it's a great day!

Ultrasound in one week! I'm so excited!

We had our 20 week appointment today, and it went really good. I'm measuring a few centimeters big, but my doctor said that's not a big deal and that we'll see what I'm measuring at my ultrasound next week and see if my due date is still the same. He also said I'm carrying high, which could mean the baby is breech, but it's nothing to worry about right now. So anyway, we'll check on Baby O next week at the ultrasound and see how everything looks! I've gained 3 pounds total now and he's really happy with that too! Looks like that chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has been working out for me.

So, happy day for me today. I just finished eating a PB&J and some shortbread cookies... I'm watching Friends, which makes me smile and laugh no matter how many times I've seen an episode. I had a great OB appointment, I'm having an ultrasound in a week, I'm halfway through my pregnancy, I turned in my nursing application today... the only bad thing is I have to go into work in 40 minutes!

halfway mark

This is just nuts... but it's true! I'm 20 weeks today!

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

just me yakkin'

Yay for a relaxing, rainy evening home alone with my puppy babies watching American Idol!

I do wish Stephen was here to watch AI with me. =( It was our big thing to do together last year when we were dating, but this season he has been working the closing shift on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Tomorrow night we can watch the elimination show together! =)

I am starting to get back into the groove of things after being sick. Being sick is rough, but what was hard for me was having to go back to work after laying on the couch and not working a full shift for 6 days. Today is Stephen's "Friday," and tomorrow is mine, so we are ready for our weekend so we can catch up with life after having such an off week!

I know it's almost 9pm, but I'm starving, so I'm gonna go make myself a snack! I'll talk about American Idol tomorrow night!

sick husbands are no fun.

I spoke too soon, and spent yesterday hugging the toilet bowl. =(

Today, however, I am feeling 100% better. I ended up using sick time again today and staying home since I wasn't sure if yesterday's junk would come up again... well, I'm better -- poor Stephen is not. He upchucked not long after getting to work this morning and came home early today and has spent the day on the couch.

I really hope he gets better soon, because I am not enjoying him hogging the only TV in the house to watch weird movies all. day. long. Oh, and of course, because I feel bad for him because he's sick... (Not forgetting that yesterday, when I was sick all day long HOME ALONE because he went to a friend's house to have lunch and play games with his brother...)

Anyway... on a different note, I have really been feeling the baby kick alot of the last week or so -- and not just while I'm laying on my stomach! Every couple hours I'll feel a kick or hit or some sort of movement, and it just excites me sooo much! I cannot WAIT for our next ultrasound -- probably sometime in the next 2 or 3 weeks. I just can't wait to see how big he/she is, watch him/her move, see how big he/she measures! We still haven't decided whether we want to know what the gender is. No, I take that back. Stephen wants to know, but I am undecided, and he is okay with whatever I decide.

I just don't know... for all you mothers out there -- did you find out the gender of your baby before he/she was born? Do you think there are any positives or negatives about learning the gender before birth?

I'm going to go to bed now. Stephen still has over an HOUR left of a [very very boring] movie he's already been watching for about 2 hours now. I really really really hope he feels better tomorrow!

a boring blog

I've been useless since Tuesday afternoon. I ended up getting sick at work on Wednesday morning and having to come home after having been there for about an hour and a half, and I went ahead and called in Thursday, just because I had the sick hours and didn't want to go in and get sick again and have to come home. SOOO... I worked half a day Tuesday, an hour and a half Wednesday, called in Thursday, and have Friday and Saturday off. I get my own little Spring Break!

It's been nice to have some time off. I've been able to just sit and recuperate, catch my breath, spend time with my husband and doggies. I've felt better today, and Stephen's brother and sister-in-law are in from Fort Worth, so we've been spending some time with them and Stephen's mom.

Nothing new or exciting to blog about. I've had a pretty boring week... maybe next time I blog it'll be something fun!

I'm 19 weeks today, so here's the babycenter.com update!

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

I am SO. TIRED. OF. MIGRAINES.

Long story short, I've been getting bad headaches that can quickly turn into these horrible, awful migraines that render me useless for the rest of the day. All I want to do is crawl into a quiet, dark, cool corner and not move for about 12 hours. Of course, since I'm pregnant, I can't take anything other than Tylenol, which is pretty much useless for the kind of headaches I'm having -- I mean, the only times I've thrown up during this pregnancy have been migraine related! I need my Excedrin Migraine, people!!! So, at my last OB appointment, I was given a prescription for Tylenol 3. So far, it's worked pretty well...

This afternoon I stayed home from work after lunch and took a nap to try to get rid of a headache that was threatening me. It had pretty much gone away, and at 6 I took a T3 and headed over to my mother-in-law's house to watch American Idol with her. Well, my headache slowly came back while I was over there and now my head is splitting. I came home and went to the cabinet to take one more T3... and found the one I took out earlier sitting on top of the microwave. Apparently, I took it out but never did take it.

I really hope it goes away before tomorrow morning at 9, as that is when I am supposed to work and cannot really afford to take a full day off work.

18 weeks, 1 day

We're almost halfway there! Don't forget to vote on our gender poll!!! --------->>

How your baby's growing:Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

People I DON'T like on A.I.

--Jorge Nunez. I don't like his accent or his eyebrows.
--Anoop Desai. Love his personality, not a fan of his singing.
--Scott MacIntyre. I don't think he sings well enough to be in the top 12/13/whatever, and as I've said before, he'll get further than he deserves on sympathy votes because he's visually impaired.
--Adam Lambert. He gets on my nerves, but he IS a great singer, so he'll probably go really far.

whining

I am just not in bloggy mood this week. Nothing exciting has happened in the past few days, and the only things on my mind recently have been money, bills, our medicaid application, and this whole EEOC business, which I'm still waiting to hear back on.

I am praying that Stephen and I qualify for Medicaid, but I'm afraid we won't because of two things -- 3 acres of land that Stephen owns in Texas, and my Chevy Impala that we just traded my parents for. The land that Stephen owns was given to him by his parents, and my parents gave us a REALLY great deal on the Impala and we owe nothing on it. I'm afraid that these two things that we own --which were basically given to us -- are going to be the main reason we don't qualify for help... which just really stinks, because our hours have been cut back SO BAD at WalMart since about mid-November. I mean, we're a newly married couple, in school, making next to nothing at WalMart... we need the help! Aughh...

I don't mean to complain on my blog, but I guess that what you're getting tonight. Just pray for us. =) Thanks.

laundry and turnips

It's such a beautiful day today! I wish I was outdoors enjoying the day, but I have a TON of laundry (laundry I never did last Sunday) and I am doing a bit of cleaning up and decorating around here. I hate laundry and always put it off until I have about 6 loads worth of clothes to wash. My mom is coming over later to help me put some stuff up on my walls, so I have something to look forward to in between folding an endless pile of clothes!

Yesterday I went to Texarkana with my mom and Stephen. We got a lot of neat maternity clothing, and I am so so so thankful! I had no lounging clothes for my days off -- I was still wearing old jeans and tshirts that were too small and not comfortable.


As far as the pregnancy goes, I am 17 weeks, 1 day! Here is this weeks update!

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now about as much as a turnip, and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

just a few things

**Had an interview with an EEOC federal investigator this morning. I'll let you know where that goes.
**Also had my 4 month check-up with the doctor this morning. I weigh the same now as I did 3 months ago at my first visit. (Basically I lost 3 pounds with morning sickness, and now I've gained it back.) Thank you, CURVES, otherwise I probably would have gained 10 or 15 by now!
**Heard the baby's heartbeat again today, and I've also been able to feel it move -- but only when I'm lying on my stomach. It's like a little fish swimming around. =)
**I have another check-up in 4 weeks, and then I'll be able to make an ultrasound appointment for the next week. So, I have 5 weeks to decide if I want to know the gender of the baby before it's born. I'm gonna put a poll on the blog, so tell me your opinion!

Off to the wonderful world of Walmart... ech.

home alone sunday

Today is the first day I've had home alone for a long time! I think probably since I was on Leave of Absence from Wal-Mart after I had my miscarriage. I had great plans to clean house all day long. (It's so much easier when Stephen's not here.) As of right now, though... I've pretty much vegged out on popsicles, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and chicken -- in that order -- while watching the tube and browsing the internet.

I still have 3 or 4 hours until Stephen gets home, so I think I will try to get busy. I picked up, but I need to do some laundry, sweep & vacuum, dust, and clean the bathroom. Tonight Stephen and I are going to rearrange the living room furniture. I think it will open up our living room, plus it's about the only room in the house I can rearrange furniture in, all the rest are too small. Oh, speaking of which, we got our crib moved in yesterday, and I am just super-excited about getting the nursery put together.

Okay, Everybody Loves Raymond is over. That's my cue to get my butt off the couch and start cleaning.