20 week appointment

Blood pressure: 124/72
Baby's heartbeat: 152
Weight: -1 lb

I'm still experiencing nausea, vomiting, stomach and back pain. I've been taking Tylenol to help with the pain but it hasn't been working so the doctor recommended I start wearing an abdominal brace. She also said that I need to limit my carrying/picking up of Justin. Of course when I mention that to Carl he says "so stop picking him up". I don't think he realizes it's not that simple. Since Justin is not walking I have to carry him pretty much everywhere, up/down the stairs, to/from the car, in/out of crib, etc. So I won't get much relief from that until Carl gets home (21 days and counting).

I have a growth u/s scheduled in 2 weeks to make sure the baby is still growing on track. Other than that things continue to look pretty good and I'll continue with my appointments every 2 weeks.

Random Pictures

Justin's first carved pumpkin

Last night we went to Kelicia & Donald's for a pumpkin carving party, but Justin was more interested in playing with little Donne's toys and Starky than his pumpkin.

NICU Reunion

Justin and I had a nice time at the annual NICU reunion. Unfortunately it was a little chilly so he didn't get to ride the train, but he got his face painted, ate potato chips & balloons, took pictures, and caught up with some of his favorite nurses.

18 week appointment

Blood Pressure: 124/74
Weight: back to pre-pregnancy weight after loosing ~ 5 lbs

I had my big ultrasound (u/s) last Friday and all of the baby's anatomy looks good. Our little man is measuring ahead by 1-2 weeks in most areas. The results from my integrated screen came back normal, with no increased risk. They also checked the scar from my previous c-section and noted that my placenta is not causing any added pressure to my incision. Next milestone: Thanksgiving, when I'll be 24 weeks, 4 days, the gestational age at which Justin was born.

Since this will more than likely be our last child Carl and I were both hoping for a little girl. Surprisingly, Carl was more disappointed than me. I held out hope, even until the end of the u/s when we finally found out it was a boy. But by the time the u/s tech said "there's the legs" and I could clearly tell it was a boy, I had already seen that our baby was measuring ahead and everything looks really good. I hope no one gets the wrong impression, because in the end all we really want is a healthy, full-term baby. But we won't lie and say it wouldn't be nice to have one of each.

Erwin Orchards

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Sunday's trip to the orchard & cider mill. I'm sure we would've had more fun if Carl had been there (31 days and counting until his return home) and if they hadn't given Justin such a hard time about riding the pony. I know he's small but I was a little offended when he was accused of not even being a year old.

Click HERE to see the rest.

I love my little...

brother, mommy and daddy are having another boy!

Ty C & Uncle Ray don't mess around

Ty C had me all bundled up and waiting at the door when mommy picked me up after work.


Uncle asked Ty C how much it would cost to ship me home.

Justin's first cold

I guess it was bound to happen but I was so proud of the fact that Justin hasn't been sick since his bout with pneumonia last year. Last week Justin and I both came down with colds and it's been rough: sleepless nights, complete exhaustion, vomiting, congestion, runny nose, you name it. Obviously having a sick child is no fun, but add a pregnant mommy and an out of town daddy to the mix and it makes things ten times worse.

I've been feeling much better since Sunday and Justin has just a little bit of a runny nose left but he's finally getting back to normal. Now we just have to get back to him putting himself to sleep. For the last month I've been able to put him in his crib and he falls asleep within 10-15 minutes, but last week's cold totally set us back and he's back to wanting to be held and rocked to sleep.