I have my 24-duty yet again today. I go in at 9 a.m. today (Sat) and get off at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Sun). Oh boy, what an exciting weekend.
The larger my belly gets, the more difficult it is to sleep...Can't believe we're only half way there. And by the way, why do they call it 9 months of pregnancy when it's 40 weeks? Sounds like 10 months to me!
It's hard to believe I still have 19 weeks left to go. It's already getting more difficult to move around, and especially to sleep. Nothing much exciting going on. Work is keeping me very busy. Dan is signing up for some classes this fall. That's about it. Have an OB appointment, but no ultrasound today. That is scheduled for Sept. 19.
Wow. That store is amazing! Dan and I drove to Austin yesterday just to go. (They have nothing in Killeen). The store is HUGE and so much fun. Dan and I looked at every little thing. We picked out the bedding we like, but still can't agree on a stroller. The beds were overpriced and made of plastic, just like they are everywhere it seems. The clothes were so much fun. We loved the little man outfits and the Halloween costumes. I liked the little pumpkin one best. Anyway, we didn't actually buy a single thing, but we definitely plan on returning. Babies sure are expensive. Here's a picture of the bedding we picked. I actually think it looks cuter in person...
Oh, and in even bigger news, during my surprise CQ shift Friday night (basically it's guard duty for 24 hours) Aidan was kicking! He must be growing quite a bit, because they were definitely kicks. They were light and actually kind of tickled. I couldn't help but laugh. Not looking forward to the painful ones.
I finally found time to post pictures from my ultrasound I had last Friday. The one on the left shows his male parts, the right photos shows his face and a little arm in the air. Yes, he now resembles an alien, as opposed to a duck like last time. The ultrasound tech. said it's because he doesn't have much fat on his face yet. We get to have another ultrasound Sept. 19 because she couldn't see everything she needed to measure. He was curled in a little ball sleeping when we first arrived, but he slowly woke up. Then he was moving like a madman. LOL. Dan and I are going to Babies R Us in Austin this weekend. They have really fun boy's nursery things on their website, so hopefully it will be even more fun shopping in person. Hope we don't spend too much money. In about 2 months we're going to have the 4D ultrasound/photos done, then we'll really be able to see what Aidan's going to look like.
Well, after months of speculation, we found out today that we're having a baby BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was very evident in our ultrasound this morning. It was great fun watching our son. When we first got there, he was sleeping soundly and all curled up. He eventually woke up and was waving at us. The tech said everything is measuring normally. She checked his legs, arms, brain, etc. But he was so curled up that she had a difficult time looking at his little heart, so she had us schedule another ultrasound next month. Yay! Ultrasounds are so fun. She said he seems incredibly active. She asked if I could feel him moving yet, and I said "Oooooh yes!" LOL. Well so much for little pink bows, huh? And no, I'm not disappointed at all. I always wanted an older brother growing up, so I think it's a good thing to have the boy first. Dan and I are thrilled, and can't wait to buy him a little Cardinals and Redskins onesies. I'll post the baby's photos Monday when I can scan them at work. He does look more like a baby than the duck he resembled during our last ultrasound.
Well, BW is consistently doing little summersaults in my belly. Right now it's still rather amusing, but I am preparing myself for the eventual kicks, which I hear can be quite painful and disruptive. I'm especially looking forward to a time when Dan can feel the baby. I keep trying, but he says he can't feel anything. Still soft flutters...
I was reading one of my many baby books, and it says BW is a whopping 9 ounces and is the length of a small zuccini. I was also reading about something called round ligament pain. Gone is the slight cramping in my belly, and now simple pain has replaced it. Apparently around the mid-point of pregnancy, because different parts of your body are growing and changing, it can cause pain. It especially hurts if I move too quickly. It's amazing how much your body can change in about 2 weeks. I'm already becoming less mobile, though I continue to walk as much as possible. That's all I do. I made a silly attempt to run a bit the other day and the belly definitely got in the way. That will definitely have to wait. How do some women run marathons in their 7th month? They're nuts.
3 more days until we see BW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry I haven't posted in quite a while. I'm much busier with the new job.
Let me tell you what stupid thing I did recently. Well, my fingers have been a bit swollen lately, especially with the hot Texas weather. My rings were getting rather tight about a week ago, so I took them off. Well, I was sad to no longer be wearing them, so two days ago, I put them back on. Yesterday afternoon my finger was getting a tad itchy, so I planned to take them off. Well, they wouldn't come off. Not just a little tight, but looking like they might NEVER come off again. First I tried lotion. Then it was soapy water. Then it was ice for 10 minutes. Then I held my hand in the air so all the blood would flow out of my fingers. Nope, still wouldn't come off. Then I really started to panic. The last thing I want is to have them cut off. So then I look up some info on the internet, where many people posted ideas about using Windex. That still doesn't work. Then I call in the big guns...aka Dan. I hold my hand in the air again while icing it for several minutes. Then we coated it with Windex and he went to work. It took forever and my finger was turning purple. It started to budge and was worked up to my knuckle. I really didn't think the thing was coming off. My finger was getting more and more swollen by the second. So I gritted my teeth and told Dan to just do it quickly. He did and wow did it hurt. Today I am ringless and my fingers are raw, but at least I don't have to cut the rings off.
Words of wisdom for those planning on becoming pregnant in the future, take off your rings early. Don't wait until the last minute when it becomes a major catastrophe.
Well, we find out the sex of Baby Welch this Friday. My in-laws are flying down this Thursday for a short visit, so they'll be accompanying us to the hospital. This week is going to go by so slowly I know. We're so excited to see the baby again. Hopefully BW will look more like a tiny human than a duck.
That's all for now.
