Hi! I'm Here!!

Baby Jackson has decided to let me know that he or she is up and movin'. For the past couple of days, I have been able to feel the baby move when I lay down for a few minutes and try to be very still. It's been so long since I've felt that little tickle that I wasn't sure I'd remember what it felt like. But...it's there just like I remember it...a little goldfish swimming in my tummy. Maybe some butterflies. Either way, it's there and it's super fun to feel. Can't wait to go for the ultrasound in a few weeks to see what this little bug is!!!

14 Week Appointment

We had our 14 week check up on Friday and all is well with Baby Jackson #3. The heartbeat was nice and strong...still hovering around 160. And, with the doppler we could hear all the static as well as the heartbeat which means he or she is moving all over the place. So, hopefully, I will begin to feel this little one moving very soon. That was always my favorite part and probably what I will miss the most when the pregnancy is over.

We will make our appointment this week to find out what this little thing is. Should happen sometime in mid-October. And, I'll be sure to post our exciting surprise as soon as we know. We haven't really come up with any serious thoughts on names just yet. Trying to wait out the verdict on the gender. My mommy hunches tell me strongly it really is a boy. I would be thoroughly surprised if it was a girl...but not at all disappointed. Only 4 short weeks to find out...

Girl or Boy?

After reading Lisa's blog and catching up on all the old wives tales, I thought it might be fun for my friends and family to do the same thing. So, here are some of my answers to those crazy old wives tales and then you can make a vote for yourself on my blog page.

OLD WIVES TALES:
1) If you carry high, it’s a girl. Low, it’s a boy. I have always carried low, which is why those fun, hip new low rise pants NEVER work for me. Nothing has changed this time...still carrying low. BOY

2) If the heartbeat is under 140 bpm, it’s a boy. If it is over 140 bpm, it’s a girl. We hit over 170 at the last appointment. GIRL

3) Tie your wedding ring to a string and dangle it over your belly. If it swings back and forth, it’s a boy. If it goes in circles, it’s a girl. You can also do this holding the string over your open palm. BOY

4) Chinese Gender Chart (http://parenting.ivillage.com/ttc/ttcsigns/0,,j736,00.html ) Some say this is correct 90% of the time. Girl

5) If you have acne during pregnancy, it’s a girl. If you don’t, it’s a boy. Sparingly, but yes, they are there. GIRL

6) If you have morning sickness, you’re having a girl. If you don’t, you’re having a boy. I had all day sickness the entire first trimester. To be fair though, I NEVER had that with either of my girls. But, we'll roll with it. GIRL

9) If your urine is neon yellow, it’s a boy. If it’s a dull yellow, it’s a girl. Could it be that I just need to drink more fluids? It's ALWAYS neon yellow. BOY

10) If you’re hair on your legs grows faster, it’s a girl. I feel like I can go weeks without shaving now. BOY

11) If the dad to be is gaining weight with you, it’s a boy. If he stays the same, it’s a girl. With as much as Bo works out and as hard as he works, there is NO WAY he will gain weight with me. GIRL

12) If you have headaches, you’re having a boy. If you don’t, it’s a girl. I kicked the caffine the first week I found out I was pregnant. Even still, I have had more headaches with this one than with Ally and Kelsey combined. BOY

13) Girls steal your beauty. If you look better than before, it’s a boy. If you don’t, it’s a girl. Considering I am a stay at home mom and rarely get dressed up to change diapers, clean house and play with kids, I'm going with the same...no better and hopefully no worse!! GIRL

14) If your feet are colder than usual, it’s a boy. If they’re the same, it’s a girl. How weird... GIRL

So...now you have until our next appointment in mid-October to place your votes. Should be lots of fun!!!

Quiet Month

This has been a very quiet and uneventful month in the world of pregnancy...which is always a good thing!!! We have a Dr. appointment on Friday and I am sure there will be plenty more to tell then. But, for now, it's slow and go.

Over the past month we have rearranged furniture and gotten Kelsey in to a new room to make way for Baby Jackson. The baby furniture just won't fit any good way in our guest room, so Kelsey got a brand new big girl room so we could put the baby where she was as a baby. Painting was fun, but the best part was putting up the brown dots all over the pink wall. I was worried about how it would turn out, but I am so glad I did it. The room is adorable and there is so much more room for her to play in there.

For now, the guest room remains a guest room, but it is over crowded with baby furniture and some things we've brought up from the basement for the baby. Once we find out what we are having, we will paint and get the room ready for baby.

Baby's Heartbeat

We had another Dr. appointment on the 15th of August. It was a fairly routine first visit with bloodwork and family history questions. But, the best part was hearing the SUPER FAST heart beat for the first time. 170 beats per minute...it's another girl!!!! Bo had the chance to meet Dr. Madzivire for the first time and really enjoyed her. She is very down-to-earth and "real", which I like.

I'm finally beginning to feel better throughout the day. The past several weeks have been very tough, but my energy is starting to come back and I am hoping to return to my normal self in the next week or so. There's so much to do now!!! We have decided to use the comfy green recliner in the baby room since we sold our glider to a church after Kelsey got her new bed. And, we have decided that Kelsey is going to get a new big girl room. There's just no logical way all of the baby furniture will fit in what used to be the guest bedroom. So, we will keep the baby in Kelsey's old room where the furniture works and make her a new room. Should be lots of fun to decorate that room. I think we'll probably get started sometime this week.

And, we bought our first baby iten over the weekend...a new bouncy seat. It is such a cute and FUNCTIONAL seat and I am so glad we have it for the baby. I'm sure the baby will be a comfy as ever in the soft cushiony seat. I wish they made those things for adults to sleep in!!!

Stress City!!

So...we've had 2 Dr's appointments and I haven't had the chance to write about any of them. Things around here have been very stressful since the news about baby number 3 has happened.

For starters, the 1st appointment went great. The Dr. was super nice and I immediately knew I'd try to see her regularly. She is very down to earth and up front about everything. Personable and understanding. So, at the appointment, they confirmed the pregnancy...like we didn't already know after 4 of our own tests!!! And, I got a boatload of paperwork and pamphlets to read up on. Information about all the tests they run and the ones that are optional. All the info about the appointments and what happens at each one. All the info about registering (AGAIN!!!) at Northside and getting set-up for delivery. When you aren't planning on a third child, you forget about all the paperwork and reading there is to do. I got some free gifts from Similac and a cute planner to help me track the pregnancy. After all the formalities were over, we did sneak in to the ultrasound room to check what was going on. The tech was gone for the day, but the Dr. wanted me to be stress free on my trip to Gatlinburg that everything was ok. She found the baby and everything looked normal. But, she did schedule me for another ultrasound with the tech to make it official and to get some accurate numbers.

And, I am so thankful she did that. Because the weekend I went away was anything but stress free. I got some much needed rest, but the spotting I had been having was getting worse and I was getting worried. I prayed every minute for God to bless this baby...it's amazing how much you want something that you never really knew you wanted in the first place until you had it. And, I swore, I'd take morning sickness and whatever else in its place. But, for the most part, I was still feeling well, just stressed. And the spotting continued. We went to ultrasound appointment the following Wednesday and I was so glad Bo got to be there for this appointment. He had missed the first one because he was at his Grandmother's funeral and with the spotting, there was no way I could miss the first appointment. So, I was fully prepared for the tech to tell us we had lost the baby. But, to my surprise, the baby was there and doing perfectly well. Thank God!!! So, we got our first set of ultrasound pictures to take home and we were on cloud nine. After a few days, the spotting went away completely...but I got the morning sickness I bargained with God for. He has such a sense of humor, that God!!! And, to this very day, I am still nauseous most of the afternoon and in to the evening. I am nearing week 9 and I am hoping it will get better soon. I so want to be able to enjoy this pregnancy as it will be the last for sure. I am looking forward to all the wonderful things that come when the sickness subsides.

In the meantime we have told most all of our friends and family. It's fun to watch the shock and surprise on their faces especially after a conversation just 4 short weeks ago about how we were done having kids. Little did we know...

We have another appointment on the 15th of August...our Anniversary!!! We are anxious to hear the heartbeat for the first time and know that everything is still going well.

One Week Later

One week later, we are still having a baby and the shock hasn't worn off yet. For me, it's about the reality of maternity clothes...things I never thought I'd wear again...late night feedings, starting all over again from scratch with a new baby, and coping with sheer exhaustion and being outnumbered by our kids!! But, there's always the up side. I am so looking forward to the hospital stay and bonding with the baby, setting up a new nursery, finding cute baby clothes I never thought I'd get to buy again. And, of course, there's the little toes and that new baby smell. So, while the idea is still haunting, it has become exciting. We have a Dr. appointment next week on the 16th. They will be able to tell us a lot more at that appointment, but we should be looking at a March baby.

And before this little note ends, I need to add a little comment - I have been feeling especially "large"...even for 4 weeks. And, with the darkness and quickness the pregnancy test line showed up on the stick, I'd be remiss to say there's no way it twins. I don't think it is, but wouldn't that be a shocker. I just remember that the tests came back negative several times with Ally and Kelsey...even a week or so after the date of my missed period. So, for this to turn so quickly, even just one day late, has me wondering and thinking. If it is twins...you heard it hear first!!! One week in to it...