27 Weeks

Your pregnancy: 27 weeks

How your baby's growing:This week your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He can now open and close his eyes, and he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if he were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and isn't bothersome to him, so enjoy the tickle. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. Wonder what he's thinking?

Ralph

So how is this one for you? Ralph was in the store today. He asked about me, if I was still here, how I was doing and so on. I was in the back on my lunch. I was talking to mom on the phone, otherwise I would have been out there early and would have seen him. I am not sure how I feel about that. He told Kera that he wasnt at LA anymore and had actually move to Washington, and the only reason he was in town was to get his son and then he was going back to WA. I am glad to hear that he got out of there. I miss him. I really do, he was my friend. And I have to believe that he didnt know anything about what happened until it was happening. I have to. And I also know that most of the things he has done was because she had him by the cajones. And knowing that he is away from her is a relief to me. She never deserved him, he actually loved her, she never gave that back to him. I dont think she could. So I wouldnt have been adverse to seeing him, knowing all of that, but I didnt. And somehow, knowing that I may never see him again... There are things that I need to say and knowing that I will never be able to say them... It leaves so much open to the environment, you know? At the same time, I dont need to open that wound back up by seeing him. I am happy. I am happy with my job, Matthew and I are doing better than ever and we're about to have a baby. I dont want to taint that with old feelings and unhealed wounds. I still know his phone number by heart... I wonder if it still works? And what would I accomplish by doing that? Nothing.

Aren't you so glad that I work in a salon again so I have all this drama. 'Cept this time I am not involved in it! LOL. The girl with the psycho ex is leaving state by the end of the month, and another girl has to go to part time cuz of child care, and another one is COMPLETELY useless. So its going to be a TOUGH two months, and then I leave... And I am thinking that when I come back I am going to do 4 days a week instead of five. With everything that is going to be happening this year, I think the extra day off will help me be able to get things done, cuz just having Monday to be able to get things done isn't going to work. I cant do EVERYTHING on Monday and I still want my Sundays with Matthew, so I think having another weekday will help me. And that is one less day I have to put Hayden in daycare, which is breaking my heart already! I am having MAJOR issues with the daycare thing already. But there isn't much I can do about it. We both have to work, that is just the reality of our lives. there just isn't a choice to be made, because we cant afford to live on one income. I wish there was something I could do, but it just isnt plausible. So I want to have an extra day with my son, I dont want daycare to raise my boy, and I hate that idea. I hate it.

Alright I have FINALLY seen the new Harry Potter movie. Its been so long in waiting! I got it on PPV. So that is what I have spent my day off doing. Laundry and Harry Potter. Its been a good day. Matthew's ice skates came today. He wants to get them sharpened after work today, but I really dont feel like going with him, its just too cold outside. Ok, he is home so now I get to tell him I dont want to go, and have him be all sisappointed so I will feel guilty and go with him. It has become a sort of system.

26 weeks (third Trimester, can you believe it?!)

Your pregnancy: 26 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber), from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Bored.

So I am keeping an extra close eye on me. For some reason, this winter is really getting to me. I cant get out of bed in the morning, I just want to sleep, and I don't want to do anything. Like going to the hockey has become a chore to me. An inconvenience. But I know deep down I want to go, I just really don't want to go...if that makes sense. I don't know, maybe it would be different if I didn't know I would have to drive home after it was over. Anyway, i am paying close attention to all of this, so if it becomes a big problem I am going to talk to my doctor about it.

I miss sleep. I know that I have said it a million times before, but I miss sleeping! I bought a wedge pillow today so I am hoping that will help. ( I do realize that the lack of sleep may be contributing to my above concern.) I know it wont make my bladder magically uncompressed, or outside my body, but I am hoping it will help me be more comfortable.

It has been snowing for two days. At least it isn't piss-a** cold anymore. Haha, as I understand it you Iowans are getting a taste of that. Hahaha, misery really DOES love company.

Work is going ok, I am pretty worn out by the end of the day, this week anyway, cuz we had a girl quit, another girl has DRAMA in the lines of a harassment charge (and arrest warrant) put in place by the boyfriend she just broke up with, and another girl who's (possessive) (now ex-)fiance kicked her out of their house and ended their engagement so she didn't come to work a few days... Anyway, needless to say I have been out on the floor instead of in the salon, so I am pretty drained when I get home. And then Matthew wants me to make him food (though if I protest he will do it, and has been doing it lately). Anyway, I had forgotten about the drama that surrounds this industry. All I ask is that you keep me out of it! But that hasn't been the case. We are smack dab in the middle of the ex-fiance thing. And yesterday I was actually scared. Cuz if this guy is the way she describes him, I don't want him coming in the store to "handle his business" so to say and so ape shit on us. Cuz from what we have heard he isn't the greatest person in the world, so last night Kera and I were pretty disturb, cuz we didn't want to tell him when he called, that she wasn't here (cuz she was supposed to be) so we told him she was unavailable. Which technically wasn't lying... But we were afraid he would get off work and come looking for her, and when she wasn't there, he'd take it out on us, and maybe I was overreacting (I wasn't, according to Kera), but I have my son to worry about too. And that just PISSED me off, to be put in that position. Because at that point it wasn't about her, or him, it was about me and my unborn child's safety. I felt so much better when Scott (our security guard) got here!

So there are your updates!

Crib, Stroller, and Car Seat

These are before pictures, the chair and our loot from Christmas.

OK, We decided it would be better to bring it in piece by piece.

Matthew, reading the instructions.

All that's missing is the Plumber's Crack, lol.

Jackie and Grizzly were lots of help!

Starting to look like something now...

And this would be why we put Griz on a diet, she couldn't squeeze through there!

Putting in the shelves..

Ta-da!!! All we need now is a mattress

Here is everything all together.

This is he stroller and the car seat we got We are very happy with our choices.

Side view of the stroller. I like that it isn't too bulky.

All folded up.

Everything is unpacked and waiting to be washed.

Here is a close up of the car seat. We chose this one for the colors (we were deciding between two)

All of our blankies. All so color coordinated.

So the room is still a work in progress, but I feel SOOOOO much better for having these three things. Now I can stop stressing and just wait for Hayden to get here!

25 Weeks

Your pregnancy: 25 weeks

How your baby's growing:Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.

Electrical Fire

So we had a pretty interesting day! We got in to work today and discovered the foundation was leaking, so the mall maintenance guys came and looked at it and said there wasn't anything they could do today, and were just going to remove the snow from around the foundation so that maybe it would slow down the leak. So a couple hours after that a customer comes in and tells us if we knew that the wire outside was smoking. And as me and Kera went outside to look, it bursts into flames. Ok, so we go back inside and I am freaking out cuz i don't know where the fire extinguishers are ( I actually do know, but in my panic I could remember) So Kera calls the fire department and I am outside with the fire extinguisher trying to keep the flame under control. So the fire department tells Kera to call 911, which is what me and Tara told her to do in the first place. So all the while we are just trying to keep it in control, so it kinda goes out, but keeps flaring up, and burning back down. Meanwhile Kera is still on the phone with the dispatcher, who has already sent the FD but we didn't know this, so Carol is in the background telling Kera to just tell them to send someone, and me and Tara are like"Ok, its flaring up again." "ok it died out again" "ok its flaring up again." And Kera is trying not to laugh. So we're waiting for the fire department to get there, and I look up and there is now smoke pouring out of the top of the rain gutter! Great. So I can finally see the fire trucks coming, lights flashing, and horn a-blarin', AND NO ONE WILL GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!! They wouldn't pull over for emergency vehicles. I was appalled. I mean I usually am when people don't pull over, but this time I'm on the other end of the emergency! So here come four fire trucks and all the girls can think about is whether they are going to be hot or not. LOL. So we're watching them from out of the window, rating their hotness, as they cut the wires. And the mall manager shows up. Except I didn't know that he was the owner of the mall. So he comes inside and says "So you have some firemen in here?" And I thought he was just a smart ass customer, so I'm like "Yeah, a few, thought we'd spice it up around here." And he's like "Where can I find them?" "Outside in the big trucks." I say. Not realizing he was serious and was looking for the guys who were in the back hallway, cutting the power. LOL. Oops. Oh, well, you shouldn't assume people know who you are, I guess. So he is out there all up in these guys' business, they cant even do anything cuz he is under their feet! So we were all pretty suspicious at that. Connie thinks he was probably afraid they would discover something wasn't up to code. So anyway, that was our excitement today. A flood and a fire. I told Connie if there was one more natural disaster in the store that was it, if there was a tornado, I was quitting!!!! LOL.

Too much TV

So best of intentions fell by the waste side yesterday. I went upstairs to put away my laundry and such, but instead I crawled in bed and slept for two hours with Jackie. LOL. Oops. So I guess that next weekend will have to be a cleaning weekend also. But I got to relax and I got to spend some time with Matthew when he got home. So its all ok. But today its back to work for another week... Which I am not really looking forward to. I just get so tired by the end of the week, that once I get to my days off, I am just so tired. I cant sleep. This is going to become a broken record over the next three months, not being able to sleep. But last night I only had to pee once, but I was having all these vivid dreams where I had to fight for my life. But these dreams are different. Vivid. Real. I mean I usually have vivid dreams, but its more like watching a movie. I know its just a movie. So I know the movie has to end sometime. So I just watch it. But these new dreams are a movie, but I am IN the movie. I'm not watching it, it is my perspective. i see what I am looking at. I am IN the movie, so I don't know that its not real, or that it has to end some time, and I have to run/fight for my life. And I wake up with my heart pounding, breathing heavy, my blood racing. And I think to myself, "this cant be good." Because I am obviously distressed and that is not a good condition to be in. So I am going to see if this is a one night thing, if it continues, I might need to call the doctor. The only thing I have changed is taking the Zantac for heartburn. So hopefully it was just an after effect of watching 4 hours of Terminator: The Sara Connor Chronicles. Which is what my guess would be. So note to self, back off the Terminator!

I got quite a bit done yesterday. I feel better for having the kitchen done. I didnt get the cupboards done like I wanted to, but there is always next weekend. Still haveto vacuum. Matthew came home early from work and I was like "oh good, I have some jobs for you." Including moving the appliances and the couch and general helping me clean. He looks at me and says "I want to go back to work!" LOL. I am a slave driver. I didnt get the vacuuming done or the entry way, or the floors. SO I will do those today and then next weekend we will do the upstairs. I want to get the crib next weekend, if Matthew doesnt have to work. If he does, then I guess it will have to wait another week or two. But we cant keep putting it off. We still have to get a car seat too. And a mattress for the crib. So we cant keep procrastinating like this. I guess I have to start holding some of my check in savings to make sure we have enough to get these things. Anyhoo, we still have a lot of work to do between now and then. A lot of budgeting and a lot of planning. This is going to be a CRAZY year.

I want to do some cleaning today,but I need a few things and is is so damn cold I dont want to leave the house. I suppose I should just suck it up and do it cuz the soon I do, the sooner I can getthis process started. I know this urge to clean is only going to get stronger and I really do need to get started now, before I get too big. I need to be able to move the stove and the refridgerator and I dont think I will be able to do it for much longer. But here I sit, writing this and watching Charlie's Angels. Go figure. I did get to sleep in though, which as nice and I will be taking a nap later, but I didnt get ANYTHING dont last weekend, so I HAVE to do something this weekend!!!

This whole thing with Matthew having to leave just sucks. It sucks. A month after (maybe not even depending on when Hayden actually arrives) his son his born, he has to leave. If nothing else it re-enforces the reason why we are getting out of the AF. But worrying about that leads me to start worrying about everything else from money to daycare to food to finding a place to live to small stuff like how we are going to get all the suitcases, the cats and the baby from the truck to the check in desk at the airport!! EVERYTHING. and I wonder why I cant sleep. I need to really watch this cuz this morning I woke up at 5:30 with Matthew and couldnt get back to sleep and I could literally feel my heart beating faster and faster and faster. The whole time, trying to calm myself down, cuz this CANNOT be good for me or for Hayden. And I have for the most part, but I still think my heart is beating a bit faster than it should be. I am just getting so overwhelmed already and there is still a year between now and then. I cant imagine what condition I will be in in 8 months from now!

Appointment

It went really well. I got a prescription for the heartburn, so hopefully that wont be an issue anymore. I did gain nearly as much as I thought I did. It is so weird cuz my stomach is getting bigger, but I am not really putting on much weight, which is really good. And my blood pressure was awesome. I have to do another 3 hour glucose before my next appointment, but thats it. I was put on Guest Services at work so I just answer phones and book appointments and stuff, so I dont have to be on my feet all day. On the down side, Matthew found out that they are sending him to Sheppard AFB, TX for training June 9-20th. Mom is maybe going to alter her trip time to be with me then, so I am not all by myself for 2 weeks. But that means she has to wait an extra month before she gets to see Hayden... But who knows maybe he wont go... He says its pretty for sure, but you never know, right? He was so cute the other night cuz I guess he has been worried that Hayden isnt growing or something was wrong. I think its cuz he cant really feel him yet, but I think he is better now cuz Dr. Ostrand said that his heart rate was "perfect" and she went over the ultrasound results and he is normal and healthy and my quad screen test was negative, so all is going very well. So he says he feels better now, but I know he wants another ultrasound so he can see Hayden again. It has to be hard for him, I mean I feel him moving all the time, so I know he is fine and active and basically that he is there. Matthew cant feel him or see him or anything, except for my growing belly. And we try to have him feel Hayden kick, but it hasnt been super hard lately, so its been difficult. It just has to be hard being so disconnected from all of it. But I assure him that he'll be here before we know and then he can hold him and feel him and look at him all he wants to! Only 3 1/2 months to go!

24 Weeks

Your pregnancy: 24 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance **that helps the air sacs inflate easily.

Sympathy Cravings

So you all know how much I want milk all the time... Anyway, we went grocery shopping on Sunday and got one gallon of milk. We were thinking about getting two, but decided against it. Mat Maid went out of business ( the Alaskan dairy) so now milk is hard to get till a new distributor. So in two days time, Matthew had drank all the milk!! He is having MAJOR cravings for milk too! So we had to buy two gallons this time. So we are trying to pace ourselves on the milk drinking.

Yuck!

So here are some pictures of my poor face after this horrible day. I have just been spewing acid all day. I feel like I should be in an Aliens movie. All these broken blood vessels have destroyed my wonderful complexion! These dont really look as bad as they did this morning when my face was all swollen... if you didnt know you'd think Matt was beating me!!!! Thanks goodness it has faded a bit, so I have hopes that it will fade. I have an appointment on Wednesday so I am just trying to hang on till then. (Also please ignore the fact that I need to wax my eyebrows, I know this already) I suppose this is my pennence for not having morning sickness. This is the pregnancy karma evening itself out...

Well, the heartburn is back. And I thought it was bad inthe beginning... I threw up twice at work because of the heartburn acid... And it was PAINFUL!!!! I didnt have anything with me to take, so I had to just try to deal with it. And now that I am home, Mylanta isnt helping at all and I have to be careful because of the calcium, and the risk of kidney stones... So I cant take them as often as I need them. This sucks.

I miss sleep. I know I should get used to not sleeping, but I am tired. I just cant get comfortable and I have to pee all the damn time. And my back hurts. This is the first time since I have gotten pregnant that I have been this uncomfortable. I feel like my stomach has triple in size since before we left to go home. But I actually havent put on that much weight, surprisingly. Which is good, since my next doctor's appointment is less than a week away. Being back at work helps though, cuz I am making a point of walking around the store when we arent busy, so I am getting some activity during the day. I think it makes me tired, lol, at the end of the day, but I know I have to do it, cuz I have to do my second glucose test in the next couple weeks, and I am a little nervous about it. Since I was close on one of the five blood tests I have had to do, but I am trying to stay active and I try to watch the carb intake (not while I was home though!) and I try really hard to avoid sugary foods, but it happens. So I really dont have a ton to be worried about, but I am, and I will be until the baby is actually here!

Ok, I have to get to work, so I'll keep you updated on my status.

23 Weeks

Your pregnancy: 23 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango). His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb.

Why have I never known the joy of putting raisins in my oatmeal?!? Yum, raisins. I blame my mother (she hates raisins).

We're home

After a hell of a trip home (and back), we are back in Alaska. I had a wonderful trip home, despite the trouble getting there, and the HELL of trying to get back, I am glad we went. We spent most of the time with family, so that was pretty great. I have missed the UNO games where we have to fight peeing our pants cuz we're laughing so hard.

Another awesome thing is that Matthew got to feel Hayden move for the first time. When he makes a a big movement, my stomach twitches, so Matthew got to feel that. And a couple days ago, I felt my stomach stretch from the inside, and one side of my tummy was really hard and the other wasn't, like a hard stripe, so Matthew got to actually FEEL him. Like he was pushing up against my stomach. It was so cool cuz we could FEEL HIM!!!!

We didn't do anything really special for New Year's Eve. We went to the Ace's game, but it sucked. Then we came home, tried to stay up long enough to watch the Ball drop and then went to bed. No biggie.

I will eventually get around to posting some pictures from home, but Matthew wants to get something done today, so I had better get to it...