Our Bambino News

Month Two

2010-05-09T18:41:00.002-04:00

Nico is actually 10 weeks old now! And we feel he is HUGE. He's grown so much. This past Thursday (May 6th) we went to his 2 month appointment and he weighs 11lbs 11oz and is 24 inches long. This put him 80th percentile in height and 50th percentile for his weight. Dr. Meredith said that if he keeps growing like this he'll be taller than Jason. And that says a lot since Jason is considered the tallest person in his family! :)

We already had our first visit to the ER. Nico was at risk of a vitamin D overdose when he was given 4 "dropper-full" instead of 4 drops of the supplement one night. We called poison control and they advised us to go to the ER immediately. Luckily everything turned out well. He had to get blood work, but everything was normal. An overdose of Vitamin D can cause kidney failure and heart problems.

He is sleeping through the night. Jason will feed him his nightly feeding at 10pm and most nights Nico sleeps until 5am. The biggest fight we have is getting him down for nap. I'm trying to let him "cry it out" and he'll go for a good 1/2 hour without stopping before putting himself to sleep. But its going better now and many times he'll cry for less than 15mins.

When he's not sleeping, he loves to smile. He almost constantly smiling and realizes that he can smile to get attention. I've noticed that he'll smile at me when I've laid him in bed for nap tempting me to pick him back up. He'll also smile at me while he's eating, but I try to keep him concentrated on the task at hand. We are very lucky to have such a great kid.

I started back to work this past week. Allie kept Nico the first day I went back and it went great. He slept, ate, and played without problems. I'm excited that he gets such quality time with his aunt and his cousin. Luckily, this first month of work I'll only be working 1/2 days Mondays and Fridays. It'll be a nice little break. I did miss him even though I wasn't away from him that long.

We are looking forward to our first beach trip at the end of May with my parents, siblings, and their families. Having all the kids together for the first time will be such fun. Can't wait! I will definitely post pics.

The first month

2010-04-07T07:10:00.004-04:00

What a month! Nico has brought us so much joy and we thank God for our blessing. Monday we went in to see Dr. Meredith for Nico's first month appointment. He checked out very good. He weighed 9 lbs 9 oz and measured 22 in. For weight he is in the 75th percentile and for height he is in the 50th percentile.

I've been breastfeeding and at first it took a little while for us to get it down. Which led us to stay in the hospital a little longer so that I could take advantage of the lactation consultants. But since that time, things have been going well and now I've been enjoying feeding time. Nico also takes a bottle and Jason feeds him every night. We've been following the Baby Wise book and have him on a cycle of eating, playing, and napping about every 3 to 4 hrs. They claim that by 8 weeks he'll be sleeping through the night. Last night he slept from his last feeding at 10pm until 6am this morning!! I'm so proud and excited. It gives me hope that getting up to feed at 3am may be phasing out soon! Someone told me the other day that her daughter didn't sleep through the night until 4 months. And I sent a prayer up to the heavens that we may have different luck.

He started smiling pretty early. We got our first picture of it on March 11th, but he started really smiling and purposefully a little later. He is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I can't wait to see him grow. Although I enjoy the fact we can go to lunch/dinner and not have to chase around a toddler at this stage.

My recovery has been going amazingly well. I feel back to normal for the most part. Mom kinda made me worry that I wouldn't feel right for a few months post surgery. But it really has been better then I thought it would.

I included pictures of Nico at 1 week and 1 month. Its amazing how much he's already changed!

Our Bambino Arrives!

2010-03-03T07:32:00.003-05:00

What a week!! Last week was quite a rollar coaster. I definitely feel truelly blessed by all that has happened. Lets start with early Tuesday morning close to midnight, I woke with "cramping." I didn't think much of it until 10 minutes later it happened again and then again after another 10 minutes. I thought this is it! I was unable to sleep and knew that there would be quite a few hours before anything needed to be done. The contractions continued at 7-10 mins apart and painful enough to keep me awake. I woke Jason around 2am to inform him what was happening. After hours of the contractions, there did not seem to be much change in the contraction's intensity or frequency. I paged the doctor and around 9am went in to the office for a check. But we found out that my cervix had only dialated 1/2 cm and Nico had not dropped very far into the pelvis. I was incredibly disappointed because I thought this was it. Dr. Brody admitted me to the hospital to attempt to stop my contractions with IV morphine and phenergan. But the contractions continued although no change in my cervix. Dr. Brody briefly mentioned that my pelvis may be too narrow for Nico to be able to fit and could mean that I would need a c-section. But he assured me that Nico was safe, his due date wasn't until Sunday, and we could continued to see if anything progresses. So I went home with pain meds, instructions to return if the contractions changed or my water breaks. I pretty much had to drug myself to sleep in between the contractions going on every 7-10mins. Mom went ahead and came in that night in the slight chance I were to progress farther.

The next day everything continued as it had been going. Mom and I tried to distract myself from the contractions with errands, a walk, and a movie. We saw Princess and the Frog with my nieces, Avery and Alex. By the end of the movie my contractions were intensly worse, even bringing tears to my eyes. Only a couple hours later we were back at the hospital with the expectation that things were progressing. Only to find out that things had not changed from the day before. Again the possibility that Nico may not fit through my pelvis was repeated. But Nico was doing very well and I still had not reached his due date. So again we were sent home. Had another sleepless night despite attempts to dull the contractions with meds.

The next day, Thursday, I was bound and determined not to go back to the doctor or the hospital and have them tell me the same news. Friday morning around 1am I told Jason we had to return to the hospital. The contractions seemed to get worse or I was just incredibly frustrated that I was NOT sleeping yet again. So Jason and I returned to the hospital really with the intention of getting me some pain meds that may help me sleep better. But this time the news was different. I was 3-4 cm dialated and Nico had dropped!! Yes! It was time and I would be staying to have a baby. I started crying I was so relieved. Unfortunately during that time my contractions intensified tremendously. I was cussing at Jason and repeatedly asking for an epidural. I wanted them to bend the rules and proceed with the epidural without the required bloodwork and IV fluids. I wasn't a very nice patient or wife! I completely rushed through the review of medical history with the CRNA and may have omitted a few unimportant pieces of information (although my mom was there to interject, which she got a very scathing "go to hell" look and an impolite "stop interrupting.") Needless to say I though that the CRNA was talking way too slow and I felt he was doing it on purpose to torture me. I don't know maybe he gets perverse pleasure seeing someone in pain. But FINALLY the epidural and sweet, sweet sleep that had eluded me for the past three days. I was fast to progress from 3cm to 7cm. Unknowingly to me my water had already broken and may explain why things intensified so quickly. But for approximately 5 hours I labored but never progressed past 6/7 cm, even with a pitocin drip. My wonderful, amazing nurse, Toni, was also mentioning that Nico was not dropping as expected with the contractions I was having and that a c-section may need to be considered. During the next two hours I zoned all my attention to get Nico and my body to progress in labor. I tried envisioning him going through the birth canal. Dr. Brody came and checked me again only to report that there was no more dialation. He said he would be willing let me continue for another 3 hours, but that he felt I would end up in a c-section anyways. During my time of contemplation I had made the decision that I would go on with the c-section if nothing had changed with Dr. Brody's exam. So c-section it was and as soon as that decision was made everything moved so fast. It seemed an army of people were around preparing me for the surgery. It was scary and I was pretty disappointed that it was ending with a c-section. Luckily, Jason had everyone leave the room right before I was to leave. I got a loving pep talk and he gave me unbelievable understanding and confirmation that I had made the best decision.

Being wheeled into the surgical suite I was just shutting my eyes and wishing that things would be over with quickly. Dr. Brody and the rest of the surgical staff truelly made the experience enjoyable. We had bets going on about how big Nico was (I guessed 8.5 lbs, Dr. Brody's guess was 9lbs). Jason and Mom were by my side the whole time and were taking pics and video. I will never forget my first look of Nico when Dr. Brody brought him to the other side of the curtain. I also have looked at the video and pics many times since the birth and I feel I did not miss anything. Both Dr. Brody and I were wrong, Nico ended up weighing 7lbs 12oz and measuring 21 1/4 in.

We are now VERY proud parents of the cutest and most precious little boy. We stayed at the hospital for 4 days recuperating. Erlanger was amazing. After getting things ironed out with breastfeeding and some of the pain from the surgery disapating, we felt ready to return home. We got back yesterday. Things continue to improve for me everyday and Nico seems to be adjusting quite well too. We are looking forward to what the future holds.

No Progress

2010-02-18T13:20:00.002-05:00

The past two weeks I've dilegently been listening to my body for any sign of labor! We had a childbirth class on the 11th and they gave us some signs to look for that could indicate impending labor. Maybe I shoulda just remained ignorant because I've seen a few of those signs but there has not been any onset of labor. This past Monday I woke feeling nausous and in the back of my mind I was thinking "is this it!?". . . But that is a big fat NO. It was a GI virus that Jason's family seemed to pass to one another over the weekend. Me, Jason, two of his sisters, his dad, a cousin, and a couple nieces fell prey to the virus. I feel much better now.

Yesterday Jason and I went back to Dr. B for our weekly appointment. NOTHING has happened. At this point (38.5 weeks), it seems most women have had contractions, but not me. I think I might've had one the other night. But when I told Dr. B, he just seemed to laugh a little and say "thats it?" So my hopes of an early delivery have been dashed. But honestly a calm has settled over me and I feel that I can deal with it for another week. What I've been trying to think about is this . . . I am on maternity leave, I can relax, and there is not yet the responsibility of a baby. Honestly, I'm grateful that he isn't here being exposed to the virus we are dealing with and I hope he holds off until it has run its course through the family. I have been taking advantage of almost daily naps. And some relaxing spa treatments. So I shouldn't be complaining. I forgot to mention that in the ultrasound Nico was measuring out to weigh 7lbs 11ozs. At this point the babies gain 1/2 lbs per week, so hopefully he won't hold out too much longer because I don't want him to be too much bigger.

Will update again soon. Maybe the next time I'll be posting about Nico's birth. Keep me in your prayers.

February Giveaway

2010-02-11T07:37:00.002-05:00

So my friend Anna has a store in Cleveland, TN called Paisley. The store has all sorts of useful items and they also do personalizing. They are giving away a neat stamp and one way to enter is to post their giveaway on my blog. I'm more than happy to post the site and think yall would enjoy visiting their store if you get the chance!

http://paisleymonogram.com/blog/?p=143

Pictures from December to Now

2010-02-01T19:25:00.003-05:00

Closer and closer

2010-02-01T16:11:00.005-05:00

It's been almost 2 months since my last post and so much has happened. Resigned from a job, got a new niece, and many other celebrations. So lets go in order, back in December (on my birthday no less) Liz gave birth to her 2nd daughter, Harley. She looks like the Febo side of the family with her dark hair and coloring. She bares a strong resemblance to her sister, Parker, at that same age. Excitingly, we got a 4D ultrasound of Nico at 32 weeks right before Christmas. We got some great pictures of his face. It looks like he may have my high forhead.

Jason and I got to spend Christmas with Liz, Doug, and my parents. We traveled up to New Jersey on Christmas Eve and spent the holiday with Doug's side of the family. My highlight was getting to see Harley at 2 weeks old and getting to know her a little. I fell in love with her, she is beautiful. She liked to lay across my belly and I like to think that her and Nico were bonding. The experience made me excited to have Nico in my arms.

We spent New Years Eve with our Chattanooga friends at the Annual Girls Cotillion Party. It was fun, even though I was beginning the eighth month of pregnancy. I definitely felt tired and had to force myself to stay through midnight. But I made it! (at least till 12:05) :)

In January, we made the most progress with the nursery. I also had 3 showers. It was a busy month. Mom came in town and she got us organized. We got the crib done and assembled, the furniture arranged, and the "ABC, 123" art project finished. Jeanie got my wonderful bumper and bed skirt done and it looks amazing! I love it!

My job in Cleveland ended. Unfortunately, not as well as I'd expected. The relationship I'd built with my boss and his wife have been effected both professionally and personally. I'm really disappointed in the way I was treated at the end. It really only made me more grateful that chapter in my life is closing. So since the middle of January I've mostly been home, interspersed with a few hours of work here and there at Siskin. Which thankfully has been a blessing. I'm only getting bigger and bigger, not sleeping well, and getting anxious to get Nico out. My back pain has been worse and spending too much time on my feet causes spasms. For christmas Jason got me an electric massager and it has gotten its use! Thanks Jason, you are the best.

Coming up in February we have a childbirth class. Also, we will put finishing touches on the nursery and get our glider. Then of course the main event of the Nico's arrival will hopefully happen sooner rather than later. I'm a little nervous about the labor and birth process, but will have a lot of support with my family and in-laws. I will try to update the blog a little more often! :)

30th Bday Today

2009-12-08T06:20:00.002-05:00

So now I'm 30. Hmm. I don't feel much different, I guess. I can't quite remember what I used to think I'd be like at 30. I know that I expected I would've been a Mom by now, maybe once or twice over. But while in college I developed a personal motto. No regrets! That's how I base a lot of my decisions. I decide what I want to accomplish, but also look at the sacrafices I must make and whether or not I'd regret them. Such as travel nursing, it was hard to leave Jason and Chattanooga, but looking back I would never give up the experiences I had in New York and Miami. Going back to grad school was another choice because I could've kept traveling and been happy. But I knew eventually I'd want to go on in my career or regret that I hadn't, and the best time was at that moment without any other commitments on my plate (like kids or a husband). Even the smallest decisions I make I try to eliminate any chance of regret. Like visiting my sister and new baby for christmas this year and missing out on the traditions Jason and I have developed over the years with his family (we will miss yall!). Or even babysitting for Parker last February while Liz and Doug traveled, even though I was vying for a job. My trip could've cost me the job, but I knew there would be another offer down the road and spending the alone time with my niece was invaluable. I've been mostly successful with my motto over the years. I can only think of a few things that I regret I accomplished or didn't accomplish.

I feel like this birthday will just pass by without much recognition. Its getting lost in the holiday celebrations and preparation for the baby. This surprises me because I always thought that this birthday would be big for me, filled with excitement. For the past year or two, I had always imagined me and my sister going to Las Vegas together and celebrating our 30th year. But we both threw out that idea once we got pregnant. And now being pregnant, its less about me. Mom and Dad came to visit last weekend and the excuse was to start the nursery. Of course they kept telling me that they wanted to take me out for dinner for my birthday too. I kept forgetting about dinner and even found it hard to make a choice. We almost just ordered in. I was even surprised to get presents.

Getting into the christmas spirit wasn't hard this year. We started decorating the weekend before Thanksgiving and we got a REAL tree!! After years of Jason promising "we'll get one next year." We finally did and I love it! Hopefully Jason won't find it as annoying as he's expecting to. I love the smell of our living room. Merry Christmas!

End of November ALREADY!?

2009-11-29T07:33:00.002-05:00

Can't believe how this month has past! Things have seemed busier recently. I recently have started another job here in Chattanooga, which means that now I'm working Fridays too. I really miss my day off! But I started the job in the hopes that it will be a part time position, closer to home after the baby is born. Unfortunately, my backache has not improved. I think that work is the culprit. I've been icing religiously (kinda), but no matter what after the first day of work I can barely sit, walk, or get up without excruciating pain in my hips. Jason is now helping me dress some mornings and I think the worst part is having to lift my leg into the car and sit down. Work has been crazy busy and I hit a little breaking point last week when they scheduled 40 patients for me to see.

I was really looking forward to the Thanksgiving break. And it has been excellent. This year Jason and I stayed in Chattanooga. We usually go to Kansas for Thanksgiving and I can only count 2 times since high school that I haven't been there. We have missed our traditions there, but not having to travel was a relief. So we spent the day with Jason's family and had a great time. It is joyful chaos when all the siblings, in-laws, and the 6 grand kids are together.

We also got to take advantage of black Friday to buy a couple big ticket items that we needed. Jason camped out at Sears all night to get a washer and dryer. And we also got a DSLR camera. Now I'm obsessed with learning what I can about the camera.

I'm beginning the 3rd trimester at 28 weeks and gaining weight steadily now. A couple OB visits ago my doctor expressed some concern that I wasn't gaining weight, but he hasn't mentioned it since. Surprisingly I haven't had any crazy cravings. The reflux is still an issue and ice cream does seem to help. Jason thinks I'm using that as an excuse to eat it every night. Nico will hopefully be a big boy and as soon as I deliver I will be back to my initial weight. haha. I'm obsessed with my belly button. Its funny how flat its going and may soon begin to pop out. It's definitely easier to clean now.

I wonder daily how Nico will look and act. Of course he's always perfect in actions as well as looks. But on occasion doubts creep in to my thoughts, I can't always avoid the "what if things don't go as planned." What surprises me is the sense of personal failure that strikes me when these thoughts occur. What if I didn't do enough for him while he was in the womb. I have missed my vitamin more than a few times and I drink caffeine and alcohol on rare occasions. Whats the breaking point? I wonder if Fathers have similar thoughts while the bun is in the oven. I'm getting a small dose of the sense of the guilt a mother may feel after a miscarriage. But I don't let those thoughts take over often. I put it all in God's hands.

Jason and I recently scheduled a trip to see Liz, Doug, and their family over Christmas. Liz is due with her second girl at any moment. I can't wait to see her! It will be the last long-distance trip for me, at that point I will be hitting the 8 month mark. Hopefully the travel will go smoothly. Please keep us in your prayers. Happy Holidays!

Lots of Movin Around

2009-11-10T06:17:00.004-05:00

Nico has been going at it! He can easily be felt now and tends to kick me mostly in the mornings and at night. I do feel him during the day too, but most the time I'm too busy to just sit with my hand upon my belly to feel him. Last week we kind of had a scare and my doctor thought I may have been leaking fluid or that my water had broken. I wasn't going to worry too much and continued to work. I did page my doctor on the way and once he called me back and told me that he needed to see me immediately, I freaked. Work had to re-arrange my schedule and I rushed back to Chattanooga (fervently praying the whole time). The exam and the ultrasound showed everything was fine. Thanks Goodness!! It was one of those first-time-pregnancy-freak-outs I guess.

Our chicago trip was a few weekends ago and we had a blast! The weather was a little poor but didn't keep us from doing what we wanted to do. The first day we got in, we rode into the city on the "El." Jason says he never realized that its called the El becauase the train is elevated. It was cool to ride between the city and over the streets. Much better than being stuck underground. We checked into our chic hotel on Michigan Ave. We were right in the middle of it all and mostly walked wherever we went. The day was a little cloudy so we decided to go on the Architectural Boat Tour. It was so interesting and the rest of the trip we really got appreciate the skyline as we walked around or went up to the top of the Hancock. That night we ate at Gibson's Steakhouse and had our first 16 oz bone-in filet. The waiter seemed surprise that we planned on sharing the steak! :) It was excellent. Best steak I've EVER had.

The next day was rainy. So we decided to move it in-doors. We went to the Art Institute and saw many paintings and furnishings. We had a late lunch at Frontera Grill a gormet mexican resturuant owned by Rick Bayless. We barely got there before they stopped seating for lunch. But we ordered a couple small plates and decided that we wanted more immediately after finishing, but the kitchen had closed so we settled for desert. It was excellent. We will definitely be going back on our return trip. Later that night we met with Jason's cousins Ross and Gretchen. They took us to their favorite neighborhood resturant and then gave us a little tour around their apartment, Wrigleysville, and Lakeshore Dr. Very beautiful.

Saturday was beautiful! Clear, crisp fall day. So we decided to spend it shopping. That morning we ate breakfast with JB and Katherine at Yolk. Excellent meal also. We stuffed ourselves so much we were able to skip lunch. JB and Katherine were great company. Katherine was telling us she is in a sort of crossroads with her career and may be going into a program that would end up making her into a principle of an inner city school. Very ambitious and exicting. We decided from breakfast we'd go shopping in Wicker Park. I found a very great maternity store and bought a few items. Ross and Gretchen met up with us again and we continued walking down the street going in and out of the boutiques. Then we went to Armitage St. for more shopping. Katherine and JB live in the area and we were able to see their beautiful 3 story townhouse. Loved it! We continued to shop on Armitage and found a great second hand shop for kids and maternity. Bought an outfit for Nico. Then we went to the top of the Hancock building for a drink and an unbelievable view (luckily we'd saved that for the most beautiful day). We could see Wisconsin from the windows. Both Jason and I were getting a little nervous about being so high and visions of the windows falling out if I were to lean on them kept flashing through my mind. Ross and Gretchen were so great to hang out with us and let us drag them around. We really enjoyed their company.

That night we went to eat at Publican. We sat at a communal table with another couple only a few seats down from us. We had another excellent meal and we tried pork belly and loved it. We clicked with the couple down the table from us and ended up sharing food with each other. It was a great way to end our last night in Chicago.

The next morning we ate a gourmet breakfast before heading out of town. With the time change I had gotten up at 2:30 am and so we had quite a bit of time before catching our 10am plane. We were actually waiting outside the door of the restaurant before it had opened.

We couldn't have asked for a better "babymoon." If I added anything it would've been more time so that maybe I could have included a nightly foot massage. haha. Anyways, pictures follow. We tried taking some "belly pics" with the Chicago skyline in the back but it didn't work too well. At the time of the pics Nico is 23 weeks.

Faith, Spirituality, and Babymoon Bound

2009-10-29T06:14:00.003-04:00

I haven't blogged in awhile. A lot has been going on. A couple times I've actually sat down to blog and just felt too exhausted. A couple weekends ago I went on a spiritual retreat called the Emmaus Walk. They don't like for us to use the word retreat because they say that retreat implies it's an event that happens yearly, but this walk is a once in a lifetime. And I have to say that it has been one of the best weekends in my life. The people, the worship, and the meditation were all indescribable. Thanks to everyone who supported my weekend.

Since that weekend I've been attempting to work on my faith and spirituality. I hope that by example I can lead Nico and the others who join our family to do the same, eventually. Jason seems to be slightly skeptical. We both know Christ but we've struggled with using Him as our foundation. Our church attendance has been very sporadic and last year we could probably count the times we'd been on one hand. This summer we have found a church that I feel welcomed and comfortable. I just can't tell if Jason feels the same, he's agreeable most the time. But I feel that he agrees because he knows it'll make me happy. We do have plans to officially join the church soon.

Its funny how the view changes once pregnant. Children learn best by example and inspiration. I look back to see how I became inspired to be a Christian and my parents are my inspirations. As kids they diligently took us to Sunday School and Worship, even with snowstorms we'd hike to church and back, as a small child I'd ride on the sled while my older brother or dad pulled me. We'd often try to weezle our way out of having to go. A few times Liz and I would sneek out of church, get our friend out of the church next door, and go to Burger King. Another time we entertained ourselves during service by daring our friends and each other to turn off and on the lights at the alter. In high school, I became involved with Young Life and loved it. A few years ago, I remember a particularly rough time in my family (these times didn't happen often so it isn't hard to forget), but Dad turned to me and said "Ann, if you haven't found Jesus then you don't have anything." That comment has stayed with me ever since. I was always given every oppurtunity to be faithful and spiritual, and I still struggle with it. But I do want to thank my parents for all they've given me. I could never thank them or show them enough.

After the Emmaus Walk the lyrics to "Amazing Grace" seems to be how I would describe myself. In particular "I was lost, but now I'm found." The walk gave me guidance and a renewed committment to faith in God's Will. Coming out of that weekend, I've decided that I need to be more devoted, across the board. Devoted . . . to Jason, my faith, work, my new family, etc and less devoted to myself. But that does NOT mean I'll be giving up my spa treatments or mani/pedi's (sorry Jason).

Now for an update, the house I've fallen in love with is not going to work out. But I still harbor hope that if its meant to be it will be. So onward we go. This weekend, Jason and I are headed off to Chicago. Its meant to be our "babymoon" or the last romantic trip with just the two of us for a looooong while. I will update you on the trip next.

Nico is growing by leaps and bounds. The past few weeks I've just popped. In the past two weeks, I've had more patients ask me if I'm pregnant, and lucky for them I am, so I now realize that the bump is no longer hide-able. I will also try to post pics of the belly soon.

The Need to Post

2009-10-15T05:41:00.004-04:00

Well, I don't feel very inspired on anything this morning. Mostly because I've been up since 3:30am! So this may be short. Nico is doing well. GiGi got to go with us to the last appointment and see the ultrasound of Nico. I was glad she was there. We confirmed for the 3rd time that he's a boy. Which is good, because Allie and I have already started to decorate for the nursery. I can't wait to get started on the ideas we came up with. She's my own personal Martha Stewart . . . I actually have two in my life, the other one is Granny Franny (my other mother). You both are so creative!

This weekend I will be at a retreat in Athens. I'm excited because I've heard many great things about the Emmaus Walk. It should be a very spiritual time for me. Maybe that's why I'm awake, I'm not really packed yet and I'm suppose to leave right after work tonight. Actually what really woke me up was Hootie (the spawn of Satan, my cat) coming up to share my pillow, and deciding that she needed attention at 3:30 in the am. Lying face to face with Satan really doesn't lull one back to sleep. Oh well, guess getting up early is good practice. Now I just can't get back to sleep. Many things on my mind.

One thing is the fact that Jason recently decided we absolutely cannot stay in our house for another minute (his feelings, not mine). But last night we went to look at a house and I fell in LOVE! Three bedroom - 2 bath - 2 car garage house. It has old character, it's in a good neighborhood, and seems to have been kept up very well. Immediately after seeing the house I was ready to put out an offer. Thoughts of having to move from our house into this house was exciting, where as before thoughts of moving away from my little house was mostly anxiety. I would miss the North Chatt area and location, but this house has a community pool, a small park, and many children playing in the neighborhood. We also have a couple of friends living there and they assure us it's a great place to live. The down side is that its further away from downtown and my sisters-in-law. But really its probably only like a 5 or 10 min difference. Mom and Dad are coming in this week and I hope to get the chance to show them the house. Mom'll definitely love it and then she can help me persuade Jason!! Actually Jason likes it too. But he has to look at the numbers and future equity, etc. This is why we are a good match. I have the taste and he has the patience and foresight. Please pray hard it works out for us! I think I will truelly be heartbroken if it doesn't. Now I know how my friend, Candace, felt as she was negotiating for her current house. She thought that she'd lost out on her first bid, she told me that she felt that it was hard for her to continue looking at other houses on the market because she knew this house was right for her. This house is my house-mate (like a soulmate, but as a house).

A Good Weekend

2009-10-06T20:56:00.002-04:00

It was a good weekend . . . too bad the Vols lost, otherwise it would've been a GREAT weekend. Jason did not shy away from rubbing in the fact that Auburn has beat Tennessee for the last 5 times they've played. Fortunately for him, we are married and breaking up isn't as easy as before! Jeanie brought me a maternity present to the game. It was a UT shirt with AU baby on the tummy. Jason did get Nico to dress up for the game. The shirt turned out really cute and got many comments on it. I will have to post a pic of it once Lisa sends it.

Things have been going well with Nico. We have another OB appointment this Fri. I'm going to find a way to post our ultrasounds one of these days. I've been feeling Nico moving around alot. Many times during an interview with a patient, I'll feel Nico move and lose my train of thought. Of course that seems to happen no matter what . . . guess it's not ALL his fault. The reflux has been especially terrible lately and most any food causes hours of discomfort! Also I've been attacked by flatulence . . . not very romantic, I'm sorry. But its fact. Jason has been understanding and not made too much fun of me. Then today I took off my socks, saw an indention from the top elastic, and realized that the ankle edema has begun!!

No news from the recent job interviews. But honestly work is going so well in Cleveland I hate to change it up right now. Jason and I have planned our "Babymoon" to Chicago and we are looking forward to our long weekend at the end of October. It'll also be the 7th year since our very first date.

Since I've started to show in the past weeks, many pairs of my pants are no longer buttonable. Lucky me, I got to go shopping while in Gatlinburg and probably spent too much. But hopefully picked a few good pieces I can use throughout my pregnancy for work and play. I did splurge on a holiday dress that will come in handy around Christmas. The best deal of the weekend was the $2 t-shirt I got from GAP. But by the time I decided I needed to go back (2 days later) and buy more they were gone. . . Can I also count the coffee carafe that matches my china as a maternity purchase? Jason was thrilled with the last purchase. I had to explain what a good deal I was getting and that it required immediate action to buy. He was hard to convince.

The Bump

2009-10-01T07:01:00.003-04:00

Baby Bump pics from 4 and 1/2 months. Very pale.

Nico's first game

2009-09-30T20:33:00.002-04:00

Well we are taking the boy to his first Auburn football game this weekend. It just so happens to be against his mom's favorite team....the Vols. No big deal, Nico and I will cheer for the War Eagles and mom can cheer on the Vols. The only thing I am having trouble with is figuring out how I can dress mom's stomach in Auburn gear while she wears some sort of ugly Tenn shirt. Oh well, should be a fun weekend.

I think we, and by that I mean Ann, have reached a good point in the pregnancy. Mom seems to be feeling waaay better these days and for the first time I feel like she can finally enjoy the pregnancy. And now that we know for sure we are having a boy she can start to pick cool clothes out and begin to get the nursery together....and pretend to take my opinion the whole time. Most importantly, she can go back to cooking me fabulous dinners in stead of bowls of cereal.

For me it seems like we have reached the half way point rather quickly. I guess the excitement of it all has brought each day quicker and quicker. That or the fact that I don't really have to do anything. Either way I ready for February/March to get here.

Glimpse into the Future

2009-09-27T07:50:00.003-04:00

Just finished week 17. I don't know why, but I was excited to get through the week and be able to officially say I'm 4 and 1/2 months along! Mostly uneventful week. Watched a hilarious movie, "The Proposal" with my friend Michelle one night. Another night, had dinner at St. John's Restaurant for a drug rep dinner. Then Saturday was UTC's homecoming.

Friday I decided to get out of work and instead of going to Knoxville for meetings, I had an interview. The interview was for a teaching position at Chattanooga State's LPN program. I wasn't sure if they would be able to tell if I was pregnant or if I should've told them or not. They did ask if I had any children which I answered truthfully "no . . . not yet." The interview process was pretty intense. They warned me there would be a search committee conducting the interview and would start with a 45 minute question and answer session, then a 5-7 minute teaching demonstration. I have no worries with my interviewing skills, but the teaching demonstration was a scary thought. I have not taught before, but in the past I fight off panic while presenting in front of a class. I had a powerpoint presentation about smoking cessation all set up and even emailed the contact asking if there would be capability to show powerpoint in the room. He emailed me back giving a room change into their Technology Center. I felt that this meant they were going to provide that capability. But apparently not, I was a little caught off guard and had to present without my powerpoint (aka my notes) and I did not have a back up plan. I went from memory and MAYBE didn't go as devastating as I felt it did. We will see I guess, they should get back to me this week.

Jason broke his back. He slipped and fell in the Verizon Wireless parking lot during a big rain. The break is not the sort of thing that will paralyze him, but is definitely painful and could cause some problems down the road if it doesn't heal. He's doing ok now.

Thursday night Jason felt Nico kick for the first time. I thought that was pretty cool. I've been feeling him moving around pretty often and many times I've tried to get Jason's hand over my belly to feel the kicks. Finally he felt it the other night. Jason of course claims it was because Nico heard him talking about Auburn.

We had a glimpse into the near future when I babysat Rowan (my nephew) while Allie went to get her hair done. I got to use my high chair for the first time to feed him lunch. Jason said that he was excited to come home during lunch because he knew that the baby would be there. Rowan visited for only a couple hours but I enjoyed it, he's a good baby.

Random Thoughts

2009-09-23T07:15:00.002-04:00

I should have mentioned earlier how great of a husband I have. Jason has been so good to me and has done the bulk of everything around the house to help me thru the pregnancy. He may be the best husband ever and will probably be one of the top 3 or 4 fathers ever in the history of fatherhood. And he is soooo good looking. Just an all around great person. Very muscular despite his small stature. He is has hidden strength. Did I mention he is very good looking? Anyway, I need to get ready for work.
Ann

Rollercoaster week

2009-09-19T05:39:00.001-04:00

Wow this week has had many ups and downs. It started off last weekend when I had to go sit with my nurse from work at Erlanger because her mother collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Which made me really emotional about Mom being in Montana and not being able to get her on the phone within a couple days. Jason was quite surprised that I burst our crying after seeing that my mom tried calling me while I was in the shower and missed it. Our basement flooded and now Jason is adamant about moving . . . and says that for his sanity we must know what we are going to do within six months (either build or buy another house). Also, I have really struggled with a constant headache and a sore lymph node all week.

But the end of the week definitely picked up, especially after feeling Nico kick. Which really felt like a vibration in the lower part of my tummy. Thursday my boss had a meeting with me. Earlier I'd had some reservations about my job stability after getting pregnant because he'd written me up on "bad handwriting" and a few other ridiculous charges only two weeks after giving him the news of my pregnancy. Going into the meeting I was very confident with my performance since we'd had our last meeting, but still felt that he might not recognize my hardwork and let me go. But he actually told me that I my professionalism shocked him (in a good way) and he put me on a bonus structure that will give us extra income. YEA!! Also I got insurance through work that is worth something. Then even better, Friday we went to Dr. Brody's office (our OB) and got another ultrasound that confirmed Nico's "boy parts." He also told me that the vibration was most likely kicking as Nico's feet are right where I was feeling it. The coolest thing during the u/s was that we could see him move and at the same time I could feel it since Doc was pushing on my abdomen with the u/s wand. Lucky for me, Jason gets to come to all the OB visits with me and we really celebrate what we see. I love the fact that Jason reaches over and grabs my hand once Nico is on screen. I wonder if these sort of things will excite us as much if we are blessed with subsequent pregnancies.

Now you may be wondering about how the nickname "Nic" becoming "Nico." Well, last night we were having dinner with Sal and Jeanie. And Sal explained that in Italy a nickname is created by taking a part of the name then adding a vowel. He suggested Nico. So if the nickname sticks, Sal will either get the credit or the blame.

Catching up to the present

2009-09-16T21:02:00.001-04:00

I'm in my 16th week of pregnancy, so I let a whole trimester go by without typing a word. This post may be long. Our pregnancy all started in May, when Jason and I decided that we would "officially" try getting pregnant. It did NOT take long, much to our shock! Near the end of June, I had a hunch that I might've been pregnant but wasn't positive. So on June 21st I took a pregnancy test.

Test Results - Even though I knew I wanted to get pregnant, seeing the positive test was VERY shocking and immediately doubts about being truelly ready for a baby crossed my mind. I was nervous about the new job I'd started in April, having a little body depending solely on me, life in general changing . . . drastically. I had an afternoon to mull it over and by the time I woke in the morning, I knew that it was the best news I have ever recieved.

Telling Jason - One of the reasons I had chosen to take a test was because the next day was Father's Day. Liz had suggested that if I was pregnant it would be neat to tell Dad-to-be on Father's Day. I researched different ideas on telling him and really wanted to find a unique way. I took a picture of the positive test, developed it with an obvious baby border, and then wrote "Positive proof that in nine months you'll be the best Dad around. Happy Father's Day! Love, Ann + 1." I was in Nashville for a Nurse Practitioner Convention, I drove home, and had the hardest time not telling him on the phone. It's very hard for me to keep good news quiet. We had plans to celebrate the day with his family out at the lake, and I was suppose to meet Jason out there. I knew that I needed to tell him before we got there, so much to his frustration I fabricated a story about not feeling well and wanting him to stick around the house so we could ride together. If you don't already know, Jason is not well-known for his patience and the last hour of my drive Jason called every 10 minutes wondering how far out I was. Everytime we talked I was tempted to blurt the news. Finally I got home and put the picture in a bag with a swim suit I'd bought him. He opened the bag out on the porch because there was NO WAY I could wait any longer, plus it was hard for him not open the present with me shoving it into his chest without much of a greeting. He was quite speechless when he opened the photo. He just kept saying "are you sure!?" Even on our way to the lake he just couldn't seem to accept the news and kept asking "shouldn't we make sure?" I had to assure him that there are no false positive pregnacy tests. If its positive you are definetly pregnant. After about 25 minutes he got over the shock and was ecstatic. We always metion to each other how surprising it is to find out your pregnant.

Telling the Fams - I obviously am not one to wait. So we decided to tell our family immediately. Which may have been a little ahead of ourselves since I considered myself 4 weeks along. Many couples tend to wait until around week 12 or so when the danger of miscarriage passes. Jason's family found out on Father's Day only hours after Jason got the news. We had the idea of getting everyone together for a family picture. With Jason taking the picture, instead of saying "1,2,3 everyone say cheese!" He said "1,2,3, everyone say Ann is pregnant!" Of course no one in his family believed him (he's a bit of a trickster, and has many times used news of us being pregnant as a gag). But then they saw my agressively nodding head in affirmation and there was lots of excitement and well-wishing. Most memorably, Gigi (Jason's mom) cried and Nona (Jason's 98 year old grandma) a little confused thought that I'd given birth immediately to one of our 3 month old nephews.

My family had to wait a little longer becuase I wanted to tell them in person when I went to visit Liz at the beach house over July 4th weekend. Everyone was going to be there except Charles and Laura, who found out the week before I went to the beach, knowing I could trust them to keep the news to themselves for a few days. It was SO hard not to tell Mom or Liz! I had to keep the news secret for 2 weeks! It was hard. In fact, I ended up telling them first because they woke up first and I'd gotten in very late the night before. I told my mom, then had Parker (my niece) tell Liz. They were very excited, Liz was also pregnant and was in her 4th month. Telling the rest of my family went similar to Jason's family as I had Mom pull the same bit with the photo. The excitement level was a little muted at first. My Dad felt a little left out because he thought Mom and Liz had known for awhile, and Jeannie (my oldest sis) is not one to express excitement over someone's news of being pregnant (she herself hated the whole process and only endured it the one time for my nephew, Jackson). Unfortunate for me, this is when I had begun to feel sick.

The First Trimester - The first few months were uneventful, thank God. The worst parts about the first trimester was having no appetite, the extreme nausea, and the food aversion to everything but fruit. The better parts were losing a little weight and Jason treating me the best he ever has. He even went out one night to get me a frosty. Poor guy had to make his own supper most nights. We got our first picture of the "bean-shaped" fetus at 5 and 1/2 weeks, and at the 13 week appointment we found out that we were having a boy!! And the planning begins.....

First Time

2009-09-16T20:39:00.001-04:00

This is a first in many ways for me. Its the first blog I've attempted and my husband, Jason, and I are also expecting for the first time. We have been married for a short 1 and 1/2 years and in June we found out we were pregnant.

My sister-in-law, Allie, recently asked me if I was blogging about the pregnancy and said that she wished she had because she forgot so much. I told her of course I wasn't going to start a blog because I'm not motivated in keeping a daily record (never was). It seems to be more of a chore than a pleasure (and as my husband knows, I rarely do chores.)

So what changed? Today . . . for the first time I felt Dominic move and not only once but like 3 or 4 times. Or at least I think I did, but what do I know, I'm new at this! It was such a joy just thinking about the possibility and it made me want to record this milestone in some way so that in the future "Nic" can look back and see what thoughts were going through his parents' minds. So here we go . . .