A room for our boy...

24weeks

So I made a plan and I stuck with it.  I wanted to have his room done by the end of this week and I wrapped it all up on Thursday!  Reason being this was my full week off from everything, school, Drum Line, GC; everything.  Now I can focus on enjoying my summer, saving money for the stroller/travel system, sitting by the pool, getting my Drum Line ready to go, and taking naps.  Good times :)  So enjoy what I've done for our baby boy!  I hope he likes it when he can finally appreciate it.  ;)

Convertible Crib & Changer to double as clothing storage as well

Tim's grandmother's rocker & new dresser.  Redid the lamp

DH's old shadow box boat made new!

Shelving unit with fabric baskets for books, toys, & whatnot

Letters painted. Big J, and big P going above his crib but I had already bought these so figured I'd use them!

 

Oh Boy, it's a BOY!

Thursday May 10th we went for our anatomy and gender scan and boy was I excited!!!  I told myself I would leave school by 1:15 to get to the appointment about ten minutes early and it took ALL of my flippin' willpower to stay there that long!  Eek!!  *Finally* the clock showed 1:15 and I ran outta there so fast I'm not sure if the door closed behind me or not *laugh*.

I arrived at the doctor's office before Tim and got myself checked in.  He arrived moments before our sonogram tech called us back for the fun to begin :)  She got me situated, put the warm gel on my belly, and as soon as she touched down we were greeted with our boy!!!

It's a Boy!

I started crying in joy, the sonogram gave a sigh of relief that she hadn't been wrong at the previous appt *laugh*, and Tim was Tim...quietly estactic.  

He's got Tim's legs, I can tell already

Our gal then went on to measure all his pieces and parts, check the heart, listen to the blood flow, measure his arms and legs, and scope out the umbilical cord.  It's quite humerous to me all the "Negative Ned's and Nancy's" out there who gave the whole (said in a snotty tone) "Well you know, that baby may not cooperate to show the goods so you'll probably have to go back".  You know what he was shy about showing??  HIS FACE!  He was turned towards my back for a majority of the time, all nestled up against the placenta, and even though he was super active, he didn't really want to turn around and when he did he kept his hands/arms up around his face *laugh*.  I think we may have to swaddle him like that when he's here for real.

Hiding his face

After some prodding from our tech, he *finally* showed us a sneak peek into what he looks like.  Can't wait to see him for real! 

There he is!  Head, chest and umbilical cord!

So now we know we are welcoming little JP Stout into our lives this coming September and we can't wait.  I get to start figuring out the nursery now which is fabulous, and we're going to get the registry done today, and maybe buy the crib! Eek!!  I leave you with some more pics from the sonogram, a glimpse into our baby's world as he kicks away inside me :)

Sucking his thumb

Closeup of face w/hand to the left

His perfectly formed, 4-chamber heart

Practicing his fishing cast!

 

Was that a kick or...oh, nope, pardon me...that's just gas

16 weeks and one day today and I'm wondering if the odd movements I'm feeling are the baby moving around or just gas.  There were a couple of days last week that it was just gas *laugh*, but a couple of times where I stopped and thought "What in the heck was that?"; especially the other night.  I got up around 3am to let Buck dog out, returned to bed where I propped myself up with some pillows so I could lay on my back, settled down to return to sleep and felt a "taptaptap"..."taptaptap" kind of like "Hey, I was sleepin' in here, what are you doing up?!" but then again, it felt fairly high up in my abdomen so maybe it was just gas *shrugs*.  Who knows.

Granted I know I'll feel it for sure when it's a full on "Hi-ya!" karate kick or punch, but until then I am paying more attention to those feelings down there in hopes that I can catch one of these early flutters because even though girlfriends and moms are telling me "Oh you'll *know* when it happens" I've never done this before, it's a little confusing right now so forgive me if I snipe at you because of that statement.  It's kind of like when I had my wisdom teeth out and all my friends, in relation to dry sockets, were telling me "Oh don't worry, you'll KNOW if you have dry sockets".  Welp, went back to the dentist for my week check-up and he was appalled at my dry sockets and asked "Why didn't you call me earlier?  These are bad", and my response was "I didn't know I had dry sockets".  I didn't know what they felt like, I had no idea I had them. 

So till I feel the first "Hi-ya" karate kick, here's hoping to feel the flutters, bubbles, popcorn popping, and rolls these next few weeks.

 

Hormone roller coaster ride anyone??

#cheeseandrice.  A couple of months ago I was saying "Dang this bloat is outta control!" and now bloat must be replaced with hormones.  I've read about it, friends have told me about it, but I've never experienced it till now.  Believe you me, I was fine up until almost a week ago when I got thrown a curve ball I never really saw coming.  Maybe deep down inside I knew it was there but wanted to blind myself to it.  Irregardless, I got hit with it and it threw me into a freaking panic mode attack like nobody's business.  



Trust me; I logically and sanely understand that everything *will* somehow, someway work out the way it's supposed too.  All I have to remember is my cancer journey to know that's right.  But damn it all to hell if I don't just get wrapped up in the pure sh!t storm of scariness and spin off into the netherworlds while my friends and loved ones attempt to pull me back.  Here's a helpful tip.  Let me spin until I've spun myself out because then and *only* then will you be able to pull me back and talk (some might even want to smack *laugh*) some sense back into me.  Let me go through all my scenarios.  Let me project out to when our child is five years old and has to go to school and how expensive that's going to be and what we'll need, what they'll need, onandonandonandon.  Let me freak out about thinking we're going to have to live off of ramen noodles, powdered milk, and baked potatos in order to feed, clothe, diaper, and daycare of impending child.  Let me obsess for a little while over the enormity of it all because I've *never* done this before.

Do I realize that I'm not the first 33 year old, white, public school teacher with a part-time job (hell I'm lucky to just have the one) to get pregnant and have a baby in September with not many personal days to tap into?  Yes, I realize this.  Do I understand that thousands, if not millions of women have gone before me, with less than we have and survived incredibly to tell the tale?  Yes, I understand this.

But that doesn't mean I'm not still entitled to a freak out every now and then.  SO, as a person in my life let me spin for a bit and commiserate with me then when I've spun myself out, pull me back, dust me off, give me a hug, tell me to take a deep breath and just stop.  It *will* all work out somehow, some way, I know it will.  I just need to spin and have someone be there to catch me when I fall. 

 

Introducing Baby Stout!

Due to enter and change our lives forever late September, 2012.  Currently 12w5d.