Well, we had a baby. :)

After quite a hiatus, I am back in the blogging saddle.  I should have started writing again a long time ago, when little Jack was still an angel baby. Okay, he is still a wonderful baby, but now that he is awake more, it's harder to find time for this sort of thing.  I figure this post should be about Jack's birth day, since it was quite an adventure. :) 

As most of you know, I was 8 days overdue with sweet baby Jack.  The real story begins at my 40 week appointment.  Stuart and I went, with our hospital bags in the trunk, hoping we would be sent on to the hospital because my cervix had magially opened and thinned and I was in active labor and didn't even know it. Psh! Yeah right.

Dr. Dalton is an awesome doctor, I am not knocking him a bit. But I was a wee bit irritated when I went to my appointment, got "checked" and was sent home.

"Norah," he said (I have never corrected him or the nurse and let them know I go by Kate).

"Norah, you are not in active labor. Still thick and high. Maybe a centimeter dilated. Come back next week.  I will be in Colorado, so you will see my nurse practitioner."

I remember thinking to myself  "Well, if he is not the most vactionin' son of a gun that ever was..." Just the week before, he had been in Mexico. Must be nice to jet set around the world while your poor, pregnant patient just wants to have her dang baby. Ohh woe is me. Anyway...

The next week was spent in a fury of mall walking, snow shoveling, and kitchen floor scrubbing. I had already taken off work, and was not willing to go back in my swollen miserable state. So, I got moving. And, naturally, nothing worked. 

I also did a lot of googling. I googled "dangers of going past due date", and "testing after due date" and the like.  And, I began to worry. I tried to schedule a non-stress test and ultrasound myself. Foolish me. You'd think a nurse would know better. There are appropriate channels to go through for these tests, and of course, unless my doctor prescribed them, I couldn't have them. When the receptionist kindly informed me, I silently screamed "MY DOCTOR IS IN FLIPPIN COLORADO!!" but politely said "Thanks." and hung up before the tears started streaming down my face.

The 41-week mark FINALLY rolled around.  Stuart and I went to see Dr. Dalton's nurse practitioner, who checked me, said I was MAYBE two centimeters, but showed no signs of active labor. I inquired about testing, and she scheduled me for some tests later that afternoon. Stuart and I had some time to kill, so we went to the mall, had lunch, and returned.

First was the non-stress test.  For the unfamiliar, this is a test that measures the baby's heartrate, and his response to contractions.  I was shocked when his heartrate was in the 190's. I remember saying to Stuart, "That's too high. It's not supposed to be that high." A minute or two later, the technician returned, and told me they wanted to do an ultrasound NOW.  I knew something was wrong.

The next few minutes were a blur. They slapped gel on me, found the baby, checked to make sure he looked ready for the outside world, and said to me:

"You're having a baby today."

Saaay what? As it turns out, poor baby Jack had run out of juice. Literally. My amniotic fluid index was 4, and anything less than 5 is too low. We activated the phone chain by calling our mothers, and headed to the hospital to be induced.

After lots of paperwork and that kind of nonsense, my nurse started my pitocin at 1:30 PM. Light cramps started, but nothing horrible. Before long, both of the grandmothers-to-be had arrived.  Other family and friends filtered in and out throughout the day, and the contractions gradually grew stronger, to the point where I didn't want any more company. 

I had been struggling with whether or not to get an epidural, but sometime in the night, when I was 6 centimeters dilated, my cramps got pretty bad, and I decided to go for it.  Well, big mistake. I had heard how wonderful epidurals were, how all you feel is "pressure" and yadda yadda.  Mine didn't work. It couldn't have. My left hip and leg began to ache. The achiness grew into a stabbing and throbbing. Maybe it was laying on a nerve. I don't know enough about epidurals to say what was wrong, but something was. 

To make matters worse, Jack decided that he liked it best when I laid on my right side, so I was unable to compress my left leg (the one thing that made it feel better).  My leg pain was by far worse than my contractions, if that tells you anything.

I will spare all of the rest of the details, but instead give you a condensed version of what happened:

Mom, Pam (Stuart's mom), Stuart, and my stepdad all stayed the night with me. Nobody really slept. Stuart spent most of the early morning hours in the bathroom (combo of nerves and lack of sleep, we think).

The docs broke my water at 8 centimeters.

Sometime around noon that next day I finally got that "urge to push" that everyone talks about it.  For me, it wasn't really an urge to push, it was more like the overwhelming feeling that I was going to poop in my pants. It was...the urge to hold it in. 

We called the nurse in to let her know. Approximately 57 people swarmed into my room.

My mom stood on my right side, Stuart and his mom stood on the left, and I hiked my legs up into the stirrups. Until this point, modesty had been very important to me. That absolutely flew out the window. I pushed for about 20 minutes. Honestly, I have no idea how long it was. I know it wasn't many pushes, though. It's all such a blur. Probably post-traumatic stress syndrome-esque if you ask me. Who wants to remember what feels like pushing a bowling ball out of your hoo-ha.

The pushing was hard and intense. The nurses and doctors wanted 3 pushes during every contraction. but the third push made me feel light-headed and like I was going to pass out. In comes my friend, the oxygen mask. It definitely helped.

When Jack crowned, the pain was inexplicable. Absolutely unbearable. Like a burning, ripping, tearing pain that makes you want to knock yourself upside the head so you don't have to feel it anymore. Really, it was THAT bad.  And I'm not a wimp, either.

And then...a few moments later, at 12:38 PM, relief. And a baby! A long, skinny baby with a strong cry and his daddy's face. My precious, sweet baby.  7 pounds, 8 ounces and 21.25 inches long.  I'm not sure I cried. Stuart claims I looked down as he was coming out, and said "OH GOD!" but I don't have much memory of anything--well, I remember being stitched up but that's not worth talking about--ugh!-- except the moms leaving to get some rest, and Stuart and I being left alone with our sweet boy for two hours.

Two whole hours of blissful skin-to-skin with our beautiful, beautiful baby. I honestly think he was starving inside of me. He latched on and nursed for an hour. He was a natural at the whole breastfeeding thing, which was such a relief because I had worried and fretted over it for months before he was born.

He was perfect, and I was one proud, tired momma.

We stayed in the hospital for 48 hours. It was a busy two days, spent doing lots of nursing, having lots of visitors, and doing very, very little sleeping. Talk about intense.  Then, discharged home.  Jack's weight had dropped to 7 pounds 1 ounce on discharge day, but by the following Monday, he was up to 7 pounds, 10 ounces. My little piggy! The feeding-every-hour routine had paid off!

Oh, there is so much more to tell, but this is a good start. Hopefully I will do a better job of updating now that we are in a semi-routine at home.

Until next time...I leave you with a few pictures from Jack's Big Debut. :)

Moments after his birth.

Precious gift from God!

a little size comparison :)

Jack with his Mimi.

Jack with his Nana.

Snuggling with Mommy.

HOME!

Jack roots on everything, even Daddy's nose!

Pretty boy.

My boys.

Better LATER than NEVER...er.

Hello my loyal followers. :)

I apologize for not updating sooner. To be honest, Stuart and I (and my poor step-dad) have been hard at work trying to make this house a home. At times, it has felt a bit overwhelming...but we have finally settled in (mostly) and are now just saving money for the numerous other changes we anticipate making. Sigh, such is the life of a homeowner. Without further ado, here are a few updates:

BABY JACK...

is wonderful! I went for a 24-week ultrasound to follow-up from what I now call "the scare", and all is well. The high risk OB spent about 15 minutes JUST looking at Jack's brain, and sees NO evidence of ANYTHING abnormal...ANYWHERE! Woohoo JACK! Now, don't scare Mommy and Daddy like that again! In lots of ways, he is measuring about two weeks ahead of schedule...and I am sad to report that one of these ways is head size. I REALLY REALLY hope his little head doesn't get so huge that Mommy can't push it out the old fashioned way. He also weighed about 4 oz. more than average.

He moves ALL the time now.  It is wonderful, and odd. Sometimes I see my stomach move. I must say, it is very distracting...like when I'm trying to start an IV or get report and Jack decides to start wiggling around. :) But I love it. 

Stuart was finally able to feel Jack kick, too, so he was pretty excited about that. :)

I am currently right around 25 weeks...only 15 to go and I am sad to report that Jack's nursery is no where NEAR finished. We do have a crib (still in a box) thanks to Stuart's mom...but other than that, we have a LOT of work to do.  When we originally moved in to this house, that I now lovingly refer to as the Money Pit, we knew we would need to recarpet eventually, but Stuart and I have decided to bite the bullet and recarpet gradually, as we can afford to...starting with Jack's room. Until then......well......we have plenty to do.

THE HOUSE:

Ohhh what can I say. After two plumber visits, an electrician, a heater repairman, new paint throughout, and a new living room floor, we are pretty much maxed out...butI am SLOWLY starting to NOT resent this house as much as I did about two weeks ago.  It is really important to me that Jack have a nice home to grow up in...and by that, I mean not falling apart, not necessarily beautiful and cosmetically perfect.

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

LIVING ROOM AFTER:

We still have lots of boxes to unpack, but luckily, we have a guest room to hide them in. :)

Well, off to Stuart's soccer game...more to come, I promise!

A few weeks prior,

Weirdest day of our lives...

Last Thursday, Stuart and I geared up for our big 20 week "anatomy" ultrasound. We had been talking about how excited we were to see little Norah Grace again, how big she may be, and who she is going to look like...all that good stuff.  For the past four weeks, we had been talking to Grace, planning for Grace, picturing Grace, dreaming about Grace... until BAM! Grace became a boy...

The ultrasound tech meticulously looked at every part of the baby, heart, hands and arms, legs and feet, head, and..finally..between the ole' legs. 

"They told you it was a girl?" she said.

"Yeah...?" we said.

"This is a baby boy!"

We made her show us three different views until we finally believed her.  As soon as I get the pictures uploaded, I will share...but there is definitely a little somethin-somethin between the baby's legs...and the tech was sure it wasn't just the umbilical cord.

I can't really describe what it felt like to know that this baby we had gotten to know over the past month suddenly changed genders on us. Shock, disbelief, and even a little bit of sadness.  Now, I'll stop right there.  Baby Jack (the new name is Jack, jury's still out on the full name though), I know you'll be reading this some day.  And I want you to understand that I was in NO WAY disappointed that you are a boy! 

It was just...well, weird...more than anything.  All of a sudden, Norah Grace didn't exist anymore.  It's almost like I was mourning the loss of this little baby girl I had been getting to know and planning for.  Does that make sense to ANYONE?

We are THRILLED that we are having a baby boy! I am just going through a little re-routing/transition period right now... and have to get used to the idea that we will have a son, not a daughter. If this has happened to anyone else, maybe you understand the feeling I'm trying to describe.  I'm probably not doing the best job.

The reason for that is most likely due to the events that followed.

The ultrasound tech said she was going to get the doctor to review the ultrasound pictures with us, then we would be free to go.

We waited a few minutes, and then the doctor came in with a student/resident (honestly, don't remember) who she said she was teaching.  The first words out of her mouth were "Have you had any genetic testing?"

My heart sunk into my stomach, and probably smacked little Jack right upside the head.

"No." was all I could muster out, but I knew that there was some reason behind the question other than curiosity.

She then proceeded to go through each picture, "oohing" and "ahhing" about how "beautiful" the baby's heart was. Then, we got to the picture of the top of the baby's head, and she pointed out two bilateral white spots, what she called "choroid plexus cysts". 

I couldn't even look Stuart in the eyes, mine were frozen on the screen, and in a squinting position, as I forgot my d*mn glasses, again.  She went on to explain that these cysts have been associated with an increased risk of chromosomal problems, specifically trisomy 18 and trisomy 21 (aka Downs Syndrome) and that she would like to do some bloodwork and for me to consider an amniocentesis, if Stuart and I wanted one.

She then told us that we would do one more ultrasound that day, specifically looking to see if the baby's hand opened and closed, which would be a good sign. 

Well, holy cow.  As the ultrasound tech squirted more jelly on my belly, and Stuart clenched my hand, I couldn't stop praying that we'd see the little hand open and close.

A few minutes later, and a good shot of a the fingers fanning out, the doctor told us that was a "reassuring sign" and sent us to the genetic counselor down the hallway.

They drew a "quad screen" which is essentially just a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool. 

Stuart and I were both hysterical, but when I called the next day to ask some questions, the genetic counselor told me that the odds of the baby having a chromosomal problem are 1 in 450, just based on the CPC and my age.  Because the CPC was an "isolated" finding, meaning everything else looked normal, the odds are still very low.  The test results should be back tomorrow, and Stuart and I have discussed the possibility of an amniocentesis if the test comes back postive.

So...in one day, [it felt like] we lost Norah Grace, gained a beautiful baby boy, and found out that there may be something wrong with him.  Whatever happens, Stuart and I are looking forward to showing this baby all of the love, support, and protection we can offer.  It's pretty scary, honestly...the most scared either of us have been.  HOWEVER, this precious baby boy is in wonderful hands (God's) and a good belly (mine :) )...and has an amazing daddy. :)

Housework calls, but I will update when we find out more. Thanks for all the love and support!

PS- Baby Jack weighs 12 oz...the average at this age is 10.5! I think we gotta whopper on our hands... :)

baby threads and puppy dreads...

It. Is. Official.  Grace has cuter clothes than me.  And I guess that's how it should be, eh? :)  Today I went to register at Target... Stuart and I spent a couple of long afternoons in Babies 'R Us registering already, but because Babies R Us isn't quite as widespread as Wally World or Target, we decided to register some place else for convenience.  We feel so blessed that family and friends have offered to throw us showers... little Norah is so loved already! What a lucky gal. ;)

Anyway... due to Mommy's complete lack of restraint, and some help of friends and family, Grace has, as I have previously mentioned, acquired some cute threads. I'm talkin' size newborn all the way to12 months. That doesn't even count the few dozen dresses that my mom has saved from when I was a baby.  Needless to say, Grace already has an outfit for each holiday throughout her first year here. I am just hoping she is not a sumo-baby.  Stuart is 6'4, and I am 5'8...neither of us are petite, in any sense of the word.  AND both of us were over 9 pounds at birth!

I decided to share some pictures of some of my favorite (store bought) outfits. Mom is keeping my dresses "safe". I swear...you grow up, become responsible for other peoples' wellbeing as a nurse, get married, get PREGNANT and you are still not responsible enough to keep some dresses safe... sheeesh. Love you, Mom!

Grace's swimsuit for next summer. (Sorry, messed up and won't rotate for some reason..?!)

As you can see, Oscar quickly got jealous of the clothes getting all the attention.

Outfits from Julie and Kasey!...and my dog's paw.

Sunny sun dress.

Ready to go out on the boat next summer!...and my dog's head.

Preptastic!

Something warm for the wintertime...and my dog's head.

And that brings me to my second topic...Oscar. For those of you not familiar, Oscar the Pug became a member of our family in April of 2009.  He is a little rambunctious, a little obsessed with licking, and a lot spoiled.  I have been thinking a lot about how he will transition when the little one gets here, and to be honest, I am a little worried.  Oscar sleeps between Stuart and I in the FULL...yes, I said FULL...sized bed we share.  He is definitely used to getting ALL the attention.  AND he continues to have discipline issues, even though Stuart and I both thought he would outgrow them. 

I will say that he has come a long way, and Stuart and I blame ourselves for babying him too much.  The problem is... he will get into horrible mischief, going on underwear chewing rampages, running from us when we try to crate him, and grabbing food right off my plate...but then he looks up at us with his big brown eyes and while we do scold him, Stuart and I both say the same thing: "he's sooo cute."

Having a baby around to hog all the attention will be a big change for Oscar, but we are hoping he adjusts and we can remain a happy family.  As you can see from the pictures, he is a little stubborn, and was wondering why he wasn't the subject of my photography.

Moving on...we only have a few weeks until our 20 week appointment at the doctor.  I have this deep worry that Grace will have sprouted a man-part.  If so, we will be equally thrilled...but we will have lots of clothes to take back and re-registering to do. :)

I would also like to say "LIAR!!!!" to all those who told me the second trimester would bring bliss.  I have thrown up JUST as many times since I hit trimester 2.  I still have to be super careful about what I eat, and how much.  My bff from middle school, Tara, is also pregnant, and her little one is due two months after ours.  It's nice to have someone to commiserate with.  :)  She has been super sick, so I am convinced she is having a girl too...and they will be bff's.  Now Kasey just needs to get pregnant...;)

Well, I am pretty sure I would get a big fat "F" on this if it were a graded paper due to my lack of focus, and my total neglect of proper punctuation...however, I wanted to end with my proving/disproving the gender old wives tales based on my experience during pregnancy. :)

Heart rate: above 140 is a girl, below is a boy:  Grace's is ALWAYS above 140! TRUE!

Craving sweets: girl...craving salty: boy:  My big craving has been slushies...so TRUE!

Mayan legend: mothers age and year of conception...if both are even or odd, girl. if one is odd and the other is even, boy:  24 and 2010...TRUE!

Looks: baby girls steal their mothers looks, baby boys don't:  i do feel rather icky these days. TRUE!

Nausea: lots...girl. little...boy:  LOTS! TRUE!

Well I would go on but my love is home from work and we are heading to Lowe's to look at stuff for our NEW HOUSE! That's right. Keep your fingers crossed that everything gets in order by August 27th, our closing date, or we have to back to negotiations!...oh the joys of short sales!  :)

"it" turns into "she"!

Saturday was the day!  We decided to pay a little extra and find out baby Wiser's gender early at Baby Belly...and I don't care how ridiculous anyone thinks it is. :)  We were so blessed to be accompanied by some of our wonderful family, including Mimi and Sass, Uncle Andrew, Aunt Melissa, and Pam Pam.  I, of course, didn't wear my glasses, so when the ultrasound tech typed "It is a girl!" on the screen, I had to ask a teary-eyed Stuart what exactly had been written. :) 

We were amazed at how Norah Grace has gone from blob girl at week 8 to tiny baby at week 16. And that, my friends, is why they call it "the miracle of life". I am no expert, but everything looked pretty normal so far.  I saw a head, two arms, two legs, and a body. :) Phew! A little bit of a relief. Our doctor's big anatomy ultrasound is not until early September, so we won't know much more until then. :)

After the ultrasound, we all went to Marshall's, where Mimi and Pam Pam went a little overboard on the purchases.  Let's just say, little Grace will be one well-dressed baby girl! My mom is keeping clothes to have at her house, so I don't have to lug so much back and forth when Grace has bonding time with the ol' grandparents.

The distraction of my excitement caused me to forget to check the box that would have gotten us a cd of the ultrasound images....so I had to take pictures of the pictures, and they look kinda weird.  Of course, to Mommy and Daddy, they look BEAUTIFUL!  Without further ado...

What's in a name?

Well..hello. :)  Not much to update on the baby-growing front.  The nausea has not completely subsided, but is manageable...and I am hoping it is mostly behind me. Every once in a while, if I move too fast, or the wrong way, I get a sharp pain in my belly, on either side. I am told this is likely "round ligament pain" and can be attributed to the stretching of my belly. Speaking of belly, mine is there.  It's not huge, and some people say I don't even look pregnant to them, but other people tell me I have a definite baby bump.  I have been wearing my maternity clothes for a few weeks now...more for comfor than anything.  It's weird...when you are pregnant you really care MUCH less about how something looks, and much MORE about how it feels. :)

On Saturday, we are going to Baby Belly to get our gender ultrasound. :) I will be ALMOST 16 weeks...and I know, I know, it's a little early, and they could be wrong... but HE-LLO! I can totally keep my receipts after the buying spree we are sure to go on afterward. :) To be honest, I am almost done buying clothes, unless I find something special.  We have tons of little gender neutral onesies, and a few girl outfits, and a few boy outfits...I figured one of the many people I know who are pregnant will have the opposite gender, and I can bequeath them the outfits Baby Wiser can't use.

Anyway, we have our big doctor's ultrasound on September 9th, at which point I would be 20.5 weeks, so we had originally planned a "baby revealing" party on the following Friday. We have still not decided what we are going to do about that... knowing Stuart and I, we won't be able to keep our mouths shut until then, but I don't want to plan something for this Saturday night and then the ultrasound tech not be able to tell the gender yet. :) Ahhh decisions, decisions.

My lovely cousin Kris is planning a baby shower in Owensboro in October...I am so excited, already! I have gotten lots of advice, and a recurring tidbit is not to buy too many clothes, because people love buying baby clothes for pregnant people! Hint hint. ;) Jusssst kidding. 

I head into Dr. Dalton's office tomorrow morning for the monthly check-up. Here's hoping my blood pressure is good, my platelets aren't drastically lower, and he has no trouble finding the heartbeat. :) I look forward to these appointments with a sense of dread, to be completely honest. It is nerve-wracking.  There is a deep fear, in most pregnant women, I think, that something will go wrong.

The only real struggle Stuart and I are having is our baby boy name.  Stuart keeps saying that we have to have a boy name, so that if Baby Wiser winds up being a "he" on Saturday, we will know what to start calling him.  At one point in time, we were set on Samuel Reid...but we just don't know anymore.   Suggestions are welcome. :)

I guess that's really it, things are pretty status quo...  I can't wait to update with pictures on Saturday! :)

Factual Friday

(I have noticed some of my blog friends sometimes make posts called "Wordless Wednesday". Since it's Friday, I had to improvise on the title. I have nothing to say, really, but the point of the post is... it's a FACT that my stomach is getting a little baby-riffic! What a difference just a few weeks makes!)

13 weeks, 4 days

oh baby oh baby

I would like to take this opportunity to give myself a big pat on the back. Please hold your applause until the end. :) Not only did I do dishes and laundry today, but I also went to the grocery store, picked up my bridesmaid dress for Kasey and Phillip's wedding, and had lunch at Panera with Tara.

I can't brag too much more though-- I didn't wash my face this morning or change out of my pajamas.  I did, however, brush my teeth and put on a sports bra underneath. You may now applaud. :)

I am nearing the end of the FIRST (thanks for the edit, Mom!) trimester, just one more week left to go, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I know it won't be an overnight change (or maybe it will be...please?) but I am looking forward to feeling a bit more like myself.  It seems the consensus is that some time in the fourth month, things start getting better...more energy, less nausea...until the seventh month...when things get even worse than first trimester. I know the experience is different for every woman, but I am hoping at least part of this applies to me.

Unfortunately, I don't have an captivating tales of woe, or vomit, to divulge. Things have been pretty status quo.  Sick, and tired, and sick, and tired some more.  Oh! Wait wait! I take it back.  I did have another puke fest (Mom, sorry I used the word "puke") the other night. That makes a total of two actual acts of vomiting since conception. I made mention of it in my facebook status, but I took my prenatal vitamin right before bed, and never fell asleep... the whole "you'll sleep right through the nausea" fable only works if you FALL ASLEEP in a timely fashion.

So, I got up about 45 minutes later and threw up some Qdoba in the toilet, while Stuart stood beside me.  Now, we are about to get REAL personal here...so strangers/voyeurs who don't really know me...read on, only if you're brave.

Has anyone else out there in blogworld ever peed their pants when they threw up?  Well...I hadn't either, til that fateful night.  I was squatting at the toilet and wretching so hard that I lost control of my bodily functions!  That, and I hear that all these crazy prego hormones relax smooth muscle. Poor, poor Stuart stood beside me as I tasted the horrid stomach acid/quesadilla cocktail over and over again.  Between hacks, I was able to get out the words "I'm peeing!" but my Knight in Shining Armor did not leave my side, and his lower leg was sprayed with urine as it splashed out of me, onto the tile floor, and back up again, onto him. Oh gross! I know people, TMI, big time...

however, if nothing else, I would like to paint an accurate picture of pregnancy for you all, and that includes vomiting, belching, feeling sick and tired all the time, and yes, peeing your pants every once in a while.  Hopefully this is an isolated incident. :)

In other news, I have the very, very beginnings of my baby bump.  It's buried under my pre-existing stomach "insulation" (as I like to call it) but it's there!  If you know me well, or even if you don't know me well but for some odd reason study my stomach every time we see each other ...weird... you may notice it, too! See below.

Everything has been going fairly well with the doctor.  My blood pressure has not been high again.  Today at Kroger, it was 115/76...which is like, almost hypotension for me.  The only thing that is kinda bugging me is that my platelet count has been low.  The first time, 137, just barely low.  Then, a month later, it was 122.  I am TRYING to refrain from doing what the little hyopchondriac inside tells me to, which is turn on panic mode...but boy, it's hard. All of my other blood counts were good...so it's probably one of two things: 1) my platelets were low before, and I just never knew because I never had any reason to have them checked or 2) gestational thrombocytopenia ...which is just the way some women's bodies react to pregnancy.

After lots of googling and consulting doctor friends and nurse friends, I feel a little better, and I have gone from diagnosing myself with leukemia or lupus to thinking my body will catch up and everything will be ok.  I do not even bruise easily, no bleeding gums...no actual symptoms. My doctor is checking them again on my August 5th appointment, so until then, what can ya do?  There's no magic food or pill...so yeah.

And finally, tomorrow is my quarter-century birthday. The big 2-5.  And...that's all I have to say about that. :)  Stuart had planned a surprise, and I just got it out of him that we are going to the Melting Pot (I have been asking him to take me for about two years) with my family! I also get a Caramanda's cake AND a new bra (that's what I asked for)... I am a bit of a bra snob, so purchasing one is a once-in-a-while event.  Now that the girls are getting a little bigger, they need more support...so I will be looking into different styles. :)

I believe that all my blabbering for now! More to come...

Daddy's Perspective...

Hello World,
I figured since my beautiful wife has decided to create a blog about our pregnancy that I should contribute to it as well. That's right, this is Stuart writing and if you were waiting for another riveting Kate entry... I'm sorry to disappoint. But don't worry though, I'm just as qwerky, savvy and quick witted as my wife (I was once a journalism major once upon-a-time ago). Did I mention how beautiful she is?!?!?!? I'm really just so lucky to have such a(n) amazing, beautiful, smart, funny and loving wife. I feel honored and blessed to have her in my life and we're so stinking excited for baby wiser to get here!
When we first found out that we were pregnant, I experienced a couple of different emotions: excited, scared nervous, worried but never once did I wish the pregnancy away. Besides marrying Kate, that day was the single best day of my life; thus far! Believe me, when that little kiddo gets here I may just do kartwheels down Tates Creek Road during rush hour!!
It's been hard watching Kate make so many sacrifices for the baby, and usually the stress of those sacrifices spills over onto me. But I don't mind it, I welcome it. If I could, I would carry the baby for her but for whatever reason, God just didn't seem to think men were made to carry children. I try really hard to make things as easy for Kate as possible and at times, I still make stupid mistakes/decisions and she gets angry with me. I just hope and prays that she knows that I'm trying so hard to do everything I can to make life as easy I can for my boo (wife/spouse/mother of my child/lover for the older crowd - boo is slang... nevermind).
I have been trying to keep myself busy as to not sit and worry about everything that we or I, in particular, should be trying to get done for this baby. But with my job (Home City Ice driver - lots of driving in between stops) I have plenty of time to sit and think about the future. Questions come into my mind like: What kind of place are we bring this kid into? How am I ever going to be able to help raise a kid while I still have so much growing up to do myself? Will my kids be in the band or play sports? How much will weddings cost in 20-30 years, wait when we will let our daughter start dating?!?! Oh sheesh, you can imagine my mind has been racing this last few weeks.
Well anyway, I think this good enough for MY first entry, but I'll be sure to drop by and leave my insight on how things are GROWING with our baby and our lives. We loving sharing our experiences with everyone and hope that with all the views this blog is getting, that you enjoy reading it! Thanks for all the love, support, thoughts and prayers.
                                                                                       More Correspondences to come in the future,
                                                                                       Stuart

get me outta this trimester!!!

Well... 11 weeks! According to thebump.com, the baby looks a little something like this:

However, we are hoping that our baby is a little less green, and a little more human-like. But, the size... fine wtih me. :)

Over the last week, I also did a little image morphing.  I KNOW THIS IS NOT ACCURATE!, however, I thought it would be funny to see what our baby "might" look like. 

I present to you...

Norah Grace Wiser

and...

Sam Wiser!

"Wow" is really all I can say.  I am not sure I buy it! But...only time will tell. :)

On another, slightly less creepy note, I am SO over the first trimester. I am grumpy and uncomfortable...not to mention bloated all the time! I burp and I hiccup like it's my new job, and the joys of being "regular" have turned into the misery of being constipated. I am told these GI problems only get worse with time (great!) but these issues paired with intermittent, strikes-out-of-nowhere nausea are getting on my last nerve. I do admit, I am feeling better. I didn't lose massive amounts of weight like some people do during the first trimester. Heck, I didn't lose a pound... sigh...although I have been eating less. 

My jeans are tight.  Not just in the belly, either.  Dang these tree trunk legs of mine.  I have always been more of a pear than an apple, so I am saddened by the fact that soon, I will become a pear and an apple....which, as you all know... together, makes a HIPPO! People keep telling me not to worry about the weight gain, just focus on growing a healthy little baby, but ya know what, the weight gain part sucks.  I was already at just about my maximum comfortable weight (maybe a little over) pre-pregnancy.  Sigh. Totally worth it, though... TOTALLY. :-) 

Over the weekend, my family enjoyed a day on Herrington Lake.  The morning of, I had a mild freak out when I tried on my bikinis. I don't really have a "baby bump" yet, but I do have this...thickening action going on.  And what I used to be able to suck in...doesn't suck too far anymore.  After trying on bathing suits at various stores for about an hour, I bought a maternity bathing suit at Target.  I figured I could grow comfortably into it throughout the year, anyway.  It's ALMOST cute, but instead, resembles a blue tent.  However, very, very comfortable.

I have been a wretched witch to Stuart at times.  Now that I am more aware of my problem, though, I have tried to be nicer.  I do have my moments, though.  I feel so blessed to have a husband who puts up with me.  I kinda have this deep fear that I act like Kate Gosselin sometimes... bossy and rude to my husbad.  NOT all the time, but I have my moments. It's definitely something I need to work on, before Stuart looks at me and sees this:

                                                      

Yes, that's right. I morphed my picture with Kate Gosselin's. And while it's not the WORST thing I've ever laid eyes on, I don't think Stuart would dig it.

Well... I'm off to clean house. We have our monthly check up on Thursday.  Please continue to pray that everything looks A-ok...and that my blood pressure is where it ought to be. :) Until next time...

The day I spilled my cookies...err...cereal

Hello world. :) First, I'd like to ask all mothers and mothers-to-be, did your ultrasound tech give you digital pictures or did you scan your ultrasounds? I do not have a scanner, and I tried taking a picture of the picture of the ultrasound, but it looks so crappy, I'm not going to post it and disgrace my blog! :)

Anyway, I am almost to ten weeks--just a few more days! It is going by SO slowly, but so quickly at the same time.  I think after the initial shock and cloud nineness wore off, time has started to pass a bit more quickly, thank the good Lord!

I am actually feeling a bit less queasy as the time passes, but I will tell you a little story I like to call "I Finally Threw Up". It goes a little something like this...

On Father's Day Sunday, I ate my usual cereal of choice, the highly nutritious Fruity Pebbles, but this time, I drank orange juice with it--the first time I've had OJ since Junior came into the picture.  Before I got into the shower, I told Stuart I was feeling sick (I say this about ten times a day, so he didn't think much of it).  I was doin' my thing in there, and had even gotten to the conditioner-in-hair stage (I do this BEFORE I wash my body, so my conditioner can marinate a little) and I thought to myself, "Uh oh, I better sit down, I'm either going to pass out, or throw up." 

The next thing I knew, I was bent over puking my guts out. I'll spare you ALL the nasty details, but it was GRAY with a few multi-colored specks. I guess my tum tum can only digest so many pebbles at once. I yelled for Stuart, who ran into the bathroom and saw me bent over a pile of gray nastiness. He asked if I was ok, and if I needed anything, and at the time, I was feeling better so I said no. We cleaned the tub out, and I resumed my shower. 

It wasn't a whole minute later that I was bent over chucking again! Stuart came to my rescue, I got out of the shower (conditioner in hair, mind you) and sat on the toilet while he cleaned up  my mess.  Now, girls, is that not a wonderful husband?  He never once wretched, made comments about the stench...and you know vomit in a hot shower can't smell pleasant... and babied me the whole time. :)

Since I still had conditioner in my hair, I insisted on finishing my shower, only with cool water instead of hot.  I maintain that the heat of the shower mixed with acidic OJ and sugary pebs is what did me in.  We had to cancel our plans to take Stuart's dad to lunch because I was afraid my stomach was out of commission for the day.

Since then, knock on wood, I have felt pretty darn good. :) Maybe I just needed one good bleeccchhh to make me feel better. We shall see...

In other news, I want a mountain dew so bad I can't see straight. My baby NEEDS one! No, really! OK, maybe not, but momma sure wants one.  I am sticking to my guns, however dumb/naive/silly anyone thinks it is... if my diet coke addict (no really, like a 12-pack a day) could give it up while I was in utero, I think I can do the same for little Grace or Sam.  Which brings me to my next topic... NAMES!

We have already decided one our names, and they are:

Norah Grace (she will go by Grace, but daddy wants to call her Gracie)

or

Samuel Reid (he will go by Sam)

If you know much about my lineage, you know that parts of these names are significant to my side of the family. :) I come from a long line of Norahs... I am Norah Katherine, my mother is Norah Elizabeth, and my grandmother was Mary Norah. I am relatively sure that my great-grandmother was a Norah (family, help me out here?!), too. Anyway, my mom says she always wanted a "junior".  "Men have juniors, I wanted one too!" she says. For the longest time, I protested...I always hated my name on the first day of school.

You know, the teacher doesn't know anyone, and calls roll... "Noah Berry, is there a Noah Berry?" Or even if the off chance that the teacher got my name right, giggles would erupt in the classroom of immature kiddos who think the name Norah is old-fashioned, or even *gasp* dorky. Well, I have to say, as I have gotten older (sigh), the name has become more appealing to me, and I have gotten more compliments. :) As far as the Grace goes, we just love the name. AND, as an added bonus, we found out that a distant relative of Stuart's on his dad's side was named Gracie. Hot darn!

If the baby is a boy, Sam has no real significance, we just like it. :) But Reid is my grandmother's maiden name...and because she was so important to me, Stuart and I have both agreed that honoring her is something we'd like to do.

Since my last post, I have expanded my maternity wardrobe even further. Pregnant ladies, take note: Gap Body Maternity is where it's AT! Comfy, CUTE, and not any more expensive than Motherhood Maternity. I have a couple of pairs of pants, a belly band (I am ASSuming my A$$ won't expand to the point that my current jeans don't fit...please?), and several sweaters and long sleeved t-shirts.

Baby Wiser has also accumulated some more clothes, thanks to my step dad's mom. He went to visit in Kuwait, and came back with an assortment of girl-appropriate onesies, and a "gender neutral" aka yellow and green set of clothes...and a hat and the little mittens! Precious.  :)

We are still waiting on the whole home-buying process to pan out... kick me in the face. I refuse to bring Baby Wiser home to this apartment.  Not only is it busting at the seams with STUFF, but we only have two bedrooms, and the second room is my cat's (Willer, had her since I was in 5th grade) room, and because we have to keep Oscar the Pug and Willer the Cat separated...sigh. We are OUT of space. and I am out of patience... but I am trying to keep my cool for baby. :) Our "dream home" is not working out (dang short sale), so Monday evening we are going to look at other houses. Hopefully we find out soon. :-/

In the mean time, please keep sending your prayers up! We have our big "gender revealing" appointment on September 8th (less than 3 months, is that not CRAZY!?) and we can't wait to plan Baby Wiser's first "party" shortly thereafter.   Woohoo!

Dear Baby Wiser

Dear Baby Wiser,

Hi! I am your mommy. This is the first blog I've written just for you.  I hope that some day, when you're reading this, you can appreciate all the love, prayers, and support that you have already gotten!  The days CRAWL by, we are so ready to meet you already, even though you are only 5/8ths of an inch!  Sometimes, I think your Mimi and Grand-Sass are even more excited than Mommy and Daddy.  Nah! That's impossible. :)

Today I went to the doctor.  They tell me you are just about seven weeks old inside of there.  I didn't get to see you today, but next Wednesday, when you are 8 weeks old, Mommy and Daddy get to peek at you again! We can't wait. :)  Anyway, at the doctor, they told Mommy her blood pressure was high! 156/85...yikes.  I told the nurse that the circus of a waiting room probably didn't help things, and that I was nervous about this being my first "real" appointment.  You see little baby, when a mommy-to-be goes to the doctor, all sorts of awkward things happen...and, well, it's a little uncomfortable at times.

They asked me all sorts of questions about Mommy and Daddy, and even about Mimi's health!  After about 30 minutes, they took some blood just to make sure Mommy is healthy for you. At the end of the appointment, my blood pressure was 142/80. This is still not the best, but not quite as worrisome. :) Mommy and Daddy go back to the doctor tomorrow, and this time we get to meet our doctor.  His name is Dr. Dalton and some ladies from work say he's good.  I hope you like him.

After all that nonsense, Mommy and Daddy went to a place in Nicholasville called The Skillet with Uncle Andrew, Mimi, and Grand-Sass. Daddy and Uncle Andrew got 3 pound hamburgers! THREE POUNDS! If they could eat them in 20 minutes, they could get their money back.  No such luck...even though Uncle Andrew only had about a handful of french fries left when the timer went off. :(

Then, we went to Maggie Moo's and I got strawberry ice cream with gummy bears.  I think you like ice cream.  I never get sick after I eat it. :) If you're anything like your Mommy, you will love it! Which reminds me, I hope that Mommy and Daddy can help you eat good, balanced meals.  We talked about it today and are going to try to do better now, so that when you come, we won't be hypocrites when we make you eat your veggies.  I know, hypocrite is a big word. I will explain it some day. :)

We took our ice cream over to Gordman's and Mimi bought Mommy her first maternity outfit! I probably won't need it for a few months, but it was fun to look.  Boy are maternity clothes comfortable! I wish all my pants had elastic waist bands (well, I guess I could wear them, but people would make fun of Mommy!). We also looked at baby clothes, but because we don't know if you are Grace or Sam, we can't buy much yet.

So far, here's the breakdown:

Mommy: girl
Daddy: boy
Mimi (Mommy's mom): girl
Grand Sass (Mommy's stepdad): girl
Uncle Andrew: "I don't know."
Uncle Brad: boy
Aunt Melissa: girl
Tara: girl
Carly: boy

We should find out in September...and we plan on having a big party for you with all of the people who love you already! I will show you pictures some day. :)

Well sweet baby, all this growing you are doing is making me very tired. Don't worry, I love every minute of it. You keep on doing what you're doing. Every time Mommy and Daddy lay down at night, we say a prayer for you, and we know that in the morning, we are one day closer to meeting you!

Love,
Mommy

sweet puppy

So, a friend of mine told me that dogs can sometimes "sense" when their master is pregnant, sick, tired, etc. I think Oscar has finally caught on! We just spent about 30 minutes laying on the couch together, him on my belly (like a low-temp heating pad!)  I decided to go back to bed--gotta rest of my days off from work!--and he went with me and laid right beside me. What a loving, supportive little puppy.  As I type this, he is licking my arm...over, and over.....and ovvvver. Ok, ENOUGH Oscar! :)

So, today is roughly seven weeks. Maybe as early as 6 weeks 5 days, we don't really know for sure, but what I do know is that I feel like poop.  I finally broke down and called my primary care doctor (still haven't seen an actual OB yet) and left a message with the receptionist.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that my doctor has some ideas/meds/a big hammer to hit me in the head with... as long as it's safe for the baby.  I feel very, very queasy all the time.  If I get up to fast, I have to stop and hang my head down for a few minutes so I don't upchuck. While I have not yet actually vomited, at times I wish I would (maybe it would make me feel better). 

Yesterday Stuart and I went to the grocery store and on the way home, I was so close, I grabbed a fleece jacket that was in his floorboard to use as my "bucket".  Nothing.  I ran upstairs as soon as we got home and sat by the toilet for a few minutes.  Plenty of gagging, but no actual vomit.  Another thing I have noticed is that brushing my teeth has become very dangerous.  The whole brushing the back of your tongue thing...watch out.  Gag reflex heightened by a million.  The past 4 or 5 days, I have gagged every time I have brushed my teeth.  Lovely.

Daddy called to check on us a few minutes ago, and asked me if I was going to go swimming today since it is so sunny.  I said "no." He asked me why not...and I said "I just don't feel like it." :) Very odd for me, a former sun goddess, but the thought of sitting outside in the hot just  makes my stomach turn.  I will stay inside where it's nice and air-conditioned, thank you very much. :)

Amidst all the baby action going on, we are still waiting to hear something about our house.  We made an offer on a house in Southbrook in Nicholasville over a month ago.  It is a short-sale, though, so we knew it would take a while.  At the time, however, we didn't know about our other big news, so we weren't under any type of time constraint.  The last time I spoke with our realtor, I let him know that we want to be moved in with a nursery ready by the fall.  We shall see...

baby's first ultrasound

Well...hmph.

Today, Stuart and I went to get our very first glimpse of Baby Wiser...trans-vaginally mind you. Yuck!  Anyway, according to the ultrasound tech, we are probably a few days off on the baby's age...instead of 6 weeks and 1 day, Baby Wiser is measuring 5 weeks and 6 days.  She also said that this is VERY early to have an ultrasound and really see much. I told her that the receptionist probably only scheduled such an early ultrasound because I flipped out on the phone. :)

So, we saw the gestational sac...and fetal pole (Baby Wiser was all crammed up in the right side of the sac, I wish the little one would spread out a little bit in there!)...and a few flickers of the heartbeat!  We even heard it a few times on and off.  She tried to measure it, but she couldn't get a long enough read.  Rats. 

Stuart went with me and held my hand the whole time.  I feel so blessed to have such a loving, involved husband.  I know that little baby will be SO loved!  :)

I forgot to ask for a print of the ultrasound (what a horrible mommy-to-be!) but I am going back in two weeks so that they can get a better image and remeasure to double check our estimated due date and all that fun stuff.  The girl told me that most women don't get their first ultrasound until 8+ weeks.  I guess we are just ahead of the ballgame then huh?

I go back next week for a screening... I think this is the checkin me over, drawin some blood, asking lots of questions appointment.  I plan on sparing Stuart the misery. :) I figure he only needs/wants to come to the baby-viewing appointments. :)  Hopefully this time in two weeks I'll have a picture to show everyone! That little baby needs to do some growing in the meantime!!

disclaimer: not for the guy readers :)

Whew! Only a few more days until our first ultrasound...finally! It has been almost two weeks since we found out the big news, and lemme tell ya, what a LONG two weeks. We are very excited to finally see the little one, even if Norah, Jr. just looks like a little speck.  HOPEFULLY we will get to see the heartbeat. I think that would make this whole thing feel more real.  :)

Muddy Buddy came and went.  I didn't feel well most of the time.  I was very tired and very irritable.  I'm not sure what other mothers-to-be feel at this stage in their pregnancy, but I will describe my experience. Well, first, I should preface this with a disclaimer that I am the type of person who pays a lot of attention to my body.  Every ache and pain, every odd sensation... if I am tired at 8 oclock at night, I go to bed.  If I have a toothache, I go to the dentist. Some people may even claim I am a bit of a hypochondriac.  My retort is this...how can you be a nurse and see all the nasty awful things that can happen to people and not worry a bit about yourself?  ANYWAY...I digress. :)

How I have been feeling... my breasts are sore.  If yours get sore before your period, just think of that, times about 10. It's actually a little better now.  Either that, or I have gotten used to it.  Also, I feel bloated.  Like, pre-menstrual bloating, except worse.  My pelvic area/lower abdomen just kinda feels....full or congested..(I know this is super gross)...but kinda like it needs a good cleanin' out! haha.  I occasionally feel some mild cramping, not near as bad as menstrual cramps though.  And... I am a little bit moody. :)  Other than that, I feel pretty good.  Not any horrible nausea yet. Knock on wood!

I gotta say, though, this little baby has already done so much for me.  I have been taking better care of myself than ever before.  I think about what I eat and drink, and somehow, it is very easy to deprive myself of things I would normally eat when I remember who else I am feeding. :)  This is not to say I haven't indulged a time or two in greasies or sweets, but the majority of the time, I have been thinking about my food groups, and planning my meals around what I am lacking in for the day. I had already been taking pre-natal vitamins since about Febuary.  I had thought...just IN CASE we get pregnant right after we get married...I should go on and make sure I have all the vitamins and minerals I need. :) Lo and behold, looky what happened!! ;)

I probably won't post again until after our ultrasound on Tuesday. I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day weekend. :) I work Sunday (booo!) but I am spending Saturday at Lake Herrington with my family (except Stuart, who works...sigh).  I will leave you with some pictures from Muddy Buddy. :)

BEFORE

AFTER

PROUD PARENTS-TO-BE :)

small sacrifices

The day after we found out we were expecting, Stuart went to Joseph Beth and bought me two "What to Expect" books...one, the original What to Expect While You're Expecting, and the other is an entire book dedicated to nutrition during pregnancy.

I have not had a coke (or any other caffeinated beverage) since Saturday. I am definitely jonesing for a coke, or a mountain dew, or a grande white mocha...and according to my book, you can have up to 200 mg of caffeine per day with "very little chance" of harming your growing baby. To put things in to perspective, I did further research and found the following caffeine content of some of my favorite pre-pregnancy beverages:

Grande Starbucks brewed coffee - 320 mg
8 oz. brewed tea - 40-120 mg (varies by brand)
12 oz. Moutain Dew - 54 mg
12 oz. Coke - 35 mg

Not too bad, but for some reason I can't bring myself to put a caffeinated beverage to my lips. Excessive caffeine consumption leads to low birth weight... so what does moderate caffeine consumption do?  Maybe nothing, but I'm relatively sure that it won't HELP my growing baby, either.  Instead, I will stick to milk, juice, and water. And the occasional Sprite. :) 

I have also been avoiding artificial sweeteners.  I ate a regular fruit yogurt the other day, and WOW! it was yummy...all 170 calories of it. :-/  I am trying my hardest to eat a more balanced diet, and it's actually easier than I thought it would be.  Knowing that what I eat is what the baby eats makes a huge difference.  :)

We are heading to Nashville this afternoon.  Originally, Stuart and I (Team Pugalicious) were going to compete against Brad and Melissa (bro and sis in law, and Team Stack o Pancakes) in the Muddy Buddy, a 6.6 mile bike/run.  At the end, there is a huge mud pit you have to crawl through.  You end up looking something like the two in the middle:

After alot of talking to other mothers, doctors at work, and scouring the internet for advice, I decided to bow out of the race.  The general consensus was that I can maintain my usual activity level....here's a little secret: I RARELY run and bike 6.6 miles, or crawl through mud pits.

This is a small sacrifice for such a wonderful blessing, and although Stuart and I are both a little bummed that I don't get to compete, Stuart's friend Drew is going to represent me in the race.  Me and Norah junior will be cheering from the stands. :)

A baby is on the way!

On Saturday, May 15, I decided to take a pregnancy test. Mostly on a whim, but also because I had been feeling a little out of sorts.  Heck, I even went to the ER a week and a half earlier because of my nausea. So anyway, I took one, and saw an ever-so-thin and light second line...and that just wasn't going to cut it.  So, at my request, Stuart went out and bought the cadillac of pregnancy tests...the digital! Twenty dollars and a "yes" later, I finally believed it. Stuart picked me up and twirled me around, and we both laughed and screamed.  I think Daddy may have even cried a bit. ;-)

At first, we only wanted to tell our immediate families, and we did on Saturday. But we both worked the next day, and neither of us could contain our excitement... and pretty soon, well, you get the point.  The cat was out of the bag.

So, here I sit, 4 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I went to my primary care physician on Monday, were I took yet another urine pregnancy test.  I left feeling a little rattled, as she told me that 20-25% of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage during the first 12 weeks.  "I didn't even tell my own mother until I was 12 weeks pregnant" she said. 

The way we see it, if something, God forbid, does go wrong, we will have all the support and love of our family and friends to help us through it.  Little Baby Wiser, although still an "embryo" and not yet a fetus, needs to feel love and joy from everyone from the get-go, not just when the second trimester begins. :) We are so grateful to have so many incredible people in our lives, and we know that Baby Wiser will be loved and cared for...and maybe a little spoiled.

So, what's it like so far?  Well, nerve-wrecking and stressful but still somehow peaceful and wonderful.  I have been a little nauseated at times and craving salads (at least I am not hungry from candy bars and chips right!?) My husband may even claim I am a bit moody. :) We go for our first ultrasound on June 1st.  That will be right around the 6 week mark.  According to my research, sometimes you can hear the baby's heart beat.  AT SIX WEEKS! How incredible.  At this appointment, they will make sure the baby is in the right place and that it is growing like it should be. Until then, I think we will be on pins and needles, praying that everything is happening the way it should.