lil' Gherkin's 22 weeks

Jeremy's volunteering today and wasn't home much yesterday (he volunteered and then went with a buddy who was buying a motorcycle), so I don't have a belly pic to put up. But, when he gets home I'll ask him nicely to take one. He has his first psychology exam tomorrow night, so I'm sure tonight will be filled with a lot of studying for him!

Jeremy's about over his cold, which is a very good thing! I don't know if I caught his cold or if it's just seasonal allergies (or possibly a combination of both). But, the trees are leafing out and the grass is greening up, so if it's allergies I should be getting better soon. It was over 85 degrees one day this week. I couldn't believe I was turning on the A/C in March! What will June, July and August be like?!?!?

According to babycenter.com, lil' Gherkin: now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct (we actually got a great shot of the lips during the ultrasound), and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

Jeremy and his truck, take 2

OK, Bill, here's the pic of Jeremy and his truck. Hopefully it'll stay up this time!

lil' Gherkin's kickin'

Yesterday afternoon Jeremy felt the baby kick for the first time. It was pretty funny. I was laying on our bed (I've had a mix of cold and allergies and have felt kind of rotten for the last few days, it didn't help that it was over 85 yesterday), and he came in to see how I was doing and put his hand on my tummy and lil' Gherkin just gave him a few swift kicks. He thought it was pretty cool. He then wanted a kick in the face, so he put his cheek on my belly...lil' Gherkin stopped kicking at that point.
I noticed today that the picture of Jeremy and his truck isn't showing up anymore so, Bill, I'll put it up again in a minute!

ultrasound pics

OK, so here are the ultrasound pics. Unfortunately they didn't upload very well over here, but I can email them to you if you really want to see them. In the first pic is the spine. In the second pic, lil' Gherkin was waving at the camera. It was really cute on screen, but the pic is a bit blurry. The last one is a profile. Directly underneath that sweet head is my bladder...

3rd time's a charm

OK, I meant to post my weekly update as to how the baby's growing when I put up the belly pic, but I got distracted...A pretty regular thing these days! So, according to babycenter.com lil' Gherkin "now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long (about the length of a carrot). His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. And you can certainly feel him move. He's oblivious to your schedule, though, so don't be surprised if he starts working out just when you're settling down for the night."
I've been feeling lil' Gherkin move around for a few weeks now, but in the last week or so he/she has become much more active. Especially in the evenings...it's like there's a gymnastics competition going on in my belly! I'm sure it won't be long 'til Jeremy will be able to feel him/her move too.
Tomorrow's the day of the "big" ultrasound. We're hoping to find out if lil' Gherkin is a boy or girl, so cross your fingers we get a good show! I won't post the results here 'cause my mom doesn't want to know. So, if you'd like to know, just drop me a comment or email and I'll tell you. Or, you can just give one of us a call and we'll tell ya'!

Happy Easter!

Look at me, I'm wearing REAL clothes!!!! It's the first time since December that I've worn anything other than pajamas, jogging pants, or something with an elastic waist. These jeans are the only pants that fit, and believe me, I tried every other pair of pants on that I own...At least there's one pair that fits! This afternoon, Jeremy and I are headed to a guy he works with and his wife's house. Thus, the need for "real" clothes today.

We hope everyone has a very happy Easter! We miss you and wish we could celebrate the holiday with you!

close up belly at 21 weeks

feelin' 16 again!

I had an appointment this morning to get a Holter Monitor put on (this is a result of my doctor's appointment last week when I said my heart would race and pound really hard, it probably has more to do with the thyroid issue than my heart, but they're being cautious). Anyway, I didn't want Jeremy to have to come home and take me to the appointment, so I told him last night that I'd take myself if I felt good this morning and it wasn't raining (I thought the motion of the windshield wipers might be a bit much to take). It wasn't raining and I felt ok (not great, but not terrible). So, I drove myself to the appointment. Afterward I felt good enough that I even made a trip out to the range to visit Jeremy for a few minutes. It's so nice to know I can get out a little if I want.

cows and school

A storm came in last night and brought with it some good rain. As a result, we didn't put the dogs in the back 'cause I didn't want wet muddy dogs inside. A little bit ago they wanted out, so I thought I'd let them out front real quick to do their business and then bring them in before they got too wet or muddy. Well, turns out they didn't want out to go potty. The cows were out by the front fence (only about 20 feet from the house). Jenny took off after them, but turned around pretty quick when they looked like they were going to chase her. So, I brought them back inside real quick and then grabbed the camera so I could show all of you "our" cows.

On a totally unrelated note, Jeremy completed his first week of school last week. It went really well. It's going to be pretty intense. He's taking two classes (writing and psychology), and they're only 8 weeks long. So, that just means a lot of writing assignments and reading/tests for psychology in a short period of time. This week is spring break, so he's hoping to get ahead a little with the reading for psychology 'cause the first test is March 31st. And, he has a little homework for his writing class (he needs to re-write an essay he wrote last week that he did really well on).

belly pics

Here are a couple belly pics...Jeremy thought it was necessary to give you a good distant and close-up shot!

half-way there!

We're now at 20 weeks, which means we have reached the half-way point! Kind of crazy to think about...in a lot of ways the last 20 weeks have gone by very fast, but in other ways they have seemed to be an eternity. Hopefully we are nearing the end of feeling yucky. I think I'm getting there. I'm walking 20 minutes or so each day (hoping to build that up to 40-60 minutes) and I've even started doing a little cooking. Not to mention I've resumed laundry and cleaning responsibilities. All in all there have been big improvements in the last few weeks. The hardest part for me is figuring out what my limits are. I seem to go from feeling very good to very bad in a matter of minutes and with little to no warning. I think some (maybe most) of that could be due to the hypothyroidism, so hopefully as the medicine starts to kick in that will improve.
Here's what lil' Gherkin's up to (according to epregnancy.com): Brace yourself -- your little Don King is busily growing a head of hair this week! In no time at all, you'll be investing in AquaNet to keep those curls coiffed. He’s also twisting, kicking and punching increasingly often -- though at only 6" head to rump and 9 oz. in weight, you won’t be feeling the full weight of those fearsome fists for a little while yet. In fact, he's closer to a peony blossom than a boxer right now! His body is catching up to his oversized head, making everything appear more proportionate. That big brain is still hard at work though: because the nerves that connect his muscles to his brain are now fully operational, his brain consciously directs all his movements. He's still listening to the sounds your body makes, as well as the sound of your voice.
I'll put a belly pic up as soon as I can get Jeremy to take it and update you on his first week of school.

our first purchase for lil' Gherkin

That's a picture of the stroller we bought for lil' Gherkin, except ours is red. Last night I showed Jeremy this stroller and told him that it's the one I'd like to get. When I was in London a few years ago the friends I was with had this stroller and I just loved using it! It was the most practical, versatile stroller I'd ever used. It works for newborns all the way up to 4 year-olds and easily converts for one or two kids. Of course, they're made in New Zealand and there's only one place in the US that is an authorized dealer and they aren't cheap. But, Jeremy found a brand new one (still in the box) on ebay last night that only had 2 hours left on the bidding. So, he put in a bid (and stayed up watching it) and we ended up getting it for about $100 less than had we bought it from the dealer. Very exciting!!!!

doctor's appointment

I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon for your basic pregnancy check-up. Since I was in there last month I've gained 7 pounds and my blood pressure was lower yesterday than it's been any other time they've seen me. While we were waiting to see the nurse practitioner (Jeremy and I like seeing her 'cause she's friendlier than the doctor), Jeremy couldn't resist grabbing the doppler thing and trying to find the baby's heartbeat. He found it pretty quickly. I wouldn't let him put the gel on my belly, so it wasn't real loud, but he did find it. Actually, he found 2 heartbeats, one on each side of my belly. But, the nurse practitioner doesn't think I'm having twins, it's just the baby's big enough now that you can hear the heartbeat almost "echo" in there. They also did some blood work to test my thyroid levels and they're putting me on a heart monitor for 24 hours next week 'cause I've had problems feeling like my heart was going to pound out of my chest when I'm doing nothing more than sitting on the couch. The nurse practitioner called me this morning (before 7:30am!!!!) to tell me that indeeed my thyroid levels are low so they want me to start on some medication right away. I'm hoping that this is what's been wrong with the dizziness and stuff for the last year. We'll see!
When I reported earlier this week that our septic problem was fixed, I was wrong. It was only temporarily fixed. After many hours, and many holes dug in the yard, it turned out that the pipe leading off the sink and dishwasher had busted under the kitchen floor. Art (the homeowner) and the plumber got it fixed yesterday. But, Art's back today to put some lime down the hole they cut in the floor, and to put the carpet back down and the stove back in place. So, hopefully this will be the end of living in a stinky house!

Pickle Boy

OK, several of you have emailed and asked me why my mom and others in the family call Jeremy "Pickle." As you can guess it's a somewhat embarassing story, because that's just how most in my family get a nickname. So, I thought I'd just post an answer for one and all to read. A couple weeks after Jeremy got home from Iraq it was Thanksgiving weekend. My folks, my sister, and I had decided to spend that weekend up at their cabin in Taylor. Jeremy was invited to join us. The cabin had been closed for winter after hunting season in October, but the only real inconvenience was there was no running water. We all brought in several gallon jugs of water to drink and cook with, but to flush the toilet you had to melt snow. The second day we were there Jeremy went to my dad and asked him how much snow he needed to melt. My dad's response was, "how big of a pickle are you going to drop?" And, thus, my mom started calling him Pickle.


In other news, it looks like the septic problem is fixed. Turned out the tank wasn't full, but the problem had something to do with a tree root, a busted line, and the angle of the lines coming off the dishwasher and sink. They aren't fixing the lines coming off the dishwasher or sink. But, they did dig up a pretty good sized hole in the front yard where the tree root had busted the line. Kind of weird since there isn't a tree anywhere in the front yard...I believe they're coming back out today with a backhoe to dig out by the tank and then they're going to pour some concrete in the hole in the front yard. Doesn't really matter to me, all I care about is that the house doesn't stink anymore!

19 weeks

OK, I've tried posting twice now and I've got everything written and then it kicks me out. So let's see if the 3rd time is a charm! This top picture is one that Jeremy took earlier this week. While I'm not fond of it, it is a pretty accurate description of what my daily life has been the last few months. Me, on the couch, in my jammies, laptop on my lap, kleenex, water, medicines, raisins and craisins, remote control, and phone next to me. The newest addition to the daily life is a lit candle (you can kind of see it behind me), more on that later...
This is my belly at 19 weeks, sorry it's a little blurry. I'm just not coordinated enough to hold my shirt up with one hand and hold the camera steady with the other. Next time I'll have Jeremy take the picture! I'm at the point now where I have to sleep with a pillow on each side of me. If I don't then whichever leg I'm laying on falls asleep from the hip down. And I get sharp pains all throughout my abdomen. Jeremy's not fond of sleeping with a pillow between us, but too bad!

As for lil' Gherkin...he weighs 8.5 ounces and measures 6 inches from head to bottom. His arms and legs are in the right proportion to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and hair is beginning to sprout from his scalp. This is a crucial time for sensory development: his brain is designating areas for smell, taste, vision, hearing, and touch. With that in mind, I've told Jeremy he has to start watching his mouth 'cause the baby can hear him. I doubt it'll work, but it's worth a try right?!?

The need for candles....I'm not one who likes to have candles lit all the time. I just don't like the scents, they give me a headache after awhile. But, it's a necessary part of life at the moment. I've been complaining since I got down here that there was a smell eminating from under our kitchen sink. It was something I'd just get a whiff of every now and then. In the last few weeks it's gotten worse, and this week it got really bad. Last night was almost unbearable. When Jeremy turned on the dishwasher the whole house filled with the horrible smell of sewer. I ended up going into our bedroom, closing the door, lighting a candle, and watching movies from 6 on. Jeremy called the homeowner this morning (for the 2nd time this week) and he just came over. Looks like our septic system needs to be pumped. He's hoping to get it fixed today or tomorrow, Monday at the latest. In the meantime, we won't be using the dishwasher or the kitchen sink!!!!

back to school

Jeremy probably won't appreciate that's the picture I chose to put up, a bit too "girly" for his taste, but too bad! It's true though, he's decided to go back to school and get his degree in Natural Resources Management. He starts classes next week at Cameron University here in town. He'll be taking Developmental Writing from 11:40-12:40 Monday through Friday and Psychology on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30-9:10 (or maybe it's 6:10-9:30, I can't remember). I think he's taking on a lot, but we'll see! I'm just glad he's decided to go back.

He will continue volunteering at the Wildlife Refuge, but is going to cut back to 4 hours a day on the weekends. That was at my request. It was awfully hard on me to be alone all week and then have him gone for 10+ hours each day of the weekend. And now that he's adding school, homework and the need to study to his schedule, I'll be glad to have him around a little on the weekends!

In other news, I was able to get the ultrasound scheduled. We'll have it on Monday March 24th at 1pm. I'm pretty excited! I really want to know if lil' Gherkin's a boy or girl, so hopefully he/she will be in proper position that day. When I scheduled the appointment they said I'm not allowed to go to the bathroom that day after 11am and that between 11 and 12 I'm to drink 32oz of liquid. OK, is it just me or does that sound crazy? I don't think there's anyway I could drink that much water in an hour and not be sick. Let alone the risk they take of me having an accident right there on the table if I'm not allowed to use the bathroom....I'm planning to drink as much as I can during that hour without making myself sick or risking an accident!!!!

Super Tuesday 2

I'm so ready for today's primaries in Texas and Ohio to be over!!!!! Oklahoma's primaries came and went without much more than a few commercials. We live close enough to Texas (about 30 miles from the border with Texas-this region is actually called Texoma) that it seems like everytime I turn around there's either an Obama or Clinton commercial on the tv. Our local news stations are based out of Wichita Falls, TX, so, you guessed it, lots of coverage on the primaries. Fortunately, only a few more hours (so hopefully that means I'll only have to see those stupid commercials a dozen or so more times) and then it'll be over for a little while 'til the national election campaigns get into full swing. Then we'll all be sick and tired of all the ridiculous commercials!!!!!

In other news, I feel better today than I did over the weekend. The cold or allergies seems to be getting better. Though, I did have a pretty bad bloody nose a little bit ago. I haven't had one of those in ages! Apparently lil' Gherkin's got my body producing so much extra blood that one of those vessels in my nose just couldn't handle the extra pressure and decided to rupture! Hopefully there won't be too many more!!!!

a few pictures today

The front of our house. I'm not going to put up any pictures of the inside 'cause I'm too embarassed to let anyone see how dirty it is. A side effect of being so sick is that the house hasn't been cleaned in months. We've done well if the dishwasher gets run, emptied, and reloaded on a regular basis. As soon as I feel good enough to clean house, I'll take a few pictures of the inside and put them up.

view outside the house

Out the front door, looking East
The view I see from the couch, looking South
Our driveway, the mailbox is at the end of it, looking North
The view from the dogs' yard, looking West

my belly at 18 weeks

OK, I'm messing with the camera today and thought I'd put up a picture of my belly at 18 weeks. You tell me, does it look like a belly or a bottom?????

lil' Gherkin's 18 weeks and a long update

I've been a bit of a blog slacker this week, I apologize. I have a somewhat good excuse though. I don't know if I have a cold or allergies. (I'm guessing allergies 'cause I haven't been around anyone but Jeremy and he's not sick.) Either way though, it's left me feeling pretty crummy. You know, itchy watery eyes, scratchy throat, stuffy nose, sinus pressure, a chest full of yuck, and a slight fever. I'm doing my best to stay hydrated. Sleep has been elusive though. I've had crazy, whacky dreams (in a dream the other night I was throwing meat to fish in a pond and the fish turned into people wearing business suits- crazy!); and either I've tossed and turned all night or Jeremy has (he tossed and turned last night 'cause he did a little much at the gym on Friday and his arms were rather sore-at least it wasn't his back!); and when I've tried to take a nap during the day that's when the phone starts ringing (and it's usually a wrong number). So, all of that to say, I haven't been a good blogger this week. Hopefully things will get better soon...as soon as I finish this I'm going to go figure out what I can take. I know I can't take anti-histamines, but surely there's something I can take for the congestion. I just don't want what is simply allergies to turn into a sinus infection or upper respiratory infection.

As for lil' Gherkin, according to babycenter.com: Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

I have felt lil' Gherkin move. I don't feel it all the time, but when I'm laying on my back either on the couch or in bed, I feel what feels like a butterfly flapping it's wings in my tummy from time to time. The first few times I felt it I thought, "that feels different than gas" but didn't think much about it. After a while I realized that I was feeling that strange gas sensation when I didn't have gas! Duh! It was lil' Gherkin! As for the ultrasound, I tried to call the hospital yesterday to get it scheduled, but I was too late. So, I'll call Monday morning. We're hoping to have the ultrasound done either the week of March 17th or March 24th. That'll put me at around 20-21 weeks, so we should be able to find out at that point whether lil' Gherkin's a boy or girl.

Jeremy's back at the Wildlife Refuge today. I'm not sure what he's doing during the day today, but this evening there's a volunteer appreciation banquet that he's going to. He asked if I wanted to go, and as bad as I want to get out of the house and feel like doing something, that seems like a bit much (I was thinking more along the lines of a trip to Starbucks for some decaf tea). And then he's back out there tomorrow. He's just enjoying it so much! I'm so glad for him! He's also decided to go back to school and finish his degree. He's decided to pursue a degree in Natural Resources Management. He'll take the necessary freshman and sophomore level classes from Cameron University here in Lawton and then finish up the rest through Oregon State's online degree program. He's really excited about it!