In other big news for today - we are sharing the name we have chosen for our son! (drum roll please....) It is John William.
And how did we come up with it? Well, I have always liked the name William and it is a good, old family name on Ellis's side. (such as Colonel William who fought in the Revolutionary War and the big Battle of Cowpins - if you want details, Ellis would be more than happy to talk for hours to you about it. :) ) We are also naming him John in memory of Ellis's father. So, the entire name has great meaning to us, and we love it! (And I sure hope he does too.)
Now, whether we end up calling him John or Will is still up for decision. Honestly, we may wait until the little guy comes out screaming in January to make the decision. It's that decision that has kept us "clammed up" in answer to "what are you going to call him?" But I just can't keep it secret anymore!!!
:)
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Baby Girl Cousin!
Congratulations to Kathy (Ellis's sister) and Clarence!! They found out today that they are having a little girl! Kathy gave me the green flag to tell everyone and then I just waited a little bit longer to see what they were having - But our son will have a little cousin his own age! Kathy is due just a little over a month after me. I am very excited to have another little niece!! And I bet Kate (our almost 5!! years old niece) is going to be a great big sister. Since I'm missing out on buying all the fun girl stuff for our child - I'll just get to spoil our new niece with them. :)
We are so excited for both of you! Can't wait to hear what you will be calling her!
We are so excited for both of you! Can't wait to hear what you will be calling her!
Friday, September 22, 2006
24 Week Check-up
Well, I am actually 25 weeks and one day today, but I have been a slacker in keeping my blog updated. I went for my 24 week check-up last Thursday and most everything looked good.
I went in to take that glucose test. The orange fizzy drink they give you wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just sort of boring hanging around the doctor's office for an hour to wait until they can draw your blood to test for gestational diabetes. (I will get the result back next time.) I measured right on target - my uterus is 24 cm which is just what it should be at 24 weeks. And I heard the little guy's heartbeat again - going strong at 132. Love hearing that.
I also learned that my blood is O negative - which surprised me. I never knew my blood type until now. Unfortunately, because my blood is RH negative I get to have this wonderful shot at my next appointment. Apparently, if this baby's blood is RH positive, my body will develop antibodies during pregnancy and birth so that, if we have another child who is RH positive, my body would reject the embryo as a foreign body and make me miscarry. So - to protect a future child we may have - I have to get this exciting shot. (At least, that is my elementary, non-doctor understanding of all this. Feel free to let me know if I'm wrong in the comments!) Anyway, don't know why, but I am picturing this really long, painful needle. Hopefully it won't be - I'm usually very good with shots.
One other thing came out of the appointment - kind of good and kind of bad. Good, because I get an ultrasound next appointment; Bad, because we are checking to see if I have placenta previa. Best description of it and the possible complications are here. Basically, at my 20 weeks ultrasound, it showed a low-lying placenta, which meant that my placenta, rather than being in the middle of my uterus, was close to my cervix, lying low. If it stays there, it can cause some not-great complications, including bleeding, pre-term labor, c-section, etc. Good news is that 15-20% of second trimester ultrasounds show a low-lying placenta and only 5% of those turn out to really be placenta previa. Usually, the placenta moves upward as the uterus grows. SO - this all being said, the doctor is giving me another ultrasound at my 28 week appointment so we can check and see if the placenta has moved as my uterus grew. The doctor and ultrasound technician really didn't seem to be worried - just want to be cautious and check it out next time - so I am determined not to worry unless I have to. :)
But at least will have another chance to see the little guy again - and hopefully get some better pictures of him where he doesn't look like a screaming skeleton! :)
In other wonderful news - Ellis finally felt the baby kick a week ago today. When he starts kicking now, you can see my tummy move. Its pretty funny. I LOVE feeling him kick. Like yesterday, I was in the firm's library researching and suddenly - there he was - saying "Hi mom, How are you this morning!" Love that. He is most active between about 9-11 pm after I eat dinner. Looks like he might be a night owl like his father!!
I went in to take that glucose test. The orange fizzy drink they give you wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just sort of boring hanging around the doctor's office for an hour to wait until they can draw your blood to test for gestational diabetes. (I will get the result back next time.) I measured right on target - my uterus is 24 cm which is just what it should be at 24 weeks. And I heard the little guy's heartbeat again - going strong at 132. Love hearing that.
I also learned that my blood is O negative - which surprised me. I never knew my blood type until now. Unfortunately, because my blood is RH negative I get to have this wonderful shot at my next appointment. Apparently, if this baby's blood is RH positive, my body will develop antibodies during pregnancy and birth so that, if we have another child who is RH positive, my body would reject the embryo as a foreign body and make me miscarry. So - to protect a future child we may have - I have to get this exciting shot. (At least, that is my elementary, non-doctor understanding of all this. Feel free to let me know if I'm wrong in the comments!) Anyway, don't know why, but I am picturing this really long, painful needle. Hopefully it won't be - I'm usually very good with shots.
One other thing came out of the appointment - kind of good and kind of bad. Good, because I get an ultrasound next appointment; Bad, because we are checking to see if I have placenta previa. Best description of it and the possible complications are here. Basically, at my 20 weeks ultrasound, it showed a low-lying placenta, which meant that my placenta, rather than being in the middle of my uterus, was close to my cervix, lying low. If it stays there, it can cause some not-great complications, including bleeding, pre-term labor, c-section, etc. Good news is that 15-20% of second trimester ultrasounds show a low-lying placenta and only 5% of those turn out to really be placenta previa. Usually, the placenta moves upward as the uterus grows. SO - this all being said, the doctor is giving me another ultrasound at my 28 week appointment so we can check and see if the placenta has moved as my uterus grew. The doctor and ultrasound technician really didn't seem to be worried - just want to be cautious and check it out next time - so I am determined not to worry unless I have to. :)
But at least will have another chance to see the little guy again - and hopefully get some better pictures of him where he doesn't look like a screaming skeleton! :)
In other wonderful news - Ellis finally felt the baby kick a week ago today. When he starts kicking now, you can see my tummy move. Its pretty funny. I LOVE feeling him kick. Like yesterday, I was in the firm's library researching and suddenly - there he was - saying "Hi mom, How are you this morning!" Love that. He is most active between about 9-11 pm after I eat dinner. Looks like he might be a night owl like his father!!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Giggling with Baby
Last Thursday, the baby was kicking me pretty good and I thought that, any day, the kicks would be strong enough for Ellis to feel. And then the baby fell silent for days -- I actually began to miss the little booger's kicks. Yesterday, I was having a not-so-great-day and suddenly thump-thump-thump went on in my stomach in the middle of the afternoon. Wow - is THAT a way to put a smile on my face. :)
Then, last night, I'm reading in bed and start to feel the big thumping again. But this time you can see the baby kicking because my stomach kept popping and making my book bounce up and down (of couse, this is all still pretty subtle - you'd have to pay attention to see it). I immediately yell for Ellis to come up and watch. The two of us just laughed and smiled watching my stomach do wierd things. 'Course, everytime Ellis put his hand on my tummy, the baby would stop - or I'd start laughing, making it hard for him to feel it. I know he will soon though!
I have been very blessed so far to have a great pregnancy. I never had morning sickness - just felt queasy and tired for the first couple months. I haven't been plagued with all the other symptoms that commonly come with pregnancy. Admittedly, some days I want my own body back - in the sense that my stomach just feels enormous and it sometimes gets really uncomfortable. But, overall, I actually feel wonderful. Being pregnant is just such a miracle - thinking of the fact that I have a little baby inside me is enough to make the bad days not so bad. And its moments like last night that make me very very happy and thankful that Ellis and I are able to have this experience together. I just pray it continues and our son comes out a strong, healthy little boy!
Then, last night, I'm reading in bed and start to feel the big thumping again. But this time you can see the baby kicking because my stomach kept popping and making my book bounce up and down (of couse, this is all still pretty subtle - you'd have to pay attention to see it). I immediately yell for Ellis to come up and watch. The two of us just laughed and smiled watching my stomach do wierd things. 'Course, everytime Ellis put his hand on my tummy, the baby would stop - or I'd start laughing, making it hard for him to feel it. I know he will soon though!
I have been very blessed so far to have a great pregnancy. I never had morning sickness - just felt queasy and tired for the first couple months. I haven't been plagued with all the other symptoms that commonly come with pregnancy. Admittedly, some days I want my own body back - in the sense that my stomach just feels enormous and it sometimes gets really uncomfortable. But, overall, I actually feel wonderful. Being pregnant is just such a miracle - thinking of the fact that I have a little baby inside me is enough to make the bad days not so bad. And its moments like last night that make me very very happy and thankful that Ellis and I are able to have this experience together. I just pray it continues and our son comes out a strong, healthy little boy!
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