Our Eggo is Finally Preggo!

Wow he's already 3 weeks old...

2009-07-05T22:27:00.005-04:00

I just can't believe it. My baby boy is already 3 weeks old. The craziest part is 4 weeks ago I loved him but now I can't imagine my life without him. He's everything I have wanted and more between his perfect little hands and his perfect little eye lashes.

So after being home a little over two weeks Camden is comfortable at home. He's sleeping well, eating well and just being a plain curious baby. We had our first bath already and let's just say that was interesting. Although he didn't pee on us or in the water, he screamed his little head off the entire time. Of course though as he laid there and screamed I had to keep snapping the camera away. I mean it only happens once right? Of course I left our baby modest and blacked out his goods. I want him to have some dignity.

He calmed down a little after we warmed him up. He looked so cute in his little puppy dog towel.

Cam had his very shopping trip on July 3rd out to of course Babies R US. We picked up of course more diapers, formula, a baby book since we didn't have one and a few pieces of clothing. He pretty much slept the entire trip and he loves car rides now once you get him in his car seat.

So another 4th of July has come and gone. Our little baby had a very long night but slept through 90% of it. He wasn't even waken by the fireworks. He was passed around through out the family like a hot potato but it was nice because it gave both Kevin and I time to eat with out feeling rushed. There was a huge spread of food at Aunt Kel's that was to die for which included every cook out food you could think imaginable. The fireworks were as usual small but all in all it was a great 4th! As you can see in the picture below though it made Cam passed out after such a long day!

We have a ton more pictures up on Snap fish. Feel free to look. Until the next update, everyone take care!

Photos are here at Snapfish

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1092961009/a=25141700_25141700/otsc=SHR/

Camden is home and all is well!

2009-06-23T22:12:00.005-04:00

Well Friday June 19th, Camden was finally released from the hospital! We are so pleased with how he has been doing so well and now can not wait to start out journey here at home.

Kevin and I both want to take this time and send a very special thank you to each and every person that took even the smallest part of making it possible for our little boy to come home. With out all of you, who knows where we would be! I can honestly say that every nurse, doctor, social worker, etc down at Magee made a difference in our little boy and we could not be happier with the amazing service that he recieved.

So with Camden finally being home, we are so excited to really start our little family. Both Kevin and I already love this little boy so much which is amazing considering he has only been in this world for such a short amount of time. Our first few days have gone by pretty easy. Camden has been eating so well and has been sleeping even better!

Monday was his first doctors check up with Dr. Zove and I must say I was a little nervous since we actually never met this doctor however Lisa was right! Dr. Zove is great with babies and has a very calming nature with Cam. So props to Lisa! Cam gained some weight so he is at 7 lbs 2 oz. Thats a very good sign and let's hope now some of his clothes actually fit!

The puppies have adapted to Cam pretty well also. Zoe seems to have taken over the whole motherly role already by letting us know when Cam is crying. Brooklynn at first seemed a little leary of him but that turned around pretty quickly and now seems to be great with him too. That is a huge relief to both Kevin and I because this was one of our biggest concerns since both of our dogs are like children to us. All in all we are thrilled at how the dogs have adapted so quickly and love him as much as we do already!

All in all Cam has made a great transition home and we are looking forward to vistors now. So feel free to come by!

Here are a few pictures of our little baby and here is the link again to snap fish where we are uploading new pictures constantly.

Photos are here at Snapfish

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1092961009/a=25141700_25141700/otsc=SHR/

The longest post you will probably ever see.....

2009-06-16T20:37:00.004-04:00

Okay so I am going to apologize in advance because I know that for some of you who are reading this have probably heard most of this story if not once but maybe twice. I also know some people who are following our story is way behind on what has been going on so I am going to back track quite a bit and update as much as I can. So get ready for the longest blog post you will ever see or read. Again sorry in advance but this is just as much a record for our little baby some day as it is to update all of you.

So after getting released from the hospital on the 20th of May, I was basically out of work and confined to the worst torture ever. BED REST... Sounds too good to be true and trust me it is. Listening to the dogs whine, seeing all the stuff that needed to be done and all the dust bunnies rolling around came close to damn near making me go insane.

So for about two weeks nothing really changed. My blood pressure was still consistently high but manageable. I had two doctors appointments a week, urine collections and NST tests to check the babies heart rates and movements. Everything was staying consistently the same and I was basically just being monitored very closely to make sure nothing went out of control.

On June 4th, I went in to see Lisa and of course she was concerned. I wasn't looking very good and my blood pressures were all over the place. So she asked me to head back down to triage again just to have them monitor me and make sure that the baby and I were okay. After 4 long grueling hours of being poked, prodded and some more torture I was told there wasn't a whole lot of change and to go home and rest more.

On June 5th we had an ultrasound to check the babies weight, position and his biophysical profile. The BPP measures your baby's heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid around your baby and basically gives them a scoring system out of a total 8 points. At the ultrasound the tech determined that the amniotic fluid seemed to be on the low side of normal coming in at 7.3 We were told not to be concerned but she wanted us to have the doctor made aware asap. Of course the little bugger was still sitting in my belly on the left side frank breech. The real kicker is he was already measuring to be around 7.4 lbs!! That placed him at the sizing of roughly a 37 week old baby and I was only 34 weeks pregnant! So anyways we dropped the papers off and were told a doctor would call later that day. Dr. Imro called me later that morning and said not to be concerned she just wanted to have another ultrasound done that following monday to check it again and make sure there was no cause for concern.

So on June 8th we had another ultrasound done and the amniotic fluid came back at 9.7 so it had seemed that the pressure had stabilized some what. The baby was still sitting frank breech and his BPP came back at an 8/8 so he was looking good. I had another appointment that afternoon with Lisa again and my blood pressure was still running around 140-150/98-108. It turns out I actually lost a pound which put me at a total weight gain of 8 lbs. I was excited about that. We both agreed that the goal was to make it to 37 weeks and even better if possible to make it to 38.

The following day, June 9th (Happy Birthday Jesse) I did another urine collection and planned on turning it in on early Wed. morning so that we had the results for my appointment Thursday. Well when wednesday came around I knew something was not right. I was having extreme headaches and was just not feeling right. I kind of had a feeling things were coming to a quick end in this pregnancy....

June 11th did not happen the way that I had expected. I woke up early after only sleeping a few hours because I had to be in monroeville that morning for my scheduled ultrasound at 11am. When I arrived I was already not feeling well. I had a really bad headache and was feeling very light headed. The ultrasound had a very hard time getting the baby to move. She had to push on my stomach several times and after a lot of poking and prodding he finally cooperated a little. After seeing his movement however she measured the amniotic fluid and we were shocked to find out it had drastically dropped to a 3.6!!! This was not looking god. She decided to do another check and she did find one more pocket however it only increased it to a 6.2 which is still very low. So she asked me when my next appointment was with my doctor and I told her not until 3:45 that afternoon. She said for me to go up right after and let them know just in case.

So I took the elevator up to the 3rd floor and advised the nurses at the front desk that I was feeling really crappy and just got some more bad results at the ultrasound. They hooked me up to the NST to check the baby and he was non reactive basically meaning his heart rate was okay but he was not moving around enough to show any kind of movement. They decided to weigh me and boy was I shocked when they told me I had gained 6lbs since Monday! That was almost more than I had gained the entire pregnancy and they knew immediately that my turn for the worse was coming. High weight gain is the sign of water weight which is a sign of severe pre-e. So really without any hesitation, Dr. Imro said "Carrie, go home and pack a bag. Expect to most likely be monitored tonight and be delivered tomorrow."

Wait what? Back up...... Okay so honestly I knew it was coming. I had just told Lisa the week before that I knew i would be lucky to make it to 37 weeks but seriously was this happening already??????? Yes at that very moment I had just realized that I was indeed pregnant. I know crazy right? I mean 35 weeks had gone by, this baby had kicked every internal organ possible yet it never really sunk in I was really going to have a baby. So I left the office kind of in an extreme panic. I called Kevin and told him to leave work they were expecting me to deliver our little boy the next day.Once Kevin got home, we packed up any last minute things and loaded up the car. I gave the puppies a kiss good bye and we were on our way.

So after getting to triage they hooked me up to the monitors of course, they took more blood and basically started to monitor me. Maternal fetal medicine came in asked about 100 questions to try and determine what the next course of action was going to be. I could tell after listing all the issues that their thoughts were in line with Dr. Imro's and that was to get this little one out.

The list that we gave them was basically this

High Blood Pressure
Severe Head Aches
Light Sensitivity
Extreme swelling
6lb of weight gain (hopefully water) in 3 days
Baby is frank breech and already at roughly 7.4 lbs
Loss of appetite
Protein in my urine was running at around 400
Shortness of breath

So after all of this they needed to confirm with my actual OB team as to how to proceed. In the mean time, they sent another resident doctor in to confirm the same position of the baby. Like a 7.4 lb baby could turn in my stomach?? Anyways she confirmed again he was still frank breech. So Dr. Divekar came in and after assessing me was still questionable of whether or not I was considered severe Pre-eclampsia. Being that I was only 35 weeks they needed to have a severe diagnosis to deliver me before 37 weeks. So she left the room and I was assuming here I go again being admitted for more monitoring. Within another half hour Dr. Divekar came back in and said "When did you eat last?" I told her I really had not eaten much all day. Just in between the doctors and coming home I stopped at Mc. Donalds for a Milkshake and a small fries to hold me over because I knew we couldn't eat in Triage. Her response then was well we got your urine results back from Tuesday and they had spiked to 596 so that in turn gave them the Severe Diagnosis. Since I had already had the steroid injections and the baby was already a decent size they were going to deliver me. So assuming Dr. Imro told me it would be the next day, I nearly fell off the table when she told me they would have him out in 2 hours at the most.

Before I knew it, there was several people in the room asking me a million questions, shaving my bikini line, asking me what I ate, if I was allergic to this and that, asking me to sign consent forms in case I died on the table and just about everything else under the sun. It became all too real all too quick. Within another 10 mins we had an anesthesiologist that was young enough to be the next Doogie Howeser in my room explaining to me about the spinal they would be doing.

To be honest I have never seen so many things happen so quickly. Kevin was told to dress up in his garments, they wheeled me into the OR and had the spinal in and me numbed up before I knew it. With roughly 15 people in there all doing different things it was kind of overwhelming but the spinal made me at ease and kind of sleepy. Within 30 mins we heard " The butt is out" and shortly thereafter we heard his first cry. So in 6 hours, I go from being monitored and feeling like crap, to having our little one brought into the world.

The next half hour the doctors stitched and stapled me up, while the pediatricians worked on our little one. We hear, he's seven pounds, he looks great, but they need to take him to the NICU to do a full check up on him. Before they take him, they wheel him in his cart over to us about 10 feel away was as close as they could get, and all i could see was a foot. That was the first and last time i would see my newborn for 4 hours and it really broke my heart that I couldn't even see his face.

After i was all closed up, they wheeled me to a Labor and Delivery Room to be monitored for 4 hours, while they pumped me full of Magnesium, Ringers, and Pitocin, hence the reason my body is so swollen from all the IV's and fluids. After the surgery, Dr. Divekar came over and checked on me and explained why the Magnesium treatment was necessary, reason is, being Pre-E during your pregnancy, you can still be Pre-Eclamptic for up to 6 weeks after delivery, complete with Seizures, headaches, upper respiratory problems, swelling & blurred vision. Fun right? I'd rather be stuck on a medication cocktail for 24 hours than have that risk. The only downfall, was i couldn't see my little one. While I was being monitored for the first 4 hours on the Magnesium, a Pediatrician came up to the LDR and told Kevin and I they had to put our baby on a ventilator to help him breathe. His lungs were slightly underdeveloped at this stage. Now keep in mind I was still drugged up from surgery and the recovery meds, and Kevin was half asleep on the couch in the room as it was almost 3am.

At 4am, they had decided it was time to move us to our final resting place in this long journey Room 2703 but before we headed there the nurses that were transporting us were nice enough to wheel me in the entire bed down to the NICU to try and see the baby. Of course they wouldn't let me out of the bed and his face was turned away in the incubator but I got about 10 mins of mommy time.. It was one of the worst things seeing him lay there and not be able to see his face or touch him but I appreciated the nurses doing what they did.

So we made our way up to our new room and I was moved into my new bed. I was told I was supposed to rest and try and take it easy... After they left, Kevin tried to get some stuff situated but all I could do was lay there and cry. I mean how was I supposed to rest knowing my little boy was down stairs on a vent and I couldn't even touch him.

Between 5 am and 2pm I think we had 20 doctors, nursers, social security workers, lactate specialists, resident doctors, nurse aides, pediatrician and a respiratory therapist so I don't know how anyone could have ever gotten any rest. Of course this was not including my family coming down. So that morning Dr. Chesin came in to see how I was feeling and I told her I really was feeling fine and that I wanted to go see the baby. She was adamant that I was not allowed out of bed and the best thing for me was rest. I was also informed I was not allowed anything other than water until 10:30 pm because of the magnesia. So much for getting through the day, I was already starving considering I didn't eat the entire day before besides a small fry.

This is the part that I want to take and tell everyone about a very special Nurse working at Magee. I won't say her name just because I don't want any of the other nurses out there to think that they weren't great however this one in particular was absolutely amazing and went out of her way to make both Kevin and I feel 100% comfortable. She also took time out of her busy work day to sneak me down to see the baby even though we were clearly told we were not able to go. We couldn't stay long but it was long enough I was able to reach my hand in the incubator and touch my little one. Those 10 mins made my entire day and to be honest I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I truly want to send a thank you out to her and tell her how amazing she is!

Okay so after a long day already my nurse came in at around 5pm to tell me the best news I had heard yet! They were taking me off the Magnesia almost 3 hours at roughly 7pm early which meant they would take out my catheter, They would discontinue all the wonderful IV's, they would take of the boots on my feet to prevent clots, I could eat dinner, get a shower, watch some of the pens game and of course get a wheel chair and go see "Squishy". So 7pm could not come quick enough.

So after getting myself together we got to go down and see our precious baby. There he layed in the heated incubator and we heard great news, he was off the vent! When he had started at 40% oxygen for breathing had now been reduced onto room air which was a huge success! He still had a feeding tube in and IV's but I was happy to hear that he was onto such a great start in such a short amount of time. So when the nurse came in to tell us how he was doing she asked us if we wanted to hold him and of course I couldn't get him out fast enough. She gave us a few minutes alone with him and of course I cried like a baby. What had been almost 24 hours since he was born and I was just now getting to really hold him felt like years. I didn't care that he was hooked up to all the monitors because all I wanted to do was see his little face. We layed him back in his little heated bed and we headed back up to the room to watch the Pens win the Stanely Cup. All in all it was a pretty exciting night.

Saturday of course we tried to spend as much time with the baby as possible but we knew our little one needed as much rest as possible so it was intermittent at best. We learned that he came back positive for belly rubin aka Jaundice and they put the big blue lights over his bed. Kevin of course insisted it looked like he was getting a tan however it was just one more thing keeping our little one there. We also got to feed him for the first time but unfortunately we could only get him to take roughly 10cc's. We were advised he would need to be taking 40cc's every feeding to be considered for discharge so we had a long journey ahead of us considering he really did not seem interested in eating.

We made a promise to our family and ourselves that we were going to have a name by the end of Saturday night. We were still debating the name Cameron because we loved the name Cam so much however since we recently had a baby boy in the family that received that name we decided it probably was not right to still use that name. So after much debate we finally had settled on a name! He was no longer going to be only known as Squishy. And as usual, we cut it very close to our deadline....finally agreeing on Camden Michael, and looking at the clock as it ticked past midnight.....thats right, it took us until 11:59:59PM to make a decision on a name for our little one. Don't be alarmed though he will still forever be known as my "Squishy".

Sunday morning was right around the corner and I was going to be discharged around lunch time. So kevin and I both got up early so we could spend time with Cam before heading home. Kevin went down for the doctors rounds so we could get an idea of what the plan of action was and was advised that he needed to be off all monitors and help for 48 hours before he could be released. We fed him his 10:30 feeding and did have increase coming in at taking 15cc's. It was a decent level considering he was only taking 10 before. Upon discharge it was one of the worst feelings to have to leave without my little one in my arms. I cried like crazy when we got home because there is nothing worse than seeing you baby hooked up to all the monitors and not knowing when you will ever be able to bring him home.

Later that evening, Kevin, my mother and I all made a trip down for the 7:30 feeding. Cam was all wrapped up and waiting to be fed. Daddy got to change his very first diaper, take his tempature and dress him in a t-shirt. Suprisingly enough he seemed to know exactly what he was doing and was extremely comfortable. Then it was time for the feeding....Grammy took her turn and Cam increased his intake again to 18cc's.

Monday morning, Kevin and I were planning on heading down to the hospital for the 1:30 & 4:30 feedings. To our surprise he was taken off the Jaundice lights that morning. He made a huge jump on these feedings taking 30cc's and 35cc's respectively, looks like being in his little tanning bed, was taking a toll on his appetite afterall.

Tuesday we were back to the same routine, getting up early and heading for the same 1:30 & 4:30 feedings. When we got there, we found Cam all bundled up in the crib, with no heat, no lights, nothing. Just a feeding tube in case he gets finiky and needs a little help getting all his food. We were told that he was taking the 40cc's of food all night after we left monday and through the morning of Tuesday, so now it was our turn, for the 1:30 feeding, it was Daddy's turn. Cam was very hungry, and it showed, in a matter of minutes, he downed 45cc's.

After the 1:30 feeding, daddy held Cam for over an hour watching him sleep. We then decided to take a break and head to the waiting room where I could sit with my feet up for a bit. As we were leaving, we heard Cam start wimpering and starting to cry...it was the first time we heard him so upset. We were strong and kept going even though it tore at both of our heart strings...

About an hour later, we headed back to the room to find our little one as happy as can be, and no feeding tube. We were a little confused, so Kevin went to ask the nurse if she removed it while we were out, and she said "No", which means Cam decided he didnt need the feeding tube anymore...and yanked it out himself. Eyes open and Coo'ing, excited to see we returned.

It was the most amazing thing to see our little one so bright and cheery eyed. It was the most awake and oriented that we had seen him yet. It was literally like someone came in and replaced our baby with another that looked just like him only one that he was on some very nice happy pills. So after a few minutes of him looking at us and holding our fingers Dr. Roseido came in and informed us that she was going to do his circumcision. Of course Kevin winced and said he was sorry to let them do this to him and told his little man that mommy should be responsible for this one. They took him back to the room down the hall and Kevin and I heard a baby start crying really loudly. Of course we felt horrible but about 20 mins later here he came back in his little incubator with his nuk in his mouth. Turns out it wasn't Camden crying. They said all he did was wince a little but kept sucking his nuk the entire time and never made a peep. He's such a good little man already.

So we wrapped him up in a blanket and pulled him out for his 4:30 feeding. It was my turn and after just being snipped I was afraid he wouldn't eat for me but boy was I wrong. As soon as I layed him back he had his mouth wide open like a little birdie wanting his bottle. He wouldn't even give me a chance to get the bottle to his mouth before he grabbed my finger and tried to suck on it. Within 15 mins he literally had 55 cc's which was a huge jump from the day before. The real kicker is that he actually wanted more however we didn't want to over do it. Our little boy has changed so much in just one day that it makes me so extremely happy I could cry.

So now that we are caught up, if things keep going well hopefully he will be out of the hospital soon.

Again so sorry for the amazingly long post. We know that many of you wished that i would have shut up long ago however we hope that every will understand this is as much for our little one as it is for you...

So I am going to post a couple of links... The first one is from a video we took of our little one sucking his nuk friday night during the penguin game. The second link is to snapfish where you will find pictures. We are trying to update them daily however bear with us because bouncing between home, trying to recover and heading to the NICU we are so far behind in everything.


Photos - Link below but you will need to sign up to see them
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1092961009/a=25141700_25141700/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Wow what a change in less than a week.....

2009-05-21T21:05:00.003-04:00

So Last I updated everyone was after my appointment last Thursday and things have changed so much since then that this post is going to be long so bear with me.

I ended up taking last Friday off so that I could do the urine collection like they had asked. I had worked a half day on Monday and had my appointment at 2 pm that afternoon with Lisa. After taking my blood pressure she was very concerned because it was 160/108. Without much thinking she told me she was sending me down to Magee's triage to rule out Pre-eclampsia because my urine tests also came back elevated for proteins.

So I called Kevin and picked him up for work and we made our way down to the hospital. At this time I was thinking they were going to check me out and tell me I was okay to go home. After getting t0 triage and them putting me into a room, they hooked me up to fetal NST monitors and blood pressure monitors. I had to give more urine samples, blood samples and the usual poking and prodding. After what had felt like forever, the doctors of maternal fetal medicine came and and basically told me what I didn't want to hear. I was diagnosed with mild pre-eclampsia however was so close to borderline severe that they were admitting me. They explained they were going to give me steroid injections of bethamesdone to try and mature the babys lungs and that they were going to keep me under strict observation. At this time, the doctors told me that if I got any worse, they would take me right then and there because it was causing more problems for me to stay pregnant than dealing with the babys health issues later. If I stayed where I was at, they were hoping for me to make it to 37 weeks which they would either induce or take me for a C section. They then proceeded to tell me that I may need to stay in the hospital for a few weeks for the babys sake and of course this made me freak out.

Last week, I was thinking I had at least 5 more weeks until this little one would be here and now they were telling me it may be by the weekend. I was a little upset becuase I was feeling very emotional as it was and now to have to worry about him being here so soon I was even more freaked out.

After a long sleepless night and a horribly painful steroid injection, my blood pressure was staying consistent at around 140/95 or so. They made me stay another day so they could monitor me more and I wasn't released until Wed. morning however I was given strict guidlines for the next couple of weeks.

1.) Any changes with my blood pressure I had to call in immediately
2.) Any changes in vision call in immediately
3.) Strict bed rest and NO WORK
4.) Pelvic Rest
5.)Double appointments and NST for the baby every week
6.) Urine collections
7.) Any changes with baby movement call
8.) No lifting, no standing for long periods of time, no cleaning, cooking, etc. etc.

Dr. Imro was in to see me and basically laid it out on the table for me. She would be highly surprised if I make it to 37 weeks because she thinks that my symptoms are going to flair up again. She also said don't be surprised if you are back in the hospital with the next couple of weeks and stay until delivery. There is really nothing we can do now other than just wait and see how my body is handling things and if it starts to take a toll on the baby don't be surprised if they take me a lot sooner.

So after a very crazy and emotional week, I was at least allowed to come home and continue my rest here where I am comfortable. My baby shower got canceled, which of course I was disappointed about but the babys health is most important. I'm home from work and am already going stir crazy because any one who knows me knows its not easy for me to sit around and do nothing.

We still have no name for our little one and time is of the essence now and we officially have our bags packed.

Vistors at this time are very welcome because talking to the puppies all day long gets very old! So anyone who wants to stop by, let me know because I am more than willing to have you come over....

My next appointment is tomorrow so hopefully things are still roughly the same. Wish me luck and I will update you all very soon!

So much to update everyone on!!!

2009-05-16T21:45:00.003-04:00

I am about 1 week behind on updates and I don't even know where to begin...

Back on the 8th of May, we had our scheduled ultrasound at Magee to see where the baby has been measuring. On that date I would have been 30 weeks and 5 days which would have placed the babies weight at roughly 3.3 lbs. Kevin and I both were so excited to be able to see this little one again and how he has grown. Remember the last time we saw him was back at 19 weeks which feels like so long ago now.

So as I am laying back on the table waiting for the nice cold gel to grace my oh so big stomach, I am not quite sure what I was expecting but when they showed us his beautiful face I think kevin and I were both in awe. We could see his full features, his little eye lids and nose. Its so amazing that even at 30 weeks gestation he has grown so much already. So anyways, after the ultrasound tech showing us his little feet and hands, she begins to take his measurements. jWhat showed up next absolutely blew my mind.. Our little munchkin is already measuring at 5.1lbs and at 33 weeks!!!!! So a little over two weeks ahead and of course he's breech. Frank Breech to be exact. Basically he's bum down face forward, legs up by his head. Aka folded like a pretzel. Leave it up to our little one to make things always more difficult :) So that's how the ultrasound went.

Mother's day was the Sunday after our ultrasound and Kevin was awesome... It was such a nice day and I wanted to wear flip flops but of course with my stomach being big I haven't been able to do my toe nails so he offered to do them for me. Of course it wasn't as good of a job as it would have been if I would have been done by the professionals but I love him for trying. Also you can see my feet are starting to swell..

So the week dragged by until my appointment on Thursday which again might I add so did not go as planned. I was set up for a 9am appt and told Dawn ( my supervisor) that at the latest I would be an hour late to work. Our first record of business was seeing how my weight was doing and honestly I was again pleasantly surprised only being up another 2 lbs which puts me at a total of 8lbs.. Like I said I am happy about that because my ultrasound the week before said the baby was about 5.1. I should have known though right then and there, that it was the end of the good news. Shari decided to do my blood pressure next and of course it was high again. 157/94 which is the highest its been yet. They were able to get our babies heart beat pretty quickly at 144 which is a change I guess.

By the time Lisa came in to take a look at me though and to look at the results of the ultrasound she only had one thing on her mind. My bp. Immediately after measuring my fundus, which is still 2 weeks ahead, she said we need to have a lot more tests done and we need them done asap. She didn't have a good feeling about this blood pressure. So she insisted I take Friday off, obviously rest but have cbc panel, eclampsia panel and have a 24 urine collection done. I had to have this all done by Saturday morning. The biggest thing that is worrying me is instead of our normal 2 week waiting period for my next appointment she wanted me back first thing on Monday. So monday afternoon I have a follow up with her to see what the next plan of attack is.

She explained to me that with high blood pressure, if it gets out of control, it can actually cut off all nourishment to the baby. Her biggest concern is obviously that I would end up with Pre-e and have to deliver early. As a precaution, she had all my paper work faxed over to the labor and delivery department at Magee. She also made sure I had the emergency number and of course if I see any kind of change in myself I am supposed to call immediately. So with that being said let's pray that all the tests I had done this weekend come back with a positive result other wise this little one may be here a lot sooner than we think!

So the next update will be monday night and then of course we have my baby shower this weekend. Until then.....

30 weeks in and I can't wait for our little one to be here....

2009-05-02T21:13:00.007-04:00

Anxious much? Of course I am. The weeks seems to be flying by but the days seem to be dragging. I am not sure how that is really possible but this is how I have been feeling the past week or two. Everyday I can't get over the fact that I am already 30 weeks but then again I can't believe that each day feels like a year until he will be in my arms.

So this past Thursday I had another appointment with my mid-wife Lisa Cone which to be honest went better than expected but not as good as I had hoped.

I gained another 3 lbs so that's a total weight gain now of 6 lbs up from my pre-pregnancy weight. Not to shabby for 30 weeks I think. As usual our little munchkin had to go and be difficult. Both the nurse Shari and Lisa had a heck of a time finding his heart beat with the doppler. Even though he was kicking the machine and was bouncing around everywhere after 15 mins of trying they were finally able to nab him. Roughly 150's which is exactly where he's been this entire pregnancy.

So now onto the more not so great news. After first walking in they took my blood pressure which is still really high. 155/87. I explained to them that I have been getting head aches, occasionally light headed and actually had my blood pressure checked the week before and it was 147/92. Shari was of course concerned since high BP has been linked to Pre-eclampsia so they tested for proteins in my urine which actually came back negative thank god. After knowing that she asked me to lie down on the table for about 15 mins and then she would come back and check it. So after doing this, she re-took the BP on my right arm. It drastically changed to 120/70. She didn't believe it so she re-took it on my left arm. Again 120/70.

Now even though I knew 120/70 is a good BP I knew what was coming next. Lisa, being the great concerned person that she is, immediately said to me. You know, now is the time to go on bed rest and stop working. I wasn't shocked when she said this at all but of course I wasn't ready for that yet. She basically told me that I didn't have a leg to stand on because when I am up doing things my BP is high however when I am laying down or relaxing, my BP returns to normal. She explained to me that high BP leads to preterm babies, possible Pre-Eclampsia, under weight babies, etc. So with that being said I asked her if she can do a two week trial. Let me work two weeks at a time and monitor me as needed. She agreed as long as I have some tests done and they come back normal. So with that being said I have at least another two weeks of work. I am hoping at the very least to work up until 34 weeks however I am not getting ahead of myself just yet.

So Kevin and I went on our tour of the hospital today which went pretty well. It was nice to see our labor rooms, nursery, c-section recovery rooms, the family lounge and of course the big mirror on the celing in the labor rooms. Yes there really is a mirror on the ceiling. The only part I wasn't really happy with was the fact they tried to fit all 22 of us on one elevator. Yes all 22 and that's no joke. Its kind of uncomfortable when you are standing belly to belly with a ton of people you don't know but either way that's another check on our list to do!

After our tour, Kevin and I had to run to Babies R Us to use up a few coupons we had that were expiring. I just have to share what we picked up because they are adorable!!!! We got an adorable stuffed monster which I just love!! We got our little baby boy his very first basket ball and we also picked up soft baby Einstien blocks.

How cute right?

Kevin and I shared a nice lunch together today at Olive Garden. Gotta love the Soup, Salad and Breadsticks! Yummy

Also I just wanted to throw a quick thank you out to Carrie, Damien and their new little one Jake for all the stuff that he outgrew so quickly. I am sure it will all come in handy!! Especially all the diapers since I am sure we will be using a ton of them!!

Alright thats enough talking for me today! I promise you won't hear from me again until Friday after our next ultrasound!

29 weeks...

2009-04-26T19:36:00.026-04:00

Goodbye cold weather and welcome the awesome 80's!!

This weekend marks my 29th week however all I can think about is how much I have to get done, both inside in the nursery and outside with all my plants and flowers before this little one gets here and takes up all my time.

Kevin and I have spent 90 % of this weekend busting our buts outside and we both have the sunburn to show it. From planting the 16 new plants I picked up to painting the deck furniture we are exhausted and still have a long list to go. Just seeing this picture though reminds me that once the weather is finally here to stay we will have a beautiful yard to enjoy. I just love the view from our back deck...

And of course Brooklynn was sure to follow daddy and try to help him every where he went..
Don't mind the not so straight plant line. I still have the edging and the pete moss to take care of.

The puppies were so excited to be able to spend some time outside with us and of course bask in the sun.

Okay so enough about the puppies and our weekend work, I also made a trip to Greensburg with Nancy and found some amazing deals on cute things for the baby's room!! You just have to love the dollar bins at Target!!

Here is a little whale bank...

Cute little whale hanging rack..

Picked up these cute little round tins that have little sail boats on them..

An adorable Whale Nite Light.

So a special thanks to Nancy for talking me into going shopping this weekend with her!

Okay so I know I have been promising but I am about to finally deliver. I told you I went picture crazy this weekend! So here are some before shots of the room we were using for the nursery. And yes we know it looked like crap but trust me when I say the pictures do not do it justice. It really was much worse than the pictures even show!! Between the giant nails in the trim and the painted electrical outlets the previous owners were real handy men!

Okay so know you have a rough idea of how bad that it was, here is the pictures of the nursery now. Its not finished and we still have some decorative stuff to do but its 100 times better than it was!

Well I hope everyone likes the pictures and sorry I went a little over board! Thursday is my next appointment and I will update everyone again hopefully that night.. I am hoping my blood pressure is down so wish me luck!

So just a quick update..

2009-04-21T19:36:00.003-04:00

Okay so I will make this quick and short but I had to just show everyone the newest piece that is going to be added to the nursery. I bought this in a pre-stained wood and had Kevin stain it this weekend in a cherry oak kind of color. I bought the embellishments and fixed it up and am just so excited with how it turned out! What do you think?

I am so glad I decided to do this!!

2009-04-16T20:38:00.004-04:00

First and foremost, I want to say congrats to Kevin's cousin Jared and his beautiful wife Kristi for their little baby boy, Justin James verano that was born April, 15th 2009 weighing in at 6lb 12oz. I want to wish them the best of luck and can't wait to see pictures of their little one!

So after the whole doctor's office fiasco on Monday, I made this appointment with a Midwife for today. I am going to be 100% honest when I hear Midwife I am and was extremely hesitant but boy I am glad I didn't let that keep me from making this appointment.

I got there early this morning, around 8:00 because I had to be at work by 9:30am and of course, leave it to Magee they didn't fax the paper work as usual. So right off the bat I was irritated but that quickly went away because let me tell you all of the girls in this office are amazing!

I got weighed in and I am up another 1 1/2 lbs. So that's a total of 3 lbs which at 28 weeks I am thrilled with. My blood pressure was once again high and this time it was higher than last time. The good news is that I am still not showing any signs of Protein in my urine which means they are not extremely worried but still want to keep an eye on me because of the possible Pre-eclampsia.

Of course our little bugger was being defiant again and refused to let the nurse get a good doppler reading. But they were able to catch glimpses of him. After he got done kicking the nurse, the midwife came in.

Let me just say again, I was hesitant about a Midwife but after meeting Lisa, I can only say I wish I would have met her long before I did. She is totally amazing and caring. She spent more time today going over things with me than all of the 4 doctors I saw down at Magee put together. She went over everything from circumcision to the peditricians in the area and who she recommended. I can not say enough good things about her!

After her just reviewing my chart and getting to know me, she measured my fundus and the baby which is both measuring about 2.5 weeks ahead. With that being said, she told me that with the baby measuring that far ahead she is neverous about me going the full 40 weeks especially since Kevin is so tall and is an above average height for a male. She told me she wants to have another ultrasound around 35 or 36 weeks to see exactly where the baby is weight wise. If he is where she thinks he is I will then be scheduled for a C-section some time in Mid- June. I knew my belly was starting to get big fast but I figured it was normal. The fact though I have only gained 3lbs though and my belly is showing at 30 weeks even though I am only 27.5 weeks along is a sign that the baby is way bigger than he should be.

So all in all the appointment went pretty good. I love my new baby doctor and our little one may be here sooner than we think!!

So here is an updated picture of my big fat giant preggo belly.. Which makes me sing Oompa Loompa Doopity Do almost every day...

I also wanted to show everyone the cutest little bib that Kevin and I found a week or two ago. We just had to pick it up since we both have brothers..

Okay thats enough for tonight! I will update again hopefully early next week with pictures of the nursery!

So pregnancy must really change you...

2009-04-14T18:52:00.004-04:00

Easter is already here and gone...

Wow, I can't even believe its the middle of April already. It seems like Christmas was just a few weeks ago and here easter is already here and gone. Kevin & I decided to spend this Easter holiday with my father and his new wife's family. As usual it was nice to just have a very relaxing holiday.

Doctors Appointments

Yesterday on the other hand turned out not even close to what I had expected. So I knew I was about to have my 27th week check up along with my Glucose test, which to be honest, both I have been very nervous ab0ut. My goal was, since I had the day off, I would get there about 10 mins prior to my OB appointment, chug the nasty tasting crap for my glucose test, go to my OB appt and then have my blood drawn for the glucose test and for my bloodpressure check up.

I was already running a little late so after parking the car I ran into the lab praying no one was waiting. I signed in, dropped off my lab sheet and waited.. After a few minutes they brough me out a full glass of what I thought would have been this horrible tasting orange flat soda. Instead I was surprised by a flat tasting sprite which might I add tastes much bettter than the orange crap I drank the past 3 times I took this test. They told me I had 5 mins to get it all down but I only needed 3 because I didn't want to be late for my OB appointment.

I then got on the elevator, headed up to the 5th floor, signed in and headed to the bathroom to leave them my wonderful pee in a cup sample which is just so normal for me now. After I left my deposit, I had a seat in the waiting room hoping and praying the doctor was not behind cause I only had 50 mins at this point to get back down to the lab to have my bloodwork drawn. To be honest I did not have much hope about this timing I was trying to pull off actually working because the waiting room was packed.

After about 10 mins of waiting, the receptionist behind the front desk called me up. Assuming they wanted to ask me if my insurance changed or something along those lines I waddled myself up there. The first thing she says to me is I am sorry but the doctor is not in the office. It took me a minute to understand what she was saying. I guess doctor sommer (who I have never met) was called to the delivery floor and they had no one to fill in her place. I tried to explain to her that I have already taken off work for this appointment and this is not just a hey I can reschedule kind of thing. I work the same hours they do and I was already a week behind in my appts because I could not get off work last week. Of course she was aplogetic and I was trying to not be frustrated with her but I mean come on people. There is 7 doctors in this office. Not one of them could see me?

So after some debate she talked me into switching my appointment to a Midwife that is local to me. Actually she works for the same branch of Magee doctors and she could get me in first thing Thursday morning. So after all that rushing I have no idea how much weight I have gained or where we stand with the high blood pressure until Thursday morning.

On a brighter note, I did get my glucose test done and the results back today.. Hard to beleive considering I failed it 3 times prior to getting pregnant that I actually passed!! I passed it by the skin of my teeth but to be honest I don't care. Passing is passing. The nurse told me that anything below a 130 is considered passing and I got a 127. Yeaaahhh :) So now hopefully I can just get my blood pressure under control.

Reflection on what's been going on...

So its hard to beleive that I am already into my 3rd trimester. I am still feeling decent other than the occasional back ache, having to pee all the time and the heart burn (which might I add I never experienced before this). I have been told that I mostly look like I am all belly which I guess is a good thing? This little munchkin though is making himself very known. Between the constant kicking and punching I think we may just have a little kick boxer on our hands. I hope to take some pictures of the ever so quickly growing belly soon!

So there has been two questions everyone seems to be asking.

The first question is... Where are the pictures of the nursery? Don't worry they should be up soon. I really wanted to wait until we had the dresser picked up and put in. I want the room to look some what complete prior to letting everyone see it.

The second question is... What are you naming him? This is a really hard question for us to answer because honestly we still don't know! I think we are narrowing it down to Cameron and calling him Cam or Caden and calling him Cade. However nothing is set in stone so we may just end up calling him something completely different.

Just a quick picture so its not all text you guys have to read... Here is a few pictures of a few pieces I actually painted for the little one's room. I am not 100% happy with them just yet but its a good start!

Well I hope all is well with everyone and that everyone had a great Easter. Look for more updates later this week after my appointment!

I can't beleive it... Only 105 more days to go!!

2009-03-29T18:42:00.010-04:00

So its unbelievable to me that I only have 105 more days to go until my due date however I am getting so anxious now that its really I can only think about. It seems as though everyone around me that is pregnant is just now welcoming their little ones into the world and its torture that we have to wait.

On a brighter note, We got our stroller/ infant carrier set today and I am totally stoked about it. I love the pattern and its nice to have a bigger ticket item off our to get list..

I also bought an adorable outfit off of old navy that was clearance. I just couldn't help myself when I saw it and I bought it in an older size so it will fit our little one more around Christmas/winter time.. Should be here tuesday and I can't wait to see what it looks like in person!

Be on the look out for pictures of the nursery next weekend. We weren't able to finish it all this weekend so I decided to wait to show it to everyone until its finished. It already looks great though!

Seems like time is flying... 24 weeks and counting.

2009-03-19T21:44:00.004-04:00

So Friday, was our OB Appt which went pretty well. I have only gained 1 1/2 pounds since before being pregnant which at 24 weeks I think is pretty good! My blood pressure was up slightly and the doctor told me not to be concerned about it yet however it will be something they want to monitor since it is an early sign of pre-eclampsia. They said if there was proteins in my urine it would be of an urgent concern but I am not showing any signs of that. She measured my Fundas which is still about 2 weeks ahead and also the nurse was able to find the heart beat which was in the 150's. The best part is our little bugger was kicking every time she tried to push on my stomach to find his little body. Which is no big surprise he's already a little bugger and will keep us on our toes when he is finally here with us. So the next step is our Gestational Diabetes test and our blood pressure check up on the 13th of April.

After our appointment we made a long trip out to Kevin's Parents for our first Baby Shower! Now I know it is a little early however since I am only allowed to travel up to 27 weeks we figured now was as good of a time as any. It was great to see all of the family and as usual they went above and beyond with the gifts. We can already tell our little one is on his way to being spoiled. I wish I could list everything that everyone got us but we would be here forever because they got us so much so here is a quick list and some pictures of some of the amazing gifts that they got us.

First off, we got tons of the most adorable clothes! Especially the cutest little blue and white bath robe. The thing that was the best about the clothes was everyone got us tons of different sizes. So we got things that will last the baby for longer than just a few months. We also got tons of the baby "must haves" such as destin, lotion, shampoo, powder and wipes which is great because my hope is by the time the baby comes I can be stocked up for quite some time and wont have to be making any runs out for this kind of stuff. We got baby books, adorable frames, bibs and storage totes. To be honest, I am blown away by everyone's generosity and just want to say truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you! Its amazing to know we have such great people like you all in our lives. We also got our bedding set, blanket and monkey to match, our mobile, baby swing and bath center! I have included our pictures of these items below.

Again, a giant thank you to all of Kevin's family and friends for a great weekend. Its so very much appreciated. And of course a very special thank you for the up and coming Grandma Krotine, She always puts a lot of heart and effort into making things wonderful for us.

Okay so after all of this I am tired and am heading to bed but be sure to check in later this week for updated before and after pictures of the nursery. Our carpet is getting installed on Friday and I hope to have most of what I can setup. Yes I know, I have a huge nesting fever right now, but can you blame me? This baby will be here before we know it.

Another Appointment Down and Only 19 more Weeks to Go!!

2009-02-27T20:25:00.007-05:00

Todays Appt: Well todays appointment went much better than I had hoped. As usual I got weighed and am up a pound and a half which is pretty good if you ask me at 21 weeks! Dr. Chesnin confirmed that my second AFP levels (Spina Bifidia) came back normal and showed no concerns. She also confirmed that my Anantomy Scan came back 100% normal and every looks in tact with the baby. I quickly got to hear the baby's heart beat but unfortunately it was not loud enough for the doppler to register it. I am thinking that is partly because of the placenta being Anterior which is also making it hard for me to feel the little bugger.My fundus is measuring at 22 weeks which is a week ahead but is roughly where it should be, about an inch above my naval. And the best part, even though my placenta is Anterior, I am not showing signs of Placenta Previa. Thank god because that was my biggest concern. All in all we look like we have a healthy baby boy! Now only if he would come sooner :)

Updates on the Nursery: Kevin has been working his butt off in the nursery. So far, we have fixed up all the holes in the walls, made the trim look a little better in shape, removed the wall paper from the closet, had an electrician come in and add 2 recepticals, painted the walls and trim and we just now scheduled our carpet delivery and installation for March 27th! We decided to do a very begie kind of color for the walls and navy carpet to match the Ahoy Mate bedding set we picked out. We also bought a cherry wood book case and placed a cherry wood dresser on lay-a-way. We will have before and after pictures up soon enough for everyone to see.

Just to let everyone know, we are finally registered! After a 3 hour long extravaganza at Babies R Us, it is done! Let me and Kevin just tell you how overwhelming it was. Way too much to look at and way to much to be ready. You can check it all out here....

Carrie & Kevin's Registry

And Last but not least I am asking you all to please take a look at this site. I have set it up and is really cute and fun to see everyones guesses. It also keeps score for us to see who is the closest to the baby's birthday, weight, length etc. So head on over and fill it out!! CLICK HERE

So we finally got answers back....

2009-02-23T20:27:00.003-05:00

So after this long week of waiting, I finally got a call this afternoon from my doctor's office. The blood work was confirmed with the ultrasound and everything is back in normal range. Which basically means last week was just a huge scare for us and we do not need to worry about the Open Neural Tube Defect anymore. Thank god.

Kevin and I just want to thank all of our family and friends for keeping us and the baby in their prayers. It means the world to us that our little one is healthy and we could not imagine not having you all by our sides to get us through this.

More updates to come later this week. Stay tuned.

Some More Bad News

2009-02-17T19:15:00.002-05:00

Around 4:30 or so today, Kevin and I received an unexpected phone call from our doctors office. Turns out that our blood work from Friday came back and the results are not so good. The AFP levels came back elevated which means there is higher risk of an Open Neural Tube Defect aka Spina Bifida. Although the screening does not say yes or no that the baby has it, it gives a good idea if the baby would likely have it.

So I have to go in again this Friday for more testing and to have the blood work redrawn. If the levels come back the same most likely they will offer us an amnio to find out for sure. The problem is with the placenta in the way this might be difficult for them to retrieve the amniotic fluid around the baby. The amnio also carries a 1% chance of miscarriage.

Right now of course Kevin and I are extremely upset but are trying to stay positive. It may be that this is just a false positive and there may be nothing to worry about however right now we are asking for everyone to keep our little baby boy in your thoughts and prayers. Of course we will keep you all updated once we have the results which may not be until next week.

A Very Long Day and Some News...

2009-02-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

So today was the big day for our much awaited anatomy scan. Our appointment was scheduled for 10:45 and we were told to be there around 10:30. As usual we ended up getting there early, roughly around 1o o'clock. We were hoping since we had made an earlier appointment that we wouldn't have to wait 2 hours like we did last time. Went I went up to the front desk the girl gave me our lovely pager and told us it would be a 45 min wait. So we had a seat in the waiting room. After seeing everyone that came before and quite a few couples that came in after us, they called us back at 11:30. So 45 mins turned into an actual hour and a half but we were just anxious to see our little one that we weren't worried much about the waiting part.

So since Magee Women's Hospital is a teaching hospital my ultrasound this time around took a lot longer than we had expected. Turns out that a doctor was performing the first half of my ultrasound to learn the techniques that the ultrasound techs use. Then the ultrasound tech had to go and reconfirm everything the doctor had already done. Then a third doctor had to come in a get a few more shots. For the most part the ultrasound went great. The baby was right on schedule for growth on every body part if not ahead of schedule. A few of the measurements actually came in at 20 weeks and a few days which means the baby is almost a week ahead. They checked the arms, legs, hands, feet, the size of the head, roundess of the stomach and of course the little boy parts. Yes it was confirmed it is a little boy!!

However there are a few small issues that did come back for concern. It turns out that I have an anterior placenta which basically means instead of the placenta being behind the baby it is in front. The good news about this is that it explains why I am not really feeling the baby yet, since it is in front of the baby. Bad news is, if the placenta does not adjust and move to its proper position or if it moves down as the baby grows it could block the baby's way out. AKA C-Section. This is not a huge concern just yet since I am only about 19 weeks but in the next month or two I am sure my doctor will want to monitor it more.

The next issue which we are not sure is a huge issue yet is the fact that the ultrasound showed I am already having small contractions. Both doctors and my ultrasound tech asked me several times if I have had any bleeding. When I replied no they didn't say much more. Now I know that Braxton Hicks contractions are not unheard of, even this early in pregnancy but it still concerns me that they asked so many times. I have a follow up with my doctor on the 27th of this month so I can't wait to hear what they have to say about this. Especially since I am not sure if this is a concern. I have had some short burst of pain here and there but I was told it was just my uterus expanding and it was normal. So I will update once I know more...

Here are the beautiful pictures of our little baby boy!!

I also wanted to show everyone was few outfits we have already bought for our baby boy.. Most of what we got has been on sale and we got amazing deals on!

One last picture... My growing belly!! Pretty crazy that it seems I am carrying so high!

A Mommy Mobile it is...

2009-02-07T20:13:00.002-05:00

So even though I was 100% not happy about looking at new cars, Kevin talked me into heading down to a dealership to take a look at a few four door cars. Although I knew that eventually we would have to look at bigger cars I just was not ready to make that leap. We ended up looking at probably 15 cars or more but honestly I went down there with the expectations that I was still coming home with the car that I went down in.

Let me just say now, after 9 hours of sitting down at that dealership waiting on paperwork, car detailing , etc this baby boy in my stomach has finally convinced me into being a mommy. I traded the car that I love for a new four door Grand Prix and really do not regret it at all. So take a look at my New Mommy Mobile and of course Kevin's new car too!

Well on our way for our little boy!

2009-02-02T20:57:00.008-05:00

So this past Saturday, Kevin and my father picked up the baby's crib which I want to say we got an amazing deal on!! Its a beautiful Cherry colored crib that is almost in mint condition. Its very similar to the ones they still have in Baby Depot just a different finish. Having the crib now upstairs and built just made this whole baby thing way more real! Here is a picture of Daddy putting the finishing touches on our little ones soon to be bed and of course Brooklynn's big but in the corner.

So after having the crib, we decided to start on the nursery. We are finalizing the finishing touches on colors, patterns, decor etc.. So we will be updating pictures shortly!

In the mean time feel free to vote on a name for our baby boy. Even though we have a big disclaimer that this does not chose the actual name of our little one, we want everyone's opinions! So please click one and vote over here ---------------------->

Go Team BLUE!!!

2009-01-26T21:20:00.009-05:00

Let me just say this has been a very long day for me but in the end has been so exciting!! I had to be up at 4am to be at work by 5:30 ish so that I could be out of work by 12 to be at the doctors an hour away by 1:15. Wow that was a long sentence. Anyways my first appointment was with the OB and of course they were running late. When they finally took me back of course they had to take my weight. I actually lost another pound or so which again the doctor assured me that was fine. The really funny part is my jeans in the hips and thighs are feeling very loose however my stomach is still growing so they are actually feeling tight.

Either way the nurse brought in the Doppler and the little bugger wouldn't hold still. Every time she would find the baby, the baby would move which made it impossible for her to actually get a good reading. As long as she was able to hear the baby at all, made me feel reassured. The doctor checked the sizing of the uterus and gave me all the results from our NT scan which all came back good. Let me just go on the record stating that Dr. Baer out of the 3 doctors I have met at the office is by far the nicest. Even though she was running behind, she sat and talked to me for quite some time. She was the first OB doctor that I have seen that actually took the time to make sure I was comfortable with everything that is going on. Of course they gave me all the paperwork to schedule our Anatomy scan (which is done by a separate department) and I also made my next appointment with them for the 27th of February.

So our next appointment which was scheduled with an outside ultrasound facility called Insight Imaging was at 6:30. After picking up Kevin, we headed there a little early and boy am I glad we did. After getting there, we filled out paperwork and payed out of pocket for the scan. She called us back to the room and I was shocked. When I walked in, the room was a calming blue and brown. There was a huge projector screen and an actual bed for me to lay on. There were several couches for family to come and watch. I was totally amazed at how beautiful this place was. Below is a pictures of one of the rooms they have.

So after getting cozy on the bed and getting the cold gel placed on my lower tummy we began the ultrasound. I couldn't believe how big the baby had gotten in just 3 weeks. We could see the full spine, all of the little fingers and the thing that most impressed me was how long the legs were!! This baby really looked like a baby already and was even sucking its fingers. The ultrasound tech spent the first few minutes showing all the parts to us on the baby so we could clearly see what we were looking at. She showed that the baby was actually sitting and kicking my bladder which actually surprised me since I can't feel the little one yet. So after a couple of minutes of showing us all the little baby parts we started looking for the sex of the baby. Of course the little one was sitting indian style. She tried pushing on my stomach to see if the baby would move and nothing. She made me roll toward Kevin and pushed. Nothing. She made me roll towards her and pushed. Nothing. This baby was being stubborn! She assured me this happens ever so often and just to give it a few minutes. All babies move and kick she said but no matter what she did this baby always had something covering the area.

She then asked me to drink a soda. Hoping if i filled my bladder more that it would cause the baby to move. Yeah that didn't really work either. Yes one leg was now out of the way but now the little one had its hand down there. I couldn't believe this little one was being that difficult. So then she asked me to try and pee, hoping that if the bladder dropped the baby would have to move again. So we did that, sure enough the baby moved! But not like we had hoped. The baby was now laying on its knees with its little rump in the air. I knew right then and there this baby is going to be a handful. So after some more poking and prodding the ultrasound tech finally got a money shot. Sure enough there was the little boy parts. Or as Kevin says the "Twig and Berries". Of course I already knew in my heart it was a boy however its just amazing that we finally know! Now we can really start planning and getting ready for this little one. Go Team BLUE!! Below are some of the ultrasound pictures and if I can figure out how to upload the actual Dvd I will upload that later.

15 Weeks now and counting...

2009-01-18T17:33:00.004-05:00

So even though Kevin and I have not been able to find out the sex of our little bambino yet, we decided on Friday to take the time and look around at all the nursery bedding sets that are out there in the stores. We came up with a few favorties for both the boys and girls that we liked but one for each sex really stood out to us. So we can't wait to find out now so we can pick these up for the baby and get the nursery started.

If we have a little boy we found Ahoy Mate from Babies R Us. It is s cute and even cuter in person. The only thing is, if we have a boy, the nursery will have to be repainted a lighter blue color to make sure it matches well with the set.

If we end up having a little baby girl, we fell in love with Amy Coe's Pink Pop also at Babies R Us. The colors in this one are so bright and have a very modern look to it which I love. Also we wouldn't need to re-paint the room since the bright blue that we used would look great with the bright pink.

Everyone keeps asking how are you feeling? And the truth is, I feel good. My only complaint really is the back pain. Its hard to beleive that with me being only about 4 months that I am already having as much back pain as I am but I guess its only going to get worse. Its mostly been sciatic pains (lower back) which has always been a tender area for me. I am still losing weight which the doctor tells me is fine as long as I am eating healthy which I am so I'm not totally concerned about that yet. I am sure in the upcoming weeks I will start putting some of it back on.

On a brighter note, I have felt the baby move once already. It happened about a week ago and I was totally confused at first what it was. I sneezed really hard and almost 2 seconds later I felt the little tickling on the lower part of my stomach. I of course tried to talk myself out of it being the baby but after I thought about it I knew that had to be the baby cause really I have never felt anything like that before. I was so excited that I think Kevin thought I was a little crazy but I haven't been able to experience it since. So every night I have been trying to poke my pouch a little to see if I could get him/her to move again but have had no luck. I have even tried to cheer it on a little. I know crazy right? That's okay I know my little bean is going to be kicking me constantly soon enough.

I am dying with anticipation...

2009-01-05T15:28:00.004-05:00

So every night I have been lying awake contemplating things having to do with the baby. And for some reason I can not stop thinking about whether its going to be a boy or a girl. Now, don't get me wrong, I will be happy with a little boy or girl but I truly have my heart set on a little girl. As much as a little girl is what I want, for some reason my gut is telling me its a boy. So to be honest I am 90% convinced that it will be a boy and have even been referring to the baby as a he.

Kevin on the other hand is dying for a little boy however is insisting that it will be a girl. He has this whole mindset that he is destined to be the only man of the house (girl dogs).

Everyone says as long as the baby is healthy that is all that matter. While yes I do agree with that, it does not mean I don't have a slight preference.

So I have put up a poll to the right of this post so you all can vote and tell me what you think it will be. I am kind of interested to see what everyone else is thinking. I will close the poll on Feb 6th cause that is the day we are shooting for to have our anatomy scan. Kevin's B-day should be an interesting one.

Make sure you vote!

Well It was a long day but so worth it!!

2009-01-02T20:24:00.008-05:00

As most of you know, Kevin and I were extremely anxious to go to our double appointment today. We have been waiting for almost 7 weeks now for the chance to see our little bambino and we were dying with anticipation. So our first appointment was scheduled with Dr. Imro at 2:30 and our First Trimester Screening was at 3:00.

If you know me well, you would know that I am a person that is always extremely early. So when I got to my appointment 45 mins early, I thought for sure that I was going to have to wait forever to see the doctor but I was pleasantly surprised to find out they took me back immediately.

As we were on our way back to the exam room we stopped to weigh in. Now I have been very nervous for this part because I was given a strict weight gain of 15 to 20 lbs. You can ask Kevin if you don't believe me. I have been drinking lots of water, eating extra veges and doing whatever I can to make sure I don't go over my limit. So when it all came down to it I actually lost a pound! I was very happy with that because I have been eating very healthy and I know the baby is getting what nutrients it should be.

Then came the doppler to see the heartbeat and they couldn't find it. Even though I knew this was normal at this stage since I am a little heavier this kind of concerned me but the doctor assured me not to worry, especially since I was having our ultrasound done right after for the screening.

So that was it. We were done with my OB/GYN appointment and it came and went much faster than I expected. We were actually out of there before I should have been there for my appointment. So here we were again early for my next appointment.

So its 2:15 and we go down to the first floor in the Geneology section. We were looking for the ultrasound waiting area. As we turn the bend in the waiting room I almost died. There was atleast 20 couples sitting there waiting to go back. So I went up to the front desk and signed in with our time. The woman at the front desk asked us to have a seat. I almost wanted to laugh at her. There was one empty seat in this giant 10 x 25 foot room. Did she realize what she was asking? So i sat and kevin had to kneel on the floor. When they finally called me up to get all my information to log in, I was blown away by what they handed me.

Yes that is no joke they handed me a restaurant style pager and told me we could go any where in the hospital with it. It would ring when we were up. Of course they were extremely behind and we had a 1 1/2 hour to a 2 hour wait just to go back. I couldn't beleive it! On top of that they told me before that it would take 2 hours for the appointment. It was now 2:15 and we had a long wait.

About a half hour after giving us the pager it went off and I was so happy it was our turn. So i got to the front desk and all they did was hand me a paper to go get lab work done while i was waiting. So we made our way to the out patient lab and had once again more blood drawn. So after a long wait that felt like forever our little pager finally went off at 4:30. The ultrasound tech took us back and asked me to lie down on the table. Of course i had to pull down my pants so they put the cold gel on me. At this point I was so nervous that we wouldn't see a baby or something would be wrong but sure enough as soon as she put the probe on my belly I could see our little bean. Cute as can be. I couldn't believe how big he/she has gotten in 6 weeks. The tech was nice enough to show us the babies nose, mouth eyes, little feet, arms, etc. We were even lucky enough to see the baby hiccup. Absolutely the cutest little hiccup I have ever seen. The heart beat was in normal range at 163BPM and all of the sizes of the baby came back normal. From what the tech said the fluid in the neck looked normal but she didn't give me the exact measurement. Our doctor should call next week with the results. Until then, hear are a few pictures of our little bean. Enjoy them as much as we did!

So we finally did it.....

2008-12-31T18:50:00.002-05:00

So Kevin and I have been putting this off because we didn't want to start buying anything yet but today with the deal we got we just couldn't help our selves. So we have been looking at all the monitors that were out there and I really seemed to like the ones with the little color LCD displays. So we can actually see the baby on it and maybe I might be able to relax a little. My mother has insisted that we didn't need to go this high tech because of course "they didn't have these back when she was a first time mother" but I couldn't help but want one.

After looking at the prices on these monitors I couldn't believe how expensive they were. $180 bucks and that was not including the cost of tax so we were looking at roughly $200 bucks total. Now here I am debating paying this much because of course I am a thrifty spender and like sales but also because this is for my first baby. Wouldn't it be a good investment for the well being of the baby? So after much debate we took a look on ebay and sure enough got an awesome deal. $91 bucks plus $10 bucks shippping. So we finally did it. Made our first purchase for the baby!!

Baby's First Toy

2008-12-28T17:59:00.003-05:00

So my mother stopped by to give Kevin and I our Christmas gifts since we were at Kevin's Parents for most of the Holidays. There was a small package all wrapped up and I had no idea what it was.

As I opened it up, I was so surprised to see that her and Richie bought the baby it's first toy. It's an absolutely adorable little seahorse that Plays lullabies and also has the sounds of the Womb playing in the background. You can see it below and if you are interested in picking one up for someone you know you can get it here at Toys R Us.

Officially 12 Weeks!!!

2008-12-27T17:50:00.002-05:00

Okay so I know we are not that far into this pregnancy yet, but the fact that we have made it through the biggest miscarriage risk months and also am so close to the second trimester that I can almost taste it, I can't help but be totally excited! Now we are just counting down the days until we can see our little baby on the next ultrasound this Friday!!

Christmas has come and gone already...

2008-12-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

Well let me just say this has been one of the most interesting Christmas's we have had yet. I guess its just weird finally telling people that we have a little one on the way. Especially since we have spent the last 11 weeks hiding it just in case the baby didn't make it. So now that its finally out comes all the questions from family and friends.

How come you didn't tell us earlier?
Do you know what you are having?
When are you due?
How far along are you?
Do you have any names picked out?

I could go on and on with the 100's of questions. At first I thought the questions would get old but its actually been nice being able to openly discuss it with people. So out of the family that knows everyone so far is extremely excited! What a great Christmas gift!

Meeting the New OB/GYN for the first time....

2008-12-02T14:11:00.001-05:00

So here I am now with no doctor and I am freaking out. I never in a million years expected to be released so early in this pregnancy. I have been seeing a fertility specialist for so long that I don't have a real OB/GYN anymore. My doctor just released me and I was panicked because now I have to find the doctor to deliver my baby.

So after deciding I still wanted to deliver at Magee Women's Hospital I found a younger women doctor. I made the appointment and finally met her today. Turns out she is pregnant as well! She is due in Febuary so she is not actually the doctor that will be delivering me but she explained that all 5 of the women doctors cover each other. So that made me feel a little more at ease. She explained that I was eligible for the first trimester screening so I needed to schedule that and that she would see me again in roughly 4 weeks.

Hopefully at this point we will be able to hear the babies heart beat with the doppler! We are counting down the days until our next appointment on Jan 2nd.

Ultrasound #2 and a Big Surprise!

2008-11-21T13:43:00.001-05:00

So the more we go to the doctors the more I am realizing that this dream may be coming true for us! I was so excited that Kevin was able to come to this appointment because I think with him being at this appointment made it seem so much more real. The sonographer called me back and asked Kevin to wait in the waiting room until she was ready to bring him back.

I did the usual, undress and lay on the uncomfortable table while they poked and prodded my insides which believe it or not I am actually getting used to. She wouldn't really tell me anything while she was looking at my uterus which was starting to make me nervous. She turned around to ask me my husbands name and saw how nervous I really was. She told me she would be right back and went out to get Kevin.

Kevin walked in and seemed a little shocked to see me laying on the table and was instantly panicked. I told him everything was fine but he still seemed worried. So when Kathy sat down, she turned the monitor for us to few and sure enough we could see the bean pole. She explained that was the start of the little baby and that it was normal size so we had nothing to worry about. When they finally turned on the sound so we could hear the heart beat I was blown away! How was it possible for something so small to have a heartbeat. Of course Kevin was stunned and I cried like a baby.

When she was done and I got dressed she asked Kevin and I to sit in the waiting room until a nurse could speak to us.When the nurse came out to get us I had no idea what was coming next. She took us back to a consult room and had a couple of papers for us. As she handed them to us, she told us we were being released to our regular OB/GYN! I was again blown away for the second time. Most of the time they keep their patients till 12 weeks but they felt that the baby looked healthy enough to release me early. At this poing I am only 6 weeks 5 days so just a little shy of 7 weeks. She explained that I need to stay on all my medications and needed to make an appointment the following week. She handed us our paperwork, a bag of famous amos cookies with our due date and gave us our congrats and good luck.

So its offical, Baby Krotine is due July 12th 2009!

Our very first ultrasound!

2008-11-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

So kevin wasn't able to go with me t0 this appointment and I was extremely nervous because last time around this is when we found out we were going to lose the baby. So as I sat nervously in the waiting room I was counting down the minutes and watching as everyone else got called back. In some ways it felt like they were picking on me and making me wait.

After much anticipation, They finally called me back and had me get undressed. As I laid on the table and the sonographer searched for all the pictures she needed to take I could not help but be worried. Finally after what seemed like 10 hours she spoke. " Everything is looking good"

She turned the monitor to show me the yolk sac and where she thought the baby was starting to form. It was one of the most amazing things to see. She printed out a few pictures that I uploaded for everyone to see. You can click on them to make them larger.

Beta #3

2008-11-10T13:10:00.002-05:00

So things are looking better for us each and every time we go to the doctors. We got the results from our next beta level and it was 2147! Which means we are now doubling 1.57 days now which is even better than our last test. The doctor seems very hopeful this time around and thinks things are going very well which is helping east my mind a little. We are supposed to go back in tomorrow for our first ultrasound. Now I just need to be able to get through the rest of the day and have to be able to actually work! Wish me luck

Beta #2

2008-11-06T12:59:00.001-05:00

So another quick trip in and out turned out to be totally worth it! Beta #2 came back even better than I expected. HCG level of 370!! Which means we are more than doubling! Its actually doubling every 1.6 days instead of every 2 days! We are so very excited!

Beta #1

2008-11-04T18:51:00.002-05:00

Okay so after so much excitement from our BFP, I made a call into the doctor's office and I made an early trip in to have my Beta Levels drawn. It was a quick trip in and out that didn't take longer than 15 minutes. So then I had to sit at work hoping that everything was okay until I finally got the call at around 1:00. My HCG levels came back at 153!

This was super exciting for us since our first pregnancy never got above the 120 level which means this time around had a much better outlook from the very beginning! However I still need to go back in 48 hours to make sure my levels are doubling.

Pray for us with the sticky baby dust!

What a surprise...

2008-11-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

Okay so never in a million years did I think after how many years of trying we would get pregnant twice in one year. I was obviously scared since we lost our first baby but we were both hoping this time around would be different.

This Sunday morning was really no different than any other Sunday morning. I woke up pretty early and went up to the bathroom. I really didn't think that this round of clomid worked but for some reason I decided to POAS. I set it down on the top of the toilet and washed my hands. I grabbed the stick and was ready to throw it away when I had to do a double take. It said Pregnant! I actually had to look at it several times because I was still half asleep and didn't believe what it said. I couldn't help but run down the stairs into the bedroom since Kevin was still sleeping.

When I burst through the door, I yelled to Kevin to sit up. Of course he was still half asleep also. He glanced in the mirror as I walked over to his side of the bed and saw the white and blue cap of the pregnancy test but couldn't make out what it was. For some strange reason, he thought i was carrying a bic pen. Who knows what he thought i was going to do with it. So I asked him to sit up again and still he argued with me. Maybe he thought I was going to write on him? I am really not sure. Finally after much persuasion he sat up and I couldn't hold it back any longer. I whipped the stick around and it took him a few second to focus on it. Then the biggest smile spread across his face.

So I have been telling myself that no matter what we can't get excited so early on in the pregnancy but I just don't understand how we were not supposed to be super excited. Especially since the last time we were pregnant my beta levels were never high enough to read positive on the pregnancy stick. So for now we are just praying that everything goes well.