YIPPPPEEEEEEEEEE

ANOTHER GREAT DAY- BIG ULTRASOUND & BIG PURCHASE

The ultrasound-
Went great, it was over an hour of looking at our precious little ones.
The good new-
the doctor said everything looks great and no problems. He also said I would prob. be back later in the pg to look at the baby again. This is good news because i didn't expect it- and I am assuming if there was something they specifically wanted to look at again/were worried about, he would have mentioned it instead of being generic.

The odd news- I guess I 'borrow worry', but he came in and started talking about Downs and having no signs, but it is only 99%, so do we want an amnio or can we live with that. Weird right? I didn't think we were there about genetic testing- but to do the major anatomy scan.
Also- The baby weighed in at 14oz. That seems big to me for where we are- my book this week said 10, and when you are only 10 oz, a 4oz weight difference is huge. But I did some googling and found other sites that said at 21 weeks your baby could be 13-14 ounces, and I am sure he would have said something if the baby was too big- but the ultrasound tech was asking 'how did you get your due date?, by your period or...?' So now I am worried, but not sure about what- that is on the list of questions to ask.
Lastly- he asked if I had done my glucose test yet- which i have not, and he said I should. I told him my dr. said 28 weeks and he said he usually recommends earlier, especially if the mom has extra weight. I am assuming, and hoping, this is just a weight thing, as well as how this doctor operates- and that if anything from the u/s prompted him to say this he would have stated his concerns- again, I think I am borrowing worry. My doctor said I am fine and am doing great with the weight gain and all and he had no concerns to prompt me to go early- but I will ask :)

With no further delay- here is our baby :)




and the other big news- WE BOUGHT FURNITURE
we bought a beautiful set by Morigeau-Lepine. It is antique white birchwood- so has this beautiful speckling on it which you can't see in the pictures. Morigeau-Lepine is very high end furniture- our crib alone is listed for about $1100 dollars. Well the company is going out of business, so the store we are at was unloading everything they had. We got the crib, double dresser, hutch, bookshelf, delivery, & setup- all for close to what the crib alone originally would cost. It was a little bit impulsive- but when I asked about the other set we liked and how much 4 pieces would be, and I heard 3500 as a response- I knew there was no way we were letting this deal pass us up. We would never get the quality and amount of pieces for this price- and it is really GORGEOUS, I am specifically in love with the sleigh crib. My only concern is changing space- you could put a changer on the dresser, but with the shelves it worries me. We will probably buy an inexpensive changing table after the kids gets a little bit bigger, but oh well- we still got what I feel like is the deal of the day!

Great Day- Snow & our first big purchase!!!

Well- we made our first big purchase for the baby!!! We are now the proud owners of a Quinny Buzz 4 stroller. I cannot explain to you how superior we felt this stroller was compared to others- superior for us that is (not trying to knock the other strollers). We live in the city and need something that is extremely maneuvarable. This moved like no other. Also- the seat you see comes out and the carseat clips in, so it is like a travel system- but like a pram b/c it is just the car seat. It is amazing- and expensive, more than we wanted to spend. So when we saw it on ebay listed for 200 dollars less than in the store (and no tax!) we jumped all over it. We ended up winning the auction for $150 less than the stroller goes for- which is still an awesome deal (I like to think of it as a free carseat). I am sooooo in love and I can't wait for it to get here.
I was telling my mom about it and she was like- I don't think anyone will spend that much- I was like no duh mom! That is why I am telling you we are bidding on it on ebay. She then proceeded to ask me why don't I get a double stroller- um WHAT?!?!?! You know, strollers are a lot of money- and that way you will have it when you have your 2nd child.
ummmmmm, hmmmmm, crickets....
I think that is getting a little bit ahead of ourselves, and we will figure out what we need when we get to a 2nd child- how about we actually have one first? I love my mom, she is dopey sometimes though :)

And of course- today is a snow day. I woke up at 7:30 which is sleeping in for me- over 2 hours paast my normal wake up time- so I feel like a different person. I went, got some coffee, and then took the dog to the park.

SHE LOVES SNOW






We played fetch with a tennis ball

she tried to offer me a paw in exchange for not going home


And we took some self portraits- aren't we cute!




Hope everyone else is enjoying their day
My big ultrasound is TOMORROW!!!

Yooooohooooo, Leeester

where are you??

Seriously though- a few weeks ago I was feeling all these cool little sensations, and now I barely am- they seem less frequent, not like they are getting stronger- and it is freaking me out. Thank God I have a doppler otherwise I would be seriously worried- but I can find that little heartbeat whenever I want, and s/he is holding steady at about 140- so I am thinking that that is a better sign of how things are then movement is at this point.

Exciting news in baby land- I am past the halfway point. I don't know when I got here, how I got to be over 20 weeks pregnant, but here I am. It is so bizarre since I am still feeling great and not much has changed. Also- we are in the 2 day countdown to until the big ultrasound!!!! I cannot wait to see the little bugger... sooooo excited. Eric and I are going to go furniture shopping after the big u/s. YAY

Now I am off to put on my PJ's inside out and do a little dance in hopes for a snow day tommorow :)

3 day weekends go too fast...

I was going to take my day off and do some relaxing things like a mani/pedi, and run some errands to costco- but it was a beautiful snowy day here. The light fluffy snow that is all over the air, so I just walked for coffee, slept in, cleaned up a little, and did nothing- it was heaven.

So recently we decided to switch ming's dog food. She has been fed science diet all her life and does fine with it, but a friend who works in the dog industry gave us a bag of Merrick dog food- which is very high quality, all natural ingredients, and she loves it. So to transition- we mixed what was left of her old food with the new food. This is what it looks like when she is done eating.




Yes- that is her old food all over the floor, and she ate the new stuff. I guess it is safe to say she really prefers the Merrick.

Updated belly pics- i think i am finally looking more pregnant and less just extra fat now-
19 weeks, 2 days

hmmm

I don't have much to say right now. PG is good- 19 week alreay!!! I still feel little hints of Lester, the happen more frequently but are not getting stronger- I wish they would just to convince myself that it is indeed Lester.
I am basically posting so that my last post isn't my last post since I was so negative in it and had a truck-driver mouth :). Not much going on this weekend- we went to a 30th bday last night, today are taking it easy, and tomorrow the Eagles play the cardinals to see who is going to the superbowl- E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!! We are going to a friend's place to watch, and it is sure to be intense.
Eric and I talked about names for the first time today- let me just say- it is SOOO hard. I don't want a popular name- so I guess my question is, how popular is too popular. Where is the cutoff in the top 100 rankings of when I should consider that my kid will be POPULARNAME M. all through elementary school. I like some names that are top 20 - they are out, but others that are in the 50's or 90's. I have no idea where the cut off is . (and yes- i know i know, if you like a name you should use it regardless, but I like a few names so dont mind taking popularity in consideration).

So - my question of the day is- How popular is too popular?

I hope everyone is having a great weekend and staying warm. peace out :)

I need to vent

I am sitting here in tears as I type this... I am just so angry/frustrated/pissed etc. Soooo I had my car acident a month ago. The stupid idiot drove right into me, not my fault at all. It took about 3 weks to fix my car- I finally pick it up. Very first day I try to drive it to work, all the engine lights go off- bring it back. Pick it up again, within 10 blocks the rearview mirror falls off, drive it back agiain. Pick it up- go a week, and then today the gas pedal stopped working in the middle of my drive, followed by a rainbow of warning lights- go back to the shop once again- 3rd time bringing it back after it was fixed in under 2 weeks.
Needless to say i am pissed
Get home from work today- fucking bill from the hospital. I am not supposed to get bills, they say they don't have my insurance info even though God knows they took all my insurance cards and did whatever they did with them while we were there. So fine- easy to fix, but still 30 minutes of my time wasted on the phone.
Call State Farm to discuss hospital bill and when we will get reimbursed our $1000 deductible. There is a fucking dispute on the accident- whether the driver had permission. She was visiting from Mexico, driving her sons fucking car, and we may have to pay for all this shit because he may tell them he didn't give her permission to drive? WHAT THE FUCK??? SO I ask what that means and they say they go after the driver- in Mexico??? GOOD luck with that- soooo it was not my fault at all and I have to pay my 1000 dollars? That is bullshit. I should be reimbursed by my company and the other car owner's insurance company should have to go after her- that was his problem, not mine- and it's his fucking mother... bullshit

i am soooo pissed and i am crying and i am not happy

18 weeks!

18 weeks and feeling great! I do have some cramping that feels like early period like cramping- but i *think* it resolves after i go to the bathroom (even just peeing). I need to start paying more attention. But it is not often/long/severe enough for me to be worried. It could also just be stretching pains.

Went to the dr today. I left in a craptastic mood. My appt was at 3pm, i arrived at 2:45, was taken from the waiting room at 3:40. So ok, i expect to wait 20-30 minutes, 40 seems long but not awful. Get weighed, urine checked, blood pressure, and go in exam room. The doctor did not get to me until 4:50. my appt waas at 3 and i was seen at 4:50. I was finally in the hall saying i had to go when they got him to me. The worst part was, i saw him for all of 5 minutes, if that. Normal questions, how you feeling, doppler check, thing look fine- out the door. GRRRRRRR

In other news- things are fine, heartbeat was fine- he was surprised at how off to the side it was, but i guess my little guy is burrowing in. Blood pressure was decent- not my best reading, but not as bad as it was my first few appointments. Weight- I was up 1.5 lbs from my 14 week appt, which leaves me at a net of negative 1 pound.

My sequential results are in. I had the second blood draw on Monday. I tested negative for everything. My chances were as follows- Downs 1/10000, Trisomy 18 1/10000, and open neural tube defects- 1/1900. So YAY! I learned something new today- I asked if i needed the quad screen- thinking it tested for 4 disorders, while the sequential is 3. Well it is called a quad screen because it tests 4 hormones, not for 4 disorders. Who knew?
Next appt is 2/10.

Also- just to prove my craziness further- I made Valentines Day dinner reservations today!!! V-day is a saturday this year, so if you are going out- get on top of that. I have always wanted to try the restaurant Le Bec-Fin. It is a world-renowned, very famous, swanky Philadelphia restaurant. I have never been and it is def. a special occasion type of place... So while it was in my head to make a reservation, I did and I am sooooo excited to go. YAY. So that is the good word over here :)

Baby, Maybe???

I ** think ** I may be feeling Little Lester move a bit. It is the oddest sensation, I guess of all the descriptions I have read I would say it is most like the bubble popping one. The part I hate is not being sure if it is Lester or not. I know I hold still and try to feel Lester, so I don't know if I am imagining these things, noticing things I never noticed, or if it is indeed the little guy. Plus- I have noticed that I feel these little twinges more when I do the doppler- probably the kiddo saying hey mom, stop pushing down on me! The more days that pass, the more I think I am feeling the random movements though. Still very light, still very sporadic, but different then anything I have felt before- and let's face it, I have felt gas before in my life (shocking I know!).
This is probably the most exciting thing to happen yet- I just wish I was more certain, but hopefully if it is the little bugger, the days will bring strength and I will be sure really soon.

In other news- I just wanted to post 2 pictures to kind of show off my new camera- I am still amazed at the quality of the shots. To see the difference in clarity- it really does make it look like a pro shot. My sister also got a camera for xmas and signed up for a 2 day workshop in NYC this summer- it goes from dusk until dawn (on a Fri & Sat I believe) and is a pro working with 8 or so people to learn how to use these SLRs . I am seriously debating signing up with her- it would be fun to do with her, but I have to talk about the hubs and think about baby details!

1st picture- Ming the dog taken with my Canon Elph 7.1 mp camera



2nd picture- Ming the dog taken with my Canon Rebel Xsi

i AM going to be a mommy- THIS year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
I wish everyone a fantastic 2009. Happy and Healthy pregnancies to my girls who are k/u, and I wish upon everything that my girls who are trying get a 2009 BFP (the earlier this year the better) I am praying for you ladies.

Updates- I am hitting the 17 weeks mark tomorrow! (WOW!). I can't believe I am that far along already.
Here are my 16 week 2 day belly pics.


In other news- our New Years Eve was nice. A couple in our group of friends had 4 couples over for dinner. We had lots of appetizers and a nice meal, watched the ball drop, all in all it was a low key night- but just what I wanted for New Years. We hung out with friends, but it wasn't crazy at a loud and crowded bar- just intimate and enjoyable. Here are some pictures from the night.
Our friends bought a bunch of hats... the green one is some sort of crown. In the other pics eric is in my pretty girly crown because his head was too big for all the other hats (God help my vagina- his head really is huge and he was a forceps baby).







So we had a nice new years. Now I am reflecting on this year and my goals/resolutions.
What would I like to accomplish this year
1) I want to take full advantage of nesting- get rid of anything we really don't need to keep, organize our storage, and get the house in order since we will have to anyway with preparing the nursery. I don't want to just shift stuff, but really clean and order things so that we are not keeping things we don't need for years.

2) I want to be healthier. Eating wise, lifestyle, exercise. Just be a healthier person.

3) I want to be a great mom- I cannot believe i am going to be a mom this year. I am excited and scared all at once. I just want to do it the best I can.

I hope everyone had a safe and fantastic new years...
xoxox