Baby Belly @ 25weeks and 2days....

Fetal development in pregnancy week 25:

Your little grower’s physical proportions are evening out at this point and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and lots and lots of nervous system development. The good news is: if your child is born premature now they’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma as their lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day. Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back. All that hard work and conscientious living is really getting your child prepared for a healthy delivery. Keep up the fabulous work mama! This week they’ll be scootching slowly out of the old breech position and start rotating (already!) into a better position for exit during their birth. Their head and feet are slowly rotating so that the head is pointed down towards the birth canal. Time is short (or really long, depending on who you ask)—just (still!) 14 weeks left before you can go back to being a single-resident human.

Week 24 in Babyville....

This is another big week for your magical growing baby! Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls: secreting “surfactant”. What’s that? Well, surfactant is sort of what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat whose main purpose is to assist the your baby's little lungs during inflation (as in, filling with air, not getting more expensive). Just in case you’re curious, your submerged baby is still breathing in amniotic fluid, preparing and rehearsing the lungs an oxygen-filled life outside the womb. By the end of this week, your child will be weighing around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. Your cutie-patootie may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!

23 weeks in Babyville.....

At this point you’ve pretty much adjusted to the fact you’ve got a moving little gymnast inside of you, but now they’re going to kick up the party a notch because they can hear and react to sounds from the outside world. Sounds from your alarm clock, a thunder roll, or that darned car honking at you across the intersection can actually jar their little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming. Of course this also means that their little ears are picking up the sounds of your voice and those near you. So go ahead, sing a lullaby to your little angel—if they start kicking, it’s likely they just want you to stop… or maybe it was a kick of approval? You decide. Your baby's tiny taste buds are still growing and their bones are continuing to ossify (harden), their tiny veins are visible through their translucent yet wrinkly skin. (Think of it this way: they’ve been swimming in the equivalent of a long hot bath for the past 23 weeks, so you can’t blame them for being a little prune-like.)

Babyville update...21 Weeks...

Your beautiful little miracle-gro baby will be putting on a full ounce and a half this week (and weighing up to 16.5 ounces), but that’s just the beginning! Within the next five weeks, they’ll really be packin’ it on! For now, we’re pleased to report the addition of rapid eye movement (REM) a key component to any healthy baby’s sleep schedule. While in the dermatology department: their thin soft skin is very red, rather translucent, and a bit wrinkled. Not to worry, it’s not a premature aging disease. It's just their clever little body setting them up with extra space that will smooth out once your little one starts packing on the baby-fat. That won’t be for a few more weeks, though. So for the time being, your munchkin is still a little lean mean growing machine!



Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be heading to the hospital tonight to take care of the ladies who won't be able to spend Thanksgiving with their families because they're stuck in on our unit.  And although I really, really don't want to go to work tonight, at least I get to go home in the morning and spend Thanksgiving with my family.  I'll get home at 8:30, take a shower and get dressed again, and we'll head to the in-laws for a yummy Thanksgiving dinner.  Can I just tell you that I cannot wait for the turkey, dressing, mashed  potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, broccoli, cheese and rice casserole, deviled eggs, and rolls.  And lets not forget the pecan pie...Oh my gosh, I can't wait!!!!  I am so thankful this year for my wonderful husband, great kids...who drive me crazy every day, a beautiful home, good jobs, and this new baby girl....and a grand baby....that will be joining our family next year!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Monday, Monday......

I have to work tonight, Wednesday, and Friday, and can I just say, I am so not in the mood.  The last night I worked was crazy, horrible, chaos, then I went in to help out Friday morning, and I'm just so not ready to go back.  We are completely full, so no room at the inn...which is good because that means we can't get any admissions during the middle of the night, but it would be nice to only have like 8 patients...lol!  Hopefully tonight will go by quickly, and smoothly, and I won't spend it chasing babies on the monitor all night long! 

Baby update, Week 20....

Only 20 more weeks to go!


Woohoo! I'm FINALLY half way through my pregnancy! This week I'm carrying 10.5 inches and 10.5 oz of growing baby-goodness! My perfect little monkey now has their first eyelashes, eyebrows, and their tiny teeth buds are sprouting beneath the gum line.

In Week 17 of Babyville .....

As you’ve come to expect, there’s no shortage of growth and development this week: your fantastic little bean stalk has added yet another half inch to their overall height-- making them nearly half a foot long! Their little limbs have reached (or are within one week of) their relative proportions, and will continue to grow evenly with the rest of the body after this week. Reactive listening has begun for your baby, even though their ears are not yet structurally complete or fully functional. Meanwhile, different parts of their astonishingly complex brain are developing to process your little one’s hearing and other senses, (you know, sight, smell, taste and touch). Mind boggling factoid of the week: since you’re having a little girl, her ovaries have already produced millions of primordial egg cells, which, within a few weeks, will develop into actual eggs! Phew… just wait till she’s a teenager eh?

People are bugging me lately......

It really chaws me when people ask me if we're having a boy or a girl, and I tell them a girl.  98% of the time, we get, "Oh, another girl huh?"  And they say it with that certain tone in their voice that says I'm sorry it's another girl.  And usually they will follow up with, "Were you hoping for a boy?"  No, we weren't hoping for a boy, we were hoping for healthy.  Look people, while a boy would have been nice because it would have been a new experience, a girl is just as awesome, because we know what that entails, and I get to dress her in lots of pink and get her a tutu, and this way we don't have to deal with the difficulty of potty training a little boy, and having him pee all over the place!  Just a little piece of advice, if we tell you we're having a girl, just say congratulations.  The end.

Way to go Rangers.....



For the first time in Rangers history, they will be going to the World Series! 

Finally one of my teams is making me proud this year.

Go Rangers!!!!!!

Where are we in babyville......

We are here:
Fetal development in pregnancy week 15: fetus in fourth month Your nearly four-inch long gymnast is happily mobile inside your womb and if you're really lucky, you’ll notice a point when your sneezing, coughing or laughing results in a little kick here or a poke there. Still, many women don't feel anything until the 17th week or later. Although the poking and kicking isn't very charming during sleeping hours, it’s a good sign as it means your baby is actually reacting to outside events. Yay! You’ve got yourself one active healthy baby! Their little elbows and knees are bending more freely this week and their little legs are finally growing longer than their arms and getting pumped up for prenatal Richard Simmons. Many of their major organ systems are increasing in capacity—particularly that amazing tiny heart and complex circulation system, which is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day, and will increase to a very impressive 200 quarts per day by the end of the pregnancy. As far as hair goes, we’ve got some new scalp patterns beginning to develop on the head, although actual head hair is not yet present.

And I do have to say, if recent events are any indication, I will no longer be able to go into public by April.  I must just have some type of beacon...much like those that signal to tornadoes where all the trailer parks are located..that alert all of the morons in the Kannapolis/Salisbury area of North Carolina know exactly where I am at any given moment, so they can scope me out and get in my way.  Honestly, by the time April arrives, and I'm pushing 40 weeks pregnant, I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the stupidity.

Finally......

After the longest two weeks of my life, we finally know the results of our CVS testing.  Yes, we are having a baby....we're 13 weeks and 4 days along.  We now know that we have a chromosonally....is that even a word....healthy baby growing in here, and we also know that we won't be having any blue, footballs, or bull riding in our future, because we're having a baby girl.

Pain.....

I don't think there's anything more painful in life than dealing with teenagers, and dealing with 2 at one time is excruciating( I was dealing with 3, but the oldest has moved out(which is probably a good thing, because one of the 3 might not still be breathing.)  I swear, if it's not one thing, it's another...."I don't feel good,  do I have to go to school?"  "I can't clean my room, I have too many clothes."  "My ovaries hurt, can I stay home?"  Her-" I want to join the Marines."  Me-"You can't join the Marines, you have asthma."  Her-"Why can't you ever support me?"  "I need gas money."  " I need minutes on my phone." Her-"should I apply to colleges?"  Me- "Well, you can apply, but most likely won't be accepted because you don't have 2 years of the same foreign language." Her-"So you're saying I'm not smart enough to go to college?"  Yet another way I'm not supportive of her and am doing my best to ruin her life.  ARRRRGGGHHHHHH! 

I do not recall being this difficult as a teenager, and I'm pretty certain I wasn't, because I spent most of my time just trying to keep my head down and not rock the boat.  I'm not sure who's teenage years I'm being punished for, but I think I've done my time.  Can't a girl catch a break?

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting.....

on big news that is coming in about 10 days....then I can share, and I can't wait!

Fall.....

I love, love, love Fall, and am so ready for it to finally arrive. 

Here's what I love about Fall.

Seeing the leaves change

Putting up the Halloween decorations

The crisp, cool days

Pumpkins

Carmel apples

Pumpkin Patch and Leaves scented oil from Bath and Body Works

Halloween candy

The smell of leaves outside

Football

Being able to make soup, chili, and stew again

Mums

Leaving the windows open

and most of all....

The Fair!

Never forget.

Big News Coming Soon......

but you still have to wait for it!

Family

We had family in this past weekend, and it was amazing! I got to meet my niece, Elizabeth, for the first time....

And I got to see my brother and sister-in-law, and grandmother...who I haven't seen in 3 years!

And to see my cousins that I haven't seen since 2004!

We had an awesome time, and hope it's not quite so long before we see everyone again!

Here's a the Carnes Clan...

Mike, Rachel, and Elizabeth...

My grandma and the great-grandkids....

And a couple more of "E"...the best baby in the world!

I love you all!

Waiting, waiting.....

Seems like that is all I'm doing these days.  Waiting to ovulate, waiting to pee on a stick, waiting for my period, and then doing it all over again.  Waiting is not something I'm very good at....guess God is trying to teach me patience.  We heard some cuts are coming at work....hopefully not bedside nursing positions, but it is a bit stressful, and I guess it would be nice to know I still have a job before I get knocked up.  Off for more waiting.

Not this month.....

two months down, and not pregnant yet.  Guess I win that bet....Chad said we'd be pregnant in 2 months....well, not so much.  And I'm not sure I like this trying to get pregnant thing....I'm not certain I have the patience for it.  Oh well, someone else is in charge here, and it's not me.  Not sure I like that, but we all know the saying about telling God your plans, right? 

Oh well, onto another month.

Well, May was not our month...

No need for peeing on a stick this go-round.  My period showed when I was on my trip to Texas to pickup Kayla...and it was several days early...fun, fun!  Oh well, on to June.  I think I've decided that my tentative plan is to try for 3 months without an ovulation predictor kit, then 3 months with, and if still no luck, on to see my Ob-gyn for the devil drug Clomind.  I am scared of trying Clomid because I work on a high-risk maternity unit, and I have seen first hand what it can do...twins and more, so it kinda freaks me the heck out, but we'll do what we need to do I guess.  So onto more baby making I guess!

Chapter 1 continued...

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do at this baby-making thing.  For one, I am totally paranoid that my crusty 37..almost 38 year old eggs, aren't up for the journey.  I just keep thinking how ironic it would be that, after bringing 3 beautiful babies into the world for people who weren't able to carry children of their own, that I would now have the same issue.  Secondly, I am not the most patient person in the world when it comes to these types of issues.  I mean, I have done 5 rounds of IVF during my surrogacy years, and it's pretty cut and dry....you have the embryos implanted, and then about 5 to 7 days later, you start peeing on a stick, and hopefully get to see a big freaking +.  Then about a a week later, you head to the Dr's office for a blood draw to tell you what your numbers are (this would be your quantitative HCG test to tell you if you are pregnant...number over 25 means yes, you are pregnant).  Then you go back in 2 days later for another (to tell you if your numbers are doubling like they should, which indicates yes, you are pregnant).  All of this is referred to as the 2 week wait.  Then in about 2 more weeks, you go in for an ultrasound and get a peek at the little one. 

Well, needless to say, I thought all of that was hard, but now that I am trying for a little one of my own, I am going out of my mind already.  I mean, I am only in the "you should be fertile now" phase, and dealing with all the logistics that I referred to in my last post, and my schedule, and the stress of will I get to be on call one night, and what if we miss my most fertile day, ect., and I am already going bonkers!!!!  I know that the Lord has a plan for us, baby or no baby, and I know it will all happen in his time, not mine, and I am trying really hard to leave it to him, but if you know me at all, you know how much of a planner I am, and how I don't do very well if I'm not in control of the situation. 

But for now, I guess, I am just in for a whole new week wait.  Sigh.

Adventures in Babymaking Chapter 1....

Wow, long gone are they days when you decide you want to have a baby and you just get busy making one.  When you work nights like I do, and leave the house at 5:30pm, and don't get home until 8:30am, and your husband leaves the house at 6am, and gets home at 6pm, you can't even call it ships passing in the night (unless you count waving at each other on the highway).  I have a feeling that it is going to require planning equal to a top secret mission in order for us to get all the logistics right to be at the same place, at the same time, during the "right" time in order for us to be successful!  And there are so many "rules" that I never did when I was having babies when I was younger...no caffeine, no hot baths, no hot dogs, blah, blah, blah.  It is going to be very interesting to see how well I function on a 12 hour shift with no caffeine!  Let's just hope it's still as easy as it was all those years ago when all I had to do was think about getting pregnant...or not think about considering 2 of the 3 were "oops" babies....although I have a feeling my dusty, old eggs might have something to say about that!

Almost There.....

We are just two weeks away from joining the "trying to get pregnant" club.  It seems like we have been waiting forever.  First we were going to start trying in January.  Then I decided we needed a little more time to prepare  (ie: pay bills off and save more money...of which we've made very little headway, since life seems to keep getting in the way).  Anyway, we are just two weeks away, and it seems like the time has flown by so quickly.  Now all the thoughts of morning sickness, heartburn, and aches and pains are starting to seep in and freak me out just a little.  Not that I am a stranger to any of these, since I am practically a professional childbirther, but the thoughts of wondering if I/we are really ready, are still there.  I wonder if one is ever really ready, but I know it all works itself out in the end.  Chad seems to think we will be pregnant within a month or two, but I am not so easily convinced, as I will soon be 38, and my eggs are probably on covered in cobwebs, and will need a walker to get from point A to point B.  After having three children of my own (when I was much younger), and doing 5 rounds of IVF to conceive 3 surro-kiddos, coupled with working on an antepartum unit, makes one way to knowledgeable about everything that can go wrong during the process.  I do however, have faith that it will all work out however it is meant to, and just have to accept that someone other than me is in charge.  Ready or not, parenthood, here we come again!

The Pill-less life...

I have to say, it was very strange not to be taking my BCPs last night.  This will be the first time in a very long time...like years, and years, that I have not taken a birth control pill....other than for a surrogacy related pause.  I kept thinking all night, gotta remember to take my pill, and then would have to remind myself, nope, it's all good.  Very strange I tell ya.  It will be interesting to see how my body does without all the hormones I've been pumping into myself for the last 12 years or so.  Let's hope my body does what it's supposed to do and we can get onto the business of baby making!

My favorite things....

A few days ago fellow blogger Kelly @ http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ posted about simple pleasures and favorite things, so although I'm a couple of days late, I figured better late than never. So here they are...my favorite things.

Sonic Cherry Limeaid

Braums peppermint Ice cream and chocolate marshmellow sundaes

Bubble baths

Football, and Ice Hockey

All things Bath and Body Works

Massages

Fresh, clean sheets

Babies laughing

Christmas Lights

Rainy days

Snow cones

Listening to the waves roll in

Pickles

Waking up in the middle of the night only to realize you have another hour of sleep

Snuggling with my honey

Texas

Whataburger

My kiddos

Home Sweet Home

PJs and slippers

Blogging

And these are a few of my favorite things!

Ob-gyn yesterday....

Ok, so while I love the fact that my OB-Gyn is so wonderful, I do not like that fact that so many other women also think so.  I already know he is in high demand when it takes about 2 months to get in for an annual exam, but seriously.  The waiting room was full, and with only one person checking people in, the line was at least 3 women deep at any given time.  My appointment was at 10, but I didn't get called back until about 10:30.  And although I had worked a 13 hour shift the night before, and was going on no sleep, I didn't really mind waiting, because as I said, he is wonderful! 

Anyway, it looks like I'll be going off the pill after I finish this pack so we can see if I'm ovulating in preparation for the baby making in a few months.  Let's all hope my periods come regularly (the best indication of ovulation), so that we don't have to look at the Clomid option.  Yay!  It's nice to finally be starting towards the baby making in June!

WHATEVER!

So I suppose now we're supposed to believe this crazy loon went from photo A, to photo B, with no assistance from plastic surgery?????  I'm sorry, I'm all for hard work and all, but can I just say...liar, liar, pants on fire???!!!??? 

Her skin alone would hang down to her clown car vagina.  Not to mention the fact that her belly looks like a freaking road map of the US in the before picture...did she discover a magic cure for stretch marks while "working out".  Nope, sorry, I call foul on this one.  My educated guess is she got her new body the same way she got all those babies she didn't really need....good old fashioned medial intervention....and I'm guessing she didn't have to pay for it either.  Nice to know all those kids are paying off for her in such a productive manner.  All aboard the crazy train!

College Football....

Tonight is the BCS National Championship, and all I can say is.........

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!