more growth

Andrew and I meant to take photos when I was at 25wks. Well that week left just as quick as it arrived. I am now in the end of my 26th week and we finally got around to taking some pics. I have been trying to wear the same shirt in all my pics to get a better idea of how big I have gotten...but I think it is time to retire this shirt as it is a bit too snug.

I am almost at the end of the 2nd trimester. Things are still going well. Really no serious complaints. I have noticed that gravity likes to play games with me. Especially when I try to get up off the couch. Not funny.Peanut's kicks are becoming more frequent and more powerful. I am excited that my belly button is still an innie I have a feeling this kid is part dragon since the past two days I have been fighting off the worst heart burn. In the beginning, 9 months (well really 10 months) seemed so far away. But now about three months stand between us and meeting our little guy. It is just amazing how fast this has all gone by...so far. I am sure time will stand still once my ankles take a sabbatical, my rings no longer fit on my hands and I am waddling like a penguin.

26 wks under clothes


26wks and everything is bigger

26wks in the flesh

weekend

The past weekend was a great time. We had a lot of out of town guests. 
Andrew’s dad & step mom came up to NY from Florida;
 his mom & step dad came up from North Carolina;
his sister & brother in-law came up from Delaware.
It was truly a nice time. Depsite the humid & wet
 weather we had a BBQ at our house on Friday.
Saturday we enjoyed cider donuts from Indian Ladder
and lunch at Tollgate. I was excited about going to
Tollgate to finally try their famous peanut butter &
jelly ice cream. One word to describe it  = disappointment.
 Saturday evening we supported the Tri-ctiy Valely Cats…
until the rain storm returned. And in the evening Andrew began
his birthday celebration at Wolff’s Beirgarten. On Sunday
Andrew was surprised with a birthday party. 
Monday we went to The Track and
made a stop at Babies R us on our way home.
It was my turn for a surprise.
My father in law & step mom in law surprised me
 with my baby shower gift…picture to come.
Overall, Andrew and I had a fantastic
weekend with family. We hope they did too.

08.23.09

Happy Birthday to My One & Only!
A special birthday (#30),
calls for a special occasion.
I had been planning a surprise party for Andrew
since February.
His parents, sister and her husband make the trek to NY to
 celebrate this special
day with him. He claims he had no idea about the party.
Personally, I hate surprises, but I wanted to do something special for him. 
The picture belowcaptures his reaction.

08.21.09

Had a really good doctor appointment today. No weight gain, blood pressure is good, heard Peanut’s beats, fundus measurement was at 25 centimeters and Dr. B. seemed to be more laid back today than other days. She did tell me that at 28wks I would need to take the glucose test again. UGHHHH. She informed me that it is standard procedure at 28wks even though I had been through that torture already. This baby better not come out loving fruit punch or anything to do with that awful flavor.

Andrew asked Dr. B. about the swine flu vaccine and me. She said she really does not know much about the vaccine or the side effects or possible effects it may have on me or the baby down the road. Testing is still being conducting. However, she did say that it would probably be highly recommended to all the pregnant patients at the practice. She did say that the risks of contracting swine and the end results are probably more devastating to me & Peanut than if I was to get the vaccine. I am not sure how I feel about this statement considering testing is still in the process & results are unknown at this point. Andrew has been doing research on the vaccine for us. Until results are known, we are really leaning towards not getting this vaccine. (Again, everyone is entitled to an opinion and this is ours)

After our appointment we enjoyed a super yummy lunch at Bombers. It was a great time until a monsoon dropped by and left Andrew and I drenched.

daycare

Finding daycare for an infant is like finding a needle in a hay stack. It is frustrating & it can be easy to just want to give up. At this point we are leaning more towards an at home daycare than a daycare center. There are pros and cons to both. I have contacted the local childcare council who provided me with NYS licensed providers. There were quite a few; some had wait list (like well over a year) some just outright said they could not take in an infant because of number regulations. So, I finally made contact with someone who would have an opening for when we would need it (mid February). An appointment was made and we interviewed her earlier this week. We both went in with questions, my questions were pretty basic. Andrew wanted to know what her plan is in the event of a tornado...I have a feeling I am going to be the more laid back parent on this team. Anyhow, we both left with a positive feeling and were eager to check her references . We decided that we will check out the daycare center near us and any other providers that will have an opening, compare all and hopefully come to a decision. And we thought picking a name was hard.

#4

Happy 4th Birthday to Zeppelin T.P. Gregory!
Even though his chin is filling in with gray fur,
and he may sigh/groan more, he still is a wonderful pug.
As you can tell from the photo, Zeppelin has taken on a more serious
approach to life to in his old age (Olive tries to prevent that).

classes

Andrew and I are officially signed up for our Child Birth Preparation Classes!! Woo hoo. It is a four part series and it will begin in October. I was a bit hesitant about signing up for this class because the description made the class out to be medication & epidural focused. Not that there is anything wrong with medications or an epidural, but I have chosen to go as natural as possible. I wanted to make sure we get the most out of the classes. After emailing and speaking with the instructor she reassured me that she teaches the classes as if everyone was going to have a natural birth but still needs to discuss epidurals and etc...

We are also scheduled to take a tour of the birth center at Albany Medical Center. When I called to reserve a spot for the tour, the woman I spoke with said that a lot of women are due in the fall/early winter. She then joked that she hopes the hospital can accommodate all of the parents to be. That makes two of us!

results

The results of the glucose tolerance test I took on Friday finally were available. The test was not as awful as I expected. The neon orange cocktail was pretty sweet and just reinforced my dislike for fruit punch flavored anything. I have to give some credit to Tina, the phlebotomist, who did not leave any bruising on my arms after poking them with a needle four times.

The results: negative!

This is a huge relief. Not that my doctor would approve, but I totally enjoyed a Snickers bar after learning the results. I know, I know not the best way to celebrate. Hopefully the fun police won't read this entry (a.k.a. the hubs).

four years later

08.06.09
Happy Anniversary Andrew!
I love you and can not wait for what is to come.

a bump

I had my first glucose test on Tuesday to test for gestational diabetes. I learned today that the results indicate that I need to return to do the three hour glucose test. The cut off level for the 1st test is 135; anything below this number is in the "safe zone". My level is 135. So on Friday I will be able to enjoy another round of neon orange Glucose Cocktail (double the strength this time). I will have my blood taken four times and then wait for the results to come in on that following Monday. Hopefully it will be good news. If not, I will deal with that and do what is going to be in Peanut's best interest, as well as mine own.

So far at 23wks this pregnancy has been going well. I knew at some point that I should expect a few bumps. So I guess this is where it all begins. I just hope the ride doesn't get too bumpy.

08.03.09

I took today off and spent the day with my mother. We went to BRU, where I was educated on bottles, drop in liners, glass vs. plastic (bpa free of course) and storage of breast milk. wow-wee. We also spent a lot of time looking at onesies, blankets and other baby related items (Which included super cute baby winter boots...necessary, probably not. Adorable, absolutely). I will say this and I am sure I will say this many more times throughout the next 18 yrs. There are so many more clothing options for girls than for boys. But despite the lack of variety, a couple fun outfits made their way home with me for peanut- no winter boots though.

let the registering begin!

Andrew and I finally decided to start the process of registering on Saturday. I was ready to tackle Babies R Us. Actually, I was feeling more excited than anxious about starting the process. Maybe it had something to do with spending the past week trying to find the best stroller that will work for us (which by the way has been found!). Or maybe it was Andrew's excitement rubbing off on me.
Anyhow, we get to BRU, go to the registry desk to get the zapper, and we are informed that the registry system is "down"(insert loud sigh here). So I guess we will have to go back another time and try this again. But we did start to add some items to the registry on-line at home.

Mother of Peanut

I received a very thoughtful and precious handmade gift over the weekend from a friend. Being inspired by the nickname of "Peanut", she made a really cute necklace for me. It is a silver necklace that has mother of pearl throughout and there is also a mother of pearl shaped peanut (hence, Mother of Peanut) on it. My description of it does not do justice for it(sorry, Robyn). I need to post a photo of it. What a thoughtful gift, thanks Robyn!