Still 25 weeks 6 days...some photos to share

Gift from Uncle D & Aunt A! How cute is that hoodie?! Sorry guys, I forgot to put the little socks in there, too.

Maddie's giant clodhopper ~ her weapon of choice.
Girl-parts. Poor daddy has had enough of everybody peeking at her 'stuff'!
Profile shot. That's a bit of her umbilical cord above her little face; the tech said it looked like she was blowing a bubble.
Cute things from Target!

Shelf in that Pepto Bismol pink! I found a couple 'Little Golden Books' that I had to get. I think my Gramma and Grump had the same one, because I remember seeing it before.
I made these little art pieces from 3D scrapbook stickers, an 8x12 frame, and some pre-cut mat.

'Baby Buggy'

'Ballet Beauty'

( you can't see it very well, but the dress is made from tulle and the little crown and wand are made of rhinestones)

'The Stork Bringeth'

These are the 'panoramic view' shots of the nursery closet that I couldn't upload before. Turns out I had only to change the batteries in the camera!

Ahhhhhh...sooo cozy!
Teeny Mary Jane's. I just didn't feel like she had enough pink shoes :)

25 weeks 6 days

Little Maddie had hiccups and I thought it would be neat to share them with you. Unfortunately, you can't see much and there are only three of them that the tech caught.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the last week in my second trimester! As of today, I have only 99 days left until our due date...99 days left out of 280 (the average length of human gestation). To celebrate, Nonny went on a Shipley's run this morning! We had great coffee called a "Christmas Blend" (duh! It had to be good, right!?) and enough donuts to make our tummies hurt. Madelyn Grace enjoyed both the caffeine and sugar buzz this morning and it felt like she was doing jumping-Jacks for about 30 minutes before she finally settled down some. As for myself, I am going to have a hundred pounds to lose by the time this is all said and done. I am exaggerating, of course, but not by much! I was chubby when we found out little Maddie was coming and it's getting progressively worse and worse. I went through my closet and was showing Nonny what a size 4 jean looks like; even my old trusty size 7's looked itty-bitty. So, roll on, January! Mamma's ready to brush away the thick layer of dust that has settled atop my TaeBo DVD's, ready to want salad again...hey, breastfeeding uses up about 600 calories an hour, too!

XOXO

25 weeks 4 days

Our follow up appointment with the specialist was this morning. Madelyn had hiccups for most of the scan, plus she didn't want to sit still. True to form, she kicked the transducer every time it passed over her! The tech verified that Maddie is still ALL girl and she's got some hair on her head already (which you can see in the 3D photos). I commented that I hoped her in utero hyperactivity is NOT a sign of what's to come!

Dr. R said that there are now multiple cysts on her right kidney, but it doesn't look like anything really dangerous (i.e. something like polycystic kidney syndrome or some kind of dysplastic disorder). He said that it looks like there is a partial blockage at where the right ureter (tube leading from each kidney to the bladder) and the bladder meet. Her amniotic fluid levels looked great and the fact that it wasn't one big, ballooning cyst means that her kidney is still functioning ~ just not as efficiently it should be. We have to go back next month and he asked us to schedule a consultation with a pediatric urologist in five weeks. I wish that there would have been no sign at all of those stupid cysts, but I am still thankful that, at this point, her prognosis is good. To celebrate, Nonny, Maddie, and I went to Galveston and ate lunch at a nice restaurant on the Gulf of Mexico. We had breads and salad, some shrimp bisque, fried fresh Gulf shrimp, and shared two tiny orders of dessert: one slice of warm pecan pie with vanilla ice cream and one slice of brownie-chocolate cake (ditto ice cream). Then we walked along the beach collecting sea shells and a sand dollar. I saw so many fish! I also saw a blue crab, a horseshoe crab, a dead stingray, and a dead soft shell crab. I am also pleased to report that none of the zillion sea gulls flying overhead pooped on me (a phobia of mine). I felt like a kid as I walked in the warm, salty water, pointing out tankers on the horizon or some seaweed that looked frighteningly similar to what I imagine a jellyfish would look like. I also felt so in love with my husband...we've never been to the ocean together ~ he didn't even know that I liked being around the water! We spent some precious moments together with our pant legs rolled up, the Gulf breeze whipping around us, walking hand in hand along the shore...

XOXO

25 weeks 3 days

Madelyn kicked like crazy this morning, thereby helping me to remember to take my photo BEFORE I ate anything! She woke me up twice last night because she was kicking so hard. I kept having dreams over and over about chubby babies ~ I don't remember dreaming about anything else; just cute babies with cheeks so chubby that all I wanted to do was pinch them!

XOXO

25 weeks 1 day

I had a little cramping and some spotting today, so I went to see Dr. B. Everything looks good except that I might have a kidney stone. He asked the tech to scan me really quick and Maddie was opening her mouth and thrashing around, so the tech said, "Hold on, I wanna see something..." She switched from the regular ultrasound to the 4D type; those three photos are of our beautiful little girl. She is 2 pounds 1 ounce and is measuring almost 2 weeks bigger than she should be. I am crazy in love! I've got to get back to work, so I'll update later.

XOXO

Ok, it's later!

After the day from hell, I finally got to my Lamaze class last night. Nonny was a little late, but he didn't miss much. We have ten other nice couples in our class and our instructor is an RN who works in the Mother - Baby unit at our hospital. She explained tons of stuff to the husbands, my personal favorite being the 27 pound sack she had one dad put on to demonstrate what us ladies have to go through! She led us through a relaxation/visualization exercise and had our husbands give us a little massage. The funny part was after laying on the floor for the relaxation exercise with the lights turned off and soft music playing, all us preggos had to stand up...it looked like someone had just gone cow-tipping! It was painful to watch some of the other women who are further along trying to get to their feet. Well, mostly it was funny, but kind of painful, too. I loved it and I can hardly wait for next week, when we get to practice different birthing positions!

That was a joke, for my gentlemen readers.

XOXO

25 weeks 0 days

Today, I found out that we've opened up yet ANOTHER surgery slot at work! So much for trying to take things a little easier...you know, being pregnant and all. It's already becoming a challenge to try to keep up with things ~ I feel slow and uncoordinated and my ankles are threatening to call it quits by 3pm.

With that off of my chest, I thought I'd mention the funniest thing: After my alarm went off this morning, I rolled over and cuddled with Nonny to wake him and I had my belly to his back. Suddenly, Maddie started kicking him like crazy, right in his butt! She must have socked him 15-20 times. It was hilarious! She also had a little hiccup that my mom felt when she held her hand to my tummy. Even though it was small, I was still happy she got to feel something.

Last, but not least, our first of five Lamaze classes starts this evening! How exciting is that?? I will let y'all know how it goes, of course.

XOXO

24 weeks 3 days

*** FYI ~ this was taken right after lunch (excuses, excuses)! Only three months left. Three long months to keep ballooning out. Kinda like Shamu. Ugghhhhh...

XOXO

Update: 24 weeks 1 day

Dr. B's nurse called to tell me that our abdominal ultrasounds came back normal!
XOXO

24 weeks 1 day

Arrrrggg! Dr. B's office still has not called about our abdominal scan results. I left a message for his nurse, but I'm getting impatient. Hopefully the lag in communication means that our insides look absolutely fabulous and Maddie's little kidney issue is something simple, not genetic. To pass the time, I registered for "Prepared Childbirth" classes, a "Caring For Newborn" class, and our Labor & Delivery ward tour! Exciting, no? For a mere $95.00 we'll be armed and ready for birthing this little human being into this crazy world. It's funny the way time passes when this incredible, life changing experience is looming just ahead of us...so slow it seems, then suddenly it's already near the end of September! I am ready to meet her. I am also ready for maternity leave...twelve weeks and four days. And counting.

XOXO

Photo From Friday, 23 weeks 4 days

23 weeks 6 days

Whooopie! So, I spent the weekend getting the furniture together, making things look pretty, and pissing off Nonny because I didn't want his help. Come on, now...I've seen him put boxed furniture together before and I know he'd do more cussing than puttin'-togethering. It wasn't really hard and I only cried once! The headboard and foot board were unassembled and the (crappy) directions for the crib only showed them assembled so as to connect them to the slide rail (which I have no clue how to work!). I bawled my eyes out because I didn't know how to put the stupid things together, until I realized that the 'extra' set of directions was actually the diagram for the head/foot board assembly! Thankfully, I was alone so I was the only witness to my pregnant stupidity. Ugh!

This past Friday was my regular check up with Dr. B and he finally fussed at me regarding my weight gain. So, instead of being sympathetic, Nonny immediately tattled on me that I'd been living on peanut M&M's and macaroni and cheese! He neglected to mention that HE GETS ME THE M&M's and the mac & cheese is Lean Cuisine! After giggling at my apparent look of mortification, Dr. B told me that his own wife gained a bunch of weight with all three of their children and, should I continue on my current trend, I will no doubt be exercising alongside her at 5:30am at the local YMCA. Nonny and I also had our abdominal scans done (FINALLY) and should hear back from the doctor tomorrow. My next appointment with Dr. R, our specialist, is September 28th...hopefully Maddie's little cyst isn't growing along with her kidney.

XOXO

Room with a view...sort of. This is our front garden which is actually compiled of hibiscus, zinnia's, black-eyed Susan's, foxglove, sweet pea's, and ~ grass! There are two azalea bushes somewhere in there, but I think the weeds are blocking their sunlight!

The crib & changing station...
Dresser and glider...and blanket and pillow and stuffed snail and the singing bug and piggy bank and lamp and Maddie-sign and some books I picked up. Ok, now I can take a breath...
Crib detail & matching wall hangings...
Another view...
Madelyn's very own walk-in closet! Just what every newborn needs...
(I have a few more photos, but for some reason my computer won't upload them for the time being. I'll get them up as soon as I can.)

23 weeks 1 day

After a long day at work, I sat in rush hour traffic to get to Baby's R' Us for this little switchplate cover. I also got some kid's clothes hangers, a diaper changing pad cover, and some pink booties! They finally had the size 0-6 month tights, so I had to get them...they are so tiny!

XOXO

23 weeks 0 days

Well, my second appointment for my abdominal ultrasound was supposed to be this morning, but the tech didn't show up AGAIN! That is not how I like to start my Monday morning...thankfully, they didn't wait an hour this time to tell me she hadn't come in to work so I didn't have to starve for too long.

on a nicer note, Maddie and I are 23 weeks along! Currently, she is enjoying the Burger King breakfast we had this morning :)

XOXO

22 weeks 6 days

Ok! Who knew that the flash function on the camera would actually make a difference?! The top two pictures represent the actual colors we used...and, yes, that's Nonny hard at work! Since I can't climb on the ladder, he got to do all the 'tall' work.

The brown window treatment is a painter's paper...it was dark out and the whole neighborhood could see into our house.
(For some reason, I can't delete the next two photos. Sorry!)

Just wanted to post the first photos of the nursery! It looks gorgeous in person and I can hardly wait to get the carpet finished, the furniture together, and have everything ready. Because she is so obviously excited about her new pink palace, Madelyn decided to thank us by doing what can only be described as a cartwheel ~ Nonny saw my belly move - really move - for the first time this morning...it was amazing.

XOXO

22 weeks 4 days

Ok ~ I'm not exactly sure what specimen of bug this is supposed to be, but her cheeks light up and she plays a fabulous rendition of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.



Wal-Mart has some winter stuff on sale, so I thought I'd pick up a couple things...you know, for when it drops down into the 40's.

This photo does this little three-piece absolutely no justice! The flower pattern is adorable and there's a teensy little bear embroidered on the right.

This is the 'before' shot of the nursery. Nonny got the paint that I wanted and I'm pretty sure we're going to start on it this weekend. We had some water leak into the room when we first moved in, so the carpet - which was brand new - has to be replaced.

So, today I was supposed to get my abdominal scan done at 8:00 in the morning. I check in and am waiting...and waiting...and waiting. Finally, at almost 9, the receptionist comes out and says the tech never showed up and they can't get a hold of her. Would I like to wait? I reminded her that I'm freakin' PREGNANT and have been fasting for the last nine hours so, no, I would not like to wait. She rescheduled me for Monday. Then, my work day...I'm not sure if this blog is read by any of my dear coworkers and/or superiors, so I can't elaborate on my joyous morning...suffice it to say, "GRRRRRRRRR!!". However, I've been repeating today's mantra, "T.G.I.F. ~ T.G.I.F.", so I've been feeling a little better. I also took a much-needed shopping trip to Wal-Mart to spend the $50.oo gift card they sent me for providing us with detestable customer service. Did I tell y'all about that? Well, after comparing prices on the nursery furniture, I found out that Wal-Mart carried the exact same items that Baby's 'R Us does, only cheaper. Plus, they'll ship it to the store for free which saves us the $200.00 in shipping costs. So I ordered it and was told that it would arrive in three separate shipments. No problem, right?? Except that each time Nonny and I went to pick up our things, there was nobody at the 'Site-To-Store' desk (where internet orders are picked up) and they've conveniently disabled the electronic 'call' button. The desk is right next to where the 'Employees Only' area is, so we're standing there waiting as upwards of twenty people walk by without asking if we need help. Nonny flags someone down, she promises to find someone to help us, and then she disappears. All three times were like this! No one would help us! After calling the district manager to complain, they sent Nonny and I a gift card. I can't imagine being at my job and acting the way those employees were acting...it took nearly an hour each time to get someone to help. THEN, the kid that was sent to help us load our things (because I can't help lift the 105 pound crib & 60 pound glider) SITS DOWN ON THE BENCH IN THE SHOE DEPARTMENT as soon as the supervisor left! Do you know what he said to us?!? 'Man, I was on my break.' Nonny was left hoisting the huge boxes into the truck bed all by himself.

Sorry I'm complaining today ~ it's been a while since I've had an honest-to-goodness bad day. I feel fussy and fat and hot and ready to get this show on the road! I know it'll be here before I know it, but sometimes January seems like forever away. Then I remember that, as of today, I've only got THREE MONTHS AND 29 DAYS LEFT until my estimated due date. I feel like she might be a little early (of course, I need to confer with Grump to see if I'm right!). There's just so much preparing to do and some days go fast, some drag...ughhh. T.G.I.F. ~ T.G.I.F. ~ T.G...

XOXO

22 weeks 3 days

Well, I finally had to invest in some new scrubs for work! Unfortunately, unless you're willing to spend $30 or $40, pickins are quite slim. Not a single stretch mark yet (famous last words).

Nonny and I have our abdominal ultrasounds scheduled, which means that we have doctor appointments three out of four of the Fridays in September. Our regular visit with Dr. B is next Friday and our scan to check Madelyn's kidney with Dr. R is on the 28th. There are 32 days until she has a good chance of surviving if I were to go into labor prematurely, eight weeks and two days until the baby shower, 14 weeks and three days until she's considered full term, 15 weeks and three days until Christmas eve, and 17 weeks and three days until our actual due date...tick tock tick tock.

XOXO

21 weeks 6 days

Is there no end to the shopping-for-baby madness?!? After dragging Nonny through Baby's R' Us, we amazingly emerged with only three little rattles: a little lamb, a teddy bear, and a rouge-cheeked hippo. As for the piggy bank ~ I've been obsessed with getting one for nearly a week and I have no idea why. Once I find those elusive brown Mary Jane's that I've been searching for, I think my shopping extravaganza will be over. They were the reason for the trip back to the baby store in the first place; they had one pair left which was in a size 2T. In fact, I don't think I saw a single size 0 in any of the shoes.

We've broken ground on the nursery this weekend, as well. Nonny has started to empty out his junk room to make way for my decorating expertise. I think I've peeked into the room at least once a day (if not two or three times!), trying to imagine the best possible places for the furniture that will occupy it. So, except for finding Fred-Face a new loving home, all of our duck are in a row...well, as much as they can be. I can't decide whether or not to keep Puddy. Ever since her excursion to the great outdoors (which ended in a nasty kitty brawl with a neighborhood Tom and two full months of quarantine from the rest of our animals - did I mention the $1000 vet bill?), the other cats constantly beat her up. Poor, poor Puddy. Now the dummy is back to trying to run outside again, as if I don't have enough to worry about. Ah well.

Anyhow, to end today's entry I wanted to share that little Madelyn has been a kicking machine for the last few days. Nonny can feel them all the time now, so she's definitely getting some muscle behind her movements. She kicks at his hand when he's resting it on my belly. She also kicks at my pants waistband, my seat belt, or my thigh when I lay down and curl up. I've been humming to her or playing a lullaby album with headphones on my tummy which always gets her moving. It's incredible! Just four more months until she's here. Thankfully these months are jam-packed full of holidays, so maybe they will go by quickly.

XOXO