Happy Pregnant Holidays!!

A couple of pictures of me & Jeff we took last night. I am 29 weeks & 3 days. I am going to my GD class today! Also, we are hiring a doula for the birth. I am super excited about that, we are meeting with her tonight!

Gestational Diabetes

Well, I found out on Dec. 9th that they do consider me to have gestational diabetes. I have to go take a class this Wednesday to learn about the diet I need to follow and how to take my blood sugar. I have already tried to get a head start with the food and stuff. It is hard, and I am hungry a lot. Hopefully I am being more conservative than necessary. I guess that will be determined by my sugar levels. Stella has been moving so much lately. She has started to push out on my stomach where I can see it moving!

Stella Rose Westenhofer

Well, it's been super long since I have blogged! I guess the biggest news is that

IT'S A GIRL!!!

We found that out on October 9th! Everything looked great with the scans, all her organs and everything! That was an amazing day!

I made a shirt to show to people so they knew what the sex was.

We showed my mom first, then my aunt. And my dad had to work, so I sent him a picture of the shirt on his phone. He couldn't read it, but he saw the pink. He said he was hoping it was twins!
Then we went to Casey's surprise party at Hooters, and eventually revealed it to Jeff's parents, and a lot of his mom's family who was at the party.

I can't remember the very first day I felt her kicking me, but I never felt any flutters. It was when I was 21 weeks, and I started feeling jabs. They were really strong from the get go. Jeff got to feel her not too long after I started. She moves a lot these days.

Deciding her name was a real challenge! We could not agree on ANYTHING! Some of the names I wanted were Emerson, nn Emmy, Adalyn, McKenna, Claire, Macy, Celia, Cadence. Some of the names Jeff liked were Sierra, Jada, Jocelyn, Kendra. I can't remember that many of them. But when we first started looking, I gave Jeff a list and asked him to mark some he liked. One of the names was Stella, which was also on my list. We went back and forth for a long time. Well, it felt like a long time. Around 24 or 25 weeks we decided on Stella Rose Westenhofer. Rose is after his Paternal Grandma Roselee. I am very happy with it because it's not too common, and it's not a made up name. Everyone I tell it to seems to like it!

So, I am currently 28 weeks and 4 days, in the 3RD TRIMESTER!! 80 days left as of today! Back in October I switched from my OB to a midwife, and I am SO glad I did. Jeff and I have been taking Birth Your Way childbirth classes, and our last one is tonight! We are also hiring a Doula, and I have picked her as well! Yay! Still working on finding a daycare, which is not a fun thing to do! It sucks!

I also took my 1 hour glucose test on Friday, 12-4. I got the call on Monday that I failed that test. I am not sure what my reading was, but I am going to find out. So, I went in at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to take the 3 hour test. In the 3 hour test, they draw your blood once, then you have to drink this nasty sugar drink. Then an hour following that they draw your blood, and 2 more times after that on the hour. I will be finding out my results today, hopefully.

I will try to make some more updates more often!

Pregnancy Update

Just got back from the doctor. She said the baby is a swimmer, because it was moving all around when she tried to get the heartbeat. My weight stayed the same, which I am really disappointed about. I really thought I had gained a couple of pounds. She didn’t seem worried about it; she said she thinks I will make a comeback. I talked her into scheduling the ultrasound for 10-9, but I am not sure how I want to announce the sex, if we are able to find out.

Updates

I have been thinking about it a lot, and I think I am going to change my original plans on delivery. I have decided I want to try as hard as humanly possible to do it natural. Anyway, I am probably going to be changing practices to one in Jeffersonville that has Drs & Midwives. They also deliver at Clark Memorial, which is the only hospital in the area that is more pro natural birth. It's still IN the hospital, I could still get an epidural if I wanted. I am not one of those who wants to do it at home.

Healthy Baby

I decided today that I don't care what sex the baby is. I know I have said I just want it to be healthy, but now I truly mean it. This is why, but don't read it until you can be alone because it's very sad. Also, there is a box towards the top that has a link to the 2nd part of the story. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/083009thomas_part1.11b55ace4.html

Update

Not feeling any movement yet. I felt some weird stuff once, but it had to be like a muscle spasm or twitch or something. I have been in maternity clothes, well pants at least since like 7 weeks. But I am having to get more tops now. Not really more energetic yet, but I have come down with a sinus infection so...
Linda and I went shopping last weekend. We got the crib & dresser, they are natural wood & the mattress. We also got the swing & the playpen!

Girl or Boy?

The Intelligender test said boy. The company says it's 82%, but I have read a lot of people's who were wrong. I wasn't taking it to count on it for sure anyway. Plus it said a boy result can be wrong a lot more than a girl result.

I had a dream about the baby, 2 or 3 weeks ago and the baby was a girl.

Chinese Gender Chart predicted Girl.

Also, I would like to add the old wives tale about acne to my list of girl stuff. I have had this horrible acne ALL OVER for the last at least 2 and a half months.

It is also a lot easier to choose girl names.

Updates

I had a dr appointment yesterday, I have lost 6 pounds in the past 4 weeks. But the dr. said we could try to listen for the heartbeat with the doppler, even though it was a little early. She said not to be worried if we couldn't find it... So she looked and looked, and LOOKED, then she found it! It was good & fast, she said it was easily 160! I was SO happy. A little less than 4 weeks till I am out of the first trimester. I was sick & threw up nastiness this morning! YUCK!

Valerie & Karen

I told the Valerie & Karen at work today. I made Darcie a shirt that says "I'm going to be a big sister" They caught on pretty quick. They are very excited.

So Many Updates

Well, I think about half of the universe knows about my pregnancy now! Thursday the 9th we had the FIRST UltraSound!! It went very well, saw the baby and the heartbeat. We got to hear the heartbeat too, but only for a second. Jeff went with me, she measured me at 6 weeks 5 days. Which is only one day ahead of my guesstimate! That makes a due date of 2-27-10. She also told us that the chance of miscarriage goes down to 7%. But I am pretty much praying at least twice a day that God will keep this baby safe. Especially now that so many people know & are so elated about it.

We told Jeff's parents on Thursday night. I gave his mom a card that said Congratulations
You're going to be a Grandma! She was so excited, so excited. She kept saying how happy she was. His dad was happy, acted like he normally does.

Friday, I had Aunt LuAnn meet my mom and I for lunch. I made her a card that said, "You've always been such a great aunt. Now you'll really be a Great-Aunt. She seemed like she was in shock I guess...

Saturday mom took me to the Motherhood Maternity store to get some pants that were comfortable. I got a pair of jean Capri's, jean shorts, and black Capri's. And one cute green shirt. It was $100. I am so excited though, the pants are SO comfortable.

Saturday I also told Melissa. I just told her over the phone. She is really happy for me & excited! She was in the car with her mom, so she told her. Hopefully the word won't spread too quickly.

Jeff's mom has told everyone she knows I think. She said she is going to buy us the baby furniture! YAY :) My mom is getting the glider. It is still so early.

We leave for vacation on Friday (17th) night!!!! Hope we have a good time, and I don't get too hot.

HELP ME

I am so sick...it is so awful. I feel so horrible...I need help. Last night I could not eat anything. I made macaroni, and thinking about it right now makes me feel sick. I feel sick from the time I wake up till the time I go to sleep. Yesterday it got worse though, now I don't want to eat ANYTHING. I feel really hungry, but everything sounds nasty. It's only 9:45 and I feel so horrible. I am more weak because I really couldn't eat anything yesterday. I can still eat Lucky Charms...but they aren't that good to me now. I wish it would be 2:45 already so I could beg the nurse for a prescription. I don't know what I will do if I can't get some meds. My trip next weekend is going to BLOW.

Holy Crap!

*Deep Breath* So, I just got a call AT WORK, that they needed to reschedule my ultrasound because the tech has to leave early Friday. But, they called the office and Valerie answered, and they told her it was Total Woman. Then when I was talking to the lady, she asked me how far along I was. So I had to say six weeks out loud. I tired to say it quietly. But she wanted to change from Friday at 2 to Friday at 10:45 :( but then I know Jeff wouldn't be able to go. I had her move it to Thursday at 2:45...and I just have to hope Jeff can go. It seems like he should be able to because it's later. BUT now I am more nervous about seeing the baby because it's a day earlier...6 weeks 4 days. Just going to keep praying, and be happy that now I only have THREE DAYS LEFT!

6 Days Left till the first Ultrasound!

*Sigh* only six days left until the ultra sound...I am so anxious and nervous. Not as bad as I was when I was waiting for the blood work results, but still nervous. What if they don't find the sac, the fetal pole, the heartbeat... I have been praying every single day. I want this baby more than anything!

I told my dad on Friday. Well, I planned to tell him when we went to lunch. My brother, my Dad, my Mom & I all went to Logan's. And I had gotten a card that said "For the Grandparents-to-be". So at lunch I got the card out and told my dad to open it. But he found a couple of excuses not to.

So, finally he said he didn't need to read it because he knew what it said. And he is the type of person who can guess what his Christmas/Birthday presents are. But, I really had no clue how he could know. He didn't say it out loud he just motioned towards my belly.

He still won't tell me how he knew! But even though he is a man of few words when it comes to emotional things, I know he is happy.

It has been so hard not telling anyone else yet. I still only want to tell family, but we're planning on waiting till after the ultrasound on Friday to tell the next few.

Hopefully Jeff will be going with me to the ultrasound. I know that it hasn't totally sunk in yet, and seeing the baby on the screen will make it so much more real!

Just going to try to scrape by until Friday at 2!

The Beginning

Ok, so today it has been 12 days since I got my first positive home pregnancy test! That is where we will begin the journey...

On June 21st I had totally given up on thinking I was pregnant because I got blood work done at my OB on 6-15 that was negative. The 21st was father's day, and I spent most of the day with my parents. When we went to dinner, I was not feeling well. I was super hot, and not hungry at all! Also while we were at the restaurant it seemed like we saw at least 3 sets of twins!

While I was at my parents house that evening there was a TLC show on called "I didn't know I was pregnant". So, I left my parents house around 6:30 and decided to stop at WalMart and get a pregnancy test just for kicks. Up to that point, I believe I had taken at least 15 that were negative.

So, I got home around 7:15, went into the bathroom & peed on a stick. I laid it on the side of the tub, right next to the toilet...Within 45 seconds the PREGNANT line had showed up. Then I pretty much started hyperventilating!

It was CRAZY, I had convinced myself I wasn't pregnant. I silently freaked out for an hour, and went online to the Baby Center message boards to share with my Internet friends. I knew that it had to be right because the line came up so fast, but was still in shock.

I decided the next day, since I would be home in the morning, I would go to the store and get a digital test and a different brand than the one I took. So, on Monday I took another Answer test (same as I took Sunday), and that line didn't seem to be very dark. So, I went and bout the Clear Blue Easy digital, and an Equate test. And ran back home and took both of those.

The were both POSITIVE! I had decided I didn't want to tell Jeff until I had gone to the doctor. But when I called them on Monday, they couldn't get me in until the following Tuesday. Bummer!! So, since Jeff had important finals on Wednesday, I decided I would wait and tell him Wednesday evening. Plus, he was leaving to work in Bowling Green Thursday morning.

So, I decided to get some little baby booties, and wrap them up with a digital pregnancy test taped to the booties. I also got a card, and wrote a note in it. So, I gave him the bag, and he took out the booties and the test. Remember, it was a digital test, so there weren't lines it just said PREGNANT. But when he looked at those two things, he didn't get it. So I said, Open the card. He opened the card and read it, or at least some of it. But was still asking me what it all was for. So, I pointed out the test to him. And he said YOU'RE PREGNANT!?! He was excited & very shocked! He got up and kissed me & hugged me.

It was more of a shock because neither one of us thought it would happen so quickly. So to celebrate his great test scores & the pregnancy we went to dinner at Chili's. I had also been calling the doctor's office every day to try to get in sooner than the 30th. Finally, I got an appointment to go in on Thursday the 25th.

I saw Dr. Hill, and we discussed when I may have conceived. She guessed 7-12, but I know for a fact it couldn't have been that late. So, as of right now, I think the date of conception was around 7-7. Which gives me an EDD of 2-28-10.

They also did blood work on the 25th, to check my HCG and also for other unknown health problems. She also scheduled me to go in on 6-27 also, so we could be sure the HCG levels were rising.

Unfortunately I knew I wouldn't get my results from the blood work till Monday. But I waited patiently all weekend...I did end up telling my mom on 6-27. I got a special shirt made, that I designed. It was an oven with a "bun" in it. When I showed it to her, she said ohh how did you make it? And I was like, no mom, it has a meaning. And it took a minute, but she finally got it! She jumped up and hugged me. Then she cried and hugged me more. She was so happy!

Once Monday came, it was a long wait ALL day before I got a call back. Then when I finally did, they didn't have the results from 6-25. Needless to say I had to wait till Tuesday, and heard from someone around 12:30. She said that my levels had more than doubled and everything looked WONDERFUL! On 6-25 my HCG was 992 and on 6-27 it was 2100. I was so incredibly relieved!

As of today, we are just waiting for 7-10 which will be my first ULTRASOUND!!!!! I am so ready for that, I can't wait. I just PRAY everything goes well!