies often do not have well-formed noses. The finding increased our likelihood of Downs or other genetic issues from 1 in 4000 to 2%. Since I was already concerned about this even before the Dr.’s finding and had been considering amniocentesis from the beginning so that we would know for CERTAIN if there was any genetic issue, the Dr asked if we wanted to do it and I immediately agreed. This was quite a bit scary…think about it, the Dr sticks a needle into your stomach and through the placenta where your BABY is hanging out and removes some of the amniotic fluid. It is freaky to think about at best and very weird to experience. In the end, it wasn’t that bad, although I didn’t look at either the ultrasound screen or the needle or anything…I was staring straight up at the spotlight and tiles right above me, squeezing Bob’s hand very hard.

This morning, we got an amazing call from Dr. Scott to tell us that the initial testing all showed completely NEGATIVE for extra chromosomes! The final tests are still to come, hopefully by the end of the week but the chances of them being different is highly unlikely. To say that this news was a relief is a huge understatement! I feel like I can finally breathe and stop thinking about “what if”…. After I got off the phone Bob and I hugged very tightly for a very long time.

We had another monthly OB/GYN appointment this morning which was uneventful except for the 1 hour + wait that we had to endure before even seeing him. I have only gained about 12 pounds so far and my Dr. said that he wished all of his patients did as well as me. I’m pretty happy about it myself, not that I am actually TRYING to maintain my weight, I’m just not that hungry and I eat when I feel like it nd mostly eat fruits and vegetables…so it’s working for me and apparently for baby. I feel great and she is doing wonderful. They said she weighed in at about 11 ounces and looked about right for the due date. I think they said her femur is 33 mm, nearly an inch!

Thanksgiving was very nice; we went to Ruth’s Chris and had a very good meal Thursday night after a long day of doing a lot of nothing. I made a turkey breast and mashed potatoes along with some whipped cream for the Costco pumpkin pie on Friday. We actually got up at 4:30 in the morning on Black Friday and headed out to shop for Black Friday. The first time I had ever done that and we got some good deals, but holy cow the lines were ridiculous!!! People are NUTS! We missed out on the $246 32” HD LCD television as well arrived just as the doors were opening at Target and they were all gone by the time we got into the store. We still got good deals, I’m pretty happy with our take. We also got our very first big Christmas tree and filed our LLC paperwork with the corporation commission downtown on Friday. We had a FULL DAY! We were up at 4:30 am and didn’t go to bed until after 11…crazy!! On Saturday morning we hung out in the garage and worked on the Baby Armoire we got off Craigslist to reinforce it so it isn’t a “baby death trap”! It looks great now and just needs the doors put back on and the false back nailed back on. Hopefully Bob will get to that this week so we can scratch it off the to do list! We decorated the tree Saturday night and it looks really nice! Jen came over to have some pie and pick up her Christmas decorations. Her new boyfriend came over and we finally got to meet him and chat briefly. I think we are doing picture Christmas cards this year with prego me and Bob and the kitties in front of our cool tree :)

Overall, the weekend was just amazing, we got a ton accomplished but most importantly we got to spend a ton of time together, which I know that I absolutely loved. I can’t wait to be back home with my amazing husband, but I think the time apart has made me really appreciate how lucky I am in so many ways.

Ok, time for bed, not overly exhausted this Monday night since I got to sleep until 7:30 this morning and Bob actually wanted to go to bed at a decent hour last night! (Oh, and my Vikings are 10-1…I think things are DEFINITELY looking UP!!)

24th November
2009
written by katherine

Had a massage at the community college tonight, it wasn’t too bad, especially since it was free. Work has been hectic last week and this week. There is just way too much going on and not nearly enough people to handle it. I told Al yesterday that I would only be on until December 11th. He of course understood. We will need to sign up for our LLC finally so that I can work for them remotely outside of the stupid staffing firm that I’m going through now. Hopefully it will mean more money in our pockets too.

We went through LegalZoom.com and did our last wills and testaments along with our living wills…it was overdue! We obviously don’t have them finalized for after the baby comes, but we are able to change the wills for a year so we can make the appropriate changes after baby is born.

I’ve been eating sausage mcmuffins and a large coke every day for weeks now. I just found out that the baby has taste buds and I’m influencing what it will like…thankfully I eat a TON of fruit and veggies most other times of the day, just not breakfast.

I am super excited about my mid-pregnancy ultrasound tomorrow…hopefully baby cooperates and we are able to find out the sex! I have been waiting to buy a lot of things until I know for sure if we are having a boy or a girl. We still don’t have a boy name, although I think we’ve found a couple that we like well enough.

I’m totally showing now, definitely look preggers! I could probably hide it if I really tried, but I’m not trying. I am so thankful to Carrie for all of the maternity clothes that she has let me borrow. She has been a real life saver!

I am so excited for this weekend and spending 4 whole days with Bob…I miss him so terribly much all week long when I’m away. I know that it is something that has to be done for our financial survival, but it certainly hasn’t been easy. I am glad that it is only for TWO MORE WEEKS!

Ok, bed time now, must shut down and pack it up to head home tomorrow!

17th November
2009
written by bob

I saw a news report this morning while getting ready for work in my daily morning routine.  Approximately six months ago Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services, stated that the US would be ready for the H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic that has now been declared.  She informed the US public that by the end of November this year the US would have 120 million H1N1 vaccines.  In the not too distant past, that 120 million turned into a revised 40 million.  Today, the news report I watched stated the US would be ‘lucky’ to have 30 million on hand by the end of this month, just 2 weeks away.

As I was commuting in on the light rail train today, I thought of this question to answer for yourself…if the US government cannot get this vaccine issue right, who the heck thinks they will be able to run your Healthcare?  Now the public will have to ‘wait’ for more vaccine.  Hmmm, sounds a lot like a socialist healthcare system, just like that in my native country of Canada where long lines, wait times, and rationed care are the norm.  The American public depended on the US Gov to execute this ‘BASIC’ of healthcare tasks and look what happened – they failed.  It doesn’t leave me with a ‘warm-fuzzy’ feeling.  You decide.

12th November
2009
written by bob

Since I have committed myself to running the Arizona Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon this year, my training has already begun. The first week was tough let me tell you! Considering I haven’t run my last half marathon since 2005 I’m was definitely not in my best shape…HA! It’s okay, you can laugh too..BUT only because I laughed first!

Anyways, you really can’t beat the weather at this time of year and the fact that I get to run around Tempe Town Lake located right outside our front door!

3-mile Loop – Tempe Town Lake

Until my next new route, enjoy your running!

12th November
2009
written by katherine

So I got a massage tonight, it was very nice and relaxing. It really does feel so good since I have some aches and pains I’m not even really aware of.

I definitely am looking forward to going home tomorrow and seeing Bob. But first I have a job interview at SCF Arizona at 3:30 tomorrow. I really should do some research on the company before then…but I’m probably not going to tonight. I will probably just do it at work tomorrow… :)

I should really eat something now as it’s nearly 9:00…not terribly hungry though…maybe some chef Boyardee ravioli ha ha…

11th November
2009
written by katherine

So…I’ve been feeling really pretty great. I honestly don’t think that I could have asked for anything better from pregnancy. The belly is starting to present itself a bit more…probably still not really noticeable to most people probably.

Over the last week I have felt significantly less tired, which is nice. It helps to be able to stay up a little later and not be completely wiped out!

I’m enjoying the prenatal massages I’ve been getting. I had no idea how much my lower back was hurting until I started getting them. It helps a ton to relax those muscles and avoid the pain.

I am now nearly 19 weeks and although I haven’t felt the baby FOR SURE…I think some of the movement I have felt may be baby movements.

I think that we have picked out the crib…but Bob wants to wait to order it in case there is some sort of Christmas sale. I’m ok with it…but I’m not going to wait too long! We bought a baby dresser/change table and a baby armoire this past weekend off of Craigslist. The dresser is fine, but I want to change out the handles. The armoire was clearly played on and in and is really rickety. Bob is planning on shoring it up and making it more sturdy before we put it upstairs. The garage is getting really crowded!

Two weeks ago I noticed that I had cankles when I was sitting in bed talking to Bob. I looked down and noticed that I couldn’t see my ankle bones any more…AHHH!!! When I drove home that Friday afternoon I noticed when I took off my sandals that there were distinct lines across the top of my feet from where they had swollen. Ugh…oh well, need to pay attention to the sodium intake and keep them tootsies elevated!

I’m worried about names. I really want to have at least a couple of boy names that we both like, but so far nothing is really jumping out at us. We have a girl name, Isabella, that we REALLY like, so that makes me happy :)

Bob has started running again with the intent to run the Rock & Roll ½ marathon in January. This is great news for me because I was really worried about him gaining a ton of sympathy weight with me!

I’ve started interviewing for positions in Phoenix. I’m sort of torn between my instinctual desire to be completely honest and the knowledge that it would not benefit me to do so unless I get an offer. I had a first interview with a company that was ridiculously secretive through General Employment…I didn’t even find out who the company was or what they did until 30 minutes prior to the in person interview! Now I am feeling pressure from the stupid recruiter chick to not go to the interview I have with SCF Arizona on Friday. I really hate dealing with almost all staffing agencies, they are so slimy and just in it for themselves. Necessary evil unfortunately…

We are going in for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound on the 25ht, I’m excited and scared at the same time. I do want to see what sex the baby is…but it’s kind of scary to know that I’m halfway there!

I really think that I’m going to really try to write a little nearly every day and eventually put it in the wordpress blog. I certainly have a lot to say, it’s just a matter of putting it down on “paper”.