it could be the raisin...

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random ranting

I forgot to mention that I had gained 2 more pounds! I also measured my belly again yesterday and it is 36 inches now! I guess it's growing even if it's so gradual that I can't tell since I look at it every day.

Last night we went to bed and I was laying there trying to go to sleep, but the raisin wanted to be awake and all active. He was punching me really hard! I had my hands over my belly and I could feel it. He did it a few times and finally I decided that if I could feel it then so could Bob, and if he hit me one more time I'd nudge Bob, Well, he did so I grabbed Bob's hand and put it on my belly. Almost as soon as I did he hit again, but Bob said he didn't feel it. I pointed to where the raisin was hitting, and the next his was so hard it made me jump! Bob definately felt that one! He left his hand there for a little while, all the time with the raisin punching away. Finally the raisin calmed down and Bob rolled over to go to sleep. He didn't act very excited, but I thought it was really cool that Bob can feel him now too.

Someone at work loaned us one of those monitor things that you can use to listen to and talk to the baby. I tried it a few times, but I haven't really heard anything yet. I think it will be a week or so before we can hear the heartbeat with it anyway.

Other than that, everything is ok. Work still sucks though. We are trying to hire 2 new people, which is going well. They sent the two I liked the best for background checks and drug tests. Hopefully, they will be able to start before Memorial Day. Otherwise we will only have 3 people working Memorial Day Saturday, which seems ridiculous to me. Also, the manager and the office manager and I had all discussed that we should put the new people on with one person so they don't hear 4 different ways to do the same thing and get confused. I offered to train them both because I have done most of the training in the past and the people I've trained have turned out to be really good. The manager changed the schedule for the last week of May to have two openers and one closer every day. What sense does that make!?!? Especially since 3 of those days I will be opening and if you add 2 new people to my schedule then that's 4 openers and one closer. DOESN'T ANYONE LISTEN TO ME!? Overall it's very frustrating. Also, the week they are starting (hopefully) is the week the office manager is on vacation. That would mean that training the new people should be my responsibility anyway since I'm the assistant office manager.

Oh well, only a few more months and I won't have to worry about it anymore!! YAY!!!

ultrasound...

This one is the hand, you can see it right in the middle there. The ultrasound tech said he has all the necessary parts. We saw his little beating heart with all 4 chambers. She checked out his spine and it looked good, and somehow she could tell he didn't have a cleft lip. She took a lot of measurements, we were in there for a little while. He waved at us (thus the hand picture) and we saw his little legs kicking around, too. He's laying sideways with his head to my left and his feet to my right. I guess that explains why I feel most of the movement on the right side. He was very active, he moved all over while she was scanning him. I guess I would too if someone was squishing my already cramped living space! Overall though he's healthy and that's one less thing to worry about. Now if I could just get rid of this darned indigestion! 

ultrasound...

This one is confirmation of a definite BOY. The ultrasound tech said he wasn't shy at all!!
 

ultrasound...

This is a picture of the baby's face, you can see his eyebrow ridge, nose, and chin. 

A Tribute to our family

In honor of our expanding family, my wonderful hubby bought this...a Mazda Tribute! It wasn't what he wanted (he wants a truck) but it was the most practical for now. It drives very nicely, and so far we like it a lot.

names...

Bob has suggested that we come up with 3 names for each sex. He says this is in case the raisin doesn't look like or act like the names we already picked out. Picked out with a lot of trouble! So I dragged out the baby name book and was looking at it at work. I made a pretty good list, but Bob rejected them all!! Why is it so hard to pick a name?!?!? Well anyway, I'm completely open to suggestions.

I think...

I forgot to post this, but on May 4th I felt the first unmistakable movement. I was sitting at work writing out a list of something and all of a sudden I felt this little “thump” on the right side of my belly. I thought it was rather odd, but then it happened again, twice right in a row. That’s when I knew that it was the raisin. It kept happening for about 4 or 5 more times, and then stopped. It was really exciting and weird. Exciting because, obviously, now I’ve felt the raisin moving around and I know for absolute sure there’s a baby in there. Weird because it just feels weird. It’s not really like anything else. The only thing I can think of that might describe it is the new Gatorade Rain commercials where the girl is in the volleyball and it breaks open, but not all the way. Then there’s this black layer of something; anyway the commercial shows an arm or something moving across underneath it. That’s the way I think it feels. Yep, it’s weird. Just like I said.
So last night we were laying around watching something about the Grand Canyon and I had my hand resting on the (left) side of my belly and I swear I felt it on the outside! I felt it a few times, but Bob said he didn’t feel anything. He said maybe I just thought I felt it on the outside but it was really just because I felt it inside and my hand was there. I don’t think so though.
I have this weekend off, and we have really no idea what we’re going to do yet. My birthday is Tuesday, but I have to work that day. I hate working on my birthday. I am glad I have the weekend off though. I would like to go fishing; it’s practically tradition now to go fishing on my birthday. I also want to go to one of those pick your own strawberry places. Other than that, just hanging out with my hubby will be great. Maybe we can pack a picnic and go look at the waterfalls again or something that will get us outside and moving.I got out my pedometer yesterday for the first time in a long time. I wore it all day at work and when I was done I had only taken about 1500 steps. True, I have an office job and I sit in a chair most of the day, but come on! I did end up walking a good bit after work, but not continuously. I walked up to the dog run to play with Bob and Jasper, but when I got there they were leaving so we just walked right back home. I did go paint pottery with Cindy yesterday, too. I painted a spoon rest, and I think it turned out fairly well. I wonder if one day I could open my own paint your own pottery studio. I think it might be fun.

cramps!

I woke up last night and stretched out my legs. As soon as I did I knew it was a mistake. My right leg cramped up like mad and I started yelling at it. Scared poor Bob half to death since he was really asleep. It stayed cramped for a really long time, and then it finally relaxed and I tried to stretch it out a little. It's sore today, though. I guess it could have been caused by my not drinking as much water yesterday as I should have (I only had 2 glasses)...or by the 4 doughnuts I had that was all I ate while I was at work. Shame on me, I know!
Before bed last night Bob read some more of "Around the World in Eighty Days" to me and the raisin. He said we are going to start going to bed earlier so we can read and have quiet time. We also talked about some stuff that in the end made us both feel a little better about the house, the car, and the raisin.
Hmmm, I don't know if I mentioned that before. Bob is looking for another car so he can get a second job. At least until the raisin is born, maybe for a while afterwards while I'm out of work. I was worried about the budget, but he's worked everything out, and even with the extra car payment we'll be able to save more money. When he gets the second job we'll be able to pay off one or the other car quickly so we'll only show one car payment when we go to get a house.
All in all, everything is looking pretty good.

let the dreams begin...

While trying to sleep between the 4 trips to the bathroom last night I had a very odd dream. I dreamed that I went into labor (although in the dream my belly was not any bigger than it is now, which is practically nonexsistant). I know I was in pain in the dream, but I couldn't feel it. I was wincing and stuff, but it didn't hurt. The baby was born and it was a boy! Then I realized that we hadn't picked out a middle name for him and I was frantically looking through a book of names (in the car) as we drove to the hospital to pick up the baby. (why the baby wasn't with us, I have no idea because I had JUST given birth). I remember looking at the clock in the car and it was 7:41...not sure why that's important, but I remember it. Then I realized that we didn't have a car seat and how were we going to get the baby home and WHERE WERE WE GOING TO GET A CAR SEAT THIS LATE?!?!!? (it was dark outside). I think I woke up then because I don't remember any more than that, but I was very freaked out in the dream about the lack of a middle name and the missing car seat. We have picked out a middle name for a boy though, that was settled before we even picked the first name. As far as the car seat, at this point I don't think we need it. Maybe I'm freaking out about not feeling prepared?

belly envy...

I like reading posts from the sites listed on babes in blogland. They recently updated the site and it's got a lot more stuff on it. They've also added a new site for people trying to conceive. Anyway, I was reading on of the blogs and they had a link to some belly pics. The pics are listed by number of weeks, and I was looking at the ones that are the same far along as I am. It's so not fair! Almost all of them have huge bellies! I practically have no belly at all. Ok I just measured my waist again and it's still 32 inches! A few of the people at work did comment yesterday that I was starting to get a belly. I guess I should just get over it. I'll get my huge belly, and I'll probably be terribly uncomfortable when I do. I suppose for now I will just enjoy still being able to wear my regular pants and not having to spend any money on new clothes.

i hate being sick!

I woke up last night feeling not very well. My stomach was hurting so bad! I got up and went to the bathroom and took a rolaid, but it didn't help at all. I tried going back to sleep, but that didn't work either. Finally, I threw up. That made me feel a little better for long enough to at least go to sleep. I feel ok today, but I will never eat vegetable soup again!
Our appointment on Friday went well. We were only there for about 20 minutes. My blood pressure was normal, and the baby's heartbeat was 158/min. Everything looked good. They did have to take some blood for some kind of test, which was no fun because they stab your finger to get it. She kept squeezing my finger like a ketchup packet to get more blood out. NO FUN!!

What a yucky day!

It rained yesterday, and it's still raining today. We needed it though, the water levels were below normal. The only bad thing is that it gets cold when it rains, and when it's cold and wet my back starts to hurt. In fact, not just my back, but my back around to my hip, down to my knee and then down to my ankle. I was miserable at work yesterday! When I got home I put my jammies on, snuggled onto the sofa and stayed there until bedtime. Luckily for me Bob went out with Kyle and I got the whole evening to just relax and have quiet time. I should have worked on the flowers I'm making while I was laying there, but I just didn't want to get up and walk across the room to get it.
Other than the bad weather, everything is ok. Bob has been keeping everything nice and clean, and I've been trying to help out as much as I can. I don't know if it's what they call "nesting" but I went on a cleaning frenzy on Tuesday. I think I did more that day than I've ever cleaned in a day. I still have a lot to do, and it seems like things pile up when you aren't even doing anything. Progress is being made though! Hooray! When I made dinner last night I even cleaned up all the leftover food. I did forget the cutting board, though, but it still got done because Bob reminded me before we went to bed.
Nothing else to report for now, but we'll see how work goes today. I'm wearing my new balance to work today so my back doesn't start hurting again. I think the 1.5 inch heels I wear really don't help, even if they ARE wide and stable. hehehe

bowls

These are the bowls that Rachael and I painted when she visited me. Hers is the one with the pastel colours, mine is the darker one. They both turned out so well!! 

what's going on?

This past week we had two sets of visitors. Bob's sisters came down on Monday. We had fun visiting with them. The first day we ate at the Nascar cafe, where there were lots of interesting things on the walls but the food wasn't that great. After that we hung out at the mall for a while. Angie and I looked at preggie clothes, but I didn't buy anything. She got some really cute stuff though! After the mall we all retired back to the house for some conversation and relaxation. We went to bed kind of early, and Bob and I had to work on Tuesday. The crew, though, went to the zoo, where Bob met them after he finished work. I hear they had fun, but I still haven't seen pictures! They had lost of fun stories to tell when they got back. After they drove back up to Gso they went straight to Celebration Station. I'm sure the kids had fun, but the food was horrible! (at least, that's what they told me). Meanwhile, my sister came up around 3:30. I left work early and as I had given my house key to Cheryl we could not go back to the house. We ended up at Friendly Center where we shopped around for a while, then we went to Quizno's for lunch. After that we headed back to the house, where Bob met us to let us in. He then went out to Celebration Station to meet the crew. Rachael and I stayed at the house and caught up a bit, and played Donkey Konga 2. We had fun! Then everyone came home and we sat around and visited until bedtime. Rachael and I had a grand time giggling like girls at a sleepover when we went to bed! The next morning we had breakfast and then Cheryl, Angie, Tyler, Kelsie, Jordyn, and Ethan all headed out toward Raleigh. Rachael and I went shopping, even though it was cold and rainy and icky. Well, first we painted pottery at The Mad Platter. I can't wait to get it back so I can post a picture! We went a few other places, and ended up eating at Wendy's for lunch. We both had spicy chicken sandwiches, but I was miserable from eating it for the rest of the day! No more spicy food for me! We went to Michael's on the way home and got some yarn. I'm going to make some flowers for a little vase that Rachael got. (turns out I don't have the right size hook, after all. my bad) Then we headed back to the house (it was COLD) where we ran into Bob, who had just gotten home. He went to take a nap (it had been a busy week!) and Rachael and I played Donkey Konga some more, and just sat around talking. After that we watched Hitch, and then went to bed. I didn't have to be to work until one on thrusday so Rachael and I went and got presents for Uncle Greg and Kristen (whose baby is due next month) Dorks that we are, couldn't read the registry and so I bought something that had already been gotten and had to return it and get something else. What dummies! We shopped some more and then had lunch before I had to get to work. Overall both visits were fun and entertaining for Bob and I. I hope they were for everyone else. WE LOVE HAVING VISITORS!!
so anyway...I've lately become obsessed with the size of my belly. I'm always touching it and looking at it. I measured it the other day and then looked up the measurements from my wedding dress. It's grown 2 inches since Sept 2004. I don't know if that's because of the raisin, or if I just gained weight in between and didn't realize until i measured recently. Either way, my waist is 32 inches. It doesn't LOOK bigger to me, but people at work are beginning to say it's bigger. My pants still fit though. To me, when my pants don't fit anymore then I will think it's bigger.
I've been keeping up with the (extimated) growth of the baby on www.Americanpregnancy.com (thanks Angie!). At the end of this week, the raisin should be 6 inches long! It looks like a normal baby now, with eyes and ears in the right places. Also, the raisin's circulatory and urinary systems will be working. Yay, raisin!

i gained weight!!

Hooray! After loosing 9 pounds during the first 3 months, I have finally gained 1 and a half pounds back! That's without eating junk, too. I've been trying to make sure I eat whenever I'm hungry, which is most of the time. I've also been eating lots more fruits and veggies and meat. YAY!!

New things...

Well it's been a while since I posted, but I can't say that anything terribly exciting has happened. I've been working, of course, and Bob, too. Scroll down and you'll see my latest craft project. I've been trying to set aside time to do things like that. It's very relaxing and it's something you don't really have to concentrate very hard on. I finished that one in about 2 hours.
I was planning to go to Lexington today to visit my dad and sisters, but it turned out that I couldn't go due to various reasons. One of which is that lately I've been getting car sick pretty easily. We are expecting visitors next week though, and I am very excited! Bob's sisters are coming down on Monday and we are all going to the NC zoo in Asheboro, and then on Tuesday my older sister (Rachael) is coming down and she's staying until Thursday! Yay! I love having visitors! So far I haven't been terribly successful in thinking of things for us to do, but I'm sure we will have a great time anyway. We always do!
Bob and I went grocery shopping the other day and we bought lots of yummy food to make actual meals with! So far all I've made is beef stew, but it turned out really yummy. I'm sure I'll get home in time tonight to make something for us. I really like cooking for my hubby!
We've started looking at houses again. We're hoping to buy one in the next few months so that when the raisin is born we will already be settled in. Also, we're going to need a lot more room than we have here for all the baby stuff. A one bedroom apartment is definately not big enough for 3 people, a dog, and all their stuff.

Rachael...

I finally made my sister the potholder/trivet that I promised her 2 years ago for her birthday. It turned out nothing like the pattern, but it's done! It turned out reather cute, I think. I hope she likes it! 

Dr's appt

We had our first official appointment at the Carolina Birth Center yesterday. We met with a midwife (one of four) and she went over diet and exercise, etc etc. She told me to eat more protien and drink 4 liters of water a day! I've really been trying but I already have to go to the bathroom every 2 seconds, this isn't helping. We also got to hear the heartbeat again, for a longer time. She was trying to measure it but the baby kept swimming away from the pressure of the machine thingy. I thought it was very funny, but I was crying when we were listening to the heartbeat. She also measured my pelvic bones and made sure nothing was protruding anywhere to hinder the baby coming out. She said everything looks normal and that we meet the criteria for working with them. So that's our official place now. They gave me a little binder full of information and it has a calendar and some other stuff so I can keep track of what's going on. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, they let you take a very active roll in your prenatal care. When you come in for an appt you do your own urine sample and measure for protien and such, and weigh yourself and keep track of weight gained/lost since your original weight (before you were pregnant). I feel so useful!

On a completely different subject, we have a visitor this weekend! Chris, who was the best man in our wedding, has come to spend some time with us. I was very excited when he confirmed he was coming and when he got here (earlier than I expected) I was very suprised! Of course, I was at work but I did take a break and we went out to lunch (Bob, too). So far we're having a good time. I will hopefully have some pictures to put up on Monday, but we'll see. We're having dinner with Kyle and Cindy tonite and the guests they have from out of town. This should be interesting!

We love nature!

These are some of the turtles we saw when we went for our picnic a few weeks ago. We had a great day! I wasn't sick so after we ate our delicious bread, cheese, grapes, and juice we walked around the lake. It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time. By the time we were done I was so tired out and thirsty! But we did get to see lots of turtles sunning themselves. Even a few tiny ones!