Baby #3

Thursday was my 20 week sonogram and it went very well. Bret had surgery and couldn't make it but Emily was a great companion to go with. She was very excited to see the baby.

On Friday after Palmer's surgery I took him to the hospital to have lunch with daddy. Palmer was thrilled to see him and had been asking for him all morning. The kids love eating at the hospital caffateria with daddy. It is always a special treat.

I too got a special treat when Bret asked if I wanted to see if any of the sono techs were free in the maternal fetal medicine department (which is the rotation is currently on). While all sonograms are special their 3-D machine is AWESOME. Also b/c there were no measurements to take we could be sure to steer clear of the unknown domain and still be surprised to find out what the baby is when it is born. The pictures turned out so good and it was funny to hear everyone's response. On facebook everyone was convinced that the pictures look just like Palmer. Bret and I agree. Being the mom that I am I pulled out my scrapbook and actually compared the the 3D sonogram of Palmer to the new baby and yep they look very much alike. We laughed and said that it is either a boy or a little girl that will have to grow into her looks. Either way we were thrilled to have a very healthy baby so far and rather proud of ourselves to have kept the sex a surprise.

This weekend also marked what Bret jokingly referred to "as the nesting beginning". We worked on sorting through our storage unit and organizing everything. I have now created a tub with 0-3 month clothes for each the girl things, boy things, and things for either sex. I noticed very quickly that we don't have many gender neutral things at all. This is fine since we have so much of both already. Although we still have 19 weeks left (or closer to 18 hopefully) it feels good to start having somethings done. I know first hand how once we get closer to Halloween and all of the other holidays time with pass me by.

1/2 way

This is my 20th week of pregnancy. That means I am officially half way through. Whoo hoo! To be completely honest it has been the easiest 20 weeks of any of my pregnancies. Yes there was a point in the first trimester when Bret was on his 4th week of nights that I thought....will this ever end? But with no nausea, sore boobs, or heart burn to complain about I am a happy girl. As of last month my total weight gain was 1 lb. While this may surprise many of you I am actually right on track with my weight gain. I *ahem* had a little extra to start with so the "ideal" gain for the entire pregnancy is between 15-20lbs total. I need to save up for the end when I know I'll be packing the weight on.

Today is also my 20 week sonogram. After much ho-humming we decided to not find out the sex of the baby. We found out with both Palmer and Emily and were super excited to do so. In fact I could barely stand to wait as long as we did both times. I barely slept the night before both times I was so worried they weren't going to be able to tell me. I had made Bret swear he would sneak me in to one of the hospitals and do another sonogram if we couldn't tell. This time around I am curious to find out (cause I have NO CLUE) but am more excited about waiting. Bret is still convinced that I think it is a boy and just want to hold on to the dream that it is a girl for a while longer.

The decision as to whether Bret would go or not has been taken out of our hands. He is scheduled to work clinic so he can't leave early to make the appointment. No big deal cause Emily is WAY more excited than he was anyways. She has been talking about it non stop. To say she is excited is such an understatement. She is overjoyed and so in love already. Just listening to her talk about the baby makes me smile as she is always thinking about a blanket that she found that would be perfect for the baby or what we should name it. Her excitement makes Bret and I even more excited.

I am just a smidge nervous about today. I know that this sonogram is when major problems/conditions are diagnosed. Getting through today with no concerns is a major hurdle in pregnancy. I pray for a healthy baby but am already in love with whatever God grants us. I opted out of the panel screening (tests for down syndrome) this time. I had the test the first two times but for whatever reason I just never went to get my lab work done.

Sometimes I think that the next 20 weeks are going to take forever but I know better. With the start of a new school year, lots of birthdays, and several major holidays on the horizon, January 4th (or hopefully a week sooner) will be here before we can blink twice.

*Update- I just got a call from my doctor's office reminding of my appointment that is scheduled for TOMORROW at 3pm...not today. I blame the pregnancy...it has captured my brain. LOL

Spreadin the Word

A recent graduate from the residency was in town last night so a group from the hospital all met for dinner. Only a couple other residents and spouses came but several of the nurses and other staff from the hospital came.

I love going to dinner with the nurses. They are such a lively group and it is really interesting for me to see my husband from their point of view. Residents and nurses have such a unique dynamic. The residents are not really their boss (unlike the attendings) yet they are the authority when it comes right down to it. Even so the residents learn a lot from the nurses. Gaining their trust and respect is important but so is making sure that your instructions are followed and listened to. Like I said it is a very unique dynamic.

When your husband works 80 or more hours a week it is a given that these women spend just as much time with him as you do. When I worked at the hospital in HR it always amazed me to hear what they thought about him. Some of them were intimidated by him, others thought he was cocky, while others just loved him (sometimes it all depended on the day).

Last night I found out that Bret had not really "told" anyone that I was pregnant. I am friends with several of the nurses on facebook but haven't really put anything on facebook that was obvious. Some how one of the residents mentioned it and word spread quickly. Once the word hit the clinic several of the nurses were waiting for him outside of the exam room ready to pounce him with questions. Of course once the nurses found out EVERYONE in the hospital found out too. Bret said it was weird to have attendings come up out of no where to congratulate him.

It wasn't like we were keeping this on the down low (obviously..lol) but neither of us felt the need to make a big announcement. Not that we aren't excited..it's just that with our third it's different. We are having this baby for us. We are excited and for us that is enough. It's awkward to bring up the topic. People wonder but don't ask. We think "I wonder if they know" but don't want to just bring it up out of no where because if they do already know it's weird to be telling them again. I digress.

Dinners like last night is good. You get to hear what they thought about last years chief's, this year's chiefs, the interns, the attendings, and of course your spouse. They all know me and my kids. Not only are we regular visitors at the hospital but I send them things to. They know my Christmas candy packages, cookies, and other treats that I send to the floor regularly. The "floor" consists of two different areas. There is the resident clinic and the labor/delivery floor. The clinic has WAY fewer nurses so we know all of them much better. Bret's assigned nurse, Amber, is a saint. The L&D floor has so many nurses it is hard to keep them all straight but there are a few that I have gotten to know. There are a few that I pray will be on when I go into labor and a few that I pray will be no where near the hospital but that is how it usually goes.

Week 14

This week I officially begin my second trimester. Emily reminded me of this when shortly after she woke up she looked at me with a huge grin and said "momma I can see that the baby is getting bigger". Her joy helps me to overlook the other meaning to her comment...that I am showing at an alarming rate. The good news is that a few weeks ago at my monthly visit I was overjoyed to find out that in the entire month I had only gained a 1/2 pound. I was worried by the way my work clothes were no longer fitting at all that my gain would be much greater. While some moms look forward to a free for all eating experience during pregnancy that is not the case for me. The threat of diabetes is on the horizon so I try to limit my weight gain (early on at least) and make good food choices. Summer has been a huge help to this as the amount of melon, berries, tomatoes, and cucumbers that I (with Emily trailing shortly behind) have consumed has been astonishing.

I have had very little to no nausea to complain about which is surprising compared to my first two pregnancies. No food cravings either. Sometimes when I am just hungry I wonder if I called it a craving if I could get Bret to run out and get it anyway (like for an evening Dairy Queen run).

I am not one of those people that thinks that being pregnant is the best thing ever but I don't have much to complain about. My grandmother once said that pregnancy suits me. By the time it is all over I will be the first to admit that the end is rather uncomfortable. The beginning can be hard to get through the day when everything makes you ill and you could sleep for days and still be exhausted. If I had to pick one thing that I disliked about being pregnant it is the lack of ability to be comfortable especially at night. I sleep on my stomach and no matter how hard I try sleeping on my side is just not the same. Waking up in the middle of the night can be frustrating too.

It's a strange thing when people ask you all the time how you feel. I don't blame them as I do it all the time too. Truthfully I feel fine..maybe even better than fine. I hope that the next 26 weeks goes by as quickly as the past 14.