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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

27 Weeks! Progress!

Greg and I have been very busy this past week...making lots of progress!

Last week, we hung the wallpaper but ran out with about 6 feet of wall left...I should have stuck with my original figures when I had to reorder from Home Depot...something I would have done if all my brain cells were working. We bought the chair rail and stained it the same color as the furniture...it looks good. Billy came out Sunday and cut all the corners and each piece so all we will have to do is nail it up on the wall after we finish the wallpaper installation and painting. We have to paint the wallpaper because the blue shows through, but it's not a big deal...a coat or two of white paint isn't too much work...we have to paint the base boards and the crown anyway. The last roll of wallpaper should be here Wednesday and the crown should be here Thursday...so maybe we will be done by this weekend!

Saturday Greg also started the demo on the master bathroom. We will work on that a little each night and will hopefully be finished in a couple weeks. Until then we will be in between our master and guest bathrooms...it's not as bad as being out of the house for a week...we can deal with the bathrooms! I can't wait to see the finished product!

Greg and I will be meeting with the doctors at Progressive Pediatrics tonight. We have heard some great things about them and they have been recommended by several people to me. I am very excited to meet them! Hopefully it will all work out great! Can't wait to tell you all about it! We also have a midwife appointment on Wednesday...maybe she will be able to help explain the right side pains I've been having.

I can't believe we get to see our little one Friday! How fast time has gone by! Greg and I are so excited to see him again, it's been 11 weeks since we last saw him (at the gender ultrasound) and that was only 2D...we are so excited! I wonder who he will look like and whose features he has...so many questions and thoughts. I can't wait to see our little gymnast!

The place is called Sneak Peek Studios and it is located at 2720 Park Street at the intersection of Park and Kings in 5 Points. The studio is upstairs in the shopping center across from Walgreens on Park. You will need to be buzzed in but I will try to have someone downstairs to open the door for you until everyone has arrived. Once you are in the building you go up the stairs (or elevator if you prefer) and to the right. It will be on the right hand side just after the stairs. The appointment is at 7pm so try to be there about 5 minutes before so we can get started on time and get to dinner before it gets too busy.

We tried to find a place nearby for dinner afterwards so we wouldn't have to lose our parking spaces...the closest place is European Street. It's across the street and down a block. There are coupons for But 1 Get 1 Free in both the Money Pages and Mint Magazines. If you would like to go somewhere else just let me know, we are open to suggestions.

If you will be coming to the ultrasound and/or dinner please let me know so I can be sure we have enough seats and so you don't get stranded downstairs. So far I have: Mike, Cindy, Mackie, Gloria, Aunt Kathy...any one else I need to add?

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

26 Weeks! A trip to the ER!

From Baby Pierce

Greg and I had a very nice weekend...other than the 1am trip to the ER. We went to the river and spent some time with Sandy and Mary.

We ate a nice dinner at River Pub on Friday night and went to bed shortly after we returned home...we were tired from a busy week. About 12:30am I woke up out of a dead sleep with some uncomfortable pains along the bottom of my rib cage on the right side. I thought maybe Haiden had decided to rest his feet there, again, so I moved and repositioned but the pain didn't go away. I thought maybe I had to pee so I went pee and again the pain didn't stop. I tried walking around for a few minutes but the pain just seemed to be getting more intense and I was getting a little worried. I sat back in bed and Greg woke up. He tried rubbing my back and putting a warm wash cloth on my tummy and face...nothing seemed to be working. And I was starting to get nauseous. Greg called the midwife and while we were waiting for them to call back, the pain got so intense I started try heaving and crying. Greg got the car warmed up (because it was cold outside!!) and he packed a blanket, some pillows and a trash can in case I got sick on the way to the hospital. We decided to go to Baptist South in Jacksonville, almost an hour away but we got there in good time, about 45 minutes with little traffic. By the time we got there the pain was almost completely gone (just my luck, right?) except for little twinges every now and again. As we were being checked in they were asking me all kinds of questions about delivery...do I want an epidural, do I have a living will, have I ever given birth before...it was scaring me a bit...I'm only 26 weeks...he's not done cooking yet!! Once the questions were over I put on a gown and they hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor and contraction monitor. The nurse said sometimes the heart monitor doesn't pick up the heartbeat this early because they are so little but she tested it on my tummy and we had no problem hearing our little man's heartbeat. She said it was strong and it sounded very good. After about 20 minutes of monitoring she came back to say everything looked really good and he didn't seem to be in any distress at all. I was extremely pleased to hear the good news but concerned about the horrendous pain I had just experienced. I am not one to complain about pain so if I am it must be bad. The nurse told us the doctor said it could just be pain from the uterus stretching but that seemed too minor for the pain I had. We left and headed back to the river, I fell asleep in the car and Greg drank his McDonald's coffee and grooved to tunes on the radio. I have such a wonderful husband. When we got back he let the dogs out and we all piled up in the bad and fell asleep till about 10. It was an eventful night and I was glad it was over.

That day we spent some time at Sandy's and then went on a boat ride with Sandy and Mary down to Anderson's. We had some lunch and a few beers (I had sweet tea) and it was pretty good. Then Greg went back to Sandy's to do some fishing off the dock while I headed home to take a nap. After a much needed 2 hour nap I went back down to Sandy's to see what kind of fish action had occurred. Penny and her boyfriend Dan were there and we had a nice chat. Later, I went home and made dinner...baked Ziti and when Greg got back he showered, ate dinner and hit the bed...he was out! He'd had a long day of drinking, fishing, boating and sun plus no nap and a very sleepless night before...he was ready to sleep. I stayed up reading my magazines for about an hour then I hit the bed myself.

Midnight....I am woken up by pain under my ribs on the right side...I was panicking...not again! This time I knew there was an end in sight for the pain. I tried walking around and remembered the ride to the hospital the night before. When I stopped focusing on the pain and started focusing on my breathing the pain went away. So, I decided to prop myself up in bed and read. About 30 minutes later I was so exhausted I fell asleep. Greg woke up about an hour later to check on me. The pain was gone and I was relieved. I stayed somewhat propped up and went back to sleep. I was so tired that I didn't even hear Greg getting up, he didn't sleep well. After Greg let the dogs out I fell asleep again and didn't get up until 9:30. Greg was tired so he layed on the couch for a while. We decided to get ready to go a little earlier than usual because we had a few errands to run on the way home. I called the midwife to give her an update on the way back to Jax and she said the gallbladder is on that side and can become inflamed or infected so to watch it closely. If anything else should happen, she would send me in for an ultrasound. Hopefully it was a one time (ok two time) thing and everything is good now.

We stopped at the Prime Outlet in St. Augustine. There is a store there that I adore called Papaya. They have adorable clothes and really great prices. I stopped to try on a few items for sizing. I was use to looking for S and the occasional M but the L was the size that fit me and Haiden best. It's exciting, I will buy a few staple items online and have them shipped up. They have t-shirts, tanks and long sleeve shirts for $2 to $6...great prices! I will also buy a few cardigans (eventually) that I can wear this winter but also that I can wear after Haiden gets here. I'm trying to be frugal about buying maternity clothes...those sleeveless tops and capri's aren't gonna last me the whole winter...and I know I won't be back into my old sizes before the end of it so I'm preparing now.

When we got home we relaxed and had a Veronica Mars marathon. I made cookies and we ate our leftovers from River Pub...it was a wonderful night. Until about midnight. No pain this time thankfully, just horrible insomnia. I messed around on the computer until 4:30 then tried going back to bed but it wasn't until 5:30 that I was able to go back to sleep. Which is why after taking Pooter back home, I had a light dinner, relaxed in the jacuzzi tub and went to sleep by 8:30....I was exhausted. But thankfully I slept all the way through the night and I am well rested today.

This week, Greg and I will be working on getting up the wall paper in the nursery (well Greg will...I will mostly supervise...I am trying to take it easy). We will stain the chair rail to match the furniture and put it up this week as well. The 3/4D ultrasound is next weekend! Can you beleive it! We are so excited and can't wait to see him again! And the shower is the weekend after that! Things are starting to happen fast now and before we know it the holidays will be here and over...then we will just be waiting on Haiden to get here. I am ready now...

Monday, October 11, 2010

25 Weeks! Our Little Eggplant!

Well, here we are at week 25...and our little one is now the size of an eggplant! He's about 15 inches long and working on 2.5 pounds. He's getting so big! The good news...if something were to happen he could survive outside the womb, with the help of the NICU team of course...but that's peace of mind to me! He knows his up from down, his little equilibrium is hard at work keeping him right side up. He is practicing his breathing while in REM sleep so he'll be ready for the real thing when he gets here. His eyes are forming and his skin is taking on a pink glow thanks to new capillaries flowing blood beneath his skin. I am so excited to meet him!

Saturday morning Greg got up very early to pick up Tommy and Gloria and take them to the airport...they are in Hawaii for a week...I'm jealous. Then we met the gang at Amelia Island to watch them sky dive for Krysty's 21st birthday. After they were all safely on the ground we could relax! They had a great time and it didn't seem as scary as we all thought it would be. Then the girls headed to the house to get ready for the Marco party and the boys went to Sliders for lunch. The hair was fabulous! Thanks Mackie!
The Marco party was a blast...Generations of Aviation for those of you not familiar with it. It was a celebration of aviation from the 30s, 40s and 50s and it was a top notch party! We all dressed up and their were cars and planes from the era. They had an 8 piece band called Class Act that mom got to sing with! The hangar was decorated as a airport terminal with bars set up as airport boarding gates and a diner. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards we headed up to Denny's for a much needed dinner. The night was very fun and after a shoe change for me (I lasted a long time in the pumps but the flats were like heaven) my dancing really started.
Sunday Greg and I slept in until 10, which is HIGHLY unusual for us but it was wonderful. We finished clear coating the baby's furniture then Brett and Ashley came over for a visit. They helped us move the furniture into the nursery and put it together. Here is a sneak peak picture of the furniture in the nursery but the nursery isn't quite finished. The wall paper should be in Wednesday so hopefully Thursday we will be able to put it up. Then we can put the furniture against the walls and remove the plastic from the floor. I love to see it taking shape! Yesterday and today I am feeling very tired. I'm not sure if it's just a short phase or if this is the beginning of the 3rd trimester exhaustion I've heard so much about but I'm hoping it's just a phase...there is still too much to do to be this tired!


Greg and I are still very much enjoying our new open floor plan and the little by little cleaning of the house makes us feel better...isn't it funny how cleaning out something can bring about a sense of calm in your life. It's a really nice feeling. Only 2.5 weeks until the ultrasound and 3.5 until the shower! Crazy how fast time is flying!! It'll be January before we know it and little Haiden will be here! I am so excited...I'm ready to hold him in my arms and kiss him and love him.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

24 Weeks! 6 Months Already??

24 weeks...that's 6 months! My, how the time flies! He's still about a foot long and about 1.5 pounds. He can make a fist and grab his toes, he's so smart! They say you can hear his heartbeat if you put your ear to my tummy but we tried to hear it with a stethoscope last night and had no luck so I'm thinking we aren't gonna be able to hear it through the tummy. He has been more active this week, which makes me happy! And I'm sure you'll be glad to know, I passed the glucose and hemoglobin tests with flying colors! Yay! Not bad at all...just a small finger prick. Everything is right on track growth wise...my tummy is 24 centimeters...just where it is suppose to be for 24 weeks. We heard his heartbeat again...strong and fast, just as it should be! We asked Sharon's (our midwife) opinion on a good pediatrician and she recommended the doctors that share an office with her. She said they are the best and they look for alternatives before doling out prescriptions...which is right up our ally. I had also received a recommendation for them through my chiropractor, whose wife had just given birth, at home, a few months before. They have a monthly open house the last Tuesday of the month so we will attend that to meet them. I am excited to have that in place...one more thing to cross off my to do list!


Well, last week I told you we had contemplated getting a new car...a van to be more specific. After going over our finances and doing some research we decided it was a good time to buy...so we set a date to start looking. Well that date was Saturday but we couldn't wait...so last week on Wednesday night we went to Jacksonville Chrysler Jeep Dodge at 9A and Baymeadows and fell head over heels in love with a Clearwater Blue 2008 Chrysler Town and Country Touring Signature Series. It had everything we were looking for and more...it was a dream. Before we saw the dream van we saw a brand new 2010 and it was ok...then we looked at 2 more 2008's but the choice was clear...or Clearwater Blue rather. We had originally thought to look only at the 2009 or 10 models so we could get a slightly lower interest rate and we were able to find lots in our price range...but this 2008 was perfect and we thought we could get it for less than we had planned. Well, when we went in to find out the price, they said they had it listed for $26998...then they crossed it out and went to $23998...after we told them ain't no way in hell we are paying that for an 08...they came back with $21998...better but not good enough for an 08 we thought. We showed them a 2010 for only $20k in St. Augustine and we continued the haggling. After finding out some more details about the car, which we didn't know when we originally saw it...like how it was a Signature Series model (top of the line) and had features like remote start, blind spot sensors, a towing package, and took it for a test drive we decided it was worth it. We told them to throw in new tires and they had a deal. It was a significantly better deal then the 2010 because it had everything we wanted including leather seats plus it had all the extra's. After walking in at 6pm just browsing, we walked out at 10pm with a new car! How exciting!

The next day was a busy one...I had to go by the bank and get money for the deposit then take it over to the dealership. Then go sign the papers at Vystar downtown with Greg and take the check back to the dealership. Then I set up a date to bring the van back to have it's inspection and new tires put on. Saturday morning Greg took it to get his haircut then had it washed...he's such a sweetheart! We love the van so much...I never saw myself as a minivan momma but now I can't imagine my life without it! I took it Tuesday to have the work done and they gave me a rental...a Dodge Caliber and I hated it. I guess I have been spoiled. Oh well, that's the way I like me!

From Singapore
Isn't she a beaut!!

From Singapore

From Singapore
One DVD player down...the other stowed.

From Singapore
Little Haiden's seat!

As for the furniture...well it's almost done! We have to finish the clear coat on the crib then we are done! Hooray! I can't wait to see it all put back together and set up in his finished room (which will hopefully be soon)! I'm still waiting to hear on the wallpaper but I'm getting impatient...so I'll probably call today. And I'll be sure to post pictures the moment it's set up!

The weather has been wonderful this last week and Greg and I have taken complete advantage of it! We sit outside every night with the dogs on our couch, drinking our tea and settling down for bed. It has been so wonderful and because of it we have both slept great! What a nice time to have together.

Saturday night we went to dinner with Tim and Devon and had a great time...we haven't been out like that in quite a while and it was time. Last night we had dinner with Tommy and Gloria before they go on their trip to Hawaii...wish it were me! Everyone please wish them a safe and wonderful trip! And while you're at it, wish for a safe and pleasant recovery for Ashley Taylor who just had her appendix removed after 4 weeks of pain...she's such a trooper!

One last thing....I have had lot's of requests for our registry information...so here it is:

BabiesRUs is our main one, Target is a copy of some of the BabiesRUs items and Amazon is a list of those things you can't find at either of those stores. Our bedding and stroller accessories are on the Amazon registry and the household items like the swing, pack and play and highchair are on the BabiesRUs registry. Let me know if you need anymore info or if it looks like I have forgotten anything...it's been a common occurrence for me lately!