30 Weeks 2 Days

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29 Weeks 5 Days

I found two tiny stretch marks on my left hip this week. Ask me how thrilled I am...

Our room, our view, and a bed that rivals the comfiness of our own! It was so cozy!

16 floors up makes for a pretty view, but it was a little frightening
Sunset over the Gulf
The lights from tankers and oil platforms on the horizon

What a wonderful weekend we had...

Our ultrasound with Dr. R went very well ~ Dr. R said he is really in amazement, that he was expecting Maddie's kidney to "blow up" (a term that I could have done without). She has a cystocele where the right ureter joins the bladder, so it's almost certain that her cysts are being caused by a malplacement of the ureter into the bladder. It should be simple to fix and shouldn't cause any trouble. We meet with the pediatric urologist next Friday to see what he has to say. As far as the fun part of the ultrasound, Madelyn was blinking her eyes and taking practice breaths! She was licking her lips and opening her mouth (in the video below). The sonographer tried to get some good 4-D images, but the little stinker had her hands in front of her face (also in a video below!). She weighed in at an estimated 4lbs 2oz and her size is 31 weeks 6 days (actual dates are only 29 weeks 4 days). Her foot measured nearly two inches long! It was a perfect start to a perfect weekend. The San Luis was beautiful, the Gulf was as blue as it gets, and at 71 degrees you couldn't ask for nicer weather. Our room was on the 16th floor which made for a beautiful view. I was a little intimidated by the balcony, imagining myself plummeting to the pavement below every time I went out there. I have no idea why my mind does that...it was scary. We enjoyed good seafood, good Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and found a tasty little hole-in-the-wall place that had really good authentic Greek food (which has been tough to find in Texas). Our mini getaway was just what we needed - no dogs, no cats, no cleaning, no work to do - just happiness together.
XOXO

Madelyn Grace in 4-D!



Madelyn Grace in 2-D

29 Weeks 3 Days

(The clothes I ordered from The Children's Place came today!)

Today, I went to sign all of the necessary papers at the hospital and I started getting all wishy-washy as I spied four new mommies getting ready to leave with their little treasures. One mommy had her twins in her arms as the daddy got the car seats ready. Another sat at the entrance in her wheelchair, gazing down at her pink-swaddled bundle. One mommy was looking exhausted as she held her little boy; the poor thing had an entourage of about twenty people surrounding her. The last mommy was being wheeled down the corridor carrying a tiny little girl in her arms...

I can hardly believe that we are already 30 weeks and there's only a few more until Maddie will be here. One of the papers I signed was a consent for treatment for Maddie ~ it was really weird to see "MOM" written next to my signature.

XOXO

Web Photos From Galveston (this is the 3rd & final post for today, I promise!)

The San Luis Resort on the seawall
This is where we're spending next weekend...

Our First Stint As Investors!

This is our first investment property (I only got to be the project designer since I was pregnant throughout the process; I wish I could have done some actual work!). We have a nice lady who rents it with her three sons. I'm posting these because I am proud of my sweet Nonny and his fearlessness...I can't wait to begin on our next project.

P.S. The photos are 'After' and 'Before' ~ they're all in here backwards!

Secondary bath

Secondary bath jetted tub
Living room with accent wall :)
Living and small dining area
Flagstone patio, french drains, and sun porch
Master bath and huge L-shaped master closet

Master tub
Master bedroom
Second bedroom (this is the former "Blue & Green Room" pictured below!)
Third bedroom - there isn't a good 'before' picture of this, but it had a home made trundle bed, orange-brown linoleum tile floor, and a single french door entry! It was incredibly ugly.
View into the kitchen
Refinished cabinets and new counter tops
Pass-thru
Master bath
BEFORE:

The patio, which had a bar tall enough to comfortably serve someone 7 feet tall and enclosed with wood meant to be used indoors! Yes, that is the other French door (the other was used in the 3nd bedroom)

Master bath
Master bedroom. The sink was a horrible painted bowl and pedestal thing. The faucet fixture: the direct pipes from the wall!
Master bath/closet
Blue & Green second bedroom
The worlds ugliest kitchen. That is, indeed, blue and peach tile counters & back-splash! The cabinets?! Your basic bottom-of-the-line pieces of crap. Blaaaghh!

Another view of the kitchen. I know you're jealous!
I was in horror when Nonny first showed me this house! When I get a chance, I'll drive by and take an 'After' shot. The tree was removed, the siding was painted, and the yard was landscaped.
Yuck!
The backyard with flagstone everywhere, hardly any grass, and the shed ~ again, made from non-treated wood! It was moldy and falling apart.
Our contractor and best friend looking excited about all the work to be done!

The living room ~ the fireplace was accented in diarrhea-brown
The lighting needed some desperate help!
Living space
More ugly kitchen!

28 Weeks 5 Days

My weekly belly photo is getting more difficult to take without the aid of a mirror! That is a sleepy Jekka, first thing in the morning (hence the neck-down shot).

On a necessary trip to my beloved Baby's 'R Us, I picked up a couple things. Still no sign of the little brown shoes in size 0! They had two pairs: a size 1 and a size 4...Grrrrrrrrr

An embellished bookcase/toy shelf...plain ol' pink was too boring for me, so I added some glittery flowers.

And the toys arrive!!! Included in the shipment were two of the COOLEST Sesame Street books I've ever seen! I may keep them for myself :)
I finally put up the shelves and hung the pictures. I'm still waiting for the rest of the dolls to arrive.

Oops! This picture was supposed to be with the rest of the clothes. Another winter outfit for Princess Madelyn.

This morning, Nonny served up some coconut cream pie and coffee for breakfast! He is the best husband in the world! Next Friday, he is taking me to Galveston (after our appointment with Dr. R) to spend the weekend. It's what I wanted for my birthday. The weather is finally starting to cool off some, so hopefully it will be nice. I will post some photos of where we're staying in a second!

Madelyn is making much bigger movements this week ~ my whole belly wiggles and shapeshifts every time she moves. I love to sit and watch her scooting around in there; I'll try to catch it on camera later :)

XOXO

28 Weeks 1 Day

Disney Princess toy shelf.
(I keep seeing Maddie's beautiful furnishings a year or two from now, covered in Crayola marker...)

It's a WHAAAAAMPIE!!! (My parents will understand that) ...Thank you to the soon-to-be Mrs. Estes.

Matching bootie-flower...
Ebay fever...

Disney princess toy shelf, Einstein Baby & Lamaze brand toys...it's official: I AM ADDICTED TO EBAY!!! I also received the following books (maybe some of you remember these):

Where the Sidewalk Ends
A Light In the Attic

The Missing Piece

True, Shel Silverstein is a little advanced for a newborn ~ but come on! I couldn't help myself :)

XOXO

28 Weeks 0 Days

(Photo 27 weeks 3 days)

Time is moving at a slow crawl and I am ready to meet our Maddie. Still 63 days until we're considered full term ~ I've decided to no longer count all the way till our actual due date...it seems like an eternity away! She has been crazy active in there, punching to the left and kicking (really hard!) to the right. Every minute that I feel her move is incredible and precious. My appointments with Dr. B are now every two weeks instead of once a month. At my visit with him on Friday, he told me not to totally dismiss the idea of anesthesia...my impression was that he feels like 'He's the doctor and knows better than I do'. Kinda irritating to me, as I don't feel that my requests are too far fetched:

1. No epidural unless medically necessary.

2. No students/residents in my room.

3. Ability to walk and move around to help labor progress.

4. NO PITOCIN UNLESS NECESSARY!

5. I want to push in a position that incorporates GRAVITATIONAL assistance! We like gravity.

Naive? He seemed to think so. We'll see!

XOXO

27 Weeks 0 Days

HOORAY for the beginning of the third, and final, trimester! There are currently:
23 days until my birthday
26 days until the baby shower
45 days until Thanksgiving
67 days until my last day at work
70 days until we're FULL TERM!!!
90 days until Maddie's due date
XOXO

26 weeks 3 days

It is still 90 degrees in Texas ~ it is autumn for crying out loud! My ankles have become the dreaded "Cankles" by around 5pm each day, my feet have grown from a 7 1/2 to an 8 1/2, and Miss Maddie has discovered that kicking mama in the lungs is almost as fun as kicking her in the bladder. I just purchased new scrubs and have already had to 'alter' them to make room for my belly, I had to purchase additional, more accommodating maternity clothes (as well as new shoes)...three more months may drive me insane, y'all. To make myself feel better, I bid on some dolls (on EBay) and won! They were a great price ~ until I saw the shipping charges. Ahhhh well. Some of them are vintage, some play music; there are eleven all together and averaged about $5.50 each (less S/H).

XOXO

26 weeks 1 day

I ATE VEGETABLES TODAY!!!

They weren't even deep-fried or anything! I ate a can of sweet corn for my afternoon snack, of my own volition, with other not-so-healthy food choices present! In celebration, I stopped at HEB for some fruit, some lettuce, a loaf of French bread...and three candy bars. Not to worry ~ I only ate two. Then nearly a quarter of the bread loaf. Hey ~ it was a long drive home! I'm not proud of myself at all, but tomorrow is a new day. Eating a veggie counts for something, yes??

In other news, yesterday was our second childbirth class. We had a great time discussing pain management, watched a (decidedly boring) birth video, and got hand massages from our husbands. At the end of class, our instructor had us lie back, lights off, soft music playing, leading us through a guided visualization (to learn a pain coping technique)...everyone is quiet and relaxed, when suddenly a fart rings out over the room! The culprit was either the man or his lady next to us and instead of playing it cool, Nonny starts giggling. Loudly! The man flashed him a fast, angry look. More giggling from my husband, which prompted laughter from yours truly. Needless to say, relaxation was over. I wonder if they'll sit next to us again next week...

XOXO