Sunday, April 27, 2008

17 Week Update

Well, on Wednesday we hit the 17 week mark.  In my last blog, I said 17, but was a bit ahead of myself.  Think I'm anxious to make it to each week.  This means we're almost at the 5 month mark - so amazing how fast time is flying by!  

I posted a few photos (see to the left).  Until I saw the picture from this week, I don't think I realized how much by belly has grown already.  Of course, I started on the "lovably huggable" soft chubby side, but keep in mind I wasn't nearly this ROUND out front - promise!  WOW - guess there really is a baby in there. :)  With the growing belly, I've found myself beginning to rub my belly at night without even realizing it.  I feel proud of my mommy-bump, but also protective. Eric talks once and a while to the baby - usually to say good night or good morning.  So sweet.  He just has to learn that there's no reason to yell for the little squirt to hear him. :)

The only other update is about something that happened yesterday.  I had a scary dizzy spell in the bathroom.  I was standing at the mirror for several minutes (grooming) and suddenly felt light headed, dizzy, had blurry vision, and heard ringing in my ears. I sat down on the toilet to gain my composure and had to wait a few minutes for it to start to pass.  Eric was at church rehearsing with our children's choirs for a play they did today, so I called him since I didn't like being at home alone and feeling like I might faint.  He came right home, but also suggested I call the on-call nurse with our OB.  I should have thought of that.  When I told her what happened, she asked a few follow up questions, and since I wasn't experiencing any other symptoms she decided it was probably nothing major.  I laid down for about an hour, relaxed, drank some water, and felt better by the time I got up.  Looking back, we think I might have had my knees locked or something standing for so many minutes - lame, huh?  But a good lesson for me to pay more attention to what I'm doing and how I'm doing it.  So far, have felt back to normal - but since my blood pressure has been up a bit we're going to keep an eye on it.

One more week until we go for our ultrasound!  So, hopefully our next posting will have some EXCITING news!  Be sure to check back - we plan to post about once a week unless there's something special to tell you about.

Thanks again for your love and support. 

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

So Far (Through 17 Weeks)

Many of you have asked how Teresa's been feeling.  We're at 17, almost 18, weeks now.  She's been feeling great so far!  The first two weeks brought a little bit of nausea and trouble with smells (anything!) bothering her. Luckily, though, she never had actual morning sickness.  After that subsided, which happened over night one day, there has been some noticeable fatigue but that's about the extent of it.

Our first few doctor's appointments have been great so far.  We are happy to be seeing Dr. Holland at Physicians for Women of Greensboro.  He's a mild-mannered, soft spoken doctor who doesn't rush up through appointments, but doesn't fill us with unnecessary information or discussions either.  He's great to thoroughly answer any questions we've had and explain what's happening at each stage.

At our 11 week appointment we anticipated being able to hear the heartbeat for the first time. They traditionally use a Doppler device on the outside of the belly.  However, after some uncomfortable pushing and poking, Dr. Holland could not find the heartbeat.  Teresa felt a little uneasy about that at first, but we were quickly reassured when Dr. Holland suggested we do an ultrasound to make sure everything looked OK.  After waiting over an hour (no wonder they schedule ultrasounds separately!), we went in for the ultrasound and were able to hear that marvelous sound for ourselves.  For those of you who have never heard a baby's heartbeat like this, it sounds sort of like rushing water with a constant wave pulsing through it.  The heart beat registered at 169 beats/minute.  If you're one of those people who trust in old wives tales, you might think this high heartbeat indicates that the sex is a girl.  But, only God knows! We also walked away with the first photo of our little one.  It was a perfect profile view.  We intend to post the photo up soon, so be sure to check back for that and subsequent u/s photos.

All other appointments have shown mother and baby to be in great health. Teresa is pleased to have not yet gained any weight.  Since she started out on the, well, lovable squishy side, the hope of both doctor and mommy is to keep weight gain to a minimum.  To help this goal, Teresa has enrolled in a water aerobics class at our local YMCA twice a week.  Our only slight concern is that Teresa's blood pressure has been elevated somewhat over the past few appointments.  At the latest appointment, we asked Dr. Holland about this and he is not yet concerned.  Supposedly, this can happen to moms during the first half of the pregnancy then level off until the end.  We'll keep an eye on it and pray that hers does just that.

Our next appointment is Monday, May 5 during which we will have our next ultrasound and hopefully discover if we're having a bouncing baby boy or giggly baby girl.  If you want to know the truth, both momma and daddy to be have a strong feeling that the little critter is a girl - and have felt that way from the very beginning.  However, you know how those things go.  We'll be thankful and ecstatic to simply have a healthy baby.  We hope to announce the big news soon, so check back often!  More to come...

Welcome to our Baby Blog!

Well, we're expecting our first baby!  What an awesome and wonderful and crazy blessing.  After seeing a great blog from some friends who recently had their first baby, we decided to do the same thing. We hope to help keep everyone up to date on how things are going throughout the pregnancy, any special news or announcements, dates for showers, and hopefully also some photos along the way.  

First and foremost, we want to give the glory of this pregnancy and the little miracle being created to God!  We feel in complete awe that this child's tiny life has been touched by our Creator and that we have the privilege to be entrusted to raise him/her.  Kind of scary, but also exciting!  We welcome and appreciate your prayers and thoughts throughout the next several months...that things go smoothly, we all stay healthy, and that our doctors and nurses are given the insight and discernment to give us the care we need.

So, enjoy this blog and feel free to share your comments, your own pregnancy stories and/or advice.