Yesterday's Ultrasound & Thoughts

Well yesterday I had my 27 week ultrasound. It is truly amazing to see our little one as he gets bigger and bigger. Such a huge blessing! From beginning of second trimester up until this point the ultrasounds have been every other week, but I have a four week break. During these four weeks I am praying for little (or no) anxiety about the baby, and lots of fetal movement so I know all is well!

I cannot help but feel like we are in the final stretch of this pregnancy. I am trying to relish in every little moment. Remember what the flutters, kicks, rolls, and hiccups have felt like. Remembering what it was like to realize, "I think I'm pregnant", to the point where I realized, "This could be our take home baby, finally!" And to now where I am still sitting on the edge teetering, hoping and believing that even as delicate as this small life inside of me is, that God will pull through on this blessing and allow us to have a son. Here on Earth, and not another in heaven.

Some days my faith is SO strong and I believe that he will make it to full term, believing that we have no worries for him to be here until December hits.

Other days, I think what it would be like to have a baby staying in the NICU while returning home empty handed. Or worse. But I do not let my mind dwell on these thoughts for long, because I know our God is not a God of fear. And it is to Him that I look for strength and hope.

These next four weeks without a glimpse into my baby's world are going to be pretty jam packed I have a feeling. There is SO much that I want to get done around the house. From making things better organized, to keeping a cleaner house (this is truly a struggle for me), to finishing our little one's nursery, having a weekend away with James, getting outfits around for maternity pictures, my work baby shower, a baby shower for friends (the family shower will be after my next ultrasound!), and getting the house ready for winter.

Because after these four weeks, anything can truly happen! At my next ultrasound I will be 31 weeks, they will be checking on the baby's growth and most likely checking for amniotic fluid levels. At 32 weeks my weekly appointments filled with an hour NST and ultrasounds to check fluid levels start. At 35 weeks, another growth ultrasound. And again at 39 weeks. Mixed in with the long appointments of NST, Ultrasound, and checkups with my doctors.

It is going to be a whirlwind! I hope I am up for all of the craziness of school, work, doctor's appointments, holidays, and life in general. If I start to lose it, kindly remind me that we have been waiting two years to hold our own little baby and that all of this will melt away as soon as he is placed in my arms. I am SO looking forward to that blessed moment, the moment that I have prayed for, longed for, and hoped would one day happen.

On to my ultrasound appointment, other than the doctor's office being rather slow this time, everything went well! James was actually able to come with me this time around, and most likely able to come for my next one. I love seeing him look at our son and say things like, "He really is getting bigger!" He is going to be a great dad, and I cannot wait to see him in action.

When we got into the room for the ultrasound, they started over my abdomen. The ultrasound tech allowed us to enjoy watching our little guy move about before she started doing the measurements. First she measured the abdomen, then moved onto the femur. She took some shots of his profile, the placenta, and measured his heart beat (it was 140 this time). I loved watching him blink his eyes, and at one point we are unsure if he was sucking his finger, but it looked like he was saying "Shhhhhh!" I don't think he was too happy with the fact that he was so content head down, again right in my pelvis, and we were trying to get him to move up enough so she could measure his head. The tech had me rock side to side, I even tried poking him, but he was content and stubbornly refused to move (which is okay with me, head down means higher chance of not needing a C-Section!).

Next she moved on to the transvaginal portion to see about measuring his head and my cervix. I know this may be horrid, but I call it the dildo cam...because that really is what it is comparable to in my opinion. I am definitely not disappointed that this is my last meeting with this wand. My cervix is still measuring super long at 4.6cm. Definitely thinking I may need to start walking so it can begin to shorten as the baby gets bigger. At the end she did all the calculations, the amniotic fluid level was perfect, and our little guy is estimated to weigh 2lbs 5oz. I know that growth ultrasounds can be off by a pound (or more the further along you are, and it also depends on the skill level & accuracy of the ultrasound tech), but if this is his true weight that means in 12 days he gained 1 lb, 1 oz. That is CRAZY!

When talking to the doctor he explained why the increase in watching the baby after 32 weeks. Being that I am a high risk pregnancy (unicornuate uterus -UU-, controlled hypertension, and a clotting disorder) at 32 weeks they could intervene if necessary and deliver the baby with a greater chance that he would survive. The amniotic fluid level checks are due to my UU because of the higher chances of loss in the third trimester. It also gives them a chance to look at my placenta, because due to hypertension, after 32 weeks the placenta can go "haywire" he said. Basically, this means how efficiently the placenta is giving oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby that needs more and more could start to fail to meet the baby's needs and at that point it would be safer for the baby to be out breathing in oxygen instead of in and breathing amniotic fluid. My hypertension is well controlled, and though I am at a higher risk for preclamsia due to both PCOS and hypertension, I really do not forsee it being an issue (praying against it!).

Oh, and we also met with another doctor I hadn't met yet. I think that I have two or three more to meet before I can say I have met everyone in the office. The great thing is, there is only one that I still do not like! My next ultrasound appointment is with another doctor I haven't met yet, and then I will probably try to get in to see my main doctor for the following week.

It is crazy to think that in another week I will be out of the second trimester and into the third. This pregnancy is going by faster and faster the further along I get. Discomforts and all, James and I are so incredibly blessed to be this far and so thankful that our little guy is doing well!

It was truly amazing to see the detail of his nose and lips at the appointment!
 

 

We both really believe this is a smile that he is showing off here,
like haha, try to get me to move. I'll show you!
Watching the eyes blink was amazing on 2D,
I am supposed to be going to LCC for a free 3D ultrasound at some point,
and cannot wait to see this little guy's features that way!

Oh and I also realized, I never updated with last weeks bump photo in a post...so here it is! Look for this weeks in a post later today or tomorrow! And if you didn't know there is a link to another page at the top of my blog labeled "Baby Hillard" that allows you to see both of our growth from the very beginning of the pregnancy. Including all the ultrasound & bump pictures you could dream of! :-)

24w6d Bump Update & a Little More!

Bump Update!

First of all, can you believe it? I am 25 weeks now!! So AMAZING. I am overjoyed and over the moon the happy with all the blessings God has poured out on us with this little man! I am so thankful and reminded of what a blessing I have growing inside of me every time I feel his little kicks and squirms.

Loving the baby bump!!

The progression in such a short time truly amazes me.
You can also tell that little guy moved up some since last appointment. 

Ultrasound Visit!

We got in rather quickly, and it was like he KNEW they were going to try getting his picture again, he pushed his butt right out at the lady as soon as I laid down and lifted up my shirt for the abdominal portion of ultrasound! lol He is still head down but more towards my left hip bone instead of in my pelvis. I hope this is a good thing and he doesn't choose to lay transverse instead of head down eventually. He is still definitely a he, I recognized boy parts before she said anything! His Heartbeat was 150, amniotic fluid level was perfect they said, and my cervix was still an amazing 4.7cm. My doctor today said that I was showing off, because it only needs to be 2.5cm to make them happy at this point. I am glad it is still long and strong because I have a feeling it will shorten quickly when it is time due to the weight of the baby and such (that and I have been praying for it to thin when it is supposed to without any medical intervention! And my prayers for cervix of steel have worked, so why won't this ;-D)

They finally got a profile picture of this little guy. Placenta has now moved more over to my right but still half front/half side. Which would be why I have been feeling more kicks on top middle of belly! When he really gets moving he is punching (or drumming as some would say) above my left pelvis/hip bone, and kicking upper middle belly. Truly amazing! He is getting so BIG!! And I still have 15 weeks to go! 

On a side note, I had a new doctor today Dr. Alsamsam. he was very nice and I would recommend him seeing him at some point if you are at Sparrow OBGYN. I have really tried to see all the doctors there in the practice (there are TEN!) because I would HATE for me to meet a doctor for the first time when delivering our Son. I still need to meet three of the other doctors...but the ones I have met, I liked them all, except one. One I refuse to see due to poor bedside manner when I miscarried the second time, so praying that she isn't the doctor on call when delivery time comes! Feel free to ask more questions if you are thinking about switching doctors :-)

My next ultrasound is on Sept 17th. They will be doing the last cervical length check, and checking the growth of our little guy. I assume they will probably check the amniotic fluid as well since they started it this week. I need to do my gestational diabetes test before then as well. I have already had to do a three hour when I wasn't pregnant...and it wasn't too fun. (Quite boring really) But because of this I know the drink isn't too horrid, more like a super sugary fruit punch. BUT it does make me nervous for the test! They said I don't need to fast, but to avoid sugary things the night before and morning of. Wish me luck!

Labor Day Weekend!

What a wonderful weekend with family! We spent the whole weekend with James's side. Booger & Jess camped at Jay & Deana's while James and I spent the night at our house, and Laura & Jo came down for Saturday. It was nice having everyone together, it would have been even more perfect if Gaugers had been there and Laura & Jo had spent Saturday night! 

Saturday was the day the guys worked on the house to finish up the siding, Deana, Jess & the girls, and I went to the parade in Woodland. We hung out with Jessi's family and it was lots of fun seeing everyone. Later that night James enjoyed himself a drink (or two, or three....you get the picture!) and was definitely feeling pretty good and smiley! lol We sat outside that night til around midnight with Booger, Jess, Laura, and Jo. I love having everyone together. It is for sure a good laugh!

Sunday James was feeling a bit "out of it" but it was another good day with family. Yummy breakfast, delicious dinner (and some yummy homemade ice cream!), and fun times with the girls! James even got brave and offered to hold onto Lynzey, and even got her to fall asleep. (Gasp! If you knew my hubby this is a HUGE surprise. He avoids other people's babies like the plague. He said they are too small, and worries about breaking them. He once rationalized to me, that it will be different with our own because if he breaks it then it will be okay. LOL). I missed the whole thing because I was shopping with Deana, but I hear he was pretty proud of himself! :-)

At one point during the weekend Audrey, sitting on my lap told me, "You can take Lynzey, and I will take (pointing to my belly) that one!" It really gave me a good laugh. Jessi told her that she didn't want a brother, that she only knew how to take care of girls, and that Lynzey was too good of a baby to trade. :-) The crazy things the girls come up with! I truly enjoy every moment that I get to spend with them. We never seem to make the time to get together more often. I am hoping we can make this change after our little guy is here, I want him to grow up and have so many fun memories with his cousins!! Graysi & Audrey are growing up too quickly, and I am sure soon Lynzey will be in the same boat! Kids grow up WAY too fast.

Exercise!

Oiy! We went for a walk Sunday with Jess, Booger, the girls, and our dogs...It was WONDERFUL. But SO hot, it might have been part of how out of shape I am now from lack of exercise since being pregnant...I am SO out of shape now it is ridiculous! I did prenatal yoga today, and intend on working in more walking with Jack on the days that I do not have to work. Because heaven knows I need it (and so does our little chunky dog!).

Tonight I did the Yoga DVD for only 20 minutes and burned 125 calories...doing Yoga....should I reiterate how out of shape I am? It felt good to get the blood circulating! I need to get some of the bloat from crappy eating all weekend out of my system! 

School!

I have quite a bit of homework that I am dreading attacking. Tomorrow between Microbiology lecture and lab I am going to be hitting the books and working on Statistics. I am hoping to get as much of the online classes out of the way early as possible for just in case little guy decides to make an early appearance (I am still hoping that there is a possibility that James could share a birthday with our son! but I would rather not share a birthday with him. November birthdays right near gun season start SUCK, plus that would make him a month early...and I would rather he be full term!). This semester I am tackling 10 credits, plus working part time. On top of this, I am hoping to continue averaging working 8 days a pay period from now until the baby comes. 

I tend to procrastinate (like now), so you may get some updates a little more often from here on out! haha :-)

For real, I haven't done any house work today, and I need to tackle reading for microbiology, along with looking over what we need to do for lab. So I will have to let you go!

23w6d Bump Update

Little man you are one day away from viability!! I did some research and you would be considered a micro preemie, you'd have eyelashes, and eyebrows. But your little eyes would still be fused shut. You'd need help to breath due to premature lung development, and it would be a long journey in the NICU. You'd be about the length of a corn cob, and weigh around a pound and a half (amazing that I am carrying you inside of me and you grew from smaller than a pin head to how big you are now! And some days by how much movement I feel you definitely feel SO much bigger!). One of the factors that impact survival at this age is birth weight, which makes me so happy that you were in the 55th percentile at last appointment, and were guessed to weigh 1lb 4 oz already. They say that babies that weigh more than 2lbs 3 oz do much better than those that weigh less.

BUT the good thing is, God has answered my prayers to have a cervix of steel, and you are safe and sound inside my womb still! I truly believe I do not need to worry about preterm delivery (especially this early) but I love being informed and educated about EVERYTHING it seems. If I don't know something, Google becomes my best friend. I hope you have this same craving for education and learning random facts about random things. I pray you will excel in school, and you will love life and learning something new every day.

On to the bump photos...here they are! I am smiling even though I feel like a hillbilly because my front tooth's bonding that fixed a chip in my left front tooth fell out! It is horrible. And quite embarrassing. You cannot tell in these pictures, but when I laugh or talk, it is not pretty. I am so blessed to have good teeth, minus this one chip. I pray for you that you have strong, healthy, cavity resistant, teeth! Right now it feels so awkward to smile, to eat, and to talk. Not fun! And to top it off, I cannot get into the dentist until Friday, and my first day of class is Thursday!! Seriously, what dentist goes on vacation? :-P

You can tell this is the side little guy sits on
if you look at me facing this way and compare it to me facing the other way

See! Not quite as big looking! lol
But look how long my hair is getting! :-D I LOVE it!

Little man is definitely pushing is little butt out during this picture,
making my belly more pronounced.
I also have been trying to keep up on drinking more water
And eating healthier...weight this week shows it! :-)
Which makes me VERY happy!!

Look how far my belly has come!
about 13 weeks til I am considered full term, 16 weeks til my due date!

Also, I realized I never shared my ultrasound pictures from last ultrasound so here they are:

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

I didn't take any pictures this time around, but will definitely share the link to the pin that I found this recipe at, and they have a picture :-)

Can you say DELICIOUS? I have really been on a Mexican kick lately: tacos, fajitas, seven layer taco dip, and these salsa chicken tacos. YUM I bet this would be good on nachos instead of beef.

This is how you make it, again I altered their recipe. I could have cut back on some of the salsa/sour cream/cream of mushroom.

Here is the original recipe: (You can find it HERE)

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen is okay!)
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 6 tortillas

But here is what I did:

• 28 oz of chicken (again I needed to weigh it for calories)
• 1 cup bean and corn salsa
• 1/2 cup medium salsa
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups cream of MUSHROOM soup
• 1 packet of McCormick Fajita seasoning
• 5/8 cup whole wheat flour (again only because I wanted to thicken it up a bit...decrease some of the sour cream and salsa you should be fine)

I used what I had, and was going to add mushrooms to it, but got too busy before work and too tired in the morning when I got home to add it.

I mixed the salsa, sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, and fajita seasoning together in crock pot before adding the chicken. I put on low before I went to work and had James stir it and put crock pot on keep warm when he got home. I probably would have been done then! But I love how nice it is just to have something simmering warm on the counter when it comes home so I can have a quick bit to eat (I have been quite hungry lately, little man is already eating us out of house and home! ;-) hahaha).

When I got home I took the chicken out, shredded it and added the flour to the sauce to thicken it up. Then replaced in slow cooker on low to finish thickening a bit until we got up and I helped James get his lunch around.

This time I weighed the food so we could go by ounces. We tend to weigh our food more than measure with measuring (James likes it better! and it is more accurate). This recipe made 13 servings of about 4 ounces (it is like 3.9) for 146 calories, 13 carbs, 5 g of fat, and 15 g of protein.

The good thing about this recipe is you could add other veggies to get some extra into diet (I was thinking mushrooms, maybe a few more onions, could even add some diced peppers or I bet black olives would be good as well). AND you can make it as spicy as your taste buds wish. Like it hot? Use spicy taco seasoning and hot salsa, and you could even add hot sauce. Like it mild? Use a mild taco seasoning and mild taco seasoning. It is delicious with cheese on top in a taco shell. Yum!

I am looking forward to eating this for lunch today! (I ate breakfast at like 2, gotta love third shift!)

Next Crock Pot Adventure: undecided, need to search pinterest for what I want to try making. James is asking for Chili! But honestly, I am not very good at making a small pot of chili so that might wait for next week when I know we can have people over to help eat it!

Today I am also 23w6d and that means picture day! =D woohoo!

Listen To This Little One...

Listen to the Mustn'ts, child, listen to the Don'ts
Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won'ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.
                                                         -Shel Silverstein

The above poem truly warms my heart. May you forever listen to God and know that anything can happen, any thing is possible. You are our proof of this.

I cannot sleep today, allergies and post-nasal drip are wrecking havoc on my throat and ability to sleep. I sit here sipping on some warm cinnamon apple tea, in hopes of soothing my throat some. The TV is on, but all I can think of is you. You are SO worth every discomfort this pregnancy is causing me. If I could endure the months and months of struggle, and losses of your siblings, I can endure all of these discomforts knowing that you are healthy and strong. Your kicks that are getting stronger and stronger each week prove this to me. You may have a stubborn streak because you like to stay so low and cover up your face so the doctors cannot see your full face, I pray that this stubborn streak transfers into a young man that is able to stand strong in the Lord even when others try to move you.

Call me sappy, but I cried the other day thinking about you growing up. I could almost see you tall, dark, and handsome, like your daddy, on your wedding day. I am already praying for your future wife and you aren't even born! I truly thought our first child we held in our arms would be a little girl, but I now know that God had the best plan for our family. I think about how much of a blessing you will be, to have a little boy that grows up to be a man, one that knows how to treat and respect women, because Heaven knows we need more of them on this earth.

I pray life is good to you. That you have no big complaints having James and I as your mother and father. I hope we are where you feel safe at home, that God truly will use us to help you grow into a strong man of God, and you feel blessed to have us as your Mom and Dad. I pray that you will never feel too judged to come to us with anything. I hope that life gives you just enough bits of the hard stuff so you will not take things for granted, but not so much that you lose hope and feel crushed by it. That you will be sensitive to others in need, not be afraid to step up when a friend or family member needs a shoulder to cry on, that you will have your father's sense of humor and worth ethic, and that you will be a blessing to everyone you meet in life.

I do not know what God has in store for you, but I do know it will be something bigger than we could ever imagine. A good friend once said, "You will be like Hannah and Elizabeth, who prayed and prayed and God gave them a baby." (Thank you DeAnn!) I didn't think much of it then, where I was at with our journey, but now I certainly do. All of that prayer for a baby, and for all the things we have prayed for you, before you were even here God has to have big plans for you! Look at the children that Hannah and Elizabeth were blessed with. They raised men that were vitally important to ministry.

It has been a rough road to get you here, and you aren't even in my arms yet, but feeling you kick and watching my belly grow gives me so much hope that it is truly possible that your father and I will know what it is like to parent a newborn little boy before the end of the year. I am thankful for the struggle, because it makes me realize how precious life truly is. And how blessed couples are to have children, conception and growth of an embryo into a living breathing newborn is truly a miracle!

Tonight when thinking about where we have come to this point, I realized your due date is so close to when I found out that I have a unicornuate uterus. Isn't it amazing how God can cultivate healing in the heart over a year? You have replaced the sorrow and despair over my less than perfect lady parts with Joy in knowing that they Lord is forever Good and Faithful. He can truly do anything, with God nothing is impossible. Please keep this in mind, even when tough things in life may make it seem like you are in the dark and surely about to walk into some devastating obstacle. God will make a way. Be it with a small light to brighten your path so you can see, or a friend that will help you walk the path so you do not feel as alone and desperate.

You have been prayed for by more people than either of us can imagine. And while the tears that flowed at times haven't helped my post nasal drip, getting the words out were necessary for my heart. Because, call me cheesy, but sometimes I feel like my heart is full of love so much that it may burst.

I love you little man, and cannot wait for your arrival in December. You are SO loved and wanted.
♥ Mommy

Delicious Creamy Chicken-Mushroom Pasta

So I have made a decision, due to our crazy lives where we do not truly get to sit down together and have a meal, unless it is a weekend, I am going to start utilizing our crock pot more (at least once a week) so we can just sit down and enjoy eating together instead of me cooking and scrambling to figure out what to make last minute before James goes to work.

This weeks first try at crock pot cooking was DELICIOUS. I found a recipe on pinterest (here) and adapted it some with a combo of my own thinking and ideas from another recipe.

Here are the ingredients:

• 29oz of frozen chicken breast (this is how it panned out, and I wanted to count calories)
• 1 package of Good Season's Zesty Italian dressing mix
• 1 container of Philadelphia's Onion and Chive cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of Philadelphia's whipped cream cheese (probably could have done without, but was in fridge already)
• 1 small can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 small can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 small package fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 package Ronzoni Garden Delight's pasta 
• 1/2 cup wheat flour 

Directions:

• Mix together (in crock pot): 
• Zesty Italian Dressing
• Both types of cream cheese, softened
• both small cans of condensed soup (next time I will look for reduced sodium, because I am sure sodium is WAY out there)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• Mushrooms
• Add frozen chicken
• Allow to cook until chicken is done (I let it cook on low for like 10 hours, put it on before bedtime, and ate for lunch next day)
• Boil the Pasta (may be able to do in crock pot and forego the wheat flour, but it made me nervous!)
• Take the chicken out (I used a pasta server) and shred it. Set aside
• Wisk in 1/2 cup whole wheat flour to crock pot, allow to simmer to thicken
• Mix together Pasta, Chicken, and Sauce

You should have 12 one cup servings, equaling 290 calories each, 30 carbs, 10g fat, 19g protein. 

I am sure it is SUPER high in sodium, so make sure to drink lots of water to balance it out ;-)

I didn't think to take a picture of the food IN the crock pot, so this is what is left,
after dishing out 6 cups for James and I to eat/bring to work.
Can you say DEEEELICIOUS!? Because the baby certainly thinks so ;-)

Next Crock Pot adventure: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Ohhhh...and P.S. 2nd coat of green is on, and any indecisiveness I had is out the window. I love it :-)

And P.S.S. I have to celebrate for James even though he hasn't recorded his weight yet on MFP, he is under 300lbs today! :-) SO proud of my husband! I think that means he has lost 25 lbs now. He is doing great with making she he gets up and goes for a jog before work. If only I could join him!! Looking forward to that day. For now I need to try to start doing some pregnancy Yoga, doing some leg exercises, and lifting some little dumbbells. 

22w6d - Picture Update & Appointment

I also took a few additional in the outfit I was wearing yesterday. Goodwill and Craigslist finds on the clothing!

Definite bump, don't tell me I don't look pregnant.
Because it means I just look fat.

Wowza to legs, and not to happy with how shorts look on me (but super cheap and have a FULL band which is WONDERFUL)
but look at belly! SO stinking happy overall!

My view from up top.  If you look, you can tell baby sits on the right.

I am going to keep this short and simple as I can (ok I know I am long winded)

My house smells like dog pee, if it isn't one thing it is another. 

Cat pee last week, dog pee this week.

Bring it on! :-)

(Except please no smells that make me physically gag and run to trash/toilet just in case puking actually happens)

My cervix is holding up AMAZING at 4.48cm

Baby is measuring right on track at 23w1d (exact from LMP)

Heartbeat was 143 this time.

Baby weighs about 1lb 4oz

My belly is measuring 25 weeks, but doctor said baby's growth is right on track in 55th percentile, so nothing to worry about.

Baby also hid his face from us, hands up by face and everything. 

Head so far down , even poking and prodding didn't make him move. AT ALL. 

We managed to see his ear, eyes (or black spots rather), nose, and top lip. 

No profile. Again. And as soon as out of u/s room what did baby do?

Kick and move up quite a bit. 

Little stinker.

As per lovely varicose veins,  TMI, so read at own risk....

I work in the medical field and tell it like it is...

I honestly didn't know that varicose veins on your lady parts could be a concern, 

Until I was swollen and sore. Poor James had to confirm because doctor couldn't get me in.

BUT thankfully I learned that I don't look too bad down there, 

Because doctor informed me it could be worse...

She said she has seen it so bad that it looks like a bag of worms.

Yes, on your lady bits. I am sure you get the (disgusting) picture 

(curious? *probably not I know* upon googling about this lovely affliction I read 

people call it cheeseburger crotch...DIS-FRIGGING-SCUSTING).

So I got my script for a lovely contraption that looks like a female jock strap. Joy.

(The V2 Supporter if you are curious)

And she informed me the varicose veins get worse with each subsequent pregnancy.

And that they may not go away after pregnancy but after a few months wont be sore any more.

If this is the case, I am getting surgery I think...because GROSS

God loves me. Can't you tell?! ;-)

*sigh* James is going to need a blind fold to be intimate with me!! 

ok, or maybe I will need him to be blind folded to be comfortable...

( I also realized  spelled varicose wrong in photo above, so photo editing will need to be in order )

Done with TMI talk, I promise

Got the plan of  action for the rest of the pregnancy:

25w - transvaginal u/s to check for cervical length, and regular to check for profile, again

27w - glucose results, transvaginal u/s to check for cervical length, and regular to check for fetal growth

32w - begins weekly non stress test (NST) and ultrasound to check level of amniotic fluid, ALSO monthly fetal growth check

33w-35w - NST & Fluid Check

36 w - NST, Fluid Check, AND Fetal growth check, as well as beginning heparin 2x a day instead of lovenox once a day.

That's it for now, nap time, then quick picking up and vacuuming before my sister gets here to help me clean carpets, and possibly work on nursery some more.

THEN maybe grocery shopping.

Thank goodness for this day off, because my allergies are kicking my booty.